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Showing posts with label Stephen Colbert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen Colbert. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Stephen Colbert: RNC Christmas in July Convention Special
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Monday, July 18, 2016
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Colbert Super PAC Super Fun Pack - Now With More Super Fun!
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Monday, December 5, 2011
FEC Deadlocks (Again) on Guidance for Big-Money Super PACs
FEC Deadlocks (Again) on Guidance for Big-Money Super PACs
A bold request from American Crossroads, a conservative Super PAC founded by Karl Rove, apparently struck a nerve with hundreds of people who don’t typically pay much attention to the more obscure aspects of campaign-finance law.
The super-spending group asked the Federal Election Commission whether it could produce an ad that was “fully coordinated” with a candidate — without having it count as a coordinated communication under federal election law.
Coordination, as we’ve noted, is the one crucial restriction on Super PACs, groups that are otherwise unfettered by the limits that apply to candidate campaigns and traditional PACs. Provided they don’t coordinate their spending with candidates, Super PACs can raise as much money as they want from anyone they want, even corporations and unions.
The request by American Crossroads was prominently parodied by comedian Stephen Colbert, who was joined by nearly 500 others in flooding the FEC with comment letters that, as one commissioner put it, were “not very complimentary” about what American Crossroads was trying to do. The commission is usually “lucky to get one or two comments,” said Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat.
Yesterday, Weintraub and the five other FEC commissioners met to decide whether a “fully coordinated” ad could be considered uncoordinated. The result? A 3-3 deadlock.
“The commission is unable to reach a conclusion on this request,” said the FEC’s chair, Cynthia Bauerly, after several heated exchanges between the commissioners failed to produce consensus.
To be sure, the group’s request [PDF] was unusual — and so forthright about its aims that more than one commissioner praised the group for its candor: American Crossroads stated its intent to create an ad that “would be fully coordinated” with candidates, that “would be thematically similar” to the candidates’ own re-election campaign materials, and would feature candidates in the actual ad.
The purpose, the group stated, would be “to improve the public’s perception of the featured Member of Congress in advance of the 2012 campaign season.”
The three Democratic commissioners voted to deny the request, arguing that, even setting aside the FEC’s coordination rules, such an ad is essentially a donation of something of value to the candidate for the purpose of influencing an election, or an in-kind contribution. The Republican commissioners disagreed, arguing that their Democratic counterparts were judging the ad by a broader standard than the FEC’s own coordination rules, which are exceedingly narrow.
As we reported last month, the FEC, made up of three Democratics and three Republicans, has frequently deadlocked on key issues like the rules governing these increasingly influential Super PACs. And when the commission can't make up its mind, groups have the choice of taking the FEC’s deadlock as a de facto green light and plowing ahead anyway.
In other words, American Crossroads could look at this 3-3 split and still produce the ad it wants to — taking a calculated risk that if its actions are challenged down the road and the FEC's makeup doesn't change, the commissioners would surely deadlock again in the enforcement process.
Whether American Crossroads will indeed choose that path remains to be seen. After all, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska appeared in supposedly independent, uncoordinated ads earlier this year, arguing that they were “issue” ads. Republicanshave complained, but the FEC has yet to sanction Nelson or the funders of the ad.
In a statement, American Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio said the group is "reviewing the FEC statements and evaluating options," but that the more important question is how the vote will affect Nelson, who "has already taken action identical to what we asked about."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Colbert Super PAC Non-Coordinated Coordination Support Of American Crossroads FEC Request
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Dear Colbert Super PAC Members (and semi-sentient spam-bots),
It's a bright day on the shadowy edge of American politics.
Yesterday, I was paid a visit by Trevor Potter, Esq. As you know, if you have been collecting the Official Colbert Super PAC Trading Cards know, Trevor was not only the former head of the F.E.C. and chief counsel to the McCain 2008 campaign, but he's also my personal lawyer*. Not to mention, someone I am proud to pay for the honor of calling my friend.
Together, we drafted an official Public Comment in support of American Crossroads' Advisory Opinion Request to the Federal Election Commission.
