An odd tidbit for a first diary (after so many years), but this was shocking to me. After Michelle Bachmann's announcement last Friday that she would not seek re-election, it seemed a fait accompli that Jim Graves would be able to take the 6th District in Minnesota. Imagine my surprise when I received this note to supporters from Jim this morning:
"This is the most difficult message I’ve ever had to write.
A year ago, we set out on a mission: To restore civility, functionality and honesty to Washington by removing Michele Bachmann from office. Her hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies fueled an extremist movement unlike anything we’d seen in a long time. The tone it created was a poison pill that crippled Congress, preventing government from performing its most basic duties, like passing a budget.
Over this past year, I’ve never been more inspired. Thousands and thousands and thousands of you stepped up to the plate and sacrificed – your time, your money, your energy – to make our country a better place. Your passion will be etched into my memory forever.
This week, we learned that we succeeded. We set out to defeat Rep. Bachmann, and that has been accomplished. You should feel incredibly proud. After all, it was the grassroots movement you built that kept the pressure on and forced Rep. Bachmann from her seat in Congress.
I’ll never be able to thank you enough for being part of this team. But after struggling with this decision – agonizing over it with my friends, supporters and family, I’ve decided to suspend my campaign indefinitely.
As I said, I’ve never faced a more difficult decision. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support and dedication.
Your friendship means the world to my family and me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Jim"
Come below the squiggle for snippets from his interview with The Minnesota Post's Eric Black...
“Basically, after all that’s gone on, and with Michele Bachmann now stepping down, I’ve been talking to my friends and family and frankly, the feeling is, ‘Mission Accomplished.’ She wasn’t representing the people of the 6th District appropriately, and now she won’t be representing them. There’s no way anyone could run and win who would be worse than Michele Bachmann. So we accomplished that task.”
I asked Graves if he was claiming credit for ending Bachmann’s political career, but he demurred. “I don’t know everything that went into her decision,” he said. “Clearly, it was going to be a competitive race. All through Memorial Day weekend, she was in the district, working the crowds. Obviously something happened to cause her to believe that she shouldn’t run again. We’re very happy she dropped out. The country can do better.”
As for his own future, he declined to make an absolute Shermanesque commitment never to run for office again, but he has no such plans.
“I’m not a politician; I’m a business guy,” he said. “Now there are zero things on my agenda that I feel a need to do in public life.”
Apparently, with Lex Luthor vanquished, Superman feels no need to go on. Here's hoping that we are able to find a new and strong Progressive voice to take up the standard in Minnesota's 6th District.