300th Post: Such is Life

A few months ago, when I started thinking about how to be involved in unseating Representative Scott Garrett, there were a few ways I thought I'd be involved.

My first hope was that a moderate Republican in the mold of Rep. Marge Roukema, Sen. Susan Collins, or Rep. Ray LaHood would come along to take him on and I could help them. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem anyone is stepping up.

With that in mind I started exploring whether to roll as a moderate Republican in the primary or a Blue Dog Democrat. I see the national debt as the greatest threat to our nation's future, and the Republicans I knew and worked for growing up would agree. However, after the entire Republican Party voted to borrow another $50 billion instead of closing a tax loophole exploited by a few thousand people, I was leaning heavily toward the Blue Dog.

A friend mentioned to me I had to do what would make the most impact. At that point, I realized that would have to be a head on challenge to Garrett. The push against moderate Republicans was started here by Garrett's friends at the Club for Growth, so I figured it's as good a place as any to start the push back.

While I'm sure none of his people were losing any sleep over the prospect of me jumping in, Garrett hasn't had to face an unapologetic moderate in a primary since Roukema. Since no one else seemed ready to do it, I was ready to take it to him. The chances of success were slim, but in life you have to take on fights worth fighting even if you may lose.

Unfortunately, my life as an employee was turned upside down by the bankruptcy of my company's payroll processor. Having spent the last month dealing with this issue, not getting home until 10 or 11 most nights, it's made it impossible to do any sort of organizing.

Now, it seems, my commitment to work will entail long hours, and likely six to seven days a week, until April 1. There's hardly enough time to put together a campaign in the few weeks before petitions are due at that point.

So to those of you who encouraged me to jump in a primary, I'm sorry. I just don't see how it can happen this year.

I'm one of those folks who believe that everything happens for a reason, and I look forward to figuring out what that is.