Dude, check your Facebook before you run for office
Kari Chisholm
I'll have a full recap on the House races now that filing day has come and gone, but this is just too good to pass up.
There's one name that jumps off the page when you're scrolling through all the filings: Rockne Roll.
What the heck kind of name is that? (Yeah, I know, I'm one to talk about weird names.)
He's the Republican who filed to run against Rep. Sara Gelser down in Corvallis. So, wondering who he was, it's time for a little Google action. Turns out he's a student at Oregon State. He's got bloggers who like him, he edits a right-wing student publication, and likes to blab about his personal life and underage drinking on the internet.
But it's Facebook where the really amusing stuff lives. There's the requisite "Rockne for District 16" campaign group, and a much more interesting group called "Sex, Drugs, and Rockne Roll".
Here's a couple of photos of the erstwhile GOP candidate:
I've always said that somewhere in America, there's a future presidential candidate whose career is already ruined by what's on his MySpace or Facebook page. But damn - this kid can't even get out of the gate.
Hilarious!
 |
More Recent Posts | |
Albert Kaufman |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
Kari Chisholm |
Final pre-census estimate: Oregon's getting a sixth congressional seat |
Albert Kaufman |
Polluted by Money - How corporate cash corrupted one of the greenest states in America |
Guest Column |
|
Albert Kaufman |
Our Democrat Representatives in Action - What's on your wish list? |
Kari Chisholm |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
connect with blueoregon
1:59 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
OUTSTANDING.
2:02 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
Mmmm. The Teddy-Graham-Tini. A classic!
The corncob pipe is also a nice touch.
Mar 13, '08
It's not even that there's anything that horrible there, it just makes you question the person's good judgment.
Mar 13, '08
LULZ!
2:34 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
if he's going for some kind of Hunter Thompson vibe, I gotta say, son--I've ingested pills bigger than you! Specifically, those good horse tranquilizers that go down well with some Seconol and a Honduran tequila...
Mar 13, '08
I get the impression Daddy has too much money. Maybe the boy needs a job.
BCB
Mar 13, '08
okay, i would pay money to see a debate between him and representative gelser.
4:05 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
As an active member of the blogger, facebook, myspace generation I wonder how this will effect future candidates and public employees.
Should this matter?
4:13 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
Potential employers, universities, etc. already do a search for people on MySpace, Facebook, on Google, etc.
I know that since I'd already been planning for some time to run for office again that I should try to keep anything that is available to the public be something I'd actually want the public to see. But I don't think that many teenagers and twenty-somethings are thinking about that. I'm an oddball in the bunch, that's for sure.
Mar 13, '08
I think Facebook and Myspace are good for politics. Get it all out in the open so the corporate mafia types can't blackmail you for soliciting hookers or gay sex in airport bathrooms.
OSU must be requiring that aspiring poly sci students study Ted Nugent's book, "God, Guns, and Rock n Roll" judging by Rockne's pics of himself. For everybody who votes according to Republican or Democrat, remember when it comes to Ducks vs Beavers, ALWAYS vote for the Duck or this is what you might end up with.
But Kari, you are probably missing the point here. In the end, it doesn't matter if he gets elected or not. Read Nugent's book. What matters is the number of high fives he gets on campus from his friends and what REALLY matters is how much all this helps him get laid.
Now don't you wish we had Voter Owned Elections at the State level? One big frat party with an open tap would probably get the necessary signatures to qualify and it's one big party from there until May at taxpayer expense. It's the neo-Republican way.
Now don't you wish this kid could
4:57 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
I don't think his facebook stuff will hurt him as much as this kind of stuff in his editorial from the Liberty Newspaper: http://media.www.theliberty.org/media/storage/paper1013/news/2007/09/24/Opinion/From-The.Editors.Desk-2990293.shtml
"With every new thought, every bold stroke of intellect that appears on these pages, mindless liberal hegemony loses a little bit of its hold on this campus and its students. And we want those thoughts to be yours."
"that the campus administration, media, government, and even their own professors, are deadset on marginalizing their political, philosophical, and social ideas and belittling them for the values that they were raised on; the values that allowed this country to from tyranny and oppression."
