COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s governor appears to have closed the door on appointing Stephen Colbert to the U.S. Senate, all because the comedian didn’t know the state drink was milk.
During “The Colbert Report” on Thursday, Colbert urged his fans to send Gov. Nikki Haley messages on Twitter with the hashtag “SenatorColbert” telling her why he would make a great senator from his home state. Haley is appointing a senator after Jim DeMint announced he is resigning at the end of the year.
Colbert, who plays a mock conservative pundit on his show, also gave Haley four reasons he was the perfect choice.
“You want somebody young, somebody conservative, somebody from South Carolina, maybe somebody who had a super PAC,” Colbert said, ticking off the choices by putting down a finger until the final one was left pointing at himself.
“Wait a second,” Colbert said, as his crowd cheered.
Thousands of messages poured into the governor’s official Twitter account. She responded on her favorite social media site, Facebook, writing on her page that she appreciated Colbert’s interest and all the tweets.
“But you forget one thing, my friend. You didn’t know our state drink. Big, big mistake,” Haley wrote, adding a link to a video of her April appearance on Colbert’s show where the host did not know milk was the official state beverage.
On that same show, however, Colbert stumped Haley with the state amphibian _ the spotted salamander.
Colbert was born and raised in Charleston, and he still has family in the state. He gently mocks his home, and has made a couple of faux runs for president during the state’s early primaries. He also put on a crown and declared himself governor of South Carolina in 2009 when then-Gov. Mark Sanford disappeared for several days while visiting his mistress in Argentina.
On his show Thursday, Colbert also gave one other qualification he had to be a U.S. Senator.
“When I look at the U.S. Senate, I say to myself, you know what they could use?” Colbert said. “Another white guy.”
By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
First over-the-counter column approved for fast and effective relief from even your worst media-induced headache.
Opinion, analysis, and musings on politics, pop culture, reinvention, and the resultant flotsam and jetsam floating around the right-of-center quadrant of the Left Coast.
Consummate traveler Todd DeFeo explores the unique stories that make destinations worth going to.
We welcome you to the intimate and personal thoughts on the news and events we, as editors, watch, read, and discuss with our writers every day.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
