Someone asked how Gore was received in TN

[TNDemo]

awhile back. I knew that when he spoke at Vanderbilt a few months back with very little media about him being there that it was lined way back around the campus and they had to close the doors and a lot of folks did not get in. And this is from The City Paper (today's, I think):


http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=33&screen=news&news_id=50622

Davis-Kidd was full to capacity — and clean out of copies of the book — well before Gore arrived just after noon.

“The size of this turnout is about four to five times what I had expected,” Gore told the audience. “I’m so grateful to all of you for coming out today.”

Store Manager Tony Mize said he had not seen a crowd this large since music legend Johnny Cash was on hand to sign autographed copies of his biography 10 years ago.

[NYCGirl]

1. That's such great news! And the book of "An Inconvenient Truth" will be

#1 on the NYT Best Seller List (it was #3 last week).

[paparush]

2. That's good considering Gore didn't carry TN in the 2000 Prez 'Lection

[bobbieinok]

4. TN experienced in 2000 many of the same things that FL2000 did

There was a lot of discussion of specific events of disenfranchisement, especially of blacks, in TN at salon's tabletalk in the selection 2000 discussion.

[tnlefty]

9. Thank you for remembering this and for mentioning it. Our state party

chair at the time, Gene Farmer, tried to call attention to this and to paraphrase a comment that he made, 'all eyes are on FL and it's difficult to get anyone to notice what happened in TN.' And our piece of crap governor, Don Sundquist, who was crooked as hell did mention that he would deliver TN for Dimson** during '00.

Thanks again.

[Stevepol]

11. How do you know he didn't carry TN?

What type of voting machine were you using then? What was your central tabulator?

I've wondered myself why Gore didn't carry TN and I suspect it has to do with the vote counting. I have no hard evidence on that score. Anybody out there know how the vote was counted, not just the local means of voting but the means of tabulating the totals?

[Samantha]

14. Gore lost Tennessee by 70,000 votes -- it had the same motor voter

registration problems Florida had. Many African-Americans arrived to vote only to find they were not registered.

One of the "protesters" at the recount -- you have seen the picture of those shaking their fist -- was an aid to the Republican Senator from Tennessee. Can't think of his name because I am so tired, but it's the Law and Order guy.

3 of the lawsuits the DOJ was forced to pursue were civil rights violations of African-Americans in Tennessee. Some of the African-Americans voters were told to "go to the end of the line." By the time they neared the door to the voting entrance, the polls closed. Also, locations of longstanding polling offices moved at the last moment, with no notification being given to the local voters as to the next nearest place to go to vote. It was disenfranchisement on a massive scale.

It's truly scandalous what happened in Tennessee in 2000. I have not been back since but will return for the first time in July for my family reunion. I think it was by design -- Rove truly wanted to embarrass Gore -- that Tennessee was stolen. It now has a 55% disapproval rate for Bush*. It's a day I thought I would never see, and I believe Gore probably is truly surprised as well.

[paparush]

15. I'm just saying...he'd been VP for 8 years under a very popular president.

yes..the Lewinsky 'scandal' hurt, but he did a good job of distancing/distinguishing him self from the Big Dog. His home state shouldn't have even been within stealing distance.

[AlGore-08.com]

17. Unfortunately, Clinton's negatives were higher than his positives in 2000

And Clinton's negatives were slightly higher in the midwest and south. That's why Karl Rove's plan in 2000 was "to make people see 'Clinton' whenever they hear 'Gore'". Here's some info from the 2000 CNN exit poll (unfortunately the state polls are off line now):

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html

Voters' view of Bill Clinton:
An unfavorable view of Clinton as a person:
US 60% TN 62% AR 61% FL 56%
Those who approve of Clinton’s performance as President and like him as a person
US 35% TN 33% AR 33% FL 37%
Those who disapprove of Clinton’s performance as President and disapprove of him as a person
US 39% TN 45% AR 42% FL 37%

(I don't have state numbers for these)
Clinton in history books for
Leadership 29%
Scandals 68%

Reason for your vote
To Support Clinton 10% (Gore voters: 94% Bush voters: 4%)
To Oppose Clinton 18% (Gore voters: 5% Bush voters: 92%)
Clinton Not A Factor 70% (Gore voters: 53% Bush voters: 43%)

Next President's Policies Should Be
Same as Clinton 40%
More Conservative 46%
More Liberal 10%

Clinton and the economy:
Very responsible 28%
Somewhat responsible 40%
Not too responsible 19%
Not responsible 10%

Country is on...
Right track 65%
Wrong direction 31%

Moral condition of the country:
Right direction 39%
Wrong direction 57%

Even in 2004, the Kerry campaign worried that there was no way to use Clinton that would get more votes than it would loose.

[Minnesota Libra]

3. I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I hope we can.............

....eventually talk Gore into running in 08.:patriot:

[BlueJazz]

5. I've had a HUGE hard-on for Tennessee ever since they stabbed...

..Al Gore in the back during the Presidential Election.

Fucking Rednecks...

[TornadoTN]

6. Wow, that is some amazing conjecture you have there

Thanks for lumping us all in the same pile here in TN. Oh yes, and thanks for not looking into voting irregularities that happened in Tennessee in 2000 (and to my suspicion in 2004).

Sure, Bush may have won the election any way you sliced it in 2000 (in TN that is), but read up on the political atmosphere in Tennessee and the money/misinformation campaigns that the GOP has infused and you will see some of the reasoning of the occurance.

I guess I'll go back to 'chewin bacca' and humping my cousin....since we just be rednecks down here.

**Edited for Spelling**

[BlueJazz]

7. Oh..for pete sakes ....Chill...I mean, come on..if anybody calls...

..Florida a Repug Paradise, I know that they don't mean any DU'ers
or Democrats.

When folks "Vent" on this forum, they don't mean people of our Stripe.
..But perhaps my words were rather strong.. :)

[Skittles]

8. yup

I don't take much offense when Texas gets trashed because it is usually right on

[TornadoTN]

12. Then my apologies

Being from Tennessee myself, and certainly not being proud of what happened in our state in either election, this topic is sensitive t me. I know, it probably shouldn't, but we Dem's in TN have put a lot of hard work into this state (sometimes without the help of the DNC or other official organizations).

I have to say that I do agree with your summation of the "rednecks" in Tennessee. There are quite a few of them. Knuckle-dragging, Neocons for sure. But I can say that there are a lot more middle-of-the-road people and yes, even real conservatives that give this great state a fighting chance to return to respectability.

At any rate, I jumped the gun and I am sorry.

[BlueJazz]

16. No apology required..Hey..We're all family here..

:)

[AtomicKitten]

10. Great to hear. n/t

[AtomicKitten]

13. selfdelete