Posted on 12/22/2005 9:50:12 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
Latest poll shows conservative ex-Congressman Ed Bryant leading Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. by a 41% to 38% margin and conservative ex-Congressman Van Hilleary leading Ford by a 41% to 39% margin, but shows Ford leading RINO Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker by a 42% to 36% margin.
Ed Bryant seems to be the logical choice, particularly from a geographic point of view. Tennessee had a long tradition of electing one Senator from western Tennessee & one from eastern Tennessee. Lamar Alexander is from the eastern portion of the state. Ed Bryant is the only GOP candidate from western Tennessee, and has name I.D. in the northwestern portion of the state (Jackson), which is a swing area politically. It also helps that he's the most conservative candidate in the race.
These two factors combine to make Bryant the best choice both ideologically and politically.
Ok here you go then try these reasons. Like I said I live here and these were news articles I remember when they happened. Lamar Alexander's Skeleton Closet What got him elected was voters with very short memories and being a former Bush SR Cabinet Member. You don't live in the city that got stuck with the Whittle Communications building, The US Pavilion, the Sunsphere, a debt that our grandkids will pay on because of it, etc. Alexander had some very questionable deals. His association with the Butcher Brothers among them.
So what do I know about politics? Well let's put it this way. If those banks had not failed Bill Clinton likely would not have ever been POTUS but neither would had Lamar. So guess who was being readied for a political career? Hint Alexander defeated him once and got his campaign financial support for the second term as governor. Local, state, & regional politics, had a few key persons pulling the puppet strings in both parties.
What you don't know is during the early 1980's both parties shafted this area with questionable deals.
The site you linked to is straight out of the Michael Moore playbook. Absolutely nothing but inuendo and guilt by association nonsense.
If you don't like the guy, fine. But his voting record and statements as a Senator have been fine with me, and you are gonna have to do a lot better then that to actually convince me that there is anything but political sniping going on here. You know the criticism is worthless when they start attacking his flannel shirt.
Like I said before Bryant should have had Alexanders Senate Seat and George W Bush was one of the biggest reasons he didn't get it.
It was news during the mans brief stay in Tennessee. I remember reading the stuff in what was then a CONSERVATIVE Knoxville news paper. Alexander associated with a lot of persons who took Knoxville to the cleaners. Some were Dems some were GOP. Somehow some way though the taxpayer always got to pick up the cost like the Worlds Fair, The two major bank failures {he was governor then BTW} and it was the feds and not the state who stepped in, The Whittle Building, the Sunsphere, the US Pavilion and had you ever seen it the White Elephant as we locals called it was a useless ugly monstrosity that was an eyesore for years to come.
BTW if you ever go through downtown Knoxville on I-40 and wonder what that big ugly copper colored ball on top of a tower is? It's a shrine to political arrogance!!! It's been there since 1982 and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
1. What the heck does Sundquist have to do with Lamar?
2. No, he's not. All Alexander had to do was enter the primary, and the seat was his. A former Governor, former Presidential candidate is going to beat a 4 term congressman every time.
Didn't read the article did you? Sundquist-R will go down in history as being Tennesse's second worst governor second only to a clemency & pardons selling felon governor. Sundquist was about a Republican governor being a liberal. He was loved so much by the Democratic Party they ran wallflower candidates against him. Alexander like George Bush endorsed Sundquist policies. When you consider who to vote for see who's backing them and who they back as well.
It would not surprise me one bit if in the next few months Sundquist decides to run for Frist seat. And you know what? Bush will dump on Ed Bryant faster than you can say Long time Friend of Poppy.
2. No, he's not. All Alexander had to do was enter the primary, and the seat was his. A former Governor, former Presidential candidate is going to beat a 4 term congressman every time.
Had the White House not jumped the gun maybe not. Bryant could have defeated Clement. But if you'll recall the GOP hierarchy didn't give him a chance. Alexander was given the nod in DC before Fred even offically announced his retirement. The White House was behind Alexander in the primaries and we lost a good conservative because of it.
Who said Gore failed to carry his home state ? He carried the District of Columbia handily.
