Corker the tool

[Glenn]

I heard part of Corker's speech supporting higher taxes. He said he hadn't talked to a single wealthy Tennessean the wasn't willing to contribute more. What a s_ _ _ head. If the government raised everyone's tax rate to 75%, in two years the deficit would be as big as it is now.

[Garufa]

Why do Republicans continue to vote for this ignoramus?

[gregintenn]

I voted for Mark Clayton!

[Oh Shoot]

[quote name='gregintenn' timestamp='1352765690' post='844540']
I voted for Mark Clayton!
[/quote]

I voted for the independent, whoever it was. Geez, was really disappointed Corker won.

- OS

[TMF]

I also did not vote for Corker, but I am not a republican.

[gregintenn]

Clayton was actually the Democrat nominee. You may remember the Democrat party tried to kick him off the ballot after he slipped in and won the primary.

[TMF]

[quote name='gregintenn' timestamp='1352766985' post='844552']Clayton was actually the Democrat nominee. You may remember the Democrat party tried to kick him off the ballot after he slipped in and won the primary.[/quote]

I recall him seeming a little "off" in an interview I saw him in.

[RobertNashville]

[quote name='Garufa' timestamp='1352765432' post='844536']
Why do Republicans continue to vote for this ignoramus?
[/quote]Because no one better with a decent chance to win has been able to knock him off the Republican ticket....I didn't vote for him but I'm not going to vote for a liberal Democrat either.

The Republican party power players are not going to abandon an incumbent candidate of their party except under some extraordinary circumstances - as long as they think Corker can win they will stick with him. That's very frustrating for those of us who want a better candidate but it's also understandable.

The only way we'll get a better candidate will be if Corker retires or there is a huge groundswell of support for some one; I don't see either happening anytime soon.

Corker is only part of the problem; most of the Republicans are getting ready to cave to whatever Obama wants.

I also want to say I dislike the title of the thread "Corker is a tool" because I dislike unnecessary redundancy. Edited November 13, 2012 by RobertNashville

[1pointofview]

i voted for brenda lenard.

at the end of the day, we are screwed. raise taxes. let the economy implode and let the strong survive Edited November 13, 2012 by 1pointofview

[daddyo]

[quote name='Garufa' timestamp='1352765432' post='844536']
Why do Republicans continue to vote for this ignoramus?
[/quote]

I didn't this time around, but I'm sorry to say I helped put him in office to begin with.

[LI0NSFAN]

[quote name='gregintenn' timestamp='1352765690' post='844540']
I voted for Mark Clayton!
[/quote] I did too!!!!

[monkeylizard]

[quote name='TMF' timestamp='1352769107' post='844572']


I recall him seeming a little "off" in an interview I saw him in.
[/quote]

A little? He makes Basil Marceaux look good.

I went with the 3rd party guy, for what little that did.

[Raoul]

I understand the general hatred of Corker. I'm familiar with his Chattanooga days. I will however have to say, that I personally know 3 vets that his office has gone above and beyond to help. Not an endorsement, just a statement.

[enfield]

I didn't vote for the bastard. For all who did - you own this s___!

I don't have any representation in Washington or Nashville. I'm beginning to wonder if voting can change anything -- it's starting to look like a rigged game to me. You choose door "A" or door "B", but they both go to the same room.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I guess I own it, enfield. I voted for him and I don't mind saying so. I didn't say I liked him, but the alternative
was probably worse. Get the Tea Party to put someone up in his next primary to challenge him. Let's see how
many get behind that.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

What did I do? Kill the thread? Y'all collectively out of steam bitching about Corker?

If you want him gone so much. Primary him! I can get behind that.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

And if you don't remember, let me remind you. Harold Ford, Jr. was running against him. Corker barely won
that one. Would you rather have him? He's gone to NY now, so bring him back first.

[Glenn]

What I want in a politician is real simple. Tell us before the election what you stand for. Then after the election, STAND FOR IT.

[Steelharp]

[quote name='Glenn' timestamp='1352832651' post='844898']
What I want in a politician is real simple. Tell us before the election what you stand for. Then after the election, STAND FOR IT.
[/quote]

Not simple. Damn near impossible.

