GOP Recruits make Dems Chortle

By JOSH KRAUSHAAR | 6/11/08 6:56 PM EST

Meet Bob Kelleher, the Republican nominee against Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) this year.

He is an 85-year-old attorney with some downright unconventional views. He believes the American system of representative government should be replaced by a parliamentary system. He calls for socialized medicine, advocates nationalizing the country’s oil and gas industries and believes taxes should be raised significantly to eradicate poverty.

It’s not the standard GOP platform, but nevertheless Kelleher defeated four other candidates in the primary to claim the Republican nomination.

Among those he bested were former state House Majority Leader Mike Lange and businessman Kirk Bushman, who had courted statewide donors and visited Washington to meet with national party representatives. It was Kelleher’s first victory after 15 losses as a Democratic Party and Green Party candidate.

Needless to say, the Republican Party wants nothing to do with him.

If Kelleher were an aberration, his candidacy might be easier for Republicans to swallow. But he’s not.

He’s one of a handful of GOP Senate nominees who are, well, not exactly who the party had in mind. (read more...)