Are the Democrats Afraid of Colbert?

Apparently, Stephen Colbert Isn’t Running for President in South Carolina and you can’t either. From CNN:

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — The South Carolina Democratic Party voted Thursday to keep funnyman Stephen Colbert’s name off the Democratic Primary ballot, according to the party’s executive director.

The party’s executive council met Thursday afternoon in Columbia to decide which candidates met the criteria to be placed on the ballot, and Colbert didn’t make the cut, executive director Joe Werner said.

To get on the ballot, a candidate must demonstrate two requirements: that he or she is viable nationally and has spent time campaigning in the state…

Carol Fowler, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party and a member of the executive council, suggested Wednesday that Colbert did not meet the standard of national viability.

We also found out that Stephen Colbert is worth millions, the Republicans’ $35,000 filing fee is too rich for his blood and with that the “Colbert” campaign comes to an end unless Colbert wants to sue (which would cost more than $35,000.)

That’s too bad, I personally would love to see Colbert in a Democratic Presidential Candidate debate.  He’d be guaranteed to get the Democratic candidates to say something stupid like that they saw a UFO or support driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, no wait…

In all seriousness, Colbert would probably beat several of the Democrats on the ballot. Heck, he might get into double digits and how humiliating would that be for the Democrats? To have a comedian running a joke campaign beat United States Senators in a state they’ve been working months would be the death knell of any campaign and wouldn’t portend well for the future of South Carolina Democrats.

As an aside for Idaho residents, what the decision of the South Carolina party illustrates is that primaries are not in the hands of the general population, but rather the State parties. Next time Idaho Democrats get all huffy about not being able to vote in the GOP primary, ask them why South Carolina couldn’t vote for Stephen Colbert?