The View From Here

Back in business...

2005-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've been out of state the past few weeks, but we are back in business now.

With the disclosure releases making their way to the public today it will be interesting to see how the various camps spin it.

For Republicans (not just conservatives) the problem I'm seeing is too many fence sitters. Most potential donors are probably waiting until there is an obvious between Ed & Van before giving.

That is understandable. The trouble is, if they wait too much longer, there may not really be a choice. Another couple of quarters with Corker outraising their combined totals will be very difficult to overcome.

I've stated before that I'm a "Van Fan," so it should not come as a surprise that I'm happy Van is ahead of Ed by $80,000 or that it is costing Ed a ton to raise money these days. It should also come as no surprise that I'm a little miffed at Ed's continued use of "puff polls" to garner support. I mean really, how accurate can a poll be if you poll a group you called to the week before? Hardly a random sample. Hardly ethical polling, but pretty standard for the firm apparently -and for the Bryant Campaign. You might recall the same firm showed Jim Henry down by 8% a week before the last gubernatorial primary. You might also recall Jim losing by multiples of that - one of many similar scenarios. Corkers people are hot because their internals apparently show Bob trailing Ed by a much smaller lead (and Van's leading that one). Politics is politics, but if Ed is going to be this sly, he better get better at hiding his tracks.

I have a strong feeling we will be seeing great things from Van this quarter. Rumor has it he is hiring staff and getting into campaign mode which should allow him to use his time more efficiently. Ultimately though, Van is going to have to post big numbers to give us all enough ammo to go tell Ed to quit throwing the race to Corker.

Hey,what about Harry?

2005-05-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

With the Dem's fighting amongst themselves to donate cash to Corker, it kinda make you wonder what they have against dear Harry? Ford Jr. has just as conservative a record as Corker and is higher up in the political pecking order. Oddly enough, many former Ford donors are appearing on Corker's disclosures - some are even fundraising for him. The percentage of Bredesen backers on Corker's list is astounding. So, is Harry doomed to be the head prince of Memphis for another decade or two?

This all raises another question.

Corker is not recieved well by grassroots republicans. Those are the people that will be voting in the Republican primary. But, the Dem's seem to love him. Why not follow his heart on over to the other side of the aisle and not have a primary to concern yourself with. Corker's record is certainly not conservative. You could call it moderate I suppose, but you just have to think he would be happier and fit in better on the other side of the aisle.

Ronald Reagan and Corker's GOP cred's

2005-05-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Seems like the Corker Crew are in lockstep this morning. I've been hearing about Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment for hours. Here is what I've got to say about that...

1. You need to quote Regean in context. Go look it up. For most of you Corker folks it will be a good lesson in what it means to be a Republican - I really don't think you know.

Oh, and if you want to quote the 11th Commandment, stop saying Ed Bryant quits when things get tough because he resigned from the Ford case way back when. Same people peddling that one are now donning halo's.

2. If being a Republican was a federal offense (as many on the other side of the aisle would like it to be), there wouldn't be enough evidence to convict Corker. His support base is almost identical to Bredesen's. Dem's and squishy Republican's that hope to benefit personally from a Corker win.

If you really want a glimpse of the dark side, ask your state legislators if Corker tends to be surrounded by Democrat or Republican lobbyists when he is in Nashville.

You just have to wonder what the Dem's hope to win by backing Corker. I can't imagine it being anything Ronald Regean would condone.

How Funny! TeamGOP does it again

2005-05-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release: Contact: Jeff Ward
May 17, 2005 731-589-0285

Bob Corker bought and paid for by Democrats

With serious questions swirling about Republican US Senatorial candidate Bob Corker’s total inability to create support among Tennessee's rank and file Republicans, Bob Corker, again, has turned to his Democrat enablers for help. On May 26th one of the leading Democrats in the state Tennessee will host a $1000 per person fundraiser at his farm to help elect the Democrats’ perceived candidate…Mayor Bob Corker.

Clayton McWhorter is not just an average Democrat; he is one of their most active leaders and fundraisers in Tennessee. Perhaps Clayton McWhorter is best known for the political ruckus he created when as a potential Democrat candidate for Governor in 1994, McWhorter opined that the reason for retardation rates among children in East Tennessee was due in part to “inbreeding.”

The only connection found between Mr. McWhorter and Bob Corker is that they both toyed with the idea, at least for a short time in the 1990’s, of running for Governor as Democrats.

TeamGOP.org was criticized for a press release on February 1, 2005 for questioning why so many individuals in the fundraising arm of Bob Corker's US Senate Campaign are large donors and fundraisers for Democrats, to sums of tens of thousands of dollars. Now Bob Corker can add another prominent Democrat family to his list.

According to state and federal election disclosures, in the last couple of election cycles Clayton McWhorter and his family consisting of his wife, his son Stuart, and his daughter-in-law have given close to $50,000 to Democrats from Al Gore to Phil Bredesen to Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh. The McWhorters were particularly generous to Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. To be fair Stuart McWhorter has donated to a hand full of Republicans, but generally after they were already elected.

The Corker camp will insist this kind of Democrat support demonstrates the “broad appeal” of Bob Corker. TeamGOP.org believes that is a load of political manure and should be treated as such. Outside of Mr. Corker’s hometown and a few Republican multi-millionaires, Bob Corker’s Republican support is anemic.

It is long past the time when Bob Corker should stand up and stop hiding behind political rhetoric. If Bob Corker wants to represent the Democrat Party and their values, he should be running in their primary…not the one for Republicans.

The question must be asked, why is Bob Corker running in the Republican Primary?

