Three words I do not want to have to say when I wake on the morning of August 6th… “Haslam for Governor.”
While I have unequivocally and unapologetically stated my intentions to vote for Congressman Zach Wamp in the Tennessee Gubernatorial Republican Primary, I fully understand the reality that I may very well have to turn around and cast a vote for Mayor Haslam in November should the tides not turn between now and August 5th. I am certainly hoping, and am rather optimistic, that such a potential conflict of interest will not arise, but I am aware that I may very well be forced to vote for a man that has succeeded only in convincing me that he IS in fact the store-bought caricature of a GOP hopeful that my gut told me he was through his efforts to seek the Republican nomination.
If this is your first time here, you should probably know that I am NOT one of those conservatives that preaches “conservative first and Republican second.” I believe they are / can be / and should be synonymous with one another. That said, I do tend to break rank with “rah rah Right-Wing” conservatism from time-to-time, and I have on occasion found myself diametrically opposed to Republican talking points. The nature of my take on conservatism simply requires such opposing positions in the interest of consistency with my personal political preferences and my interpretation of true conservatism. If you need further clarification on the matter, fish around the site a bit and the picture should become a little clearer.
With that in mind, I will be voting for A Republican in November. Having explored the depths of the substance behind Dem-candidate Mike McWherter, I have hit rock bottom and been left wanting. While I can admit that it would require unforeseen circumstances presenting themselves to allow myself to vote for a candidate sent forth by the party that roams the Left, absolutely ruling out such a scenario would be careless and counter to my general take on all things political – especially at the state level. In a state like Tennessee where the Bill of Rights tends to be navigated with situational expedience, such a hard-lined posture would be fool-hearty as I am yet to find the limits of where misguided “conservatism” can take some “Republicans” in this fine state. That said, I see no such circumstance that would force me to take this unenviable position in a race between Haslam (or any of the candidates for that matter) and McWherter should it most regrettably arise. So again, I will be voting for A Republican in November.
So what to do… for the Republican who cringes at the thought of voting for Mayor Bill Haslam? VOTE EARLY!!! VOTE EARLY!!! VOTE EARLY!!! Let us not cross that bridge until we get there. I am still extremely optimistic that Zach Wamp can claim this nomination and early voting is the next major step to assuring that HE is our nominee and not Mayor Haslam. Time is running out and Haslam’s war chest is not, but the true conservative candidate can still emerge victorious in this race. Early voting will be pivotal and may determine the outcome of the Republican primary. So to those hoping for another choice in November… you must act now to make sure Haslam and McWherter are not the only options before you when voting for our next governor. Early voting begins July 16th.
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Regarding Mayor Haslam’s bid for the Republican nomination… I have received a great number of emails from Haslam supporters since I posted this piece on my choice for the Republican nomination. It appears that some believe that I was “unfair” to candidate Haslam. They believe I was biased, bought out, paid off (I really enjoyed those two), narrow-minded, and ignorant as to Haslam’s positions on the issues. They said I was simply targeting the front-runner because that was the “easy” thing to do. I guess they have never been on the other end of their email assault parade. They called me a RINO and many other names not to be repeated in this forum. I did find it particularly interesting that these claims were all made via email rather than as comments on this site, but I guess such is the nature of those with arguments founded on unstable footing to go anonymous with their remarks without the consequence of being rebutted publicly by others.
I like to think that I have pretty thick skin, and while I tend to be pretty stuck in my ways, I can admit when I am wrong, so I got a good laugh at most of the emails and decided to take another look at Mayor Haslam to see if my position required some tweaking.
Since the tone of my Haslam feedback was anything but “civil” I thought a great place to start would be taking a look at Haslam’s position Civility in this campaign. He says we should Focus on the Issues… so lets do just that…
Health Care
In this bit, Haslam taps a nurse of 35 years? Okay I can buy that. She is in a great position to speak to the issue. So what does she know about Bill’s position on the issues? ”He coached my two sons in Little League baseball….” Awesome!!
Fiscal Management
“He’s been my mayor for six years – you get to know someone that way.” Really?
We won the last election with 85% of the vote – “I wish he could still be my mayor but I guess I should share him with the rest of Tennessee.” No, its okay… You can keep him.
Second Amendment
This guy “knows” Bill Haslam and he says we can “count on him” to protect the 2nd Amendment.
Bill is Genuine… He’s a veteran – can’t you see the hat and the rest of the garb? This guy says its so, it must be so…
No Issue – Just Character Reference on this one – I suppose?
“Haslam’s the Real Deal”
Says the “Ranch Manager” – “My daddy always said you can tell when somebody’s had good raising.”
- ”Bill Haslam’s the Real Deal.” Is this a Ford commercial?
More Character?
“Haslam works hard…” when he’s working the crowd for votes that is…
“I Just Like Him” – nough said!!
