Charles Barkley to run for Governor in Alabama?

[Tweed]

So I posted this in the Lounge already, but I thought it would make more sense to post here after thinking about it longer:

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3133386

You have to scroll down to the middle of the page or so but Barkley said he will run for Governor of Alabama as a Democrat if John Kerry lost.

Here's an article from counterpunch.org that takes some quotes from Barkley's past.

http://www.counterpunch.org/zirin06052004.html

It would be an interesting race and I think it would help with the Democrats in the South. Barkley would be the highest profile governor in the South and could campaign with other Democrats across the region. I'm not saying that Barkley would be the one shot fix for the South, but I think it would help.

So... who wants to start a Draft Barkley movement?

[takumi]

1. Alabama and Barkley Deserve Each Other

[ArtVandaley]

5. What's wrong with Barkley?

Unless that was a pro-Alabama headline.

[Pirate Smile]

2. Why only if Kerry lost?

[saracat]

3. Silly. He has too much money. Give it to a viable candidate!

[DenverDem]

4. He'd better run pretty fast, if he's running in Alabama.

Being an Auburn basketball hero doesn't trump his inability to be accepted in the Klan.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. Good, I admire him for caring enough to do this

I think he should run.

[Mojambo]

7. Is Barkley even a Democrat?

Last I heard he was an Independent.

He could run as an effective populist, but Alabama will be a tough nut to crack.

[davidinalameda]

8. he's always been a Republican

why would he run as a Democrat

the article didn't say anything about him running as a Democrat

Oh how we've missed the Chuckster this summer. Charles Barkley said yesterday that he voted for John Kerry, and that if Kerry didn't win, he will run for governor of Alabama. He would win it, too. We'd love to see Sir Charles imposing his will on the government in the same fashion as he did when he played and now as he does to the helpless Ernie Johnson in the studio

[Tweed]

12. He's always been a Democrat, what are you takling about?

[zbdent]

13. Okay, then, there was some NBA star who was asked why he was

for the "tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent", and the "star" answered - "Because that's me!".

Sounds Repukish to me.

Really, I don't remember who said it, but it would seem like something Barkley would say . . . he doesn't seem to hold his tongue much does he?

[MinnesotaMike31]

9. If Arnold can govern CA why couldn't Charles govern AL? Go Charles!

[eddiebrowns]

10. Last I heard

Charles couldn't run because of residency requirements

[PDittie]

11. I never realized until now

how bizarrely different the responses in GD are from those in the Lounge.

Apparently he's NOT always been a Republican (I just learned this myself a few minutes ago):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x2033385

[Kingofalldems]

14. I remember back in the nineties

Barkley was a big buddy of Pigboy Limbaugh and talked about running as a repub. He may have changed though.

[quaoar]

15. Charles is NOT a Republican

He said as much on Bill Maher's show earlier this year and he told me the same thing about a year ago.

There is, however, a requirement in the Alabama Constitution that one must be a resident for at least seven years before running. Charles is a resident of Arizona, although he is a native of Leeds near Birmingham and went to Auburn.

And that, unfortunately, raises the deeply disturbing prospect of Roy Moore as Alabama's next governor -- unless Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley can somehow beat him.