Tennessee may send the losers packing (weasley stumping in churches)

The Commercial Appeal ^ | 2/8/04 | Richard Locker

[GailA]

Tennessee may send the losers packing By Richard Locker Contact February 8, 2004

NASHVILLE - Tennessee's moved-up Democratic presidential primary has become a close three-man race among retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and Sens. John Edwards and John Kerry, state party officials say.

Tuesday's balloting might winnow the field, although Clark and Edwards vow to press on against national front-runner Kerry regardless of the outcome.

Of the four major Democrats still in the national race, only former Vermont governor Howard Dean is bypassing Tennessee. He is focusing on Wisconsin's Feb. 17 primary that he acknowledges is make-or-break for his candidacy.

The Tennessee race "is tight. It's very close. We'll be in the wee hours of the morning trying to figure this one out," Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Randy Button said Friday while wrapping up plans for a big party-sponsored gala for all the candidates in Nashville this afternoon.

"Three men are coming in and there'll be one left standing. I think Tennessee will be the determining factor. I think somebody drops out and possibly two" after Tennessee, Button said. The campaigns don't see it quite so starkly. Avoiding the expectations game, none would outright predict a victory Tuesday, but aides of all three said each man is within striking distance of winning.

Kerry, D-Mass., on Saturday made his first campaign trip to Tennessee - a rally at Belmont University - since attending a campaign fund-raiser at the home of a Nashville supporter last April.

Clark will campaign this morning at several churches in Memphis.

[GailA]

Hey weasely don't you know we have seperation of church and state? And you can't legally campaign in churches?????????

[mewzilla]

If I were a parishoner at one of these chrches I'd be insulted and angry. The Dems do their level best to inhibit the practice of religion, then go to churches to pander for votes?! Render unto Caesar, Weasely.

[Cowboy Bob]

I've heard that several polls show Kerry in the lead in both Tennessee and Virginia.

If a Yankee Liberal (Kerry), can beat Edwards in the South, then what help would Edwards be on the ticket as VP?

[Guillermo]

Why is Dean still considered a "major candidate?"

Hasn't he won the same amount of primaries that Kucinich and Sharpton has?

[TheGeezer]

If a Yankee Liberal (Kerry), can beat Edwards in the South, then what help would Edwards be on the ticket as VP?

If Kerry can defeat Edwards by a large margin, you may have a point. But these are DemocRat core voting more for a candidate who seems at the moment able to defeat the President than anything else. Kerry's uber-liberalism is not an issue for these people, they are blind to it. As Kerry's pinker past descends into view on the political stage, Edwards' drawling mouth will become a valuable asset in the South, perhaps. Other pinker issues - especially Kerry's vote against the federal Defense of Marriage Act - will require an Edwards drawl to try to hide such mistakes.

Regards.

[jmaroneps37]

With all of the religions lil wessie claims to be part of, he has developed a clever way around violating IRS rules. He can politic in any house of worship he wants to and; if he gets called on it he can just say that he was praying.

[Kuksool]

I'm sure the ACLU and Americans United For Separation of Church & State will be issuing press releases condemning these acts. / SARCASM

[NewRomeTacitus]

Good find, Gail. It's obvious from the frequency of his commercials that Clark considers Tennessee to be a key state. Too bad he didn't know that anti-war rhetoric doesn't fly too well around the Volunteer State, especially from a former general. He's wasted his money (heh, heh).

[GailA]

The RATS in Memphis will vote as JUNIOR tells them to vote...his man hanoi john will get their vote. I hope the stigma of backing hanoi john will cling to JUNIOR.