election day

"We are the angry mob we read the papers every day,
We like who we like, we hate how we hate,
But we're also easilty swayed."
--Kaiser Chiefs

Its election day . . . a scary day in the life of the city. Speaking of scary . . . one of the front runners to become the next mayor of Nashville is Bob Clement. He is the Democrat version of George W. Bush--I'm not kidding--if you have seen any of the debates you know what I am talking about. He has raised more money than any other candidate and unfortunately some polls show him ahead of two solid progressives--David Briley and Karl Dean. Somehow Briley has not managed to get out of the single digits in the polls I have seen. However Karl Dean is close, even or ahead of Clement in such polls. So there is hope.

I believe that if one candidate does not win 50% of the vote then the top two candidates have a runoff. This is the likely scenario as there are five major candidates vying for votes. Howard Gentry, Metro's Vice Mayor, has had good poll numbers as well as Clement and Dean, so two of those three are the likely runoff candidates. Just for the record I would feel very unsettled about Nashville's future if Clement won.

The question I am still not sure about is do I go ahead and vote for Briley, whose vision for the city I am most comfortable with, but who has no realistic chance of making it to the runoff? Or do I vote for Dean, a solid candidate in his own right who after all, is my close-second choice and who still stands a chance of winning? I fear a vote for Briley could, in effect, help Clement.

Believe it or not a candidate that can readily be described as a Dem version of W is not the scariest candidate in the current local elections. The Vice Mayor's race is between fellow Metro Councilwomen Diane Neighbors and Carolyn Baldwin Tucker. Here are some fun quotes on Tucker, via the Scene:

"Tucker, a former public school teacher and principal, passionately opposed a 2003 ordinance outlawing employment discrimination based on sexual orientation within city government, including schools. When it was defeated, she called it “a victory for Nashville, a victory for the children, a victory for the Lord.... I am sure it will raise its ugly head again, and I’m sure we will have to deal with this again. But if it’s the Lord’s will, we will prevail.”

"Tucker, who joined the council in 1999, has also been instrumental in opposing funding for the arts in Nashville. Apparently it stems from her outrage that the statue at the Music Row Roundabout features nudes. The dancing figures were privately funded, but the Metro Arts Commission is guilty in Tucker’s mind for technically approving the design. "

Enough said. Thankfully, last I saw, Neighbors had doubled up Tucker's poll numbers.

**6:30pm update-back from polls . . . I stuck with Briley--congrats to him on being one hell of an excellent candidate and running a great campaign. Unfortunately, the more competent you appear, the less electable you are in this country. Looking forward to casting my runoff vote already, and to helping this city avoid years of backtracking and embarrassment. Will be watching the returns closely . . . **