VOLuntarilyConservative

I want to thank Open Source, Christopher Lydon, and his staff for inviting me to participate in their coverage of the Tennessee Senate race yesterday evening. I had a fantastic time, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the medium. With the exception of a few short calls on Knoxville talk radio over the years, my last foray as a radio show guest was with Steve Gill, and that was many moons ago.

I was joined on the show by Tom Humphrey, the political columnist from the Knoxville News-Sentinel that I have praised here before, John Jay Hooker, the esteemed liberal politician and attorney, and Randy Neal, the blogger from the Left who is currently at KnoxViews but who many still refer to as SouthKnoxBubba. The show's host, Christopher Lydon, is an experienced political hand himself, having run for Mayor of Boston just over a decade ago.

A few observations:

• It was refreshing to have such a mature discussion amongst people who have such a variety of viewpoints. In the Blogosphere, it is apparent that such discussions dealing with politics are becoming tough to find. That level of maturity should be mandatory everywhere (yes, I am looking in your direction, Ford bloggers...).
• Reader Patrick Hamilton left the following comment: "Rob, great job representing. I've decided if Bob Corker had the voice of John Jay Hooker, he'd be up in the polls." Well, I'm not sure that Bob is down in the polls, but I have to agree with John Jay's voice. It's right up there with Fred Thompson's and Johnny Cash's - one that you could listen to all day and never get tired of. Not to mention the knowledge that Hooker imparted throughout the broadcast...
• At a previous press event in Nashville (covered by Volunteer Voters), "Uncle John Jay" (as Harold Ford, Jr., refers to John Jay Hooker, who held Junior as a newborn) refused to say who he would be voting for in the Senate race. During last night's broadcast, Hooker stated that while he knew both men, he would not be voting for either in this race. I have to rank that as somewhat newsworthy.
• Tom Humphrey knows more about the political topography of Tennessee than most of the kids running campaigns today. He knows the game, knows the players, and knows what has to happen to make things work in government. That makes him not only a rarity amongst journalists, but a rarity amongst the public at large.
• The discussion continued long after the broadcast ended. Randy Neal dropped off at the end of the show, but Christopher, John Jay, Tom, and myself continued to discuss the race and the political system in general for a while after the microphones were cut off. Again, fascinating stuff, and I was just glad to be asked to participate.

If you would like to listen to the show, you can download it from Open Source here.