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    Colbert Super PAC Raising Over $1 Million is No Joke

    By Saul Relative | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Jan 31, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    COMMENTARY | In his continuing effort to shed light on the circumvention of Federal Election Commission transparency regulations on campaign financing that is a Super Political Action Committee, "The Colbert Report" comedic host Stephen Colbert posted disclosure forms on his website Monday. And his Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow Super PAC has raked in a jaw-dropping amount of money.

    According to the Super PAC's treasurer, Shauna Polk, ABTT raised $1,023,121 as of Monday, according to Politico.

    And this for a comedian making a mockery of the American political process, especially its campaign finance laws.

    ABTT included a statement in the filing with a quote from Colbert: "'Yeah! How you like me now, F.E.C? I'm rolling seven digits deep! I got 99 problems but a non-connected independent-expenditure only committee ain't one!'''

    The faux conservative has produced a running series of sketches, monologues and jokes since early last year concerning the ease with which one could establish and operate a Super PAC. He later transferred control to fellow fake news host Jon Stewart to display the ludicrous "noncollaboration" rules so Colbert could jokingly run for president.

    Through it all, the comedian has poked fun at the accumulating funds and how the money could be spent on whatever suits the Super PAC controller's fancy (including making anonymous donations to campaigns and creating negative political ads). In short: Super PACs are unlimited, nearly unregulated campaign war chests.

    Colbert's Super PAC has run several political ads taking aim at Republican candidates such as labeling front-runner Mitt Romney a "serial killer" and imploring Iowa straw poll voters to write in "Parry" instead of "Perry."

    How effective has Colbert's illumination of campaign finance laws been? It is difficult to say, but he has cast a critical eye on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the notion that money was a form of communication and corporations could not have their First Amendment rights abridged (allowing for the formation of Super PACs).

    His effectiveness might be measured in the million dollars he has raised to mock the existing system while pointing at its inherent corruptness.

     

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