GOP Candidate Marceaux Happy With Media Coverage

(AP)  Basil Marceaux says he's pleased with the national attention he's getting for his Republican gubernatorial bid in Tennessee, even if the coverage has largely mocked the perennial candidate.

The 59-year-old entrepreneur from Soddy-Daisy's rambling one-minute candidate statement broadcast on Nashville's WSMV-TV quickly became in Internet hit. The video has since been featured on shows ranging from Chris Matthews' "Hardball" on MSNBC to Comedy Central's "Colbert Report."

Marceaux said he knows he sounded discombobulated in the video, but notes that he had to whittle down his prepared six-minute statement, and that he was distracted by producers constantly reminding him how much time he had left.

The longshot candidate's platform includes eliminating handgun carry permit requirements, and instead imposing fines on anyone who doesn't have a firearm.

[voteforbasilmarceaux]

http://www.VoteForBasil.com has updates constantly

[usairbloom]

I don't see why he couldn't be voted in Governor. We need more people like him stepping up - people who aren't afraid to stand up to our federal government and take action in their state. Why must the American people judge people by their appearance and think their crazy because of their ideas. This is what got us in trouble with this mess because of our president in the first place. My father in law passed a similar law concerning everyone owning a gun in the city and I absolutely agree with it. Way to go Basil. I'm rooting for you.

[littlelulu1967]

He talks like that because of lack of teeth...he said so!

[Brokennews]

"Here's a man, clearly suffering from either degenerative alcoholism or a mental disorder"


And how does that makes him different than the current crop of politicians?

[nprybes]

Basil Marceaux embodies what's wrong with our collective fixation on populism in this country. Here's a man, clearly suffering from either degenerative alcoholism or a mental disorder, running for a major state office. Now he's being ridiculed by half the country...We have become so deluded in this country that we truly think we can do anything, no matter how many limitations we have. As a result, we wind up hurting ourselves.