MSM A Day Late But Not A Dollar Short On Gene Kelly

[I'm blogging this from a new browser called Flock. We'll see how it works out with regard to formatting, etc. So far, I don't like it, but I'm giving it a shot.]

The Austin American-Statesman may have been a day (or more) late on perennial candidate Gene Kelly entering the CD-21 race (most bloggers had it last week), but this time, they weren’t a “dollar short,” as the old saying goes.

They actually interviewed Gene Kelly:

Kelly, an 80-year-old retired Air Force colonel from the San Antonio area, pays to enter but then doesn’t raise the money needed to win and doesn’t campaign actively.

He’s been at this since his first failed bid in “either 1980 or 1981″ for a county office; he can’t remember the specifics and gets frustrated when asked how much he’s spent to be a candidate over the years.

He keeps hooking his hopes on the familiarity of his name (the same as that of the late “Singin’ in the Rain” movie star) and his faithfully filed registration fees. Last week, he paid another $3,125 to enter the special election in Texas’ 21st Congressional District against Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and Democratic challenger John Courage.

“I’m like the guy climbing the mountain,” Kelly said Monday. “People asked the little guy, “Why did you climb it? And he says, ‘Well, it was there.’ That’s what motivated me. Only I didn’t make it yet. But I will make it this time.”

In the always-a-candidate, never-won-statewide life of Gene Kelly, maybe it’s his time. He thinks the district is practical to win. He even granted a rare interview and said his victory is about “getting our message out.”

Gene, I don’t think you’re getting your message out unless that message is that you are a selfish spoiler obsessed with seeing your name on the ballot. And, if you want to do something just because “it’s there,” then maybe you should consider easing back in the recliner, turning on the TV and watching it (you know, because it’s there) and leaving electoral politics to the people who give a damned.

technorati tags:Gene, Kelly, Texas, politics, john, courage, lamar, smith