State Senate… Sigh…

Mike Faulk (R) 29417 50%
Mike Williams(I) 29171 50%

I blame Rob’s future-telling broom.

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So Far… on Election Night

Ms. Diva is pissed because they’ve already called Tennessee for McCain – so she’s talking trash to Anderson Cooper on television.

Mr. Smartypants is upset because no one has mentioned those other people, whose names were on the ballot – and he wants to know why.

Mike Faulk is leading Mike Williams in the state Senate Race.

And Tuke who?

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Faulk/Williams Translation

Hank Hayes has a Q&A with our contenders for the 4th District State Senate seat. The Q parts are good, the A – eh, mostly nonspecific campaign prattle which candidates often use for the purpose of appealing to voters. Therefore, I thought it might be helpful if I translated the answers for you.

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Forget the State Senate Election: Let’s Just Get Ready to Rumble

The wee hours of November 5th cannot get here soon enough. I’m not terribly excited by the prospect of an Obama win because he’s a little scary in terms of shutting down detractors – but you know what? There’s more citizens than there are Presidents.  Bloggers alone can outnumber him.  So, screw it.  Let’s get it over with – because I can’t take much more of this Tennessee campaigning.

I’m tired of hearing about faulty primaries, improper use of PAC money, telephone harassment, lawsuits, Republican rags and other furtive pain-in-the-ass Pecksniffian tactics. And this, which I cannot avoid because it’s my district.

There are guys over at the Spit-n-Sit, who’ve engaged in good-natured verbal battles since Jimmy Carter’s first campaign, that are no longer on speaking terms. Ralph Jr. is convinced Mike Faulk should go to jail for something – which has resulted in Ralph’s cousin, who despises Mike Williams, declaring that Ralph’s wife is homely and smells funny, therefore Ralph opposes Faulk “on accounta he’s just jealouser than a hound at a steakhouse window.“

And I know. I know. It’s just politics – and politics around here have always been sort of a rough and tumble sport. Shucks, downtown Rogersville is the home of at least one political rally of yesteryear where people died of gunshot wounds. So dueling TV ads from Faulk and Williams could be considered progress.  But can I confess something? On my really bitchy days, I’d prefer it if those two would just shoot at each other… or maybe finish out the campaign with a wrestling match… at high noon… on Main Street. I mean, I assume a debate is out of the question since they haven’t talked much about the issues – mostly just each other.   So, let’s get some real mud, sell tickets and hot dogs, have a cage match and make an event of it. Winner takes the senate seat and one of those huge shiny gold-electroplated Championship belts.

Hell, why not? An event like that would be well-attended, could boost the local economy and as long as neither candidate wears those skimpy Speedo “wrasslin’ panties” – it wouldn’t be any less dignified than what they’re doing now.

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Important Message to My Mudslinging Senatorial Candidates…

Yes, I am aware of this and this.

As a matter of fact, I spent a good 45 minutes earlier today listening to Ralph Jr. rattle on about how Bill Frist’s decision to put out a good word for a the drug-abusing child molester guy will ruin his chances at Governor. Ralph’s a little upset about this potential ruination because he likes ol’ Bill and it’s high time Tennessee had a Republican governor – you know, because the last one was so bloody phenomenal.

Attempting to explain to Ralph that Bill Frist has NOT stumped for a drunk-driving child molester guy was not only a wasted effort, it rattled me.

Folks, I’ll be the first person to tell you Mike Faulk hasn’t been truthful on the campaign trail and his ads contain misrepresentations. I have told you – more than once. But Mike Williams crossed a line here. No, scratch that. He sank so low he limboed under the line like Yussara Cunha.  His ad is beyond vicious and chocked full of words intended to trigger fear and offense. Unfortunately, those words will stick in the minds of voters, get twisted up with old episodes of CSI or Nancy Grace, embellished, blown out of proportion, and spread around by people who dislike Faulk – until they damage him beyond his campaign.

You know – this is a race for a public office. Certainly, the office comes with perks and the illusion of power – but in the end, it’s just an office. Therefore, in attempting to ascend to that office, there should be limits to how low you can go to get there.

I thought Williams, who I was told avoids negative campaigning and frowns upon dirty politics, was decent enough to know that. I was wrong – and this disappoints me.

 

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Lies, Damned Lies, and Politics

At first glance, it would appear as though Senator Mike Williams finally made his way onto the super information highway. However, Williams tells Tom Humphrey he had nothing to do with his campaign website.

“I don’t know who did it. I do know I had nothing to do with it,” he said in an interview.
….
A check of records by News Sentinel staff shows the Web site was set up through a service that blocks identification of the creator.

(See also: Kleinheider)

I looked at the site and found the whole thing a bit odd.  On the website, it says: “Paid for by Mike Williams for State Senate, Micheal R. Williams, Treasurer.“

That’s not terribly reassuring. If the Senator is writing the checks, shouldn’t he know something about the site… or at least to whom he made the check payable? Does he just run around handing money out all wily-nilly without knowing what services or products he’s getting in return?  The other version could be he knows exactly who did it yet there’s some need for anonymity, which means the mysterious web designer is either (a) a disgruntled Republican, who secretly supports Williams due to fears that the Republican candidate might start winking at his wife for retribution (b) the Local Chapter of NORML or (c) a bunch of Democrats.

