So, Steven Colbert is running for President and I’ve been trying to process what that means for his show, the elections and US (as in the USA). On the surface, his decision could be nothing more than a clever gimmick to give himself more material to work with. After all, his show is based around satirizing the news and he never misses an opportunity to boast about his personal media wake. While I’m sure he’ll milk the premise for gallons of humor, I’m still left with the preposterous question: what if he wins?

Oh, of course he won’t. The loyal members of the Colbert Nation don’t represent a significant portion of the voting population, nor are they all likely to cast their ballot at this historical footnote. Plus, as cynical as some Americans are, voting a comedian into the highest office would be make everyone the punchline to a very cruel joke. However, Colbert is breaking important ground. He is a successful media personality with 30-minutes of daily soapboxing on all the issues currently being debated. He has the perfect platform – everyone already knows he’s a two-faced liar because it’s part of his act, whereas we are left to assume that other politicians follow the Judas path. He is not required to join any debates or come up with a plan for a health care cure all. His bid for the presidency is risk free: all of the publicity, with none of the baggage.

For me, what makes his decision so monumental, is that he has opened the door for media personalities to enter political discussions as the characters they play. The concept is absurd, but improbable concepts can become mundane through exposure (remember Alf?) So it may only be a matter of time before we see the actors of our youth become the politicians of our future.

Put Charles in Charge
Baio/Aames 2012

PDJ