McWherter / Haslam

[johnharris]

This is not a poll. What I am looking for is reliable information, feedback and commentary on whether TFA should consider making an endorsement and, if so, why or why not. Comments are not limited to the past but place your hat of prophecy on and speculate about which option would be best over the next 4 years.

[SomeGuy]

Based on their pervious positions, publicly endorse niether, citing both of their opposition to the changes needed in the law, and Haslams history.

If, big if here, Haslam was willing to come out and make a very public change, and openly support our issues, I might take him. if he makes it big and public enough, it would really look bad if it doesn't pass. Of course, GOP House members would be more likely to override a bad Dem than a Bad Rep. Haslam could quietly kill our bills much easier.

[GuardianDevil001]

Based upon what I know about both candidates neither is far enough ahead of the other to warrant an endorsement. McWherter opposed the Restaurant Carry bill and we all know about Haslam's conversion once he decided to run for Governor. Unfortunately both candidates think cutting a check to the NRA makes them strong on the right to keep and bear arms. Sadly, so does the NRA. I believe differently.

Dan

[1gewehr]

I don't believe that either one deserves an endorsement.

[TacticaLogic]

Looking at both candidates, I do not believe either should receive an endorsement based on firearms issues... Neither is a true supporter of our gun rights.

Haslem, while he claims to be a supporter of our rights, was a member of Bloomberg's group, only leaving it when he decided to run for governor. He claims Knoxville to be gun friendly, but I (unless I'm mistaken - and could be) do not believe any of Knoxville's parks to be open to "park carry." He joined the NRA when he filed to run for governor... Considering some of NRA's endorsements as of late - I'm not sure even they understand the importance of backing true "pro-gun"/"pro-2nd Amendment" candidates.

McWherter was opposed to the passed legislation that would allow us to carry in non-posted restaurants... He is just another Bredeson, only with a Southern/"Good Old Boy" pedigree, hoping to ride daddy's coattail into a governor's office. As far as what his advertisements are saying regarding his positions on guns: Isn't that the same stuff that we heard Bredeson say?

We are under no obligation to endorse a candidate... We are once again faced with a "lesser of two evils" situation, since neither is a true Constitutional Conservative. I think we should just save the endorsements for those that reflect our values. I do not believe that we will receive any positive gains from an endorsement of either...

Now... If we want to get outside of our focus (gun laws/carry laws) and think about how either of the candidates might vote on other constitutional issues, that is another issue. We would have to look at their past, which I admit that I have not done to enough extent to be able to make comment. If we as a group could reach a consensus on issues outside of guns/carry, then perhaps an endorsement would be warranted. But do we want to go there?

There is also the issue of the pressures that could be placed upon the governor to sign legislation that had been passed by the parties in control. If the Republicans (for lack of a better description of the more conservative of the two parties) control both the senate and state house, then a Republican governor would feel much more pressure to sign off on conservative legislation than would a Democrat governor (as defined by today's Democrat Party, because "this ain't your father's conservative Democrat Party anymore" - those days are pretty much gone). So... There is a whole other factor to be considered. Will the Republicans control both the senate and the house when the elections are over in November? If that looks likely, then perhaps throwing an endorsement to the Republican candidate might serve a purpose. Maybe that could add a little more pressure to the "we endorsed you, so sign this pro-gun/pro-carry legislation into law" situation.

Just my opinion...

Mike

[Tim Nunan]

We made our endorsement and there is no need to change now.

We've withheld our endorsement in the past (as the NRA use to do) and should do so now.

[wlhawk]

The endorsement of Mcwherter or Haslam would make a TFA endorsement worthless in the future.

[Grunt67]

I can't see endorsing either candidate, with their past history. Neither has been our friend. A friend
that shows up only when in need, is not my friend.

[C. Richard Archie]

I am going to deviate from the general consensus here.

I have known Mike McWherter for years, not on a "go to dinner" footing, but well enough. I can promise that he will be far more detrimental to our scope of interest than Haslam will ever be. It can not be construed that I was anything but rabid in my support of Ron Ramsey, both with my time and my limited cash, and no, I did not want Haslam to be our candidate. Is he a rock solid conservative? NO! But regarding the appointments that are within the purvey of the office and the power that the Governor holds, it will be our absolute worst nightmare if McWherter were to win.

