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About


What is TheCandidacy? -

TheCandidacy is a place where we (Randall H. Miller and John S. Irving) let loose on contemporary politics and organized religion. Our content consists of an eclectic mix of commentary and education by Randall (I’ll weigh in occasionally), and a heavy dose of “tongue-in-cheek” humor from both of us as we see fit.

As a sub-plot, Randall is “running” (picture Forrest Gump) for the U.S. Senate in 2012 (Massachusetts) and I’m managing the “campaign.” Is this a serious bid for election? Not Really. But, we will use it as an opportunity to learn about and document the process it takes to run a campaign (starting from scratch). In the process we’ll blog about the Senate, its members (and, of course, their hypocrisy), history, and purpose. Basically, we want to see how far we can get with no party, no support, and no money – just our common sense and creativity.

What TheCandidacy Isn’t -

It’s not a news site, nor do we claim to be “fair and balanced” in any way, shape, or form. If you’re looking for “fair and balanced” tune into Bill O’Reilly on Fox News.

Some Background -

Randall and I first met when I moved from Reading, MA to North Andover, MA in 1985; we’ve been best friends ever since.

Over the past 25 years we have each grown personally and professionally. While we have chosen decidedly different life paths, we have always shared a passion for politics and business with a common goal to one day do something together that makes an impact (on us and others alike).

Randall has a life-long affinity for all things political and he’s been successful in several different careers (see bio). I have been interested in business/technology since the first time I saw Matthew Broderick change his grades in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and have accomplished a few things as well (see bio).

The Current Situation -

Randall is busy living, teaching and blogging in the Dominican Republic. At the same time I’m entering a new phase in my life; early retirement. This hasn’t sat well with me as I need to be busy. As a result, I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time blogging.

Why am I telling you all this? -

On my 34th birthday, in 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The road to recovery has been long but I have remained positive and upbeat (I’m a firm believer in the mind’s ability to heal the body) and I’m now as close to remission as my type of cancer can get. This was accomplished through the love and support of my family, friends, an optomistic attitude and, more importantly, good strong medical coverage and other financial resources.

I know I am fortunate, my family and I have the personal resources to afford good medical coverage and we’ve even established our own research fund (The Irving Fund) with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. However, the hard, cold truth is many Americans don’t have these resources and can’t afford even basic health care. I knew Randall was interested in these type of topics so we began to speak more frequently on the subject.

Randall, on the other hand, has been living and working in the developing world for the past 5 years (Dominican Republic). During that time he earned a master’s degree in Diplomacy and had the opportunity to witness and experience first-hand many of the issues he was studying (widespread political corruption, abysmal public education, environmental degradation, inadequate healthcare, and alarming crime rates). This experience reinforced his appreciation for the U.S. and all it has to offer. However, we both think that it’s time for some major changes and as a result TheCandidacy was born.

We publish articles Monday-Friday. We hope to make some serious noise, provoke rigorous debate, and have a lot of fun spending any campaign contributions we happen to drum up (not necessarily in that order).

With Warmest Regards,

John S. Irving (aka “Chief of Staff”)