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From the archive: Perennial presidential candidate visited Jackson in 1987
Taking a break from all the presidential political rhetoric that seems to pervade out lives, here's a 1987 story about a presidential candidate who made us all smile.
Pat Paulsen staged runs for the presidency every four years, from 1968 to 1996. On visiting Jackson in 1987, he shared that he was considering another run at the high office.
The comedian passed away April 24, 1997, at age 76.
Published in the Southeast Missourian, Feb. 27, 1987:
Comedian Pat Paulsen, in his typical deadpan manner, discusses what he says is his probable presidential candidacy Thursday afternoon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Jackson. (Mark Sterkel ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
A deadpan candidacy: Paulsen eyes another
By MARK BLISS
Southeast Missourian
JACKSON -- He doesn't look like a presidential candidate, or even talk like one. But just the same, comedian Pat Paulsen, in his typical deadpan manner, says he will probably run for president in 1988.
Paulsen, who ran as a write-in candidate in 1968 and was on the Republican ballot in New Hampshire in the 1972 presidential primary, says he will likely run in 1988 as a Democratic candidate.
The deadpan comic discussed his career, both in politics and entertainment, Thursday afternoon while setting up for a show a the Knights of Columbus Hall here. Paulsen was the featured attraction at the First Exchange (Bank) Corporation's annual stockholders dinner Thursday night.
Paulsen insists he is serious about possibly running for president again. He already has a New Hampshire campaign manager.
"My campaign manager said I had to get a haircut," the comedian noted, pointing to his grayish white, wavy hair. "He's trying to get me nominated this year. He was Mondale's campaign manager and (now) he's working for me," observed Paulsen.
As a write-in candidate, Paulsen collected 150,000 to 200,000 votes in 1968.
"In 1972, I ran as a Republican. I got like 2,000 votes in New Hampshire, the first primary, which is about 2%. That's a lot when you consider they were Republican," he dryly noted.
Paulsen proudly recalls one campaign stop in a New Hampshire town where space research was the major industry. "I said, 'Well, I don't want to do this (spend money on space research). We got more problems here on earth (such as pollution, acid rain, and ozone depletion that should be addressed.'
"Anyway, I said that in 1972. I got two votes in that town. I don't care. I still maintain I was right. All those people were engineers, they could have worked somewhere else, you know, in pollution control or something," he remarked.
"But that's old news. This one is going to be the one. We're going to try to get me nominated. We're going to do the Iowa caucus first and then the New Hampshire primary and see how it goes," state Paulsen.
Not a stickler about any one political party, Paulsen says he is considering running as a Democrat this time "because I ran as a Republican last time.
"I think there will be a lot of funnier Democrats," he remarked.
Asked if he was trying to make a political statement about running for president, Paulsen replied, "Yeah, sure. That anybody can run and Its not going to cost any money.
"It won't cost me any money. I'll just stay with people. I'll have volunteers. There won't be any billion dollar debts run up. I'm just going to try to prove it can be done," he vowed.
Paulsen jokingly observed that his campaign would rely on newspaper want-ads. "The most ads I'll take will be in the want ads. I'll say, 'Wanted position. Comedian interested in helping out the country.' Something like that. Just a little ad. They won't cost me much."
In his usual deadpan manner, Paulsen quipped that he expected some competition for the presidential job from other comics such as Pee Wee Herman. "They'll run a funny race. But mine has a little more impact than most because I was on the ballot (before)," he added.
While he says he may be a presidential candidate, Paulsen admits he doesn't want to be president.
"If it (my campaign) snowballs; if it looks like I'm doing too good, I'm going to drop out. I don't want the job. People shoot at you," he observed.
Despite all the political talk, Paulsen is careful to point out that he is "an undeclared candidate at the moment."
That's because he says he doesn't want to banned from television for the next year.
Under the Federal Communications Commission's "fairness doctrine," television stations must provide equal broadcast time to candidates.
That doctrine resulted in in Disney's "Mouse Factory" show, which featured Paulsen, being taken off the air in 1972 because Paulsen was a presidential candidate.
"Disney people were incensed that I was a candidate," recalled Paulsen.
"All the television stations are afraid they'll have to have (Gary) Hart or (Bob) Dole or someone on if they have me," he noted.
The comedian said he unsuccessfully contested the interpretation of the fairness doctrine in federal court in San Francisco. "My lawyer had to go there and try to say it wasn't going to get me any votes if I was on Disney's 'Mouse Factory.'
"You think it's of value to me to be gamboling through the woods with Donal Duck and Minnie Mouse? Is that going to get me votes?" he wondered aloud.
In 1972, one of his presidential opponents, then California State Rep. Paul McCloskey, demanded and received equal time when he saw a movie on television in which Paulsen had a small part. "They got a minute of national time," recalled Paulsen.
"I mean the network's crazy. You know it cost them a lot of money (giving a minute of air time to McCloskey)," commented Paulsen.
Pat Paulsen (Mark Sterkel ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
The 59-year-old comic has been telling jokes for most of his life. "I get to work with the kids (25- to 30-year-old comedians); see how they're doing."
Paulsen noted that to him, those young comedians are "kids. Just babies on the road eating potato chips and Twinkies."
Paulsen said the comedians have more opportunities today than when he was starting out. There are about 350 comedy clubs nationwide and about 1,200 to 1,500 working comedians today, he noted.
"By the time they're 22, they're out on the road making $700 a week," he noted.
"In my day," he added, "we didn't have any place to work. You either had to work for a strip joint or maybe a folk club and those didn't last long."
Paulsen said he started out working in a place called "The Hobby Shop," whose 79-year-old owner "was the guy who booked (Charlie) Chaplin."
Recalled Paulsen, "I was trying to learn how to tap dance and juggle and do all hat stuff. I never learned either one by the way.
"I did learn how to play spoons," he confided before jumping up from his chair and proceeding to tap out a tune with two spoons.
Paulsen, who recently headlined a show in Las Vegas with the Smothers Brothers, said there are some benefits to his job.
"Everybody gives me things. I mean I don't pay for these things," he remarked pointing to his gray Old Style beer jacket and a dark color California Cooler sweater underneath it.
"I got tons of T-shirts," he noted. But, he confided, "I can't get socks out of anybody. If I could get socks, that would be great," he quipped.
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