After a few days, we return to political commentary.
I attended the second half of the League of Women's Voters 9th District Debate at the Central Library. Steve Cohen was on top of his game on the issues, Jake Ford was polite and polished but not substantive, and Mark White was sincere but his issues really did not resonate with the crowd.
What was more interesting to watch was after the debate ended, when I observed several female Democratic activists, along with the husband of one of them, engage Junior's younger brother in what appeared to be a heated discussion. As these women are Cohen supporters, I am going to presume there was some disagreement here.
However, Cohen, who had already left by this time, had already established that, no matter what JAKE Ford may do, he was supporting AND endorsing the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate, He wore both his own button and one for Junior, and he had made a point during the debate to note that Junior was HIS candidate for the Senate.
If only Junior would follow the lead of his own father, who had opposed HIS own brother, John, for County Mayor in 1994, and go against HIS brother to endorse Cohen, he would find fewer problems for himself in his own back yard. Jackson Baker wrote a piece for Time.Com about this situation, documenting it for the national press; the state press has apparently already begun to discuss this matter and how it could endanger the chance for the Democrats to take the Tennessee Senate seat, and perhaps the Senate itself.
I suspect Junior is frustrated with the situation, but maybe he thinks he doesn't need to worry, where else have Democrats got to go? I guess he's never heard of skipping races on Election Day.
Meanwhile, as Steve Cohen does what Democratic candidates are supposed to do and support the ENTIRE ticket, Junior dithers.
I am hearing that Senior is now wanting to beat Cohen worse than anything. Why? Junior won in 1996, Cohen accepted that and is clearly supporting his son for Senator. Is it that Herenton, by calling out Senior, has triggered an emotional overreaction that could sink Junior's race?
This reminds me of an old Richard Pryor joke. There were two old men known for their exaggerations of, well, their own endowment. As they walk across the Golden Gate, nature calls and they stop to relieve themselves. The first one says, "Man! This water is COLD!" To which the other replies, "Yeah, and it's deep, too!"
I'm beginning to think this is how Senior views this situation; the only problem is that it WON'T be Steve Cohen who will lose if this continues, it will be he and his children.
And the Tennessee Democratic Party.
And the possibility of a Democratic Senate.
And the potential for subpoena power.
All because he wants to prove that the water's deep, too.
What a pity for all of us.
11 comments:
HFJ cannot say Democrats in his home base did not have the door open for him to do the right thing in the D9 race. It will not be long before the door is slam shut.
Times wrote about Memphis politics, which closed the door half way. When CNN start talking about the politics in Memphis the door will be slam shut for HFJ.
I'm assuming that Sr. has made the calculation that the Cohen/Jake dust-up won't cost Jr. enough/any votes all things considered. Sr. then has a shot at having a Ford in the Senate AND the House.
After all, What good does it do Ford Sr. to have Cohen there?
LOL on that Richard Pryor joke! OTOH, Senior sounds like he wants a pissing contest with Cohen, and subliminally, Herenton. And it's going to cost Tennessee and keep it from going blue for another 6-10 years.
Now, if this pissing contest costs us the Senate seat, and costs the Democrats control of the Senate, how much do you think his lobbying business will be worth then?
Junior might be able to get a job, but not Senior.
No, no, no. If Sr and the Memphis machine really had it in for Cohen, he would have been dead already. That's what is interesting to me about the progressive analysis of the race, constantly pitting "the black vote" against Cohen. It really isn't that cut and dried. It is much more plausible that everyone (with power) is fine with Cohen for now because he played ball when Jr set out to run. If anything, he'll have a couple of terms to himself barring some unforseen circumstance. Then perhaps he'll face some serious competition in the primary. Does anyone seriously think that Jake Ford is running anywhere near Cohen in numbers right now?
And they say identity politics are divisive.
Did you see Bruce Vanwyngarden's editorial last week? He thinks the Jake/Cohen kerfuffle might be a clever ploy to increase turnout, knowing that voters for both Jake and Steve are going to vote for Harold Jr.
OK, but what if progressive Democrsts here get so pissed off at Senior that they dump Junior in the Senate race?
THAT'S where the problem lies, and only Senior, Isaac & Jake can solve that one.
OK, but what if progressive Democrsts here get so pissed off at Senior that they dump Junior in the Senate race?
Then they'll be just like the famed 20% of North Carolina voters who walked out on Gantt when he ran against Helms and was leading in polls the last week of the election. What is going to make them get pissed off at HF Sr? Rumors? An assumption that someone is out to get Cohen?
I don't think it is likely. If it happens, it will say more about "progressives" than it would about Ford Sr.
I take serious issue with that. From the very beginning, harold Ford Junior has run his race as the Democratic nominee but run as if he were ashamed of being a Democrat.
he scts as if he is ABOVE the Democratic Party and that special rules apply. Bullshit. he can get aboard the train with the rest of us or get left at the station.
LWC, if you lived in California, New York, Wisconsin, maybe even Florida or Georgia, you might have an argument, and a good one. You don't, though. When I worked for the party back in the day I got the rude awakening of smelling salts snapped under my nose. I know my politics are far left of many around here (including a lot of people who call themselves progressive) and I know what I would like to see in a Senator. Wellstone, a hero, couldn't get elected here. The party is conservative here. You know that, though.
What I don't get is that progressives have let other centrists and moderates slide, yet JR seems to be taking the brunt of their grief. Personally, I think it has to do with Cohen's situation. Could be other things at work, I don't know. But if Jr thinks he's above the party, so did McWherter, Sasser, Gore, et. al.
I don't try to argue the "OMG we can't let Corker win!" point. I think that's weak. However, I can't get with the zero-sum strategy anymore either (however if we had a decent third choice I'd take a long look despite . . . other issues). Of the two candidates, I find myself agreeing with JR more. That simple.
If Jr does win, it is up to progressives to remind him of their support and push for their issues. That's one thing I see progressives lacking ; follow through. When the election is over, it ain't over. The candidate has to be reminded of how he got in, just like lobbyists are doing every day.
He reminds me of Lieberman in SO many ways, and he should KNOW better.
I in no way expect a Lamont or Boxer type to win here, but is it really too much to ask to have him throw his base a bone every now and then? It's as if he is trying to REINFORCE the GOP memes about liberals, and I will NOT abide that in a Democratic candidate.
As for the Cohen thing, it's a sign of disrespect and a sign that Junior views himself above the Democratic Party, and I don't even remember Gore doing that.
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