The World According to Oatney

The Haslams and power

My fellow blogger Terry Frank appeared on Tennessee This Week Sunday, and the prime topic of discussion was the late incidents of East Tennessee political leaders Lumpy Lambert and State Sen. Tim Burchett defending themselves with firearms against attacks and theft. Let's be clear here: Both Lambert and Burchett had the unquestioned Constitutional right to defend themselves, and they both did the right thing in defending their persons and property.

These incidents were discussed in light of Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam's membership in New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun group, yet Haslam is telling people that he is pro-gun or pro-Second Amendment. All of that is typical political backpeddling, and would scarely be news at all if it weren't for the fact that Haslam is seriously floating the idea of running for Governor in 2010. I am no fan of the Haslams, as regular readers are quite aware, and I do not think that Bill or Jim Haslam can remotely be called conservative-they are after the only thing that matters in their scheme of things-power.

Rest assured, Bill Haslam is very much aware of what has happened to anti-gun politicians in this State, or those who change their position on the issue to suit the prevailing political wind (Terry cited the example of Al Gore, who once claimed to be both pro-life and pro-gun, and changed his stance on these things when he became Clinton's second. He then proceeded to take Tennessee for granted in 2000, to his ultimate political peril.). I predict he will change his position three or four more times before the 2010 State Primary, so that he can ascertain just how much he can "get away with" in terms of selling Republican voters a bill of goods.

The good news is that I don't think Haslam can win Statewide in a Primary. If he is faced with a prominent conservative from another part of the State such as Marsha Blackburn, I believe Haslam will be defeated in the Primary-all money aside.

Labels: Local politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 7:16 AM