The Iraq War and Zoning Meetings: Connecting the Dots

In Clarksville, a local small business owner, Ronald "Bo" Ward, whips out a gun and kills himself in the middle of a city council meeting.

The Tennessean and the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle both mention how distraught Ward was at the passage of a zoning bill that would have put him out of business.  Ward was a patriotic man who owned a barber shop in the town of Fort Campbell, KY - a barber shop which, according to one of the councilmembers who was there, "would go under with most of the 101st Airborne deploying to Iraq".

How to Lose A Mayor's Race (In Nashville)

On this, the first official working day of the Karl Dean mayoral administration, it’s worth recollecting how a liberal, Yankee lawyer ended up winning the Mayor’s race in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, to be fair, Karl Dean always had a chance at winning the race due to his endless supply of campaign cash. Dean’s wife is an heiress millionaire and even Dean’s campaign staff and supporters know that his low profile would never had been raised without tons of cold hard cash. And the voters will be glad that he had it – clearly Dean was the best of the two candidates in the race to actually be able to serve effectively as the mayor.

But the bigger story in the 2007 mayoral race is not that Dean came out of nowhere, but that – simultaneously – Bob Clement, the presumed front-runner, blew an incredible early lead despite huge name recognition. Clement served 15 years as Nashville’s congressman, as the president of Cumberland University, and as chairman of the old Tennessee Public Service Commission. Clement also had statewide name recognition from his run for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2002, he served as John Edwards’ campaign chairman in 2003, and he is, of course, the son of one of Tennessee’s most popular Democratic governors.

So how does Lil’ Bob blow what should have been an easy victory to a man who has no real political experience or contacts – a newcomer who makes Al Gore look downright charismatic? It’s too easy to credit Karl Dean’s victory to his (wife’s) vast wealth. Money still cannot trump genuine on-the-ground organization, a sharp candidate, and a solid message that resonates with voters. Clement had none of these and it’s what led to his downfall in his quest for Mayor.

So herein lie some lessons that should be learned by future Mayoral contenders in Nashville.

DFA Training Gets Activists Ready to Fight!

"It was awesome!"

That was the reaction of one of the Tennessee activists at the end of the two-day DFA Training Academy held in Knoxville last weekend.

Many of those who filled Karns Middle School had not worked on a campaign before or were not familiar with the sophisticated techniques outlined by DFA trainers. During breaks they peppered instructors with more questions and began making plans about how they would use the information in future efforts.

Time for a third party?

The last national election proved that the public is sick and tired of what the radical conservatives have done to this country, but now a new group says it may be time for a third party with some very different ideals.

Unity08 says it "... believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both are excessively dominated by money."

Rove touched by climate change

Radical conservative strategist Karl Rove has been touched by the problems of global climate change -- and he didn't like it much.

From today's Tennesseean column by Beverly Keel....

What John Edwards Endorsement Means To The Obama Campaign

 

Yesterday evening, former Presidential candidate John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama.
His endorsement was more than welcome, in fact, perhaps needed to show Obama can indeed win in places Hillary says Obama can't win.

Hillary and her partner in crime, Bill, played the race card in North Carolina, and never stopped from that point on, including Bill playing a mean "Bubba" and not the Rhodes Scholar Bill Clinton is in West Virginia.

Once we can get rid of that type of divisiveness, the old political Washington insider games that the Clintons play so well, we can heal our party and heal our nation.

To wit, John Edwards said, "There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time tear down that wall and make one America, Barack Obama."

John Edwards frequently clashed with Hillary Clinton during debates, saying "You can't just trade corporate Republicans for corporate Democrats."

Hillary pushed just one time too many on Tuesday evening with her consistent diatribe about Obama not being able to win blue collar workers and further dividing Democrats, and Edwards decided the day after West Viginia would be the time to announce his support for Obama.

Now let's hope we're looking at the ticket (Obama-Edwards) for 08!

Must See Keith Olbermann Piece From Last Night. Watch It, Now.

Mr. 30% Attacks

Everyone's least favorite President is using a trip to a foreign country to attack those who think diplomacy is not a four letter word.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," said Bush, in what White House aides privately acknowledged was a reference to calls by Obama and other Democrats for the U.S. president to sit down for talks with leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to the Israeli Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American Senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Tim Chavez Is Blogging

In case you missed it, former Tennessean columnist Tim Chavez is now blogging.

His site is: http://politicalsalsa.blogspot.com/

If you're familiar with him, you'll want to head over there right away, and if you're not familiar with him, you'll want to get to know him.

The Golden Oldies

Christian Grantham does a little scolding over at Nashville is Talking because I've used some phrases and words that he disapproves of, in an attempt to sometimes inject a little humor, and sometimes to inject my true feeling into this blog. I would comment over there, but it involves registration, and I'm too lazy for that...so my response to the cherry-picked "soundbytes" taken from 17 out of over 700 posts in the last 5 months.

chain smoking inbred idiots | elitist hicks | - That was in response to Republicans who feel its OK to attack urban liberals for their values, of which Christian Grantham is one.

big bowl of crazy with a side of nutz and a wackadoodle chaser | - That was a comment about Jeremiah Wright, preceded by "Ultimately, there are two versions of Wright; the full version and the abridged version. The full version is still kinda kooky, but also funny, somewhat insightful, and engaging. And the abridged version..."

merry band of complainers | - A characterization of people who complain about the Democratic primary process not being fair to their candidate.

empty pantsuit | - Maybe that was wrong, but Hillary jokes about the pantsuits all the time, one lil' jab wouldn't hurt.

rightwing hack | - Bill Hobbs most certainly is a Rightwing Hack.

race-baiting, lacking a better word, bitch | - Geraldine Ferraro most certainly is.

stupid, bullshit | - In regards to the "bullshit" move to claim a victory in Florida, and people being "stupid" enough to buy into it.

shrill and repulsive | racist whites | - The assumption that a vote for Hillary is a vote against Barack implies that she is so unlikeable that nobody could vote for her.

a bunch of egg heads | - The phrase the Hillary camp uses for people with college degrees and economists.

incessant pandering | - Dead on description of the gas tax proposal.

effing pathetic | - A John McCain press release that was, effing pathetic.

a backwoods hole in the wall throwback to a worthless era | uneducated rightwing moonshine swilling elitists | - Mississippi and the NRCC respectively. Back to the first link, if its OK to attack urbanites, why isn't it OK to attack rural voters?

congenital liars | - The Clintons, need I say more?

racist white dudes | - Blacks and Liberals won Pennsylvania for Kerry in 2004, not racist white guys as the media believes.

71 year old white guy | - A very accurate description of John McCain.

washed up elitist HACK | - A satire of what Hillary might say in response to Bruce Springsteen's endorsement of Obama.

gun-toting, bible-thumpin', whiskey pounding good ol' gal | best goddam small town school marm East of the Mississippi - The image being portrayed by Hillary after Obama made his "bitter" comments.

p.s. Thanks to the fellow bloggers who apparently voted me your favorite Obama blog in Tennessee, my opinion wasn't asked, but assuming this emailing did take place...thanks!