Bluestem has noticed that suddenly everyone's an expert on Southern Minnesota Republican politics this week, even those folks who wouldn't know Hanska from a handsaw.
Nonetheless, it's not a surprise to see Mike Parry and Allen Quist comprise a fourth of Buzzfeed's list of The 8 Craziest Candidates Of 2012.
Nor are we surprised to see Mike Parry topping Allen Quist. Parry's wit and intelligence have allowed Allen Quist to look good again, as far as the choices on Tuesday's ballot for the CD1 Republican nomination goes.
Here's the write-up:
4. Mike Parry
Parry, a Republican state senator and congressional candidate in Minnesota's 1st district, recently accused Governor Mark Dayton of doing drugs at a breakfast meeting. Parry told supporters at a campaign event that he'd seen Dayton "pop 15 to 16 pills" at a meeting, an accusation the governor denied. Parry conceded that the number of pills may not have been as high as 15 or 16, but "it was more than just a few."
In 2010, Parry got in trouble for tweeting “what’s with Dems and Pedophiles?" and “read the exclusive on Mr O in Newsweek. He is a Power Hungry Arrogant Black Man.” Parry later apologized for the tweets.
Of course, Parry unapologized for them later in 2011, but owned the old apology again this year so he could rip Allen Quist's 20 year old remarks. That's the focus of
5. Allen Quist
Quist, a Republican, was a state representative in Minnesota and ran for governor twice. He is a close ally of Michele Bachmann, and is now running for Congress as Mike Parry's opponent for the Republican nomination for the 1st district seat.
Quist believes that dinosaurs may have coexisted with humans, and that there is scientific evidence for the existence of dragons. According to Mother Jones, when his wife died while pregnant in a car crash in 1986, he had the six-month-old fetus displayed with her in an open casket. In 1993, he reportedly went undercover at an adult bookstore to investigate it, something the Parry campaign called on him to "come clean" about.
In 1994, Quist compared Minnesota's Mankato State University's new counseling center for gay students to a center for the Ku Klux Klan and said it would encourage the spread of aids.
Despite what Ben Golnik tells folks, Quist's second bid for governor got no farther than the Republican state convention, so he technically didn't lose an election then.
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Images: Bluestem has used our own pictures for the crazypants candidates. Parry photo by Eric V. Adams for Bluestem. Allen Quist by Ken Avidor.
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