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Now before we move to phase two of the email character assassination on me, I will make two points – one is an admission and the other a request. The latter being more accurately a suggestion to Haslam supporters. If you’d like to legitimately “debate” the issues rather than just name call and assault me via my Inbox, how bout dropping a comment or two explaining why I should vote for your candidate so that everyone can share in your enlightenment. The other point is this. I know I have simply compiled television spots here in this post and have characterized that as “exploring Haslam further.” I understand that such an undertaking is hardly “due diligence” in the truest sense, so save the pot shots regarding that for another day. I have done my homework on candidate Haslam and find nothing – and I mean nothing – that demonstrates more accurately what this candidate is all about than HIS campaign advertisements. This is what he wants us to believe he is, so this is what I have posted here. After all, if he wanted this race to be about substance, wouldn’t his ads reflect that fact?
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Hot off the Presses…. The newest ad from the Haslam camp…
“Someone in Charge who’s been in charge before.”
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Did someone want to ask Bill if he wanted to retract his turning to FEMA post-flood statements, because “leadership in tough times” doesn’t immediately conjure up images of a governor running to the Federal government in my book?
Photo via… www.knoxvilleskatepark.com/News.html
I am so happy to find a Republican willing to speak the truth about this candidate. All that I hear is how great he is from people that know absolutely nothing about him except that he is leading the race and he is the CEO of Pilot. His ads are everywhere and I still do not know anything about the man. I was turned off by his ads where he actually spoke so I cannot figure out why Tennesseans would want to vote for him. Thank you for following Tennessee politics. There are just not that many places to find substance other than the Tennessean and local news.
Right off. I do not like Rep. Wamp or Mayor Haslam and do not intend to vote for either of them. I favor Ron Ramsey and think that he is the perfect man for the job. I read both of your posts on the Governor’s race and I do not see where you do not like Ramsey. It is clear that you think Haslam is a simpleton. You may even take on a tone of elitism in characterizing him as such. That said, Why do you not like Ron Ramsey? He didn’t vote for the bailout and he’s not Mayor Haslam. He understands Tennessee politics. He’s made a career of TN politics. He is the man for the job.
Naomi… Thank you very much for your comment. You’re the first Ramsey supporter to surface around here so I commend you for having the courage to voice your opinion. I respect your decision to support the Lt. Governor; I simply cannot concur. I will post more in the coming days about the race and hopefully they will flesh out why I feel Ramsey is not the right man for the job. In short…. addressing your points… Being a career TN politician is hardly a qualification for governor in my book. If that were the case, there would be hoards of governor-worthy candidates stumblin their way around the Capitol. You are correct. He did not vote for the bailout – because he isn’t a member of Congress. As to Haslam. I do not think him a simpleton, but I do believe his campaign is conducting itself in a manner that would be worthy of such a title. He has made little headway in the polls and his opponents have done little to chip away at it. They appear to be holding their punches until the final days and in response, Haslam has spent months – and millions – painting himself as the nice guy, average joe, good ole boy to brace for impact. Haslam is a very successful businessman, so if my take on his political strength made you or anyone else believe that I think he is a simpleton, I apologize and deeply regret it. I feel he is more than inept as a politician and potential governor, but that in no way, shape, form, or fashion should be taken as my thinking he is not a good person or even a very intelligent man.
I think the Zack has been improving from his sordid past. Why do so many make such a fuss over his excess and the such?
He has that Ralph Reed way of doing things, very undercover. He could do well.
Do you think he will fire about 5-15% of the state employees to get those liberals?
Go Zact!
I am very torn about the goveror’s race this go-round. Lt. Gov. Ramsey is from my hometown. I’ve known him and his brother most of my life. I ask myself, “What has he done for East Tennessee?” the answer is not very appealing. Then I look at Bill Haslam. Immediately, I see he is talking out of both sides of his mouth on gun rights and the 2nd amendment. That begs, “What else is he not being honest about?” That leaves one choice: Zack Wamp. Well, I recently had the…..um…..opportunity to meet Mr. Wamp at a family style eatery in Chuckey, TN and was very unimpressed. He sat, with Phil Roe, at a table next to us and began stumping as soon as his meal was complete. When he stopped at our table, occupied by myself(a factory worker), my wife(an elementary teacher) and my mother (25+ yrs in healthcare), his answers to our questions were very unsettling. He could not assuage my fears about Cap & Trade Legislation and his stance there on. He completely agreed with Mr. Obama’s “Race To The Top” education platform, which most educators deplore, and expressed his intent to support such legislation. When my wife disagreed with him, he tried to reverse his stance and correct himself….that REALLY bothered me. Lastly, when my mother asked him about his feelings on the Obama healthcare reforms, he simply stated “Im gonna have to turn you over to Mr. Roe on that one. Y’all have a good day” and he was gone. In contrast, Mr. Roe pulled up a chair and discussed at length with us his thoughts and feelings on each topic.
So….what shall us conservatives do for a governor???
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