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Nunnelee, a Republican, announced today that he had submitted the necessary paperwork. He had said last year that he would vie for the seat now held by Democrat Travis Childers of Booneville.
Nunnelee will compete first in the GOP primary on June 1. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 2.
In a statement issued today, Nunnelee said, “We need someone in Washington to hold Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi accountable."
Decrying the federal spending, he said, "I believe that businesses create jobs, not government. I’m running for Congress because we need a congressman who will stand up for Mississippi values in Washington.”
But, I do take issue with one of JANGA's comments:
"No candidate for any job at any level should be forced to resign his/her current position in order to reach for a better, more responsible position whether political or civilian."
I've had a problem with politicians being able to campaign on the taxpayers dime and time, for a long while.
Does a "civilian" employer allow you to take off your job and/or neglect your responsibilities to seek a better position in another company? I submit that if they do, they were probably looking to get rid of you anyway.
So, I believe that anyone who chooses to devote the time and effort necessary to run a successful congressional run, will not have the ability to continue to serve their constituents as they should be served and at the level they promised to serve them when they were running for election to their current seat.
Thus, they should resign their current seat so that someone else can fill the seat and serve the people of their district as they should be served.
Politics is one of the only "professions" where someone can openly seek a different position and neglect their current position in order to get a new one while continuing to keep their current job and earn their current salary even when they're away from the job they were "hired" to do. And it's BS!
Of course, our founding fathers never intended for politics to become a "profession" for anyone. That's why we need term limits!! But that's another topic entirely.
My point is that if someone wants to run for a different elected office, they should resign their current one. Otherwise they are doing their current constituents a disservice.
Anyone who knows them personally will tell you that they are a fine, principled family. People of a different political mindset, or those with an axe to grind will not.
If Mother Teresa had run for office, the bomb throwers would have targeted her, too. "Too dirty, Ghetto girl, no fashion sense, doesn't wear enough makeup." Yada, yada, yada.
As a close observer (not a friend or family member) of Mr. Nunnellee and his family for a great many years...I can say this:
1. No candidate for any job at any level should be forced to resign his/her current position in order to reach for a better, more responsible position whether political or civilian. Mr. Nunnellee nor any other senator or representative is singly responsible for economic or budgetary problems and to imply "partly" (which is a underhanded what to place weighted blame) would make you the voter "partly" responsible also because you were partly responsible for them being in the job...so quit your job and do something about it. If he was not your candidate of choice you are still "partly" responsible because you did not work hard enough to get your candidate elected.
2. Mr. Nunnellee was not "given" a college degree..he worked for it...and he also worked to support his family whether in the "family" business or not. You cannot fault a man for being fortunate...and I assure you that Mr. Nunnellee comes from a family of workers who know adversity and have triumphed over it in areas of which probably have no knowledge. The education he received from his parents in itself is better than any work experience he might have had apart from them.
3. If you know Mr. Nunnellee or his reputation, you know that he does not back down easily, and chooses battles carefully. Politics at any level is a chess match with major implications and it takes courage to undertake the challenge. We are fortunate to have a man of integrity, high values, and intestinal fortitude in Mr. Nunnellee representing us.
I'm just saying.
2. Nunnellee has never had a real job on his own. He has worked for his daddy selling burial and life insurance since he got out of college.
3. Nunnellee can't stand up to Billy McCoy, much less the big boys in DC.