In 2003 Peter Agre won the Nobel Prize (chemistry) for discovering protein channels that allow water to pass in an out of the hydrophobic membranes of our cells. Now he wants to take on Senator Norm Coleman in Minnesota.
Peter Agre wants to do something no Nobelist has done before: get elected to the U.S. Senate. After a colleague disclosed it in a newspaper op-ed column last week, the 2003 chemistry laureate confirmed that he is considering a run for the Senate seat now held by Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman.
I don’t know whether to blame Minnesota or Norm Coleman for giving us one of the weirdest primary races in memory. Dr Agre, a Nobel winner, has to get through Al Franken before he can challenge Sen. Coleman. Is that Desmond Tutu waiting in the wings?
Stories like this make the recruiting efforts of Democratic committees like the DSCC look almost ludicrously good. While Dems have work to do, compare the wattage that Democrats pack into some primaries against Liddy Dole’s pathetic output at the NRSC. Barring a Democratic abramoffageddon 2008 promises to be a very entertaining year.
The Other Steve
As a Minnesotan… I read about this the other day in the paper.
Agre has my vote. I rather have a nerd. I like Franken, but frankly I’m tired of non-serious candidates.
Unfortunately, Franken will easily get the nod, because the DFL party likes to lose elections by promoting the non-serious candidates.
What Minnesota really needs is not another candidate against Coleman, but one against Ramstad.
Zifnab
So how does this work? Can we make requests?
I want to see Poet Laurett Maya Angeleu run against the Daily Show’s John Stewart for Governor of New York.
Or… ok ok, how about Gold Medalist Tara Lapinski against Emeral Legassy for TX-22.
Siegfred and Roy against the Three Stoogies for Las Vegas city council.
Superman vs. Batman for Attorney General of Florida.
Arnold against Gary Coleman for California – oh wait, they did do that one.
Regardless, this all sounds totally awesome and I whole-heartedly approve of random famous people running for office.
RSA
Coleman would love to go up against Agre, I’d bet. Since when does intelligence win out against populist anti-elitism?
Joe1347
Any Nobel Prize winners in Kentucky? The Dems certainly need a strong contender to knock out Mitch McConnell in 2008. http://mcconnell.senate.gov/about.cfm
Eural
Of course the real question – who gets to have Paris Hilton as their rep? (Please let it be me, please, please, please…)
The Other Steve
Coleman’s something of an elitist himself. The reason he does ok is because he’s the “nice guy”. He really knows how to get someone pissed off and then he uses it aganist them.
Now, his other weakness is his personal life makes Clinton look like a choir boy. His father was arrested for fornicating in the parking lot at a local restaurant, and the apple does not fall far from the tree.
So I don’t think running a guy who makes sex jokes and such is going to divide the moral majority against Coleman. But you run someone who looks like your pretty typical boy do well, and Coleman starts to have some problems.
I’m just saying…
rachel
The charm wears off when you realize she’s another drunk-driving silver-spooned idiot who thinks the rules shouldn’t apply to her. We’ve got one of those in office already.
RSA
Unfortunately for the hopeful, Paris Hilton’s criminal record better suits her for a Republican candidacy. And if she’s one of the celebs who does the panty-less flashing thing (I haven’t been keeping track), even more so.
gus
Jesus, it’s gonna be insane. I like Al Franken, but I’d go for a Nobel winner in a second. Add the fact that the Republican convention’s gonna be in St. Paul, and it’s looking like an interesting year for politics in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Rome Again
Two Points!
thatguy
Hey The Other Steve – What’s your beef with Ramstad? I thought he was one of the politicians the House could use a few more of – moderate, thoughtful, etc. Wasn’t he one of the dozen House Republicans who met with Bush a few weeks ago to tell him straight to his face that Iraq was not going well?
Zifnab
Ugh. Paris Hilton for President. I think you’ve named the one person I am confident who could do even worse than the current Cowboy-in-Chief.
MNPundit
Coleman survives because he casts the occasional high-profile liberal vote (such as on ANWR) and isn’t a full blow nutbar in regards to evolution… he just quietly licks Bush’s feet.
Uh also Dole hasn’t led the NRSC for months, it’s been Ensign since the elections.
Nancy Irving
I’m torn: is this great, or a waste of good brains?
Jon H
Has he considered moving to, say, the Bible Belt where he could really do some good and where there’s a dearth of good candidates?
gex
I’d have to say that it’s MN. Our politics get a little weird, and it goes back farther than Jesse Ventura for Governor.