Posted on 07/11/2006 10:16:22 PM PDT by SmithL
Tennessee's rough-and-tumble Republican primary will roll into Knoxville on Thursday for a televised debate on the eve of early voting.
The campaign has turned bitter over the candidates' conservative credentials, with former U.S. Reps. Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant attacking former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker as a closet moderate.
The three GOP hopefuls will square off in a televised debate at West High School on Thursday. Early voting begins Friday morning.
The winner will face U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the November general election.
Hilleary and Bryant have hammered the well-funded Corker, alleging he has misrepresented his record and isn't a true conservative as he claims. Corker has cast himself as a businessman and his opponents as Washington insiders.
The Bryant and Hilleary camps also have assailed Corker in recent days for ducking a televised debate last week that was to have been aired over CBS affiliates statewide. Because of Corker's absence, the debate was cancelled.
"I think after the first debate he was a little punch-drunk," said Bryant spokesman Andrew Shulman.
Shulman said campaign advertisements mislead citizens about Corker's record. Hilleary spokeswoman Jennifer Coxe agreed.
"This debate's particularly important in this campaign because Bob Corker has spend millions of dollars trying to cover up his record of raising taxes, supporting abortion rights and having illegal immigrants at his work sites," Coxe said.
Corker has countered that he controlled government spending in Chattanooga, is anti-abortion and never hired illegal workers at his construction company, though he has said a subcontractor once did.
Corker spokesman Ben Mitchell said the debate offers Corker an opportunity to explain how his record makes him a better choice to carry the GOP banner in the fall.
"We trust the voters will see through the misleading and false accusations that are common from the Bryant and Hilleary campaigns," Mitchell said.
The News Sentinel; WBIR, Channel 10; WNOX NewsTalk 100; and the League of Women Voters are sponsoring Thursday's debate, which is open to the public. A panel of journalists - Hallerin Hill of WNOX, Robin Wilhoit of WBIR and Tom Humphrey of the News Sentinel - will ask questions of the candidates. Bill Williams of WBIR will be the moderator.
Three questions I'd ask:
1) What should the federal government do about Social Security?
2) What should the federal government do about public education?
3) Would you please give your opinion regarding the more controversial recent Supreme Court opinions, including Kelo, Raich, and Hamdan?
Problem is that I'm no longer sure which is worse, Ford or Corker.
Chattanooga Chafee Corker a "Closet Moderate" ? If only. He's a closet Democrat. If I didn't know better, I'd even think the Fords and the 'Rats made a deal with him to see that he bought the GOP nomination and provide our party with a flimsy opponent for November.
If you loved Kelo, you'll LOVE Chattanooga Chafee Corker.
Wow, did they actually discuss any important issues?
I mean anything even remotely specific? The way the article plays out, it seems you could just insert any names in it and have a good basis for any primary in the coutry.
Too much money, not conservative enough, he raises taxes, no he cuts taxes blah blah blah.
is this a winner take all race or will there be a run-off if no one reaches fifty percent?
If that winner is Bob Corker he can go pound sand he will not get elected on my vote. He's a Tax and Spend Liberal from a former Tax and Spend Republican RINO governor. This man was his Finance Commissioner. If Ford wins so be it. Maybe the GOP in DC will stop backing the most liberal ones early on like they did when Bryant tried to run against Goober {Big Government} Alexander. I am also reconsidering any future support of Congressman Zack Wamp due to his early on support of Corker. I expected better than that from Wamp. But Wamp is from his home area.
Not entirely a new set of problems. They gerrymandered my precinct into Ford's House district as we vote conservative and we are too few to register with the block vote we have been attached to.
So, you are a Ford supporter. Thats because if you don`t vote against Ford, you must therefore want him to win. That`s the real world effect if you don`t vote for the Republican nominee.
We must have a way of getting the attention of the RNC. If a lost election is the only way, then so be it.
Ed Bryant needs to run a more region-based campaign. "Chattanooga Chafee" will win his home town and Nashville, while Van Hilleary will win the Appalacian Mountain area of northeast TN. So Bryant needs to expand his appeal beyond conservativism and concentrate on establishing a base in western and west-central Tennessee.
So you are willing to let Harry Reid control the Senate because you want to send a message to the RNC. My grandcritters and the rest of who will suffer, thank you. You will also help make the Islamic terrorists really happy. Suppose you think Hillorat would send a super message when you help elect her POTUS.
But not voting in November makes that person an un-American pig who may as well use Arlington cemetery as a toilet.
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