Out of three great choices, one emerges

Not the one I voted for, mind you, but one I can live with easily.

I am referring, of course, to last nights #SCDPSenate30SmackDown, in which Beverly Marrero, Carol Chumney and Sara Kyle were to face off for the SCDP nomination to replace former Senator and now Chancellor Jim Kyle.  And, yes, for you newbies who may have stumbled here, Jim Kyle is the husband of Sara Kyle.

After three solid speeches by the candidates, including a barnburner by Chumney, capped off by her withdrawal in favor of Marrero, the vote was taken.  This blog provided two proud votes for Beverly Marrero; however, Sara Kyle received the nomination on an 18-16 vote.

As Carol reminded us in her speech (which we will talk about a little later in the post), there were NO bad choices here: Jon and I just believed Beverly was the best choice, having had actual experience in the State Senate.

However, as we know, Sara Kyle is a 20 year veteran of state government with her years on the Public Service Commission and Tennessee Regulatory Authority until she was unceremoniously dumped by the Governor.  She is no slouch, and I can and WILL support her against Dr. George "Al Kapone Supports Me So I Can Carry North Memphis" Flinn in the November election.

It's easy to forget, as Sara has been out of the limelight, that she was raised in a campaigning family, with one uncle (Frank Clement) having served as Governor, one aunt serving in the State Senate (Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, during whose service Sara was introduced to Jim Kyle), as well as  campaigns on her own.  In fact, I would like to talk about that for a minute.

It is my hope that, upon her election (which I believe is not only possible but highly probable) to a Senate where she may have as few as four Democratic colleagues, that she does not become frustrated to the point where she leaves office in two years.  If that were to happen, then I believe last night's vote would be seen as a waste of time.

The truth is that Sara Kyle CAN and SHOULD be a dynamic force, not only here but statewide.  This is really needed at a time when the TNDP appears to be lost and not fully aware of its 'staggering lack of influence.  If she leaves office in two years, I hope that it will be for a bigger office, because she has the gravitas to lead a comeback for this party.  There's a REASON a groundswell took place last year for a possible Governor's run this year; while it didn't happen for various and sundry reasons, one hopes that something like this would be possible for her in the future.

Last night should be a new beginning for the Party, and for Sara Kyle.

Now, to Carol Chumney.   It is no secret that she wants to make another run for mayor of Memphis, and last night's speech about the power of women, despite the apparent refusal of Shelby Countians and Memphians to elect one to an executive office, highlighted that desire.

Whether it's AC Wharton or Jim Strickland carrying the water for the business community, no doubt Carol will be facing an uphill battle, unless she can unite the pro-labor and anti-corporate forces that want to see a change on North Main Street.   Considering that there could be SEVERAL candidates in that race, including Rev. Kenneth Whalum (always a bet to pull a sizable share of the vote), City Councilor Harold Collins (can he get votes outside his Whitehaven base?) and MPA leader Mike Williams (who is making a HUGE mistake if he runs, he will get no traction), it appears to me that all of the candidates who want to challenge the pro-business and pro-corporate forces need to meet and agree on a consensus candidate that may NOT be themselves.

I think of 1999, when all of Mayor Herenton's opponents could not unite, and 2007, when Herman Morris got in and split the anti-Herenton vote and kept Carol from being elected Mayor, and see that it could happen yet again if the anti-administration candidates are numerous.

In short, people, we need a backroom meeting.  (GASP!  QUEL HORREUR! MON DIEU! , Queue the fainting spells!)

I believe there should be a poll commissioned (preferably one done either by the CA or one by all the candidates together) to get an idea of who has the best chance to win.  The question that each candidate needs to ask themselves is this: IS THIS ABOUT ME OR IS IT ABOUT MEMPHIS AND ITS DIRECTION?  Are you willing to get out and support someone who has a better chance of winning, or are you going to stay in, split the vote and have four more years of Status Quo?

I hope that by January, things will be more settled in this regard.  Your thoughts, readers?

Come on, they were BOTH closer than you thought.

