“Buyer beware” should be a rule in life, especially in politics. For example, in July 2011, I wrote a short commentary for The Michigan View that discussed Pete Hoekstra, then one of several candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination for the U.S. Senate.

I wrote that Hoekstra had 9 victories in federal elections to his credit. I don’t know whether he was a great member of the U.S. House, a mediocre one, or a lousy one, but he did win. Still, it’s fair to ask, as I did, “But he can win statewide?”

The commentary explained just one-sided the district has been: Republicans have held the seat for 118 out of 120 years. In other words, winning the district does require a candidate to wake up and do some work, but winning a one-sided district doesn’t necessarily say much about a candidate’s statewide appeal. (If you doubt this, ask why John Conyers or John Dingell haven’t run for U.S. Senate, despite crushing their opponents in House races for decades.)

I concluded the column with the words, “Run, Pete, Run!” Perhaps it was the West Michigan pride getting the best of me. Perhaps it was a desire to see the Republicans have an open and vigorous primary season. It’s what I said, but it was more of a throw-away line than anything. I put the column to bed and thought nothing else of it.

Last week, I did what all good writers do: Engage in some vanity Google searches, so wee where my work has shown up.

So what did I find on my search? Among other things, an appearance on the Pete Hoekstra for Senate website that showed up the day after I wrote the Michigan View piece.

There it was “‘Run, Pete, Run!’ — John R. LaPlante, The Michigan View” It was under the heading, “What Michiganders are saying about Pete Hoekstra.”

Give Team Hoekstra credit for keeping up with Michigan’s most widely read site for political commentary, seizing an opportunity when they saw it, and coincidentally, winning the party nomination. I hope they go on to beat Sen. “No Budget for 3 years” Stabenow.

But for their ability to read in context (and respond to my subsequent email)? A definite “F.”

First published at The Michigan View.