Newscoma

Well, the Nashville Post has deemed it timely to write an obituary for the Tennessee Democratic Party. I find this highly amusing because there are so many times I’ve seen obituaries for these sort of things before.

Let’s remember that Abe Vigoda is still alive and kicking and I’ve read his obit dozens of times. I do like the fact that what I read of Ken Whitehouse’s article seemed to be tongue and cheek, but it did get me thinking.

I talked to Vibinc earlier today where we extolled our horror for the holidays and how we are trying our best not to be Grinch/Scrooges, or what Dan Lehr aptly named Grooges yesterday on Twitter. We talked about the party and how that change always scares the bejeezus out of folks.  John Tanner and Bart Gordon have been in office a very long time. Politics can sometimes be habit-forming. We get used to the same old dish because it’s easy to make so that’s what we eat. The idea that there might be new ideas out there isn’t that scary and, dare I say it, invigorating if you look at the glass being half-full. It just means that people are going to have to get organized, decide what they want in the TNDP and start working toward that goal.

And the TNDP needs to get it together quickly. There, I said it.

Blue Dogs, which surround me here in Hoots, are an odd breed, but those politics are what a lot of folks like here. Even the name Blue Dog has lost its initial first meanings and just fell to the wayside of being a meaningless label in recent years. But there is something that a lot of people have forgotten. At one time, they weren’t so bad. I’m a liberal, campers, but I do know that it is important to have a moderate voice.

Where the Blue Dogs messed up, in my opinion, is when they started using GOP talking points nonstop, which Vibinc and I talked about this morning. Instead of having their own message, they relayed their opponents message to either get re-elected or maybe they were weighing the winds in Washington instead of looking into their own state. When you forget to hear the voice of average Americans, that’s when the trouble starts. This is far too common.

Times are tough right now. Wedge issues are effective in avoiding other more pressing issues and that’s why they are used in politics. Avoid the facts by going after powerful emotions in our society. We weigh issues like creating jobs and industrial revitalization down with talking about things that are distractions.

There are a lot of independent voters in this state of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Many times, people vote for the person and not the party. So the obvious answer to me is to make them WANT to vote for the party. Be it a Republicrat or a Blue Dog, who is going to be those people that enforce good will, that listen to the heartbeat of the state and who understand the average bear just wants to feed their families at night without worrying if there will be food, utilities and shelter the next day. We are in a recession folks.  These issues may not be effecting you personally, but they are there, they are real and they are frightening.

So, who’s got a plan? I bet there are plans out there, but is anybody listening?

As for the death of the democrats, I’m just not buying it today. I think we are reinventing ourselves. The best thing a democrat can do right now is act/vote like a democrat.

As for those in politics, listen to the people, don’t assume and think for them. You might learn what is really on their minds.