The United States of America has missed an opportunity that could have increased voter turnout, shaken up the political system, caused Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani to cry on each other’s shoulders, given Nacho Cheesier Doritos to the hungry and bestowed world peace. By forbidding Stephen Colbert to become a candidate in the 2008 presidential race, the political process has failed him… and America.

Just over two weeks after declaring his candidacy for president on The Colbert Report, Colbert was denied a spot on the Democratic ballot in South Carolina –- the only state in which he planned to run. The party’s director said the decision was made in part because Colbert was not a “serious candidate.” Colbert had already removed himself from the Republican Party’s ballot because of the $35,000 fee.

“I’m definitely sure everyone who runs the ballot commission for the Democratic Party in South Carolina got a big kick out of him,” College Democrats President Ryan Erickson said. “He doesn’t meet their two major criteria. One is that he has to be actively campaigning within the state of South Carolina, and the other one is a question of legitimacy.”

Though the seriousness and legitimacy of Colbert’s candidacy was widely debated, Northwestern students said his short-lived presidential bid shows a real desire for change.

“He’s just demonstrating what a joke our electoral system is,” McCormick junior Evan Owski said. “It’s simply a symbolic gesture that’s just an extension of the political satire on his show.”

Other students said that those genuinely supporting Colbert needed a reality check.

“I wish they would keep up with the news more and be able to distinguish between what’s really going on and his joke,” said Weinberg junior Max Fletcher.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Northwestern alum satirizes personality-driven news shows in his popular TV show, The Colbert Report. Colbert portrays a highly conservative pundit, making well-intentioned, passionate, poorly informed political commentary — all in the name of patriotism.

Owski said he thinks Colbert declared his candidacy “because he likes the idea of lampooning the electoral process.”

Within days of announcing his candidacy, Colbert’s online support grew exponentially. One Facebook group, “1,000,000 strong for Stephen T Colbert,” grew from 5,000 to 1,015,000 within two weeks of his declaration.

“This is the strongest example of social network usage for political promotion yet,” said Stan Schroeder, a blogger at Mashable, a site that follows social-networking developments.

Though other candidates have used Facebook and other social networks to reach younger voters, none have matched the level of Colbert Nation-driven hysteria. Sen. Barack Obama’s Facebook group, “Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack),” has only amassed about 380,000 members in the past ten months or so.

Though Weinberg freshman Rozmin Ajanee said she did not believe Colbert actually planned to run, she added that if he did, he would “definitely hurt the Democratic candidates, Hillary and Obama.”

It was not just the substantial number of members in Colbert’s Facebook groups that impressed people, however, but the type of people who became members: the ever-elusive 18-to-25-year-olds.

These statistics demonstrate that Colbert may have figured out how to accomplish something Diddy, Bruce Springsteen, Ted Nugent and countless other celebrities could not do in the past: compel the younger generation to become involved in the political process.

“His support falls mainly in the college-age range, who have notoriously spotty voting records,” Owski said. “He might just increase the voter turnout in the 18-to-20-something range and he might just change the outcome of a few swing states, in the finest tradition of Ralph Nader and Ross Perot.”

Students have been calling for Colbert’s bid for the White House for years, even in Colbert’s Daily Show era.

“I think lots of students, people our age, might actually vote for him,” said Ajanee.

But Erickson said that people may take Colbert too seriously.

“I’m a big fan of Stephen Colbert, but part of me was a little put off by the fact that people were going to take this more seriously than they should be,” Erickson said. “However, there might be no reason for me to think this way, and it’s a great way to get more people interested about the election.”

Despite the setback in South Carolina, Colbert has promised to continue his endeavor.

“I want say to my supporters, this is not over,” Colbert proclaimed in a statement released Monday. “While I may accept the decision of the Council, the fight goes on! The dream endures! … And I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping.”

Minutes after Colbert’s announcement, CBS political analyst Jeff Greenfield said Colbert’s candidacy “is going to be one for the books.” Whether or not his campaign continues, in only two weeks, Colbert has sent reverberations through the political process, and guaranteed his own candidacy a place in history.