Bob Russell

Robert Dean Russell (born December 5, 1954) is a conservative politician and senator from Bluegrass. Prior from being a Senator, he served 3 terms in the House and both a full and partial terms as mayor. Russell was the host of the former current affairs program "Firing Line".

Early life and education
Russell was born in Wrightsville, Georgia, in a family of 4. Charlotte and Charles were his parents and his brother is Howard Russell. Russell graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts, and then moved into Metter City with his brother in 1975.

Entry into politics
Russell first gained interest with politics when he reportedly read the biographies of George Wallace and Joseph McCarthy shortly after moving to Metter City. He decided to run for City Councilor in 1976 and was elected, staying in office until 1989. He then ran for mayor in 1988 and won a full term, and another in 1992.

Elections
Russell was first elected as Representative for Bluegrass District 2 in 1994 unopposed after George Patton's retirement in the 2nd District. He continued winning the election unopposed until 1996. In 1998, his incumbency was challenged by Olivia Pope, and was also outspent by $500,000. However, prominent politician endorsements made conservative turnout high in the election, thus winning 63% of the vote without major campaign events hosted by himself. In 2000, he was challenged once again by Pope, but this time, Russell campaigned heavily as the opposition was growing. He eventually won the election, but won 60% of the vote, an exactly 3% net loss.

Tenure
Russell's voting record in the House was strongly conservative. He voted against the South Kingstown Act, Hands Off Our Bodies Act, BOMB THEM Act, Assault Weapons Ban Act, the Empower Workers Act, FAVIA, and even voted for vacating the House Speaker, Linda Strode. He was the only non-Democrat representative in the 106th Congress when the House was dominated by the Democrats. Russell also caucused with the then-regionalist Yellow Dog Coalition for all of his tenure in the House, despite being mostly registered as an independent while running for his office. Although he wrote or sponsored no bills in the House, he was a relatively strong conservative voice within the House of Representatives.

United States Senate
After the expulsion of Senator Hibiki Rioux for serving under the minimum age requirement, Russell was appointed by Governor Hackett to fill the vacated seat and was inaugurated on September 11, 2001 during the 9/11 attacks. He lost to Andre Copeland in the following special election.

As Host of Firing Line
The Firing Line with Bob Russell was a current affairs program and acts as a "revival" of the former talk show of the same name from William F. Buckley. It airs under the Hackett's State of the Nation channel every Friday morning. This program is controversial among Americans while being popular among the conservatives, as Russell's right-wing derogatory statements, common attacks against the Democrats, and calling them "communists" as well as having a fiery language has made him rise to political stardom. The show last aired in 2000, and has never aired since after multiple postponements. Eventually, the program announced that it will no longer air new episodes by December 2002.

"Dead Communist" gaffe
Immediately after joining Amerilink, Russell posted "After some time of consideration, I have decided to join Amerilink. The only good Communist is a dead one. And so are the New Democrats." This sparked outrage from members of the Democratic Party and the Senate, where an ethics investigation was put up. However, this was during the special election campaign in Bluegrass, and little was done in the investigation process. It was believed that this gaffe contributed to Russell's defeat in the special election and potentially, his own downfall.

Schultz v. Yellow Dog Party
In 2001, there was a special election in Sequoia District 3. The Yellow Dog Party, founded by Bob Russell himself, recruited former speaker John Major into the election, despite residing in Montclair instead of Sequoia.

Assassination attempt
Russell was shot 4 times while meeting with his voters outside his residence in Georgia.

Retirement
Russell announced his retirement at Amerilink after getting discharged from hospital. He has "de-radicalized his views and renounced anti-communism" and vaguely stated that "apologizing is not enough". He also announced that Firing Line will no longer air and the Yellow Dog Party will dissolve by January 2003

Personal life
Bob Russell married Cornelia Jones in 1978. They currently have 3 children; namely, Bob Jr., Thomas, and Anne. Cornelia Russell is currently the State Senator for Louisiana.