A central theme of Chip Cravaack's campaign against Rep. Jim Oberstar was the accusation that the 18-term Congressman did not live in the district because his family lived with him in Maryland. Oberstar does in fact own a home in Chisholm and it was standard practice for members of Congress to take their families with them to Washington DC. It is only the Tea Party candidates of recent years who have decried the practice, a rather odd assertion from republicans who portray themselves as pro-family. Cravaack dismissed outright Oberstar's assertion that it was important for a family to be together. He insisted that seeing his family on weekends was sufficient and actually pledged that his family would continue to reside in Minnesota.
Thus it came as a surprise when Cravaack announced that he was relocating his family to New Hampshire. The exact reason for the move is unclear. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the reason for the move is that Cravaack's wife has received a promotion from the big pharmaceutical company she works for and is now based in Boston. Yet Cravaack stated the move would enable him to spend more time with his children despite the fact that they will not be living with him.
Hmmm.....
Let me get this straight. A native Iron Ranger who maintains his long-standing residence in Chisholm but lives with his family while working in Washington so he can tuck the kids in at night is not living in the district, but a guy from Ohio who sells the family home and relocates his family to the eastern seaboard to accommodate his wife's job with a pharmaceutical company in Massachusetts is?
Are we missing something?
And the move to New Hampshire just doesn't make sense. Relocating the family so they could be together is understandable. But Cravaack states he will continue to be in the district on Saturdays and see his children only on Sundays. How does that translate into spending more time with them?
This sounds more like a visitation schedule for an absent parent than a family relocation. Is there something the family values Cravaack isn't telling us?
Or is the family relocating to the no-tax New Hampshire in order to avoid paying Minnesota sales and income taxes?
The fact that Cravaack doesn't view this as a problem in the 8th speaks volumes about his understanding of the district. A wise person once told me if you want to know if someone really means what they say, watch their feet. Regardless of what he wants us to believe, Chip Cravaack's feet are clearly planted in St Paul, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New Hampshire... everywhere, it seems, but the 8th congressional district in Minnesota.
Cross-posted at Minnesota Progressive Project