Latest Haslem commercial

[Northface]

I know I am old and slow, but why would Bill Haslam put 2 democrats, one of which is his opponent's father, as examples of great leadership in his latest TV ad; "For All Tennessee"?

TV Spots | Bill Haslam for Governor of Tennessee

Edited September 2, 2010 by Northface

[Garufa]

I assume he is courting the Democratic vote for November. This is a much different race now with only one Republican and one Democrat facing off as opposed to the primaries in which a lot of dems crossed over and voted for Haslam. The real race is on and I bet it's close on Election day.

[Guest TnRebel]

or he is another Charlie Crist from Fl. a turn coat Rep. now Ind. playing both ends against the middle .

[Northface]

I asked them and here is the response:

Dear Bill,

Tennessee is fortunate because it has had many great leaders, statesmen who rise above the fray to get things done. This is a recognition that their willingness to step up and overcome challenges is an important quality for the next governor to have, and this isn’t an endorsement of everything each of these leaders did or a comparison of ideologies. Many names could have been included, but with only 60 seconds we chose to list three Tennessee governors who all made a big impact in getting things done for Tennessee, and a Senator who has a similar background to Mayor Haslam – led a business, ran a city – and who in his first term has distinguished himself in the Senate as a leading voice on finance and banking issues.

Sincerely,

[Guest HvyMtl]

BALD attempt to get Dems to vote for him... True colors shining thru...

[Guest RRM]

I wasn't surprised when i seen it, however i thought he would wait til after he was elected to show his more democratic side. This election reminds me of one a few years ago. I guess we are stuck to choosing the lesser of two evils.

[eapking]

Yep, now he starts leaning to the left, now that the real right wingers are gone. Let's see how long he's in the Govenor's seat before he makes his first 2A gaff.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

After invoking that RINO Corker in the advertisement, why didn't Bill just go all the way and praise Al Gore as a Past Paragon of Tennessee Leadership?

The ad slogan seems catchy enough-- "Bill Haslam: For the good of all Tennessee."

How about this-- "Bill Haslam is like a colonoscopy: A Pain in the A** but it's for your own good!"

[Guest Doc44]

I know both have said that they support the 2nd Aamendment. Just about all candidates say they support the constitution and the 2A. But has anyone heard either of them comment on how they feel about "GUNS IN BARS", especially since both are trying to ride on uncle Phil's coat tails now.

Doc44

[machinist]

Haslem's a loser. I'm going to write in Fred Thompson.

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Quite frankly, its refreshing to see a politician reaching more to the middle, instead of pandering to the religious right like that nut-job Wamp.

[JPS]

Quite frankly, its refreshing to see a politician reaching more to the middle, instead of pandering to the religious right like that nut-job Wamp.

Just so I'm clear - sucking up to democrats is 'reaching more to the middle', but doing the same thing to conservatives is 'pandering'... Correct?

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Just so I'm clear - sucking up to democrats is 'reaching more to the middle', but doing the same thing to conservatives is 'pandering'... Correct?

Well, to be technical, pandering to the left and the right denotes reaching to the middle.

I'd rather seem someone try to reach a middle ground with both parties. Extremists of any ilk scare the crap outa me.

[gotigers]

hmmm, the left is typically socialists and commies. The right is mostly conservatives with lots of religion, ethics, small gov. I think i will stick with the right. The middle gets nothing done. The right has extremists of some sort, but those extremists are a minority in the right. The left is extreme.

"Reaching across party lines" is a mistake. The right always tries and the left takes. The left never gives. The dem party has been hijacked by hardcore libs. Even the moderate dems, caucus with the libs. There can be no compromise with socialists. They plan on the right's compromise to get more footing in our government and more people on welfare tit.

Edited September 6, 2010 by gotigers

[JPS]

'Middle ground' is too often lowering goals and expectations to the lowest common denominator...

low·est common denominator (lst)

a. The most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people.

Don't we deserve better than that from our elected representatives?

[Guest HvyMtl]

Now he is blabbering on about "No income tax." A NON-issue. Both camps are anti-income tax... But, hey, most of the voters may not know that...

Bah. I wish this Dana Carvey look-a-like was not running... But, he is, and will take us closer to the actions of Don Sunquist, rather than Alexander, or any other good republican governor of the past...

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Middle ground is about finding compromise between two extremes. I would argue that the extremists on either side are theorist common denominator, as they are incapable of seeing beyond the l

party line.

'Middle ground' is too often lowering goals and expectations to the lowest common denominator...

low·est common denominator (lst)

a. The most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people.

