The Statesmen Get Together
Nicole and I attended the 2009 Tennessee Republican Statesmen's Dinner Saturday evening at the Nashville Convention Center. We drove to Knoxville and then carpooled up with
Rob Huddleston, who was waiting on Angela to finish a beauty treatment-she had to be in Nashville that morning anyway, due to the State Republican Executive Committee meeting. Rob and I were in agreement that the ladies certainly looked better than we did.
When we arrived, the Haslam people were noticeable immediately and were out in force. Haslam's little helpers were everywhere on the entrance floor distributing stickers and pointing people to Bill Haslam's reception. Haslam was the only gubernatorial candidate with a reception
before the dinner itself, and there was even a bit of supper at that event.
Bill Haslam didn't have a hospitality room, he had a hospitality court-perhaps we might even term it a hospitality hallway. The bar wasn't open, but everything else was and there was plenty to eat and drink. It was quite clear that money was obviously no object to the Haslam camp, especially when one considers that this was an event filled with party activists who are likely going to back the Republican nominee whoever that might be. Bill Haslam has enough money to throw what amounted to a lavish pre-dinner social hour prior to the main event with very heavy
hors d'œuvres
. When the other candidates complain that they need their financial playing field a bit more level because they are up against the Haslam monetary juggernaut, one only needed to attend the Haslam hospitality hour to grasp the truth behind that statement. If no one donated to Haslam's campaign (and plenty are doing so), the Haslams would have plenty of money to fund the race themselves and it wouldn't hurt them in the least.
There was good reason to be seen at Haslamfest, namely because everyone else was there whether they really supported Bill Haslam or not. Susan Richardson Williams, Rob Huddleston and I once again teased one another over SRW's paid support of cap and trade (something every dinner speaker railed against, and I am sure this caused Susan no small amount of nausea). Not a single person there supported the President's health care proposal, and I suspect that if they did secretly agree with it, they wouldn't dare have said anything about it in that setting.
Mike Bell,
Gerald McCormick,
Deb Maggart,
Tony Shipley,
Delores Gresham, and
Vance Dennis were all to be found moving around the Haslam hallway at some point, and not everyone in that group is part of the Bill Haslam fan club by any stretch.
Robin Smith made her way to the back of the room, and Robin's sticker was the only candidate advertisement I wore all night. I made a conscious decision not to wear stickers or pins for any of the gubernatorial candidates, even my favorite. I was there as a blogger, yes, but also as a Republican ready to support our party. I know that one of those men will be the nominee, and we will all have to close ranks around him. As for Robin, I wore her sticker because I would gladly do anything Robin Smith asks of me which I am capable of, and she knows this.
The dinner fare was the standard Republican menu at most such events around the State (see
chicken and potatoes, roasted), and
Jeff Sessions gave a pretty good speech on the evils of Cap and Trade and Obamacare, but the highlight of the night were the speeches by the gubernatorial candidates.
Bill Gibbons went first, and it is with Christian love that it can be said that Gibbons looked like a deer in the headlights tonight. From the minute he was introduced, he didn't seem in his element. Crime is the consistent theme in his stump speech. An important issue, but not the only one. He says he wants to improve our schools and expand Tennessee's economy, but he doesn't tell us how.
Someone killed Bill Haslam and took control of his body. I don't know this new person but they sure sound fine. According to Haslam's body-double, he is pro-life, believes in "our fundamental values as Republicans," and wants to "preserve our Second Amendment rights." New Haslam is also one of America's most fiscally conservative mayors. I'm not sure where New Haslam is the Mayor, but from the sounds of this magical place we all need to move there. New Haslam also derided the President's fiscal irresponsibility and made sure we knew that while the President was irresponsible, New Haslam was not.
Ron Ramsey gave the most charitable speech, highlighting Republican accomplishments of the last year and saying that he "guaranteed" that one of the four of them was going to be our next Governor. Ramsey also reminded the audience with no small amount of glee that Republicans now control every county election commission.
