Newscoma

I’m noticing a lot of shuffling and information going statewide regarding the race in District 8. That’s all fine and good. We have John Farmer seeking the seat again, and being that he really had no money in the last race, he didn’t do too shabby. There is another farmer apparently anointed by the NRCC, according to reports, from Frog Jump hitting the campaign trail.

Of course, we also have Dr. Ron Kirkland, Roy Herron and possibly Philip Pinion.

I’m finding the Fighting 8th is getting a lot of scrutiny, not only statewide but nationally. It’s a big deal. There is going to lot of money spent this year because you are looking at major markets that will get a lot of ad revenue. From the outskirts of Memphis to Clarksville, that’s a lot of doors to knock on and a lot of ground to cover.

Here is my hope though when it comes to this race. Just a quick message to those in the race if you will. I live here, so one of those votes is mine.

Remember what the 8th District needs right now. We are in a recession, job creation is a biggie and it’s important that a lot of grandstanding not take place, but an honest discussion on bringing industry to the area. People have gone from decent salaries in the last few years to part-time jobs they are damned glad to have because the manufacturing age for this district is over. Part-time doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be financially able to keep your house, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Times are hard. They are. It’s a fact. And for some, options of changing this economic landscape are limited. So, accuracy is crucial, especially when so many nationally are looking for some kind of political drama here.

And they are. We know that.

I realize this is going to be a political battlefield in the coming months, but there are real people living here with real problems. Be mindful of that, have a plan and remember that there is a human being behind each vote that each of you are seeking.

That is my wish. So bring it, and the Fighting 8th, which has turned into an unknown factor at this point, is watching. Most folks could care less who gets the slot, they just need solutions.

And they needed them yesterday.

Tennessee politics can be a very interesting thing. This year we have seen the Jason Mumpower/Kent Williams hootenanny, a crowded race for governor on both sides of the spectrum (I’m not talking about that one) and this week’s hokey pokey with the announcement of John Tanner citing he wasn’t going to run for another term, thus ending two decades in Washington.

Freddy Freddie O’Connell wrote today about Roy Herron throwing his hat into the congressional race and I do think it’s because he always wanted to run for the 8th. It’s been pretty much common knowledge around “these parts” for a long time as I wrote about earlier this week. I sat at a middle school basketball game last night and even folks who could care less about politics where talking about this. (Always remember, you will meet real voters at things like this. Nine times out of 10, if you are at a community event, a coffee shop or even a bar, you are going to hear what people are really thinking and they honestly only care about the election when it gets into the meat of it.)  The overall theme was that Roy has wanted to run for that seat for a long time. No one was really surprised that he went for it within hours of John Tanner’s retirement presser.

Now onto the primary as I’ve been thinking about it and talking to other political junkies here in Hoots where we’ve discussed this. You know, this race is going to have four primary television markets and I do believe that the national GOP is watching this carefully. You are going to have Nashville, Memphis, Jackson and add into the mix a bit of WPSD in Paducah which is a huge source in the upper corner here in northwest Tennessee. Two small markets and two huge television markets which are going to add up to some big dough-re-mi. That is most likely going to be on the mind of anyone even thinking about getting into the primary race.

One thing that John Tanner did very selflessly is give a one-year’s notice because whoever runs in this primary is going to have to have some jack. Already there is talk of a Dr. Ron Kirkland seeking the GOP slot out of Jackson. Other candidates names being tossed around for the Dems are Philip Pinion, Doug Jackson, Judy Barker and Mary Kate Ridgeway (and in the spirit of disclosure, I used to work for her husband, Don, when I was a program coordinator at NWTEDC.) More names will pop up in the next few days, I’m sure. The domino effect will also be into play regarding the 24th state senate seat. Who will seek the 24th if Roy were to win? If that person is already in office, and as an example of Barker/Jackson who haven’t decided yet to run or Mark Maddox who says he won’t seek John’s seat, who will seek their office if that scenario were to come to fruition? I’m thinking long term here, of course. And I’m not really talking about Jimmy Naifeh because I just don’t know if seeking this seat at 70 years-old is going to happen. Who knows? Willie Herenton says he will run against Steve Cohen, so one never knows a definitive answer with those two guys.

No one wants to talk about money for campaign races during economic times like these. And with this one getting national attention, you can bet the  parties in Washington are observing carefully what what is being said around the state. I also believe, because of the 8th’s high visibility, that we are going to see Mainstream Media more involved in this race. Sometimes they get involved, other times they don’t. As of this morning and since Tuesday, there were more than 300 news stories on Google talking about Tanner. He is a co-creator of the Blue Dog Democrats. He has the NATO thing going on. This time, I think you are going to hear a lot of traditional press.

