Monday, March 15, 2010
Legislature / Politics / Woods Susan Lynn Once Described Mae Beavers as 'the Only One' for the Senate
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 11:17 AM
After a weekend of listening to friends who doubtlessly were telling her exactly what she wanted to hear, Susan Lynn is talking up her candidacy to unseat the previously unrivaled kingpin of Mount Juliet politics, Mae "Boss" Beavers. Sure, you can knock off Beavers, these supporters told Lynn, no prob! We're behind you 1000 percent. Her spirit renewed, Lynn made this statement on her blog: "My initial response is that the only ethical decision is to continue my candidacy for the state Senate."
Lynn expressed a different view about running for the Senate back in 2004. This came after Beavers accused Lynn of scheming behind her back to take her seat even as Beavers was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. It's this little bit of reputed treachery that's at the heart of the Beavers-Lynn feud. In the Lebanon Democrat, here's what Lynn said then:
"I have always said [Beavers] is the only one, the only Republican who could have ever won that district - I have always said that. I honestly don't think I could win that district. I literally still pinch myself every day because I can't believe that I actually won [her House race] the last time, and I'm really not so vain to think that I could move up into that position. I'm not. I'm just not."
Do you think this quote might make its way into Beavers' reelection campaign literature?
Comments (7)
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I believe Mae Beavers will be remembered for her flip/flop in causing a train wreck for the Republican party in Wilson County. Susan Lynn will be remembered for her committment to continue the course she has embarked upon. Mae Beavers will cause a divide that she will never recover from.
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In her short political career, Susan Lynn has never had a seriously contested election.
She won the 2002 primary for Mae's house seat because everyone believed she was Mae's choice over Bobby Joslin. Susan won that race by bringing up Joslin's bankruptcy repeatedly in the final weeks of the campaign. She went on to defeat the retired City Manager of Mt. Juliet (Danny Farmer) who had been foolishly talked into running as a Democrat. Even he didn't believe he was a Democrat. Susan inherited a seat that Mae Beavers had flipped from Democrat to Republican.
She had no serious opposition in 2004, 2006, or 2008. Mt. Juliet real estate agent Tom Wood ran a lackluster campaign and didn't come close to beating her in 2004.
Compare that with Mae Beavers' political career. She ran for the county commission and fought a bitter uphill battle to get the county to adopt the financial management act. She won. She ran against the incumbent Democrat legislator Monty Mires and lost a close race. 2 years later, she beat the incumbent Democrat in a rematch - flipping the seat from D to R. She helped lead the fight against Sundquist on the income tax, and won. She filed in 2002 to run against Rochelle for the state Senate, and Rochelle withdrew. She flipped the Senate seat from D to R. Four years later, she beat Rochelle to win her second term.
When Mae was fighting the county commission and turning a democrat seat republican, Susan Lynn was still living in New York.
And Susan thinks the voters of the Senatorial district are going to pick her over their 2-term incumbent Senator?
What's the weather like on that planet?
Susan is listening to a small group of political supporters who do not really have her best interest at heart. They have been stirring the pot of conflict for a long time.
It is easy to become tone-deaf listening to small groups of political operatives. Lynn should consider the bigger picture and the fact that these campaigns never really start until after Memorial Day.
Mae is the incumbent in this race. Her choice to run for re-election instead of seeking the County Mayor seat was due to her listening regular people - not political operatives.
The public will not see Susan as the incumbent in this race just because she started campaigning earlier than Mae. They are both in session now anyway and should be working.
The public will see Susan as a young ambitious politician who is trying to unseat a popular incumbent Senator. The public remembers who saved us from a state income tax and disposed of its sponsor.
Susan needs to do what Mae has done and listen to real people. Not just the hacks with political axes to grind but people who will tell her the truth, not just what she wants to hear.
Hate to point out the obvious, but that quote was from 2004. Also, Susan Lynn did not ENTER a race to oppose Mae Beavers. By announcing her retirement Mae Beavers created the situation that brought Susan Lynn into the race. Mae Beavers is solely responsible for the extremely destructive situation currently occuring. I'm sure the liberals couldn't be any happier.
The liberal democrats are very happy with Susan Lynn. Susan’s appointee (Delores Mackey) voted with two democrats to reappoint Lynn Harris as Election Commissioner! The two (real) republicans on that board voted against it.
Susan stands behind Delores Mackey and has even appointed her husband as her campaign manager.
BTW, why is Susan getting a gold star for starting her campaign before Mae? Petitions are not due until the end of March. As a previous post points out, both these women are still in session and cannot even (legally) raise money yet.
But because Susan started campaigning first the public is supposed to regard her as the incumbent? Not a chance.
I'm STILL WAITING on Ms Susan to APOLOGIZE to every voter in her district for Point-Blank LYING to them! I watched, and listened, as she slithered her way from behind the 8 Ball, because on ANOTHER of her Voting Flops in the Tennessee Legislature several years ago.
-- and she still attempts to twist her actions on the House Floor into something that makes her appear to be more than what, in reality, she really is.
She only won the seat she presently holds due the assistance of Mrs. Mae Beavers during Susan's first attempt---
She has no business in that seat at this time, and, BY NO MEANS does she deserve to have a seat in Tennessee's Senate!
Hmm.decisions..decisions....
Susan Lynn voted to allow the illegal aliens in Tennessee to receive Driving Certificates which served to keep many of them here costing TN taxpayers untold millions of tax dollars for their health-care, incarceration and the education of their off-spring.
I'd vote for anybody that runs against Susan Lynn, especially if my other choice includes a REAL Conservative LADY that has fought hard to keep a state income tax at bay as well as secure our firearms rights and an entire host of other freedoms - even if she had to voted by herself and in the face of immense political opposition.
Not much of a decision, after all.
