INTERVIEW: Rep. Bo Mitchell, TN-7 Candidate
“This is not the type of country I want my boys to grow up in.” Bo Mitchell talks to Kanew about deciding to run for Congress in the special election set for later this year.
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Opening Our Perspectives with Jenn Foley
We conclude our interviews with Tennessee state candidates with Dr. Jenn Foley running for House District 65. She summarizes issues and concerns expressed by constituents across the state and the need for relief from the GOP super-majority agenda. We need more discussion, representation and balance, along with less arrogance and paternalism. Please go out and vote for a better Tennessee for all Tennesseans.
FULL PODCAST available on Apple Podcasts here, and wherever else you like to listen here.
LISTEN ? "TN is the "Best State for the Unborn" & I'm thinking, why is that something to be proud of? Why wouldn't we want to be the best state for prosperous families?"@JennTn65 joins @sandrafrice55 on #WhatAboutUs to talk about her race.
Full Pod ? https://t.co/oekPW2M2po pic.twitter.com/kCdKMfmB5P
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) October 23, 2020
Flip That Seat with Mariah Phillips
Mariah Phillips joins The Holler to talk about her race for State House in one of the most flippable districts in the state – House District 37. They also dig into the failures of the Tennessee Republican Party to support Tennesseans during COVID19 and beyond.
FULL PODCAST available on Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you like to listen.
CLIP ? "Every First Amendment violation is written into this bill. They cannot increase penalties for people having the right to speak their minds."@Mariah4TN on the UNCONSTITUTIONAL ANTI-PROTESTER BILL that #TNLeg just passed.
FULL PODCAST ? https://t.co/PwZQWrH6cl pic.twitter.com/jtiTE2SBM3
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) August 19, 2020
SCRAPPY TIME – Education
This week on Scrappy Time, Jay Clark asks Blount County Teacher Rebecca Dickenson how we can help support teachers this school year when COVID-19 made an already difficult job dangerous to their lives.
Why Won’t Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland & Former Mayor Willie Herenton Debate?
No matter how you vote, we should all be able to agree debates are an essential part of democracy. Every candidate for every office should stand before the people and make their case for why they deserve your vote.
In 2018 we saw a number of Republican candidates across Tennessee refuse to debate their Democrat counterparts – Mark Green, Brandon Ogles, Scott Desjarlais, to name a few.
As it turns out, Republicans aren’t the only ones who play this game.
Nashville has just seen two its mayoral candidates – Mayor David Bailey, and John Cooper – debate each other. But a debate in the Memphis was just canceled, apparently because former mayor Willie Herenton declined to participate, which gave current mayor Jim Strickland all the excuse he needed to pull out.
Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer and Lemichael Wilson were ready to go, but the mayors, it seems, were not. From WMC Action News 5:
Herenton would only say he “respectfully” declined to partipicate. In response, Strickland’s campaign opted out.
“without the top challenger in the race participating, in informed and balanced debate could not happen,” said a spokesperson for Strickland’s campaign.
News 5 goes on to relay Sawyer and Wilson’s comments.
Sawyer:
“By refusing debate — no matter the circumstances — Mayor Strickland and Herenton are denying taxpayers the right to hear where we all stand on the issues and make an informed choice on who will lead our city over the next (four) years.”
Wilson:
“It’s unfortunate that the citizens won’t have an opportunity to engage with mayoral candidates in order to share their concerns or to hear the candidates’ visions to address their concerns.”
Columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee of the Memphis Commercial Appeal agrees, saying:
“The two top contenders for city’s top job are choosing convenience over courage… If Strickland and Herenton can’t handle a debate, can they handle Memphis’ real issues?”
Sawyer has been running an inspired campaign with a lot of grassroots momentum, just recently drawing a mention in a tweet from Hillary Clinton. Could her footsteps be what is causing the mayors not to want to stand on a stage next to one another?
Meet 55 amazing candidates @runforsomething has endorsed this month, including an activist who helped remove Confederate statues in Memphis and a lifelong education advocate: https://t.co/r5nzbFl6mt
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 26, 2019
There’s no excuse for this type of behavior. These men are robbing the people of Memphis of the opportunity to hear from those who seek to govern them. It’s cowardice, and Strickland and Herenton both need to feel the pressure.
ACTION STEPS:
Email Willie Herenton HERE, Reach out on Facebook or Twitter, and call Dorchelle Spence for him: 901.628.7760
Email Strickland HERE Reach out on Facebook or Twitter, and call him: 901.636.6000
Post and tag them on social media asking them “WHY WON’T YOU DEBATE?” with the hashtag #MemphisMayorDebates and #DebateMeMane.
Let’s fix this together.
CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT: Indya Kincannon for Knoxville Mayor
Our video of Indya Kincannon, a school board member running for mayor of Knoxville. Indya considers herself the “progressive” in the race, and has the support of State Representative Gloria Johnson.
Learn more about her HERE.
VIDEO: Mayor Pete Comes to Nashville
Recently Mayor Pete Buttigieg brought his hopeful message here to Tennessee, and told us “there’s no such thing as a permanently red state”.
Here’s some VIDEO. We encourage ALL candidates to come pay us a visit!
Mackler Back In Senate Race
After clearing the deck for Bredesen last time around, Iraq War veteran/attorney James Mackler is back in the senate race – this time running for Lamar Alexander’s soon-to-be-open seat. James deserves a lot of credit for putting the country first and getting out when he did last time around, and this early entry should give him a boost by the time 2020 rolls around.
Check out Mackler’s new video below, and go to his site to learn more.