Colbert white flag would send the wrong message

Stephen Colbert is giving up too easily.
If the comedian-pundit’s bid for the White House ended right now, it would send a bad message to younger Americans who make up a large part of the audience of his show The Colbert Report. All that talk they heard in civics class about anyone being able to run for President as long as you meet the simple standards set in the Constitution would be undermined. Many younger voters are already skeptical about a political system dominated by two parties. If Colbert quits, those voters will learn that regardless of how popular you might be, if you don’t have the money and the right attitude to get past those parties’ elites, you might as well go home.
The Comedy Central faux-news host announced he would run for President of the United States on his show on October 16^th. He planned to run as a Republican and as a Democrat only in his home state of South Carolina, giving him no chance of winning a party’s nomination for president. His goal was to attract enough votes to be able to send a delegate to one of the party conventions. To him, that would be a victory in itself.
The Chairwoman of the South Carolina Democratic Party Carol Khare Fowler told CNN that “He does not appear to be campaigning to win if he is only running in one state.” Regardless, there is no law, norm, or tradition dictating a minimum number of states in which a presidential candidate has to run. On NBC’s Meet the Press on October 21^st, Colbert faced tough questions about his views but was never challenged on his right to run for President in only one state.
The 43-year-old said on his November 1^st show that he had decided to forgo running as a Republican due to the monstrous $35,000 fee required to apply for inclusion on the GOP ballot. As the South Carolina Democrats’ fee was only $2500 and the party’s electoral system made it more likely that Colbert would win at least one delegate, Colbert elected to file with them.
The South Carolina Democrats first needed to review the seriousness and nature of his candidacy, a process that doesn’t exist in all states. His application was reviewed and rejected by the Executive Council of the South Carolina Democrats that day by a vote of 13-3.
Their official criteria were that they were looking for a bona fide Democrat who is nationally viable and has spent time campaigning in the state, but Colbert was not rejected because he failed to meet these standards. Their decision was made largely due to the $20,000 the party would have to pay the state election commission to put Colbert on the ballot. This made the seriousness of his campaign a serious issue.
As The Politico’s Kenneth Vogel reported, the council was also likely concerned about helping Colbert make a mockery of the election system.
Although Colbert announced on Monday that he would not fight the decision, he didn’t close the book on his campaign. “I want to say to my supporters, this is not over," Colbert said. "While I may accept the decision of the Council, the fight goes on! The dream endures!” The option of running as an independent in the general election next year is still open but the two-party system makes campaigning very difficult and thankless for independents.
However things turn out, Colbert’s presidential campaign is legitimate because it has supporters, and therefore should continue. A national poll done by Public Opinion Research found Colbert had the support of 2.3% of those surveyed, putting him ahead of Governor Bill Richardson, Representative Dennis Kucinich and former Senator Mike Gravel.
Although some may argue that the support is from Colbert’s fans who would only vote for him for entertainment purposes or as a protest vote, is it really democratic to deny someone’s ability to run for office because of their supporters’ motives?
Colbert is not mocking the electoral system. If anything, he has glorified the democratic process and brought more attention to it. What he mocks with his comedy is the politicians themselves, the way they campaign, and the way they speak to the people.
“Anyone who follows politics as closely as we do knows that even serious politics often devolves into theater of the absurd,” said Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post. “So why shouldn't Colbert be another actor in the real 2008 race?”
Having the Charleston, South Carolina native on the Democratic ballot would have also brought more voters to the state party, many who would not have otherwise voted. “He brings a sense of levity to politics that’s needed, and the people in South Carolina would enjoy it,” said former South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. “We probably would have some people participate who otherwise would not do so.”
It is unfortunate that Colbert did not apply to be on the Republican ballot. He could have easily raised the money through donations from fans, and the Republican primary could have been an easier battleground for him. Republicans nationally are far more dissatisfied with their crop of candidates than their Democratic counterparts. According to a report in The Atlantic magazine, Colbert’s audience is demographically far more similar to South Carolina Republican primary voters than to the other party’s and the white male college student demographic should not be overlooked. Alas, the application deadline for the GOP ballot has passed.
At this point, Stephen Colbert is facing the possibility of a group of 16 people deciding he cannot run for President in his home state. This seemingly undemocratic turn of events should not be acceptable, especially when supporters are attempting to make 10,000 phone calls to the South Carolina Democrats to protest the decision, and CNN is reporting that several of those 16 people were pressured by Senator Barack Obama’s campaign.
Whether it means fighting the South Carolina Democrats’ decision, running in another state, or running as an independent, Colbert should continue his campaign. It would certainly be a positive step for the country and it would inspire young people to take an interest in America’s democracy. Imagine the attention and excitement he would bring to a debate!
Colbert is not mocking the system; he is mocking the other politicians. Doesn’t any candidate need to do a bit of that to be successful? His style may even force those politicians to lighten up, be less scripted and speak their mind. It would not hurt the country as well to lighten up and become a bit less bitterly divided.