TeamGOP.org is a Republican grassroots organization based in Tennessee. It is dedicated to electing Republicans at every level of government. TeamGOP.org publishes a weekly E-newsletter, manages its daily Blog and operates the political action committee, TeamGOP PAC. http://www.TeamGOP.org

Kondrake's folks question Ed's "chutzpah"

2005-05-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

In an article publised today in Roll Call, Stuart Rothenburg caps off his list of "the silliest, most misleading and overzealous press releases that I receive" with Ed Bryant's numerous releases exclaiming his lead in the Republican Primary based on the Harold Ford Jr. poll. Here are the last few paragraphs:

It’s That Time Again: Mindless Press Releases, 2005 Edition
By Stuart Rothenberg
Roll Call Contributing Writer
May 9, 2005
.......
But as silly as the Nebraska Democratic Party and NRSC releases are, they come nowhere near the gall of a release by Senate hopeful Ed Bryant (R-Tenn.). The April 6 release’s headline, "New Poll Shows Bryant Leading GOP Field," isn’t the problem. It’s the sub-head: "Corker’s Growth in Polls Stalled by Record of Higher Taxes." Corker’s "growth," of course, hasn’t "stalled" because of anything, since nobody is paying enough attention to the Tennessee Senate race or the GOP primary to draw conclusions from early polling.
The "new poll" in the Bryant release is interesting for a number of other reasons. First, it was conducted by a Democratic firm, The Global Strategy Group, for Democratic Senate hopeful Rep. Harold Ford Jr. It’s nice to know that Bryant has enough confidence in a Democratic survey to write a release about it. Second, the survey’s numbers actually contradict the Bryant release proclaiming Corker has "stalled." The Ford poll showed Corker at 15 percent, while two earlier polls (one for Bryant and one for former Congressman Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.), who is also running for the Senate) showed Corker at only 8 percent and 13 percent.

And third, the Bryant release says that the overall poll of 600 likely voters and the sub-sample of 190 Republicans (yes, only 190 Republicans) "each had a margin of +/- 6%." Is it too much to hope that the people writing Bryant’s release might beaware that a poll’s margin of error is based on the size of the sample, and that a sample of 600 and another of 190 can’t possibly have the same margin or error? But my fundamental problem with the release is that it masquerades as a survey analysis, when it is nothing more than propaganda, or rather advocacy. The "analysis" is simply Bryant’s campaign attacking Corker. Attack if you must, even if nobody is watching, but at least have the chutzpah to do it directly and honestly.

.......

That seems to cover it. I wonder if Ed will be mentioning Mort as often as he has been after this gets out.

Party Chair feeling the heat.

2005-05-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Looks like there are more than a few souls in the legislature that aren't all that happy with Chairman Davis turning the State GOP's political machinery into a statewide platform for Bob Corker. Davis has apparently said all candidates will be represented but failed to mention this to all candidates. There is no valid reason for the State Party to get involved in a contested Senate primary. None.

The Party should help the winning candidate defeat the democrat candidate in the general election, but helping Corker by reinforcing his weak areas takes away advantages from Bryant, Hilleary and Harwell. Advantages they have gained from touring the state for years meeting people and shaking hands. Corker couldn't be bothered to help the party until he needed something himself.

So, who is putting the pressure on Bob Davis? I've got a feeling they are well represented on Corkers financial disclosure. This story has legs...

So, what do the bylaws say about replacing a sitting Chairman? Robin Smith seems like a great choice. Somebody wake up the SEC...

State Party Spamming For Corker

2005-05-05T04:45:00.000-07:00

Looks like Chairman Davis has finally been beaten into submission by the Corker team. They have been CONVINCED that Ed Bryant, Van Hilleary and Beth Harwell all have some version of the state party email list. I mean convinced in the way Amway folks are convinced you need their soap. It's a little un-nerving.

I don't recall the party ever doing this before. Must have gotten a few calls from the money folks. Nice to know the state party is flexible on these things. They can flex far enough to grab their ankles for the Corker kooks.

Maybe Ed can have his folks demand the state party equalize the money situation too. Word around town is he is finding it harder and harder to raise money. Come on Bob, cut Ed a check to make things fair, he really needs it.

If any of these candidates had the state party email list, I would know because the state party has 4-5 different old addresses for me (including one my mom uses) and hits them all in every mailing. The only other group with such broad access to my email accounts are usually selling "health aids" for men...

Don't know why Chairman Bob would do this, but it just goes to show there is no real need to start from scratch in politics. Just con and bully your way into millions at taxpayer expense then have your rich buddies buy you access to the grassroots of the state.

Nothing quite like good leadership...

Hillary Wins Sullivan County Straw Poll

2005-05-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hilleary Scores!
Conservative Leader Gets Straw Poll Win in Critical Sullivan County

KINGSPORT - Former Congressman Van Hilleary continued to take the Republican Senate race by storm Saturday night with a big Straw Poll victory at the Sullivan County Reagan Day Memorial Dinner.

This Straw Poll victory, which comes just a little over a month after Hilleary entered the race, is just the latest indication that Hilleary's campaign has already caught up with fellow conservative Ed Bryant's campaign. Bryant has been an announced candidate all winter and spring.
Hilleary previously got a boost on April 15 when federal campaign finance reports showed he's raising money at a pace three times as fast as Bryant is.

"Sullivan County is very important in this primary and I'm gratified that our grass-roots support is still so strong," said Hilleary, who told the dinner crowd that he is running to make sure Tennessee has a sincere conservative as its next U.S. Senator.

Sullivan County is the sixth largest county in the Tennessee Republican primary and the third largest in East Tennessee.

In the final straw poll results, Hilleary nearly doubled the vote of moderate Mayor Bob Corker, who finished a distant third. Beth Harwell, who is just entering the race, finished fourth.
Statewide, Hilleary leads Bryant by 13%, Corker by 23% and Harwell by 29% according to the only published scientific Republican poll. Bryant's camp has been touting a Democrat poll that purported to show him ahead, but that poll's validity has since been discredited because it over-weighted West Tennessee.

Hilleary, who won six tough primary and general elections between 1994 and 2002, is seeking to go back to Washington to continue the conservative leadership he showed as a member of the House. As a representative of Tennessee's Fourth District, Hilleary built a reputation as a straight-talking conservative who fought hard to lower taxes, reduce wasteful spending, and protect innocent life.

In Tennessee, Hilleary stood up to Republicans and Democrats who tried to raise taxes and he worked hard to help elect Republicans to state and local office, campaigning all across the state and taking on Democrats from John Wilder and Jimmy Naifeh on down.

--- This is interesting because this is an area where Ed was supposed to be "unbeatable" (according to his people) and his campaign staff has been working the area for a couple of weeks to build up momentum specifically for this poll, even bragging about it. Maybe Ed should have insisted on using his preferred pollster, Harold Ford Jr. instead of the vote counters Sullivan County GOP used... :)

According to the grapevine, Beth Harwell recieved half of the votes that Bob Corker had despite not yet entering the race, building a campaign team or raising money. I think this should be taken as very positive news for Beth and of grave concern to Corker.

