Hickenlooper's Presidential Bid Draws The Attention Of The Onion
DENVER (CBS4) - John Hickenlooper may have just gotten a little boost to his name recognition nationwide. That's because the humorous fake news website the Onion published an article about him.
The article's title is "John Hickenlooper Announces Support For Nuking Australia Just To See If Anyone Paying Attention." It satirizes Hickenlooper's entry into the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The former Colorado governor's move on Monday made some headlines, but it didn't dominate the national news cycle like when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made his announcement, for instance. And the Onion article picks up on that fact.
Hickenlooper is actually one of at least 11 different notable Democrats who have officially declared bids to unseat President Donald Trump, and more are still considering it. The Onion jokes that Hickenlooper's declaration that he'll "use our massive thermonuclear arsenal to unrelentingly bombard Australia until it is reduced to a smoking crater" was uttered solely in hopes of garnering more media attention. It says Hickenlooper's plan is to "kill all 25 million of the country's inhabitants and render the entire continent a toxic, permanently uninhabitable wasteland."
It's not the first time The Onion has poked fun at one of the Democrats joining the race. Last month, they posted an article titled "Nation Horrified To Discover Cory Booker Already A Senator" which describes people being shocked to learn that Booker has a political background and isn't just a "quirky billionaire or one of those CEOs who runs for president just to raise his profile."
The Onion has been an online-only publication since 2013. Free print editions of the newspaper used to be distributed in Boulder and Denver.
Hickenlooper is planning to hold a campaign kickoff celebration in Denver on Thursday at Civic Center Park.
