Carpetbagging in the jet age

February 5, 2014 2:56 PM

Allan Levene really — really — wants to serve in Congress. But he's 64 years old, and says he has no time to build a political resume step by step by getting elected to lesser positions and working his way up. So, he is maximizing the odds by running in four different states simultaneously. He has entered primaries in Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota and Georgia, which is where he lives. Is this legal? Apparently so, as long as he is a resident, at the time of the November general election, of whichever state he may manage to get elected in. Politifact checked it out with constitutional experts. NPR interview transcript.
posted by beagle (26 comments total)

that's nothing, i aspire to represent alaska, oregon and california in the senate simultaneously. three votes, muthaz!
posted by bruce at 3:04 PM on February 5, 2014

Please say he's running in the Michigan 11th, please say he's running in the Michigan 11th...

Allan Levene (born 1949 or 1950) is a British American information technology specialist. He is simultaneously running for the United States House of Representatives in four different districts: Hawaii's 1st congressional district, Minnesota's 6th congressional district, Michigan's 14th congressional district...

DAMMIT. So fucking close. Literally, just a few miles away. My dentist's office is in the 14th. He's probably running there because Gary Peters is going to crush anyone who comes up against him anyway (he won in 2012 by 57 points), so it's not like the local GOP is going to care.
posted by Etrigan at 3:09 PM on February 5, 2014

The four-state thing sure is burying the lede compared to his remarkable plan to relocate Israeli Jews to rural southern Texas. If you think he hasn't thought this through, you're wrong, because he made a map!
posted by theodolite at 3:18 PM on February 5, 2014 [23 favorites]

It's totally common sense to move Israel to south Texas.

This information theorist discovered ONE WIERD TRICK for ending Israeli apartheid! The multi-state apparatus perpetuated by the continuance of a state of perpetual war HATES him!
posted by kaibutsu at 3:32 PM on February 5, 2014 [18 favorites]

As an aside, in the 1960′s the Australian government paid white U.K. citizens to relocate to Australia. Australia used to be the British penal colony. Amazingly, in that era the Australian government classified the indigenous Australians, the Aborigines, as fauna, or plants, their children were taken away and their working conditions, squalid! Fortunately, much has changed.

It’s now a prosperous, beautiful and peaceful country that people are eager to emigrate to. I think that Israelis would flock to New Israel so they can prosper in peace, rather than live in never-ending fear.

I, um, I think you skipped some steps in this argument?
posted by kagredon at 3:37 PM on February 5, 2014 [10 favorites]

He has entered primaries in Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota and Georgia, which is where he lives.

He's just like Alpo Ferguson!
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:45 PM on February 5, 2014

Unlike the post-Confederate south in 1865, 21st century Hawaii is capable of self-rule.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 3:55 PM on February 5, 2014

Re kagredon's quote: wow, that is a non sequitur if I've ever heard one.
posted by Sara C. at 4:01 PM on February 5, 2014

Well, everyone knows that Darius I built the second temple just outside of Galveston.




Wait, what?
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:18 PM on February 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

If he wants to be a congressman that badly, why can't he just marry into money like a normal person?
posted by ckape at 4:25 PM on February 5, 2014 [3 favorites]

New Israel in rural southern Texas? I'd read that Michael Chabon book.
posted by redbeard at 4:31 PM on February 5, 2014 [10 favorites]

Not as impressive as the book I read as a teenager where upon the outbreak of WWIII the entire state of Israel evacuated by hovercraft to Cyprus (or maybe Crete), from which they all boarded rockets to New Israel, their orbiting space habitat.

This is why all public transportation in Israel was converted to hovercraft.
posted by ckape at 4:51 PM on February 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Somebody didn't think out what they were doing.
posted by Ironmouth at 5:15 PM on February 5, 2014

Good luck, dude.

Kinda doubt he'll win any of them with this strategy, but it's worth a shot.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:55 PM on February 5, 2014

I tuned into NPR mid-interview, and I actually thought this was a joke, especially when a remark like this...

Of course it had been worth it. I want to do what's right for the public. This country has been so good to me.

...is immediately followed by a banal, content-less, non-sequitur about staring at the American flag flying over an embassy in the West End. Could that be any more cliche? I hope he didn't learn about U.S. political campaigns by accidentally watching our satire.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:04 PM on February 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'd have serious reservations about electing someone who wants to cash out of the American economy if they don't get their way. It sounds like a recipe for defeatism at the first hint of trouble.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:15 PM on February 5, 2014

New Israel in rural southern Texas? I'd read that Michael Chabon book.

I recall seeing the cover of some pulp novel about a future Israeli-Texan War; the cover had a painting of a battle scene with tanks bearing the Israeli flag firing on tanks with the Lone Star flag or something similar. Does anyone else recall anything like this?
posted by acb at 2:56 AM on February 6, 2014

acb: some pulp novel about a future Israeli-Texan War

Texas-Israeli War: 1999
posted by djeo at 5:12 AM on February 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

By Howard Waldrop, an underrated sf writer.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:27 AM on February 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

This dude would still be a sanity upgrade from MN-6's current rep.
posted by COBRA! at 5:29 AM on February 6, 2014

The FPP doesn't mention his party affiliation, but somehow I was able to guess.
posted by straight at 8:04 AM on February 6, 2014

So, serious actual question here.

What happens if he wins in multiple districts?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:40 AM on February 6, 2014

He will only be a resident of one state: "Levene said he only has to establish residency if he wins a primary and wants to be on the ballot for the general election."
posted by soelo at 8:55 AM on February 6, 2014

Also, I doubt he will win the primary in Minnesota's 6th. Tom Emmer will win that. He may win the seat, too, depending on who the DFL runs. Bachmann's race was very close last time and the district has been redrawn since the 2012 election.
posted by soelo at 8:59 AM on February 6, 2014

> "So, he is maximizing the odds by running in four different states simultaneously."

Hmm ... brilliant new strategy, or crazy person?

> "... plan to relocate Israeli Jews to rural southern Texas."

Well, that answers that.
posted by kyrademon at 9:44 AM on February 6, 2014 [3 favorites]

And I'm too slow to drop a reference to the Texas-Israeli War! djeo and MartinWisse, you are my peeps. Hey, there's a new Waldrop collection!
posted by Zed at 3:01 PM on February 6, 2014