2005-04-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

The following is from an email forwarded to me from the Southern Middle Tennessee Men's Club. Great information. I love the fact that Dear Harold beat out Maxine Waters and Barney Frank in the top 5 trip takers list...

Is It Unlawful or Unethical if Everybody Does It

Why would we elect Democrats or Republicans who are unethical?. Why aren’t they replaced? Is it because we may be guilty also and want our pork too? The Democrats have given House Majority Leader Tom DeLay hell over the past few weeks. The House acted in January to change the rules, but an investigation by the Political Money Line and Washington Post surfaced lots of dirt on both sides – Democrats and Republican alike. This article is a summary of the information disclosed.

Based on information disclosed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, Members of Congress have received over $16 million ($16,168,014) during the last five years (from 2000 to winter 2005) traveling around the world at the expense of private organizations. About $8.8 million came from tax-exempt organizations (which are not required to disclose their donors to the public in the IRS Form 990 reports they must file) receive funds from lobbyists.
Data shows that 605 Members of Congress made 5,410 trips. Of these, Democrats took 3,025, Republicans took 2,375, and 10 trips were taken by others.
The following charts depict the number of trips taken and the cost per year; the 5 Member receiving the greatest amount and their Party; and the 5 Members making the most trips and their Party and the amount each spent.

Privately-funded Travel and Amount
Year # Trips Amount
2000 1015 $2,520,117
2001 1292 $3,774,860
2002 770 $2,485,801
2003 1253 $3,859,994
2004 789 $2,650,319
2005 part 286 $870,362

Members Receiving Most Gifts of Travel

Order Congress Member Party Amount
1. Sensenbrenner, James F. Republican $167,960
2. Green, Gene Democrat $165,436
3. Breaux, John B. Democrat $162,496
4. Wexler, Robert Democrat $161,599
5. Hinchley, Maurice Democrat $161,353

Note that after Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the next four Members benefiting monetarily the most were Democrats. Yet, no Democrat has raised questions about any other Democrat. Their goal is to destroy House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Following through, Republican Sensenbrenner received the most gifts of travel (19 trips valued at $167,960). DeLay was 28th on the list (14 trips valued at $94,568). Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) traveled most (60 trips costing $61,000). Ford's expenses were less because his travels were within the United States.

Members Taking Most Trips

Order Congress Member Party # Trips
1. Breaux, John B. Democrat 61
2. Ford, Harold E. Jr. Democrat 60
3. Biden, Joseph R. Jr. Democrat 56
4. Waters, Maxine Democrat 52
5. Barney, Frank Democrat 51

Relative to the amount of travel, one can readily see that the Democrats took the most trips. Not a single Republican is listed in the top five.

DeLay is touted to be the most effective Majority Leader since the days when Democrats ruled. He has had the skills to resists and thwarts the Democrats' agenda. Since he continues to win re-election, Democrats are trying to take him down using their scandal machine.
DeLay is being excoriated by the Democrats because some of his trips, including one to Russia in 1997, appear to have been paid for at least in part by lobbyists, albeit through a non-profit organization. DeLay has said he had no knowledge of lobbyists funding such trips, which might have violated House ethics rules. Actually, the Democrats appear to be greater violators than DeLay and Republicans and the Democrats should look in the mirrow at all the fingers pointing back at Democrats.

If the Democrats are serious about "exposing" ethically questionable travel, there is plenty of data to investigate. For example:

· 127 + travel reports filed by members listed no destinations.
· 20 reports listed no trip sponsor.
· 106 reports listed no cost figures.
· 51 reports showed no purpose for the travel.
· 4 reports failed to show any travel dates.

Some members, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, has rushed to file amended reports after a Washington Post reporter inquired about it. She failed to report a 2004 trip to South Korea. She filed a full disclosure form "a few hours after the newspapers' inquiry" and sent a note to the ethics committee which said, "I did not know I was supposed to file these forms and I apologize for its lateness."

When comparisons with other Members' trips on the same dates for the same purposes are reviewed, one can readily visualize that:

· Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee's $10,667 trip in April 2002 probably was to Botswana.
· Representative Cal Dooley's $6,101 trip in November 2003 probably was to Costa Rica.
· Representative Jeff Flake's $1,520 tip in September 2001 was probably to Cuba.
· Representative Hilda Solis' $1,489 trip in February 2001 was probably to Mexico City.
· Representative Chris John's $2,385 trip in November 2000 was probably to Orlando, FL.
· Senator Conrad Burns' $2,396 trip in January 2002 was probably to Las Vegas, NV.

On 27 April 05, the House Republicans decided to rescind a rules change they has pushed through in January that led to the shutdown of the ethics committee, possibly clearing the way for consideration of charges against DeLay and others. The House Ethics Committee had not been operating because Democrats would not allow it to meet following the rules change that required an ethics complaint be dismissed if the evenly-divided panel deadlocked. With the dirt out on the Democrats, I doubt that the Democrats will proceed with serious ethics investigations.

Most Common Destination and Number of Visits
Order Destination # of Trips
1. USA 4,221
2. Mexico 131
3. Israel 131
4. Not specified 127
5. Italy 100

Organizations Spending Most

1. Aspen Institute $2,897,602
2. Ripon Society $694,042
3. American Israel Education Foundation $580,829
4. Int'l Management and Development Institute $525,406
5. Assn of American Railroads $384,735

Organizations spending the most for congressional travel, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, were the Aspen Institute ($2,897,602) and the Ripon Society ($694,042), both ideologically liberal organizations.

This information is based on an article by Cal Thomas and an investigative report by Political Money Line.

Ford feelin' the heat!

2005-04-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

According to the previously mentioned "Draft Lincoln Davis" blog, they've already made the National Journal Hotline. Nashville has been buzzing with speculation over who would best beat Lincoln Davis (it is generally assumed that anybody but Corker could beat Ford).

Right now, the general consensus is Van would be the obvious choice as he is stronger statewide than the other candidates - as the real polling shows- and can beat Davis in his own district. Ed is counting on three time candidate Janice Bowling to pick up votes there, even though she was unable to convince 4th district voters she was a better option and got fewer votes than the Republicans above and below her on the ticket. Lincoln would beat Ed handily.

Corker might be able to squeak by in this scenario as the liberals would be less likely to vote for Davis than they would Ford and would need somebody to vote for.

If Davis does join the race, our Republican nominee may have a serious fight on their hands.