Don't we deserve better than that from our elected representatives?

[eapking]

Bah. I wish this Dana Carvey look-a-like was not running...

I've been beating my head all summer trying to think of who reminds me of....YOU GOT IT!!!!

[JPS]

Middle ground is about finding compromise between two extremes. I would argue that the extremists on either side are theorist common denominator, as they are incapable of seeing beyond the l

party line.

Not sure what a 'theorist common denominator' is - probably just a typo.

Personally, I'm tired of politicians 'finding compromise'. I want to vote for someone who feels the same way I do about most things and will stand their ground and fight. If that makes them extremists, more power to them.

[Punisher84]

Personally, I'm tired of politicians 'finding compromise'. I want to vote for someone who feels the same way I do about most things and will stand their ground and fight. If that makes them extremists, more power to them.

Amen to that. I think there are certain things that there can be a middle ground on, but there is a difference in saying "I'm not for or against this" and pandering to each side.

Either stand for something, against something, admit you have no opinion, or admit you don't have a clue what you're talking about!

[gotigers]

Middle ground is about finding compromise between two extremes. I would argue that the extremists on either side are theorist common denominator, as they are incapable of seeing beyond the l

party line.

Like i said, the GOP always tries to cross party lines (McCain, Bush, Graham, etc). The libs/Dems always take. The right/conservatives get the shaft on all compromise. This country is right of center and always will be. This country has been on a right ascendancy for 20 years. The last Bush term caused a dip in this awakening, but now Americans see what the left/libs/dems are all about and we want no part of it.

You can't compromise with socialists. Compromise may have been ok in the past when Dems were truly Dems, but the democrat party has been infiltrated.

Haslim will win. He should not mistake him winning for some middle ground mandate or he will be a 1 term gov. If he compromises to FAR left he loses the right, not enough compromise and he loses the left. TN's dems are not the typical lib-dems. Sure there are some libs in TN, but it is not indicative of TN Dems. TN Dems will be more likely to swing right than to far left. Reduce spending, keep taxes low, reduce Tenncare, dont mess with gun rights and he will be ok.

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Not sure what a 'theorist common denominator' is - probably just a typo.

Personally, I'm tired of politicians 'finding compromise'. I want to vote for someone who feels the same way I do about most things and will stand their ground and fight. If that makes them extremists, more power to them.

I wish I was fortunate enough to find a candidate that feels the way I do about most things. So far, I don't think they exist. Until then, I'll continue to support those that look for the most reasonable solution, rather than the extreme.

[StPatrick]

TN, as a whole, simply doesn't elect statewide representatives that are far from the middle. Would I prefer a conservative / libertarian candidate who idolizes our founders, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich Hayek? Sure. Unfortunately, what I've got is Bill Haslam or a vote for a Dem governor in a redistricting year.

Repeat: next year, congressional districts will be re-drawn to the advantage of the party in power of the governorship. Sitting at home because Haslam isn't the perfect knight-in-shining-armor candidate only increases the probability of more congressional "representation" by folks who, admittedly and in spite of their moderate credentials, will still vote for Pelosi for speaker of the house. 6 years from now, it won't be Pelosi, but the philosophy will still remain.

NEVER NEVER NEVER spurn the better in pursuit of the perfect when it comes to politics. Haslam is the lesser of the two evils, but he can be pressured and moved to the right on issues if the electorate is active. He wasn't my guy, but I'll pull the lever for him in November, and then I will be on his backside on a regular basis via my state rep and senator.

Remember: people who take the time to communicate with their local and state reps not only vote reliably, they also tend to convince others around them to vote as they do. Your elected officials know this. If you're guilty of standing on the sidelines, and saying "there's no difference", perhaps you should get involved and make one.

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[tnhawk]

I assume he is courting the Democratic vote for November. This is a much different race now with only one Republican and one Democrat facing off as opposed to the primaries in which a lot of dems crossed over and voted for Haslam. The real race is on and I bet it's close on Election day.

I see it as a contest between two democrats - one honest about it, the other lies about it

[Guest cjames38464]

I think this add was not as much about reaching out to the Dems as it was a preemptive strike at Ned Jr. to keep the campain clean...Pretty smart tactic...McWherter will have a harder time going negative when Haslem is praising his old man...Haslem was not my first choice but he is the lesser of the evils, as he is a politician...Lets face it there is no such thing as a honest one, since they (honest oones) are either defeated or corrupted...even if there was one that campained exactly to our liking, once in office all bets are off, (refer to honest politician statement earlier)