Newscoma

An ongoing conversation that was played out yesterday with five different people concerns Sen. Roy Herron and Mike McWherter both running for governor. I keep getting asked questions about why the Dresden politician and the son of popular former Governor Ned McWherter are both in the race.

As neither of them have me on speed dial and do not call me, all I can say is “I don’t know.”

I must say that it is curious. McWherter the son. is actually from Union City, has lived in Nashville and currently resides in Jackson and is a successful businessman. He is a relative of Rep. John Tanner on his mother’s side. His dad has a home here and one at the lake. He was a major player in getting Lowe Finney elected to the Senate. He also danced with running against Sen. Lamar Alexander and opted not to do it, which is still a bit stinging to some dems in the state.

Herron is also from the area. Been around awhile, knows politics pretty well, etc.

The connecting factor actually is Ned on this one. Politics is pretty tight knit around here. Mike has his website up (although it needs a ton of work if you ask me) says he’s in and is granting interviews. Roy has released one statement, says he’s in and has said he won’t officially announce until later this spring.

It’s a long time to next year’s elections so this could go anyway.

The questions that I keep getting asked from the fine people in Hoots is where does Ned stand on all of this.

Who knows?

I spoke to several younger folks who do not remember the days of Ned as Speaker of the House and as governor. We sandwichers and the older generation remembers what he did in Nashville but for a new generation, his tenure is what they studied in history class. They don’t remember the Nilla Wafers statement he made the day he took office which landed him in People magazine (here’s the actual article from 1987. Thanks Innertubes!)

So what’s going to happen? As those who care about politics in Hoots buzzed over the weekend regarding these two whippersnappers being tied to one of the most powerfully political icons from West Tennessee, the issue comes down to one question.

Which candidate, McWherter or Herron, is the anointed one of Ned McWherter? I’m going with his kid but that’s just me.

It would probably behoove both of them to start talking to their local party and let them in on what’s going on, because right now, it’s just confusing.

In observing the mysteries of politicians, ‘coon suppers and one really swanky beer truck, I have to say that going to Jimmy Naifeh’s annual event was pretty nifty as I had never been.

Politicians of all persuasions shook hands with each other, I saw some of the locals shaking hands with politicians, I saw “handlers” of gubernatorial candidates pointing people to folks I assumed either had money or influence so there could be some hand shaking and there was raccoon dishes covered in some sort of sweet potato mixture.

This would be a raccoon dish.

The lawn of the country club was packed with a variety of people from politicians, lobbyists, former lobbyists, operatives and a buzz of what is coming down the pike. I did mention to a couple of people that the bills that the Assembly right now were pretty hare-brained and I got a few amens on that from some folks. Ultimately, you couldn’t help but watch the swell of people and as I was with a posse of bloggers and off-line folks I know, we just sort of soaked it in.

That’s what you do, you just soak it in.

Some general observations of the Jimmy Naifeh Coon Supper in Covington:

• I met Chip Forrester for the first time, who was there with his wife. He was very accommodating and he was talking to a lot of people weaving his way through the crowd. We saw him throughout the evening and I think I had the honor (snark) of telling him to go look up the urban dictionary term for teabagging which I got kind of embarrassed about later with my buddies. His wife was also on hand and she has a great laugh.
• Mark Brown, who is working for Ward Cammack, had a cool hat on. Cammack was laid back and made it a point to say that he wasn’t a “politician” which I think we will be hearing a lot from him
• Roy Herron was being the Herron I know and shook possibly 2,357 hands in about the first hour I was there. Yes, I made that number up.
• There was talk about a couple of more candidates getting into the race for governor.
• Kim McMillan was rather fun and I invited her to Hoots to meet the locals (she has two very good friends here and we chatted about them.) McMillan was very approachable and hung out for awhile.
• Andy Berke was also very approachable and talked about Twitter a little bit and some things he was working on.
• Twitter was discussed by more than one person throughout the evening as was the new TNDP ning site. By Joe, I think some of the politicians have realized they have a pretty cool social networking tool on their hands.
• I think what is said at a coon supper stays at a coon supper. This is also my motto for talk in a bar. Connection? Maybe.
• There were a lot of suits in the crowd.
• I went to the event with the puppy-formerly-known-as-Tootsie-Roll’s dad, Matt. He has worked on a lot of campaigns and knew a lot of people and we wandered around greeting folks we knew. I’m thinking that some of these people really think I live in a town called Hoots so there was some clarifying. I decided to just let it roll with one guy and said “You have never campaigned in Hoots? You don’t know where it is? Appalling?” Heh. Vibinc calls it Evening Shade But Interesting but we have talked about that before and his video was discussed quite a bit.
• I have eaten coon for the first time. This, of course, was also be the last time I will be eating coon. Before the drive to the supper, I met a buddy who from now on will be known on this blog as The Engineer (as he, for lack of a better synopsis, drives trains and the name applies) that when you skin a coon they leave one raccoon hand uncovered so the raccoon will not be confused with the carcass of a cat. Now that’s just appetizing, isn’t it? I, my friends, have some odd conversations in Hoots and that’s the way I like them.

Vibinc looks on amused as Newscoma shows her true feelings about the delicacy of the raccoon and makes her famous Ernest Borgnine face.

• I didn’t see Mike McWherter (there were a great deal of people there) but I did see his father, Ned, who sat on the patio greeting people. He smiled and shook hands. Ned’s back is not what it used to be, and he can’t stand for long lengths of time so these days when you see him, he is usually sitting in a chair and has a couple of folks helping him. I have known Ned my whole life, and I have to say something non-political and from a personal level, and that is I just wanted to hug him. He is frail and older, and I remember there was one moment I had with him that was significant to me about 20 years ago when my uncle died. We were at the graveside services and I broke down behind everyone else, keeping a distance from folks behind the pack so I could grieve privately for a moment. Ned, who was good friends with my uncle, saw me and turned around, walking back to me quietly. He was suddenly by me and he hugged me, telling me it was going to be all right and then he let me cry it out. His “handler” that day said to Ned that they had to go and Ned told him to go to the car and he would be there when he got there, basically dismissing him to comfort me. That, my friends, is the Ned I know and I wanted to return that hug as he sat greeting people last night.

As Matt and I said our goodbyes and were walking to the car listening to snippets of conversation about bills regarding women’s rights that was playing out on the patio as well as someone saying “That’s stupid,” Matt cracked me up as he wanted to just do random, drive-by statements to everyone we passed. I wish he would have because it would have topped off a groovy day.

As we headed back to Hoots, I commented that we might not be seeing this sort of thing in ten years as the world of politics is changing. He agreed.

I don’t know why I had that feeling, but I did.

It appears that the Nashville Scene is wondering the same thing I am about the announcement yesterday from Sen. Roy Herron regarding his, no offense Roy, pretty sad little statement about running for governor. The question is what is the Mike McWherter angle and where does he fit in amongst the democratic candidates who have announced.

I think it comes down to who is going to commit the cash or who can do an honest-to-goodness grassroots campaign that can raise the money and the passion they need to go the distance balanced with the big money people finding a fine line of garnering statewide support.

Right now, it’s still early.

So, we have McWherter and Herron, both possibly in the race from my little neck of the woods? This brings up a couple of things as they are both huge parts of the Ned McWherter power machine. First of all, does this mean that McWherter had decided to back out? Does Herron have a trump card that we might not know about? McWherter was pretty masterful in raising money for Sen. Lowe Finney’s campaign but the will he/won’t he mess that happened a couple of years ago still weighs heavy.

The response in Hoots from the folks I talked to yesterday wasn’t necessarily for or against Herron quite frankly. There wasn’t a whole lot of surprise (actually, I think I was more surprised than anyone which shows you that I might be a maroon) and there wasn’t a lot of talk as everyone was keyed in on a couple of local things that were going on. A lot of shrugging of the shoulders and “all righty then” sort of attitude.