I'll let that sink in. It may take a bit, because you have no idea what I'm talking about. The full fiduciary details were laid bare in last night's show, but for those of you lacking the energy to click here for part one (below)
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
and here for part two, )below)
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
As free as Super PACs are to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, they are still unfairly shackled by regulation. Notice I used the singular. That's because there is really only one rule that binds Super PACs: that they may not coordinate with candidates' campaigns. But what fun is buying somebody an election if you have no elected official to share the moment with?
America Crossroads' Karl Rove saw through this sham of a charade – or "shamrade™" – and petitioned the F.E.C. to clarify exactly what the law is, so he can carefully obey only the letter of it. We at Colbert Super PAC submitted the attached Public Comment to the Federal Election Commission in a show of non-coordinated, non-consensual support.
Incidentally, you might be interested in knowing that any person, be they corporate or biological, can submit their Public Comment on Karl Rove's Opinion Request (which is AOR 2011-23) by writing to Office of the Commission Secretary's email address (which isSecretary@FEC.gov).
We hope you'll join us at Colbert Super PAC in letting Karl Rove know: We've got your back. Because we're looking over your shoulder.
Excelsior!
Stephen Colbert
President and Junior Legal Counsel
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
* If you are playing the Colbert Super PAC Trading Card Fantasy/Strategy Card Game, remember that Trevor gains a +4 defense against all frost-based creatures (including the dreaded Ice Dragon!)
Enclosure:
November 6, 2011
Shawn Woodhead Werth
Secretary and Clerk
Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20463
Re: Comment on American Crossroads Advisory Opinion Request
Dear Secretary Werth:
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow submits this letter as a formal comment on the Advisory Opinion Request submitted to the Federal Election Commission on October 12, 2011, and again in a revised version on October 28, 2011 by American Crossroads, an organization led by Republican political consultant and "Mr. November" in the 2012 "Hunks of the Bush Administration" calendar, Karl Rove.
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow has much in common with American Crossroads. Both are registered "independent-expenditure-only" PACs (a.k.a. "Super PACs") that may accept unlimited contributions from corporations, unions, individuals, and doomsday cults we one day hope to found. Both groups are separately affiliated with prominent 501©(4) organizations, Colbert Super PAC SHH and Crossroads GPS, and are strongly committed to doing what is legally possible in America. Both have top strategic thinkers at their core: American Crossroads has Karl Rove, and Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow has a ham loaf wearing wire rimmed glasses.
Because of this shared bond and heritage, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow has an interest in the Request by American Crossroads.
As we understand the American Crossroads Advisory opinion Request, the organization has plans to sponsor advertisements featuring Members of Congress up for re-election. As they wrote in their original Request,
| "The purpose of these advertisements, while focused on current legislative and policy issues, would be to improve the public's perception of the featured Member of Congress in advance of the 2012 campaign season." |
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow could not concur more concurrently. These ads would simply improve public perception of candidates in advance of the campaign. The message is not, "Vote for this great guy," it's merely, "Hey voters! Look at this great guy!"
Clearly, these ads featuring candidates on behalf of candidates would not be candidate ads. As American Crossroads put it, in their original Request,
| "While these advertisements would be fully coordinated with incumbent Members of Congress facing re-election in 2012, they would presumably not qualify as 'coordinated communications,'." |
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow agrees that "fully coordinated" ads shouldn't be counted as "coordinated communications." The candidate would merely be appearing as a paid spokesperson, who, coincidentally, is closely aligned with the candidate that he or she also is.
For example, an ad in which the Kool Aid man decries our nation-wide childhood thirst problem would not necessarily be an ad for Kool Aid brand juice drink. That being said, would a tall glass of Kool-Aid solve that thirst problem? To quote one expert: "Oh, yeaaahhhh!"
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow wholly endorses American Crossroads' Request. We hope the Commission is able to begin with the Supreme Court's definition of Non-Coordinated as "expenditures … made totally independently of the candidate and his campaign" in Buckley v. Valeo, and end up with a ruling that allows outside groups to produce ads with the candidate's cooperation, themes, and message. That will prove to our nation's critics that America is a country that still makes something: strained rationalizations.
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow believes that Super PACs can and should coordinate with candidates in every sense of that word—except in the legal or biblical sense. In fact, pending the outcome of American Crossroads' Request, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow plans to coordinate a non-"coordinated" ad with presidential novelty candidate Buddy Roemer. A rough example of which can be found here:www.colbertsuperpac.com/
It should be clear that there was no collusion with Governor Roemer, as he vehemently opposes and passionately questions the legality of the ad that he agreed to appear in.
