Friday, August 20, 2010
Politics With McWherter at Top of Ticket, Democrats Go to Sleep
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 7:20 AM
In case you missed Mike McWherter’s inspirational answer to this question at the Belmont debate, here he is giving essentially the same response and making everyone wonder once again why the Tennessee Democratic Party exists.
McWherter is outraged that those ridiculous Republicans are trashing the Bill of Rights. He’s sick and tired of that. But he doesn’t think Muslims ought to plop down their mosques right in the middle of our white Christian neighborhoods. Little white Christian kids ride their bicycles in those neighborhoods, and Muslims might run over them in their cars. Is that what he’s saying?
McWherter is making a habit of this kind of double-talk. He’s pulling a page from the old Tennessee Democratic playbook, which instructs candidates to sound just like Republicans and hope your true supporters understand. Before adopting this strategy, maybe McWherter should have talked to Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine first. On Fox News recently, Kaine issued this warning:
"You can't win as a Democrat without energizing Democratic voters, and if you pour cold water on them and think you're going to win, it's tough.”
Kaine was referring to Democratic candidates who are bashing Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders, but he could have been talking about McWherter too. Tennessee Democrats have been drenched by McWherter’s cold water on a growing list of issues now including gay adoption, gay marriage, freedom of religion and the teaching of Genesis in public schools. That’s one reason no one wants to give to McWherter—he’s raised only $400,000 since January—and it’s why he started the fall campaign 25 points behind Bill Haslam with no way to catch up.
Time magazine writes about the Murfreesboro mosque controversy.
Comments (28)
Showing 1-28 of 28
Oh my God! What in the world is this man talking about? Is he running for county court clerk?
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Yes, gosh, how great would it be if we all just understood that there are certain parts of town where certain folks just aren't welcome. It's nothing against those folks, we just have to honor zoning.
Jesus Christ.
How is the candidate advocating segregation on the Democratic ticket?!
And this is why fund raising calls from TNDP to our home get a quick Do Not Call List request.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: more reasons why Green Party candidate Howard Switzer deserves your vote this year more than ever!
"You can't win as a Democrat without energizing Democratic voters, and if you pour cold water on them and think you're going to win, it's tough.”
You can't win the governorship as a liberal in Tennessee period.
Whatever chance McWherter has would not be improved one iota by embracing the liberal agenda of Obama, Pelosi, etc. In fact it would make it significantly worse.
I don't think it would hurt Big Daddy Junior one bit to embrace the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Since the Rethugs want to ignore or overturn both, it would set him apart from them and give many Democrats good reasons to support him.
Instead, BDJ is running as a race-baitin', gays-hatin', gun-fallatin' cracker. If that is who he is, shame on him. (If the other four candidates for governor on the Democratic ticket had stayed in the race, someone with those views would have deserved to come in sixth.)
But if BDJ doesn't believe those things and his advisors have coaxed him to take those un-American positions to win the election, they do not know Tennesseans, they do not know the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and they do not belong on any political ticket anywhere this side of .... well, I can't think of any modern country whose views are as reich-wing as these. Other than the parts of our country controlled by the Rethugs, which should secede from our union NOW and rename themselves Dumbf***istan.
In November, I will vote for the Green party candidate for governor (Howard Switzer) and the Democratic candidates for the legislature. We need to take the legislature out of the hands of the knuckle-dragging Neanderthals, Manchurian candidates and loud drunks (or meth tweakers -- I'm not quite sure what Stacy Campfield is) who control it now. Unfortunately, having Big Daddy Junior on the ticket won't help us a bit in that matter.
If only we had more Democratic candidates who ran as Americans and we could count the votes the way they are cast ....
"I don't think it would hurt Big Daddy Junior one bit to embrace the Constitution and the Bill of Rights"
That's funny - since Democrats have been trashing the Constitution ever since FDR's unconsitutional "New Deal" and all the subsequent expansions of government power based on socialist ideology.
I absolutely agree that we will not get the progressive changes in government that we want until we have candidates who truly represent our values and are not afraid to stand up for them. Far better in my mind to take principled public stands and lose than to fail to fervently champion our values and "win". True Progressive values are fundamental American values and will steadily gain more support if, and only if we don't constantly validate the opposing viewpoints by watering down our stand on issues.
The federal government won't protect U.S. workers, local communities and
taxpayers from illegal immigration. The federal government sues to stop states
that try to help. The federal court system blocks Arizona from enforcing the
federal laws that the federal government won't enforce.
You may think it's not your problem. WRONG !
