The local Knoxville right-wing newspaper,
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, is spinning for the GOP today. One front page headline reads,
Ford's appearance at event criticized. To make sure that this incident doesn't draw too much attention, the paper put another front page headline,
Donation won't help Dem, above it.
First, the barbeque-crashing:
Tennessee's Republican chairman, Bob Davis, on Thursday criticized Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. for "crashing" another GOP event, but U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.'s top aide said the general public was invited to Duncan's Knoxville barbecue and he was not upset at Ford's attendance.
But this was an event open to the public! How was Ford "crashing" the party?
I suppose the Knoxville News-Sentinel got used to the Bush rallies that only included verified GOP supporters. Buried in the article is the truth:
Griffitts said the Duncan barbecue, which includes live music and a receiving line for attendees to talk to Duncan, mostly attracts Republicans but also some Democrats.
For example, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen was there, as he was four years earlier. U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, a Democrat, and state Rep. Joe Armstrong of Knoxville, a Democrat, also were there.
Did anyone complain about Democrat Bredesen being there? Davis was asked.
"I really don't know," Davis said.
Clearly, this right-wing newspaper is spinning a non-event into something significant. This paper endorses Corker and will print anything to help out his campaign.
I don't think it's possible for Democrats to make any headway in East Tennessee at this time. All of the major media outlets in the area are puppets of the right-wing propaganda machine. I know some insiders at local papers and television stations. Most of the people who work there are Republicans who don't allow any alternative point of view. To make matters worse, the local talk radio is completely dominated by right-wingers. Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage both play live and they regularly receive callers from Knoxville.
Historically, East Tennessee has always been Republican. This dates back to the Civil War. At that time, there was even talk of East Tennessee splitting off from the rest of the state and forming a new state called Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin. But that never happened and the entire state joined the Confederacy. Still, ever since then, the eastern part of the state has been dominated by the Republican party. Even during the days of the southern, "yellow dog" Democrats.
East Tennessee is a problem. It's the reddest part of this red state. No alternative point of view is permitted in the media. Everything is dominated by an ignorant redneck mentality that views politics as a sport. It's not surprising since the local college football team is treated with the reverence of a deity. Jerry Springer has a permanent office in Knoxville because he gets plenty of uneducated redneck clowns for his show. I once heard that Springer thanked God for East Tennessee because otherwise he wouldn't have a show.
Much as I'd like to see Ford win the Senate seat, I just don't think it's going to happen. East Tennessee is the reason why. It tears me up that the reason why the Democrats won't retake Congress is because of the dumbfuck rednecks who surround me. The future of the nation hinges on trailer trash.
This post is devolving into an angry rant so maybe I should wrap it up with a suggestion: there needs to be liberal talk radio in East Tennessee. I think that such a radio presence would be a good first step. Believe it or not, there is a small but persistent liberal presence in this area. But it is scattered and oppressed by angry, redneck right-wingers. We need a strong rallying point.
HELP!