I agree. I find this poll totally credible--Ford will get 41%, and perhaps even a little more!
Big Red, I'm glad you've come around on seeing the light in Rhode Island. We've got to bring you around elsewhere.
Now, as for Corker... He most certainly is a RINO. As a Tennessean, I've watched his career with great interest. When he ran as an unknown developer against a (politically) unknown heart surgeon named Bill Frist, I voted for him. Why ? Because I thought Frist would have his ass handed to him by the horrid Jim "Daff-uh-Zit" Sasser.
After Corker lost the Senate nomination in '94, he went to work for the Scumquist Administration, where apparently he did such an "impressive" job, the DEMOCRATS tried to recruit him to run for Governor (yeah, that's when my RINO radar detector started to go off). He quit his job there and returned to Chattanooga where he ran for and won the Mayorship in 2001. He proceeded to do precisely zilch for the Republican party there and effortlessly helped a liberal Democrat succeed him just this past year.
His "firm" positions on issues remain nebulous, and he has never shown much affinity for Conservative positions while in the public eye (if anything, he seems to the LEFT of Lamar!). He is very much a Scumquistite RINO with NADA support of the real grassroots, and is attempting at the present time to buy a Senate seat he has demonstrated he is not entitled to as a Republican NOT in good standing.
No, the WH is not that out-of-touch with state politics (despite Lamar!). If Scummy had not jumped the shark and morphed into a slimy 'Rat, he would've been coronated for the Senate seat to conclude his career. They knew he was absolutely toxic (witness Dubya's people trying to keep him invisible during the '00 Presidential race -- Scummy could've cost Dubya TN).
I'm outraged ! Harold, Jr. should win the dead with 100% of the vote ! You should know the dead never let the other dead vote Republican.
Oh, Pharoah Phil is doing damage... To his own 'Rats. *snicker*
Although someone has already answered your reply, I'll answer it from another perspective.
Why do I call Lamar! a RINO ? Because he is. I've already explained that there are many qualifiers for RINO, and EVEN IF they supposedly vote Conservative, that doesn't mean they can't earn the title of RINO. McCain is a prime example of that.
I never considered Lamar!'s tenure as Governor to be terribly impressive (I was in grade school at the time). Perhaps the only success being his luring Nissan to build a plant here in Middle TN. As for his other accomplishments, he left the state Republican party a basketcase after his departure (only 3 of 9 U.S. House members, barely 1/3rd of the legislature, no Senate seats). Despite begging and pleading from many quarters, he absolutely refused to run for the Senate in 1984 when he was NEEDED to stop the AlGore vermin, the only Republican in Tennessee who could've done it (save the incumbent, Howard Baker, who got the nutty notion he would be the next President).
As was also pointed out about his no-accomplishment tenure as UT President and similar no-accomplishment tenure as US Education Secretary. He went around acting like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I've been similarly unimpressed with his tenure in the Senate, where his profile is virtually non-existent with Tennesseans. He became obsessed with the issue of taxing the internet/internet purchases, which was of particular importance to me. And after contacting him on the issue several times, refuting his points on his nonsensical press releases, he finally answered -- sending me the same f'ing press release to which I had refuted !
Witness, too, his recent johnny-come-lately schtick, all of a sudden, after years in the public eye -- even after PRESIDING over UT and the Dept of Ed, he "figgered out" that there is a "leftist presence" in education. Well, no $hit, Lamar! ! I knew that when I was being indoctrinated up to my eyeballs in it while in grade school when HE was Governor. I guess if I knew better at 12 when he was finishing his last year in office as Governor about the state of education than he did, that really tells you something.
I wanna show ya something from the 2000 election. This was an offical Bush 2000 press release. I have it in my hard drive but it can no longer be linked. Note the last paragraph and the lies in the lines underlined in bold before it about what Taxquist had done for us.
August 17, 1999
Tennessee Governor Becomes 22nd To Endorse George W. Bush
AUSTIN – Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist today endorsed Governor George W. Bush for President.
"I am pleased to join Governor Bush’s campaign and will work hard in Tennessee to help him win the nomination and the Presidency," said Governor Sundquist at a Nashville news conference. "I have known Governor Bush and his family for many years, and I know how important public service is to them."
