The broom is so silly it is usually relegated to sports.  But at least one comparison exist and it is so strange that I feel compelled to spill it out.

Forester is only slightly less ridiculous than the most screwy broom man politician of all, one Janio da Silva Quadros.  Quadros was a school teacher in Sao Paulo who spent hours each day shaking hands.  He used 20 years of hand-shaking to get elected Mayor of the largest city in Brazil.  He then moved on to Governor and finally President all within about five years.  The mustachioed, bow-tied Quadros campaigned like Forester using the broom and vowing to end corruption.

Brazil was just coming off the Presidency of Juscelino Kubitchek.  The man who built Brazilia to fulfill a pledge in the Brazillian constitution and make many contractors rich.  No roads.  No problem.  No town. No problem.  No bids.  No problem.  Kubitschek later said that nobody knew how much Brazillia cost and nobody wanted to know.  It was that wide open.  One of Quadros' opponents even ran using the slogan, "Sure I Steal, But I Also Build."

By that time, Brazil was so wide open corrupt that the voters did the unthinkable and elected The Broom Man, Quadros.  But nobody in their government took him seriously.  So he threatened to resign.  Then resigned.  And left the country on a slow freighter leaving his socialist VP in charge.  Quadros was sure he would be brought back and given additional powers.  he was mistaken.  Nobody stopped the boat and a few years later his VP was overthrown by a military coup.  The crazy broomster was banned from the country.

Like Jerry Brown or Doug Wilder, Quadros returned to his roots eventually becoming Mayor of Sao Paulo again in 1985.  But there was no national reprise for the broom.  Fortunately, Jerseyans won't give Forester as much of a chance.  He's DOA.

Forrester obviously never saw it. Or did see it, and completely misses the irony of what he's doing now.