Stephen Colbert is taking full credit for Jon Huntsman dropping out of the 2012 race, declaring on “The Colbert Report” that his announcement last week to form an exploratory committee for president has “completely changed the complexion of this race.”
“It has gone from linen to eggshell. And today, it just got a little off-whiter,” Colbert told his excited audience on Monday night, showing off a clip of Huntsman’s speech from earlier in the day announcing he was quitting.
“Folks, do you see what’s happened here? The mere possibility that I might run for president blew Jon Huntsman all the way back to the Lands’ End catalog he came from!” said Colbert. “Again, that’s just from me exploring the idea of running. Can you imagine what it would do to the field if I, Stephen T. Colbert, looked into the camera right now and officially announced?”
But the comedian quickly quieted his cheering fans, saying, “But I’m not.”
He added, “By the way, that snapping sound you heard just now is the sphincters of the other candidates snapping shut. You have to listen closely for Romney’s because it starts out about 90 percent clenched.”
The Colbert-Huntsman drama began last week when a new Public Policy Polling survey found the late-night comic edging out the former Utah governor in the South Carolina Republican primary, 5 to 4 percent.
This quickly led to Colbert announcing on his show that he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible candidacy for “president of the United States of America of South Carolina,” and a handing over of the control of his super PAC to his “Comedy Central” colleague Jon Stewart.
Since the announcement, Colbert’s super PAC has already begun airing an anti-Mitt Romney ad, and on Monday night released another commercial urging Americans to “vote Herman Cain.”
And could Rick Santorum be Colbert’s next target?
The comic, noting how Santorum had recently garnered the backing of social conservative leaders, quipped on this show Monday, “Personally, I would not have gone with Santorum. If I were God, I would have gone with me.”
“Why not, folks?” he said. “I’m a social conservative, I teach Sunday school, I attend church, and most importantly, I’m a way bigger homophobe than Rick Santorum.”
“It has gone from linen to eggshell. And today, it just got a little off-whiter,” Colbert told his excited audience on Monday night, showing off a clip of Huntsman’s speech from earlier in the day announcing he was quitting.
“Folks, do you see what’s happened here? The mere possibility that I might run for president blew Jon Huntsman all the way back to the Lands’ End catalog he came from!” said Colbert. “Again, that’s just from me exploring the idea of running. Can you imagine what it would do to the field if I, Stephen T. Colbert, looked into the camera right now and officially announced?”
But the comedian quickly quieted his cheering fans, saying, “But I’m not.”
He added, “By the way, that snapping sound you heard just now is the sphincters of the other candidates snapping shut. You have to listen closely for Romney’s because it starts out about 90 percent clenched.”
The Colbert-Huntsman drama began last week when a new Public Policy Polling survey found the late-night comic edging out the former Utah governor in the South Carolina Republican primary, 5 to 4 percent.
This quickly led to Colbert announcing on his show that he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible candidacy for “president of the United States of America of South Carolina,” and a handing over of the control of his super PAC to his “Comedy Central” colleague Jon Stewart.
Since the announcement, Colbert’s super PAC has already begun airing an anti-Mitt Romney ad, and on Monday night released another commercial urging Americans to “vote Herman Cain.”
And could Rick Santorum be Colbert’s next target?
The comic, noting how Santorum had recently garnered the backing of social conservative leaders, quipped on this show Monday, “Personally, I would not have gone with Santorum. If I were God, I would have gone with me.”
“Why not, folks?” he said. “I’m a social conservative, I teach Sunday school, I attend church, and most importantly, I’m a way bigger homophobe than Rick Santorum.”
3 comments:
I find it extremely amusing that Colbert is seriously "dis-ing" all of these possible presidency candidates. It's even more of a riot that he finds himself a better candidate than most of them. Isn't this the same thing that serious politicians do to each other to earn votes by publicly "jesting" at their opponents as well as airing out their "dirty laundry? Colbert does make a point when he asks that why can't he run, if he honestly took it seriously? He has all of the "requirements". All in all it just goes to show that no one is safe, nor exluded in the game of polotics.
Earlier this week in class we talked about the American political system and how it cycles from participants, input, linkage institutions, policy agenda, government, public policy, policy impact and then back to participants. This article focuses of the linkage institutions, specifically that of media. Stephen Colbert, a famous comedian and talk show host, demonstrates the effects media can have on political system by stirring the pot, and making false and exaggerated claims all for the sake of humor. As a result, the article focuses on how these jokes affect the presidential candidates as well as how the public reacts to the banter.
I don't agree or think that Colbert is the only and real reason that Jon Hutsman left the campaign for president. It irritates me to read that his show or PAC is airing commercials bashing the other candidates in the presidential election. I also personally wouldn't endorse a comedian for president.
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