This scenario brings up the interesting prospect of finding a good Republican candidate for an open seat. There are a few names circulating about and nobody thinks Janice would pass up yet another shot. After endorsing Ed, Janice can kiss quite a bit of entrenched support goodbye. While I understand it is the state party's fault, the NRCC's fault, George W. Bush's fault, Van Hilleary's fault and probably God's fault that Janice could not convince a sufficient number of people to support her, many Republicans in the 4th District will likely decide to go with somebody that may have what it takes to garner the required support. Who that will be is a very good question.

NRO on Ford Jr.

2005-04-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200504280759.asp

TENNESSEE: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist isn't running for reelection, and Republicans stand a better-than-even chance of holding the seat. Their candidates currently include former congressman Ed Bryant, Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker, and Rep. Van Hilleary. Among Democrats, the favorite probably is congressman Harold Ford Jr. Bonus question: Does the rise of Sen. Barack Obama take some of the shine off Ford's bright-young-thing mojo?

I'd say so. Looks like the Dem's are beginning to agree.
http://draftlincoln.blogspot.com/

Ed Bryant- shades of gray.

2005-04-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

After continuously touting a poll commissioned by Harold Ford Jr. as an indicator of success in the Republican Primary, Ed has continued his campaign of misleading supporters and the public at large by emailing articles and quotes from people that took Ed at face value - assuming like so many of used to, that he is an honest man.

Either Ed is ignorant of basic statistical sampling practices and has ignored the repeated requests of voters to set the record straight, or he is purposely misleading us.

In summary, Ed is either ignorant or lying. Neither characteristic should be found in our next Senator.

The only polling Ed has commissioned for the primary shows him right where Van's polling says he is -waaay behind. If the rumors are true that his money is drying up these attempts at deceiving the public will seem even more desperate.

Holy Moly! Bryant Calling the Kettle Black, again...

2005-04-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lt. Governor Wilder supporter Ed Bryant came out swinging (flailing?) at Corker again today. We have all been amused at the scorched earth route Ed has been taking while trying to play the opposite "Statesman" role simultaneously.

Apparently Bryant has his undies in a twist over the recent hire of Chris LaCivita, one of the master-minds in the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth Campaign. Bryant has followed the lead of famed groups like MoveOn.org in bad mouthing Chris and doing his best to discredit one of the best Republican media guys in the country. Should Ed be worried about Chris working for Corker? Oh yeah. Ed doesn't stand a chance against Corker running the juvenile campaign he is running now.

Bryant goes on to blame Chris for the misconduct of one of his regional subordinates in the '02 campaign basically saying Chris was his boss and the responsibility is his. If we want to continue in that mind set, Senator Bill Frist was Chris' boss at the time and Bryant should lump him in as well. How far are they willing to go to beat up Chris?

If Bryant wants to run a scorched earth campaign, we can't stop him. But he needs to drop the charade of being a decent guy and admit to being the double talking politician his current campaign has proven himself to be. The first couple incidents it was easy enough to blame on his inexperienced campaign team. Now we have to assume Ed Bryant is either calling the shots and wants to run this campaign or is out to lunch. Neither scenario is good for the Party.

If Chris is responsible for the misdeeds of a subordinate, so is Frist.
If Bryant wants to beat up Bob Corker for planning a scorched earth campaign at some later date, he should back away from his current scorched earth campaign of distortion, double talk and innuendo.

Frist Doing the Right Thing

2005-04-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

It looks as if Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist M.D. is determined to do the right thing concerning judicial filibusters. If he is able to push this through, I think he will gain a great deal of respect nationwide. He had been seen as somewhat soft or perhaps unwilling to hold a firm stance in the face of relentless Democrat rhetoric, but this issue seems to be disprooving that altogether.
http://tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/05/03/68651433.shtml?Element_ID=68651433

Bryant Supporters Explanation for Ed's Wilder Support

2005-04-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

In response to the uproar over Bryant's repeated refusal to support his Party's nominee against Lt. Gov. John Wilder for the last decade or so, local Bryant apologists have begun saying it is an act of loyalty to the man that helped promote him for the position of U.S. Attorney.

I would have never made that connection, but that is what we are hearing from Bryant supporters. We all appreciate loyalty, and this is an argument that Burchett and Williams used to pacify some of their constituents, so maybe it will work for Ed.

But, when Burchett was claiming loyalty, many current Bryant supporters were claiming he had been bought. Guess they better start apologizing to Tim and Mike - unless it is suddenly ok...

In an effort to ease the process, here are the appropriate contact numbers:

Tim Burchett (615) 741-1766 Mike Williams (615) 741-2061

You guys have some calls to make.

The Politics of Poverty

2005-04-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

One of the better articles on the subject that I've seen this year:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/ac/

Implicit in compassionate conservatism was the epochal paradigm shift that
is now all but explicit. Taken together, compassionate conservatism's elements
added up to a sweeping rejection of liberal orthodoxy about how to help the
poor, which a half century's worth of experience had discredited. If you want to
help the poor, compassionate conservatives argued, liberate them from dependency
through welfare reform; free their communities from criminal anarchy through
activist policing; give them the education they need to succeed in a modern
economy by holding their schools accountable; and let them enjoy the rewards of
work by taxing their modest wages lightly--or not at all.

Ethics Question- When is it ok to be gray?

2005-04-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

The talk at the coffee shop last night was mostly split between the Wilder/Bryant problem and the passage of the ethics bill. The conversation moved into the gray area of political spin -namely, where do you draw the line in order to maintain a respectable ethical standard?

Our conversations usually aren't very heated as this group of friends are friends first and political junkies second. Represented were several Van supporters, two leaning towards Ed and one convinced that Corker could not lose since he will out fundraise the others period, and likely by a large margin.

The question we kicked around most was whether it seemed hypocritical for someone that does not miss an opportunity to tout his faith and push the following vision of himself:

His quiet, but firm demeanor mirrors the stature and statesmanship
Tennessee expects from her U.S. Senators. (from Ed's website)

then allow and even push his his supporters to trumpet the result of Harold Ford Jr.'s latest poll -which has no bearing on the Republican Primary at all. Is it proper to use something of that nature to advance your cause when you know it is not accurate for your purposes? Is it proper to use your media contacts to amplify those inaccuracies then have your supporters email the stories all over the place? That's hard to judge, I mean really, this is politics and politics isn't for sissies, but portraying yourself as a stand-up, do good moral leader then acting like a Ford probably will only diminish your reputation and appeal. While none of us felt like saying Ed is "bearing false witness," as a group we felt is was beneath him and a little slimy. The good news is, such actions this early on make it easier to define the character of his campaign.