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Faulkin’ Fun w/Radio, Open Records and Newspaper Archives

(*Fairly Unbalanced Alert: The radio advertisement featured here has been heavily edited in order to take the candidate’s words out of context and regroup them – thereby making the candidate say whatever I want him to say. Translation: technology downloaded from the internet grants me powers similar to that of Ron Ramsey, the Haslams and Gregory Family. Any resemblance to truth contained herein is purely fictional unless it’s otherwise not fictional, in which case it’s true. Most of it is true. Sorta. Either way, I offer my insincere apologies for any content that may be considered rude, offensive, a violation of former Fairness Doctrine, SPJ Code of Ethics, FCC regulations, the Ten Commandments or NCAA Recruiting Rules and Bylaws. Please note information contained in this post may pose a choking hazard and is not intended for use as a toy.)

Earlier this year, candidate for Tennessee State Senate Mike Faulk told the incumbent Senator Mike WIlliams if the Senator would cast his vote for Ron Ramsey as Lt. Governor, Williams wouldn’t have to worry about him as an opponent. Williams voted for Ramsey – and now faces Faulk in the November election.

One might argue that Faulk said one thing and did another. In his defense, however, I present:
Top Ten Reasons Why Mike Faulk Might Say One Thing and Do Another

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Senator Mike Williams: Lowering Gas Prices and Leaping Tall Buildings in a Single Bound!

Senator Williams has been blanketing the district with mailers for the last two weeks.   Since I had a few questions about those mailers, I set out to find the answers.

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Officiating Local Elections: I Call A Technical Foul!

It’s no secret that State Senator Mike Williams has support from (as Tony Shipley says) “the opposition party.” Hell, he’s been endorsed by the Opposition Governor and his campaign finance reports have more opposition connections than the address book in Gray Sasser’s Blackberry.

I’ve found, however, most voters don’t give a rat’s ass about “opposition” politics. They could care less who supports Williams or what party is sending him money. They just like him. Period. End of story. As a result, the Senator has quite a bit of support from Republican and Independent voters too.

That is precisely why I found this unnecessary:

The embattled 4th District Republican state Senate nominee, Mike Faulk, doesn’t appreciate that Mark Brown, the Democratic Senate spokesman, provided a Kingsport paper with opposition research on him regarding his former legal practice:

(h/t Kleinheider)

Apparently, the document titled “A Criminal’s Best Friend” alleges Faulk worked to reduce a child molester’s jail term; helped a client get a reduced sentence and probation for driving under the influence with a 16-month-old baby in his car; and “procured probation” for an eventual career criminal who had been arrested for having 35 marijuana plants on his property.

Yes, that’s all bad and probably true… but if you’re an attorney (even one court-appointed to a criminal defendant) aren’t you obligated to provide the best defense possible for that person? Our criminal justice system guarantees a right to a fair trail: a fair trial requires competent counsel even for the bad guy, right? So, technically, if there’s anyone at fault in the cases cited, it would not be Mike Faulk – but the prosecution (whom by the way, if the cases were tried in Hawkins County would’ve have been a Democrat – jus’ sayin’.)

So, I think slamming a lawyer for defending defendants is almost as illogical as trying to smear a fireman for playing with hoses or an obstetrician for looking at cooters. I mean – it sounds bad, but it’s just part of the job. Therefore, I call a technical foul here. And I think Williams would do well to remind his supporters what the penalties are for technical fouls due to unsportsmanlike conduct.

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Pantyhose, Coattails and Ramsey’s Spin

Photo by Mark DeWitte

Last week, Mike Williams skipped into town with Governor Phil Bredesen. The pair stopped by the Hale Springs Inn to officially announce a transportation enhancement grant in the amount of $168,000 for phase two of the Inn restoration project. (Jeff Bobo’s video report on the visit is here.)

A day prior to the visit, the National Rifle Association endorsed Williams… you know, despite the fact that Faulk is an active member of the Holston Valley Sportsman’s Club, long-time NRA member, former chairman of the Holston River Chapter of Ducks Unlimited and writes for several hunting and fishing publications. I assume this happened because NRA prefers incumbents or they heard Faulk exceeded um… bag limits.

Of Republican coattails, Ramsey said:

Ramsey said. “These seats are in places that McCain will do well in. We can’t depend on coattails, but you take every advantage you can get.

Uh, what advantage? There are two Presidential debates left.  Most voters will be heading to the polls angry, broke and with their gas tanks half-empty. Unless things go differently than I expect or something major changes before November 4 – state and local candidates aren’t going to ride to victory on McCain’s coattails.  They’re more likely to be strangled to death by Palin’s pantyhose.

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