Some rambling about TN-07

OK, one thing of which you may be sure about whoever wins the 7th District Republican Primary, they will be too far to the right for 99.9% of our faithful readers.

I don't really want to get in between two Goopers beating the crap out of each other, but we need to face up to the fact that this is a Republican District, and will be through 2013. How so? It was DRAWN that way, so as to soak up excess Goopers from Districts 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9. As those five Districts have remained Democratic since 2003, it has worked well. As a result, it is as far right-wing as TN-09 is left, and probably further out there than we could ever go.

So, while I would vote for the Democratic nominee if I lived out there, in all reality, either the incumbent, Marsha Blackburn, or her opponent, Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood, will represent that district come January 2009.

On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being liberal and zero being right-wing (Conservative? That died with William F. Buckley, sorry), both of these people would be in negative numbers. So, you can't make your vote on an ideological basis, except that I believe that Leatherwood would be more of a true believer, while Blackburn is a neocon's neocon, and would believe that the moon is made of green cheese if Cheney told her so. Who knows, privately, he may have!

So, on that basis, whom would I rather see in that seat? Well, since A) I believe Blackburn should have gone to jail for inciting the near-riots surrounding the income-tax vote in the State Senate, and B) she is a Bush-Cheney parrot, and C) she lives in that most right-wing county, Williamson, I would go for Leatherwood.

I believe that if Leatherwood were asked to do or vote a certain way by the GOP leadership, and it went against his principles, he would politely but firmly tell them to stuff it. Next, he is from Shelby County, and, even on our worst days, that's better than Williamson County. We can always use another Congressperson. And, of course, if Leatherwood wins, the Democratic-majority County Commission will appoint his successor (and it's likely a Democrat would now win a succession special election). We win all the way around if Leatherwood goes to Congress.

Oh, and I forgot; this would also finish Blackburn and kill ANY chance she had to become Governor, which, if that happened, would ALMOST be enough to make me move to Desoto County.

I said ALMOST; don't get your hopes up just yet!

So, Democrats, urge your Gooper friends in the 7th to go with Tom Leatherwood, a decent if politically misguided fellow, because he's not nearly as wrong-headed and damaging to Shelby County as Blackburn. Marsha Blackburn needs to go, and now is as good a time as any.

UPDATE 7/7: Jonathan at Grand Divisions has a really good take on this, H/T to AC.