The bottom line in this early time in the game is that this race is going to take a great deal of funding, it’s going to get a lot of attention and those Republicrats that tended to vote for Tanner (and they did) are going to be weighing their vote more heavily because this area has suffered huge job losses in recent history which is much of what I’m hearing being discussed. Tanner is what they knew and although not everyone adored him, he was well liked creating almost a new brand of voters for those in the middle who weren’t tied to a party line all the time for the past 20 years.

With what appears might be a crowded field on both sides, it’s going to take a lot of cash to get attention to win that seat.

How ’bout those Yankees?

Obviously Hoots has been a hotbed of what I like to call political “doings” the past couple of days. Since Tuesday night, I probably have talked to dozens of people talking about the domino effect of Tanner giving his one year notice. Most folks around here know Tanner so they were extremely interested in what our local blue dog was up to and the aftermath of his announcement.

I believe we are still looking at a domino effect.

Roy is out of the governor’s race which doesn’t surprise me as this action of seeking C8 has been talked about for awhile in connection with him and there are a plethora of people also making considerations which I’m sure you’ve heard about over at the Daily Kleinheider. I was watching the President speak about Afghanistan with a member of the National Guard and my friend Maxey when the news broke.

I won’t lie. We were floored as much by the timing as anything.

Other than a brief interlude when SkyhawkGirl played the accordion to cheer us up at lunch yesterday (which was awesome and much needed as I had the holiday blues the past week. Nothing will cheer you up quicker than seeing your buddy that you’ve known since high school play a polka for you) the conversation around Hoots continued all day. Here in Weakley County, we take our politics pretty seriously. It might be because we know the players and many of us are just political junkies.

I do know that this was pretty much the only conversation here which moved fast and furious.

There were questions such as “Why is John doing this?” Another one was “Why did Roy announce this so fast?” (Yes we call people by their first names here.) Both are good questions which I have no real answer to. Other questions that came to light were “What about I-69?” or “Will the next year give John time to get some things done he was working for in our area?” There was also quite a bit mentioned about the port authority project.

But the main thing was that we are looking at change here in northwest Tennessee and everyone knows it no matter what side of the political aisle they might sit on. Think about it, only three people have held that seat in half of a century. Fats Everett took the seat in 1958 after Jere Cooper died. Then Ed Jones had it from 1968 up until his retirement in 1988 when Tanner when into the office.

For 51 years, there have only been three men in that seat.

So change it will be. I’m interested to see what will happen next.

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.

I’ve been tooling around the TNDP site for the last few days and think it’s a mighty fine thing to behold. I wanted to give it a few days before I started talking about it. When any new website/blog starts there is usually a heady anticipation about it with lots of buzz, and either it falls off or evolves into something better/worse.

After a bit of scrutiny, I think this site is the real deal. I hope to see an upward and forward progression using these available tools as we head toward 2010.

So, I did what anyone like me would do, sent out some invitations to join to people I know and then sat back to wait to see what would happen on the site.

Ning sites are really cool, in my humble opinion, and this one is interactive. I have to say that one of my biggest criticisms about the TNDP over the past couple of years was not having a communicative tool in which to have more instant communication. From our standpoint in the west, and I’m guessing the folks over in the eastern part of the state go through this too as I can’t speak for them, was being geographically confined by location and missing out on some information. The site has opened up some of those lapses and I applaud the folks that did this.

Now, I get to play political multimedia critic and talk about a few things.

• Hoots is extremely underrepresented in the membership drive on the site. Guys, get cracking. We have an outlet and a tool now to participate in the social media aspect of this site so join up. I’d also like to see my legislators, Rep. Mark Maddox and Sen. Roy Herron on this site as well. That shows great leadership and a sense of unity. This also includes our county chair and members of the local party. I realize this sort of technical ideology is all new and stuff, but it’s time to get it going on.
• Mark Brown, who is Ward Cammack’s dude, seems to be utilizing the features of the site better than any candidate’s team right now. Videos, editorials and interactivity are coming from the Cammack camp right now and much of it is happening at the TNDP site. I tip my hat. Or Brown’s hat. Well, there is hat tipping somewhere. And, as GoldnI says, you will know him regardless if you want to or not because he’s hit the ground running.
• The county chairman’s feature articles are excellent. I like that a great deal and am glad to see the spotlight turned on each of the countys’ chairs.
• One bit of advice that I would share with the candidates for governor or any politician, especially the ones I met last week, is that if you are on Twitter, join everyone that has joined you back. And if you are actually doing the Twittering, because some people let their handlers do it, then participate. Yes, it does get noisy, but on the other hand, you will have instant feedback on what you are doing in the legislature. This is better than any poll you could ever pay a lofty commission for while getting immediate results. Thank me later for this bit of advice later over a beer because it’s the best feedback I could ever give you. Legislators who are excelling here are Sen. Jim Kyle and Sen. Andy Berke. (I hear Zack Wamp is doing that as well, but I’m talking democrats right now.) The TNDP asked a question yesterday about guns in parks but I couldn’t DM my response so make sure your direct messaging system is working on any microblogging site. It might have been me, and I own that. One thing that I like is reading Kyle talking about being a dad and his daughter’s disappointment over a lost competition where you could tell he was disappointed for her or Berke talk about everyday stuff as well as legislation. It breaks down the fourth wall, if you will, between an us and them sort of mentality. This works for a lot of people because it’s more personal. Regardless of what you may believe, it’s effective.
• Many of the bloggers talk a great deal off the radar quite a bit. I’m just saying. The new site allows more people to be in the conversation with much more specific information.

