I have made a decision to leave politics to the politicians and never seek political office again.  I was never really a "politician" anyway.  We have political leadership in our country that is not focused and we have elected officials who just can't seem to work together to get the right things done.  If we ran our hospitals, schools, and businesses like the politicians run Congress, our country would be out of business.

Originally, I saw politics as a way to make a positive difference in other people's lives.  I'm very blessed in knowing that I already get to do that every day.  I believe my time is best spent focusing on my children and working to improve other people's lives in many ways. 

Whether it's the creation of another job, the implementation of an idea that strengthens our ability to take care of people, or whether it's just finding more physicians and clinicians who truly want to work to make a positive difference in people's lives... Or maybe it's giving existing employees the opportunity to reach their highest potential by being supportive and paving the way for their ideas to become reality.  I already have the chance to make those differences every single day. 

Or maybe it's the chance to spend more time with my kids and helping them get a good start in life.  They're already doing that just fine on their own.  But maybe they'll let me feel like I am assisting their efforts every so often.

Or maybe it's just time to take an occasional break and see some small corner of the world, to make some new friends, and to enjoy life a little for a change. 

The people I met throughout the seven years that I dedicated to an idea of a better nation are incredible.  The true heart of our country resides with the incredible people who live here.  I have met thousands of you and some of you are just truly amazing people.  I am honored to have met you and I truly believed in what I tried to do.  Thank You for your kindness and support.  I will support strong candidates in the future but I will never be one again.  Good Luck.  Godspeed.

A Message from Jim Parker, Former Candidate for US Congress

Recently a friend shared the following wisdom with me.  Words to live by...


"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” ― Mother Teresa..

Thank You to the People of Southern and Southwest Ohio

I ran for Congress three times in less than five years because I wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of other people; I wanted to fight for the things that mattered to people - for people's jobs, for an unprecedented expansion of the American economy, to lower your cost of living and create jobs by eliminating our country's dependence on foreign sources of oil, to lower the cost of healthcare in America, to fight for the expansion of Medicare, to guarantee that our children would do better in their lives than most of us will ever do in ours, to end two wars and try to deliver peace on earth for all mankind, to eliminate breast cancer from the face of the earth, and to let people know that there would always be someone in Washington who would always fight for what was right for them (regardless of the cost, the consequence, or the political pressure I would have faced).  For me, running for Congress was all about you...

I believed in the people I met; honestly, when I went door to door and met thousands of people who live and raise their families in Southern and Southwest Ohio, I ran for Congress for them.  Those people matter to me; people who lost their jobs, people who lost their healthcare coverage, people who even lost their homes.  I met parents whose children had to move away from Ohio to find economic opportunity elsewhere.  I met people who were dying of cancer but still took the time to go out and vote for me.  I met people who believed that all politicians are dishonest and bad.  Honestly, I can understand why they believed it; most of them are dishonest and bad...  but never give up hope because every now and then you find a good one...

Thank You to the incredible people of Southern and Southwest Ohio who I had the incredible opportunity to meet in 2005, 2006, and 2010.  Serving as your Congressman would have been the honor of a lifetime.  And I would have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of you and the people who you love.  Someday, maybe I'll try again.  But for the next many years, politics is over for me.  I have much positive work to do for others elsewhere;  Improving other people's lives... that's what I am blessed enough to be able to do... every single day...

Thank You Southern and Southwest Ohio

Jim Parker, Former Democratic Candidate for US Congress
Southern and Southwest Ohio - 2nd Congressional District

It is Time for Our Nation to Heal

A few years ago I ran for United States Congress and almost won the Democratic primary, not by spending money, but instead by knocking on the doors of thousands of people and listening to them tell me about the challenges they faced in their lives. I did not yet win but want to say THANK YOU to the thousands of people who believed in what I was trying to do for you.

I wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of millions of people; especially the people who live in Ohio who opened their hearts and their homes to me. There are so many good people who just need to know that they have somebody in Washington DC who is on their side and who will fight to the very end to do what is right; even if it is sometimes unpopular. I tried to be that person for the hundreds of thousands of people who live and raise their families in Southern Ohio. Thank You for allowing me to try.

While running for Congress, I learned that some people have their own political agendas and they will tell whatever untruths are necessary for them to try to win an election instead of trying to do what is right and run for office honestly in order to try improve other people's lives. Some people will say or do whatever they think they need to in order to win; even if it is morally wrong. Seeing so much negativity and seeing how politics often belongs to the people with the most money and the most political friends, made me think that I would never run for political office again. Honestly, I was done forever...

But yesterday's tragic events made me stop and think once again that maybe I am exactly the kind of person we need in public service. Maybe Washington needs more people like me who will run for office for all the right reasons. Maybe Washington needs to have somebody who wants to go there to fight for people who work for a living, for the American middle class, for women, for children, for the elderly, the sick, and the poor.

Yesterday, nearly 20 people were shot and 6 of them have died as a result of the attack of a lone gunman who decided to demonstrate his anger by using bullets instead of using words. A young, 40 year old, moderate Democratic Congresswoman named Gabby Giffords was shot in the head and now lies fighting for her life in a hospital. She was a woman who often put party ideology aside on many occasions and fought for what she believed was right; even if it was sometimes unpopular. In 2010, she narrowly won re-election by a few votes against a Tea-Party candidate. During that campaign, her office was vandalized as a result of her vote on healthcare reform. After learning so much about her these past 24 hours, she is an inspiration to me; not all politicians are bad and she was one of the best. Sadly, a little nine year old girl also died as a result of the same shooting. We have learned that she only went to the "Congress on Your Corner" event because she had recently won a seat on her school's student council and she wanted to learn more about government. She was one of fifty American children who were born on September 11, 2001. I can't imagine how her family is dealing with happened to their little girl yesterday.

We live in a country with a Congress that is badly broken at a time when America desperately needs to heal. America is the greatest nation on earth and we cannot continue with the politics of hatred and division that exist in our nation today. Whether the issue is healthcare, or taxes, or the economy, or anything else... We need a Congress that will come together to solve America's problems. There is no more place in this country for the politics of selfishness, the politics of hatred, and the politics of greed. We need more people like Congresswoman Gabby Giffords representing us in Washington DC.

I have much work to do outside of politics right now but I want you to know that I am not done with my attempt to improve the lives of millions of people. I am only getting started. I don't know which path I'll take or which office I will seek. But I will never give up on the people who mean so much to me. And at times when anything begins to feel like it might be impossible, I'll only have to think of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords or that 9 year old little girl. My heart goes out to the families of all the people who were killed and who were injured as a result of yesterday's tragedy.

Thank You.

Jim Parker, Former Democratic Candidate for United States Congress - 2005, 2006, 2010...

Thank You from Jim Parker

Thank You Southern Ohio!  Running for Congress was all about you. 

You are some of the greatest people I will ever meet in my life.

I will never forget the stories that so many of you have shared with me.  I will only ever support political candidates who truly want to improve the lives of millions of people.  I might never run for political office again but I will never forget the lessons I learned from each of you.  I will never forget the challenges that you face in your daily lives.  I will always remember the goodness that each of you have in your hearts.

Together, we can all make a difference in other people's lives; every single day.  In our words and in our deeds...

I love the people I tried to represent.  THANK YOU Southern Ohio.

Jim Parker, former candidate for US Congress