Stephen Colbert, Buddy Roemer Coordinate In Super PAC Ad Criticizing Super PAC Coordination

Buddy Roemer has suffered some setbacks of late in his long-shot bid to earn the GOP nomination through honesty and a principled stand against the pernicious influence of corporate money in our politics. Last week, Roemer found out that his name will not appear on the ballots in Florida and South Carolina. In the latter state, Roemer's own principles (he's not taking any donations over $100) worked against him, as the $35,000 filing fee to get on the ballot "would have nearly depleted Roemer's campaign treasury."

But Roemer's hopes to raise awareness of the dysfunctional way money undermines the democratic process has gotten a boost from comedian Stephen Colbert, who involved Roemer in his latest advertisement, satirizing the rise of super PACs. In the spot, Roemer notes that the rules governing super PACs forbid the PAC from "coordinating" with candidates, unless the coordination of the candidate is over an "issue" -- in this case, the issue being how much Buddy Roemer hates super PACs.

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Colbert, with the help of his constant, Super PAC-critical companion, Trevor Potter, explains the latest ways these organizations have managed to not-coordinate while coordinating with lawmakers, as long as everyone agrees to take millions of dollars to pretend to care about an "issue." If the end result is that a candidate -- say, Rick Perry or Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) -- looks great, well that's just a side benefit of this sort of coordination without "coordinating."

Of course, all these Super PACs are doing is promoting "free speech." The best "free speech" money can buy! (You probably cannot afford this "free speech.")

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Comments

[The Balanced Republic]

03:00 PM on 11/12/2011

We talk about Election Reform and Money in Politics at The Balanced Republic. BTW, my opinion is Roemer is smart and has integrity and is NOT bought. He is a different kind of candidate. Those of you that need to be hand fed your candidates might not notice him for now, but you others ;> he is someone to support. I would rather have in office an average person that is not bought, than a gifted but bribed tool running the country. With Roemer, we might be getting the best of both.

[EarlSJ]

07:41 PM on 11/10/2011

Buddy Roemer is an interesting candidate, whom I first saw on Rachel Maddow's show. I looked at his website, and wrote him an email, which neither he nor his campaign workers ever answered. He doesn't have much to say about environmental issues, and he's vague on foreign policy. He has good positions on money in politics and on the social safety net programs. I wish Obama would read Roemer's stances on those issues, but I don't trust Roemer on the environment or in foreign policy as he has not fully explained himself on those.

[2leftiZ2right]

06:45 PM on 11/09/2011

So much irony, so much truth and so hilarious. I heart Colbert:)

[eileenflemingWAWA]

03:08 PM on 11/09/2011

It was on The Daily Show that I first learned of GOP candidate Governor Buddy Roemer.

On September 26th I emailed my first Media Inquiry to Buddy's staff and on November 1, 2011, I wrote:

Stephen Colbert and Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer on OWS
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2217&Itemid=252

I hand delivered my 5 pages of still unanswered questions to Buddy on November 1 and because if I can't laugh its not my revolution, today I wrote:

Message to Stephen Colbert, Buddy Roemer and All Presidential Candidates
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2226&Itemid=253

Eileen Fleming, Citizen of CONSCIENCE for House of Representatives 2012
Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org Staff Member of Salem-news.com
A Feature Correspondent for Arabisto.com and Columnist for Veteranstoday.com
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory" and BEYOND NUCLEAR: Mordechai Vanunu's FREEDOM of SPEECH Trial and My Life as a Muckraker: 2005-2010
http://www.youtube.com/user/eileenfleming

In Solidarity YES WE CAN begin the world again.

[zenman2]

02:16 PM on 11/09/2011

Buddy is the only gop guy with brains His problem is ,he's honest.

[sugarpops]

02:26 PM on 11/09/2011

..and he can't be bought!!!

[loobee]

06:09 PM on 11/09/2011

Right, he's a lobbyist for Americans for Prosperity, bought and paid for by the Koch brothers.

[CoffeeOnIce]

01:25 PM on 11/09/2011

I'm starting to see what my $5 went towards, and I approve. Especially if it's going towards Ham Rove, Chief Lunchmeat's salary.

[evesapple]

01:08 PM on 11/09/2011

Kudos to Colbert, he is brilliant! This super pac series really lays all the scamming out for all to see.

[gabbagabbawill]

01:16 PM on 11/09/2011

if only this would reach the audience that NEEDS to see it...

[eddiefi]

03:13 PM on 11/09/2011

I really don't think they would understand it. All the righties I know still like to to email the Obama cartoons and when you tell them that it is racist they give the old "I am not racist but this is funny" line. There is nothing you can tell these people to change their minds unless FOX news would admit to it all and then it would only be a maybe.

