Shilling for Another Dem

So it was one thing when I was pushing Lawrence Lessig's potential Congressional bid (he's decided against running) because it was the California 12, bright blue Bay Area. Sadly we get another party hack in Congress instead.


Now I'm pushing a Democrat running in a district where he has virtually no chance. Why? Same reason as Lessig: credentials (and another reason). Mike Lumpkin is running in the California 52, a San Diego-area district that Bush won handily in both 2004 and 2000, and that current representative Duncan Hunter (perhaps better known as a presidential candidate?) has won without serious challenge for years. But it's also a district where 16% of the population are miitary veterans, and that's something Lumpkin is. Not just a veteran, however, an eight-tour veteran Navy SEAL with a master's degree in National Security and an emphasis on Low Intensity Conflict (otherwise known as counterinsurgency warfare). Sounds like a worthwhile addition to the House.

On the issues, he's a Democrat. He supports bringing the troops home (from both Iraq and Afghanistan?), but does not elaborate. Obviously this gives me pause. However, I'm also willing to let him explain himself - his issues section as a whole is still sketchy thus as a whole, I'm willing to give him time (again, not likely to win). In this he doesn't seem to differ from other Democratic candidates in the district, so his biography gives him the interest-factor edge.

There's another reason I find this campaign intriguing: the likely Republican nominee is none other than Duncan Hunter's son Duncan S. Hunter. For all my conservative, small-r tendencies, I'm no fan of hereditary politics. I'm not supporting Lumpkin, just throwing out there the fact that maybe we need to give hereditary candidates a better run for their money (ask Dan Lipinski about that one) - and maybe this just shows my Chicago roots.

I suppose I should also make mention of how I found out about the Lumpkin candidacy. To be brief, I was chasing down a rumor that a fellow named Eric Greitens was running. He isn't (at present), but he has endorsed Lumpkin. Again, Greitens is a fellow I cannot have less than the utmost respect for: he's a Navy SEAL as well, a Duke alum (bonus points), a White House Fellow (nothing like the White House Intern program, I promise) and a Truman Scholar as well as a Rhodes Scholar. In short, his resume is superhuman. If Greitens runs in the future, I'll be sure to make note of it.