The Tennessee Journal
The Weekly Insider's Newsletter on Tennessee Government, Politics, and Business
Vol. 31. No.15April 11, 2005

"A poll conducted March 22-24 for Ford by Global Strategy Group found him in close races with three Republican contenders in hypothetical general election matchups -- all within the margin of error. A memo detailing parts of the poll was given to Democratic fundraisers. But it also fell into the hands of the Ed Bryant campaign, which circulated it publicly because it included a GOP primary question that showed Bryant leading with 35% to Van Hilleary's 26% and Bob Corker's 15%. Beth Harwell wasn't included in the survey. Of course it was a general election poll, and the sub-sample of Republicans totaled only 190. Perhaps a bigger problem than the sample size though, was that the poll was geographically stratified for the general election rather than the primary. About a third of the voters in the last non-presidential general election, in 2002, were in East Tennessee. About 47% of Republican primary voters were."

Buzz of the Day- Bryant / Wilder Connection

2005-04-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Didn't see this one coming, and it is taking a long time for me to push the "publish" button because I wish it weren't true. It is too important to ignore though, so here we go. This is all over Nashville today. Apparently, Ed Bryant has a history of not supporting Republican opposition to Lt. Gov. Wilder. I know he was not publicly supporting Ron Stallings, but if the buzz is true, he turned down several opportunities to support a popular, well qualified Republican in favor of the guy seen in the infamous "pickin' and grinning" video clip made famous by Steve Gill. If you can't support the G.O.P in your stronghold, why should we expect you to shake things up in D.C.? Fair question, I think.

I can't imagine the West Tennesseans that worked so hard for Ron and his predecessors will be very pleased as details emerge. For that matter, anyone bothered by the actions of "turncoats" Tim Burchett (R+/-) and Mike Williams(R+/-) for not electing a Republican Lt. Governor after the historic Republican State Senate takeover should at least take a moment to consider this.

It's always best to look at these things from different angles. One theory is that Ed's reasoning was probably that he didn't want to offend the Democrats in his old district by supporting his Party's candidate since he would be running soon and will be using those folks as part of his base vote. Luckily for so many State Reps and Senators, Van and Beth did not abandon the Party. They were all over the place working to build the base and elect Republicans. Granted, Ed did attend events in East TN with other GOP notables. I'm pretty sure Corker only leaves Chattanooga to campaign for himself, although he has sent money.

It is not fair to say that if Ed had stood up for a fellow Republican, we would be calling Ron Ramsey "Lt. Governor" now, but it is fair to ask why he chose not to support his party's candidate publicly like so many others in and out of the district did. Until I see some proof, I choose not to believe that Ed actively campaigned against the Republican candidates, but he certainly opted not to help. This is definitely a "say it ain't so" moment for the Party in general.

Somebody should call Ed's campaign office and ask them why Ed has never supported the Republican running against Wilder. It is a fair question that needs to be asked. In an area where Ed is strongest, he decided not to help. If it turns out that he was actively working against the G.O.P. it will be a major blow to his senatorial efforts. Might help him in Knoxville though...

If the buzz is not true, I hope Ed clears it up soon and I will be very, very pleased to say it wasn't correct. We need to be able to depend on our leaders to support the base, our ideals and the Party. Part of that is helping others of likemind rise to leadership positions so they too can take up the banner and fight the good fight with you.

--an email just came in simply saying Ed didn't like Ron Stallings or the others personally, and chose to use his time elsewhere. I think that would be easier for me to understand, although Ron Stallings is a great guy and would have been a noteworthy Senator, not to mention the benefit of retiring Wilder.

Hopefully, Ed Bryant will address this issue so we can put it to bed early.

Update: Apparently, this is old news. Don't know why it is just now coming to the attention of the political class in Nashville, but according to Jeff Ward at TeamGOP.org, this was known last summer- rather surprising that it wasn't mentioned then. Jeff took the time to talk about this with Ron Stallings:

I spoke with my friend Ron Stallings today and told him what was going on, Ron told me that he"understood Ed's neutral position in my race, I don't have any hurt feelings at all.
He [Ed Bryant] just did not want to work against Wilder."

http://www.teamgop.org/blog/

It is an interesting read. I agree with the statement that you can't compare Ed apples to apples with Burchett or Williams, but the gripe (as I have heard it) was that if Ed had supported Ron or the Republican candidates before him, the Burchett/Williams debacle may never have happened. The assumption being Ed could have put them over the top and helped retire Wilder. Don't know if that is true, but if Ed is as strong in West TN as his people say he is, it could well be.

This type of behavior is what makes it so hard for the Party to recruit good candidates. Why go through the pains of running for office if the "Republican" star in your area can't be bothered to help? Can you justify inaction at home by saying he worked elsewhere or that, "President Bush didn't get involved in that race either...?"

An Opportunity To Make A Lasting Change In TN Politics.

2005-04-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Memphis, like most urban areas, has been largely controlled by the Democrat machine for years. For a number of reasons, mainly class envy and fear monograms by the Dem's, urban areas continually elect Democrats and continually blame Republicans for their plight. I must admit, the Dem's are pro's when it comes to conning their constituents.

If urban areas want to see a change, they must start by electing leaders with new ideas. The common street definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Luckily, many people are waking up to this fact. The Ford scandals are helping to shine a light on it in Memphis as is a fantastic Republican candidate for State Senate in Memphis - Mary Ann McNeil. They are holding a special election in May to replace retiring Dem, Roscoe Dixon.

McNeil is a proven administrator who holds a masters degree in education from
the University of Memphis. Her career in teaching in both city and county
schools culminated in her role as Principal at Crosswind Elementary in
Collierville where she spent 10 years. As such she received the PTAs Tennessee
Outstanding Principal Award in 2003 and the Life Achievement Award from the
national PTA. Since retiring she has worked as a school improvement consultant
with the Tennessee Department of Education. As a dedicated leader, McNeil has
served as a member of the Collierville Chamber of Commerce, Leadership
Collierville, the Brooks Museum League, Republican Women of Purpose, the Shelby
County Education Association. (from Shelby County GOP website)

What they did not mention is the fact that Mary is a black woman that knows the needs and the people of the district intimately. The fact that we have a strong, well respected conservative black woman running for state senate in an urban area is cause to celebrate. Bringing a positive change to the district requires new ideas and new leadership. We have that and more in Mary Ann McNeil. What a great opportunity to help build a stronger state. Whether you and I agree on anything else, this is one issue all Republicans can and should support. Please contact the Shelby County Party at the link below and help elect Mary Ann McNeil to the State Senate.