5:05 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
Erstwhile?
He dropped out already? Bummer! I would drive to Corvallis AND pay admission to watch him debate Rep. Gelser.
Love the tagline for the blog that supports him, Onsei Kick. Kari, you've got some serious competition here:
Mar 13, '08
A recruitment class that includes this guy and an ultimate fighter? Sweet…
5:33 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
Erstwhile?
He dropped out already? Bummer! I would drive to Corvallis AND pay admission to watch him debate Rep. Gelser.
As far as I can tell he's still very much a candidate.
Mar 13, '08
Kari,
Have you no shame, this is a low even for you. The kid is running in a district with a 30pt D registeration advantage. Now all you have done is pissed a lot of us of the Right side off. I only hope your boy Brent Barton is clean as a whistle, becasue I guarentee I am gunning for him after this post.
Respectfully, Jon (your worst nightmare)
Mar 13, '08
By your own admission, you don't know anything about the guy and are already flinging mud at him? This is a new low for you, Kari.
Mar 13, '08
Linking to a candidate's Facebook page?! You've reached a new low, Kari. For shame.
(Seriously, are the last two posters joking?)
9:17 p.m.
Mar 13, '08
When the phone rings at 3AM, you want a leader who is ready to handle whatever comes our way. You want a skinny drunk college student packing an assault rifle! Experience. Judgement. Mad Wii Skills. Will you buy us beer, man?
Paid for by Dudes Who Like Underage Drinking And Shooting At Stuff Like Rambo Only Dressed Like Gilligan On A Weblos Camping Trip.
Mar 13, '08
Hasn't it occurred to anyone here that it's not an entirely serious bid, and that he merely wants the attention he is being given in venues such as this blog?
Mar 13, '08
haha! "mad wii skills?" that was good.
Mar 13, '08
This kid is part of a generation that is known as one of the least politically active generations. While his peers are out smoking pot and sitting around playing video games, it seems this kid actually cares about something worth caring about. Sure, Rockne might be a little rough on the edges, but at least he's a young person that's involved with something that's noble, whether or not you agree with his personal political views.
I will admit that those are not ideal pictures for a candidate, but with what we've seen in the news these days it could have a lot worse.
Let's debate over his political ideology. But let's not take a kid who's actually interested in something constructive and destroy his interest. We need more people like Rockne, on both sides of the aisle.
Mar 13, '08
It looks like he noticed and took everything down. Here's the link to the google cache of the live journal (it's kind of precious in that guns, girls, and beer sort of way): http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:NODcAKsh79QJ:rocko442.livejournal.com/+Rockne+Roll.&hl
Mar 13, '08
This isn't a serious candidate, Reece, who is a OSU college republican should know that, this is about trying to make the Democratic candidate in the district spend money there.
This is the result of the "fiscally responsible" party being in serious debt. It translates to desperation. They aren't really running republicans in a district that makes sense.
Bruce Hanna claimed they were running candidates where they had a shot at winning, explain to me how a district with a 30 percent Democrat edge is a district that they have potential to win.
Let's be honest the republicans are F***ed this next election cycle and they know it.
Mar 13, '08
It looks like he noticed and took everything down. Here's the link to the google cache of the live journal (it's kind of precious in that guns, girls, and beer sort of way): http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:NODcAKsh79QJ:rocko442.livejournal.com/+Rockne+Roll.&hl
Mar 13, '08
Eh he's a college kid who is drunk. If you didn't do a bit of underage drinking in college stand up and rip me for it cause I won't rip him. I took some pictures in college that will ruin my political career if they ever get out. Hell I probably took some a couple weekends ago.
I present to you my new theory. We all rebelled against our Republican parents. What if he's rebelling against his Democratic parents? What if 30 years from now the young are hardcore Republicans. Wait, I'm making myself ill. I'm going to go take some pictures I'll regret tomorrow.
Mar 14, '08
Oh the irony:
I'm totally taking this off of Facebook. People have started to read this. This is supposed to be the director's [sic] cut, the stuff not necessarly [sic] fit for public consumption. If you're already reading this, I'm cool with that.