Zach Wamp talked about his desire to improve Tennessee health, but acknowledged that he had no power to force us not to eat our morning buscuits and gravy. Wamp also talked about wanting to improve Tennessee education and literacy still further, but I had to wonder what candidate would
not want to accomplish that goal.
Both
Lamar Alexander and his State Director Patrick Jaynes were very kind to us. Patrick introduced us and I thanked the Senator for having us, he thanked us for coming and sitting at his table. Lamar joined
Bob Corker in presenting the inaugural Howard Baker Award to the man for whom it is named, and Senator Baker really seemed genuinely moved by the special presentation.
Terri Lynn Weaver closed things out with
a medley of
The Battle Hymn of the Republic and
God Bless America.
After dinner we talked a few minutes with John Duncan III, who introduced himself to me and pointed out that his father is quite a fan of this weblog. Apparently, this dates back to my
2007 comparison of Congressman Duncan to George Washington in his conservative opposition to frivilous foreign wars. JDIII is a very affable young man, and several people have told me just how down-to-earth he is, and I can see it. No wonder many East Tennesseans believe that he should succeed his father in Congress one day.
Rob, Angela, Nicole, and myself eased our way to Zach Wamp's hospitality room. There was a live band that was very good, but the music was so loud in that confined space that it was hard to enjoy it in there. Wamp had an open bar at his reception, but I decided against an adult beverage so that Rob and I could chat on the way home-I settled for a Co'Cola. One thing no one can say about Zach Wamp is that he is a stuffed shirt who does not enjoy himself. I came away from his hospitality room with the understanding that if elected, Wamp may be Tennessee's first air guitar-playing Governor. He also clearly enjoyed being with those who visited his room.
Nicole-who shares my political views but isn't normally as gung-ho about political functions-has told me more than once how much she enjoyed herself and would like to attend another Statesmen's Dinner. The first thing she told me when we had a chance to be by ourselves was "I had a really good time tonight." I was gladdened by this, because I have a feeling this Statesmen's Dinner probably won't be our last.
Labels: Conservatism, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Buying a Primary Near You?
While Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey is surging, it appears that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam may have to buy his way out of a political jam:
Apparently, the latter was the standard format at the West Knox Republican event, and both the Lieutenant Governor and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam were present. Haslam, according to our source, got the standard reception of all the candidates who spoke, and there were many local candidates present who got up and gave their short stump speech. Ron Ramsey was applauded-rather loudly.
The informant who was present said of Mayor Haslam's expression: "Haslam looked pissed."
If this story is even remotely true (and we would not expect supporters of Bill Haslam to admit it is if it were) it might have done Haslam a bit more of a favor to show up at the Tennessee Conservative Union's Reagan Day straw poll last month. Sure, he probably wouldn't have won the tally, but he would have done even better than he managed to do and would have shown that a straw poll among conservatives in his own hometown is more important to him than fundraising with a Democrat. One thing that the internal party reaction to Haslam seems to show is that Bill Haslam simply has not won over the grassroots of the Republican Party in Tennessee, even in East Tennessee where his strength is supposed to lay and his "base" (what base exists) is said to be the most organized.
Labels: Elections, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Haslam Isn't Stupid
Bill Haslam may be many things, but
stupid is not one of them:
Perhaps Bill Haslam, in the secret recesses of his political being, does favor a State income tax. Saying that Haslam intends to introduce one has the appearance of being disingenuous because Zach Wamp-or any other candidate who makes that statement-may as well say that Haslam isn't very intelligent (which he is). Bill Haslam is in no way so stupid as to inaugurate his own political Waterloo by introducing a tax Tennesseans universally oppose so that it may fail again and his name will be universally despised in the annals of Tennessee history. Bill Haslam wants to be viewed in a positive popular manner, and he knows that his father's previous political activities in favor of an income tax cause even Tennesseans who support him to cast a weary second eye in his direction on the subject.
