It’s a new week, a new Monday and the name Clay Aiken is all over the news!!  According to google, there are almost 6 millions articles that mention Clay!

Most of the articles today are about  incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District.  It seems that Ms. Ellmers  had some “interesting” things to say about Mr. Aiken.

Ellmers words have been reported in The Daily Beast, The NewsObserver, Politico, and many other news sites.  I would imagine Ms. Ellmers has never had so many sites quote her before.  She certainly had a lot to say, but, unfortunately, most readers thought she was not appropriate in her comments.

Mollie Reilly at The Huffington Post wrote the following article:

The Huff Post – Renee Ellmers: Clay Aiken Couldn’t Even Win ‘American Idol,’ Let Alone Congressional Seat

Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) says she isn’t too impressed by her potential new congressional challenger, former “American Idol” contestant Clay Aiken.

In a radio interview with WMAL  last week, the congresswoman was asked about Aiken, who is exploring a run in the Democratic primary.

“Apparently, his performing career is not going so well. He’s very bored,” Ellmers said…

…The hosts then asked Ellmers if she had voted for Aiken during his stint on the popular Fox reality show.

“As we know, he didn’t really fare all that well. He was runner-up,” she said. “He also didn’t win on [‘Celebrity Apprentice’].. so I guess the next step is Congress. You know, we don’t have a very high approval rating so I guess the bar’s been lowered for him.”…

I found some of the comments to be just as interesting as the article:

Yeah. 24 million votes, a huge proportion of them from his home state of North Carolina. She’s in trouble.

I say he’s a winner. You know what he did before he tried out for American Idol? He worked with developmentally disabled children. Many with Downs Syndrome. Since my sister has Downs, I say he’s a hero. He continues to give to these causes with his money and time. Also he has had hits on Broadway and has a huge following that fill his concerts. I would say taking her seat would just be one of a long list of accomplishments for such a wonderful young man. Check out his National Inclusion Project.

My one question is how long before the homophobic slurs starts

Clay came in second out of 100,000 candidates. I doubt that Ellmers has ever faced such odds and I doubt she’ll even win the GOP primary. This May, in a field of 2 she’ll come in last.

Why the disparaging personal remarks, Rep. Ellmers? You only belittle yourself by such tactics. Such tactics are very popular in the TP. But ask Elizabeth Dole how well it worked for her. Here we see the difference between statewide office vs. gerrymandered districts. If you wonder how gerrymandering impacts the civility of politics, you need look no further than Ms. Ellmers’ rhetoric.

“As we know, he didn’t really fare all that well. He was runner-up,” she said.”
WMAL
Um didn’t he get like second place? I’d say thats very pretty darn well. While I certainly don’t see Mr. Aiken as a viable senate candidate (I’ve never heard him express much in the way of politics nor have I heard him talk about his positions etc) I think her assessment of him based solely on his time on TV is rather insulting.

 The Washington Post also wrote about Ms. Ellmers interview.  They also included a fun graph!

The Washington Post – Lost your bid to be an ‘American Idol’? Try Congress. It’s easier.

…“Apparently his performing career isn’t going so well, and he’s bored,” Ellmers told Washington, D.C. radio station WMAL.

“As we know, he doesn’t always fare all that well,” she added. “He was runner-up.”

To put that comment in perspective, let’s look at it numerically speaking.

As this incredible chart from ThinkProgress’s Ian Millhiser notes, only two people win “American Idol” every two years — but 435 politicians win election to the House of Representatives.

And that’s not to mention the disparity between the number of people who try out for “American Idol” (estimated as high as 100,000 per season and 200,000 for every two years) and the number who run for Congress (2,432 in the 2012 election cycle, per Ballotpedia.)…

A big thanks to JEFF SIMON AND AARON BLAKE at the Washington Post for showing how “important”  Ms. Ellmers comments seem to be!  You can read the entire article HERE

As you can imagine, if or when Clay Aiken announces that he will be running for Congress, there will be many articles about his political goals.  Some will be positive and some will be negative.  I just hope that people will listen to what Clay has to say and judge him on his political ideas, not on something that has nothing to do with the election.

What do you think ?