Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC is no joke. It’s just made its first endorsement in the 2012 presidential race.
The comedian has kicked off his satirical presidential campaign season with an ad from his “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow” Super PAC (which has official approval from the Federal Election Commission, by the way).
Colbert’s launched his salvo in time for this weekend’s Ames Straw Poll, a high school-style popularity contest in Iowa where Republican presidential contenders win votes with Christian worship bands, dunk tanks and other odd tactics. Colbert is urging supporters to cast a write-in vote for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has decided to avoid the straw poll all together. The hitch? He wants Iowans to spell it: “Rick Parry.”
(VIDEO: Exclusive: Rick Perry Says He Wants to Be President)
It’s subtle humor, perhaps, but if you don’t like the Parry joke, you can enjoy the campaign ad pastiche, which shows the Texas straight-talker brandishing a gun and unleashing his signature sneer.
Who will Colbert’s PAC endorse if Perry (or Parry) drops out of the race? One thing’s for certain: he won’t be at a loss for satirical material this campaign season.