GOP House Candidate Has New Challenger -- His Own Son!
The race for the House seat of Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY), whose personal scandals spurred his sudden retirement, just got a whole lot wackier as GOP candidate Francis "Frank" Powers Sr. is getting a new challenger: Libertarian candidate Francis "Fran" Powers Jr., his very own son.
The Staten Island Advance reports that the younger Powers, age 47, announced he is running as a Libertarian in order to stop his father from getting elected and being able to help further Republican policies. "I'm not going to say that my dad treated me bad when I was a kid," Fran Powers said. "I know his policies. I'm running against someone I know."
Powers Sr., needless to say, is taken aback by this development. "I've tried very hard for many years to help my son," he said in a statement. "Unfortunately, he's rejected everyone's help to live a healthy lifestyle."
Someday, I hope to have a son with a haircut that approaches the coolness of this guy's.
Way to go, Francis.
June 5, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hair. Not. Cool. At. All. At the top it's a mullet but the bottom is matted in 3 big bunches. I don't want to describe them as dreads bexcause that would be offensive to people with dreads. I repeat not cool at all. PLEASE SI DEMOCRATS SOMEONE ELSE RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!
On second though perhaps I shouldn't have posted this with my pic as my avatar. Whatever. I don't care. He knows we know he's nasty.
June 5, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ahhhhh Jr. is running as a Libertarian, and will bleed off GOP voters.
June 5, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay as long as it's to sabotage the Repubs I am all for it. I'll even sign the petition provided I can use my own pen and have a gallon jar of purell handy.
June 5, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's soooo cute! I jus wanna help scratch his fleas!
June 5, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay as long as it's to sabotage the Repubs I am all for it. I'll even sign the petition provided I can use my own pen and have a gallon jar of purell handy.
June 5, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
My goodness....I can see why his Dad's so proud of him.
June 5, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
OT in the thread: Breaking News: Obama meeting with HRC tonight at her DC home. MSNBC reporting.
June 5, 2008 9:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a You Tube clip of his platform. You get a real sense of the mattullet (matted mullet).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY2viLZj4DM
June 5, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, fun video. I think this guy's destined for a Colbert Report interview!
June 6, 2008 10:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
from your lips to Colbert's ears...
June 6, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he's a big fan of Lyle Lovett.
June 5, 2008 10:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Say it aint so?
June 5, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
What the heck is a "healthy lifestyle"?
What?
June 5, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he meant "healthy HAIRstyle."
June 5, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
healthy Staten Island Republican lifestyle:
Monthly Mortgage on Italian-style mansion: $95,000
Catered weekly dinner at neighbor's house: $12,000
Weekly Bribes to Metro Transit Authority: $50,000
Having your own son spoil your party's chances of holding on to the only NYC congressional seat you have: Priceless.
June 5, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a Staten Islander and I will never vote for Powers Jr. because he is NASTY!!! I see him on the ferry every morning and he picks his nose and flings it. I swear to GAWD I'm not joking. PLEASE PLEASE WILL ANOTHER S.I. DEMOCRAT PLEASE STAND UP?!?!?!
Subject: RE: Isn't this nasty poo poo guy from the ferry?
WTF. What the hell is he going to do in congress fling buggers like he does on the ferry. PLEASE who the hell is going to take him seriously
Ugh…I just started gagging to your comment…..THANKS A LOT MEL! THANKS!
June 5, 2008 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry that last bit was actual e-mail banter between my friends this morning when we saw the Advance. BLEEEEEEEEEECH.
June 5, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's running as a Libertarian Party candidate, the Democratic Party candidate is someone else.
June 5, 2008 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank the Lord. Thank the Lord. I can calm down now. I thought he was running against the dem nominee. Carry on nasty booger flinger!
June 5, 2008 6:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Dem candidate is Steve Harrison
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Harrison
June 5, 2008 6:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's a brooklynite and has no shot. 3/4 of the district is in SI and we come out to vote in droves (mostly Republican). Mike McMahon is a dem city councilman running but I think there's 2 other dem challengers. Thought this might be another dem nominee out of the woodworks and was like WTF is the Staten Island dems thinking??? Glad to know it's just the nutty libretarians.
Libertarian means never having to use Kleenex.
June 5, 2008 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
While it's true you can smell a drug addled libertarian coming from a block away, most of the gay libertarians are ex logcabin republicans and they're generally very clean.
June 5, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't worry - the district was trending Democrat to begin with. And between the slight unpleasantness of the departing congressman and the confusion that will ensue with two Frank Powers on the ballot, I think your Democratic candidate should have a relatively easy time of it.
June 5, 2008 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Last I heard, McMahon was the most likely candidate. Something about Harrison not getting the nod. I think.
Hey, you a New Dorper? Ride the SIRT?
June 5, 2008 9:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nay I'm a St George girl. Last I heard I htought we the dems were pushing McMahon but it's still contested by Recchia & Harrison - both foreigners from the other side of the V-N. I think McMahon's got the best shot.
June 5, 2008 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
His campaign logo should just be the haircut.
June 5, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
D'oh!!
June 5, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
ahh, the party of family values. lol. He is obviously only running cuz he hates his dad and wants him to lose ( note the insistence that his name be listed the same as his father's). As a son with a strined relationship with his father, I say," Go get 'em!" lol. AS a Democrat, I say, "Go get him!. As a human being, I say, " Go get a freakin haircut!"
June 5, 2008 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, this is going to make the next family reunion, well, awkward.
