Raj Uses Pachyderms For PR

Forbes.com ^ | 10/12/06 | Scott Reeves

[pulaskibush]

Faces In The News
Raj Uses Pachyderms For PR
Scott Reeves, 10.12.06, 4:00 PM ET

Republican House candidate and former reality TV show contestant Raj Peter Bhakta believes riding an elephant across the Rio Grande is the way to take a seat away from the Democrats.

Bhakta, challenging first-term Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania, rode the elephant across the Rio Grande along the Texas-Mexico border to make a point about border security.

He's no stranger to stunts and is media savvy after The Donald fired him from "The Apprentice" two years ago.

"The Apprentice" is broadcast by NBC, a division of General Electric.

Bhakta, who favors construction of a border fence to stem illegal immigration, said he was in Brownsville, Tex. to raise money for his campaign when he saw about half a dozen men -- presumably entering the U.S. illegally -- swim under an international bridge.

He rented three elephants from a circus and the campaign photo op was on.

"The elephant never made landfall into Mexico, but I tell you something, he could have made 15 laps back and forth," Bhakta told reporters.

The Border Patrol called the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which "detained" the elephants and sprayed them for ticks before releasing the pachyderms to their owner.

Note to future graduates of Donald Trump's hit show: Reality TV is detached from the real world and may not be the spiff on the old resume you hope -- unless, of course, perception trumps (so to speak) reality in the media.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[pulaskibush]

I heard about this on Rush's show and didn't see it posted. Raj is supposed to be on Bill O'Reily tonight according to his website:

"http://www.rajforcongress.com/default.asp"

I am searching for pics of this event. I hope this helps bring up the issue of how insecure the border is.

[cripplecreek]

Here's some video.

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/10/13/video-raj-bhakta-crosses-the-border-on-an-elephant/

[BallyBill]

I mentioned yesterday on FR that I'd never heard of this guy, but I saw campaign signs on the way to my moms house. My daughter and I had laughed at the signs because we didn't understand what "RAJ: You're Hired!" meant.

Last night when we went by them I explained what the signs meant and I told her about the elephants. I think she thought I was crazy.

[struwwelpeter]

Theobald Smith (veterinarian who discovered a tick vector for Texas cattle fever 20 years before Walter Reed made the Mosquito-yellow fever connection) is probably spinning in his grave.

[twigs]

I see those signs over on Route 63. They are placed one after another. It got my husband and I asking who Raj was. I kept telling him it was the British rule in India, but I didn't think that was THIS Raj--that this is America. Those signs are definitely conversation starters.

[synbad600]

What a hoot! And a fright, at the same time.

[leilani]

For viewers of the show who might need a memory jog, Raj was the quite dashing one with the bow ties:

[WomBom]

Actually,

I think that the Your Hired is from The Apprentice. Someone told me that he was on the show and that Trump is endorsing him through a phone message being sent around the district.

Hope he wins, he looks pretty entertaining!

[twigs]

On his signs, he looks a lot like George Allen. I had to do a double take. You're right about the hired. I didn't know about that at the time.

[pulaskibush]

Raj on O'Reilly talking more about this.

[do the dhue]

This is brilliant! I love it.

Is Raj some kind of genius or something?

Get the man a Guinness. Brilliant, I say.

[do the dhue]

The Mariachi Band was an awesome touch.

You know, this is in light and normally I would bust a gut laughin'. 'What if this was a terrorist?', is a good question Raj asked there.

It's not funny, (it's kinda hillaryous at the same time though), but we need some people in Congress who will get serious about securing our border.

I made a promise several months ago that I would not send a penny to the Republicans until they fix border security. I am holding strong to that promise. I will vote Republican, but they better ask the guy whop wants open border for money.

I normally don't say this out loud, but we are at war with terrorist and I am highly disappointed at my politicians lack of care for border security. I believe the best defense is a good offense and I like what we are doing to fight terror. But I don't understand the lack of care for border security from those who cry 'we are at war with terrorist' the loudest. Baffles me some.

[Hazzardgate]

Raj is awesome, my all time favourite Apprentice candidate. He had the stones to ask Anna Kournikova on a date when she did a cameo on the show.

And who could forget his awesome anti-terror commercial when the challenge was to make an NYPD recruitment video. I really hope he wins a seat!

[do the dhue]

I hope he does get a seat.

And

He had the stones to ask Anna Kournikova on a date is another BRILLIANT idea!

Get the man another Guinness.

But if I was him, I would try and get this girls attention:

A lot of people say 30-year-old Aishwarya Rai is the most beautiful woman on the planet. This former Miss World is the international face of L'Oreal, Coca-Cola and DeBeers diamonds. She's also the number one box office film star in the world. The movies made in Bollywood—India's Hollywood and the film capital of the world—reach more than five billion people worldwide, twice that of Hollywood.

[Maelstorm]

http://www.rajforcongress.com/movies/elephantflashdoc.swf