Keep Mary Mancini Chair of the TN Democratic Party!

Mary Mancini

by Rod Williams - On January 12th the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee will meet to choose a party chairman.  I am urging my Democratic friends to stick with Mary Mancini.

I know Democrats have not had a lot of success in Tennessee in recent years. The Republicans now control the governor's office, hold the two US senate seats and seven of the nine House of Representative seats and have super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

The recent race for governor between Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean was supposed to be close but Lee won by a landslide of 60 percent to 39 percent.  Many national pundits thought the Democratic candidate for US Senate, former governor Phil Bredesen, would beat Congressman Marsha Blackburn but it didn't turn out that way. Blackburn soundly defeated Phil Bredesen 55 percent to 44 percent. 

In the State legislature House, Republicans hold 73 seats to the Democrat's 26 and in the Senate, Republicans hold 28 seats to the Democrat party's five. However, Democrats did gain one House seat, and that's something. Democrats picked off the seat formerly held by Beth Harwell.

Winning isn't everything, however.  By keeping Mary Mancini as Chairman, Democrats can keep the party pure.  With Mancini as Chair, those socially conservative, New Deal type rural voters will not make inroads into the Democratic Party.  They will not be tempted to leave the Republican Party and return to their former Democratic home. Many of these people may believe in big government solutions for some problems and they love their farm subsidies, but they are not comfortable with identity politics and they may believe in the Second Amendment and may be pro-life.  They should not be made to feel welcome in the Democrat Party.  To keep the party moving in the direction of Bernie Sanders and the progressive left, these lapsed Democrats cannot be allowed to gain a foothold in the Party. I know Democrats want their vote, but they cannot be allowed a seat at the table.

Also, to be honest, I don't know if anyone could have done a better job than Mary Mancini.  Tennessee voters are just not into Democrats these days.  Tennesseans believe in things like the Second Amendment and border security and they like rising employment and prosperity and lower taxes.  Maybe someone else could have been a better salesman than Mary Mancini but I doubt it.  You can put lipstick on a pig and it is still a pig.

There are two challengers to Mary Mancini. If you ask me, they are both DINO's.  I know Dino does not have the same nice ring to it and cartoon potential as Rino, but I think these two challengers to Mary Mancini are Democrats In Name Only.  One is Holly McCall who is chairwoman of the Williamson County Democratic Party and the other is Christopher Hale.  Christopher Hale is even pro-life.  Surely there is not room in the Democrat Party for someone who is pro-life.

Stick with Mary Mancini.  Keep the Tennessee Democrat Party the party of minorities, and urban elites.

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