THE BODY POLITIC

“When the System’s a Joke, Vote For a Comedian.” So goes the campaign slogan of Tom Shiekman, a stand-up comic, who, in the tradition of Pat Paulsen, is running for president. The 37-year-old got 23 votes in New Hampshire and 76 in Colorado with little campaigning other than an occasional stand-up gig or radio show. Along the way, he schmoozed with fellow Democratic candidates and appeared on NBC’s “Today Show.” He made it onto the ballot in Puerto Rico and North Dakota.

“I’m not running because I thought I was going to win. I want to get a point across,” he says.

He supports abortion rights, gay rights, decriminalizing drugs, decreasing racism and turning around the economy. “No one man has done more for a nation’s economy as Ronald Reagan,” he says. “Unfortunately, the nation was Japan.”

He is just as impressed with some of our potential political leaders. “Pat Buchanan resents being called neo-Nazi--that implies there’s something wrong with the old Nazis.”

So far, campaign funds have come from comedy shows, T-shirt sales and “the kindness of strangers,” he says. “I’m definitely losing money.

Although he has a law degree Sheikman was disillusioned with the legal profession upon graduation. He sold real estate for four years before tackling comedy full-time seven years ago. “I went to law school for idealistic reasons,” he says. “I think I have more impact in what I do now. I thought running for president would give me a forum to communicate ideas to people who aren’t that interested in politics and make them see a pattern in our government.”