Newscoma

Mike Padgett and Kenneth Eaton have been wearing out the shoe leather in northwest Tennessee. Reminds me of days of old when Big Ned was in office. Ahhh, the glory days when we had politicians falling out of the woodwork here in Hoots.

But this post is about Lowe Finney. Finney has endorsed Padgett. And for those of you who don’t know or understand west Tennessee candidates, here’s the dealio.

Endorsements from local candidates who are still enmeshed in their communities are rather important. I have asked democrats here about who they are going to support and they don’t always know the candidates.

Seriously, they don’t or they know them as “that” guy.

You know, “that” guy that worked in the courthouse in Knoxville or “that” guy with the combat boots or “that” guy with the auto business and so on.

So, when Finney says I’m backing Padgett, they know Lowe. And for some folks, if it’s good enough for Lowe, it’s good enough for them. Not everyone is this way, don’t get me wrong and I’m by no means saying that’s always the way it is, but our access is much more limited than let’s say, someone who lives in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville or Chattanooga. I tend to think that Steve Cohen, Left Wing Cracker and Vibinc all hang out all the time talking about political asshattery, drinking beer and snickering at Dick Cheney in Memphis. Okay, that’s how it plays out in my head and gives me a happy. Shut up.

Finney, as a freshman, has unabashedly been doing his own thing quite well and by backing the populist message that Padgett has introduced only makes good political sense. He has political “it” if you will. Kleinheider is absolutely right when he wrote that Padgett is shaking it up around here. It also makes me wonder if Finney is the politician that will fill the void left when Ned McWherter left political office.

I’m watching.

Padgett’s endorsements are pretty impressive. This race may have just got fun.