Why The Apprentice Candidate Shouldn't Quit

This may already be a done deal.

In a few hours, Randal Pinkett -- Season Four winner of Donald Trump's The Apprentice -- will make "an official statement regarding the speculative reports on the [New Jersey] lieutenant governor position." That doesn't sound like a campaign kickoff to me.

Governor Jon Corzine was allegedly pushing hard for Pinkett to be his 2009 running mate. Only thing is, state Democratic leaders could push back harder. Pinkett sounded like a gimmick to them and, well, everybody. So he's expected to drop out of the race.

But take a step back, and you might be able to see the allure this reality TV star could have over the next three and a half months of the campaign.

1) Smarts.
Pinkett has them. If he weren't a reality television star, he would just be a young(-ish), charismatic Rhodes Scholar/MIT Ph.D.

2) Ooh, Shiny Object.
As a reality TV star, he would generate loads of stories. No LG candidate is going to overshadow the top of the ticket for the length of time that Pinkett would. That's a good thing in this instance -- getting the focus off of Corzine for a while might do more to help the Democrats' poll numbers than hurt them.

3) Smarts, Again.
This is why the attention he could draw would help: Pinkett ain't Palin. Take Cory Booker's word for it and believe the guy would "wow" people.

4) Outsider.
Pinkett is not an elected official and not a traditional pol. That counts for a lot, and there's no one else on Corzine's short-list who can claim the same.

UPDATE: Pinkett announced Wednesday morning that he's not withdrawing.

Follow John R. Bohrer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JRBwrites

Comments

[Ergon]

The corruption probe timing is er, curious

[17ladyslippers]

Pinkett is an excellent choice. Smart and young. Not politics as usual. Corzine is going to have to work hard to get elected again but is the only logical choice.

Christie's background needs to be peeled like an onion to be vetted properly. There are some skeletons in that closet.

[Blogosynthesis]

Excellent Presentation! Pinkett may become the next superstar in NJ politics!

If Corzine had been able to keep the secret and had brought Pinkett on the stage with him at the PNC rally.......and Pinkett had delivered a kick ass speechlet with Obama and Corzine on either side of him a star might have been born.

The leak through a Republican paper soured the potential and turned many off to Pinkett as LG..

If someone was looking to screw with Corzine's campaign by leaking "rumors"; they succeeded. This was no "trial balloon", it was an act of sabotage.

If Pinkett was going to be picked, there's no way they would let him do this press event.........the best Pinkett can do tomorrow is damage control and bow out gracefully.

Corzine should now pick a kick ass LG and commence to directly confronting Christie mano a mano.

At this stage in his life Jon Corzine diesn't like getting his hands dirty and his knuckles bloodied.....but that's what this former US Marine is going to have to do to deflate the Christie hot air balloon.

Corzine has nothing to lose by going "all in" and running an agressively progressive campaign against a Bush/Ashcroft Republican hypocrite pretending to be a liberal.

The fact that Corzine is down in the polls and that the political machines want to see him out and are trying to stab him in the back..... may turn out great for progressives..........when Corzine is re-elected.