TENNESSEE: Basil Marceaux Loses

Internet idol Basil Marceaux lost his bid for governor of Tennessee on Thurday when he scored less than 1% of the vote in the state GOP primary (an event overlooked here due to the Prop 8 hubbub). Today the Washington Post analyzes Marceaux's web popularity.

Basil Marceaux was one step further. For a public exhausted by politics-as-usual, he offered not only an outlandish ad but an outlandish persona, so beyond reason that he demanded attention. His popularity happened at lightning speed, taking just days rather than the years most political candidates require -- and those are the fortunate ones who rise from obscurity at all. Like "Napoleon Dynamite's" Vote for Pedro campaign, like every high school that has jokingly nominated the band geek for prom king, Marceaux's Internet success was based on the principle of ironic support. How hilarious would it be to pretend to love him? How hilarious would it be to actually love him? Brandishing Marceaux as an ideal candidate -- for realz or no -- was a one-fingered salute to mainstream politicians everywhere. We would rather fake-support this guy than real-support you.