Mar 14, '08
A shining ray of hope is not singular, nor is it just brief.
I'd like to address "her", for just a moment. I hope you realize that your statements are quite irrelevant when put up against the record. Bruce Hanna did not recruit him. He chose to run because, despite all his faults, he felt he could be a better representative than Sara Gelser.
I'd suggest some of the people, like elephunk or her, sit down with the man and actually have a pleasant conversation over a nice toro (a cigar, for those who haven't been out in the world long enough). The kid is excellent in knowledge, and I gotta say that it was a pleasure doing an interview with him.
Mar 14, '08
I'm going to crawl out from under my non-elitist lack of interest in foul carcinogens to disagree with Reece's characterization of the current youth generation. In 2004, youth voted at the third-highest rate since the 26th Amendment, and in the 2008 primaries, youth are voting at rates up to three times higher than in 2004. In addition, youth are volunteering at record rates.
9:00 a.m.
Mar 14, '08
thank you James. The generation BEFORE that, and the latter portions of my own, were legendarily cynical and disengaged. Now, however, politics and activism are cool. Don't believe me? Talk to a Bus Project fellow. Thinking of my own cohort, I was confused by these political geeks who turned out to be socially adept, personally attractive and fun. What kindof nerds are these? Turns out they're NOT the school's nerds, they're the popular kids!
Mar 14, '08
Hmmmm...in the past all politicians had to worry about was an old schoolmate or drinking buddy who leaked a story about..... It really amazes me the written record of potential misdemeaners, compromising photos, and general trash-talk people are willing to post for the world to see. These are the kind of things we used to try to hide! There's a cop a block away....quick, swallow the roach!
It occurs to me we may not get much help fighting for privacy rights and personal freedom from these types....since they obviously don't value privacy, and relinquish it themselves without government interference. And they use their personal fredoms to debase themselves. Or maybe it's that they don't remember a time when we had a semblance of privacy. Ergo, this kid fits right nicely with the GOP stance on the right to personal privacy.
10:37 a.m.
Mar 14, '08
There's only one person to blame for the destruction of our privacy by the internet. AL GORE!!! He invented it after all...<smirk smirk="">
12:05 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
Sending him a friend request.....NOW.
12:36 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
Andrew....Al Gore's on facebook!!
12:51 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
No. Way.
I think Elton John is, too. But I think that profile was made by one of my hallmates freshman year.
1:10 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
I am facebook friends with P.G. Wodehouse! All the best people are there.
1:22 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
Now all you have done is pissed a lot of us of the Right side off. ...
Respectfully, Jon (your worst nightmare)
That's hilarious. Are you for real?
1:35 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
This kid is part of a generation that is known as one of the least politically active generations.
TJ is right. The Millennial Generation is one of the MOST active generations politically. It was Gen X, my generation, that was the slacker generation.
4:15 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
Yeah Kari, onece again you've reached a "new low", according to some of the same guys that seem to be daily charting your imagined descent into the 7th circle.
It's pretty clear from reading both his political and personal musings that this guy is asking both the women and political movements in his world one simple question, one that I've always dreamed of asking if I ever found myself in an Eliot Spitzer-type situation:
"How much for a meaningful relationship?"
6:11 p.m.
Mar 14, '08
"the same guys?"
I read here most days and I have done a little Kari-slagging of my own and I have no idea who those clowns are. Don't be turning this into part of your conspiracy theory, please.
Mar 14, '08
Andrew,
I tried to warm you when you were calling out the Gordon "trackers" unless you want the private details of your life spread all over the interent I suggest you give it a rest. You are dealing with forces far more powerful than you you are prepared to deal with.
Cheers.
1:34 a.m.
Mar 15, '08
Jon/Chris?,
I actually spoke briefly with the gentlemen you're referring to at the Senate primary debate in Eugene, and found both of them to be very respectful and polite. I recognized them from this site (which I don't necessarily agree should have made them recognizable to me), and upon assuming they were Republicans, attempted to offer them question forms for the event. They politely declined, and that was that.
