The Kurita Conundrum Explained

By Kleinheider Posted on September 16, 2008 at 7:52 am

Read the full news analysis by Ken Whitehouse.

permalink | Comment on this post

Tags: David Davis, Jim Kyle, John Wilder, open primary, Ron Ramsey, Rosalind Kurita, Senator Kurita votes Ramsey, Tim Barnes  

TNGOP Decries Treatment Of Kurita

By Kleinheider Posted on September 14, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Robin Smith on the shenanigans at the Sheraton:

“The actions of the TN Democrat Executive Committee damage the health of our voting process with an infection of backroom deals and electioneering further disenfranchising the electorate”, remarked Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “Removing Tennessee’s highest elected Democratic woman from a race that she won, kicking to the curb the supporters of Hillary Clinton, and rabidly attacking Sarah Palin are stunning tactics from a party that depends so heavily on the demographic of women voters and claims to be the party of ‘women’s ‘rights’.”

“The standard practice of political thuggery only adds to the frustration that voters have in the political system. The repeated calls for ‘women’s rights’ and ‘voter’s rights’ rings hollow and vacant when Democrat Party leaders orchestrate a different outcome of an election after the voters have spoken,” concluded Smith.

“While a strong woman bucks her party to do what’s best for her state with a record of reform is nominated as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, another strong woman, with a reformist streak voting for what she believes is best for her state, has her election made void by the Tennessee Democrats.”

permalink | 11 Comments

Tags: Jim Kyle, John Wilder, Ron Ramsey, Rosalind Kurita, Senator Kurita votes Ramsey, Tim Barnes  

Lessons From A Law Student

By Kleinheider Posted on at 5:13 pm

The hijacking of the 22nd state Senate primary by the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee does not lead Ilissa Gold to see good things for the party in the years ahead:

So what have we learned from all of this? That the Tennessee Democratic Party is corrupt, infiltrated by special interests, is still very much a good ol’ boys’ club, and is far more interested in maintaining the status quo than in taking risks and actually making gains. All of this might have been ok back in the days of the Dixiecrats. But Obama’s ascendancy has highlighted all of these problems. It’s no longer a sustainable way to run a party.

I’ve met Gray Sasser several times. He’s a very nice person and he genuinely wants Democrats to win throughout the state. But he’s not doing anything to make that happen. He and the rest of the party have put forth a strategy of keeping the powder dry until 2010, when the big prize of the governor’s mansion is at stake. But that strategy is going to blow up in all of their faces.

Because why vote for Democrats if a primary can be so easily overturned if the party doesn’t like the outcome? Why campaign for Democrats if the party doesn’t value your contribution? Why try to get involved period if they’re fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their own power at the expense of everyone else?

SEE ALSO:
The assassination of Rosalind Kurita
The Smoky Room Politics Of The TNDP
Clusterf**k in Clarksville
The Ousting Of State Senator Rosalind Kurita Is Wrong

permalink | 6 Comments

Tags: Jim Kyle, John Wilder, Ron Ramsey, Rosalind Kurita, Senator Kurita votes Ramsey, Tim Barnes