A couple more Republican Senators and we might actually have the majority...

http://www.shelbygop.org/wordpress/?p=96

Hilleary Comments On Ford's Poll Numbers

2005-04-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

In a recent email sent to supporters (found here), Van took the time to set the record straight on the Ford poll Ed Bryant and his staffers have been heralding. I'm more than a little surprised that Ed would try to pull a fast one like this, but I did notice after reviewing his statements that he has been careful to label the poll as being commissioned by Ford. Still, his supporters don't seem to mind the farce and continue to prop up a false poll, they most likely aren't familiar with polling practices so I won't hold them accountable. The only poll recently taken with proper weighting to be relevant in the Republican Primary shows Van with a commanding lead.

For what it is worth, I admire Van for taking the high road here and not taking shots at Ed for propagating what is basically a lie. It could be considered gray and I guess Ed justifies it by saying he is just referencing a poll and leaves the part out about it not being anywhere near statistically relevant to our primary. That just doesn't seem like the principled guy I thought Ed to be, it seems dishonest and deceitful.

Here are the most important parts of the email for anyone not clicking the link above:

And finally, in case you missed it, just to set the record straight....
The Bryant campaign has been touting a recent general election poll done by Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. The poll was taken of a sampling of general election voters that may have shown meaningful information for any future general election match-up, but did not render meaningful information for a primary election match-up, even though the Bryant campaign has suggested otherwise. The sample of general election voters, when used for a Republican Primary result, under-sampled East Tennessee, over-sampled West Tennessee, and had an overall sample of Republican voters so small that no statistically sound or meaningful result could be rendered for the Republican Primary on a statewide level.
The Tennessee Journal noted that in its April 11 issue, calling attention to the fact that the Ford poll was weighted for the general election - which gives East Tennessee only one-third of the vote contribution - and was not weighted for the primary election, in which East Tennessee would get nearly half the vote. That incorrect weighting would naturally reward a West Tennessee candidate.The paragraph below is excerpted from The Tennessee Journal.
The Tennessee Journal
The Weekly Insider's Newsletter on Tennessee Government, Politics, and Business
Vol. 31. No.15April 11, 2005

"A poll conducted March 22-24 for Ford by Global Strategy Group found him in close races with three Republican contenders in hypothetical general election matchups -- all within the margin of error. A memo detailing parts of the poll was given to Democratic fundraisers. But it also fell into the hands of the Ed Bryant campaign, which circulated it publicly because it included a GOP primary question that showed Bryant leading with 35% to Van Hilleary's 26% and Bob Corker's 15%. Beth Harwell wasn't included in the survey. Of course it was a general election poll, and the sub-sample of Republicans totaled only 190. Perhaps a bigger problem than the sample size though, was that the poll was geographically stratified for the general election rather than the primary. About a third of the voters in the last non-presidential general election, in 2002, were in East Tennessee. About 47% of Republican primary voters were."

While I probably would have been a little bit angrier than the Hilleary Campaign at the Bryant spin machine, I appreciate Van being a statesman. Ultimately, we rely on our leaders to be honest and forthright with us. I'm glad we can count on Van for that.

Will The TN Gubernatorial Candidates Please Stand Up?

2005-04-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

The clock is ticking and we don't have anyone to run against Bredesen for governor. Sure, there are rumors that he will vacate to run for Senate but if the other rumors about his Presidential/Vice-Presidential aspirations are true, the Senate has proven itself a poor platform from which to run. Hopefully, Bill Frist will break that streak (although he will be out of office at that point), but it is unlikely a freshman Democrat Senator could.

Right now the the only people really talking about a potential run are Scooter Clippard and Jim Henry. I don't know Scooter, but I hear he is a likeable and wealthy guy. He better be very wealthy to run a statewide race with no name recognition. Jim Henry is another likeable guy, but I really don't think he is known statewide to a large degree. His biggest negatives are ties to the income tax movement and his decision to not actively support the nominee when he lost the Republican primary in '02. There are large pockets of grassroots supporters that give him a healthy portion of blame for Bredesen being elected. His positives are he fights hard and mean ( required against Bredesen I think) and knows more about state government than most of our existing legislators. If he and Van could have a meeting of the minds he might be able to pull it off. I just wonder if he could win when so many conservative grassroots folks are upset with him and Bredesen probably has not offended the squishy moderates that elected him. Jim would be a good governor I think, but it would take a terrific effort to get there.

Beth Harwell would be a fantastic choice, if she could be persuaded to run. In addition to being a very well spoken, well educated woman, she just epitomizes the Republican Party today. I'm not aware of any baggage from previous campaigns and her positives are enviable. It would take a big effort to raise her name ID, but that is what campaigns are for. It just seems like a good idea to me. It is easy to see Beth leading the charge for a House majority, a real Senate majority and to take back the Governor's seat. We are overdue for a Republican Revolution and Beth Harwell seems the likeliest to lead the crusade.

I don't think Ed or Van should consider leaving the Senate race to run against Bredesen. This won't win me brownie points with either, but I don't think Bredesen has screwed up enough yet for Hilleary to be seen as the white knight, particularly since Bredesen has successfully implemented many of Van's ideas. Tenncare will be interesting, but I'm not convinced it will get big enough. Ed seems better suited to legislative activities than to executive and I think he has said that himself. That is not meant as a slight for those sensitive souls offended earlier. I'm trying to play nice. Ed would be a very good governor and would be well loved and could help redeem the sins of the last republican administration. I'd love to see Van as governor. His ideas and passion for improving education and healthcare would be a tremendous plus for our sate, but I just don't think this is the time.

There are a couple other names out on the grapevine. Mark Norris was often mentioned until the last month or two. Apparently he has put an end to the talk and has no intention of running. I'm hoping Mark has a long political career in TN. We need good guys like him.