I believe in finding pragmatic, working solutions to the problems that plague our state and country. Whether those solutions come from Republicans or Democrats is irrelevant. Why I am being threatened with having family members' home addresses posted over the Internet is beyond me....
Mar 15, '08
You are dealing with forces far more powerful than you you are prepared to deal with.
HAHAHAHAHA! Oh my goodness, I actually LOL'd, because I thought of Kari in a Darth Vader helmet... "Strike me down Kari, and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!"
Seriously Jon... Try this out.
Mar 15, '08
Yomi,
do you even know this kid? I do. He's not running for any other reason than the Republican Party asked the college republicans to put out a candidate. If he really thought he could do a better job thank Rep. Gelser he would have entered the election sooner than filing day.
I actually overheard someone asking him why he was running, his answer "For fun".
Your right Yomi he must think he can do a better job and make a difference. (in case you couldn't tell this is sarcastic)
Mar 16, '08
I personally know this kid...I went to Newport High with him. Even though I am a strong supporter of the Democratic party and have radically different political views than him, I know he is a good person. Anyone who knows Rockne knows that he loves guns and there is nothing wrong with that (even though I HATE GUNS)...also smoking what looks like a corn cob pipe, holding an empty martini glass and eating Teddy Grahams is a funny picture (I will even admit that). Furthermore if you look at how he is holding the glass or smoking the tobacco pipe it becomes immediately obvious that he has no experience in either category.
Lay Off...this is something I would expect of Republicans...take Republicans on by debating the issues, in this day and age with the current administration there is no way a democrat could lose a debate to a republican
6:27 p.m.
Mar 16, '08
It may be that the millennial and later generations of voters, having come of age with facebook and similar technologies, just won't care about any of this stuff. But there's going to be an adjustment period while the older generations are still alive and voting, and some of those folks will care about this stuff.
I also think employers are going to have to get used to it at some point, just as they have adapted to tattoos and body piercings in nontraditional locations. But, yes, during the transitional period, some people will suffer.
Mar 19, '08
her: I know Rockne as well, and the reason he did not file until the day of the filing deadline is because there was another person who was considering a run. Rockne had no desire to create a contested primary, believing it was not in the best interest of the party, so he respectfully waited to hear the decision of the other person before filing. The quote you heard about his reasons was an incomplete quote. The full quote is "To raise issues, to have some good debates, and perhaps have some fun along the way." Good points have been made that this district is strongly Democrat. Obviously that is recognized by the campaign, and thus Rockne is focused on his goals of speaking about issues, giving a voice to the Republicans in the district, but he's not going to look at the way the district is set up and think it's a guaranteed win - that would be lunacy. Also, "her", I think you should note the distinction between knowing someone and having an actual relationship with them. Hearsay is not the same as a discussion. Meeting someone is not the same as knowing them. Attention is nice, but facts are better.
One last note: Blue Collar Bum: Daddy worked for years at a power company, often working 20 hour shifts out on the power lines during storms. Mommy works full-time. Rockne works part-time at Bing's, and makes a great cup of coffee.
Mar 25, '08
Rockne is my downstairs neighbor... I have many a thing to say about him... mainly he did, on a Thursday last spring, discharge a FIREARM into the mirror and through the exterior wall of his apartment. I came down to see what was going on and was... well not really shocked to see what had happened (did I mention while spending weekends underage drinking he and his friends would dry fire firearms of all sorts in the apartment...) I did not report this violation to police and wish I would have because then it would be on public record... I may have pictures from the exterior of the building showing damage and will try to find those to send in to post.... I have a lot on Rockne and it would be horrible if someone like him were to represent any part of this state (or any other state for that matter).
Apr 2, '08
What the hell? Seriously you have to go after a picture of a college kid to try and make a point? Making fun of his name too? Well shoot, I can stoop to your level...
Isn't Kari a girl name? And uh... haven't I seen you before Ms. Kari?
http://carcino.gen.nz/images/index.php/00b9a680/233af8eb
Don't make fun of other people's looks when you yourself can generate quite a laugh.
Apr 2, '08
I was sure this thread was going to be about Mike Erickson.