Former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK), who ran for president in 2008, told the Daily Caller that he is mulling a primary challenge to President Obama in 2012.
And what better way to launch a Democratic presidential bid than by announcing it in the Carlsonington Post?
The good news is that Gravel lacks the gravitas of Donald Trump and Ross Perot, so he’s not taken seriously by the media.
Chyron HR
He then added, “My cat’s breath smells like cat food!”
fourlegsgood
Yes. We are. Because democrats seem to enjoy shooting themselves in the foot.
Culture of Truth
That’s it – I’m on the Gravel bandwagon!
dmsilev
He’s just upset because 2008 ended with him being only the second craziest Alaskan politician in the Presidential campaign.
Maybe if he threw *two* rocks into the water, his campaign would see success.
dms
Gravenstone
I say we let Gravel and Palin duke it out. Alaska’s vengeance for our being dumb enough to grant them statehood, apparently.
Mike Kay (Team America)
But he’s not a Democrat anymore.
He left the party and became a Libertarian. He even ran for the 2008 libertarian nomination, that eventually went to Bob Barr.
So he was for the Democratic party, before he was against it, before he was for it. Good times.
trollhattan
Beauty. I can’t wait for his next round of teevee commercials–the last ones were so…weird.
And I miss Basil Marceaux Dot Com.
Davis X. Machina
Every party needs its own Fred Thompson, I guess.
Gravel is sort of Fred Thompson-meets-Jack Handy, though. He had an awesome ad last time, the one with the rock and the lake….
Moonbatting Average
Did he make the announcement by staring silently into the camera for an uncomfortably long time, then throwing Tucker Carlson in a pond?
ed drone
I understand that Ted Turner is complaining about nearing the poverty level, so perhaps he’s available.
Ed
dmsilev
@Moonbatting Average: Throwing Tucker Carlson into a pond is one of those common-sense proposals which can unite Americans of all walks of life.
dms
MTiffany
Combined?
Culture of Truth
Breaking:
“Mike Gravel Mulling a Nap, Followed by Wheel of Fortune.”
Bullsmith
Made a dumb post but forget it. At least Gravel might be entertaining.
Mike Goetz
I was just coming over here to trumpet this in comments. Our national politics really is becoming a real, live version of Shock Corridor.
Wile E. Quixote
@dmsilev:
FTFMW!
Culture of Truth
No! The party left him.
No really – the party got him in the car, drove to the woods, told him to get out, and left him by the side of the road.
dms
We are if he continues to think he’s the smartest guy in the room.
And he might be, but the thing is, he ought to give a shout out to his constituency about what he’s got up his sleeve and why, before he unilaterally makes deals with the opposition.
Mnemosyne
I’m not against there being at least a few primary challengers for Obama, but I would caution the people cheering for it that they should be careful what they wish for. Those challengers are far more likely to be the Gravels and Liebermans of the party than the Deans and Kuciniches.
cleek
problem: the Democratic party is weak and ineffective.
proposal: divide it into mutually-antagonistic factions!
expected result: AWESOME PROGRESSIVE VICTORY!
fapfapfap.
Davis X. Machina
@Culture of Truth: The party should have left the gun and taken the cannoli.
eemom
look, while we’re at it why not just go all the way and run the Ghost of Ted Kennedy?
oldswede
Not to be ageist, but Gravel was born in 1930. He’s eighty. And he’s from Alaska. Don’t we have enough Alaskaniodism in the system already?
oldswede
jl
If people like Gravel challenge, it will good clean (edit: family) fun. And much more entertaining than, for example, Mickey Kaus primarying Boxer. Gravel has more talent and brains, and looks better.
John W.
How has anyone not mentioned this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rZdAB4V_j8
oldswede
@oldswede: I tried to edit the typo in ‘Alaskanoidism’ but I get told I don’t have permission to do that. WTF?
oldswede
a1
It’s beyond stupid for the media to dutifully report Mike Gravel doing anything. Frankly, I don’t think most of Mike Gravel’s family gives a shit that he wants to run in the primary against Obama.
But it continues to be hilarious that people actually spend a microsecond of worry about a primary opponent hurting Obama’s chances. If Obama manages to piss off enough people that a primary challenger has even a chance of beating him, he’ll already be a political loser. And if he stopped with his policy of caving more often than a Chilean miner, this already silly subject would never come up in the first place.
Hal
I don’t even know who this person is…
Mr Furious
You can bet he’ll be appearing on FOX nightly until they hammer out the contract on his new show…
cleek
here’s a pic i got of Gravel at 07’s San Fran Gay Rights parade:
picpic
yeah, that parade
Maude
@Hal:
He was in the primaries early on. He is interesting until about the 3rd sentence and then a real bore. You haven’t missed anything.
russell
I got no problem with Gravel challenging Obama. He will be the Jimmy “The Rent Is Too Damned High” McMillan of the primary season.
Maybe he’ll even work up some hip facial hair and wear black gloves.
Is he a karate expert?
Great TV, great watercooler conversation, he’ll make whatever point he wants to make, and life will go on.
Gravel is not a problem.
Triassic Sands
Uh oh. If Gravel is in, Obama is out. The only reason Gravel didn’t win in ’08 is because…um, um, um, uhhhh….
Is there any way Hillary will be able to say no to the huge “Draft Hillary” movement that is now inevitable?
Jimmy Carter may see this as his chance to make a comeback.
No way Nader can stay out.
Dodd will have a lot of time on his hands.
It’s starting to sound like there are going to be at least a dozen “serious” challengers in the 2012 Dem primaries. Who knows, maybe that will be the year one of the perennial candidates catches on and whups Goliath.
It’s going to be a tough decision.
pickledjazz
Mike Who? i guess he needs 5 minutes of fame,huh!
These guys are getting jokier by the minute.
Origuy
Zombie Harold Stassen threw his hat into the ring, but his hand went with it.
j low
Attention Balloon Juicers.
I am mulling a primary bid in the 2012 presidential election.
wmd
Gravel could read out the wikileaks cables from the Oval office.
Triassic Sands
@j low:
Mulling? I won’t believe you’re sincere until you form an exploratory committee and go on a listening tour. Get back to us when you’re really serious.
Should you demonstrate your sincerity, I’ll figure out a way to secretly (and illegally) donate a billion dollars to your campaign. I want you to at least have a level playing field. After all, you’re going to be up against Mike Gravel.
Joseph Nobles
There will be no serious Mike Gravel 2012 candidacy. He appeared as the “moderator” of a mock 9/11 Truth debate for the lunatics at Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth this past September. His actual political career is OVER.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@dmsilev:
Fix’t.
Admiral_Komack
“The good news is that Gravel lacks the gravitas of Donald Duck(…)”
FIXED.
Jay in Oregon
@dmsilev:
Fixed!