Ron Ramesy would be a good candidate but he has said no so many times he may have talked himself out of it. I don't really know much about Ron other than he is leading the ethics probe against Ford and is said to be a decent man that is fighting the good fight.

Just my opinions... ;)

Thoughts on the SEC

2005-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

The BFB blog seems hell bent on magnifying mole-hills in regard to the SEC and Hilleary's role as National Committeeman. This one is particularly funny since 99.9995% or more Tennessee Republicans don't know what the SEC is or does. I personally think the SEC needs rejuvenation - particularly after watching their glacial pace at taking action when that racist schmuck snuck on the GOP ballot for congress out in west TN and their efforts with the RINO senators backing Wilder over a well qualified Republican. There are, however, a bunch of great people on the SEC and I believe the group is moving in the right direction overall.

I understand Ryder has has his undies in a twist since there was resistance to re-writing the party constitution to allow him to serve more than the allotted time as committeeman and I also understand Ryder is backing Bryant. I'm not saying Ryder is responsible for the rumors or the groundswell (read mole-hill) that the BFB guys are trying to make out of this, but it seems that this stems from a few people close to him. Personally I think Ryder is a good guy and has done great work for the party, but you can't just go changing the rules anytime they don't suit you.

What I am saying is that the position of National committeeman is not a vehicle to drive dollars into a Senate campaign particularly in a contested primary. Anyone that believes that has not done their homework. It is a position in which you can help shape the national agenda and strengthen the party as a whole. I suspect that is why Van ran for and was elected to the position. A dear friend on the SEC told me this whole thing was silly and most members were blindsided and a bit taken aback by the accusations from the Bryant camp. I'm under the impression that this is actually helpful to the Hilleary team because it puts Ed in a bad light.
The SEC as a groups has historically done just about anything to avoid conflict or controversy and injecting a trial balloon like this doesn't seem likely to win many new supporters.

So far, there has been no official word from Bryant on this. Kinda makes you wonder if he cares. If he doesn't, and there is no legitimate reason why he should that I have been able to discern, it seems disingenuous for him to allow his supporters to make such silly accusations. I've talked to a few friends about this looking for a reason for Van to back away and I really can't find anything. There may well be a good reason, but right now it just seems like sour grapes from a few people that didn't get their way when they wanted to re-write existing rules to suit their purposes.

The reality of this race is that it will cause division, big and small, in the party. It is fair to say that Ed and Van are well liked by the vast majority of the party and we now have to choose. Those of us that have chosen to be vocal about the decision will meet resistance from the opposing side. Ultimately, Ed and Van will come together to support whoever the nominee is as will their supporters. I really believe that. The problem we face is, how do we actively support our chosen candidate without giving the dem's an excessive amount of ammo? My answer to that is to decide now to come together and support the conservative nominee.

In the governor's race last time there was no coming together after the primary. Jim Henry didn't make any effort to clean up his mess and it didn't look like Van reached out that much. I'm no insider, but that was the impression I was under at the time. I was in Knoxville then and it seemed to me that Bredesen's work was largely done for him by Jim Henry. All he had to do was continue and amplify the rather mean and baseless attacks Henry started and write himself a few million dollar checks and viola. More on Jim later. I actually like him.

There must be some friction now between Ed and Van, but I really can't see either one not coming together to support the winner in the primary. Ed's reputation has always been that of a quiet, good hearted fellow and I can't believe he will let his media guy go too much farther in their attempts to position Ed as an aggressive campaigner. Van has a history of not using negative information about his opponents, preferring to take the statesman route instead.
(I know this because I dated a Van staffer at one time - that's all the personal info you get today- and no, I'm not currently single so quit asking... :) )

Anyway, this SEC stuff just doesn't seem like Ed to me. He must know the limitations of the position and it is hard to imagine him being concerned about it. Either way, I'd guess the attention benefits Van since most of the few people currently paying attention seem to be thinking the effort to remove Van is unseemly and unwarranted. Time will tell, but I suspect VH would have resigned the post anyway due to time constraints of an active Senate campaign, full work load and most importantly, family life.

Thanks for visiting. It's just my opinion, relax. ;)

Will TN Political Blogs Make A Difference In 2006

2005-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting occurrences since starting this blog is a more realistic understanding of the the blogging world and who lurks therein. I started this blog on a whim and seem to have upset the grand order of things. It is really fascinating how easy it is to upset the conjectural navel gazers that make up the majority of TN conservative blogs. My opinion of most bloggers before starting this was not really that high, my fascination was with the amount of buzz a blogger could generate having no real knowledge base or expertise. We have kids in their mid 20's quoting Sun Tzu and 50+ year old seasoned politicos worrying about it. How the hell did that happen?

Can the "blogosphere" change the course of the political game in 2006? Yes, I think it can, and here is why:

Politicians and their staffers, former staffers and wannabe staffers are very paranoid people as a whole. They assume if they are reading something there must be thousands of others doing the same. This is FALSE in all but a few rare exceptions. It is the buzz and spin from the politicos that give blogs their power. Major catch 22.

"Did you see what so and so said about Rep., Sen., Candidate X?"
"No, I'll go see..." "Hey Staffer Jane, look at this...", "Oh, no..."

Suddenly the "Plaza" is all a buzz over what blogger X said. The reality is only a few nervous politicians and a few bored bloggers have actually read it and give a darn about it.

Most of our bloggers have little stats links that let us see the traffic they get every day, not very clever if you want to act like a bigshot. Very few blogs get more than a couple hundred hits a day. There are obvious exceptions, but most are pretty low volume operations that generate their traffic via links on other low volume sites. It seems very much like an unsuccessful Amway operation. A bunch of would be journalists interlinking and propping each other up through daily visits to see what blogger copied and pasted which interesting article from Drudge so they can mention it and paste a link into their blog, earn brownie points and hope against hope they get a link back. A tremendous waste of electrons in my opinion, but hey, if it keeps them off the streets between Star Trek Conventions (thanks to Jeff Ward for that one), so much the better.

That really cracks me up. I recently was at a College Republican meeting where the bulk of the conversation, before and after was "how many hits did your blog get today" and "if only I could get a link from ..." If these are the guys shaping the political atmosphere in Tennessee, we are all in trouble. Nothing wrong with blogging or wanting to be popular for what you write, but just because somebody took 5 minutes to set up a blog does not make them an expert at anything- me included.

