Last week Rep. Bud Cramer surprised us all with his sudden announcement that he has had enough of Washingon and is ready to come home. A lot of folks are wondering why an effective congressman would give up a safe seat. He could have easily kept his seat indefinitely as a Democrat or a Republican because he crossed lines so easily.

I read in the newspaper that he mentioned his distaste of the recent surge of partisanship in Washington. He did well under the Democrat leadership when he was first elected and surprisingly, I think he fared even better during the years of Republican control. I did notice a gradual change in his demeanor since the Dems regained control. Of course, it’s speculaton on my part, but knowing Rep. Cramer and having a little experience myself in partisan legislative politics, I’d suspect a major factor was that the current leadership wanted him to tow the party line more, but Rep. Cramer was at his best and most comfortable operating in the middle ground.

If done right, legislative politics is hard work and being effective requires “fire in the belly”. Bud Cramer worked for North Alabama with passion and chose to leave at the top of his game before the fire went out. He is a class act.

Over the next several months, the effort to fill the void created by Rep. Cramer’s departure will lead to one of the most interesting electoral contests that I have seen. More about the race and scouting reports on the players later.