Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Who's for Junior?
Without a shred of evidence to back up her claim, Melba Isom says big oil and big insurance are funding Bob Corker's campaign for U.S. Senate ("An effort to admire," City Paper, October 30). She goes on to say that if a person wishes for government by the people for the people, that person will vote for Harold Ford, Jr., aka Junior. Let's take a look at some of the people who are "for" Junior, shall we?
A couple of weeks ago, AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney came to Tennessee to campaign with Junior. Not only is Sweeney a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he lifted the ban on Communists serving as union officers and has allowed the Communist Party USA to distribute literature at union events. In addition, Sweeney has convinced a great many members of congress - including Junior - to sign onto the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow big labor to strong-arm its way into workplaces without an election or secret ballot.
Junior has taken money from East Coast liberals like Hillary Clinton, and from Hollywood liberals like Larry David, David Geffen, and Barbra Streisand. I'm sure there are a lot of Tennesseans who enjoy listening to Ms. Streisand's CDs, and who laugh at Mr. David's antics, but I'd dare say that most people in this state reject the Left Coast crowd's radical left-wing politics.
And while I'm on the subject of Junior's political donations, I think it's important to point out that only 32 percent of Junior's campaign receipts have come from the state of Tennessee. Junior's raised more money from New York City than from his hometown of Memphis, and more money from Washington, DC, and Los Angeles than from Nashville. Broken down by zip code, Junior's raised more money from Manhattan's liberal-filled Upper East Side than from any zip code in the state of Tennessee, save one in Memphis. (Bob Corker, on the other hand, has received 92 percent of his contributions from Tennessee.)
Junior has traveled the length and breadth of this state trying to present himself as a decidedly right-of-center Democrat. Indeed, he's done everything short of joining the Sons of Confederate Veterans to prove his conservative bone fides. My question is this: If Junior's so conservative, why's he rubbing elbows with socialists, and why are so many out-of-state liberal activists donating money to his campaign? When one takes the time to examine the facts, one sees that the people who are "for" Junior are people who in no way share the values of the citizens of Tennessee.
A couple of weeks ago, AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney came to Tennessee to campaign with Junior. Not only is Sweeney a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he lifted the ban on Communists serving as union officers and has allowed the Communist Party USA to distribute literature at union events. In addition, Sweeney has convinced a great many members of congress - including Junior - to sign onto the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow big labor to strong-arm its way into workplaces without an election or secret ballot.
Junior has taken money from East Coast liberals like Hillary Clinton, and from Hollywood liberals like Larry David, David Geffen, and Barbra Streisand. I'm sure there are a lot of Tennesseans who enjoy listening to Ms. Streisand's CDs, and who laugh at Mr. David's antics, but I'd dare say that most people in this state reject the Left Coast crowd's radical left-wing politics.
And while I'm on the subject of Junior's political donations, I think it's important to point out that only 32 percent of Junior's campaign receipts have come from the state of Tennessee. Junior's raised more money from New York City than from his hometown of Memphis, and more money from Washington, DC, and Los Angeles than from Nashville. Broken down by zip code, Junior's raised more money from Manhattan's liberal-filled Upper East Side than from any zip code in the state of Tennessee, save one in Memphis. (Bob Corker, on the other hand, has received 92 percent of his contributions from Tennessee.)
Junior has traveled the length and breadth of this state trying to present himself as a decidedly right-of-center Democrat. Indeed, he's done everything short of joining the Sons of Confederate Veterans to prove his conservative bone fides. My question is this: If Junior's so conservative, why's he rubbing elbows with socialists, and why are so many out-of-state liberal activists donating money to his campaign? When one takes the time to examine the facts, one sees that the people who are "for" Junior are people who in no way share the values of the citizens of Tennessee.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, November 01, 2006 