It is in the best, and I mean BEST interest of those who advocate for the rights guaranteed by the Federal and State Constitutions that McWherter never enters the Governors mansion. I interviewed him at the West TN Regional Chapter meeting, and was appalled at what he had to say in from of a pro-gun group. In favor of gun registration, against the Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act, in favor of a weak 10th Amendment and in favor of a stronger Federal Government. The meeting took place prior to the Health Care vote, and he was all for passing that monstrosity. He said he would have vetoed the Guns in Parks Bill, (intoned that tired old "mad parents at the Little League games" argument) as well as the Restaurant Carry Bill.

Do not kid yourself, he has a huge war chest and is not beat yet. Money makes the world go-round, (as we are only too well aware from our last endeavor). Know that McWherter has access to huge amounts of the stuff. In addition, he has access to Tanner's staff and will be receiving lots of support and help from the DNC. McWherter and Herron are either family of Tanner, or like family.

For me and mine, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. McWherter is an enemy to all who cherish their Right to Keep and Bear arms, and that is a fact.

Haslam is not my first choice, but he is now the only choice. We have a strong enough Legislature to make Haslam act right, and never forget Ramsey is still Lt. Governor, so there is a strong check on a semi-Conservative to keep things on an even keel.

[Butch Butler]

I think we endorsed the right one to begin with so i cant see jumping to Haslams ship now.I do agree he will be better than McWherter who is without a dought anti-gun.
I can tell you if Haslam dont spend more time in west tennessee he will lose, the McWherter name carries alot of weight around here .
Butch

[benburke]

"The endorsement of Mcwherter or Haslam would make a TFA endorsement worthless in the future." "I can't see endorsing either candidate, with their past history. Neither has been our friend. A friend that shows up only when in need, is not my friend."

These two quotes, from previous posters, say it as well as I could, and it's also how I feel.

[RobertNashville]

We can debate which of the two bad choices is the worst choice but I believe it correct to say that neither of these two men deserve the endorsement of TFA.

At this point I believe it's more important to concentrate on the legislative races than the governorship anyway.

[GuardianDevil001]

We could do as the NRA does, that is forget past voting records and statements regarding 2nd Amendment rights and whore ourselves out to the highest bidder. Is Haslam a TFA life member yet? We can then take that money and contribute it to gun-friendly candidates for the state legislature.

[johnharris]

Got a tip to listen to Steve Gill interview McWherter this morning (Aug 23) in his race for governor. He raised some interesting questions about Bill Haslam and his refusal to disclose financial information and interests. Near the end of the show, Steve Gill briefly asked about guns. McWherter did not really get to address the issue but they had Bob Pope (Tennessee Patriot owner/editor) on the line who said he was endorsing McWherter because he felt that this year the more conservative of the two candidates was McWherter.

Its going to be an interesting time until the vote in November. I would like to see some pretty thorough debates held.

[macville]

[TacticaLogic]

I believe, after having read previous posts about McWherter's anti-gun stance he expressed at a TFA chapter meeting, that any endorsement for McWherter is an endorsement against our rights.

The question is: Is it better to have the Democrat or the Republican liberal in office? Well, if the liberal Democrat is in the governor’s office and the Republicans control both the State House and the Senate, the liberal Democrat governor can say “I want to do this for the people, but the Republicans are blocking me” and “I want to do that for the people, but the Republicans are blocking me” - and the media will portray the Democrat governor as the victim of those mean old Republicans. That action by the media under those circumstances goes without any possibility of denial by a sane, thinking individual. If the governor is a liberal Republican, and the Republicans in the State House and the Senate prevent him from getting his liberal programs and legislation approved, the media will report it but will not have a chance to demonize the Republican party the way they would were a Democrat holding the governor’s seat. A liberal Republican governor will have a very small box in which to operate, due to the conservatives in control of both House and Senate. The media will label it as party-infighting and leave it at that, because if they report it any further than that, they might have to give a voice to the conservative Republicans that are stopping the legislation... Heaven forbid that people might actually be informed of conservative reasoning, so just “make it a non-story.” Now, for those of us TFA, we might say “What difference does it make what the media says? I know the truth!” I believe that to be the case for most of us. We do know the truth. We are true thinkers here, and we don’t depend upon the liberal media for our information. But what percentage of the general population is like us? Not many... Sadly, too many in the general public go bleeting happily along, believing everything they read in the liberal papers and what they see on the liberal networks. They don’t question it, and then they view the problem as being the Conservative Republicans. We DO have to take into account how the media portrays us, regardless of whether or not it is the truth, because the perception of the general public IS their reality. If we are to win them over, we must guard how we are perceived and do all that we can to show that we DO represent the truth and the best possible way to live in this country.

