Should Stephen Colbert be allowed to run for president?

Yes

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by Ashley Benlove

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Allowed? That was my first question when I read the article title. Why would he need to be allowed? Just because he's a satirical television semi-news-show anchor on Comedy Central? Yes, the person he's planning on running as is a fictional character, but did you know what in every Presidential election about four thousand votes are cast for Mickey Mouse? Now, off that silly note of fictional cartoon mice, I really think that, yes, Stephen Colbert should be allowed to run for president.

And why is this? Well, for one thing, let's take a look at Article Two, Section One of the United States Constitution:

"No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States."

Based on this prerequisite, it is safe to say that Stephen Colbert should be allowed to run for President. He is a citizen of the United States, he was born in Washington, D.C. The last time I checked, that was the United States. In addition, Colbert was born in 1964, making him forty three years old, well over the thirty-five year old requirement and the fourteen years of being a United States resident.

Now, he probably won't go far, because a lot of people probably won't or don't take him seriously. I, for example, am a fan of his show, The Colbert Report, and was watching the night that he announce he was running for President in South Carolina. I was excited but I was not sure to take him seriously. Of course, when I read it on various news websites the next day, I was forced to realize that maybe he was somewhat-serious. But, even if he's not taken seriously, why can't he run? At least he can say he attempted to run for president! That's more than most of us can say. I, of course, am only twenty years old and ineligible to run for president at this time, but that doesn't take away from the sentiment.

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