Circumstances, Ideas, Candidataes: Tennessee Edition

Via Hotair we learn that Tennessee Republican Bob Corker may cancel his retirement from the Senate because polls show current GOP frontrunner Marsha Blackburn is losing to former Dem governor Phill Bredesen. Hotair says:

Well, it’s just one poll. Bredesen doesn’t really stand a chance in ruby-red Tennessee, does he? Don’t be so sure, wrote elections analyst David Byler in the Weekly Standard last month. Between his name recognition as a former governor and a national climate that favors Democrats, Bredesen will be competitive:

Phil Bredesen was a popular two-term governor. In essence he complies with one of Stroock's three laws of winning elections: Bredesen is a good candidate. However the circumstances should be terrible for Bredesen and we can't imagine how he's going to square Nancy Pelosi's ideas with the TN electorate.

But don't get cocky, as Tennessee native Instapundit likes to say. That's a competitive race.

Wither Vichy GOP

Strange, Corker and now Flake. Three establishment senators lost or on the verge of losing their primary.

The establishment base crumbles.

First that base showed a crack after the budget and legislative bungles of the Republican led Congress. in 2015-16. Despite having both houses they got nothing done and forced no concessions from President Obama. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell patiently explained to us rubes that under the American system Congress cannot bend the president to its will.

Trump saw the crack and like February rain poured within and froze. The crack widened further.

Then the GOP gained control of the White House. Still nothing got done, not even the repeal of Obamacare which the GOP had promised for nearly a decade. The filibuster, you see, and budgetary rules, McConnell and pretty boy Ryan explained. The crack ever widened.

We were suckers. We fucked up. We trusted them.

The base crumbled.

Of course Corker and Flake's comments about the president have been shameful. Imagine if they had attacked the Democrat Party in the way they are now attacking President Trump.

Are you listening, W?

Right now the media narrates that these three GOP senate seats  (Alabama, Tennessee and Arizona) are threatened because nice moderate Republicans are replaced by scary Trump types.

Well, here are Trump's results in 2016-

Alabama:    +28
Tennessee:  +27
Arizona:     +4.5

The GOP has some work to do in Arizona. Otherwise, keep dreaming.

By 2019 that establishment base will be rubble.

(Photo by Gage Skidmore)

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