Cravaack!
Posted on 11/13/2010 6:33:52 AM PST by rhema
Chip Cravaack, an ex-Navy pilot, was driving down the road, obeying a call from afar.
It was a hot day in August 2009, at the peak of Tea Party fervor. A radio talk show host was railing against the Democrats' health care plan: Visit your congressman -- the talker said -- demand a town hall meeting.
"I had my kids in the back of the car," recalls Cravaack, 51, a self-described stay-at-home dad with two boys, ages 8 and 6. "I was going down Highway 14, towards North Branch."
It was a trip that would put Cravaack on a course for Congress, where he will arrive Sunday, victorious over veteran Minnesota Democrat Jim Oberstar, 76, the longest serving congressman in state history. Part of the GOP's 84-member freshman class of 2010, Cravaack is among the dragon-slayers, an unheralded newbie who marshaled his military discipline to get a job done.
It was a distant hope just a year ago. Cravaack was living the quiet life of a medically retired Northwest Airlines pilot, grounded at 48 with sleep apnea. "I can't even fly a kite," he said with the gallows humor of an airman who once taught formation flying and aerial acrobatics.
Heeding the call on the radio, Cravaack set out from his upscale family home in Lindstrom, where he and his wife, Traci, are raising their two boys, to North Branch, where Oberstar has a district office.
There, Cravaack and about 25 other fellow travelers met with congressional staffer Blake Chaffee. "We were all there, saying, 'Hey, we want to talk to our congressman,'" Cravaack said. "After about two and a half hours, the place was packed and it was getting hot."
But Oberstar wasn't in. It would be the catalyst for Cravaack's decision to enter politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Best of luck to Chip. He and the rest of the “newbies” need to stick with the agenda that elected them. The country can come back and will if they don’t bow to the inside-the-beltway pressures.
Not a bad article - from the Strib no less...
Gotta love the picture of him and Oberstar. Old Jim just looks like he ate a raw lemon!
I’m proud to have voted for Chip. He’s a dragon slayer!
One of the biggest wins of the night as far as taking out someone who had been in there forever - along with Boucher, Skelton, and Spratt that was a huge win. Those guys had even survived the previous big wave of 1994...but not this time.
WELCOME TO FREE REPUBLIC’S MINNESOTA PING LIST!
145 MEMBERS AND GROWING...!
FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT ON OR OFF THIS LIST!
This is a very exciting time for his distric,t who had Oberstar plodding down the lib road for sooooo long!
Iron Range (not so) PO’d ping! :)
Nice to read good news for a change, eh?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.