Bath, Maine and it's August 28th. The days are getting shorter, the ragweed is in full bloom and a former Navy SEAL takes aim at seven term Congresswoman Pingree. The Maine Maritime Museum meeting room is packed and if there is any doubt that Ed is a politician, that was removed the moment he started talking.
I always knew Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, but today I learn that Martin Luther King not only gave his "I Have a Dream speech" on August 28th, he too was a Republican? Turns out there are many scholars who believe MLK was a Republican. Who knew?
Ed hit on so many topics that Republicans once embraced: from school choice, to the national debt, to legal immigration, to border security, to invoking the ghost of Reagan's "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". His talking points were not all popular with the crowd, but you knew he was sincere.
Although it didn't get the applause he wanted, Edwin made a solid point about the national debt. When the debt broke $10 trillion it was huge news and a grim milestone. When the debt surpassed $20 trillion, the nation barely noticed and now with the debt surpassing $30 trillion, it's a subject not discussed in polite society and I'm the only one quietly clapping.
Economists once argued the debt away saying it's just a fraction of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thanks to the pandemic and progressive spending, that fraction now exceeds 100% of our GDP while the government's ability to "print money" without any serious political pushback continues unabated. It's as though the common sense paradigm of not spending more than you make has been brutality beat up and is bleeding out internally.
Ed, in a good way, is different. For starters, he's humble, which normally isn't something associated with politicians. My hope is the voters of Maine's 1st Congressional District will see the choice they have, side by side, and realize our nation is desperate for leaders, not politicians who take action by forming committees.
Ed is not a shiny political diamond in the rough. He's not even a lump of coal. He's something totally different. His speech was slow and hinting to more going on behind those keen eyes. I've been around politicians for over 20 years. From State Reps, Members of Congress, to the Governor of Virginia. When retired Navy Chief Thelander looks at the crowd there is no doubt this is someone on a mission. He's not running to get out the vote for Governor LePage and drain Democrat resources. He's running to win and the next 437 days are going to be interesting.
PS A few hours after his announcement, I had the honor of meeting Edwin's father at our flying club BBQ (yes, Ed's a pilot). His dad is amazing and it turns out Mr. Thelander (Sr), his son (Ed) and I all have something in common. We loved playing football and all three of us played offensive guard - a position that requires smarts, toughness and quickness. Ed has all three of those attributes in abundance and he is going to need everything he has to retire Maine's Chellie Pingree, the Minnesota girl turned 30-year career politician... Dontchaknow.
