Obama Kneecaps Colbert
Those South Carolina Democrats be getting vehdy vehdy tricksey! As it happens, the state executive committee that voted 13-3 last week to keep Stephen Colbert off of its state primary ballot was taking heat from supporters of Malawian candidate Barack Obama. And who said South Carolinians hated teh Negroes?
One member of the voting committee, who requested anonymity in speaking to CNN, said "he felt 'pressured' by former State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum to oppose placing Colbert on the ballot." Demrat Tenenbaum is like the most important South Carolina politico since John C. Calhoun -- she ran for Senate in 2004 against some random racist, Jim DeMint. She is also, however, an ardent supporter of the Obama campaign:
"She said it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates. That he [Colbert] wouldn't be sincere. That he was only running in one state," said the executive council official.
The official added: "The Obama people, they just didn't want him at all."
Tenenbaum disagreed with characterization that she lobbied to keep Colbert off the ballot for political reasons.
"I think lobbying was too strong a word," she said in an interview with CNN.
Who can blame the Obama supporters for their worries? The big demographic here is college students, who base their votes on which candidate is (a) more of a black person and (b) more of a late night comedian.
Obama supporters pressed officials to keep Colbert off ballot [CNN]