One conversation that held a lot of merit for me was one I had with a younger voter who remembers the legacy of the elder McWherter but not actually his tenure as a very popular governor. This is something I hadn’t really considered as she thought of Ned as more of what she had learned in her Tennessee history books than the powerful player (who still is if you ask me) that he was while in the House and Governor’s Mansion.

It reminded me that there is always a lesson to be learned from the man Hoots calls “Ned Ray” and that is that he always had his finger on the pulse of his county and northwest Tennessee. He knew your name, your cousin’s name, your dog’s name, the health of your grandparents and he was always accessible.

These are lessons that his son and Herron should heed because when you announce you are going to run for governor, you want excitement. I’d say Mike should hit his hometown of Jackson and Herron should be on the streets creating a buzz where he lives as well.

And hanging on to try to control the message isn’t going to work as the elder McWherter didn’t have to contend with the innertubes, where people get crabby with politicians trying to control the message instead of just letting it fly.

Some of us who are of the sandwich generation where we remember old school politics and new idea politics are just about done with the message that is being sent out from Nashville right now which Laura explains perfectly.

Just saying.

I love you. I do but sometimes folks have to practice tough love with the things they care about.
You guys, well, I thought you knew better but you don’t, and what I’m talking about is that I think you need to come to Hooterville and talk to some of the people I’ve been talking to the past few days. Go to all of the Hootervilles, not just mine.

You are blowing it, in my opinion, when it comes to rural voters and in many ways, you are disenfranchising younger voters here.This isn’t good, Nashville leaders.

There is a world outside of Nashville.

And, I mean this, you guys act like there isn’t sometimes and that’s a damn shame. You have young people here that want to be involved in the political process, are talking to me, and yes I work at a newspaper, that they are constantly not getting their needs met. But, with that said, the GOP is doing dandy here. New building, an air of excitement, recruiting new members, selling McCain buttons enthusiastically and creating new partnerships by reaching across the aisle to a large degree.
Heck, I’m a liberal and I’ve had a great time with the local GOP. They are rocking it.
Earlier this week, I talked to several people in their 20s and 30s who lean to the left who do not feel comfortable with the college democrats due to their age and in the local democratic party because there tends to be too much established fellowship. This isn’t your fault and I’m not blaming you but a little updated training might help from your end. They wanted to put up signs, they wanted buttons, they wanted a rally.
But, and this is just dang unforgivable, is that between 20,000 and 30,000 people were here for the Tennessee Soybean Festival and other than a handful of kids from the college running a voter registration drive, the democrats were invisible. Thousands and thousands of college kids were at the Corey Smith outdoor free concert where there were dozens of vendors when you could have come and made a huge splash and, umm …
You get my drift?
You missed a huge opportunity. Rural communities want to be involved. Engage them and pay attention.
Several years ago, I went to several meetings at the local party and was one of those young voters who felt left out. I wanted inspiring conversations, events to feel excited about. As I recall, I went to one meeting with now Sen. Lowe Finney. I can’t speak for him but I can say that I didn’t get my needs met. After a while, I gave up.
This is the county that has Ned McWherter and his legacy. But there are other counties just like mine that need leadership from the state office. I set up a website for these young voters yesterday. Have you not sent out instructions to rural communities who need your guidance about online networking, talking points and utilizing social communication sites like Twitter or Friendfeed? I’m just asking because I know I haven’t seen them but you might have. Are you talking to established rural party leadership about how to recruit young people.

Gray, we had 4.4 percent of our registered voters vote here in August.

I don’t know about other rural counties but don’t you think you need to reach out to these places that feel that voting is a waste of time because they aren’t being engaged. Yes, McCain will take Tennessee but I’m talking long-term here, not just one race. And, quite frankly, the GOP is getting it done in rural areas in Tennessee.
One young voter called the TNDP on Tuesday and was somewhat dismissed. She was devastated. I put out a call about needing some help to the Memphis Bloggers who were Johnny on the Spot and a call out to Twitter, with many people responding from Nashville.
I had to think about it. It’s more than just this race, it’s the future of this party when it comes to rural young voters who want participating. And it’s about guiding people into a new generation.