Labels: Conservatism, Duh, Elections, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Reading Wants Into An Endorsement
It is extremely rare that I disagree with my friend Terry Frank, and on those few occasions that I do so, it is with the utmost respect for everything that she has done and is doing to advance the conservative movement in East Tennessee and across the State. I must respectfully differ with Terry on her post yesterday regarding the joint appearance of former U.S. Senator Bill Frist and Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey along with former Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chip Saltsman to endorse and promote Saltsman's candidacy for Chairman of the Republican National Committee. I think Terry has read way too much into the joint press conference, more than was actually being said. Terry wrote:Bill Frist wants to be President.
Speaker Ramsey wants to be Governor.
And Chip Saltsman wants to be RNC Chairman.
It’s an orgy with suits on. Word to all from the grassroots in true southern slang: WE AIN’T NO STEPPIN’ STONES!
Let us break down the wants here. First, Bill Frist wants to be President: While there is little question that he wants to be President, want alone does not a President make, and Frist is unlikely to be able to wrest the 2012 nomination away from someone more conservative. Barack Obama's election has virtually guaranteed a rightward move by the GOP in 2012 after the McCain debacle. If Frist is looking for anything, it is to be elected Governor in 2010. That is a goal that is so realistic that there is no one inside the party that I have spoken with who does not believe that the Gubernatorial nomination is Frist's for the asking. Would I prefer someone more conservative? Absolutely! However, in a primary race between Bill Haslam and Bill Frist, I know who I'm voting for, and it isn't Haslam. I strongly suspect that there are other conservatives throughout the State who feel the same way.
Bill Frist will never be President, and he likely knows that in the back of his mind. While it didn't hurt his Gubernatorial chances in the least to endorse Chip Saltsman's RNC bid, it probably did nothing to help him, either. Frist does not need to "ride" Chip Saltsman politically in order to be our next Governor.
Ramsey wants to be Governor: The desire is present, certainly, but one thing that strikes me about Ron Ramsey in my few encounters with him is that he is a realist. He is very well aware that in a race between he and Frist, or himself, Bill Frist, and Bill Haslam that he is the longshot, because Haslam will always have vastly more money, and Frist already has the Statewide name recognition needed to be elected Governor. If Ron Ramsey does run in 2010 and Bill Frist is in the field, Ramsey will likely be running with a view to expanding his name recognition for a future race. Appearing to endorse Saltsman does nothing one way or the other to Ron Ramsey's chances for higher office. (For the record, in a primary between Frist, Haslam, and Ramsey, my vote goes to Ramsey regardless of what I think the outcome would be).
The real likelyhood here is that Tennessee is one of the few States to see significant Republican gains on November 4th, and there is a certain ascendancy of Tennessee's power within the national party as a result. Ron Ramsey, Bill Frist, and anyone else in this State who is a Republican would likely rather see a Tennessean running the national party.
Chip Saltsman wants to be RNC Chairman: We know this, he tells us so. However, Terry Frank and others seem to believe that Saltsman "threw Mike Huckabee under the bus" with his recent comments. What everyone seems to be forgetting is that Saltsman is running for National Chairman of the party, and in that role he cannot be seen to favor one candidate or potential candidate over another before the 2012 nominating process begins or while that process is underway. Mike Huckabee is aware of that reality as well-and he continues to endorse Chip Saltsman for Republican National Chairman.
Labels: Federal politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Dollar Bills, Y'all
One of the many things that I admire about Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey is his straightforward-and often blunt-honesty. Ramsey admitted to the Kingsport Times-News that whether he follows through on the notion of running for Governor in 2010 depends on one factor alone:
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s decision whether to run
for governor in 2010 will hinge on one prime concern — money.
The Blountville Republican, during a meeting Monday between members of the Times-News Editorial Board and Northeast Tennessee lawmakers, wouldn’t say how much money he would have to raise for a possible gubernatorial campaign.
