Many will argue that this country needs some fresh faces in the political arena. But is a rock guitarist with polarizing views what people have in mind? For years, musician and second-amendment fan Ted Nugent has hinted at making a run for political office in Michigan or Illinois. The 58-year-old rock icon responsible for "Cat Scratch Fever" is still keeping this goal in mind. Before a recent concert, he told reports that "I have threatened [to run for governor of Michigan in 2010] and I was sincere ... Michigan was once a great state ... now the pimps and the whores and the welfare brats are basically the state's babies."

Good to see he's toning down his rhetoric in preparation for a move into politics.

America is certainly not averse to putting pop-culture figures in office. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Fred "Gopher" Grandy, and of course Ronald Regan top the list. Don't forget about Jesse "The Body" Ventura, the former professional wrestler-turned-governor of Minnesota. But all of these men may have a broader appeal than Ted Nugent, who is simultaneously entertaining and turbulent. Appearances such as various turns on Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) VH-1 network hint that Nugent could be quite a loose cannon, which isn't an ideal trait for someone wielding important political control.

On the plus side, he has been a long-time critic of drug use and practices a clean lifestyle. He is happily married and lives a calm life of ease on a Texas ranch where he enjoys "barbecue every day [and] a lot of charity work]." Nugent has a couple of years to weigh the decision with his family and his constituents before throwing his camouflage-printed cowboy hat in the ring. The rest of us have a nice long time to think of puns using the titles to various Damn Yankees songs.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Gubernatorial Scratch Fever: Ted Nugent hopes to rule Michigan? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.