Senator Cougar

I remember rock/folk musician Johnny Cougar as a young, tough Fonzie-like character in the very early 1980s, a kind of Bruce Springsteen-wannabe representing the American Midwest (instead of The Boss's "Joizzy"). He did pretty well, coming out with a string of career-building singles like Hurts So Good, I Need a Lover, and Jack and Diane. Then Johnny Cougar in 1983 decided to change his persona and name back to his original John Mellencamp, with the "Cougar" moniker inserted for a while as his middle name. But the good music continued, Cougar or Mellencamp. He's still coming out with good stuff, another example of an artist who simply will not decline.

Now fellow citizens of Mellencamp's home state of Indiana are encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh, who is leaving after his term ends later this year. The renown singer/songwriter has recorded songs in the past that have been used by Republicans Ronald Reagan and John McCain in their respective presidential campaigns. With McCain, Mellencamp, who is an enthusiastic Obama supporter, put his foot down and publicly asked the Republican candidate to stop using his music at his rallies.

Will John Mellencamp take the plunge, as celebrities Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Franken did, and throw his hat into the political ring? I think that he would do quite well if he set his mind to it, but I have my doubts.

Schwarzenegger had been tendering political aspirations for years and Franken had been on a personal mission to "rescue" Minnesota's Senate seat from Republican Norm Coleman, who Franken believed would have lost to his good friend incumbent Paul Wellstone had he not died in a plane crash just before the election in 2002. I think Mellencamp may be one of those impulsive, temporary celebrity "candidates" like Warren Beatty, Alec Baldwin, or George Clooney who ultimately find the prospect of both campaigning for and serving in elective office too confining for their jet set lifestyles.

But John Mellencamp could fool me. He is very politically outspoken, and this could be an opportunity for him to walk the walk, not just talk the talk (or with him, sing the song). If he does run, he gets my honorary, useless sympathy vote from here in Florida!