Quote of the Week:
“The only difference Ron Ramsey and myself is Ron could only get one Democrat to vote for him, I got 49. Next question. Let’s get off my friend Ron Ramsey. I love Ron Ramsey, and I hope he can take a joke.” – House Speaker Kent Williams over @ Pith in the Wind.
For several weeks (those being all the weeks since the November election) I’ve been watching these Northeast Tennessee Republicans strutting around, prematurely crowing and using bad eggs for chicken counting. One could almost predict their lack of humility and faith in foregone conclusions would come back to bite them.
For the first time since the Reconstruction, the Republican Party has taken control of the Tennessee General Assembly – top to bottom, house to senate, the whole bicameral enchilada. (Go ahead. Take a moment. Laugh or Cry. Whatever suits you.) Personally, I think there’s a damn good reason why state political history is what it is – but eh, politics are kinda like fractions. Every now and then, folks need a refresher course.
Naturally, the Republicans are being terribly humble and gracious about their victory while the State Democrats are setting speed records for fastest finger-pointing in all the land. They’re blaming Obama and the National Party for not paying more attention to the state and/or McCain’s unusually muscular performance – which essentially means the same thing.
I guess the Obama/Baptist backlash might have been a factor. Heck, the fact that UT football wasn’t distracting enough Republican voters in the East might have been a factor. Mostly though, the Republicans won because they worked for it. They ran hard, mean, aggressive, poured money and manpower into the campaigns and did not let up until the polls closed on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Democratic Party was off… well hell, I don’t know what they were off doing but whatever it was, they apparently weren’t doing it right.
So what’s done is done. Better luck next time – and now we all look forward.
Folks around here seem to have different opinions on what this Red Assembly in the Orange State will mean. Mr. C thinks the Republican Majority means we should all move to Kentucky. Uncle Rube, on the other hand, claims a Republican Majority will ensure that nothing much gets spent – as opposed to Democratic Majorities, who hand out funding like it’s somebody else’s money.
I don’t agree with either of them and foresee lots of changes under a red rule – some good and some bad. Continue reading
Here it is. The moment you’ve all been screaming for:
UT Coach Phillip Fulmer and the University of Tennessee have reached an agreement that this will be Fulmer’s last season at Tennessee, ESPN.com and WBIR contributor Chris Low reports. Fulmer is expected to make an announcement at a 5 p.m. press conference.
From UT Sports:
The press conference is closed to the public. Satellite coordinates are Horizons II Transponder K11 12120 Horizontal. The feed will be available beginning at 4:45 p.m. UTSports.com also will live stream both audio and video of today’s press conference.
The hubby, who has been in favor of firing Fulmer since `00, predicted this would happen in `08 because ticket sales had completely tanked to the point we couldn’t give ours away without offering folks gas money to get to Knoxville – and UT values their ticket sales more than they ever did Phil.
Meanwhile, though I’m not opposed to getting rid of Fulmer, I predict UT fans will remain unhappy because with or without Fulmer, we suck this year. We just do. It happens. And I am skeptical that a new coach can ride in and turn it around in a season or two. Nevertheless, we are so accustomed to believing we are great, when we clearly aren’t, we need to blame someone for our lack of greatness and will only accept the truth after we eliminate those we blame one by one.
Well, so be it. Next Question: if Phil’s out, who’s in? There’s no shortage of interesting notions out there and can I just say: if they are able to snag that 64-year-old Cock Spurrier (which I think is unlikely) this may turn out to be one of those “Be Careful What You Wish For” life lessons.
Ms. Diva came home proudly wearing her “I voted today” sticker.
Her primary school held a mock election. She cast her vote for Obama – because, she says: “He’s brown and I’m brown.”
She was less than pleased when McCain won.
Of course, I can’t say I’m surprised.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Smartypants’ 9-year-old friend informed me that I should vote for McCain because some people say Obama doesn’t believe in God – and that could be very bad for our country. She also tells me that – no matter what – she will never become a stripper because strippers are inappropriate.
The thing is: growing up Northeast Tennessee means her odds of becoming a stripper are way higher than the odds of her becoming a Democrat.
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.
I doubt many voters will be fooled by this article, but it did make me laugh.
Still, someone should tell Ramsey it’s October 20th… not April 1st.
Best line:
“I know people think money influences how you vote. But honestly, in my opinion, it’s 180 degrees from there,” he said. “If you know me, you can read a bill and just about tell how Ron Ramsey is going to vote on it.”
Well sure you can… if you’ve looked at his campaign finance reports.
In the Times-News letters to the editor:
Mildred Ringley of Church Hill writes in to defend Mike Faulk’s character saying, “Anyone who knows Mike Faulk should know him better than to believe all the slams he is receiving and that he is a trusted friend, attorney and politician.”
It caught my attention because you rarely ever see the words “trusted, politician, and attorney” all in the same sentence.
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.
DeMarCaTionVille 