Monday, November 13, 2006
Larry Daughtrey: Wrong again
Larry Daughtrey's column-writing formula, after however many umpteen years he's been working at the Tennessean, remains the same: He analyzes a Tennessee political issue currently in the news, and he (a) shows himself to be a partisan jackass; (b) comes to the absolute wrong conclusion about the topic he's discussing; or (c) both (a) and (b). His latest column is in the (b) catagory.
Because Harold Ford, Jr., aka Junior, did so well in this year's U.S. Senate contest, Daughtrey predicts that Tennessee is "in play" for the 2008 presidential election. Daughtrey tries to buttress his claim by pointing out that Knoxville and Chattanooga were "less Republican" during the election, and Nashville and Memphis were "more Democrat."
Turnout was quite heavy in urban minority districts during this election because, well, there was quite a lot of excitement in the black community for the Junior for Senate campaign. This excitement generated a lot of Democrat votes as 95 percent of black voters in Tennessee cast their ballot for Junior. Also, one cannot overlook the fact that a fair number of voters who normally lean Republican voted for Junior based on his remarkable metamorphosis from a left-leaning Democrat U.S. Representative to a quasi-Republican U.S. Senate candidate.
Whoever emerges as the Democrats' nominee in 2008 will do so after months of placating the left-wing voters who turn out in Democrat primary elections. Indeed, the 2008 Democrat ticket will have an incredibly difficult before them as they try to convince Tennessee voters that they are not beholden to the trial lawyers, unions, and peaceniks who fund the Democrat Party (and expect something in return). Native son Al Gore couldn't get Tennessee voters to embrace his candidacy, so, realistically, what chance does Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Edwards, John Kerry, Tom Vilsack, et al., have of turning Tennessee "blue" in 2008?
Voters nationwide were in an anti-incumbent mood this year, especially when the incumbent was a Republican. What did Tennessee voters do? They re-elected every incumbent GOP member of the State House, re-elected every GOP member of the State Senate (save one), re-elected every GOP member of the U.S. House, chose a Republican replacement for GOP Senator Bill Frist, and re-elected Governor Phil Bredesen, who's routinely campaigned as a right-of-center candidate.
Larry Daughtrey predicts, based on the outcome of the 2006 election, that "[Tennessee] voters will ... do something different in 2008." I predict, with fact and history on my side, that voters will do much the same as they did this year. That is, they'll express satisfaction with Republican candidates, and they'll vote for the Republican presidential nominee. You read it here first.
Because Harold Ford, Jr., aka Junior, did so well in this year's U.S. Senate contest, Daughtrey predicts that Tennessee is "in play" for the 2008 presidential election. Daughtrey tries to buttress his claim by pointing out that Knoxville and Chattanooga were "less Republican" during the election, and Nashville and Memphis were "more Democrat."
Turnout was quite heavy in urban minority districts during this election because, well, there was quite a lot of excitement in the black community for the Junior for Senate campaign. This excitement generated a lot of Democrat votes as 95 percent of black voters in Tennessee cast their ballot for Junior. Also, one cannot overlook the fact that a fair number of voters who normally lean Republican voted for Junior based on his remarkable metamorphosis from a left-leaning Democrat U.S. Representative to a quasi-Republican U.S. Senate candidate.
Whoever emerges as the Democrats' nominee in 2008 will do so after months of placating the left-wing voters who turn out in Democrat primary elections. Indeed, the 2008 Democrat ticket will have an incredibly difficult before them as they try to convince Tennessee voters that they are not beholden to the trial lawyers, unions, and peaceniks who fund the Democrat Party (and expect something in return). Native son Al Gore couldn't get Tennessee voters to embrace his candidacy, so, realistically, what chance does Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Edwards, John Kerry, Tom Vilsack, et al., have of turning Tennessee "blue" in 2008?
Voters nationwide were in an anti-incumbent mood this year, especially when the incumbent was a Republican. What did Tennessee voters do? They re-elected every incumbent GOP member of the State House, re-elected every GOP member of the State Senate (save one), re-elected every GOP member of the U.S. House, chose a Republican replacement for GOP Senator Bill Frist, and re-elected Governor Phil Bredesen, who's routinely campaigned as a right-of-center candidate.
Larry Daughtrey predicts, based on the outcome of the 2006 election, that "[Tennessee] voters will ... do something different in 2008." I predict, with fact and history on my side, that voters will do much the same as they did this year. That is, they'll express satisfaction with Republican candidates, and they'll vote for the Republican presidential nominee. You read it here first.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, November 13, 2006 
