Comedian Steve Martin may be the closest thing America has to a Renaissance man: actor, novelist, screenwriter, musician, and now, home crafts expert. The man of many talents has also used his web video skills to create a memorable YouTube endorsement for Nebraska Senate candidate Bob Kerrey.
In it, Martin goes through a drawn-out routine showing the viewer how to make a wad of paper, which, he says, "can be a lot of fun to play with around the house" -- all this, while a disembodied hand holds up sheets of paper exhorting Nebraskans to support Kerrey.
The sheets note that Kerrey is "a principled man" and "is sane." They also say Kerrey "considers both sides of every issue to determine what is best ... and, he has already served Nebraska successfully as your governor and senator for 16 years."
The earnest appeal to voters plays out while Martin in the background employs a stick of gum, a hammer, a paperclip and a stapler to fashion -- elaborately -- a wad of paper.
Kerrey served as the state's chief executive in the early 1980s and spent two terms in the U.S. Senate.
Kerrey is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades as well. Prior to his career as an educator and legislator, he was a Navy SEAL team leader during the Vietnam War. His actions during a raid on Viet Cong forces earned him the Medal of Honor.
Martin and Kerrey have been friends for years, and the lawmaker even presided over the jokester's wedding in 2007.
However, it's going to take more than a cheeky Steve Martin video for Kerrey to win in the Republican stronghold of Nebraska. According to a recent Omaha World-Herald poll, he currently trails his Republican opponent Deb Fischer by around 16 points.
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