I'm running for Congress, and '05 Lartigue has been uncorked

[JimHow]

Well, I'm sort of running for Congress.
We had our first official meeting of our exploratory committee today.
We have a huge amount of support and can win.
Now we have to raise large amounts of money.
If we meet our fundraising goal by March 15th, I will file my papers with the Maine Secretary of State by March 17th.
The Democratic primary is on June 10th, and the general election is in November.
If we don't meet our fundraising goal, we will fully refund all contributions and will not run.
This is the one and only time I will mention my campaign on this site between now and the primary.
This is a wine site, not a campaign election site.
I will be obnoxiously asking numerous sources -- friends, relatives, Maine lawyers, NYC connections, old law school buddies, BWEers, basically everyone I know and meet -- for lots of money.
It really sucks, but it needs to be done.
Having said that, trust me when I say that I will not be insulted if you do not contribute to my campaign.
There are many reasons why people do not or cannot contribute.
You will still be my friend whether you contribute or not.
It is a pretty simple proposition:
We will either meet our campaign fundraising goals by the date of my annual "Ides of March" posting here in BWE, or we will not.
If we do not, I will not run and I will happily go back to my law practice, which I love.
If we truly want to change things, we need to send people like me to Washington.
I know that sounds kind of arrogant, but I truly believe it.
I mean, not just me, but people like me: People who aren't afraid of anything.
People willing to take positions that are unpopular because in the end they are the right ones.
People who are not intimidated by special interests, who aren't afraid to lose the next election based on how they vote.
People who aren't afraid to reach across the aisle.

If you are interested in contributing to my campaign, please make your check payable to "Jim Howaniec for Congress" and send to:

Howaniec for Congress
P.O. Box 655
Lewiston, Maine 04243

As long as your name and address are on the check, we will be good. If we have any questions we will contact you.
Ask your friends, co-workers, fellow BWEers.
The maximum contribution is $2,600 per person.
We'll be quickly printing up some campaign literature and producing some ads, but for now this link I posted the other day offers at least a little background information:

http://bangordailynews.com/community/ho ... egionstate

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Now on to the wine:

So far this is a beauty!
It seems to have great weight to it, a beautiful finish. Tobacco and licorice.
Just uncorked, will be interesting to see how this develops.

[JimHow]

I hereby vote this the roughest winter I've ever seen.
Just a combination of everything.... Snow, ice, cold, you name it.
One storm after another.
Looks like we are going to have snow every other day for the next 8 days.
We had 11 inches last night.

The view of the mid-February sky from out front of my house....

[JimHow]

This 13.5% St. Emilion (is it possible?) is very impressive.
It shows some development but I'm getting the sense it will last a good while, perhaps 20-30 years.
Very impressive.

[JimHow]

Boy I'll tell you this wine is making a strong case for 2005 as the TRULY greatest vintage of the century!

[Nicklasss]

Jim, best success with your run for Congress.

But why are you 3-5 years late, about 2005, as it is the best vintage of the 2000's?

But we won't drink any 2005 in DC. Or will we?

Nic

[Comte Flaneur]

Jim could you may be articulate for us in perhaps ten bullet points what you stand for and how you might contribute to fixing what many in the US and outside regard as a broken political system? I am absolutely rivetted by US politics and am just finishing up reading Halperin and Heilemann's sequel 'Double Down.' It seems to me that money is the problem not the solution.

[JimHow]

I had a long response Comte but I think I'm going to low key my campaign here, at least until March 15th, which is the go/no-go date.
Sadly money has ruined politics and I have to play the game, at least for now, in order to run the necessary saturation 30 second TV ads in the Bangor media market during the final month of the campaign.

[Jay Winton]

Good luck BD. I agree we seem to live in a plutocracy not a democracy and the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing limitless amounts of money to be funneled to politicos by PACs doesn't help.

[Comte Flaneur]

I would echo those sentiments, good luck with your nomination.

[JimHow]

Thanks Comte, they're already push polling against me, and I'm not even an official candidate yet. I hope I get to run, it is going to be wild.

[Tom In DC]

So you want a big war chest but can't tell us what it will be for until after you've accumulated it? That's so 21st century politic!

[DavidG]

I'll send you a check on faith alone, but I'd like to know where you stand on healthcare payment reform and med mal tort reform. Maybe you're better off waiting until you get the check!

