Concord Monitor - Who is Thaddeus McCotter?
News Article
By Ray Duckler
Will you welcome back McCotter? Maybe. But first, you need to meet the man who wants to join the heavyweights on the list of Republican candidates for president.
His name is Thaddeus McCotter, and he's a congressman from Michigan's 11th District. He announced his candidacy early last month, and this weekend he's here touring the state, trying to make sure you know what he looks like and what he stands for, trying to persuade you to vote for him in the first-in-the-nation primary early next year.
For the record, McCotter, 46 on Monday, is tall, slender, has a receded hairline, dresses well, plays guitar, likes classic rock and loves Detroit sports teams.
He's quick on the draw, ignoring periods and commas when answering questions, yet never raising his voice for emphasis or effect.
He spoke to WMUR yesterday morning, then visited a downtown restaurant here during the lunchtime humidity. Customers paused near the entrance and glanced right, aware something newsy was going on.
The local radio guys from WKXL, with life on Main Street visible through the window behind them, interviewed McCotter, his soft voice barely audible above the small lunchtime crowd.
Some people squinted when looking at him, believing recognition might pop into their heads. This is, after all, primary season, meaning Concord's streets are routinely crowded with political celebrities who want to shake your hand.
It's easy to become starstruck every four years around here. But the buzz never spilled outside, never reverberated through the streets and brought people inside.
Mike Huckabee had the Huckaburger during the 2008 primary season. We're waiting for the McCotter McPlatter.
Maybe soon, but not yet.
Because this was not Mitt Romney and his great hair. Or Michelle Bachmann and her expressive eyes. Or Rick Perry and his biting insults.
This is a man who can articulate his views on China and trade and taxes and bailouts and the economy and entitlements and Afghanistan as effortlessly as you might explain how to screw in a light bulb.
You listen and you nod your head, understanding some points, lost on others and always wondering why McCotter is doing this, no matter how much he knows.
Why is he placing his neck on the chopping block of scrutiny for a goal that seems out of reach? Why not simply run for a Senate seat?
"You can't do in the Senate what you can do as president of the United States," McCotter said, moments after completing his radio interview. "No one in the United States has any easy decisions to make. This is why we have campaigns, isn't it?"
He likes talking about long shots and not giving up. He played football at Detroit Catholic Central High, a lineman on both offense and defense. He says his background will help him. He says people from the Detroit area are practical, tough.
Lack of name recognition?
"I'm not worried about that; I'm a Detroiter, and the odds are always stacked against us," McCotter said. "We persevere and go forward. It's up to the people. If they like it, they like it, and if they don't, they don't."
He thrives on the grit of Detroit, the city that always seems to need a firmer backbone than the rest of the country. McCotter loves sports, and he points to the Detroit Lions, the worst franchise in the NFL.
The Lions were winless two years ago. But, when relating it to politics, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
"We don't think much about ourselves," McCotter says, "because we're too busy trying to get the job done despite the odds."
Then he moves to baseball and tells you that Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline, a star from the 1960s and one of McCotter's favorite players, retired with 399 lifetime home runs.
That means something, too.
"He was never paying attention," McCotter says, "because he was never that kind of guy."
McCotter hopes his determination and unselfishness moves him into the national consciousness. He doesn't consider himself a fringe candidate.
Radio host Chris Ryan asked, "Is there frustration about not being allowed in the debates in Iowa, frustration about the fact that it's difficult to get involved within the mainstream process?"
"Well," McCotter answered, "I'm part of the mainstream process. I've been elected to the United States Congress."
A House member for eight years, McCotter's political platform says the country should rely on individual strength more than government for prosperity and success.
"Entitlement reform is necessary," McCotter says. "So many people make the mistake of thinking that because you're spending less on something, that every dollar the government spends is being maximized for the benefit of the recipient, and we know that's not the case."
He wants a more definitive conclusion to the two wars we're fighting, saying the U.S. should "make sure there is no artificial timeline and we honor our word to the people of Iraq and the people of Afghanistan to be with them while we give them a chance to build their democratic institutions so they can defend themselves . . . and America will keep her word to them."
And what would a Republican candidate be without at least one shot at the president?
Asked about the economic strategy Barack Obama plans to unveil next month, McCotter said, "I eagerly await his pronunciations when he gets back from the Vineyard on his 10-day vacation. But what I'd like to hear immediately is the Democratic party stop calling for tax increases."
McCotter spoke to the media for 40 minutes, sending a message he hopes will gain traction as the primary season rolls on.
He'll be at a cookout this morning in Hollis, a lobster bake this afternoon in New Castle and a New Hampshire Young Republicans party tonight in Portsmouth.
RSVP on Facebook. McCotter would love to see you there.
"Any media attention is helpful in the campaign," McCotter said. "It's one of those interesting periods of time where would you rather be known and not liked, or unknown and potentially liked?"
The unknown part is here, now. Time will tell if he's welcomed back.
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