Can a blog be a powerful tool - absolutely, but the ability to share your navel ponderings doesn't mean you should -or that anyone else will take you as seriously as you do. Most of the blog talk that I hear in my circles is poking fun at how serious some of these boys take themselves. I had no idea how true that was. I actually turned off the comments area of this site (once I was told how by a new friend) because of some rather spooky comments a couple visitors left. Some of these guys really should seek treatment :) push for the big dosage...

I suppose my point is, you should not be looking for hard news here or in in most blogs. This blog is an effort by one person with opinions and bias that dictate what I write ( not all that dissimilar from CBS, I suppose). If you want to base your political decisions on the opinion of file clerks, washed up political hacks, has-beens or someone you don't know from Adam or Eve then go right ahead. Doesn't seem like a smart thing to do to me.

My advice is simply to watch the candidates, speak with them when you can, do your research and go with your gut. Take the blogs seriously if you want, but keep in mind that the opinions you read could be coming from this guy. It is most likely worse...

Will the "blogosphere" change the course of the political game in 2006? Yes, I think it can, and here is how:

If the candidates blog it could be interesting and attract a significant audience.
If it does not attract and maintain a significant visitor base it should be discontinued. It is better not to start than start then stop. A daily candidate blog before July '06 is an inefficient use of time. Go weekly.

I find it hard to believe that unaffiliated blogs like mine or those of ex-staffer/volunteers will really play much of a role. There is just no reason to take us seriously or believe we know something that isn't in the mass media. It will be fun to launch the occasional salvo at the opposing team, but honestly we aren't breaking news by cutting and pasting articles from rural newspapers.

I agree with Bill Hobbs that certain candidates should blog. It is foolish to take time away from more important issues (i.e. fundraising), but if you can attract and maintain an audience you should be able to convert them into donors and voters.

There are certain personality types that just aren't dynamic enough for this medium. I suppose their managers could do it for them, but who really can get excited about that. I believe charismatic candidates can benefit greatly from this medium, but they typically are very aggressive in utilizing all media available.

I appreciate Hobbs' energetic promotion of the medium, and he is right to predict a glorious future for it -assuming those with a talent for writing do and the bulk of those that think they do but don't, refrain. There is a great chance that I fit in the latter group, but the beauty of this blog is, I didn't invite you :)

When I started this, I did not intend to spend this much time with it. Blogging can be a lot of fun and a good release from the daily grind. That said, I'm going to sign off now. I've got to arrange some black helicopter flyovers near certain Nashville law firms and Memphis shanties.

I know, I should not be enjoying this quite so much....

Beth Harwell

2005-04-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Some people seem to think this is an anti-Bryant blog. It certainly is not meant to be. In fact, if it is anti-anything it would be anti-losing Frist's seat to a democrat. I've obviously got a strong view on who can do the best job and that seems to offend those with opposing views. Fine by me.

Since so many people seem to care about what I write at the moment, it seems like a good time to mention a candidate I adore - Beth Harwell. She is a very knowledgeable and effective spokesperson for the party and has been dueling Dem's in Nashville for almost 20 years. Tennessee Republicans' would be very wise to persuade her to run for Governor. Her bio is amazing, she is a fantastic public speaker and championed the November conservative victories in TN.

With a well funded liberal and two former congressmen it will be all but impossible to gain traction in the Senate race. I believe Beth would make a fantastic Senator, but we truly need somebody like her to oppose Bredesen. I don't want to come across as trying to clear the field, and it must seem that way to some but Beth just embodies what we need to win that race and then govern effectively.

From a logical standpoint, it will take Beth quite a bit more money than Van or Ed to run an effective race, she just isn't as well known. Not quite Corker money, but she will need considerably more than Ed or Van. Corker has to raise at least twice as much as Van just to counter the negatives he has built up.

Beth has a great fundraiser and will likely post impressive numbers once they report, but it is just difficult to imagine them being able to out raise Van and Ed by any significant margin.

The tactic that wins it for her is Ed and Van beat the stuffing out of Corker and themselves (maybe not so far fetched judging by the stir the BFB guys and I have created the past few days), but it seems like a very long shot. Check her out at www.bethharwell.org

If you agree that we need someone like Beth to take back the Governor's mansion please drop her a note. Whatever she decides, Tennessean's are blessed to have people like Beth Harwell willing to serve us.

I really do believe that once Ed or Van has a significant financial advantages the other will back out. I know it sounds odd, but I think it will happen. For what it is worth, if it is Van on the short end of the stick, I'll see if the BFB guys have room for one more :)

Party Division

2005-04-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at the number of emails I recieved after such a short period online. The encouragement is appreciated. There were, however, two unimpressed individuals concerned that if we (conservatives)continued to point out the liberal/moderate positions of former mayor Corker, we would split the party and allow a democrat to take the seat.

B.S.

I think Corker will do as much for the Republican Party in Tennessee as Don Sundquist did. Speaking of which, anyone want to make odds on Corker's name being thrown about during all the forthcoming Sundquist indictments/hearings? Rumors at the "Plaza" are rampant, but this one seems to have staying power.

I vote partyline and would probably force myself to vote for Bob if he won the nomination, but I'd expect Sundquist type results.

Looks like the Blogging for Bryant guys are chasing their tails trying to figure out who I am. Kinda funny! I am rather amused with the attention, but sad that they are impuning somebody I've never met. Not so smart guys -pun intended.

I would not have a problem casting a ballot for Ed should he prevail in the primary. I think he is a good decent man with honorable intentions. But, since we have a choice, I'd rather choose somebody that can make a difference and fight for Tennessee values. Ed just doesn't strike me as a leader. I'm sure he is a great lawyer, but he is truly lacking in the charisma department. Based on his record in the House, I'm not so certain he would be able to overcome the liberal spin and affect positive change in the judiciary as he wants to do. I hate to back track, but the Lewisnky foul-up is evidence in how Ed handles high profile national issues. He certainly was not alone in that debacle,but his actions did play a major role.

I do need to admit that the rumor I alluded to regarding the current Bryant team being responsible for the BFB site was not quite correct. One of the authors outed himself as a former staffer and future campaign volunteer. Between this guy and Mrs. Bowling, Ed is really attracting a class team. I know, that was rude, and I apologize. I wish their actions didn't reflect so badly on a man I have true respect for, but the reality is that they do.

Finally, I would like to offer condolences to any other people the Bryant team decides to smear because of my decision to speak my mind.