He’s doing it! Stephen Colbert files his papers for the South Carolina Democratic primary

Finally, some news unrelated to the possible strike! From The State.com:

Breaking News: Officially, Colbert wants to run in Democratic presidential primary
Host of the Comedy Central show – and S.C. native – filed papers this morning to be a Democratic candidate; now it’s up to the party’s executive council, which meets this afternoon
Posted on Thu, Nov. 01, 2007

Stephen Colbert has filed the paperwork and paid the filing fee to run in the S.C. Democratic party’s presidential primary.

But he’ll have to wait until later this afternoon to learn if he actually will make it onto the official ballot.

Joe Werner, the executive director of the state Democratic party, said the paperwork and check were delivered by a local Colbert surrogate to party offcials around 11:15 a.m. – less than an hour before the filing deadline.

But just because Colbert paid the $2,500 fee does not mean he has a spot in the primary. The state party’s 20-member executive council will make that determination in a 1 p.m. meeting.

Democratic officials will discuss the merits of all nine candidates who have filed, and they will have to decide if Colbert is a viable, serious candidate – a threshold that he may not be able to meet.

“This vote is very important. They have a critical job to do to keep this primary in shape,” Werner said.

Werner, who calls himself a big fan of Colbert’s fake pundit character on the Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report,” knows tonight’s broadcast will be an interesting one no matter how the vote goes.

“I would watch the show tonight,” he said. “I have heard he’ll have something on.”

C’mon South Carolinians, throw us a bone. Because I’m thinking we’re going to be more desperate than ever for some Stephen Colbert-related news in the coming weeks, and all our eyes will be turned toward you.

Colbert files papers to run for president
By: Kenneth P. Vogel
Nov 1, 2007 11:53 AM EST
Updated: November 1, 2007 01:12 PM EST

Satirist Stephen Colbert filed papers Thursday morning with the South Carolina Democratic Party to run for president on the state’s primary ballot.

Colbert’s paperwork, accompanied by a $2,500 filing fee – paid with a personal check from Colbert – and a “very, very nice letter” to the party’s executive committee, arrived less than one hour before a noon filing deadline, said Joe Werner, the party’s director.

. . .

The executive committee will have to decide whether they consider Colbert, the host of the popular faux-news program “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central, to be a bona fide Democrat who is nationally viable and has spent time campaigning in the state.

Colbert brought his “campaign” to South Carolina last week, speaking at events Saturday and Sunday, the latter attracting a college crowd of about 1,000 people.

But the first two parts of that equation – Democrat and viable – might be tough to answer seriously. That’s because Colbert rarely departs from the character he portrays on the “Colbert Report” – a blowhard right-wing talk show host named … Stephen Colbert, who apparently is patterned after Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly.

Also potentially at issue: the state Democratic Party has to pay the state a $20,000 fee for each name it places on the ballot.

Some members of the 26-person executive committee told CNN they felt Colbert’s candidacy made a mockery of the process, while others expressed hope he’d attract new voters to the party who otherwise weren’t interested in politics.

. . .

Though Colbert submitted petitions, Werner said they were unnecessary because he paid the filing fee. Plus, “I don’t think there are enough” signatures on them.

“There are some names on the petition that are interesting names,” Werner said, including that of former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, a Democrat who served from 1999 until 2003.

Hodges’ assistant said her boss met with Colbert, but she did not know if he had signed the petition.

• Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – March 13, 2010
• Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – March 3, 2010
• Please don’t sue us – An open letter to Tony Fox, PR rep for Viacom
• Eye Candy: Stephen Colbert at Christ Child Society’s Great Gatsby Gala