Raising Cain

The exciting news that Stephen Colbert is thinking about running for President of the United States of South Carolina is diminished a bit by just one problem. There is no provision for a write-in candidate on the GOP South Carolina primary ballot. There is no space in which to write a candidate in on the ballot. And coincidentally there are now names on the ballot of candidates who have dropped out, such as Jon Huntsman.

Here's the dilemma. Stephen Colbert can't get on but Herman Cain can't get off.

There is a solution that will help Stephen. The South Carolina GOP Primary is an open primary. That means that Republicans, Democrats, Independents, people who watch Stephen's show, young people, old people, any of them can vote in the primary. But still there's the problem of Stephen considering running but not being on the ballot and some people who are on the ballot but not really running any more.

So, if people, lots of people, were to vote for, say, Herman Cain in the primary, it would really mean that they wanted Stephen Colbert but since there wasn't a place for his name, they are using Herman Cain's name to mean Stephen Colbert. It makes perfect sense to me.

So, South Caroliniacs, go vote for Herman Cain to show your support for Stephen Colbert. There's no way this plan can't be successful.

Today is the day honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's a holiday, and yet Stephen was working. He even mentioned that fact that it was a holiday and he was working. (Just because he mentioned it's a holiday and he's working doesn't mean that he's complaining about it. It's just noteworthy.)

You may remember that Stephen was in Washington D.C. for Dr. King's speech, "I Have a Dream." Today's guest shares some of the same ideals as Dr. King and it was no coincidence that he was the guest tonight. Scott Douglas, executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries, is fighting to repeal House Bill 56 in Alabama. That is the law that even punishes anyone caught "giving a ride to an undocumented person in the state."

There is also more information about this issue at becomevisible.org and at gbm.org/blog.

In reply to one of Stephen's questions about why he is trying to overturn House Bill 56, Douglass had this to say, "We don't need 50 immigrant laws across the United States of American, we need one comprehensive law that's just and fair for everyone."