Monday, November 05, 2012

PSP Political Star Of The Year Award, 2012!

(Uncredited photo via)

You might be surprised by my choice, but it's fabulous Josh Mandel of Ohio! My obsession with Mandel began earlier this year, when every time I would stumble across a photo of him, I'd recoil instinctively, only to return, fascinated, to study his blatantly wicked countenance. Eventually I snapped out of a trance induced by his bizarre hairline long enough to actually read about him, and learned that he is exactly the kind of smirky, terrible, frat-boy conservative he appears to be.  It's as if one of the villains from Animal House were running for senate.

And, yes, his hair is deeply weird and maybe even psychotic, and it goes from thrilling new style to thrilling new style. Buzzed here, pomaded there... what will Josh do with his difficult hair next? It's exciting.

Here's another picture:

(Photo: ohio.gov)

Look, I know it seems like I carp on people's appearance a lot, but I generally keep it to criticism of their choices and habits, like clothing and hairdos and hand gestures, rather than of innate physical characteristics over which they have no control. I don't think, for instance, that I've ever made fun of a politician for being "fat." I guess my two major infractions would be my obsession with Robert Gates adorable teensiness and Condi's occasional resemblance to a Klingon.

That said, isn't Josh Mandel one of the most wonderfully scary and creepy Republican villains you've ever seen? He reminds me of an evil ventriloquist dummy from a horror movie, or a Brooks Brothers mannequin from the 1950s come chillingly to life:

(Photo: Rollcall)

It's almost (Almost! Not really! Just kidding!) too bad that Mandel is almost certainly going to lose against Sherrod Brown. Even his hometown paper called him the "cartoon candidate." How can I not love him? And how can you not love that this ghastly specter is the GOP's nightmare version of youthfulness?

So it's sad, because my Josh Mandel obsession is cresting just as he's about to vanish from the national stage. Something tells me, though, that there's a lot more Josh Mandels whence this one came.




16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Faps to Paul Ryan glossies, obvs.

Peteykins said...

Furiously, I'm sure.

samael7 said...

He seems pretty garden-variety awful to me. But that says more about my high standards of GOPevil. I look in his eyes, and I can see the dollar signs there, and think, "Ah, he's one of 'those' Republicans." Oh, and reading that "cartoon candidate" link, I see he had a Treasurer position and decries the auto bailout.

He does have an interesting hairline. The word "fretwork" leaps to mind.

His relatives sound awesome, though.

The Cat's Meow said...

He couldn't be a greater contrast to the rumpled, gravelly voiced, perennially flecked-jacketed Sherrod Brown. And I'll take Sherrod ANY day!

Anonymous said...

"Get Niedermeyer to do it. He's a sneaky little shit." (from Animal House)
Mandel is Niedermyer and Eddie Haskell all rolled into one...only with a darker soul.

Civic Center said...

We have a variation in San Francisco of Mr. Mandel named Scott Weiner, and he's a City Supervisor representing the Castro District neighborhood among others. The elongated face, the almost undertaker style of presentation, the conservative gay affect is sort of a new, out-of-the-closet variation on Roy Cohn, and it also creeps me out.

carol said...

It's his wifes' realitives that are awsome. They are the ones who put out the ad chastising him for being anti-gay.

Josh's own relatives most likely think he is pretty perfect. I'm also sure they are proud of their little slimeball.

Johannes der Taucher said...

Hey, if Karl Rove likes him, he must be good. Right?

He's got to be lying about his age, though. Does his mommy know he's wearing the big boy pants?

Partick said...

Well, at least you can always troll his Flickr accound for new and exciting hairdos and photo ops.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshmandelohio/

Lulu Maude said...

I came across another picture of Mandel... hairdo even weirder. In fact, I can't figure out how he came to the decision on the part that he did...

Anonymous said...

The perfect husbynd for Kondi.

Anonymous said...

I see Mr. Mandel only lost by a scant 5%! [shudders]

Anonymous said...

Looks like a character in a bad James Woods movie.

KarenZipdrive said...

Whoa. How dare you treat PeeWee Herman's younger, ickier brother with such disdain?

Sleepy in Saudi said...

Buh bye.

Distributorcap said...

i thought you had to be 30 to run for senate.....

i could swear i heard josh ask wally if he could put a frog in sherrod's pants