south carolina mom listening to stephen colbert

Unbeknownst to more than a 100 moms who gathered today in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a CafeMom forum with Rick Perry and Rick Santorum, the event also featured an appearance by a "special guest." Comedian Stephen Colbert, who announced plans earlier this week to "explore" a presidential bid in South Carolina, appeared via a surprise, pre-recorded video message for moms.

Let's just say these South Carolina moms weren't very amused ...

First, Colbert asked the moms if they agreed with Mitt Romney's infamous line that "corporations are people:"

So when we say corporations are people, what we mean is like children our corporations can’t do it alone ... They need our help, and like children, they are our future. Are corporations people, or are only people people? And while you discuss that I’m going to be a good boy and eat my vegetables.

Then, he asked the moms what they thought about him forming an exploratory committee to run for president. (The reactions to both of these questions may air on his show, The Colbert Report, later this week.)

If Colbert was expecting a warm Southern welcome from these South Carolina moms, he was sorely disappointed. Though most agreed with him (albeit reluctantly) that corporations are people, only a tiny handful of people thought he should be a presidential candidate. In fact, most seemed annoyed that he (or, more accurately, his video message) took up any time at all. "Crazy," "silly," "goofball" and "irrelevant" were some of the, ahem, nicer words they used to describe the comedian. They did perk up when he talked about his own mom and how she raised 11 children. But for the most part, they didn't find him nearly as entertaining and edifying as their more liberal-minded sisters typically do.

Is Colbert's satire and his faux run for president lost on these moms? It certainly could be. But even those moms who did find what he has to say about Super PACS interesting and helpful to the conversation questioned whether his timing was off. In their opinion, why would they vote for someone who seems to be making light of such a serious thing as the 2012 election?

Watch video of the moms' reaction to Colbert:

Would you vote for Stephen Colbert?

 

Image via Lindsay Eisenstadt/CafeMom