page_title: Stephen Colbert 2008 presidential campaign
section_title: Reaction
hierarchical_section_title: Stephen Colbert 2008 presidential campaign / Reaction
caption_attribution_description: American comedian and television show host Stephen Colbert. Photographed June 3, 2006 at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
context_page_description: On October 16, 2007, satirist Stephen Colbert officially announced that he would run for President of the United States. This came after weeks of being pressured to do so by the public and stating that he would need a sign, which came from Aragorn giving him the sword Anduril. Although the legitimacy of his campaign was questioned, he maintained that he was serious. Colbert had originally planned to run for both the Republican and the Democratic nomination in his home state of South Carolina. After learning that the fee to file for the Republican primary was $35,000, he abandoned plans to run as a Republican. Although he paid the $2,500 fee to be included in the South Carolina Democratic ballot, he was denied a place on the ballot by the South Carolina Democratic Party executive council. On November 5, 2007, Colbert officially dropped his presidential bid.
context_section_description: Colbert's campaign has been likened to the plot of the film Man of the Year, in which Robin Williams plays a comedian who runs for president, but more to comedian Pat Paulsen, who received over 200,000 votes when he ran in 1968 as a result of dissatisfaction with the current candidates at that time. While Colbert's motivation remains unclear, his campaign to "bring truthiness to the '08 race" remained popular.
  Colbert's candidacy had met mixed reviews, and the growing realization that Colbert may be serious about his candidacy raised the ire of the American political and media establishment. When the Public Opinion Strategies poll put Colbert ahead of Bill Richardson, Richardson's spokesman responded: "This is a serious election with serious consequences and we are not going to comment on this ridiculous exercise". Katon Dawson, South Carolina's Republican party chairman believed Colbert would be better off using the $35,000 entrance fee to "buy a sports car and get a girlfriend". The high polling gave way to what New York called a "Stephen Colbert Backlash", as bloggers criticized Colbert for verging into legitimate political territory, asserting that he had "crossed the line from lampooning the process to actively messing it up." Republican candidate John McCain gave a more positive view, stating that he hoped Colbert would join the Republican party's debates. "He can make them livelier and he can reach a wider audience than that narrow little sliver that watches his show." In conversation with ABC News, Fox News commentator and template for Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report persona Bill O'Reilly dismissed Colbert's run as a publicity stunt for his book, I Am America. O'Reilly also called Colbert out for not going on the O'Reilly Factor to discuss the book: "He knows the book is dumb, so he's not going to come in. Instead, he runs for president." Sam Brownback's October 19, 2007 withdrawal from the race was humorously attributed by some to competition from the comedian, but others took Colbert's challenge to Brownback's run more seriously. As one reporter for The Atlantic wrote, "Sam Brownback may cite other reasons for dropping out today, but Colbert's plan to run in South Carolina wouldn't have made his job there any easier."
  Democratic candidate Barack Obama jokingly questioned the authenticity of Colbert's "native son" posturing: "I don't get much of an accent. If he's from South Carolina, he wasn't really down-home South Carolina — that's my impression. I can't picture Stephen eating grits, but who knows?" Colbert promptly ate several bowls of grits on the next night's show. Carol Fowler, the S.C. Democratic Party chairwoman, stated that Colbert's long absence from the state following his leave for college might backfire on him. The scheme might not work against the other candidates anyway. "By primary day, they'll all be claiming to be from here," she said.
  In the 2009 animated film Monsters vs. Aliens, Colbert was chosen to provide the voice of the President of the United States.
  Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 coverage during election night, a program which featured both Jon Stewart and Colbert reporting on election results, referenced his failed South Carolina campaign. Upon announcing the results of the election in South Carolina, a state won by John McCain, Colbert's portrait was featured next to the two candidates, framed by Doritos chips.
caption: Stephen Colbert at Knox College.
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