Thursday, August 31, 2006
Dirty Ragsdale
There has been much talk amongst the Knox County blogs (especially David Oatney (here and here), who I still count as "one of us" despite his move to White Pine, and Terry Frank (here, here, and here)).
So why haven't I been on this story? Well, there are a few reasons:
1) Foremost, I don't feel the need to give any press coverage to Tyler Harber. He is about as helpful to the Republican Party as rabies.
2) Unlike others, I don't think that Mike Ragsdale has a prayer of rising to higher office. Yes, he has some people who carry his banner, but he doesn't dare cross the Haslam's, and that means much more in the long run.
3) It appears that this story is a bit too easy. Some of the tales regarding Ragsdale's campaigning are legend here in Knox County, and don't even get me started on the attempted shooting of Steve Hall while he ran against Ragsdale for Knox County Mayor. Yes, his campaigns pierce the veil of unethical electioneering; why should anyone be surprised that this behavior extended beyond the campaign trail?
Until criminal charges are brought, this is a yawner to me. I guess Adam Groves' involvement was a bit of a surprise, but that's about the extent of my interest thus far.
So why haven't I been on this story? Well, there are a few reasons:
1) Foremost, I don't feel the need to give any press coverage to Tyler Harber. He is about as helpful to the Republican Party as rabies.
2) Unlike others, I don't think that Mike Ragsdale has a prayer of rising to higher office. Yes, he has some people who carry his banner, but he doesn't dare cross the Haslam's, and that means much more in the long run.
3) It appears that this story is a bit too easy. Some of the tales regarding Ragsdale's campaigning are legend here in Knox County, and don't even get me started on the attempted shooting of Steve Hall while he ran against Ragsdale for Knox County Mayor. Yes, his campaigns pierce the veil of unethical electioneering; why should anyone be surprised that this behavior extended beyond the campaign trail?
Until criminal charges are brought, this is a yawner to me. I guess Adam Groves' involvement was a bit of a surprise, but that's about the extent of my interest thus far.
Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 1:08 PM 
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Rob;
I'm not saying Tyler Harber is a hero-far from it. But these charges are serious and from what I am hearing, they show real merit. The investigation is underway, and based on that, this deserves more coverage in the mainstream press than it is getting.
It is precisely because we are NOT surprised by Ragsdale's terrible tactics that this deserves to be uncovered throughly. After all, the average voter is just not as informed as we are-we can shrug this off as ho-hum, but it really isn't.
As to my moving to White Pine-Well, I am honored I am still in the "one of us" category. Except I now live in the First District.
I'm not saying Tyler Harber is a hero-far from it. But these charges are serious and from what I am hearing, they show real merit. The investigation is underway, and based on that, this deserves more coverage in the mainstream press than it is getting.
It is precisely because we are NOT surprised by Ragsdale's terrible tactics that this deserves to be uncovered throughly. After all, the average voter is just not as informed as we are-we can shrug this off as ho-hum, but it really isn't.
As to my moving to White Pine-Well, I am honored I am still in the "one of us" category. Except I now live in the First District.
Dave -
It certainly isn't "ho-hum." That part is for sure. When you start to look at campaign activities in other states (which, of course, you and I are familiar with but the average citizen probably is not), you see that many of the actions in Tennessee campaigns - the use of bears, driving chickens, and laptops for hacking - is not the norm.
I would love to know what Harber gets out of this. I doubt that he is falling on his sword for the good of all humanity.
Cheers,
Rob
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It certainly isn't "ho-hum." That part is for sure. When you start to look at campaign activities in other states (which, of course, you and I are familiar with but the average citizen probably is not), you see that many of the actions in Tennessee campaigns - the use of bears, driving chickens, and laptops for hacking - is not the norm.
I would love to know what Harber gets out of this. I doubt that he is falling on his sword for the good of all humanity.
Cheers,
Rob
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