ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Now, to the recent spawn of mostly college-based superPACs inspired by a man who says he does not need...
STEPHEN COLBERT: ...any help relating to the youth, kids, 'cause I'm young. I always...
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COLBERT: Yeah, thank you. The people have spoken. They know I'm young 'cause I always carry a full deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: And I love the Power Rangers.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
SIEGEL: That's Stephen Colbert, relater to youth, television host and creator of the superPAC Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
SuperPACs are organizations that can raise unlimited funds for political purposes. In late March, Colbert called on viewers to follow his lead.
COLBERT: I want every college across this great nation to have their own my superPAC.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: And they can have it, too, thanks to the Colbert superPAC Super Fun Pack...
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COLBERT: ...a do-it-yourself...
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COLBERT: A do-it-yourself superPAC kit that you can order. All you need is a burning desire for civil engagement and $99.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
The Colbert superPAC Super Fun Packs sold out in less than a week, which means you can now find these committee names on the Federal Election Commission's website.
ROSA FLANAGAN: Milwaukeeans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
CORNISH: That's Rosa Flanagan's superPAC. She's a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
REX PEREZ: Howard Stern Fans for a Baba Booey Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
SIEGEL: That's Rex Perez, a statistics professor at West Los Angeles College.
DAVID JENSEN: Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
CORNISH: And that's David Jensen, a Northwestern grad and Minor League Baseball player.
MICHAEL INVERNALE: Americans for a more American America.
SIEGEL: And that's Michael Invernale, a post-doctoral fellow at MIT. He plans to raise money and keep true to his superPAC's name through, among other things, hot dog-eating contests.
INVERNALE: It's everything that you think about America we should just have more of that. So the eating contests, we're literally becoming more American, by eating so much.
SIEGEL: Food and jokes aside, the newly-appointed committee treasurers say they have learned something about superPACs - namely, how easy it is to create them.
CORNISH: Getting contributions, on the other hand, is a little harder. David Jensen of the superPAC Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow is still waiting on those first few dollars from someone other than himself and preferably not his parents.
JENSEN: I have asked that they don't donate to it right now because, you know, worse than just me being the only donation and being me and my parents.
SIEGEL: Even though the Colbert superPAC Super Fun Pack sold for nearly $100, it did come with something that may or may not be helpful.
COLBERT: To kick off your fundraising, I have included the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: Start calling. And remember, a restraining order means you've got the right number.
CORNISH: Well, we also hear the kit came with a T-shirt. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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