Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Is the Sacrifice of Kerry Roberts a Sign of Bigger Problems?
One could fill a book with the nuances of the redistricting plan put forth by GOP National Committeeman John Ryder and the Tennessee Republican Party - why lines were drawn here, how subtle differences impact voters there. It's chocked full of interesting decisions and - likely - more political favoritism and money than any of us will ever know.The one decision which jumped out to me and a few others in the blogosphere is what is being done to Kerry Roberts. Roberts, a Tea Party favorite, persevered and eventually was elected to replace moderate Diane Black when Black moved on to the U.S. House. Now with redistricting, Kerry Roberts is being treated worse than any of the Democrats, basically ousted from the Senate by being drawn into another Republican's district that doesn't come up for election again until 2014. That means that Roberts' term will end when this session ends and, if he so chooses to run for the Senate again, he will have to do so in a contested GOP primary in 2014 against a sitting incumbent.
This sends a very dangerous message to the grassroots. Ken over at Blue Collar Muse is none too pleased, and the GOP needs to be clear with the Tennessee grassroots as to why this was done. I don't think I would want to disrespect the grassroots when, in all likelihood, the top of the ticket is going to be represented in 2012 by a candidate that the grassroots does not care for in Mitt Romney. And Ken might be the most important grassroots leader in Tennessee politics at this juncture, having worked over the past couple of years to strengthen the networking in the Volunteer State.
Lots of questions, and very few answers thus far...
Labels: 2012 Tennessee Races, General Assembly, Grassroots, Political Canibalism, Political Strategy, Redistricting
Monday, March 29, 2010
Mumpowerful Reflections
A.C. Kleinheider provides some excellent commentary on the loss of Jason Mumpower as he serves his last weeks in the Tennessee House. This is a wonderful piece of reflection; it's probably the best post I've read this year on any subject.
Jason and I were at rival high schools during the same time back in the Tri-Cities. His rise to the House and eventually to leadership was astounding. Even with that - and this is just my personal reflection - Jason never really seemed to embrace the whole process. Whereas people like Ron Ramsey, Zach Wamp, and Lamar Alexander handle political situations and campaigning without batting an eye, Jason never seemed 100% comfortable with everything - in many ways like Ed Bryant, Bill Dunn, and David Davis. This is in no means judgmental or critical. It's simply an observation, and perhaps a relevant one. In my opinion, it's easier to leave something with which you're not 100% comfortable.
I wish Jason the best. He brought quite a bit of "out of the box" humor to functions, and he will be missed.
Labels: General Assembly, Political Strategy, TN GOP
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Should we care about Mary's baby?
Some Christian conservatives are opining about Mary Cheney's baby. I think they should show restraint in doing so.
This all comes down to the central rule of political conflict - knowing when to expand conflict and knowing when to let it die its natural death.
Mary Cheney's baby could be the equivalent of Terri Schiavo, so why not let this one go right now?
MORE: Roger Abramson (no friend of mine, of course) invoked the name of Carol Gilligan against Dr. Dobson, who is one of those Christian conservatives that feels obliged to opine on Mary Cheney. Abramson's right on this one - I don't see how Gilligan can be cited by a conservative in good conscience.
Did I just write that Abramson was right about something? Egads. It must be the Christmas spirit...
This all comes down to the central rule of political conflict - knowing when to expand conflict and knowing when to let it die its natural death.
Mary Cheney's baby could be the equivalent of Terri Schiavo, so why not let this one go right now?
MORE: Roger Abramson (no friend of mine, of course) invoked the name of Carol Gilligan against Dr. Dobson, who is one of those Christian conservatives that feels obliged to opine on Mary Cheney. Abramson's right on this one - I don't see how Gilligan can be cited by a conservative in good conscience.
Did I just write that Abramson was right about something? Egads. It must be the Christmas spirit...
Labels: Homosexuality, Political Strategy