But Ramsey, who expects to be re-elected as lieutenant governor and state Senate speaker by Senate members next week, seemed more concerned with Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam’s anticipated GOP bid for the governor’s job because of his ability to personally finance his own campaign.
“On name recognition alone I probably would be in the lead right now statewide, but it’s amazing what a few million dollars on television can change,” Ramsey said. “If I can’t raise the money that I think would be adequate or enough to win, then there’s no need to be getting into it.”
Should Ramsey choose to run, obviously my support goes to him. However, Ron Ramsey is right that it will take volumes of cold hard cash to beat Bill Haslam in a primary. I would love to see Haslam's clock get cleaned by anyone, and his primary defeat would bring about in me a brief Heathian moment ("Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice!"), but it will likely take someone who can match Haslam dollar for dollar. We already know what Haslam money is capable of, because in 2006 that money helped buy a Republican primary and ultimately a federal Senate seat for Bob Corker.
Ramsey also may be underestimating the incredible power that he already has. In Tennessee, the Governor can do very little without legislative approval, and the General Assembly is so strong-both constitutionally as well as practically-that it can rightfully be said that the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor (Speaker of the Senate) are the people who really run this State. Ramsey's position as Lieutenant Governor looks as though it will be safe for several years at this point, more than long enough for Bill Haslam to have cycled out of politics and Ramsey to have developed the extensive Statewide network that he will need to raise massive amounts of money so that any future Haslam-like threat can be beaten back.
Ron Ramsey has the important ally of time on his side, so it might be well for him to take the time to enjoy what he has achieved and take the years necessary to become a Statewide frontrunner regardless of how much money his opponents might spend.
(Hat Tip: Stacey Campfield)Labels: Elections, Tennessee politics
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
The Conservative Moment
Conservatives,
you really are in control in Tennessee:
While moderates may think themselves triumphant, let us look clearly at some of the realities where conservatives are concerned in the Tennessee Republican Party, and why all of this talk of little conservative control is nothing more than people believing what they'd like to.
Yes, the more moderate Haslam won the Republican nomination for Governor in August, and we all knew that this year the Republican nominee was the winner in November regardless of who that person happened to be. However, in campaigning for the General Election Haslam made it clear that he would veto any attempt at an income tax, would not stand in the way of the General Assembly further expanding gun rights in Tennessee, and would support and sign any pro-life legislation that hit his desk. As an indication of just how bona fide pro-lifers consider Haslam to be, the Legislature's most outspoken pro-life member, Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville)-the man who brought you SJR 127 in the House-supported Bill Haslam from the very beginning. Dunn has also always been one of the General Assembly's most conservative members, and many members on the right in Nashville, such as State Senator Stacey Campfield and his House replacement, Representative-elect Steve Hall, list Bill Dunn, a former House Republican Leader and current Calendar and Rules Committee Chairman, as one of the biggest among their political examples or mentors. For a moderate candidate, Haslam sure is doing a lot of outreach to the right by having someone like Bill Dunn in his camp. There is also the reality that the conservative vote split among two other candidates, along with the fact that there were three East Tennesseans seeking the Republican nomination for Governor. Bill Haslam isn't stupid, he knows that the political base that elected him in November is a conservative one and he has thus far behaved accordingly.
Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
The love of money is the root of all evil
I cannot possibly begin to compare with
Terry Frank for her fantastic work in investigating this story, but if the rumors are true that
Bill Haslam intends to run for Governor in 2010,
his connection to an indicted drug smuggler and said friends of that smuggler may be of interest to anyone contesting Haslam for the
GOP nomination, especially if Scott West is actually convicted.
As Terry points out in her brilliant work (which
Rob Huddleston has also highlighted), not only has Bill Haslam had questionable connections with drug runners, but the Haslams and their allies have also aided and abeted the pornography trade here in East Tennessee to a tremendous degree,
encouraging the purveyors of "smut" to set up business right in the heart of Knoxville.