June 5, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
bart simpson vindictive against homer is all i can picture. don't have a cow man. i can hardly stop laughing.
June 5, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
If the schadenfreude doesn't slow down a bit, I may overdose.
lol!
June 5, 2008 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
no kidding, tena. i had to plurk this one and i'm still laughing!
June 5, 2008 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is "Unfortunately, he's rejected everyone's help to live a healthy lifestyle." code for "My son is gay" or "my son is drug addled" ?
I know drug addled libertarians and gay libertarians so the libertarian part is not a clue.
June 5, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think he's libretarian means never having to bathe libretarian. I have no idea if he falls into any others.
June 5, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
your not helping my condition. i still can't stop laughing.
June 5, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go Frannie Go Go!
Way down in Staten Island close to NYC
There lived a city boy named Frannie P.
He had the Libertarian vote in his gunny sack
If you fling a booger at him he'll fling it right back
Go Frannie Go Go!
Verse 2 anyone?
June 5, 2008 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's not healthy?
Junior's my new idol.
June 5, 2008 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
God the Republicans suck.
June 5, 2008 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
He looks a bit like a younger Gary Glitter.
June 5, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Do you wanna touch? - Yeah! Do you wanna touch? - Yeah!
Do you wanna touch me there? Yeah!
Do you wanna touch? - Yeah! Do you wanna touch? - Yeah!
Do you wanna touch me there? Where? There! Yeah! Oh!"
LOL
June 5, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's code for "Junior's GHE-E-E-EY!!!"
June 5, 2008 7:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
OMG. That is frigging hillarious.
June 5, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's the inescapable inference.
June 5, 2008 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
A rebellious son running against his father for Congress...wow, that sounds like a bad Dane Cook movie in the making.
June 5, 2008 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
As opposed to those "good" Dane Cook movies?
(wry grin)
June 5, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just didn't one anyone to get the impression I thought it would be a good idea.
June 5, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually I am snarking that Dane Cook is constitutionally incapable of making a good one, regardless of the plot.
i.e. saying "bad Dane Cook movie" is being redundant.
June 5, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
If nothing else, watching the name confusion at the polls will be entertaining as heck!
June 5, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. Next the guy is going to try to marry his mom.
June 5, 2008 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The article points out that Fran Jr. is a product of Frank Sr.'s first marriage that ended in divorce 30 years ago. So it's actually the next logical step that Jr. would try to rail Frank Sr.'s new wife. I'm certainly pulling for him to bed her down.
June 5, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it would bring all new meaning to the line from There Will Be Blood, "I.. drink.. your.. milkshake!"
June 5, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fran is a master carpenter and musician, married and with two kids.
He does not appear to be gay. He does not appear to be drug-addled. He does seem to want to do his little part to throw a wrench into the Republican political machine. May Jesus be with him! He is doing God's work.
Maybe as a musician he's seen how Republican BS--ala Rudy Guiliani--used politics and religion to try to repress creative art repeatedly. That is worth fighting about.
June 5, 2008 8:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
fran, jr is, in fact, a brilliant musician, well versed in the punk rock and irish traditional and a great, great songwriter, with a lot of soul and musical invention. his band is Box of Crayons.
June 5, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Breaking News: Obama meeting with HRC tonight at her DC home. MSNBC reporting.
June 5, 2008 9:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
they are probably talking about who will win the NBA finals.
June 5, 2008 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Meeting happening just as Obama's campaign plane, with reporters aboard, takes off.
Tricky, tricky.
June 5, 2008 9:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
So... wireless baby.
;-)
June 5, 2008 9:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heh.
I'll say this. Obama does not dodge stuff. He's made that evident today.
Now, that said, HRC may very well have been the one who wanted the meeting. But, again, he didn't dodge it.
Just wonder what the hell it's about.
June 5, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh! Big mistake. This I think was one of his few mistakes. He shouldn't have met with her for weeks and not until after her speech on Saturday. Big mistake.
June 5, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've no reason to doubt Obama's political instincts. I don't think any of us do. Not after today.
June 5, 2008 9:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
i kinda disagree. with the wounds so raw, this will REALLY begin the healing. Once her voters see that Hillary and BO are communicating, it will make both supporters feel better about things. I dont have a problem with it.
June 5, 2008 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great point. He's saying to the Hillaryites, "I'm not ignoring you."
High road.
June 5, 2008 9:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or, more positively put, "I'm listening to you."
June 5, 2008 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, guess I'm out voted. I would have let the situation calm down before a meet. All this does is further encourage the false sense of power of the clintons. I would have let them twist in the wind for a while and then meet. There was no reason for this sense of urgency, especially in light of the clintons conduct and the bs speech on Tuesday. I would have let them stew.
June 5, 2008 10:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
To be a fly on the wall in that house.
I didn't even know Hillary had a home in Washington DC.
June 5, 2008 9:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is good news all around and the Dem party will benefiting.
The Republicans and McCain are not liking this. They really would like for BO to have waited a few weeks to let the split cement in a bit.
June 5, 2008 9:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
When one lives their life as their dogma has more primary importance than their karma, there should be no shock when their karma bites them in their backside during their current incarnation.
All appearances are that Senior and Junior deserve one another. I hope that this will further the Democratic pursuit of 435 seats in the house.
June 5, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
please, peoples. did all of you fail Republican code?
"healthy lifestyle" + Libertarian + mullet = pot smoker
June 6, 2008 1:17 AM | Reply | Permalink