I guess the common wisdom is to keep your cards close to your chest as long as possible. But you must be an easy target for the push-pollsters, being a criminal defense attorney. You'll have to define yourself before they do it for (to!) you.

I saw your lengthy post before you deleted it Jim. Money is the problem. It was even before Citizens United but it's worse now. Leaves the individual almost totally disenfranchised. Businesses and unions can spend unlimited amounts to elect someone they want. It only grants them "access" but of course there is no influence or quid pro quo. Even though the money is essential for them to keep their jobs. But a drug company can't give me a logo pen because that will influence my prescribing habits to the detriment of my patients.

Anyway, good luck. Keep us posted.

[DavidG]

And on the wine end, your post prompted me to open a 2005 d'Angludet and a 2005 Grands Chenes. The Angludet was fantastic for the price. Plenty of Margauxberries and a nice mix of fruit and structure. It'll drink well for a long time and should gain complexity with cellaring. The Grands Chenes was more modern and oaky, but not as oaky as the name might suggest. A good drink for the price but not likely to turn into anything complex.

[Rudi Finkler]

Good luck for your run, Jim! As for the wine, I can’t remember having ever tasted a bottle of Ferrand Lartigue, but your note makes me curious.

David, I had a great bottle of 2001 Les Grands Chênes Cuvée Prestige last year - complex, rich and made in a more traditional style. Certainly one of the most enjoyable AC Médoc wines I ever had.

[DavidG]

Well Rudi I may not be giving the Grands Chenes enough credit. I have a few more and rather than drinking them up, I'll give them a few more years to see what develops.

[Tom In DC]

Second oldest lie in the world - the check's in the mail!

[dstgolf]

Jim,

Had a great week skiing in Charlevoix ( our little piece of God's country). Felt like I was on the campaign trail Jim. Rode the lifts with many of your constituents from Maine and I did my bit to put in many a good word on your behalf. It was actually fun talking about a great guy with values from Lewiston Maine. Their seemed to be a common anger about your current governor though and many vial remarks were passed about politicians in general. Amazing how passionate people are about politics.

Good Luck,

[JimHow]

Much thanks for the support, Danny, funny you should mention our governor, I was just at an event this morning with one of my opponents in the congressional campaign, a state senator from up north who was the subject of our governor's infamous "Vaseline" comment last year, i.e ., the state senator, according to our gov, was "sticking it to the people of Maine with Vaseline." He's a nice guy, the state senator that is, I'm having lunch with him on Monday. Our governor, on the other hand, is really something else, he's pretty vile.

[DavidG]

If it weren't for political correctness the state Senator who was the subject of that remark could have retorted with "Hey, at least he gave me credit for using Vaseline, which is more than the people of our great state can say about the Governor."

[JimHow]

Indeed, I think it is a badge of honor for him.
Our beloved tea party gov slipped in with 39% of the vote four years ago when the two left of center candidates, the Democrat and an independent, split the vote.
He has been one embarrassment after another since then.
Unfortunately, it is very possible that the exact same thing could happen again this year as he runs for reelection, as the same independent is running again.

[Jay Winton]

to hell with Congress, run for governor!

[JimHow]

I haven't had a chance to thank everyone personally for your contributions, but I will.
Surprise surprise, among my family, friends, fellow lawyers, etc., it is BWEers who have given me the biggest per capita percentage of contributions. I've never met a more generous group of people.

[JimHow]

Again, just a quick note to all of you who have given me money.
It is very humbling and I am forever grateful.
I absolutely HATE asking for money.
I intend to thank each and every one of you individually, right now we are preoccupied with some deadlines that are very quickly approaching.
But you will hear from me soon!
Sincerest thanks,
Jimmy

[JimHow]

Dear BWEers:

Here is the letter I have sent out to my campaign people:

Dear Friends:

Well, we made a valiant effort but came up a couple hundred signatures short of the 1,000 required to be filed by 5pm tomorrow (Monday).
Also, while we did well in our fundraising, we just did not quite meet the self-imposed goals that we set for our March 17th deadline.
We were not that far off in our fundraising efforts but in the end we just felt we would not be able to compete with what Emily Cain has raised. We actually were coming out ahead of Troy Jackson and Alden Smith in our fundraising, but were well behind Cain.
We were polling extremely well here in the southern part of the district but we needed to be able to saturate the Bangor TV stations for 6 weeks and in the end we concluded we weren't going to be able to do that.

