Stephen Colbert ceased to be a comedian. That’s not a slam, but the highest compliment. Colbert is uding his platform to take on Citizens United, a Supreme court ruling that privileged anonymous corporate cash over citizen contributions.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” formed a super PAC earlier this year, apparently to expose the new normal of campaign fundraising after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. That ruling overturned a century-old restriction on corporate campaign donations, allowing corporations to spend as much as they wish in federal elections.

He…asked the party to support placing a referendum question on the January ballot asking voters whether they believe “corporations are people,” an issue at the heart of the Citizens United case, or “only people are people”….[The GOP] agreed to put the question on the primary ballot in exchange for a pledge of a “significant contribution” from Colbert’s PAC.

Then, however, the South Carolina Supreme Court struck all referendum questions from the ballot….

Colbert is still stirring the pots on this one. It’s highly unlikely the referendum will make the ballot, but his actions are an example of the ways that disruptive forces in politics can come with a bag of cash… good intentions… and a sly smile.