Call me Cassandra if you will (and HAVE), but you have to admit that you were startled when the early voting numbers came out, and secretly said, OH SHIT, Cracker was RIGHT.

I was surprised at the House 92 numbers being that close, but let's give the devils their due, the Goopers made a real run at us during early voting, and it scared me, and should have scared YOU, too. Props to David Upton for the Election Day GOTV effort, but why not have that kind of effort all along???

We need to be more organized for the whole race, as we now have yet one MORE special election to fill Beverly's soon-to-be-vacated House 89 seat (like, probably, TOMORROW), and we need to be ready.

I have a thought; what are the chances that, with session at the halfway point, the Honorable Phil Governor decides to have the special election coincide with the Memphis city elections in October, in an attempt to save money? What are your thoughts?

Also, do you think that the interim appointment should go to someone who is NOT running for the seat, as was done with Senate 30 and House 92? Let's hear what you have to say, folks!

Ahem.

It seems our friend Mr. Kleinheider in Nashville thinks I may have sounded a wee bit alarmist when I suggested that Larry Parrish was poised to become our new Senator tomorrow.

Follow the link to see how I reminded him of the tale of Ophelia Ford and what overconfidence in a low-turnout special election can do.

By the way, have you called your friends? Are you going to vote? I'll be watching!

I don't want to alarm you, but....

Beverly Marrero may be in trouble. Yes, you read that right.

The Goopers have put on a stronger campaign than expected, and there have been more early votes from Republican areas than OUR area. It is no longer unthinkable to suggest that the term SENATOR LARRY PARRISH could be heard in the most Democratic and liberal Senate district in Tennessee.

Why? As much as we all love Beverly Marrero, she is at best a mediocre campaigner, and it has seemed since the primary that many in her camp thought that her name would carry her through, just as it has in the smaller (and more liberal) District 89, where no Republican has reigned since 1972.

This is clearly NOT the case, as the Goopers smell blood in the water. Why not? Once they were given the Senate as a gift in January (thanks again, Ros!), they have wanted to solidify their hold.

Now, with Senator (and former Lt. Governor) John Wilder in the hospital bouncing back and forth between serious and critical condition like a 2 year old child on Jolt cola, and Marrero sleepwalking to a possible defeat, they are ready to put a stranglehold on the upper chamber.

Now, then, if you live and vote in District 30, you need to do the following:
1) VOTE ON TUESDAY!
2) CALL EVERYONE that you know who votes Democrat and lives in District 30 to remind them to vote for Beverly on Tuesday.
3) If you can take Tuesday off to come and help her, please do so and then contact David Upton to see how you can help. (I will verify that's it's OK to put his number and email addy up first).

NO, the Cracker is not crying wolf, folks, this is possible, and it's time for the cavalry to ride in.

Remember:

MARRERO. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

We gotta find another seat for Shea Flinn

As the man known to some of us as Senator Jan Brady continues to rock the Capitol with real progressive legislation, we need to get this man elected to another legislative position after he turns the Senate 30 seat over to (hopefully) Beverly Marrero or (not so much) Larry Parrish in mid-March.

His bill would open up the liquor industry to something known as (gasp, shock) THE FREE MARKET, allowing package liquor sales on Sunday. All of this has upset the legendary Golden Goose, Tom Hensley, liquor lobbyist par excellance, who wants to keep the booze biz tightly controlled, keeping the prices artificially higher.

Not only that, he has also introduced legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the Volunteer State, which is a very serious subject. Near and dear to my heart, he has also introduced a bill to start the process for VOTE BY MAIL! All in all, terrific work in a short period of time for a man who used to be a, well, how do I say this.....

a THESPIAN.

Well, the Democratic electorate has spoken.

LOUDLY.

With all 58 precincts reporting and Early Vote and Absentees listed, here are your final, unofficial numbers in the Senate 30 Democratic Primary:

Beverly Marrero 2810 73.4%

Robert Spence, Jr. 925 24.2%

Kevin Gallagher 88 2.3%

Enough said.