These are the same people who are the lead backers of
Bob Corker for U.S. Senate. This is the very same Corker who tells us that he has converted and become pro-life because a missionary trip to Haiti changed his outlook forever. Well, if I suddenly "saw the light" and "got religion," I don't know that I would want to
smear my good name by associating with those who give aid and comfort to drug runners and porn distributors. The fact is that these people are not
our kind of Republican-they aren't conservatives of the heart and soul and they have no principles. Their primary concerns are money and power, and the good of Tennessee and the Union as a whole be damned. In the mind of these sorts of folks, the good of the country is what they say it is, nevermind what the rest of us think.
If you want to support those who support the cultural excrement that is ruining our society and our country, by all means vote for Bob Corker for Senate, or vote for
Harold Ford Jr. If you support those who give advantages to pornagraphers and drug traffickers, please vote for Bill Haslam in 2010.
If you support decency, dignity, and a just society, and you are a Republican, you really need to vote for
Ed Bryant for Senate, and run as far away from Bill and Jim Haslam as you can.
Gibbons to Safety
Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons is our new Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner:
It was Bill Gibbons, after all, who first attempted to make Bill Haslam's income from Pilot Corporation a public issue, and it was Gibbons who said in a public forum to Haslam "just tell us your income from Pilot Oil right now." Most observers believe that Congressman Zach Wamp was Bill Haslam's biggest conservative foe in the campaign in terms of making his ties to Pilot a kind of political straw man, but it was Gibbons who first tried to raise questions about whether Bill Haslam's interest in his family business was a conflict of interest in a political sense.
Labels: Local politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Haslam Picks Former Bridgestone Chief at Finance
Bill Haslam's pick to run Tennessee's Department of Finance and Administation may be a good one, but Haslam needs to remember to choose those whose interest and heart are with Tennessee and Tennesseans first-especially in light of his pledge not just to help bring more jobs to Tennessee, but especially rural jobs:
Whatever people say about the economy in the rest of the country, it is not recovering for many rural Tennessee counties and workers. Bill Haslam openly courted rural voters during his General Election campaign, and our rural counties are where the most help is needed.If Jobs are going to be Bill Haslam's first priority, rural development has to be at the very core of his agenda.
Labels: Conservatism, Local politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
KAT, property theft, and Billy Haslam
Knoxville's city government, long notorious for its seemingly never-ending abuse and neglect of the property rights of its citizens, has now sunk to a brand new low: Now it wants to
take property from businesses on Church Avenue downtown at the site of the Church Avenue Bridge in order to widen the area and build a new KAT transit center (a bus station) there. Some readers may ask: Wouldn't the transit center be considered a public good, and taking this land for public use would therefore be justifiable under constitutional eminent domain doctrine? It might be considered a public good if
KAT actually operated like a real urban transit system-it does not. Most thorough urban transit systems have enough busses to cover the entire city (at the very least), and KAT not only doesn't, they aren't looking to any time in the near future. Most real urban transit systems run busses well into the night. With the exception of KAT's very scarce "Night Rider" service, the busses that can actually take you home from work stop running at 6:00pm (this was such a chronic problem for me when I worked in downtown Knoxville that while I took the bus to work every day, my wife had to come pick me up and waste gas to do it-all the while I was perfectly capable of boarding a bus and getting home myself if the busses ran late enough). KAT is so unlike a basic urban transit system that my transportation needs as a person with a disability are now better served here in rural
White Pine (where I don't need a bus to get around) then they were in North Knoxville. Something is wrong with that picture.
I have
written about the
inefficiencies of KAT before, and I also
questioned the need for a new transit center when KAT could use the money that it would cost to build the center to expand its daily schedule and/or add routes and drivers, something that KAT desperately needs to do before a bona fide bus station is really needed. I am not opposed to the idea of a transit center in principle, but before one can be considered, KAT needs to build its system so that a transit center really is necessary. As it stands now, a transit center/bus station is really a fancy and expensive toy that drivers and KAT personnel could use at their pleasure, and would likely function as a de facto homeless shelter for the ever-expanding homeless population in downtown Knoxville.
