Hip-hop and apparel mogul, Live 8 brand-builder, and now yoga video peddler Russell Simmons is still stalking the yogi vote.

In an appearance in Vancouver - where the noted vegan heatedly rebutted rumors his apparel company, Phat Farm, will be redesigning the drab uniforms worn by meat-slinging McDonalds employees - he again trotted out, in modified form, his #1 yoga talking point:

"Imagine if all the yogis in America voted. It would be a much more loving place."

Obviously, Simmons and his communications people read my previous post at Sound Politics, where I gave the Russ-Man some grief for saying, in a yoga-flogging visit to our fair city of Seattle:

If only yogis were the only people in America who could vote...this country would be so compassionate and so giving and so loved...

As I noted, drawing on the Bhagavad Gita, if only yogis could vote in the U.S., we'd all be dead, and soon. But Simmons has engaged in a telling rhetorical shift from wishing that "only" yogis could vote here, to envisioning "all" U.S. yogis voting.

However, this unfortunately raises more questions than it answers. First off, Russ: if all the yogis in the U.S. voted, would it make a spit-lick of difference? And just what is turnout among American yogis presently, Russ? In presidential election years versus off-years? Do yogis vote for King County Executive? Will there be a GOTV campaign directed toward Washington state yogis if the indoor public smoking ban initiative makes the balllot? What percentage of U.S. yogis are illegal aliens? How many illegal alien yogis currently vote in King County? Do yogis lean Libertarian?

I'm just getting started, but I'm going to take a time-out for some deep breathing. By the way, my nine-year-old son can stick his toe in his ear. I think he should be allowed to vote.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 11, 2005 09:15 AM