Happy 2019, here is what I am thinking about

First, it is too damned early, unless you are an operative looking for work, to care about 2020, there is too much happening now to worry about that.  I don't really want a Democratic nominee over 70, if possible.  They will not increase turnout next year.  I will support whomever we nominate, because we can't even be sure who the GOP nominee will be.  Whomever the nominee is, can we NOT turn them into a Messianic figure, please?  THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING PEOPLE TO OFFICE IS SO THEY WILL ENACT THE POLICIES WE WANT.  PERIOD.

Thank you.

Moving right along, I believe we will soon see a return to the blogosphere of one Trace Sharp of Nashville, TN, at tracesharp.com.  Put her on your RSS feed.  It won't be a return to NEWSCOMA, because that is done.  What you will get will, as always, be WELL worth your time.

Next, it appears that on January 12, Mary Mancini will seek a third term as TNDP Chair.  I don't blame her for Bredesen's loss, you can put that on Bredesen himself, who sucked all the air (and money) out of every other campaign in the state.  Phil Bredesen has never gotten anyone elected to office that was not named Phil Bredesen.  He needs to go retire and never darken our doors again.  It sure isn't 2006 anymore.

Back to this Chair race, which features Mary, Wiilliamson County Chair and longtime operative Holly McCall, and someone named Christopher Hale.  Mary has a record, and has flaws like any other living, breathing human, but I have a question for the other candidates:  What would YOU do differently?  HOW would you do it?  HOW do you fight the rampant right-wing media poisoning happening in rural Tennessee (and the US, for that matter) that precludes any type of true dialogue with folks?   IF you can make a reasonable case for how to do it (and if you CAN, you ought to be running for DNC Chair, not just TNDP), then I will listen.

I don't have a vote, but if I did, I would vote for Mary.  I would do so at the very least for her closure of the inept SCDP and faciliting its rebirth which led to an August sweep last year.  We owe her that much in Shelby County.

There are City elections this year, and I tend to believe that the Mayor will be re-elected, barring something unforeseen.  (NOTE: time to invoke the Hunter Demster Memorial Disclosure, in which I remind the 8-12 of you who do NOT know that my wife works in the Mayor's Office.  Take what ever caveats you need from that.)  No, Hunter Demster is not dead, it's just good for people to remember he is there, watching over us all.  :)

The Council elections will be a doozy, I am just going to sit back and wait for those.  I expect that there are incumbents who MAY not be re-elected, we will just have to wait and see what develops.  It should be a booming year for the local popcorn industry, I am just saying.

Speaking of breaking out the popcorn, the Council will once again attempt to fill three seats (that could have been filled in the November general election) next Tuesday, and we will see if they can get 7 votes for anyone in any of these seats.  Then they will elect a Chair for 2019; as long as it's not the person in the seat now, I am good.  Just saying, and note that these opinions are mine and mine alone, as they have been since 2004.

That's enough for now; the coming return of Ms. Sharp to the interwebs and the continued writing of Mr. Ross at Vibinc has inspired me to start again, I think it's time.  See you back here, and sooner than you think!