Watch Barack Obama at the Apollo Theater and try to imagine Mitt Romney acting like a real human being like this

Some genius in the Romney brain trust is probably looking for the proper venue for Mitt to bust out into Donny Osmond’s Puppy Love which will only open up the Mitt’s dog-on-roof problem.

Newt will go with David Crosby’s Triad to similar effect….

Stephen Colbert and Herman Cain held a rally in South Carolina this morning – which may have had more people attending, over 3,000, than any Republican rally this year – which was frequently hilarious. I especially enjoyed Cain quoting Pokemon (again) and Colbert saying he was the “The Lockheed Martin Luther Burger King” of the corporations-are-people civil right movement. It was a funny speech. It was a light moment. And it shined a light on the corrosive nature of these Super PACs, and how they are slowly sapping away at American democracy.

So naturally, Chuck Todd thinks that Colbert is the problem.

Appearing at a Winthrop University panel Thursday, MSNBC host and NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd ripped into Stephen Colbert and his not-yet-official run, suggesting that Colbert might have some ulterior motives in the way he’s almost throwing his hat into the GOP primary ring:

“Is it fair to the process? Yes, the process is a mess, but he’s doing it in a way that it feels as if he’s trying to influence it with his own agenda, that may be anti-Republican. And we in the media are covering it as a schtick and a satire, but it’s like, ‘Well wait a minute here…’ he’s also trying to do his best to marginalize the candidates, and we’re participating in that marginalization.”

Todd said that the “mainstream media” (his quotes) has a responsibility to exercise some caution and question what Colbert’s agenda is. “Is it to educate the public about the dangers of money in politics and what’s going on?” He asked, “or is it simply to marginalize the Republican party? I think if I were a Republican candidate, I’d be concerned about that.”

Good Lord. Of all the things for Chuck Todd to freak out about, it’s not that unaccountable SuperPACs are outspending the campaigns in South Carolina by more than 2-1. It’s not that corporations have the ability to essentially purchase elections. It’s that a comedian is ripping back the curtain on all of this in a most inappropriate manner.

Who stands to lose the most from this disclosure that politics isn’t about swing voters in the heartland but about a bidding war between large interests?  [cont'd.]

Today is the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. If you think it’s going well, ask your local Presidential candidate how he likes those SuperPAC ads.

Several actions are taking place today. The “Occupy the Courts” movement will hold rallies in front of major courthouses, including the US Supreme Court (in New York City, they had their permit denied, so they’re moving back to Liberty Plaza today). That is affiliated with the “Move to Amend” movement, seeking a constitutional amendment ending corporate personhood. They’ve already been successful in getting dozens of state and local resolutions passed in support of the amendment. Another intriguing group agitating for a Constitutional amendment that has sprung up in recent days is United 4 the People, a coalition of over 50 progressive organizations, including People for the American Way, Public Citizen, Common Cause and more. Here’s their statement of common purpose:

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC has focused America’s attention on the dangerous influence of corporate power in our democracy and the urgency of taking all necessary measures to undo that influence, including amending the Constitution.

Generations of Americans have amended the Constitution over the years to ensure that “We the People” means all the people, not just the privileged few. The Citizens United case, which opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate spending to influence elections at all levels of government, has brought home the importance of amending the Constitution to ensure that “We the People” does not mean we the corporations.

We believe that America works best when our government is of, by and for the people. Although we have differences in scope and tactics, all of us are united in the understanding that the Court’s decision in Citizens United must be remedied by amending the Constitution in order to restore the democratic promise of America.

Amending the Constitution is by definition a long-term fight. But these groups want to wage it, because they believe there is no alternative for democracy. And they already have rhetorical buy-in from one political party. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee surprisingly launched an online petition for a Constitutional amendment. Now, maybe they’ve done this because it’s something they can’t deliver, at least in the near term. But the experts also said that anti-piracy legislation would definitely pass. And there’s reason to believe that conservatives who have endured this primary season aren’t entirely thrilled about the new rules.

Until we have full public financing of elections, money, like water, will find its way into the hands of candidates. The world before Citizens United featured a good deal of influence-peddling, after all. But that’s no reason to turn on the spigot full blast. An amendment banning corporate personhood would have a number of applications to the benefit of society. And it represents a rallying point for progressives, to create a more perfect union.