Question to fellow Tennesseans

[ravencalling]

Exactly why is this state red. This is based on replies I received regarding Memphis.

I know this is probably a very dumb question.

Thanks in advance!

[quidam56]

1. And why is horrifying health care considered acceptable health care ?

http://wisecountyissues.com/?p=62

[NashVegas]

2. I Think It's Really More of a Cultural Issue Than a Political Issue

"All politics is personal," aside, the angry-white-male-who-expects-to-be-"top"-and-you-better-know-it demo thrives here. There's nothing much to be done about it except to out-breed them.

[southernyankeebelle]

3. Hell who knows

I live in a rural area, nursery country. Most around here is blue country. But some of these people are voting for bedroom issues I guess. My husband works in dept store and alot of those red necks are voting republican. My husband has a college degree and when the debate he always stumps them and they don't know how to answer. I just don't get these people who vote for social issues instead of their pocketbook issues. They are good people but are very ignorant.

[Claire Beth]

4. We're in the bible belt and churches have a

big influence on how people vote. There are "blue" areas of the state, like Nashville, Memphis but not enough to turn it blue.

[SharonAnn]

5. Now that the State Senate and State House of Reps are GOP majority, the Election Boards

will switch to GOP control.

Look out, Tennessee!

[doeriver]

10. Fat lady ain't sung yet...

You are assuming that none of the GOP Tennessee House Reps will defect and vote for Jimmy Naifeh --- it is still a razor-thin 50-49 lead in the House

[Kalyke]

6. The media.

Outside of Memphis and Atlanta (which are, incidentally, very blue), no place in the South has anything but the RushHannitySavageBoortz hate fest.

[Duppers]

7. "What's the Matter with Tn.?"

I found this just last night:

What's the Matter with Tn.?

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Thu, 2008/11/06 - 5:10pm.

I've heard amazing gracious comments about Obama from W., McCain, Condi, Peggy Noonan etc. but all Duncan and Alexander are running around talking about is we "can't afford what he's promised" or we'll work with him if he doesn't "go down that left lane." We are talking about a guy big capitalist Warren Buffett has endorsed. Getting us out of a war sure would save money, that Duncan likes to promote when he wants to be mavericky.
I don't know what it is with Tn., we have more progressive pockets than some Southern states, we elected Clinton and Bredesen twice and almost Harold Ford Jr. but Kerry and Obama scored about the same here. I think maybe some of it is racial, but I think more of it might be a crazed fear of taxes, ie the tax revolt of 2002. And then there are the churches, WATE (tv) found some redneck-talking women in nursing scrubs having lunch yesterday and asked what they thought of the election, one articulate one said "we are church goers from the Bible Belt and we just don't believe anything he (Obama) says. "

http://www.knoxviews.com/blog/193


You can infer what you will and most likely, you'd be correct.

-d

[Duppers]

8. Racism.

Seen on Kingston Pike at Cherokee Blvd today: the KKK

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sat, 2008/11/08 - 9:33pm.

I'm tooling down the Pike today around 1:30 this afternoon, headed for Gourmet Market to get a new coffee maker (just one of those little single-cup drip thingies).

I'm driving west on the most beautiful stretch of road in town enjoying the gorgeous bright blue weather and watching the red and orange and yellow leaves sailing down and carpeting the sidewalks after last night's rain. Absolutely Knoxville at its most perfect.

And then I get to Laurel Church of Christ across from Cherokee Boulevard and a flash of white catches my eye.

As in white guys in white robes and white pointy hats.

One of them has an upside-down American flag.

It was so sudden and so shocking that I was past them before I could even flip them off.

I'm guessing I know what that was about.

http://www.knoxviews.com/blog




Not long ago I asked one north Knoxvillian DUer (a new mom with her 2nd child) if she thought Knoxville was turning red-er --- as I had observed.
The essence of her reply to me was 'hell no'!!
She does not know what this old 62 yr old knows. I can remember a truly liberal city when we could smoke pot and run naked down Cumberland Ave.! Those times are long gone!!

:(


I've lived on Virginia's east coast for 30 yrs. now.

Edit to include a post I found:

"The greatest times I can remember on the Strip took place in 1971-72 when we turned the strip into a STRIP JOINT. It was the days of streaking, and there was a weekend or two when the Knoxville Police came out in riot gear because there must have been 2-3 thousand students on Cumberland Ave. People running up the street naked and the crowd going absolutely wild. I was working at W-149 radio at the time, and it was some of the greatest times in my life. I miss those days.

-Alan Schubach ’75 "

Then, farther down the page:

"I can't think of the Strip without thinking of the great streaking parade in the late winter of 1973. It started with one streaker, then another, and then it became a parade of naked people down Cumberland Ave. Some were on motorcycles, some on bicycles, others were walking or running. Each streaker tried to out-do the other. It literally stopped traffic."


http://pr.tennessee.edu/etorch/2006/11/thestrip.shtml


Yes, I was there, getting high and loving the freedom. I bet no one here remembers 'Cas Walker Time' either. :)

[doeriver]

11. also Google "Nathan Vaughn" and "Blackbird Mailer"

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2008/11/vaughn_decries_blackbird_maile.php



Let me help you out with the different birds feature of the anti-Nathan Vaughn (D-Kingsport, Northeast Tennessee) 'Blackbird Mailer' --- the vultures with the sun behind them are on the same side of the mailer as the Tennessee Republican Party address , while the reverse side of the card is showing blackbirds with the heads of Obama (African -American), Nathan Vaughn (African-American), and Nancy Pelosi (plausible deniability aganist charges of racism by the TNRP and GOPeers like yourself)...I do not ever recall vultures or blackbirds being utilized for iconic representation of either the Republican Party or Democratic Party.

Another element of this "design" by the Tennessee Republican Party that have not discussed by the Tennessee Republican Party or Rep. Jason Mumpower pertains to the questionable use of these images in an effort to dehumanize Obama, Nathan Vaughn, and Nancy Pelosi in the minds of Vaughn's constitiuents --- not much unlike the way (but not to the same length of time and extent) as the Jews were dehumanized in the German media by Nazi Germany .

At least the Tennessee Republican Party got something right about the GOP 'Blackbird Mailer' --- birds of a feather do flock together...these Republicans don't see it among each other.

[Duppers]

9. Knoxville's state rep explains McCain win in Tennessee

I hope everyone here has heard of Robert Neal, the famous blogger from Maryville.

"Knoxville's state rep explains McCain win in Tennessee

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2008/11/08 - 11:29am.
Knoxville's State Rep. Stacey Campfield explains why McCain won big in Tennessee:


Winning, and why we really won.

McCain? Not much to no issue. Most people I talked to didn't think much of him but thought he was better then the alternative. Many people said they were more excited about Palin.

<..>

Obama's liberalism? Yes, in some part, but I got a lot of feedback on the religious issue as well. More then I would have thought. The Muslim factor as well as many people perception that he was the Antichrist was mentioned repeatedly. The blind worship and screaming adoration reminded many of early Hitler films. I also heard many people say how they did not think he was qualified to run based on his questionable place of birth.

OK, then."

http://www.knoxviews.com/blog/1