If this race is about change, you have people who want change and are willing to work for it, give them a hand. Remember, one of them called you so they are reaching out. I realize it’s a county in the middle of nowhere but voices are of value everywhere.
Guide them.
I contacted my local representatives.

We, and I say we because I’m not just griping are taking action to encourage young voters here and we, are going to try to help some of these kids. Rep. Mark Maddox and I are on it, but you have to help too. We are putting our money where our mouth is.
Politics in this state is not just in Nashville. We are not just a bunch of rednecks who need to be dismissed. One of your rising stars in the state senate started here. He was the same young man who went to that meeting with me so many years ago.
So please, help out the little guys because each vote counts in every election.
We aren’t asking you to do it, we are just asking you to be involved with everyone and not the select few.
Keep up the good work but expand it. That’s all I’m asking. I know this area, trust me on this one. I trust you will take this constructive criticism as it was meant. Not as a slam, but as an opportunity for growth.

Tough love is hard. If I pissed you off, well, too bad.
Love hurts.

Respectfully,
Newscoma

Obama (Ill.) posted big wins over Clinton in caucuses in Plains and Mountain states such as Kansas, Nebraska and Idaho, but Republicans in those states scoff at the suggestion that victories in the small universe of Democrats there translate into strength in November. In Tennessee and Oklahoma, Obama lost by wide margins to Clinton, who lived in nearby Arkansas. He narrowly won the primary in the swing state of Missouri, but did so thanks to the state’s solidly Democratic cities, losing its more rural, and more conservative, areas to Clinton.

“If he’s the nominee . . . he’ll start off with a good urban base, but he’ll have to get out and develop these other areas,” said former Tennessee governor Ned McWherter, a Democrat and Clinton supporter.

Read the whole thing here.

It’s an op-ed from the New York Times, and former Gov. Ned McWherter is discussed.

Tennessee’s Democratic governor, Ned McWherter, declared that “Tennessee will cover at least 95 percent of its citizens.” Yet the number of uninsured Tennesseans dipped for only two years before rising higher than ever.

It’s pretty comprehensive, if you are so inclined. It is somewhat an overview of health-care in America and its’ evolution over the years.

Reports that Mike McWherter isn’t going to run against Sen. Lamar Alexander have surfaced this morning around the blogosphere.

I’ll be honest, I know nothing, but I’m wondering a couple of things.

First of all, would the Lott resignation and Alexander immediately looking at seeking  his Republican Whip position be part of McWherter’s reasoning not to run. When you think about it, and Sean Braisted has it right, the Dems most likely won’t sink a lot of money in the campaign. There was a certainty to McWherter seeking the seat (or at least the illusion of one) less than two months ago.

Would recent events, combined with former Sen. Fred Thompson’s decision to seek the presidency, force McWherter back into the shadows? And when I say shadows, I basically mean back into a pretty cushy position of being a kingmaker and not one of the kings (elected folks) as McWherter has been very successful in some campaigns around the state, including Sen. Lowe Finney’s.

Another thing really hinges on whether or not McWherter wanted to run in a race that he didn’t have a guaranteed win. McWherter’s father, Ned, was very popular during his time in Nashville. A loss is not something that the younger McWherter even wants to chance right now. It’s a lot of money, a year’s worth of campaigning and a tight race.

For one thing, it’s a loss for northwest Tennessee, who after years of being power hitters in the state’s capital when Ned was there (and even from the day’s of Fats Everett while he was in Congress in the sixties) has seen a decline of power. Sure, Jimmy Naifeh is the house speaker, Philip Pinion is the chair of house transportation commission, but those positions don’t have, for lack of a better word, the sexiness that Ned’s glory years did in the past.

In some ways, most likely McWherter had a better chance of beating Alexander than anyone else. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder why he pushed for it across the state, then backed up.

Curious. I guess that’s why they call it an exploratory committee.

Apparently McWherter found something in his explorations he didn’t like.