Politics

Colbert rides the Cain train in SC, praises Ron Paul’s consistency

David Martosko Executive Editor
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A recent Public Policy Polling survey revealed that when placed among the remaining GOP candidates, Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert, host of “The Colbert Report,” edges former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney out by one point in favorability among U.S. voters.

Colbert is mounting his own pseudo-campaign, urging voters to vote for former presidential candidate Herman Cain — who remains on the ballot in South Carolina — as a substitute for him, since he can’t be on the ballot himself. And on Friday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, Colbert responded to the poll, but had this reaction to polling nine points ahead of Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul, 36 percent to 27 percent.

“Ron Paul’s a good man,” Colbert said. “Do you know that if you guess Ron Paul’s name, he has to teach to you to spin hay into gold — if you guess his name, you get to do that.”

But for a brief moment during his “Morning Joe” appearance, Colbert appeared to be serious and praised Paul for being “intellectually consistent.”

“I like Ron Paul,” he said. “I really do. I really do. I really like Ron Paul. The guy is intellectually consistent — absolutely. He says the same thing Monday that he said on Sunday. He doesn’t change with the winds. That’s admirable, I think.”

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