October 29, 2007
Posted: October 29th, 2007 10:40 AM ET
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - Comedian Stephen Colbert brought his mock presidential campaign to the capital of South Carolina Sunday, where he was declared "favorite son" by the mayor of Columbia and given the key to the city. Colbert, a native of Charleston, told the raucous crowd of several hundred gathered on the University of South Carolina campus that, "I love South Carolina almost as much as South Carolina loves me." The host of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" is seeking to get his name on both the Republican and Democratic ballots for the South Carolina primaries in January. "I am here not only to accept the honor you have given me but to prove to everyone that this campaign is real," Colbert said. "To put an end to the vicious rumors that this is not a serious candidacy." He joked that, "Over the past 18 hours, this campaign has gone everywhere in this state, from Charleston to Columbia." After spending several minutes espousing the quality of South Carolina peaches, Colbert laid out his vision for the future of the state. "In the 19th century, South Carolina was the first to secede," he said. "In the 21st we will the first to succeed. First to secede. First to succeed. I own the copyright on that phrase, if you use it you must pay me a royalty."
Mayor Bob Coble also declared October 28th "Stephen Colbert Day." Coble has endorsed another South Carolina native for President, the Democratic former Sen. John Edwards. Asked about this apparent conflict, the Edwards campaign said that until Colbert wins the primary like Edwards did in 2004, he cannot claim to be a favorite son. Edwards spokesperson Teresa Wells also ribbed Colbert for his ties to the snack food industry. Colbert has said his campaign will be sponsored by Doritos. "What is more troubling than his quest for a status his own mother won't grant him (favorite son) are his ties to the salty food industry," Wells said. "As the candidate of Doritos, his hands are stained by corporate corruption and nacho cheese. John Edwards has never taken a dime from taco chip lobbyists and America deserves a President who isn't in the pocket of the snack food special interests." – CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby Filed under: John Edwards South Carolina Stephen Colbert
|
The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com. CNN=Politics Screensaver
New in the Ticker
@wolfblitzercnn: It wasn't long ago when 700,000 jobs were lost in one month. Last month - 11,000 jobs lost. Mark Zandi comes into SitRoom today to assess.
Updated: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:51:49 -0800 @wolfblitzercnn: Thebest-selling author Greg Mortenson is coming into SitRoom today to assess Obama's new Afghan strategy. He really knows Afghanistan.
Updated: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:21:51 -0800 @psteinhauserCNN: New CNN Poll: Americans back Afghan troop increase but Obama's approval now under 50 percent for the first time - http://bit.ly/8Is9xA
Updated: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:19:50 -0800 @edhenrycnn: Joe Klein of Time mag joining me on "44" at cnn.com 18772664189 right now
Updated: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:05:09 -0800 @psteinhauserCNN: Two very different takes on the November jobs report - http://bit.ly/6SDZHO
Updated: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:18:30 -0800 Categories
Archive
Popular Posts
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loading weather data ...