Those are just some initial thoughts.

Here is a bit of what’s going on with some of our west Tennessee legislators and what’s being said around the ‘tubes.

In an editorial from the Jackson Sun, Sen. Lowe Finney is getting an attaboy regarding the West Tennessee megasite.

Currently, a megasite is defined as “an area of at least 1,000 contiguous acres certified as being suitable and available for development for significant economic and industrial development.” Finney’s bill would amend the Tennessee Regional Megasite Authority Act of 2007 to allow additional separate acreage to be designated as part of the megasite. The bill has passed the Senates State and Local Government Committee and is waiting for a vote on the full Senate floor.

I like the idea of megasites but I also would like to know what the follow-up plan is on filling those facilities once they are built.

Daily Kos entry on Sen. Roy Herron which is very positive.

Folks, you may or may not have heard the news, but State Senator Roy Herron just announced yesterday that he will be running for Governor of Tennessee.

And if I may take a point of personal privilege here, as a Kossack for 5+ years, let me just say… I know Roy Herron personally, I know him very well, and I endorse him 1,000%.

I’m not familiar with the author, but apparently that person likes Herron a great deal.

Mike McWherter isn’t getting the love this morning from Pith in the Wind. The only thing I know about McWherter at this point is I saw him eating a sammich in Hoots Central other day. The only thing he said about the governor’s race is that he would have an announcement before long. That’s all I know.

This is a good example of a local county Democrat Chair named Landree Brotherton getting some good ink pixels and I hope my locals will watch how the Internet can help, and not hinder, their efforts. I’m unsure if the Hoots contigency had even joined the new TNDP ning site, which I’m liking.

On to other things:

The Memphis Blog is really awesome and our Delta buddy Lindsey Taylor is one of those folks at the helm. Very nice and latest in my feedburner.

I love this blog. I can lose myself over there.

And this made me smile as I was thought of.

Have a Happy Godzilla Monday.

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.

This is the statement thus far that I heard went to several of us.

“After prayerfully considering it with our family, I am going to get into the race. There will be a formal announcement before too long.”

I wonder what this means for Mike McWherter’s potential race as well.

Pretty much a standard statement, but I guess it means go.

That’s what Kleinheider and Ken Whitehouse are reporting this morning at Post Politics.

Hootervillians, as he is our state senator, I’ll give him a call and see if I can get a yay or nay from him. I was told by a source earlier this year he wasn’t going to but now maybe he is.

No one never knows with politicians, campers, as they change their minds like 12-year-old girls.

We will see.

I was reading Rob Robinson’s post this morning about candidates shutting down their websites after a campaign, citing some of the candidates for mayor of Nashville have already let their’s expire.

I agree, either use it or lose it. But, with that said, I want to add something to Rob’s thoughts.

Let’s take Rep. Stacey Campfield. I wouldn’t know this guy from a saltine cracker if he didn’t keep putting stuff on his (free) blog. As so far divided that both of we are on about, let me think, everything, he’s actually being savvy about one thing. He keeps the conversation going. Yeah, I know, I know, but his blog has gotten him national attention (not in a good way necessarily) but his name is out there. Hell, Stacey Campfield has become a brand and he doesn’t even pay for a fancy website because doing what many of us do.

My senator, Roy Herron, has a blog that he’s abandoned pretty much  although it appears the site is pretty active with some books he’s written over the past couple of years even though he was written up as politician who blogs back in March 2006 where Campfield and Herron were both discussed here in a Tennessee journal about “The Blogger System.” Hey, Bill Hobbs as well as some other folks, are mentioned over there too. It’s interesting to read the changes that have happened over the past 21 months since that article was published.

Now, back to websites. All of these folks should, in my opinion, keep those domains and take Rob’s advice by putting a splash page up if nothing else. I can’t think of a better way of communicating to constituents and I’ve preached this to my elected guys for the past two years. Do they listen? Well, sometimes.

Yeah, but local and state elected officials get a bit wiggy though, I think, about being too accessible but that’s another conversation for another day.

You know, the internet might not win you a campaign in 2007. But it just might raise you some money (can you say Howard Dean or Ron Paul), or much needed attention in this day and age which is sometimes how grassroots efforts get started.

Just saying.