Illegals are leaving Arizona, But they don't go home, they are moving to other
states, to your state as well.
We have to fight back !
Push your state rep to make a change. Sign the Petition !
Google this: NUMBERSUSA.
Once you are registered, go to the "action board"
Look out repubs, this race is much closer than you think. The last governor from east tn. was John Sevier.
To neocon: Can you please tell me how to get some of what you're smoking. Please.
"Progressive values are fundamental American values..."
Hardly.
"Progressive" is merely another euphemism for socialism.
Fundamental American values are about limited government and maximum individual freedom.
The "values" of people who call themselves "prgressive" is 180 degrees opposite of that.
This election ceased being a choice between a democrat or republican philosophy the moment that the winners of the primary were decided. Many of us want the best possible person leading the state, regardless of the banner under which they rally their troups. We have had difficult choices in the past trying to distinguish the best leader from the candidates running...that simply isn't the case this year.
Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert.
You've forgotten, again, that the debate about the power of the federal government vis-a-vis the states (never mind the individual) goes back to the founding. There is no ratio of power that is fundamental to America. It has always been in flux and has always been debated.
This country has had socialist institutions for many, many years and always will as long as elections remain relatively free and fair (another debatable question). You really can't take entitlements away from what's left of the middle class once they've experienced them. The trend is towards more social (government) institutions because capitalism continues to fail the interests of the broader population in favor of the few. The freer the markets the more true this becomes in today's competitive techno-global rat race.
"You've forgotten, again, that the debate about the power of the federal government vis-a-vis the states (never mind the individual) goes back to the founding."
Whatever level of debate there was at the founding was won by those who advocated strictly limited federal government power. That's why the 10th Amendment became part of the Constitution.
"The trend is towards more social (government) institutions because capitalism continues to fail the interests of the broader population in favor of the few. "
And that one is absolute nonsense. And, of course, you don't speak for the "broader population" as to what their interest are.
Gilbert,
You're having reading comprehension issues, AGAIN. I am speaking of capitalism. The interest is profit. You know, m-o-n-e-y. Good grief! Rich get richer, poor get poorer, middle class gets smaller. It's just fact not an ounce of nonsense.
"You're having reading comprehension issues, AGAIN. I am speaking of capitalism. The interest is profit. You know, m-o-n-e-y. Good grief! Rich get richer, poor get poorer, middle class gets smaller. It's just fact not an ounce of nonsense."
There is no reading comprehension issue involved.
You are simply making a claim you cannot come close to proving - as usual.
Gilbert,
I AM confused. Am I making a substantive claim for which you expect proof, or am I speaking for others out of ignorance? You seem to have changed horses in the middle of your stream of what I assume is consciousness. I am doing neither. Do you actually think the middle class is growing? Do you think the wealthiest in this country are worse off than a generation ago? Do you think the poor are better off? What claim do you doubt?
I can provide data demonstrating any for which you profess ignorance assuming you'll admit being open-minded. Just let me know.
You cannot provide proof that capitalism is "causing" anyone to get richer, poorer or anything in between.
Capitalism no more "causes" anyone to be rich or poor than a racetrack "causues" one driver to win a race and another one to come in last. It is the individual's own efforts, abiltities, talents and determination that causes some to be rich, some poor and some middle class.
Where is Gilbert? He has been possessed by Horatio Alger. I always thought he was lost in some utopian space (apparently there is a pristine racetrack there) where robber barons run amok and the only value is wealth. I no longer have any doubt.
This may be the one time I, a staunch democrat, vote Haslam in the gov's race, and dem elsewhere. I am so sick and tired of voting for democrats that are ideological hypocrites and intellectually challenged, or at least think that they have to act stupid and ignorant to get elected.
This is going to be a weird election. The Republican candidate is somewhat Democrat-like, while the Democrat is somewhat Republican-like. Just throw out the party affiliations and then decide who's best for TN.
To TN4th: You might consider voting for the Green Party candidate, Howard Switzer. I think we all expect Haslam to be elected and I (as one of many) am thankful that he prevailed in the Republican primary. But voting for Haslam doesn't send the message to the Tn Democratic Party that it needs to hear. Voting for a progressive candidate, even if he is sure to lose, just might.
I plan to vote for a loser I believe in. Unless TN Democrats replace Big Daddy Junior with an actual mangy yellow dog, I think most real Democrats will have a hard time in November. I am just ashamed and embarrassed that, by default, BDJ gets to be the voice of the Dems for the next two months. What a sick, empty joke.
