[colbert] was able to show america the loopholes (or "loop-chasms" as he called them) in the laws designed to regulate coordination between candidates and supposedly "independent" groups. by having his own super pac and 501(c)(4), stephen could evolve right alongside the campaigns—or often be a step ahead of them. his understanding of the possibilities inherent in the legal confusion was keen enough to discover and exploit absurd legalities before it became clear that actual candidates and political activists were doing the same thing.