It's getting to be very repetitious seeing posts about how many of the major party candidates are falling over each other trying to out-kook one another.

The blogcritics conventional wisdom is that when one kook is spotted running as a Libertarian, it is an article of faith that all Libertarians are kooks. Will this be consistently upheld?

Traficant:

"And then when I get out I will grab a sword like Maximus Meridius Demidius and as a Gladiator I will stab people in the crotch."

"I will take with me a file, a chisel, a knife, I will try and get some major explosives, try to fight my way out."

"I will break out of prison and I'll make a neck tie out of some these bureaucrats."

I live in that neck of the woods. Hart is an opportunist, pure and simple. It wouldn't have mattered if the local Republicans had fielded a candidate, Hart would have run anyway. He has stated that he never expects to win, but only takes advantage of broadcast television rules on running campaign ads to get his message out.

Hart bought time on the local classic rock station in 2000 to put out his ads and caused a huge stink for that station. The morning zoo crew had to let the guy on the air for an interview just to prove to their listeners that they had nothing whatsoever to do with him. They later took to making funny noises underneath his ads just to undercut and mock them.

And the local (Memphis, Tennessee) Republican Party are, frankly, idiots who deserve this. They don't just ignore, but repudiate efforts to reach out to the majority black population of Memphis, and the soon-to-be-majority black Shelby County.

A couple of years ago, the County mayoral race was open, but a popular Democrat with ties to the secure City Mayor was considered the sure thing. No Republican wanted to run against him, as he was considered a demographic winner. So, they finally found some dull, old guy to fall on his sword for the Republican name.

Then, a local businessman/doctor entered the primary with the intent of running a winning campaign for County Mayor. The guy was likeable and had proven bi-racial, populist appeal. The Party closed ranks against him. Even after he won the primary, the Republicans refused to help him out! He ran a great campaign, but without party support, he was doomed against the Democratic machine here in Memphis.

Ah well...sorry to get worked up there.

BTW, Hart has his own website. Should I post the URL or did Wynn not want to help the doof out? The local ABC affiliate did a story on him the other day, but there's no link on their site.

Hart's URL is in both the Newsday story I linked at the bottom, and also on Bertrand's site, but you hit the nail on the head. I don't want to give the guy any googlejuice.

Thanks for the details on Republican loser-ness in the area. That doesn't surprise me at all.

Unfortunately, he won the nominations in the primaries, and now, in 2004, an openly racist candidate is running for Congress on a major-party ticket.

I suspect the GOP won't be making the mistake of running nobody again.

Sorry, forgot the link: Unabashed Racist Wins GOP Primary in Tenn. Again from the AP, this time via the Miami Herald.