O'Donnell Calls Coons 'a Marxist' During Senate Debate

The New York times reports on Delaware's Senatorial debate between O'Donnell and Coons :

A feisty, aggressive Ms. O’Donnell called Mr. Coons a Marxist whose beliefs came from a socialist professor and said he would “rubber stamp” the policies of the Democrats in Washington. Mr. Coons raised questions about whether Ms. O’Donnell’s faith would drive her positions on social issues like abortion, prayer and evolution.

No need to worry, though, Chris Coons was only joking about being a "bearded Marxist":

Mr. Coons responded that the source of her charge – an article he wrote as a student – was “a joke” that his Republican friends at the time conceived when he registered as a Democrat.

When is it funny to joke about being a "bearded Marxist"?  Well, maybe if he was planning a new stand-up carrier based on the classic comedy of the Marx brothers...