We've all heard it said that the way to keep the liberals/socialists/communists out of Washington, D.C. is to stop them at the local level. And that is true. Many of us remember who it is that has said this in our Nashville chapter meetings. Now I hear that one of our own is going to endorse McWherter. I'm not happy about the fact that Ron Ramsey didn't win the primary, but I am certainly not going to "show the Republican Party that we are tired of their putting forth liberal candidates" by voting for an even more liberal Democrat. This is bigger than just the two candidates involved... If we want to put our "blinders" on so that we do not see the rest of the picture, then we are not being part of the solution. The scenario I painted above is but one of many reasons not to vote for McW. There is the fact that, like it or not, Haslem does have real business experience, and real government executive office experience - McWherter practiced law for 9 years or so in Nashville, then moved home to run a local beer distributorship and, and, and... Well, he's owned a beer distributorship and has served on a couple of local boards of directors. Going beyond that, Haslem would (since he has promoted himself as a conservative) have to toe the conservative line for the most part during his first term should he wish to get re-elected. That is not to say he couldn't pull a Sunquist on us if he got a second term, and try to shove an income tax down our throats... In fact, I wouldn't put something like that past him... So we need to get him elected to one term only, and then get us a good, electable, conservative candidate to run against him in four years. (This is not to imply that Ron Ramsey was not an electable conservative... The conservative vote was split, so a liberal Republican got the nomination. There are in fact independent candidates running in this race that are more conservative than either Haslem or McWherter. But their "Independent" status will not allow them to carry enough votes to win the election.) For me... I'm going to hold my nose and pull the lever for Haslem. Not a vote for Haslem in as much as it is a vote against McWherter.

In military terms, I view the general election in November as a fall-back action. We didn’t win the primary battle, so we need to fall-back, reassess the situation in regard to the fundamental objective, and reapply our assets (our votes) in such a way that prevents our enemy (the most liberal of the candidates - McWherter) from gaining any more ground. If we expend our assets (in military action, bullets - in an election, our votes) in support of a position, we need to make sure that it is for a position (or candidate, in this case) that more closely fits our long term goals. So do we use our assets? Absolutely! To defeat our enemy! We do not purposefully hand him all of our ammo and surrender...

Let's don't throw a temper tantrum like the little child that didn't get his first pick of the cookies, so he dumped the entire plate in the garbage. He should have looked at what was left, and then choosen wisely... Because of his tantrum, he lost everything.

Just my 2 cents' (maybe more like a nickel's) worth...

Mike

PS: FWIW: I firmly believe that liberals are voting in our Republican primaries in an attempt to have the Republicans put forth a liberal candidate. That way, they get to choose between "liberal" and "liberal light". Notice how only one candidate was put forth by the Democrats? They don't have to worry about conservatives corrupting their primary...

[Usagi]

Brandon Dodds for Governor.

[backwoodsman]

It seems to be like judging a sewer plant. which one stinks the least.I hate to say it but the open primary system is a backdoor to corruption and the two party system is a stop sign for worthy and worthwhile candidates. I think both sewer plants smell like,, well you know, and if it looks like, smells like and taste's like, then it is,,, a bunch of crap, pretty much a disappointing situation, the whole political wheel,,, well, through hook and crook you beat me in the primary, and now due to party rules I hereby support you and believe it is raining while you, pee on my leg,,, BS!!!!!,,, WONDER where integrity went,, backroom deals , political correctness, another word for LIE, to take the sting out., I won't be liked for what I'm saying , but I know it's the truth, so be it!

[Volzfan]

I'm in agreement with the "No Endorsement At All" path.

[Grunt67]

Regardless of who is elected Governor, we, as gun owners, carriers, have a mess to contend with. Neither
can be trusted to stick with us when the going gets tough. The Lib media hasn't given up the fight...ie: the
Tennessean front page article regarding the "server" who is filing a lawsuit about guns in restaurants being
a hazard in the workplace. Found their priorities a bit screwed up, where they saw the need to put this
frivolous lawsuit on the top of the front page, while placing the story about a Ft. Campbell soldier being
KIA, on page 4 in a small paragraph.
I renewed my membership today, online.
Thanks, John & all for the good work.