If the Commission sees fit to grant these reasonable requests, Americans for a Better Tomorrow will continue to fulfill our promise to never give you up, or let you down, as detailed in our mission statement here:
http://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ (below)
| Accordingly, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow respectfully requests the Commission's timely consideration of American Crossroads' Advisory Opinion Request. Super Sincerely Yours, Stephen Colbert President & Mątre D' Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Inc. Ham Rove Chief Strategist & Lunchmeat Americans for A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Inc. PS РIf the commission does not see fit to grant this request fully, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow would like to offer a compromise. To avoid the appearance of collusion, the F.E.C. could rule that candidates can appear in Super PAC ads only against their will. They'd have to be kidnapped, blindfolded, and thrown in a van before being forced to read a statement supporting their goals and then returned to their fundraisers in time for dessert. |
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.colbertsuperpac.com |
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Colbert Super PAC S.H.H., a 501(c)(4)
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Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Colbert's lawyer on the influence of Super PACs on elections
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Colbert Super PAC Ames Iowa Straw Poll Video 2
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Dear Colbert Super PAC Members and Membrettes, I hope you've counted your chickens, because they're about to hatch. It feels like only yesterday Colbert Super PAC was launching our first in a then-one-part-series of commercials leading up to the Ames Iowa Straw Poll. But here we are, one tomorrow later, and Colbert Super PAC has just released its second in a thus-far-two-part series of commercials in support of Rick Parry. As we speak, this ad will be running later tonight in Iowa. As a special prize, one random Super Pac Member will get the honor of viewing the commercial early. The lucky winner is: Terrence Chau! If you are Terrence, congratulations! Click here to view the ad before anyone else. If you are not Terrence, please, do not click on that link. We're on an honor system here. You don't see this kind of advertising every day, although there may or may not be another one tomorrow. We need your continued support to purchase only the finest stock footage of corn and smiling Midwesterners. So please, won't you open your hearts to Colbert SuperPAC? And more importantly, won't you open your wallets, and if necessary, a new line of credit? With your help, we'll get one day closer to Making a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Polite Valediction, Stephen Colbert President and Last of the Barbary Pirates, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow |
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.colbertsuperpac.com |
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Colbert Super PAC Welcome Email
Dear {VALUE=FIRSTNAME} {VALUE=LASTNAME},
I wanted to take a moment to personally express my {VALUE=ADJECTIVE} thanks for signing up for Colbert Super PAC. With your help, we'll make sure that America steers a course into a more American future.
A lot of people have been asking me why I started Colbert Super PAC. A lot of those people are lawyers. I'll tell you what I tell them: "I'm doing this for my country. And if you're going to bill me for the full hour, you may as well make yourself useful and stuff some envelopes."
A few months ago I looked up and saw our country at a crossroads. Down one road lay moral and financial ruin. Down another road lay the fulfillment of the American dream. Down a third lay Cincinnati. There was another one, but I think it was some sort of service road, it had a big locked gate on it. The point is: We must steer America down the right road (the second one).
Of course, I cannot do this alone. Actually, I probably could, but it would seem a little flashy. By signing up at Colbert Super PAC, you've shown you have just what it takes to make a difference – an email address and a willingness to receive lots of spam.
In the coming months Colbert Super PAC will shape the political debate by forcing candidates to focus on issues that matter to you – probably by attaching those issues to something shiny and dangling near the candidates' face. We'll produce and air ads in support of key players in important races, whether they want us to or not. And we'll do all this while enjoying the tax-free status afforded to us by the federal government.
So, once again, {VALUE=FIRSTNAME} I want to thank you for joining Colbert Super PAC. Together, we will speak with one voice – mine. Together, we will stand against those who wish to unite us. Together, we will rent a private jet to take me to rallies, where together we will cheer me on.
Together, we'll Be Making A Better Tomorrow – Tomorrow.
Sincerely Yours,
Stephen Colbert
SuperFounder, Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
To unsubscribe, click here. It won't work, but hey, click away.
