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Daily Dose for January 21, 2008
Clinton Here Today
Clinton Here Today -- Former President Bill Clinton will speak at Fisk University today on behalf of his wife's Presidential campaign. The rally will be one of a handful of expected campaign events in Tennessee prior to the state’s Feb. 5 primary. Clinton will speak at 6 p.m. at Henderson Gymnasium. Clinton will speak at Fisk, the historically black college, in an attempt to wrestle away some of the black vote from fellow Dem Presidential hopeful Barack Obama on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. More here
The Fall of Fred -- Political observers see an end for the Fred Thompson 08 campaign in sight after an embarassing third place finish in South Carolina for Fred. Thompson had been raising his own expectations of the race in SC before being beaten by both John McCain and Mike Huckabee in the Palmetto State. Even Thompson cheerleader Congressman Zach Wamp seemed to be retrospective: ""I think he is a thoroughbred racehorse who came out of the gates strong in September ... He stumbled around the first turn in October and in early November. But he has caught his stride." More here
More on Conservation Hall -- State Rep. Stacey Campfield has proposed at least two bill that would effectively stop the development of what critics have called "Bredesen's Bunker" - an underground entertainment hall at the Governor's Executive Residence. The first bill prohibits the state from spending more on a project than the appraised value of the property. The other - calls for stopping the project and transferring the unspent money into a fund to cover the cost for extending sentences of child molesters. Campfield: "I figure all the people who are for partying with the governor and going to fundraisers at the governor's mansion will be for it. All the people who favor (longer sentences for) child predators and child molesters will be against it. We'll let the votes fall where they may."
TN Congressional Seats Safe -- The message from the Times-Free Press is that TN's 9 Congressional seats are probably all safe for incumbents with the only possible exception being the 9th district, where incumbent Steve Cohen may face a race-based challenge in the predominately black district from airline ex Nikki Tinker. Still, there is some dispute over how to read high Democratic turnout in early primary states and whether or not that will impact the race in TN. TNGOP Communications Dir Bill Hobbs: "Obviously the stronger the top of the ticket performs, the better it is for our candidates down the ballot, but we don’t believe Tennessee is going to vote for liberal Hillary Clinton or liberal Barack Obama in November." Hamilton Co. Dem Party Chair John Bailes: "Obama and Hillary will bring out voters who haven’t voted in the past, and that could make a big difference in Tennessee and around the country."
Selling an Elected Lt Gov -- Proponents of a plan, which include Gov. Phil Bredesen, of electing the state's Lt. Gov. have taken to defending that position by pointing out an elected spot would open up positions in state government for less wealty individuals. Tennesseans elect only three officials in a statewide vote, and only one — the governor — holds a state office. The other two are U.S. senators, but an elected number two in state government could provide a political training ground for candidates who couldn't afford to a statewide campaign to build name recognition. Critics of the plan, including former Gov. Don Sundquist say the Lt. Gov would have no real responsibilites - other than "reading the obituaries" - a charge frequently leveled at the office of the Vice President, but Bredesen says the Lt. Gov. may continue to have a role in the State Senate.
