Only in America.
After two days of debating helium legislation in the House, Republican Hank Johnson of Georgia had enough. He decided the best way to end the pointless debate was to get up and give a sarcastic speech about the merits of helium – and it could not have been more hilarious.
While his spokesman insisted it was all a joke, let’s not forget this is the man who once expressed concern that increased military presence in Guam would cause the island to capsize. Joking or not, I’m just glad somebody is bringing attention to the fact that there are more important things to be dealt with than whether or not comedians should have the right to use helium in their stand up performances. Plus, his puns were spot on.
It’s no joke. Stephen Colbert is running for President of the United States.
Colbert made the big announcement on Tuesday. First, he appeared as a guest on The Daily Show, where he announced he would be making a decision about whether or not to make an announcement. Taking a stab at BFF Jon Stewart, he said the official announcement would take place on a more prestigious show.
15 minutes later, that more prestigious show turned to be his own. With a shout of “I’m doing it!” Colbert released balloons that cascaded over him, as is his customary self-celebrating gag.
Colbert will be running solely in his hometown of South Carolina, as a “favourite son” of the state. And the surprises kept coming: Colbert will run with both the Democrat and Republican Parties.
According to CNN, Colbert could actually succeed in doing both (though, inevitably he’ll lose, even if it’s just to himself). There is no rule against him running in both primaries, but it will have a hefty price. It costs just $2,500 to be put on the Democrat ballot but $35,000 to run as a Republican. He must also actively campaign for the Democrats if he is to be allowed to run.
The primaries will be held in mid-January. Colbert’s worshiping fans have previously won him numerous honours (like having a Canadian minor league hockey mascot named after him) with their bombardment of voting. So it’s safe to say that the race for President just got a lot more interesting.