[TMF]

[quote name='monkeylizard' timestamp='1352772456' post='844604']

A little? He makes Basil Marceaux look good.

I went with the 3rd party guy, for what little that did.[/quote]

Ha, I was being nice. He did seem like a guy who keeps his deceased mother in a rocking chair by the window.

[RobertNashville]

[quote name='6.8 AR' timestamp='1352832391' post='844895']
And if you don't remember, let me remind you. Harold Ford, Jr. was running against him. Corker barely won
that one. Would you rather have him? He's gone to NY now, so bring him back first.
[/quote]Considering many of Corker's votes I'm not entirely sure we would be significantly worse off had Ford won. The real disappointment is that we had a choice between Ford and a RINO like Corker in the first place.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I voted the libertarian candidate (surprise surprise, shock even). There was one fella on the ballot again for senate. Gatchell refuses to speak on any policy issue except the desirability of having a none of the above option on the ballot for every race. His only campaign promise is that in the remote chance of winning, he will immediately resign and oversee a new election, acting as passive caretaker for the office until the new election is held.

That is a neat civic duty, to stand in as the none of the above candidate until maybe sometime we could get a none of the above option institutionalized into law. The actual law ought to also provide that whenever none of the above wins, that it is illegal for anyone on the first ballot to run in the second election. Different pandering shysters would have to run the second time. And should none of the above win yet again, the third election would have a third crop of fresh pandering shysters. Eventually we would get a pandering shyster acceptable to a majority, or at least the largest plurality.

http://www.noneoftheabove-tn.org

Gatchell ran for governor in 2002 and 2006, mayor of Franklin in 2007, and senate in 2006, 2008, and 2012. He gets a slightly higher vote every time and won 0.3% this time around. In this election for senate green got 1.6%, libertarian 0.9%, constitution 0.8%. Because of the low odds of a third party victory at the moment, perhaps it would be better strategy for all third party and disaffected to unite and vote david none of the above gatchell. That would have been at least 4.6% none of the above. Plus all those voting the lesser evil and all those who voted none of the above by staying home. A strong none of the above turnout and victory would at least have the benefit of tossing worthless incumbent scoundrels.

[monkeylizard]

[quote name='RobertNashville' timestamp='1352837055' post='844941']
The real disappointment is that we had a choice between Ford and a RINO like Corker in the first place.
[/quote]

This.

A seated senator is nearly impossible to replace in the primary. It has only happened a handful of times. It can be done (see Dick Lugar if Indiana) but it takes a very capable challenger. Few serious candidates try it because it's so expensive and difficult. Then they've only won the primary with the general election still to come. Challengers rarely have the deep pockets to take on a sitting senator.

The time for a serious conservative to run for a senate seat is when it's empty. Otherwise it's like tilting at windmills. Maybe Bob or Lamar will retire after their current terms.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It happened several times this last election cycle, with Republican incumbents being the target by the Tea Party.
It happened last cycle, also.
Don't say It can't be done.

[monkeylizard]

Who else lost this time besides Dick Lugar (R) of Indiana? There were others who were challeneged and some that came close to losing, but I thought he was the only seated senator seeking re-election who actually lost their primary.

Here are some examples of it happening in the past. Every time that I can tell (I don't know the details of every one of these) the incumbent was a moderate of their party.

1952 - Kenneth McKellar (D - Tennessee)
1966 - Willis Robertson (D - Virginia)
1968 - Ernest Gruening (D - Alaska)
1968 - Thomas Kuchel (R - California)
1974 - William Fulbright (D - Arkansas)
1992 - Alan Dixon (D - Illinois)
2006 - Joe Lieberman (D - Connecticut) << He then ran as an independent and won
2010 - Bob Bennet (R - Utah)
2010 Lisa Murkowski (R - Alaska)
2012 - Dick Lugar (R - Indiana)


It takes a strong candidate with lots o' cash to pull this off. Fred R. Anderson, Mark Twain Clemens, Brenda S. Lenard, and Zach Poskevich were not going to be the ones to do it. I voted for Poskevich, but unless someone visits sites like TGO or listens to local talk-radio, nobody knew anything about him. The fact that Corker wasn't seriously challenged by a tea-party candidate tells me that the people deciding where to spend tea-party money decided Corker wasn't weak enough.