TENN US SENATE: GOP LEGISLATOR ASK (LAMAR) ALEXANDER TO QUIT RACE

The Knox News Sentinel ^ | 3/30/02 | Tom Humphrey

[GailA]

GOP legislator asks Alexander to quit race

By Tom Humphrey, News-Sentinel Nashville bureau March 30, 2002

Republican state Sen. Mike Williams of Maynardville said he stayed out of a 1994 congressional primary at the urging of Lamar Alexander, and now he is urging Alexander to stay out of the U.S. Senate primary.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Alexander does not plan to honor the request, a spokesman said.

In a letter to Alexander, Williams said "you asked me not to run in the interest of party unity" when Williams was considering a 1994 race for the Republican nomination in the 4th Congressional District.

"You sincerely believed as an elder statesman in our party that a contested primary between Van Hilleary and me at that time in that particular race would be very divisive to the party," Williams wrote. "You also noted that it would waste limited financial resources that would best be saved for November."

In his letter Williams said he put aside his ego and his goal in the interest of the greater good of the party and Alexander's advice "was good."

Williams wrote that while Alexander has had "a very long and illustrious career," he has "not been on a ballot in Tennessee for 20 years."

"At this time, in the interest of party unity, I am respectfully asking you to step aside from consideration of the U.S. Senate seat so that millions of dollars will not be wasted in a primary race. Your withdrawal will keep the party united and focused on victory 2002 in November," Williams wrote.

Kevin Phillips, spokesman for the Alexander campaign, said after talking with the candidate that the former governor "does not recall" asking Williams to step aside in 1994.

As for Alexander stepping aside, Phillips said he "absolutely" would not.

"We thank Mike for his opinion," Phillips said, "but respectfully couldn't disagree more. The question is not whose turn it is. The questions are who is best prepared to serve in the Senate, to strengthen the country, to help President Bush win the war and hold the seat for Republicans. The answer is clearly Lamar Alexander."

Former Vice President Al Gore has written a fund-raising letter for the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee declaring that donations will go to keeping a Democratic majority in the Senate as a "bulwark against right-wing extremism."

"Democratic senators are committed to helping families caught up in the current economic downturn, while Republicans continue to make tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations their top priority," Gore wrote.

Gore also criticizes Republicans on environmental issues, for resisting as "too expensive" prescription drug coverage for seniors and for being "more interested in paying back their campaign contributions than representing the American people."

The state Senate has now used 81 of the 90 "legislative days" allotted by the Tennessee Constitution for the 102nd General Assembly. The House has used 80.

That would normally mean the two chambers are close to adjournment, but that's not necessarily so with the continuing stalemate on taxes and a state budget.

Both chambers have adopted a schedule that calls for just one official "legislative day" each week. A "legislative day" occurs when the full House and Senate meet in floor sessions. Days devoted to committee meetings don't count as such a day, although they do count for the $114 daily expense allowance paid to lawmakers.

If the lawmakers pass the constitution's 90-day limit for "legislative days," they can continue to meet, but their $114 daily allowance is shut off.

Tom Humphrey may be reached at 615-242-7782 or humphrey@edge.net

[cva66snipe]

So are you saying that if Lamar Alexander wins the Republican primary, that you won't vote for Lamar Alexander? If that is the case, you would be adding one vote to the Democrat candidate and make President Bush's job just that much more difficult.

Wrong you are. I did not vote for Governor Sundquist last election I went Independent. I wish the Dems had won that election. Yes that's what I said and I posted why. It's the truth. The re-elected RINO split the party. If Lamar gets it I will seek out an Independent close to my beliefs. I will vote for that person. You cheapen the blood bought sacred right and duty to vote by subverting and then perverting it's very meaning. You make voting to be everything that is isn't meant to be and ignore the very principle it was founded on.

[Jthro]

So I can see that you are a Tom Daschle supporter.

[cva66snipe]

So I can see that you are a Tom Daschle supporter.

No I'm not. But I can tell you know nothing of Tennessee politics especially Governor Don Sundquist. Here is what I posted earlier if you can understand it. Sundquist was the Dems man in a GOP suit. His agenda was theirs and theirs is his. Now follow me closely as to what happened next. About half the GOP followed the governor because of party loyality and as well helped usher in the Dems agenda. That left the other half the conservatives to fight the battle.