Billy Haslam and his friends are threating to use eminent domain to move businesses from downtown so that the city may be credited with building an expensive rain shield and homeless shelter.
Haslam's potential Primary opponents (should he choose to run for Governor in 2010) should take note that his administration as Mayor of Knoxville is one marked as a monument of inefficiency, excessive expenditure, eminent domain abuse, and use of the office as a cheap prop for the Governorship. Haslam's attitude toward property rights is in the mold of
Victor Ashe, who may be a
Republican on paper, but Ashe had a mentality about property rights that could be termed quasi-Communism-it is apparent that Haslam has a similar attitude.
I lived in Cincinnati for a couple of years and I thought
Charlie Luken was a terrible mayor. When I once complained to his office about the city plow trucks piling snow on the sidewalk in front of my apartment (thereby making it impossible for me to get to the bus stop and get to work) he responded with "we'll try to do better next time,"-nothing was ever done about this very basic problem. Charlie Luken has nothing on Bill Haslam-Haslam is such a bad mayor that if Charlie Luken lived in Knoxville, I'd take Luken seven ways to Sunday over Billy Haslam.
If Haslam is that bad as Mayor, Governor Haslam would be the ruination of our great State. We must do all in our power to stop it in the 2010 Republican Primary. Haslam will make
Don Sundquist look like a saint.
Labels: Local politics
Big Haslam Endorsement
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam
got an interesting "endorsement" in the race for the Republican nomination for Tennessee Governor:
On the other hand, Haslam's detractors should remember that the people who are behind KnoxViews may be in a decided political minority in East Tennessee, but they do know how the political game is played, especially the savvy founder of KnoxViews, Randy Neal. If it has become clear to Neal and his colleagues in their minds that Bill Haslam is going to be the Republican nominee for Tennessee Governor, they believe that their job is to weaken him among his own strong base and keep them from showing up to vote for him in November. If they believe Haslam would be the GOP nominee who would most easily defeat Democrat Mike McWherter, try to shift the votes and give Haslam a harder August race in advance of early voting. What better way to do those things than with a "liberal endorsement."
Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
That Gibbons Fellow
As someone who has run for office, been defeated, and would like to seek office again at some point, I have great respect for Shelby County Attorney General
Bill Gibbons' desire to run for Governor of Tennessee. At some point in everyone's political race, however, they have to face certain realities-they have
to get real:
Memphis prosecutor Bill Gibbons reported Thursday raising about $415,000 for the 2010 governor's race, placing him well behind his three GOP rivals.
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Gibbons, the Shelby County District Attorney General, will face an uphill battle against well-financed opponents. Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam's campaign announced Wednesday that he had raised about $3.8 million this year.
State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville announced the same day he had raised $1.3 million, and Congressman Zach Wamp of Chattanooga said he had raised about $1.2 million.
To be fair, everyone else in the field faces an uphill climb against all of that Haslam oil money and the big contributions coming in from people who (if the truth were known) probably believe that they had
better contribute to
Bill Haslam so that they are on his good side if he is elected. However, both
Zach Wamp and
Ron Ramsey-who had the disadvantage of being unable to raise money during the legislative session-are showing that if their support isn't wider than Bill Gibbons, it is certainly deeper. Ramsey's fundraising feat of raising $1.3 million in a month is nothing short of miraculous.
The reality that Gibbons has not been under the same restrictions as Ramsey, but could only muster $415,000 is a sign that his campaign is anemic. In Gibbons' case, this isn't just about money. A lot of people on the other side of the State do not know who Gibbons is, and sadly when some of them find out, they often do not care. "I'm the Shelby County District Attorney" isn't often a great selling point in Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City, Maryville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Crossville, Murphreesboro, Franklin, or points in between. His message has been obscured by the question "Bill who" in many places. At least with
Jim Kyle, people might get that he is a State Senator from Memphis, and that he currently serves as the Tennessee Senate's Democratic Leader.
