With more than 1.3 million facebook supporters, Stephen Colbert’s candidacy for president might not have been such a funny joke after all. At least if you’re Barack Obama, whose “One Million Strong” facebook group still clocks in just shy of 400k members. Facebook envy? The 2008 candidates must have been at least a little relieved when the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council decided – under pressure from Obama supporters — to deny Colbert’s application to be on the ballot for the Presidential Primary. In the wake of the 13-3 vote that banned his name from appearing in the Democratic primary, Colbert, the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” announced Monday that his gag campaign was over. Although a disappointment to his fans and political reporters everywhere, Colbert’s candidacy, which polled fifth in South Carolina, ahead of purportedly serious candidates like Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich, likely came to an end at a convenient time. After all, as of Monday, the show’s writers went on strike.
- Brian Merlos
