I'm about to go to the Kyle announcement

But I almost decided to tell him where to put his campaign after something I read yesterday.

Now, a lesson in framing. I got up Monday morning and spit out my coffee after reading this CA article on Kyle's announcement, which had this little bundle of joy in it:

But Kyle has repositioned himself on an issue sure to haunt him: his vote for a tax-reform plan that included a state income tax in exchange for exempting grocery food from sales taxes and cutting the sales tax rate on everything else. As a member of the Finance Committee during former GOP governor Don Sundquist's push for tax reform, Kyle voted to send the bill to the Senate floor, where it was never called up for a vote after failing in the House.

"That was almost 10 years ago. I am against an income tax, and I will veto it. Phil Bredesen has proven we can manage this government without an income tax and frankly showed me I was wrong to consider an income tax."

What the fuck? This is the very reason I kicked Phil Bredesen in the balls on a daily basis since 2002, and this is a quote from a guy I'm preparing to support for Governor? Really, what the fuck?

Understand that two things are working at the same time here: 1) Tennessee DESPERATELY needs an income tax due to its horribly regressive tax structure and 2) the Goopers have poisoned the well on this issue to the point that if anyone supports it, they will probably be strung up on the spot. So, it's not that I wanted Kyle to actively support an income tax, I just wanted him to shut up about it.

No matter what the polls may say, WHOEVER is elected Governor is going to have to face an income tax at some point in their upcoming term, because the budget problems are only going to get worse, not better, and to dig yourself a hole like this is just plain stupid.

Not only that, by saying what he said, he reinforced the anti-taxation meme of the GOP, which HURTS Democrats and a progressive agenda. That's not acceptable.

Props to Kim McMillan here, who simply said to me, when I asked her about it earlier this year, that the people simply do not want an income tax at this time, and there is no point in pushing it. THAT, my friends, is a simple restatement of political reality, and does not reinforce any Republican meme.

Fortunately, Jim Kyle has LOTS of good friends here in Big Shelby working with the campaign, and my rage has been made known to him and I am hoping that this simple lesson in framing gets through to him. If we continue to discuss issues based on GOP definitions and framing, the Democratic Party here may as well not exist.

See you at the rally!