Now if he had lost the GOP would have at least been clear on an agenda and had a full fight against the pathetic leglislation being pushed. In other words a Dem governor would have been elected with a united GOP working against him. Instead we got a Dem Governor a RINO who did the Dems dirty work and split the party in the process. Do you comprehend? Sometimes there are far worse things than losing an office to another party.

[SoCar]

I do believe that many of our liberties have been taken away, but unfortunatly that has been with the consent of the governed. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head that SCOTUS has struck someting as unconstitional, maybe someone can help out here.

I'm just not as outraged as you are about CFR. I still believe that parts of it are so unconstitutional that they will not stand. But even if they do, I do not think Bush is a jerk. We simply did not do a good enough job educating the public about this bill. The tide was against us and we need to move on to more important battles. If you want to be a constitutional purist like Ron Paul fine, but we need to win elections and control Congress first. It's going to take some time to move this country totally in the direction we want and Bush is a patient man. There's nothing done that can't be undone.

[TN Republican]

Then why have a primary at all? Just to elect the so-called better candidate? We might as well let the media tell us who to pick (cf. McCain in 2000).

[TN Republican]

Translation: Alexander is 10 points better than Clement on economic issues (60-40 vs. 50-50). Those numbers are miserable for a supposedly conservative East Tennessee Republican. I believe that Alexander would not pick fights with Bush or the House, but he is squishy like our current Gov. and I don't trust someone with such low numbers on economics - especially for a governor who gave his blessing to a proposed state income tax. (Bryant is 70-30 on both economic freedom issues - which should be a bare minimum for any Republican).

[TN Republican]

Alexander will toe the line if elected - I seriously doubt he could do much damage to the party in a first term anyway. I guess that's the best thing I could say for him, but he is at heart a tax-and-spend Republican.

[GailA]

Lamar, twist and turns as the wind blows. So how can he be trusted?

March 29, 2002

State income tax issue far removed from U.S. Senate

The Oak Ridger

Lamar Alexander may face a tough primary contest, made all the more difficult by the double standard the media typically employ when covering election campaigns.

The former Tennessee governor who is seeking the Senate seat Fred Thompson will leave is making his primary pitch to his party's more conservative base, in precisely the manner that Democratic hopefuls seek to woo the more liberal activist base of the Democratic Party, a base vitally critical to primary success.

Of course, never mind that Republican and Democratic primary winners invariably must scamper back to a more sensible political middle if they wish to achieve success in general elections where Independent and crossover voters typically spell the margin of victory.

The liberal New Republic magazine in its issue of March 25 draws contrast to Mr. Alexander's words of Jan. 7, 1999, when he chided then-fellow candidate George Bush on his use of the term "compassionate conservative."

Calling them "weasel words," Mr. Alexander likened Bush's reference to compassionate conservatism with Al Gore's use of the term "practical idealism."

"They're designed to mean nothing," he scolded Mr. Bush.

How things change. Earlier this month, Senate candidate Lamar Alexander addressed President Bush this way: "I think President Bush has given a good, clear definition of that and has done a real good job."

Well, the former governor can expect to be chided on that one.

But where he has more serious trouble, we think, is in trying to endear himself to the party's conservative wing by distancing himself from ongoing discussions of a state income tax, clearly a hot-button issue for the state.

But it is just that ... a state issue. Mr. Alexander could, and should, wisely opt out of this serious and needed debate by insisting appropriately that the income tax issue is a matter that must be decided in Nashville, not in Washington, where he hopes to wind up.

[Jthro]

You are in the wrong line of work. If you can read that I know nothing of Tennessee politics and that I support Don Sundquist from this statement,: So I can see that you are a Tom Daschle supporter., then you are firstly wrong and secondly you would go out of business quickly.

Our Tennessee Republican Party must unite after the Republican primary and support the candidate that wins that primary, no matter who the winner is. If your guy does not win the primary and you decide to "take your ball home with you so nobody else can play", you will do nothing more than help elect Bob Clement and support Tom Daschle's liberal agenda. Then you can mona and groan about the Democrats winning the 2004 Presidential election and worse yet, you can moan and groan about having to have another Clionton in office for 8 years. Think about it.

[cva66snipe]

you can moan and groan about having to have another Clionton in office for 8 years. Think about it.

Well if another Clinton gets in as POTUS who do we have to thank? Think about that Party Man!!! "Let's move on" Bush and the Not Guilty Senate RINO's. Oh yes we must have more of them./sarcasm