Colleen Becker, writing in the British HuffPo, wrote a nice article that made some extended mention of my “past life” as a wanna-be politician. A quote:

In 2008, Democratic candidate Rob Russell ran for the same office, facing the same odds, to stand up for “working people” against “the party of the rich.” Despite name recognition as a local musician, he soon learned that money and partisanship matter more than sheer determination. While the Republican Party saturated his district with advertisements, Russell claims the Democratic Party siphoned funds he raised at the county level to more competitive state and national contenders. The “bandwagon effect” also played a role — in Eastern Tennessee, electing Republicans is a tradition dating back to the Civil War, when unionist voters formed a bulwark against the confederacy’s Southern Democrats. Running for Congress is the “stupidest thing” he’s ever done, and Russell’s bid took a toll on his family and personal finances. Yet, he has no regrets. He “put his money where his mouth is,” and is “proud” to say he represented people in his district.

Check out the complete article here.