Pat Paulsen
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Patrick Layton Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 24, 1997) was a United States comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his supposed campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives, although his campaigns generated some protest votes for him.
Paulsen was born in South Bend, Washington, a small fishing town in Pacific County. When he was 10, the whole family moved to California.
After graduating from Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, Paulsen immediately joined the U.S. Marines during World War II. Paulsen returned home after the war and worked several jobs, including working as a posting clerk, truck driver, hod carrier, selling Fuller brushes, toiling in a gypsum mine and later he was employed as a photostat operator for several years. After attending San Francisco City College, Paulsen joined an acting group called "The Ric-y-tic Players" and formed a comedy trio which included his brother Lorin.
Paulsen went on to become a single act appearing as a comedic guitarist in various clubs on the west coast and in New York City. During one of his appearances in San Francisco, he met the Smothers Brothers.
In 1967, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour premiered. Paulsen was hired because he sold them cheap songs and would run errands. At first he was cast as their editorialist, and his deadpan, double-talk comments on the issues of the day propelled him into the national consciousness. (His deadpan work was nearly flawless: on one isolated occasion, in a talk about Hawaii, he defined a wahine as something you put on a bu-hun with lots of mu-hustard. His composure started to crack, but he recovered.) His work on The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour earned Paulsen an Emmy in 1968.
The comedian was approached by the Smothers Brothers with the idea of running for President in 1968. His reply, he was later to recount, was: "Why not? I can't dance — besides, the job has a good pension plan and I'll get a lot of money when I retire."
Paulsen's campaign that year, and in succeeding years, was grounded in comedy, while not bereft of serious commentary. He ran the supposed campaigns using obvious lies, double talk, and tongue-in-cheek attacks on the major candidates, and responded to all criticism with his catch phrase "Picky, picky, picky". His campaign slogan was "Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America's destiny."
Paulsen's name appeared on the ballot in New Hampshire for the Democratic Primary several times. In 1996 he received 921 votes (1%) to finish second to President Bill Clinton (76,754 votes). In 1992 he came in second to George Bush in the North Dakota Republican Primary.
During later years, Paulsen appeared in nightclubs, theaters, and conventions throughout the country. He also appeared each summer in Traverse City, Michigan, at the Cherry County Playhouse where he produced and starred in some 25 different plays, including The Fantasticks, The Odd Couple, Harvey, and The Sunshine Boys.
He died of complications from colon and brain cancer and pneumonia in Tijuana, Mexico, April 25, 1997.
Comedy Albums: Pat Paulsen for President (1968); Live at the Ice House (1970) Unzipped (1998).
[edit] Quotations
"All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian"
Presidential Campaign Slogan: "I've upped my standards. Now, up yours."
Presidential Campaign Slogan: "If elected, I will win."
Presidential Campaign Slogan: "We can't stand Pat."
"Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles."
