An open letter to Nikki Tinker

I know, this may seem too soon and too harsh, coming the day after the voters of the 9th Congressional District (ESPECIALLY the African-American community) thoroughly repudiated you and your vicious, lowdown tactics. How amazing it was to watch as you turned within 48 hours from an attacking Congressional candidate to a national pariah; "Worst Person in the World", indeed.

As Vito Corleone once said, how did things ever get so far? The first time I remember seeing you was back in 2005 when we had an SCDP Unity Breakfast at the now-defunct Cafe Francisco. You were attractive, you seemed to have things together, and rumors were going around that you were going to run for Junior's seat when he went to the Senate. Knowing little about you, I thought you would be worth considering, as I had no idea that my friend (and then-State Senator) would toss his hat in the ring.

Well, you ran, and no one could find a damn thing out about you and where you stood, except that you came from a broken home and had pulled yourself up to be the lawyer you now were. Except that in Memphis, where we share the trait of distrust of outsiders with our cousins in East Tennesse, that's not good enough. Thus, once Cohen, whom we bloggers knew and trusted to be the optimal progressive guy, got in the race, we went after you. Cohen, of course won, but it appears that you took the wrong lessons from your defeat of two years ago.

Instead of plunging yourself into the Memphis community and getting better known, building up trust with the locals, you kept campaigning, albeit stealthily.

You COULD have had a future here. Had you chosen to run for City Council and shown you were willing to pay your dues and establish yourself, while you might not have beaten Cohen this year, you would have had a better shot.

However, you chose a different path. You ran the sleaziest type of campaign imaginable, earning the enmity not only of the city, and the state, but you made yourself a national joke, a figure of contempt. However, Ms. Tinker, worst of all, with that style of campaigning, you embarrassed and insulted the very people whose votes you sought: African-Americans of the 9th District.

You tried to run as a STREET Candidate? Really? Listen here, sister girl, I'm twice as gangsta as you'll EVER be, and I'm a 50-year-old white guy who calls himself the Cracker.

And what about those poor crazed Armenians whom you conned into contributing to this campaign of hatred? Yes, the poor deluded souls need to accept some of the responsibility for this, but you took their money AND THEN SAID NOTHING ABOUT THEIR ISSUE UNTIL THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN! I've heard of cynical campaigns before, but this really took the cake.

Thoroughly embarrassed and enraged, the African-American community rose as one and slapped you down hard, which you richly deserved. You really thought you could come into Memphis, slide behind Junior into his Congressional seat and sell out to corporations like he did? He at least had a daddy who WAS from South Memphis, and could play the part. You, on the other hand, were about as believable as me trying to throw down some Three 6 Mafia.

You treated us as if we were stupid and willing to fall for anything, and you were smacked down brutally (and deservedly so) and your political career is DEAD. It's time to update the old resume and leave town, because in Memphis, TN, you are FINISHED.

The saddest thing of all is that it did not have to be this way. However, this is the path that you chose, and now you have to accept the consequences and get on with the rest of your life, whereever it leads you. Use this as a learning experience, because I assure you others will.

NOBODY wants to be a national pariah.