Haven’t written anything political for a while, but with the primaries finally drawing near, I’ll probably start piping up with my blue-state, liberal muckety-muck.
I’m a big Steven Colbert fan, and have been watching his run for president with what I feel is an appropriate amount of bemusement.
I found the story below about the legalities behind Colbert’s entrance into the South Carolina primary interesting. What I’m really waiting for is to see how many people actually cast a vote for the comedian, thus declaring their dissatisfaction with all of the other available candidates.
TV satirist Stephen Colbert told his audience on Oct. 16 that he would “seek the office of the president of the United States.” Over the next few days, he signed papers to get on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots in South Carolina, and he unveiled a campaign Web site.
The Federal Election Commission prohibits corporations from making “any contribution or expenditure in connection with a federal election.” A “contribution” includes “anything of value,” including airtime.
Viacom might also run afoul of the Federal Communication Commission’s equal time rule. By law, radio and television stations must treat political candidates equally when it comes to selling or giving away airtime.
Each of the 16 presidential hopefuls could therefore demand as much time on Comedy Central as Colbert gets—about 20 minutes a night, four days a week. Faced with a similar situation earlier this year, NBC decided to stop airing Law & Order reruns featuring Fred Thompson.
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