Mike who? Maine rep joins "Obscure Caucus"

I didn't vote for Mike Michaud when he first ran for Congress. Although he seemed like a decent fellow, I wasn't convinced he had the smarts to navigate his way through the House of Representatives.
After all, Congress is composed mostly of wealthy folks with college degrees, luxury automobiles, squeaky-clean kids and attractive spouses.
So it was hard to picture that a bachelor millworker from Millinocket would have any significant impact on legislation beneficial to the home folks. After eight years, the picture is still pretty cloudy.
That's probably the reason why Roll Call magazine has named Michaud to its "Obscure Caucus" in a recent edition.
While going through great pains to explain that the designation was not meant to be derogatory, the article does underscore the face that some Congress Critters can become entrenched by simply not making waves.
I have to disagree with the article's assumption that Michaud "seemed ticketed for stardom" when he arrived in D.C. 2003. When you represent a state that's 75 percent forest land with fewer people than most New York City boroughs, you're not going to be an overnight sensation.
He still keeps a battered metal lunch bucket in his office to remind him of his roots. There's also a story going around that a forklift was blocking a passageway in one of the office buildings. While most of the politicians stood around helpless staring at the machinery, Michaud jumped in and moved it out of the way.
But if Michaud's name has been attached to any major bills that have passed since he's been in Congress, I can't locate them very easily.
Michaud served in the Maine Senate for several years, including a stint where he shared the presidency with Republican Rick Bennett. There were 16 Republicans, 16 Democrats and one independent in the Senate during the 2001-02 session. So Michaud served as president in 2001 and Bennett took the gavel the next year. To this day, they're still pretty good friends.
That's probably one of Michaud's strongest suits: he makes friends and keeps them. I was joking with a popular Republican recently about a rumor that he was pondering a run against Michaud. His answer? "No way. We're still friends. I've got his cell phone number on speed dial."
The last Republican who took on Michaud, retired college professor John Frary, spent a ton of money to get 33 percent of the vote. However, that was actually more than the previous unknown challenger was able to get.
I interviewed Michaud on numerous occasions during my active journalism career. He's tough to decipher at times. I never know when he's going to finish a sentence, but he does return phone calls.
His constituent service is also excellent. I know people who have contacted his staff on everything from lost birth certificates to veteran's benefits, and they're very happy with the results.
Michaud's political leanings are all over the map. He'll side with conservatives on gun issues one day and liberals on trade issues the following day. Maine voters are the same way, however. Maybe that's why we keep sending liberal Republicans to the Senate every six years.
So while being named to the "Obscure Caucus" isn't necessarily a badge of honor, it's probably a good fit for Michaud.
After all, there are still plenty of bills to debate in Congress - and an occasional forklift to move.