The first serious challenger to Bill Nelson has chickened out.
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“The time is not right for me,” (Connie) Mack said. “You have to put family and friends above political ambitions, and that is what I have done.”
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“There were days when I woke up and said ‘Let’s do it.’ Then there were other days I thought about all the time I would be away from my wife and young children. In the end, this was just not the right time.”
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Why? Probably some serious crap none of us knows about. When you check out that link to the News-Press, check the early coverage where the paper practically predicts he will open a Senate office in his dad's old digs. Having worked at that paper and knowing the professionals well, I can only guess they had sources saying the Senate race was a go. I wonder what happened.
Maybe someone told him he was a cheater who was sleeping with Sonny Bono's wife in Washington while his wife was busy raising kids in Florida. But then we all knew that.
Maybe we'll learn more. Maybe we won't. This is my home district, so believe me, I will listen around. Would be great if this House seat ends up in play while Nelson gets a pass.
Either way, it was nice of Connie to fly in to his district before returning home to Palm Springs.
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1. I had no idea that the Mack family wasn't actually named Mack. How the heck does that work? Are the on ballots as Mack or McGillicuddy?
ReplyDelete2. Sonny Bono's wife became Sonny Bono's widow back in 1998 when he died skiing. Mary Bono Mack was married to her second husband when she got involved with Connie Mack in 2005.
3. Both of them had filed for divorce before they began their relationship, from what I've read. Presenting it as cheating while his own wife was back home with the kids is disingenous.
Too bad - Bill Nelson is in bad need of replacement - I don't think ANY politician should ever get a free pass. We get better politicians when EVERY seat is in play EVERY election.
ReplyDeleteA funny thing. I was living in Southern California when the news first broke that Mary Bono was having an affair with a Congressman in Florida. Before all was settled, I actually moved to Fort Myers to get a job at the News-Press and lived in Connie Mack's district. I was covering courts when the McGillicuddy's divorce decree was filed. Less than a year later, I was at the office when we got the press release that Mack and Bono were getting married after a two=-year relationship.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry Tom. Both were married at the time the relationship began. That is no secret in their home districts but each is well past the political consequences of that by now when it comes to re-election bids. For a Senate run, however, I think questions would begin anew. Also, one thing Mack is dogged about here is how little time he spends in this district as opposed to his wife's district in California. The Senate race would act as an echo chamber on this.
But you are right that Sonny Bono was long dead by the time any of this happened. I did not mean to indicate otherwise.
Bruno, while I am rooting for Nelson's re-election, I otherwise agree completely with your statements. Better contests make for more responsive public servants.
Tom, I almost forgot the address the No. 1 thing in your comment. The Macks have always been the McGillicuddys. The secret is pretty well guarded.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to Mr. McGillicuddy, while still insisting to call him that ridiculous name, he is the great-grandson baseball great Cornelius McGillicuddy, who went by Connie Mack. The original Connie Mack would become the longest-serving manager in Major League history. When his grandson Cornelius McGillicuddy III got involved in politics, he ran with the name Connie Mack, eventually becoming a popular U.S. Senator from Florida. This Connie Mack is obviously Sen. Connie Mack's son. So while I still plan to poke endless fun, this Connie Mack didn't start this stage-name nonsense.
As for running, you can have any name appear on the ballot, the same way Jimmy Carter insisted on Jimmy appearing on ballots instead of James Carter, his legal name. Indeed, Mary Bono kept the name Mary Bono for years, even after she remarried, the same way many professional women use one name in the workplace and another on their drivers' licenses.
While this is certainly stranger than having Jimmy appear instead of James, or than keeping the married name on the ballot which is most recognized by voters, the same principles apply.
Interesting, especially in light of the controversy over the spelling of Lisa Murkowski's name on write-in ballots.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for being too hasty in my Googling.