Friday, October 14, 2005

Republican Dysfunction Run Rampant In Tennessee

As we have been reporting on this week (1, 2) the Republicans here in Tennessee are in disarray.

It seems everyone is starting to notice all the dysfunction the Republicans are having.

My good friend David Bander at Forward With Ford has a great article detailing the situation today:

You're making a mistake! I'm the REAL conservative in this race!"

One of the nice things about the 2006 Senate race is watching the Republican candidates go after each other. It's a welcome change, because usually Democrats are masters at this.

A sampler: Conservatives Beware

Rod Dreher comments on David Brooks' NYT op-ed at NRO's the Corner 10/13:

Brooks writes, "You know you are in establishment Republican circles when the conversation is bland but unifying. You know you are in conservative circles when it is interesting but divisive." Exactly. From where I sit, dutiful and undivisive Harriet "You're the Best Governor Ever" Miers is the embodiment of Establishment Republican Dallas. This is why Dallas proper, as Republican as it is, is surprisingly liberal on social issues that make the more conservative suburbs blanch: because maintaining social harmony is a more important value than sticking by principles. Like Miers, U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker is the embodiement of "Establishment Republican Tennessee." He has close ties to the moderate big business wing of the GOP - more interested in "maintaining social harmony" than "sticking by principles."

Corker's longtime ties to the establishment likely explain his unwillingness to take a stand on tough social issues. His positions are vague, but certainly not divisive. Conservatives beware of the "Stealth Candidate."

And: Hilleary, Bryant Are Lobbyists

With three true conservatives running for the U.S. Senate, voters are looking for ways to differentiate the candidates. As today's Times Free Press points out, the candidates’ backgrounds are one of the clearest differentiating factor.

On one hand, Bob Corker is a self-made businessman, the founder of a non-profit, and a successful mayor who led an incredible downtown revitalization effort in Chattanooga. On the other hand, Hilleary and Bryant are current or former lobbyists.

According to the Times Free Press, Bryant lobbied for Methodist Healthcare and BlueCross-BlueShield until about three months ago. Worse yet, Hilleary is still lobbying for SMS Holdings Corporation, a Nashville-based transportation security company, and says “he has no plans to cease lobbying” during the campaign.

Tennessee Republicans have a clear choice in this primary. We can either nominate a successful businessman and mayor who has shown he knows how to get results or we can nominate either of two guys who rely on politics to make their living. If you look at the way Washington is going today, the choice seems clear – Tennesseans need Bob Corker.

For the entire article, click here.

And: "So, You Want To Be a Conservative?"

Bob Corker is keep up his strategy: Lie...Deny...Cover-Up. The Corker campaign issued a press release entitled: "Democrats Attack Corker as Too Conservative." When I saw this headline I nearly choked with laughter. Day after day, the Corker people have put on this charade, trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Tennessee Republicans. "Bob Corker is a conservative," they say; they repeat it almost like a mantra.

I wonder how Mr. Evans, over at "Liberals for Corker", would square that contention with Bob Corker's record. There is an article on this blog entitled "Bob Corker Should Remove the (R) Behind His Name." In the article, I outline Corker's longstanding support from and for liberal causes. Despite what the Corker campaign will tell you: Corker has accepted money from a Nashville abortion doctor, held a fundraiser for Phil Bredesen, and has been endorsed by the liberal interest group: IBEW. Corker ran in his last bid for Senate as a Pro-Choice candidate. While Mayor of Chattanooga, Corker never saw a tax increase he didn't like.

What does all this mean?...It means Bob Corker is beholden to the liberal agenda.

He is a lapdog of liberal interest groups. He has taken their money; now he must vote their way...Going from Pro-Choice to Pro-Life, Tax-Raiser to Tax-Cutter, Liberal to Conservative....Corker does more flip-flopping than John Kerry!

And we certainly don't need another one of those in the U.S. Senate.

Keep it up guys!

More: Lets not forget in addition to all the other problems listed above, recent reports have shown the connections between indicted Republican leader Tom Delay and Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary. Couple this with their performance in fundraising, Bryant and Hilleary could be on their last leg.

Moreover, Bob Corker just can't seem to win with the Republican base here in Tennessee. Each and everyday, Corker takes the heat from the conservative blogosphere on any number of issues.Finally, the leader of the Tennessee Republican Party here in Tennessee, Bill Frist, just received his subpoena from SEC regarding potential insider trading.

These days the Tennessee Republicans are close to making the Osbournes look normal.