Paid for by Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
www.colbertsuperpac.com
I wanted to take a moment to personally express my {VALUE=ADJECTIVE} thanks for signing up for Colbert Super PAC. With your help, we'll make sure that America steers a course into a more American future.
A lot of people have been asking me why I started Colbert Super PAC. A lot of those people are lawyers. I'll tell you what I tell them: "I'm doing this for my country. And if you're going to bill me for the full hour, you may as well make yourself useful and stuff some envelopes."
A few months ago I looked up and saw our country at a crossroads. Down one road lay moral and financial ruin. Down another road lay the fulfillment of the American dream. Down a third lay Cincinnati. There was another one, but I think it was some sort of service road, it had a big locked gate on it. The point is: We must steer America down the right road (the second one).
Of course, I cannot do this alone. Actually, I probably could, but it would seem a little flashy. By signing up at Colbert Super PAC, you've shown you have just what it takes to make a difference – an email address and a willingness to receive lots of spam.
In the coming months Colbert Super PAC will shape the political debate by forcing candidates to focus on issues that matter to you – probably by attaching those issues to something shiny and dangling near the candidates' face. We'll produce and air ads in support of key players in important races, whether they want us to or not. And we'll do all this while enjoying the tax-free status afforded to us by the federal government.
So, once again, {VALUE=FIRSTNAME} I want to thank you for joining Colbert Super PAC. Together, we will speak with one voice – mine. Together, we will stand against those who wish to unite us. Together, we will rent a private jet to take me to rallies, where together we will cheer me on.
Together, we'll Be Making A Better Tomorrow – Tomorrow.
Sincerely Yours,
Stephen Colbert
SuperFounder, Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
To unsubscribe, click here. It won't work, but hey, click away.
Paid for by Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
www.colbertsuperpac.com
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Stephen Colbert's running PAC shtick creates sticky mess
Stephen Colbert's running PAC shtick creates sticky mess
Advocates of reducing the power of money in politics thought they had found a champion in the unlikely person of Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert, whose ongoing shtick about forming a political action committee brought more attention to their cause than all their press releases, testimony and legal briefs combined.
As part of his effort to highlight — and parody — the impact of a 2010 Supreme Court decision opening new avenues for corporate money in elections, the satirist plans to testify Thursday in front of the Federal Election Commission about a very real legal request he filed that would allow his planned Colbert Super PAC to push the envelope on corporate political spending.
Continue ReadingBut the joke seems to be backfiring.
Not only is the PAC joke causing headaches for those whose cause it seemed designed to help — and providing fodder for their opponents — it’s exposing Colbert to rigorous questioning from FEC lawyers and raising ethics questions for his lawyer.
“I think Colbert is trying to dramatize problems in the campaign finance world in the way that he dramatizes other things,” said longtime campaign finance reform advocate Fred Wertheimer, a longtime advocate for stricter campaign finance rules who is president of Democracy 21. “But nevertheless, the proposals here would potentially open gaping disclosure loopholes in the campaign finance laws.”
Wertheimer is so concerned about what Colbert is doing, in fact, that Democracy 21 has joined with the Campaign Legal Center, another advocacy group, to petition the FEC to reject his request because it could result in the “radical evisceration” of campaign finance rules.
If Colbert gets his way before the FEC, it could blur the lines between political money and media to an unprecedented extent.
For instance, it might enable Fox News pundit-politicians such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee to use the network’s resources to boost their own political committees, assert Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center in their FEC filing. It concludes: “Mr. Colbert’s ultimate goals here may be comedic, but the commission should not play the straight man at the expense of the law.”
Colbert’s PAC bit started as a parody of the PAC started by former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to lay the foundation for his presidential campaign. But after lawyers for Comedy Central’s parent company Viacom expressed reservations about Colbert using their corporate resources — in the form of his eponymous late-night faux news show — to promote the PAC, the bit morphed into a riff on how corporations like Viacom can spend cash on politics, thanks to the 2010 high court decision in a case called Citizens United v. FEC.
“I believe the Citizens United decision was the right one. There should be unlimited corporate money, and I want some of it. I don’t want to be the one chump who doesn’t have any,” Colbert — playing the part of the blowhard conservative pundit he portrays on his nightly show — told POLITICO after personally delivering his advisory opinion request at the FEC’s downtown Washington offices last month.
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