Saturday, August 13, 2011

The Colbert Superpac

If you've watched the Colbert Report recently, you may know that Colbert has started a SuperPAC, The Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow PAC. He has been accepting donations from viewers for this PAC, but hasn't stated any real purpose for the PAC. Well, Colbert has recently released 2 ads in Iowa, encouraging viewers to vote for Rick Parry (yes, with an A). These two ads are nothing short of amazing. I think we'll all recognize the "corn" music playing in the second ad.





However, media reaction to these ads has been equally interesting. Of particular note, I'd like to draw your attention to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell. These two segments can be seen here and here. Now, at first glance, O'Donnell's reaction to Colbert is confusing. He is a liberal commentator for a "liberal" news network, and he has also been on the Colbert Report. So how can he possibly not get these ads? Is Colbert really doing something sinister?
I found a plausible answer while reading the comments on MSNBC. Several viewers are of the opinion that O'Donnell is merely doing the same thing that Colbert is doin: acting. If he is "pulling a Colbert," if you will, I suddenly have a lot more respect for O'Donnell. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Colbert Super PAC, but now I can't wait to see what he does next.