In further displays of 2010 Republican bizarreness, we can now add Levi Johnston to the mix.
(And, while I would love to name names and run through the roster of crazies and craziness to date this year, I will refrain. I will refrain because 1) it’s just too depressing for those of us who are desperate for serious and thoughtful candidates to step up and 2) in all fairness, it gives short-shift to the likes of Senator Scott Brown and Governor Chris Christie, who actually give heart and hope for right-of-center moderates like myself.)
Back to Levi Johnston. He wants to be mayor of Wasilla and all but announced his 2011 mayoral bid on MSNBC’s “Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell. It was a fascinating interview – in a bad way. Take a look.
What I want to know is this – what is Levi thinking? He does not yet have his GED (he’s “working on it”), but has deemed himself somehow qualified to run for mayor of Wasilla. You realize that this puts Levi in the same pool as millionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and possible Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
It’s simply absurd.
News flash: Just because a person can run certainly doesn’t mean a person should run or is qualified to run.
My disapproval is not a statement on Levi’s intellect or education level; really, it’s about maturity, the ability to follow through, and experience. If you can’t finish your GED, why on earth should anyone rely on you to implement anything as mayor?
The current mayor or Wasilla, Verne Rupright, provides a good basis of comparison. Amongst many things, Mayor Rupright is a Vietnam Veteran turned lawyer turned mayor. On his current mayorial agenda, he lists revamping ethics rules for city elected officials as well as laying the groundwork for a commuter rail system as an alternative means of transportation and a means of bringing employment to Wasilla.
Levi, are you ready for this?
In other brilliance, Mayor-hopeful Levi Johnston stated on national television, “I don’t believe in abstinence.” OK, genius or political wizard he is not. I mean, while the birth of his son states the obvious, what future conservative candidate wins votes by suggesting that teen abstinence is bad idea?
For the sake of the Republican brand, and attempts to rebuild this brand, we can only pray that Levi does not run. Candidates, Republican and Democrat alike, used to run on leadership…
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net.