Gibbons also must deal with the hard truth that the Republican Primary can be won without Shelby County, and that Republicans can carry the State without it in a General Election. If the Democrats were to lose Shelby County, however, it would likely be the political signal of a Republican landslide at the State level. As a Republican, I'd love to carry Shelby County and do it more consistently, but I also know it isn't necessary and that we can get the numbers we need to win somewhere else. That is the hard reality.
I hope that perhaps Gibbons will give running for Governor another try, perhaps after spending a few years in the General Assembly.
Labels: Republican Party, Tennessee politics
The Squeeze Is On
Bill Haslam, it seems, is putting on the squeeze:
Apparently, Bill Haslam now feels that the political situation is such that he and his campaign can begin to close the pincers around his intra-party opposition. It has long been something of an accepted piece of wisdom that Bill Gibbons' presence in the campaign was helping both of Bill Haslam's opponents by taking Shelby County's votes off the table. Memphis and Shelby County are hardly paragons of conservative Republicanism-Shelby County is heavily Democratic-but the sheer size of the population of Shelby County means that it has more Republican Primary voters than any other Tennessee county, including those in traditionally GOP-heavy East Tennessee.
Labels: Local politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Haslam for Governor
The
case for Haslam:
What we do have to base our conclusions on about whether Bill Haslam would be a good Governor is a clear record. City tax rates in Knoxville are far lower than they were when he entered office, but he didn't just settle for lowering taxes, he helped balance the city's books and he has kept them in balance. During Haslam's time in office, tax revenues have increased because he has overseen positive business development, including revitalizing historic downtown Knoxville. Because his policies encourage economic growth, Knoxville has seen phenomenal success in job creation during Bill Haslam's time in office. If lowering taxes, balancing budgets, increasing the tax base, and encouraging business development isn't a conservative record, then we must ask what
does qualify as a conservative record.
Labels: Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, News Media, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Question of the Weekend: Haslam's millions
In the last couple of weeks, I've discussed the controversy from a couple of our Republican gubernatorial candidates in Tennessee over Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam's income from Pilot Travel Centers, LLC, and Haslam's refusal to fully declare that income. Bill Haslam has said that making his Pilot income public would bring the financial affairs of other members of his family into public view who are not seeking political office, and would also reveal proprietary information about Pilot that should be kept under wraps. The Haslam money controversy leads to our question of the weekend for reader response.Labels: Conservatism, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
The Last August Round
Bill Haslam would be wise to learn from history
so that it does not repeat itself:
Despite any issues or lack thereof over McWherter's intellect, because his father is just as behind him as Big Jim Haslam is behind Bill he can't be discounted. Ned McWherter was elected in 1986 over a well-funded, well-known, and relatively popular Republican opponent in former Governor Winfield Dunn. Much like Dunn, Haslam is wealthy, will have big name donors, and has name recognition and relative popularity, but a lot of folks who are suspicious of him-including a few with some influence (remember Jimmy Quillen?). Bill Haslam would be wise, should he win the Republican nod tomorrow, to study the parallels between the 1986 campaign and his own to avoid an unfortunate repeat of history.
Labels: Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, News Media, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
No Child Left Behind...
Governor Bill Hala may ask for a wavier for
Tennessee from No Child Left Behind:
Knoxville News Sentinel Capitol correspondent Tom Humphrey is reporting that Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is considering asking the federal government for a waiver for Tennessee from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The reason for Haslam's desire is that the Governor believes that at the present time, most Tennessee schools would fail the requirements of the law. Governor Haslam doesn't appear to be alone in his desire, because Senator Lamar Alexander-who has made education the signature issue of his entire political career in this State-seems to be hinting that he may push for an exception as he currently serves on the working group examining No Child Left Behind. Bill Haslam's education reform agenda hasn't even had time to make a dent, and he is surely aware of the state of Tennessee schools, especially many of our rural schools.