As I have said repeatedly, I really HATE asking people for money and I am IMMENSELY grateful to everyone for your very generous contributions. They are very humbling. I have not cashed any of your checks and will be mailing them all back to you this week.

It is not just money, however, that has led to my decision not to run.

My criminal caseload at this time is overwhelming. The primary is on June 10th. I Have the three week Kristina Lowe double manslaughter trial scheduled to start in the second week of May, and the one week Michael Callahan attempted murder/arson/insanity defense trial scheduled to start on June 16th.... all on top of my dozens of other criminal cases. It was becoming just impossible to devote the energy required to run an exhausting congressional primary, with all the debates, campaigning involved, etc., while also devoting the time required for my complicated criminal trials involving clients facing many years in prison.

Additionally, one of the joys I have been able to experience in recent years has been helping to care for my 89 year old father. His health has really slipped in the past year or so and I have really been committed to helping the rest of my family care for him in is final years.

I'm obviously disappointed that we will not be running, but there is also a side of me that is relieved. Politics can be very rewarding, but it has also become very toxic. I have really been able to get into a good place in my law practice, where I am taking on basically only the cases that I want to take on, and I don't have to deal with attack ads, and fickle reporters, and angry constituents, and intrusions into my personal life, etc., that come with public office.

Sadly, in the end, politics has become so much about money. We figured we needed about $200,000 to compete seriously in the primary. We were going to come in over $100,000, but it was very doubtful we would hit $200,000. Then my campaign team and I started rationalizing cuts in our budget -- down to $150K, $120K, etc., etc. -- to the point where we just felt we would be fighting with one hand tied behind our backs against opponents who have been running for nearly a year now. Having already run one under-funded congressional campaign back in 1994, I know how nearly impossible that can be in a statewide race, and how frustrating it can be.

I apologize to all of you who have worked so hard on my behalf in recent weeks. I will always be grateful for your efforts!

Sincerely,
Jim

[robert goulet]

Sorry to hear Jim...maybe I missed the formal campaign donation letter...but I had a couple scheckles to send your way...you tried, can't fault u for that....I applaud u sir....salute

[DavidG]

I am sorry to hear this but in a selfish way I'm also happy that you'll still be available for all of our BWE hijinks.

Now are you really going to return all those checks or is the money going to be diverted into a campaign for the 2002s? Stay tuned for BWE: Decision ’14!

Seriously, though, I'm thinking when I get that check back I might donate the money to your favorite cause, or spend it on something BWEish.

[Rudi Finkler]

Why not to be a little selfish, David?

Jim, I would say you have made a good decision. Congratulations!

[jal]

Well, I'm sorry Jim, and from a purely selfish standpoint, I'm sorry that Congress is missing out on a genuinely good guy with good intentions. I believe you would have made a difference and now we're probably stuck with more of the same type of Congressmen - more Francis Underwood than James Howaniec.

[stefan]

As David said, I am happy to have more of you for BWE while being sorry that it did not work out for you, Maine, and the country.

[Jay Winton]

I know this was a tough decision. wouldn't it be nice if money wasn't so important for seeking election?

[RDD]

Jim you can still watch House Of Cards and be glad you bowed out.
You are too good for Congress.
Also you are doing the right thing for your dad.
I know elder care is really hard as we are headed down to the hospital to care for my dad who fell and broke his hip Friday night.
Hoping to still make DC.

[Tom In DC]

We're sorry to see it turn out this way, Jim - I'm sure you invested a lot in the process. But we're all happy that you'll be hanging with your BWE-ers instead.

Take a moment, take a breath, and get back to living in your usual full-throttle way!

[dstgolf]

Jim,

Sorry to hear the news. Not sure what Washington would have been like to have an honest man in office. You're still young and there's plenty of years in the future when life becomes a little more settled to reconsider.

[JimHow]

A quick thank you again to everyone for your sentiments.
There is a LOT to the story, I'll have to recount it in greater detail when I have a few minutes.
It's very sad, because this particular open seat really is wide open, this is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. But the timing just ended up not being quite right. Such is life, I guess.
In any event, I will tell you more when I get a chance to breathe, but thanks again to everyone. I hope your dad is okay, Rob.