Lamar may be a mushy moderate, but replacing him with a Democrat would make things worse, especially if it came down to whether Harry Reid continued to be majority leader.
If Joe Carr wins the nomination, he would win the general easily. There’s no need to settle for Lamar(!).
Just about any candidate with an "R" next to their name has a "reasonably strong chance" of winning in November. This is Tennessee we're talking about, it's become increasingly one-party Republican in statewide races over the past decade.
In theory a RAT could win, but even the media's favorite charmatic, slick-talking, telegenic, moderate-southern-version-Obama, Harold Ford Jr., couldn't win an open senate seat against mediocre Republican Bob Corker in 2006, an otherwise great year for RATs.
The rat candidates are penniless nobodies, they didn’t bother to even find a real candidate, unlike the rats in MS and SC who found candidates that could theoretically win in the right circumstances.
And just as importantly, Carr is a solid candidate who would beat a real rat candidate. So it’s not an issue.
It’s a shame all those other Republicans are on the ballot, 6 of them, none with any money. Yet if each gets even half of a % point, that could be the difference.
There’s an insane crapload of nobody Independents on the General election ballot too. It must be too easy to get on the ballot in TN.
Yeah, w/o Lamar, the Dems would have to conjure up another vote to confirm the likes of Eric Holder & Sonia Sotomayor (both got aye votes from Lamar!).
W/O Lamar, who will fill the void to push for an internet sales tax?
W/O Lamar, who will help cram Harry Reid’s amesty bill down our throats?
W/O Lamar, who will vote for cloture to cram Harry Reid’s gun control bill down our throats?
W/O Lamar, who will help secure billion dollar earmarks for Mitch McConnell?