[Gmasters]

12:58 PM on 11/09/2011

Roemer is the Only republican candidate who sounds Sane and Sensible when interviewed. Which is why the Republican'ts refuse to allow him into the Clubhouse / Debates.

I still wouldn't Vote for him, but I'd feel much better about the country's future if he had a chance to be the nominee. It would reassure me to know that there is Room for sanity on the right.

[poochkers]

03:44 PM on 11/09/2011

I agree.

[Steve Davis 1]

12:19 PM on 11/09/2011

My speech is free and ignored by my GOP congressman everyday. How could I possibly get him to pay more attention to me?

[Rogelio Lopez]

12:49 PM on 11/09/2011

PAY MORE attention to him....

[JacksonJones]

12:08 PM on 11/09/2011

What would we do without the Comedy Central News Hour with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert?

[Rogelio Lopez]

12:50 PM on 11/09/2011

I wonder if they're finding it harder and harder to sound ridiculous with Fox News acting as ridiculous as they do...

[JacksonJones]

01:11 PM on 11/09/2011

I do too. I said the same thing to my wife the other night, i.e., it's almost impossible to satirize Fox at this point. Satire relies on amplifying the hypocritical or humorous aspects of a situation to highlight them. And Fox, by going to the extremes, makes it almost impossible to amplify them any further.

[joeyfoto]

11:59 AM on 11/09/2011

Governor Roemer is the only candidate in either party who is focused on the core political issue that is destroying America's future. In a democracy, when your government is for sale to the highest bidder, the levers of power are twisted to deliver unjust public policy.

That's where America is. Unless that changes, the future for the vast majority of Americans will only get uglier. Since there is no Democratic primary contest for president, unless there is a very important state primary, I'd advise people to register as Republicans and vote for Roemer. He won't win, but it might put the most important issue on the national agenda. That would be helpful.

[mariusvinchi]

01:02 PM on 11/09/2011

Which is why Governor Roemer will never get the nod from the Republican elite, the pundits in their employ, or the so called "grassroots" Tea Party.
Isn't it odd that the two individuals (Roemer, Huntsman) who would actually make good Presidents will never get the traction or media attention necessary?

[joeyfoto]

01:40 PM on 11/09/2011

#569 Fanned for intelligent observation and for recognizing the magnetism of escape to Saint Lucia, although, for permanent relocation, I'd recommend a larger island — like Australia.

mariusvinchi wrote: "sn't it odd that the two individual­s (Roemer, Huntsman) who would actually make good Presidents will never get the traction or media attention necessary?"

Yes, it is very odd. I attribute it to the mental vacuity and moral bankruptcy of the contemporary GOP.

PS. I say that as someone who began in politics as a volunteer in the Goldwater campaign. Even though I later came to disagree with Senator Goldwater about several core issues, I never lost respect for him as a person of integrity, unlike the entire gaggle of third-raters on this stage, with, as you observantly pointed out, the exception of Governor Roemer and the possible exception of Jon Huntsman who — by virtue of his domestic and international experience — is the most qualified candidate on the stage.

[Luanne Taylor]

10:46 AM on 11/09/2011

this is a brilliant way to present our pathetic election process and I am so grateful that his station is allowing him to continue. It IS funny but he is educating US in the clearest possible manner....love it.
and hey Colbert, MS did not pass the personhood law so my plan to freeze 30 eggs and claim them on my 1040 as "dependents" is ruined!

Buddy Roemer is absolute proof positive of the corruption in campaign finance...hope he is using the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, most RNCers won't touch it.....he can't get on the ballot in 2 states? how is that possible? I remember learning in school (long ago) that registering to run for public office was supposed to be "free" in the sense of money...so that lower income folks could actually run....

[joeyfoto]

12:02 PM on 11/09/2011

#76 Fanned for fair analysis of our failed election system and for a great line that made me laugh out loud...

"and hey Colbert, MS did not pass the personhood law so my plan to freeze 30 eggs and claim them on my 1040 as "dependent­s" is ruined!" Thank you, Luanne Taylor

[Luanne Taylor]

03:43 PM on 11/09/2011

thank YOU Sir!

[nowpolitics]

10:32 AM on 11/09/2011

American politics is bought and paid for. Super PACs are the final nail to that coffin.

[gypsysailor]

04:44 AM on 11/09/2011

I like Colbert but I will not send money if he supports republicans that are not as smart as Ike or arrogant like Nixon.

[Perry Clease]

10:08 AM on 11/09/2011

That wasn't the point of the ad, it was attacking the Super PAC system.

[Mac1000]

02:57 PM on 11/09/2011

I'm thinking gypsysailor was making a funny.

[SliperyPete]

02:00 AM on 11/09/2011

I was blown away by the whole segment, culminating with the new ad. I love how he's getting his "supportive" comments to Rove's application tagged on to his. I wonder how far he'll be able to go with this.