It doesn't look good LH.....I was there earlier for an hour....my wife and toddler are on the way now. I don't think I've heard the talk radio hosts this resigned since this started 2 years ago. I am worried....I hope I'm wrong. Man ...that capital gains tax is a killer isn't it? Not only that but my personal and commercial property tax has gone up 25% this year.....TN is full of a lot of very dumb folks. I have never lived in a Southern state with so many white Dems.....and it's not Yankee transplants doing this. It's the oft maligned good ol boy....the Pubbies who are peeling off as we speak.
This is going to be close.
Yes, Tennessee is still largely in the grips of Rooseveltism. FDR did all he could to funnel funds to this area and built an allegiance that is hard to shake. The common folks here are very conservative but the politicians are either good ol' boy, tax-and-spend Democrats, or RINO, country club Republicans who have no problem with taxes and big government as long as they get their loopholes, shelters, and taxbreaks.
This is also a very politically corrupt State. We had one Governor go to prison, one candidate for Governor go to prison, and a speaker of the House that went to prison and was re-elected while incarcerated! The Tennessee Legislature was recently dubbed as the most corrupt Legislature in the country by one study. We have no recall provisions and these political bosses see to it that no one ever even runs against them. The old Dukes of Hazzard show accurately captured this State's persona.
Famous old Tennessee quote: "He may be a crook but he's our crook." As long as they bring home the bacon (roads, schools, subsidies) the folks are satidfied.