I've been listening to NPR now days on my way to work since my CD player doesn't work and the other radio stations are annoying and boring. Today I heard a really hilarious story about a comedian, Jon Gnarr, who ran for mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland (the capital).
He named his party the "Best Party" because "what could be better than the best"? He always out promised the other candidates in everything they said. He also made some comic promises, for example, he promised to build a statue of Bjork because she is a worldwide famous Icelander. He said that the statue would be comparable to the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
No one really knew if he was serious in his campaign for mayor, or if he was just doing it as a joke. He did not have any experience or knowledge of politics when he ran. Regardless, his support grew and eventually he won.
When he won, suddenly he was terrified, and he told himself, "I could quit now." He was scared because so many people were supporting him and were expecting him to live up to his promises.
The campaign began as a joke, and a mockery of politicians, but he has since grown to respect politicians a bit more. He no longer believes they are all evil and corrupt people and he realizes that it is not an easy job. However, he has lost a lot of support because he raised taxes in order to create a new budget plan for the city.
This story had me laughing really hard. NPR (whoever the reporter was) interviewed him and he was laughing really hard as he talked about the statue of Bjork and the name of his party. I really want to meet this guy; he sounds awesome.
The New York Times also has a story, if you want more details.
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