Mayhem Unleashed
Politics is occasionally like lancing a boil.
When punctured, all sorts of stuff can come rushing out, matter that is neither predictable, good, beneficial or even understandable.
Fred Thompson lanced the boil, deciding not to run for reelection to the U.S. Senate. He set in motion the repressed ambitions of every political figure in Tennessee who has at one time or another given speeches in front of the bathroom mirror while pretending to be on Meet the Press. In the wake of his resignation, the incredibly popular man was congratulated by just about every politician in the state for having done great work, when in fact his lethargy was legendary and his influence paled beside his colleague Bill Frist. Whatever the assessment, Thompson's announcement wasn't even cold when everyone from both political parties started trying to replace him.
Were there a way for us to obtain records of phone conversations among the 1,000 most politically powerful individuals in this state, we are certain that they would show a massive surge—morning, noon and night—in what has been an impressive dance of human ambition. Nearly every congressman, upset at being one of 435 members of the U.S. House—which translates to virtual anonymity—threw his name in the mix, if only briefly, eager to be one of 100.
Even a Washington-driven effort to lobby for the Senate candidacy of Tipper Gore captured the attention of the national and local media for a full three days, before she announced the time wasn't right for such a run.
Meanwhile, Bob Clement has shown himself to be an apparently huge enough presence to scare off other Democratic contenders. Those had included congressmen John Tanner, Bart Gordon and, most importantly, Harold Ford Jr., who had looked long and hard at running earlier and is part of a very powerful Memphis family. But at press time, Clement was the man the party bigwigs were settling on as their knight to plunge into battle.
On the Republican side, meanwhile, where party insiders do their best to avoid the messy subject of infighting before taking on their Democratic opponent, a primary is nonetheless shaping up. The moderates, millionaires and old parts of the party are rejoicing in Lamar Alexander's decision to run, inasmuch as he still commands considerable respect for his generally progressive terms as governor from 1979-1987. In spite of early Alexander remarks casting doubt on whether Congressman Ed Bryant would run in the primary, Bryant will, in fact, go ahead and make the race, in part goaded by Alexander's failure to concede that there will, in fact, be a primary.
This isn't good for Alexander, because Bryant enjoys support from right-wing nutsos, evangelical Christians and other crazy aunts running around in the party basement. And the more these people stay hidden, the more Lamar would benefit in the general election.
Perhaps the biggest volcanic shock of all has come because of Clement's decision to run for the Senate. From one end of Davidson County to the other, the names of possible candidates to fill Clement's seat are flowing forth. Vice Mayor Ronnie Steine and state Rep. John Arriola both announced their candidacies this week. Meanwhile, former 4th District Congressman Jim Cooper, at-large Metro Council member David Briley, Sheriff Gayle Ray and Chancellor Carol McCoy, among others, are all looking at the race. That's just the Democrats. On the Republican side, the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee out of Washington, D.C., is trying to scare up a conservative naive enough to think he might have a shot in such a Democratic interest. The perfect sacrifice has yet to be found, though attorney Forrest Shoaf and state Rep. Beth Halteman Harwell seem to be the most discussed.
Generally speaking, we are amazingly happy about the confluence of events that has lead to so much political interest. Partly, we like our spectator sports fresh and raw, and that's politics. As well, our political lives must constantly be stoked so as to keep us healthy, invigorated and engaged. The way this is accomplished is through competitive elections, which are, in their purest form, the contest of ideas.
Ladies and gentlemen, bring it on. We'll all be better for this.
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