John Mellencamp for governor

(From a column in the Indy Star - Nods out to JQP for this one)

That little ditty kept moving through my brain Sunday as I watched our state's premier rocker rock Monument Circle.

Now, I'll admit I was lost in the buzz of Mellencamp's concert. And listening to "Jack & Diane" had me waxing nostalgic about my high school years.

But something serious became clear during that hour of rock 'n' roll. Mellencamp understands Indiana and its struggles better than any politician I've interviewed.

I'm only half-kidding.

Defending family farms, for instance, Mellencamp sang, "This land fed a nation. This land made me proud. And, son, I'm sorry there's no legacy for you now." Of war, he sang of "Droppin' our bombs in the Southern Hemisphere. And people are starving that live right here." He sang about small-town kids seeking a better life and about racism.

I know what you're thinking -- "Mellencamp for governor? Yeah, right, and how about Letterman for mayor?"

But think about it.

California elected a puffed-up movie star as its governor. So let's consider the 1980s, when Mellencamp and Arnold Schwarzenegger were atop their professions. On screen, Arnold was flexing his biceps and saying little beyond "I'll be back," while Mellencamp was helping organize Farm Aid and documenting Middle America's woes.

"So many lonely people. Damn those broken dreams," he once sang. In another song, he says, "Racism lives in the U.S. today. Better get hip to what Martin Luther King had to say."

Mellencamp's lyrics have long talked of restlessness. "I ain't ever satisfied," one song says.

Clean up the grammar, and that's a killer campaign slogan.

Questions abound. Is he electable? Is this silly? Is Tully just desperate for a column idea?

Perhaps. But think about it.

Mellencamp could fund a campaign with a concert tour. He is Indiana's top ambassador, and he has stayed loyal to the state long after he could have left.

Critics will argue he has no political experience.

That's not a bad thing. Plus, 30 years of his lyrics provide plenty of talking points.

If asked whether he'd compromise with lawmakers, he could sing, "Who am I to say what needs to be done? I'm just nobody, another lost one."

On negative campaigns: "They try to get you in a compromising position. They like to get there and smile in your face. . . . I think it's a total disgrace."

I'm not saying Mellencamp should challenge Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2008. As a columnist, I dream of four more years of the raucous Daniels era.

Anyway, Mellencamp doesn't appear quite ready to retire his guitar -- and he might be too liberal for this state.

But it'd be fun to watch.

Remember, Daniels campaigned like a small-town guy in an RV in 2004. Mellencamp topped that with a song 20 years earlier.

"I was born in a small town, and I can breathe in a small town," he could remind voters. "Gonna die in this small town. And that's probably where they'll bury me."

Mellencamp for governor? Sounds like a hit to me.