[TN Governor candidate] Bumper sticker on Bryson bus: God is my co-pilot

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 8/12/6 | Tom Humphrey

[SmithL]

A new group has been set up in hopes of providing Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Bryson with divine assistance in his campaign.

The "Bryson Prayer Force" distributed an e-mail this week inviting Christian recipients to sign up and join 80 members in praying regularly for Bryson, his family and his campaign staff.

Suggested prayers are included, some linked to Bryson's 95-county campaign bus tour.

"Pray for an open heaven over Jim and his team in each Tennessee county they visit, that the gates of each county would open to him and his team, and that the Lord's divine favor will be granted to him everywhere he goes," reads one example.

"Pray for patience, endurance, stamina and joy to be experienced by all those on and participating in any way in the Bus Tour. Pray for a warring, Angelic Guard to go before them, clearing the way and surrounding them, and being their rear guard as they move throughout the State," the missive says.

Blair Morgan, an attorney and vice treasurer of the Davidson County Republican party, is serving as state coordinator of Bryson Prayer Force. She did not return a reporter's calls.

The Bryson campaign calls its traveling vehicle "the big bus." The Bryson Prayer Group, in its statement, voices hope that "BIG bus will come to be known as the Believe In God bus, as we all look to God for His perfect will to be manifested throughout the state of Tennessee and through this campaign."

An invitation to join the group also is posted on the Web site of Bott Radio Network, a Christian broadcasting company, at www.bottradionetwork.com/station_memphis/brysonprayerforce.asp.

The statement says "weekly prayer alerts" will be sent to those who sign up and, "if an urgent prayer need arises, a special alert may be issued for this purpose at any time."

Also, the statement says "monthly prayer events" are envisioned for each of Tennessee's three grand divisions "to allow Bryson Prayer Force members to gather, face to face in unity and fellowship, to lift up the Bryson campaign in prayer and thanksgiving and blessing."

Will Pinkston, spokesman for Gov. Phil Bredesen's campaign, said the incumbent Democrat has no equivalent organization and "I've never seen anything like this.

"It is a bit of a different approach to campaigning," he said. "Everyone has their own kind of conversations with God. They are certainly entitled to theirs."

Pinkston said that the governor's re-election effort does have "what we loosely call religious leaders for Bredesen" that is still being developed. There are about 100 members so far, he said.

Bredesen, a Presbyterian who sometimes joins his wife in attending Catholic services, "meets fairly regularly with ministers to seek out their input on a variety of issues," Pinkston said.

Lance Frizzell, spokesman for Bryson, said the group is not affiliated with the campaign, though Morgan is a "Republican activist" who does volunteer work for the gubernatorial candidate.

"These are unaffiliated volunteers who believe prayer makes a difference," Frizzell said. "I think anytime somebody is praying for you, you certainly welcome their support."

* * *

The state Democratic party fired a shot at Bryson on Friday that may have hit Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Harold Ford Jr.

The Democrats have been sending out daily "big double talk" commentary on Bryson's "big bus tour." Thursday's item declared, "Jim Bryson's 'Big Tennessee' bus has North Carolina plates."

Says the news release:

"At this point, we're not sure if poor ol' Jim is running for office in the Volunteer state or the Tar Heel state," joked Mark Brown, spokesman for Victory 2006 (the title of Democrats' coordinated campaign). "Whatever the case, he's hopelessly clueless."

Bryson spokesman Frizzell, however, did a bit of checking with the company that rents the bus to Bryson and says he found that the very same bus was rented earlier this year by Ford's campaign for a tour of the state. In fact, a picture of the bus in Ford campaign covering is among pictures at the Web site of North Carolina-based Premiere Transportation Inc. (http://premieretransportation.net/buswrapsmain.html).

"The daily boomerang from the Tennessee Democratic party is at it again," said Frizzell.

Brown, asked whether his comment on Bryson could be applied to Ford, replied in the negative.

"We're not making any comment at all on 'Junior (Ford),' " he said. "We'll just stick with calling Jim Bryson clueless."

Carol Andrews, spokeswoman for the Ford campaign, said the North Carolina-licensed bus is history for the Democrat's touring.

"We are now on a Tennessee-licensed and leased bus from Sumner County and driven by a Sumner Countian - running on biodiesel," she said in an e-mail responding to a reporter's question.

[SmithL]

...and the ACLU is deeply disturbed.

[Coldwater Creek]

Pitiful!!!!! A senatorial Candide named Jr.

I had never heard of Bryson until voting day. I sure hope that they do a better job campaigning that Bryant.

I can't get the link to the prayer group to work.

This is a national radio company so you would think that it would come through.

[Shimmer128]

So, God is second in command huh?

[rawhide]

I rather have a bumper sticker that says 'God is my pilot' on it. I choose to trust completely in Him.

[Coldwater Creek]

I never did like that slogan.

[goldfinch]

Sign on by a church...'If God is your Co-Pilot, switch seats'. It caught my attention...

[SmithL]

I didn't test that link before posting. Sorry about that.

[fish hawk]

Maybe God doesn't want to fly your plane. Maybe He wants you to fly it but keep him in mind. He wants qualified pilots not robots. If he had to fly the plane why would he need you at all?

[Coldwater Creek]

LOL. but true!!