A couple hundred people stood around holding cameras as comedian Stephen Colbert dropped into Washington and filed papers for his Super PAC. It was the most excitement the Federal Election Commission and its office may ever see.
The host of the “Colbert Report” had been saying for weeks that he was preparing the papers to set up his “super PAC,” which can raise and spend an unlimited amount of campaign cash. Super PACs have popped up since the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission last year.
“The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United has proved that unlimited corporate money equals free speech,” said Colbert as the crowd cheered, clapped and booed. By the Colbert logic, that means that no corporate money means “silence.”
The crowd cheered as Colbert stepped out of the FEC building, with nearly everyone holding up their cameras as the funnyman gave his usual performance.
“I want to open the Colbert super PAC for all those PAC-less Americans,” said Colbert, as several in the crowd recited his PAC’s motto: “Making a better ‘tomorrow’ tomorrow.”
Colbert had been straightforwardly promoting the stop all day via his Twitter account, even offering a map to where people could gather across the street from the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building. The mostly young, hip, white crowd included one Spiderman.
“I believe in the American dream. That dream is simple,” Colbert performed before the crowd. “That anyone, no matter who they are if they determined, if they are willing to work hard … someday they can go on to create a legal entity which can then collect unlimited funds [for elections].”
“Some people says tomorrow never comes,” said Colbert. “Well, thanks to my lawyer Trevor Potter, today, tomorrow just got one day closer.”
After a few minutes, Colbert jumped into an undisclosed vehicle and rode away.
“Apparently Trevor’s not his lawyer,” said one smartly dressed young DCer huddled with a few other young professionals.
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