Whoops

Despite the presence of state Sen. Rosalind Kurita in the Democratic primary, it’s not exactly a state secret that Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is the choice of most prominent Tennessee Democrats for the U.S. Senate next year. But the main rule of primaries holds that political parties remain officially neutral until the voters themselves choose a candidate to carry the party banner. So more than a few Democratic noses got bent out of joint upon receipt of an email invitation last week that pretty much broke this rule. The message invited its recipients to come to a meeting of the “Governor’s Leadership Network,” where they could spend “an evening with Congressman Harold Ford Jr.,” assuming they were willing to part with $500 a couple to do so. No foul so far, until further down where the invite disclosed that it was paid for by the Tennessee Democratic Party and suggested that interested parties contact party headquarters for more information. In other words, the Tennessee Democratic Party had put its official stamp on an event featuring a Democratic primary candidate while leaving another candidate out in the cold. Tennessee Democratic Party spokesperson Will Pinkston disclaims any real or implied party endorsement of Ford and explains it as a completely unintentional mishap. The Governor’s Leadership Network is an organization of young professional Democrats who gather on a semi-regular basis to pal around with Gov. Bredesen. It’s kind of a younger version of the “roundtable” meetings the governor has from time to time with his supporters in the business community. The governor, however, couldn’t make it to this particular meeting, so the group decided to check around with other Democratic leaders. Congressman Jim Cooper, their first choice, declined and so an offer was extended to Ford, who accepted. Fair enough. But what was the clear imprimatur of the Tennessee Democratic Party doing on the invite? Because the event is intended to raise money for the party (that’s where the 500 bucks is going), the law requires full disclosure of that fact, meaning the party has to be mentioned in promotional materials. In this case, the result was the party appearing very much the sponsor of an exclusive shindig for its golden boy at the expense of his capable, if politically disadvantaged, opponent. Pinkston is noticeably contrite (“when the Governor’s Leadership Network launched, no one foresaw this happening”) and promises a forthcoming follow-up message from the party to smooth any ruffled feathers. What ultimately came out, though, was actually rather bland under the circumstances. Tucked between admonitions to keep Phil Bredesen in office and preserving the Democratic majority in Congress was this from party chair Bob Tuke: “Tennessee Democrats are blessed with two energetic and viable candidates for the U.S. Senate, state Sen. Rosalind Kurita and Congressman Harold Ford Jr., and we all must stand prepared to fight for our Democratic nominee once the primary election is decided.” That’s not exactly hat-in-hand stuff, but then, when you’re not the favorite, perhaps that’s all you’re going to get. In any case, the aggrieved party—Kurita—seemed to take the whole thing in relative stride, telling the Scene that she would “rather be out talking to Tennessee voters than going to parties” anyway. She might wish to reconsider. Asked whether Kurita would be allowed to speak if she just showed up at the event, Tuke says that she would certainly be welcome to speak at any Democratic gathering. Given Ford’s growing reputation for standing people up at the last minute, Kurita just might wind up getting the Governor’s Leadership Network’s microphone all to herself. Blackballed Make no mistake: there will be jack-o’lanterns on local porches this weekend with more intellectual wattage than state Rep. Stacey Campfield will ever muster. Campfield, you will remember, is the Knoxville legislator who got into a pissing match with the legislative black caucus, culminating in his cringe-inducing comparison of the group to the Ku Klux Klan. So how pathetic is it that Campfield has managed to do what no one else in the history of the state legislature has ever been able to do: expose the numerous problems with the black caucus that everyone on Capitol Hill with half a brain suspected but nevertheless chose to ignore? Now, granted, Campfield didn’t do any of the real spadework that uncovered little gems like a 20-year lapse in Internal Revenue Service filings and an education slush fund for caucus family members, but he definitely got the ball rolling in that department. Before now, the caucus was untouchable. The legislative leadership wasn’t going to make any waves because it was dependent upon the caucus’ support. Backbenchers didn’t dare say anything because they didn’t want to appear racist in any way. The Capitol Hill press corps also turned a blind eye, probably for the same reason. Now, everyone feels free to take a deeper look because no matter what they do, they will never look as bad as Campfield. Maybe the guy’s some kind of political idiot savant.