"As a colleague of Governor Bush’s, I have watched him become one of the strongest governors in the country. His record in Texas is outstanding, and many of his innovative programs have served as models for the nation. Governor Bush is a proven leader who has the unique ability to unite people and accomplish success. I look forward to working with him and his team, as we gain support from Memphis to Mountain City for this dynamic leader," added Governor Sundquist.
"Governor Sundquist is a valued colleague and a good, close friend, and I am honored to have his support" said Governor Bush. "Don is devoted to welfare reform and better education for the people of Tennessee. His help will be important to my campaign in the Volunteer State. I intend to wage a vigorous, winning effort in Tennessee, not only in the primary, but the general election as well."
Re-elected to a second term last year with a record 69 percent of the vote, Governor Sundquist has initiated unprecedented reforms in Tennessee in the areas of welfare, government and crime, while placing a special emphasis on Tennessee children. Under his watch, the growth of government spending has been cut by more than half; the number of employable adults on welfare has been reduced by 60 percent; and Tennessee became the first state in the nation to connect every public school and library to the Internet and to offer universal health care coverage to all children.
Paid for by Bush for President, Inc.
I'm in your same House district (TN-5). As I'm sure you know, the Congressional districts are grotesquely gerrymandered by the 'Rat MINORITY in the legislature, depriving the GOP voting majority of their fair share. Cooper's district was drawn to maximize Democrat strength while corralling all of the GOP area voters into the uber-Republican 7th. Once we can unpack the 7th and obtain our rightful majority in line with our voting numbers, we should be able to have a 7 GOP to 2 'Rat majority, rather than the 5 'Rat to 4 GOP numbers we have now.
Unfortunately, we'll probably still have Cooper and Memphis will still elect a troglodyte (hence the 2 remaining House 'Rats).
Well, I'm not surprised. BTW, I was one of those 31% who voted for his Democrat opponent in 1998, John Jay Hooker. Hooker, shockingly, ran as a Conservative (and was bitterly opposed by the 'Rat party after he got the nomination), to the right of Scummy. I knew something had gone wrong with Scummy (whom I did vote for in '94) when just prior to the '98 campaign, he started to climb into bed with the 'Rat sleaze in the state, especially my crooked convicted felon ex-Nashville Sheriff, Fate Thomas. I never regretted my vote for Hooker, but I sure regretted my vote for Scummy (not to say I would've voted for my ex-Mayor, Pharoah Phil, HELL no !, but I would've voted 3rd party).
Rasmussen Poll? Is this a regional polling company?
Lamar! had to vastly outspend Bryant, who outperformed him in EVERY single campaign appearance. Lamar! was very tired during the campaign and had to keep repeating that he'd be a reliable vote for Dubya (which he hasn't been). Lamar! never had served in Congress and it was embarrassing watching him try to debate Bryant, who was extremely well-versed on the issues. Lamar! had the opportunity to serve in the Senate in 1984 when he was still important and he turned his back on the people of Tennessee. He didn't deserve a reward for giving us a Senator (and ultimately Vice-President) AlGore.
Yep a reverse Sundquist LOL. He's doing to them exactly what Sundquist did to the GOP for 8 solid years :>} I hate to say it but if a gun was pointed at my head to either vote for Phil or Taxquist I'd vote for Phil. But I did not vote for him and most likely won't. Still he is better than Taxquist.
BTW while you were in high school during Alexanders term I working for the 1982 Worlds fair LOL. You would not believe the dirty deals that went on. Every thing from gross Eminent Domain violations to persons being tossed out of apartments or asked to pay up to several hundred dollar a night in rent. People before the fair were going nuts taking out second mortgages to add apartments to their homes. Parts of I-75 and I-40 had huge Air Stream trailer parks you could see and none not a one had more than a dozen customers on any day of the fair. By the end of the first week of the fair it was obvious to all somebody made a big, big, mistake.
One guy I worked with in maintenance there was a reserve cop and the Electrician for the fair. He told me Jake and CH were going down very soon. Indeed he was right.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.