Why You Gotta Bring Up Old Stuff?

By Kleinheider Posted on April 18, 2008 at 11:25 am

By now this is old news, of course, but for the last few days I couldn’t help but think just which Tennessee superdelegate was it Governor Bredesen was talking about in the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week? For a refresher, let us look at the words spoken by the Honorable Phil Governor:

Another worrisome sign: Bredesen said some Democrats running for local and statewide office in Tennessee are now distancing themselves from both Obama and Clinton.

“One of the superdelegates said to me, ‘I’m in a swing district and both of them are poison to me,’ ” Bredesen said.

Making educated guesses and looking at the list of delegates many astute political watchers made assumptions as to whom the culprit was. John Rodgers of the City Paper seemed to cement the conventional wisdom by putting the word “think” in quotes when introducing this denial by Rep. Lincoln Davis’s spokesman, Tom Hayden:

“I don’t think the governor was speaking about Lincoln Davis because he did not say this to the governor.”

But is the key word “think” here or is it the rest of this sentence? I mean the denial is in there stated rather plainly after all, is it not? Why say “think” at all then? Well, the Governor is the Governor and one doesn’t put words in the governor’s mouth. Tom Hayden can’t say who the Governor was referring to because Tom Hayden is not the Governor.

Now, of course, the Governor is never going to say whom he was referring to and whomever said it to the Governor is not likely to cop to it. But if one takes at face value the Davis denial, if one accepts the explicit denial that Lincoln Davis did not say this to the Governor, I thought it only fair to get some responses from other possible suspects.

When asked for a confirmation or a denial that his boss, Congressman John Tanner, was the superdelegate being referred to, spokesman Randy Ford said the following:

I’m not in a position to confirm or deny. As you know, Congressman Tanner isn’t yet decided in the primary race but looks forward to a successful election year for the Democratic Party. He talks regularly with Gov. Bredesen and others in the delegation on a variety of topics, but we don’t comment on those private conversations.

The other member of the Congressional delegation who would seem to fit the description would be Congressman Bart Gordon of the Sixth Congressional District:

Congressman Gordon doesn’t recall having any conversations with the governor regarding the election. I would suggest you ask Governor Bredesen who he was speaking about since he has been all over the country talking about the issue.

Of course, none of this proves anything but if one is going to parse statements there is certainly plenty to go around, is there not?

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Tags: Bart Gordon, John Tanner, Julie Eubank, Lincoln Davis, Phil Bredsen, Randy Ford, Tom Hayden  

Post Politics: 15 April 2008 - Afternoon Edition

By Kleinheider Posted on April 17, 2008 at 11:38 am

Mayhill Fowler, the blogger who first posted the now infamous Barack Obama “bitter” remarks, describes herself as “born and bred in Tennessee.”

Knoxville journalist Michael Silence on the recent fundraising numbers out the Tuke campaign: “That is an impressive amount, if he’s running for mayor of Sevier County.”

The Alexander campaign confirmed to NashvillePost.com today that in the last fundraising quarter they raised a total of $982,552.90 bringing their cash-on-hand total to over $2.8 million.

Tennessee GOP Spokesman Bill Hobbs is catching heat not just for a rather forward press release about Barack Obama he put out under party stationary but for a blog posting on his personal site titled “The Natural Order of Things“ where he counsels Obama to “remember who is the boss.”

Rob Huddleston calls out Representative Jeanne Richardson for invoking the name of the Lord in a committee hearing over the issue of transsexuals being allowed to amend their birth certificates. The bill at issue has been dropped for the time being.

U.S. Senate candidate Bob Tuke follows up a press release by his Democratic opponent Mike Padgett on increasing educational opportunities for veterans with one of his own touting his status as a veteran.

Report John Brannon gives us an in depth report on the state house race developing in the wake of Rep. Phillip Pinion’s withdrawal from his reelection race in District 77.

Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle dismisses a cable industry lawsuit intended to block the Electric Power Board in Chattanooga from offering cable TV.

Spokesman Tom Hayden doesn’t think the Governor was talking about his boss, Rep. Lincoln Davis, when he described a swing district Tennessee superdelegate who categorized both Democratic candidates as politically poison to him.

The chairman of the Associated Press refers to “Obama bin Laden.”

Senators Alexander and Corker praise the merger of Northwest and Delta Airlines.

Metro Nashville changes its tree-trimming policies.

State Rep. G. A. Hardaway: “I want to be clear, This bill in no way will stop the dead people from their right to vote.”

A Tennessee gun enthusiast would like to introduce you to Speaker Jimmy Naifeh’s general election opponent.

Immigration attorney John Lamb asks, ideally, how long should one have to live in America to become eligible to run for President.

Tax Revolutionary Ben Cunningham reports that many aldermen in the town of Spring Hill are quietly trying to build support for a property tax. Mike Byrd is not surprised.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aide of their party: A bipartisan resolution honors Jack Daniel retiring master distiller.

A professor of law and sociology at Vanderbilt University asserts that our tax system has structural biases that favor those of a Caucasian persuasion.

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Tags: Mayhill Fowler, Tom Hayden