60*

Vote none of the above.

Much has been made about Al Franken potentially embodying the filibuster-busting 60th Democratic vote in the Senate. Hillary Clinton cut an ad for Franken not too long ago posing this exact scenario. I'm on record as being less than enthusiastic about Franken's candidacy, but I find Norm Coleman, the Republican incumbent, pretty undesirable as well. A friend of mine characterized the race as "the unctuous vs. the obnoxious," and I think that sums up the situation quite adequately.

Fortunately, Minnesotans have a third option - former Senator Dean Barkley - who is running on the Independence Party ticket. Barkley, who was appointed to complete Paul Wellstone's term in the Senate by Governor Jesse Ventura, saw a high water mark of 19% in the polls in early October, despite only raising $56,763 for his campaign and running only two statewide ads. Franken and Coleman raised $36 million between them.

The Independence Party is Minnesota's fairly strong third party, tracing its roots back to the Ross Perot's Reform Party. When the Reform Party divided in 2000 following a contentious convention that ultimately nominated Pat Buchanan, the Independence Party broke from the national party. Essentially radically centrist, the party follows Jesse Ventura's quasi-Libertarian "fiscally conservative and socially liberal" credo. Were I still a Minnesota resident, Barkley would definitely get my vote.

Though Barkley poses a highly appealing choice over smarmy Franken and lickspittle Coleman, I don't hold high hopes that he'll eek out a Ventura '98-style victory (though he's no stranger to upsets - he was Ventura's campaign chair that year). So, in the spirit of quixotic third party candidates like Ventura, Kinky Friedman, Ross Perot, and Robert La Follette: Go Barkley!

Gov. Jesse Ventura and Sen. Dean Barkley

Note: I'm just now home from school and am getting spooled up. Consider this the first of what I imagine will be several posts tonight.