Back in April, Stephen Colbert announced a new form of campaign finance reform satire – DIY mockery of the Super PAC system. The Super PAC fun, a guide to PAC assembly that came with a treasure map, was available on a first-come-first serve basis. A quick read of all Independent Expenditure Committes listed with the FEC suggests that the satire worked – the directory is loaded with joke PACs from the subtle (Science! Pac) to the obvious (We Just Want Stephen Colbert to Come to Our College Super PAC).
The stunt PAC-fathers are generally young, generally at least aware of the Colbert campaign. “We’re just a couple of college students,” says Daniel Bassali, a 20-year old rising senior at GWU who founded the Slam Dunks, Fireworks, and Eagles Super PAC in May in D.C..”We realized that we’re at a disadvantage in getting attention, getting people to take us seriously. Unfortunately, people in today’s world don’t take young people seriously. But this is an attention grabber. It says: Pay attention to us.” The goal: “We’re looking to find a bipartisan alternative to the Balanced Budget Amendment. We want to angle this as the college Super PAC, for people worried about our financial future, about deficits.”
That’s three names. Here are 11 more more.
11. Have-Nots United! Half-Knots Untie! Connecticut.
10. Just Drink the Kool Aid. Virginia.
9. GulfStream America Super Pac. Georgia.
8. Howard Stern Fans for a Baba Booey Tomorrow, Tomorrow. California. (We’re trying to get the poison out of politics,” founder Rex Perez says. “We’re telling the FEC, whoa whoa stop the clock. But total contributions have been zero point zero. Independent expenditures have been zero point zero.”)
7. Joe Six PAC. New Hampshire.
6. Bears for a Bearable Tomorrow. California.
5. Larry and Charmaine’s Excellent Non-Connected Best-Ever Super PAC. Virginia.
4. My Cat Xavier for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Virginia.
3. Patriotic Americans for a More Patriotic and American America. Michigan.
2. Raptors for Jesus. Connecticut.
1. Raising Awareness of Dyhydrogen-Minoxide for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. North Carolina.
(Hat tip for all of this: Ian Koski.)