You have until 7 PM to VOTE if you live in Senate 30

Either vote, or I'll do a naked hula on your lawn.

If that doesn't turn out the vote, nothing will. One of my friends called to inform me that when she voted at 8:30 AM, 90 MINUTES AFTER THE POLLS HAD OPENED, she was the FIRST person to vote that was not a poll officer or worker.

Maybe we should do the purple finger bit here. As for myself, I voted early (and took a friend to vote as well) and have called every one I know to vote.

So, it's up to you if you live in 30 and you haven't yet voted, do it now.

Before it's too late, and you wake up to see a naked 300-lb man dancing on your lawn.

Think about it.

TOMORROW is Election Day

IF you live either in Senate District 30, and/or House District 92, and some of you may live in BOTH.

So, if you didn't vote early, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GO VOTE! Polls are open from 7AM-7PM as always, and early votes should be announced shortly after 7 pm HERE.

If you are supporting Marrero, as I have, and you want to help tomorrow, show up at IBEW at 1870 Madison. If you can't help, but support her and want to attend the party afterwards, go there anyway, after 7 PM.

If the Spence folks have a place that they want people to go, please email me and I'll update this post. It's sjs1959 at gmail dot com.

If you didn't like either of them but are still a liberal and/or a Democrat anyway, go HERE, you might find kindred spirits! Not that you won't find supporters of either candidate there, you will.

Other note: G.A. Hardaway is unopposed in the Democratic Primary for House 92 but will face a Republican opponent in the general election; once we get this Godforsaken primary behind us, we need to get behind him, he will be a terrific legislator.

PD goes where angels fear to tread..

Polar Donkey assesses the Democratic landscape in Shelby County over the last 18 months, and comes to the conclusion that white Democrats may be on the endangered species list, thanks to the Mayor of Memphis and the election of Steve Cohen. Here's a sample:

The collapse of the Fords has contributed greatly to the ascendancy of the Herenton faction. That faction no longer is content to just have local elected positions and is moving on to state level offices after doing especially well with County Commission elections. District 30 was just the first spot open and some of the bloggers think 93 is next. But I don’t think the movement against these seats is driven by race or political ideology. The Herenton faction is doing this simply because it can. Why not consolidate power when you have the political forces to do it? I’m sure Herenton will push on the City Council as well. By the end of Herenton’s 16th year, he will be the sole, political weather maker. It’s Herenton’s world and we’re all just squirrels looking for a nut.

Thank heaven for Sharon Cobb, otherwise I would never have known about this...

For the Marrero supporters, there is an event Wednesday night, the eve of the election. Click on the image to see it on a larger scale.

Thanks to Sharon for the tip...

MemphisBlue reports on the Debate

Jon over at MemphisBlue observed tonight's Senate 30 debate involving Democratic candidates Rep. Beverly Marrero (D-89) and Robert Spence, along with Gooper nominee Larry Parrish.

Go read it!

Freedonian scoops us all!

Rick has a copy of the Richard Fields letter that is going to be an ad in this week's Flyer, and it is NOT complimentary of Robert Spence.

Great work, Rick!

OK, then.

Kevin Gallagher, as has been reported by Desi Franklin at WTL, has withdrawn as a candidate for the special election to fill the vacated seat of Congressman Steve Cohen in State Senate District 30. Early voting begins in the Democratic Primary on January 5, with Election Day for the Primary set for January 25.

I expressed my concerns early on about Beverly's campaigning, but with Kevin out, I will get behind her and support her. This is a situation that requires our attention, because Robert Spence's problems would kill our chances to keep this seat in Democratic hands. Freedonian has already documented that after just a few minutes on Google; what do you think the Goopers could dig up?

So, those of you of the liberal persuasion in Shelby County need to rally behind Beverly Marrero to ensure that we continue to have optimal representation in District 30. I know Kevin Gallagher will, and if you, like me, were supporting his candidacy, you need to get behind Beverly now.

Then, we will work on House 89!