The story of Ian Murphy — the editor of the Buffalo Beast who convinced Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) that he was billionaire David Koch and then recorded their union-bashing, possibly illegal phone conversation — just keeps getting better. Murphy just revealed to Samantha Henig of The New Yorker that he’s going to run for Congress, under the banner of the Green Party — for the seat recently vacated by Republican Christopher Lee of shirtless-photo-on-Craigslist fame, no less.
[For those who missed the first act of this story: Prank call proves billionaire David Koch owns Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP]
Murphy doesn’t seem to think his odds are all that great. He told Henig, “I was in the process of figuring out how I could possibly get thirty-five hundred signatures or entice some loser party like the Green Party to endorse me — not that I think they’re losers, their politics are great, but I think they’re going to lose,” but that “seemed completely undoable.”
The fame that has come with becoming the “Andrew Breitbart of the left” can’t hurt his chances, unless the left concludes that Murphy is more valuable as a prankster. Who else in memory has convinced the leader of an entire state that he was his No. 1 backer, for whom no confidence was off limits?
Apparently Murphy achieved this feat of impersonation by just kind of picturing himself as “older, rich, and horrible.”
Another obstacle to Murphy’s candidacy could be his guilelessness:
Eric Jones, co-chair of the New York Green Party, told me that he would be meeting Murphy Wednesday evening to discuss politics. When asked if they would talk about Murphy running for Lee’s seat, Jones replied, “I’m kind of shocked he brought that up with you.”
But even that is probably irrelevant in light of Murphy’s aspiration to announce his candidacy in a clown costume. Really.
Related:
- Why using “live ammunition” on Wisconsin protestors would be bad for the environment
- Why arch-polluter Koch Industries owes the planet its entire net worth
- Tea Party-backing Koch Industries is major carbon polluter