Labels: Conservatism, Federal politics, Local politics, Tennessee politics
New Tennessee GOP Chair Doesn't Care About Majority
In a post earlier this week, I expressed my support of new Tennessee Republican Chairman
Chris Devaney, but expressed concern that his commitment to conservative ideals may not be all that
bona fide.Today, it is revealed that
Bill Hobbs will no longer serve as Tennessee Republican Party Communications Director:
As of today, Bill Hobbs is no longer the Communications Director at the Tennessee Republican Party new party chairman Chris Devaney tells Post Politics.
Devaney, in a conversation with Post Politics, made clear that this is not a dismissal and that Hobbs will continue to work with the party. “Bill Hobbs and I have a good working relationship and he will be continuing to help us as we work through our transition,” said Devaney.
That is political-speak for "I fired Bill Hobbs, now I have to find something to do with him that sounds good, because if the conservative base of the party finds out that I canned Hobbs, they will cook my goose."
When I heard that the Republican Executive Committee had chosen Chris Devaney, I was concerned because his background doesn't seem to lend itself to his being able to connect with the grassroots of the Republican Party. Robin Smith is someone who is a mill worker's daughter, she comes from the stock of the ordinary people whose votes the party is actively seeking in order to win elections. Both she and Bill Hobbs understand what connects with our party's core voters and what causes them instinctively to vote Republican. Chris Devaney seems to be showing very quickly that his primary concern is placating the Country Club wing of the party. With due respect to Senator Baker (and yes, I have great personal respect for the Godfather), one has to wonder if Chris Devaney is more concerned about placating the Howard Baker wing of the party than about winning in 2010.
The short version is that Robin and Bill come from our kind of people-Devaney is clearly sending a signal that he and those around him are not our kind of people.
How serious could the departure of Bill Hobbs be for our election chances in 2010? The Democratic Left is very happy about Hobbs' departure. Noted Left wing Memphis blogger Steve Steffens (Left Wing Cracker) comments:
Personally, I think this is a mistake. You can say a lot of things about Hobbsie, and I’ve said most of them, but I would never call him ineffective.
He fired up the base and moved the message in his direction, which is what a Communications Director is supposed to do.
They will regret this; as a Democratic partisan, I am relieved that he is gone.
It would seem that Steffens speaks for many Democrats. Randy Neal, founder of Knoxviews and perhaps the most noted liberal blogger and activist in East Tennessee says:
But seriously, I agree with LWC [Steffens].
Democrats know what it means to have someone other than Bill Hobbs as Communications Director, and they know that it could lead to such a disaster for the GOP that we could end up with Governor Bill Haslam (who is a de facto Democrat) and Democrats in control of both Houses of the Legislature. All of our hard work would be undone very quickly, and in a State where the Governor has very little executive power, Devaney seems to be telling Tennessee Republicans and conservatives that he would be fine with having Jimmy Naifeh or Gary Odom running our fair State.
I had my suspicions about Devaney because he has worked for
Bob Corker, who is the Honorable Senator from Haslam. He isn't sending a good opening signal to the grassroots that he is anything other that the Chairman of Big Jim's Wine and Cheese Club.
Labels: Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Running Up the Score
Bill Haslam is
running up the score in the Governor's race:
We do not presume to say that Haslam has no right to give his own money to his gubernatorial campaign-quite the contrary, in fact. At this point, however, Haslam's lead appears to be so vast that his campaign is like the highly-ranked college football team who is going to win against a much lower-ranked and grossly inferior opponent. Winning may not be enough-one is left with the distinct impression that Bill Haslam wants to run up the score on Mike McWherter.
Labels: Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, News Media, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
