Crazy.gov

American politics has historically been full of colorful characters, a motley assortment of goofballs, cranks, and crooks. And for whatever reason, the Governor's mansion seems to have a magnetic attraction for many of them. Maybe because, outside of the presidency, it's one of the few political  positions of real power in this country, a place where politicians who are smart, ambitious, and politically savvy can craft policy, make a name for themselves, and build a case for higher office. And they can generally do so while avoiding some of the glare of the national media (unless your name is Chris Christy).

Let's review some of the more notorious governors of recent history.

• Rod Blagojevich, governor of Illinois from 2003-2009. While much of his time as governor was marked by controversy, Blago wasn't content to be just another in a long line of corrupt Illinois governors. He shot to the top of that list when he was caught on tape in 2008 conspiring to sell the vacated Senate seat of newly elected president Barack Obama, then spent two years trying to convince everyone of his innocence. He was ultimately convicted on corruption charges in 2011 and sent to federal prison. But word has it that he might be getting out sooner than expected.
• Huey Long, governor of Louisiana from 1928-1932. Perhaps one of the most famous governors in American history, Long embodied everything we love and hate about politicians. He rose to power as an advocate for the poor and the powerless, and during his time as governor he took on the special interests to push through legislation that provided free schools textbooks, extended public education into the more rural parts of the state, and expanded the state's health and transportation systems. But he was as corrupt and ruthless as they come. Long was the the model for Willie Stark, the governor in Robert Penn Warren's classic "All the King's Men."
• Jimmie Davis, governor of Louisiana from 1944-1948 and 1960-1964. Louisiana seems to come up a lot in these lists. Known as the "Singing Governor," among Davis's other major contributions to U.S. history is composing the song "You Are My Sunshine." He also acted in several B Westerns, taught yodeling, convinced the taxpayers of Louisiana to build him a really big mansion, and tried really hard to keep the state's schools segregated. Still, he seemed to be more universally beloved than Huey Long.
• Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota from 1998-2002. No list of colorful governors would be complete without The Body, even though Ventura was in reality much tamer, and certainly less corrupt, than the other listed. Still, he had his moments. During his time in office, the former professional wrestler offended hunters across the state when he told a columnist "until you've hunted man you haven't hunted yet," told a Playboy reporter that religion is a "crutch for weak-minded people" and that he'd like to be reincarnated as a bra, repeatedly ridiculed the state press corps (whose members he liked to call "jackals"), and officiated a WWF event. Minnesotans generally don't like to talk about that era.

And that's just the short list. Remember South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and his mysterious Appalachian Trail hiking trip? Or New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, the anti-corruption crusader who spent thousands of dollars on high-end prostitutes?

What bring this all to mind is a recent story about Maine Governor Paul LePage. Elected in 2010, LePage made it clear from early on that he was no ordinary governor. His tenure has been marked by failed attempts to roll back state environmental laws, making jokes about wanting to bomb one of the state's largest newspapers, ridiculing the state's public schools, and comparing the IRS to the Gestapo and its enforcement of Obamacare to the Holocaust. You know, the basic level of nuttiness that you can get away with when you're the governor of a state that doesn't get a ton of national media attention.

That might change with the allegations in a new book by political blogger Mike Tipping. According to Tipping, LePage held several meetings over a period of nine months in 2013 with members of the Consitutional Coalition, a group of far-right conspiracy theorists who consider themselves part of the Sovereign Citizens movement, a loose collection of groups that generally believe that the federal government is illegitimate and the source of all evil in this country. The 9/11 attacks, the shootings at Sandy Hook, and the Boston Marathon bombing are just a few of the acts these groups believe are hoaxes perpetrated by the U.S. Government to lay the groundwork for the eventual takeover by the New World Order. Standard tinfoil hat stuff.

Among the items discussed during these meetings, according to Tipping, is the belief of this group that the president of the Maine Senate and the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives should be arrested for crimes of treason. And what crimes would those be? Why accepting and using unconstitutional currency (dollars, as opposed to gold and silver), of course, and conspiring with a variety of international organizations (UN, NATO, etc.) to take away Americans' property rights.

Now, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge on this one. Maybe Paul LePage is an open-minded guy who just likes to meet with his constituents and get the pulse of the people. And he ceratinly wouldn't be the first conspiracy theorist to sit in the governor's chair (see Ventura, Jesse). But if Tipping's claims are true, Governor LePage might be setting a new standard of irresponsible behavior for a U.S. governor. And that's no small feat.