“[A]sk not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
- John F. Kennedy (Jan 20, 1961)

“[A] lot of people in this country have become cynical about what government can do to improve their lives.”
- Barack H. Obama (Apr 14, 2008)

Trent Lott says, “I haven’t paid for lunch in 30 years.”

Sounds familiar.

Having declined the prospect of running a time-consuming political campaign, I decided to undertake something even more challenging — adopting two 8-week-old Cocker Spaniel puppies. So if the activity on this blog declines over the next six months, you’ll know why; the puppies will be training us. On the other hand, Eden and Freckles have agreed to contribute to a semi-regular new feature called The Puppy Roundtable (with apologies to Willisms.com). Stay tuned.

While I’m thankful for those who’ve encouraged me to run for state house in District 95, and for everyone who offered advice along the way, I have decided to drop my name from the ballot. I still feel like now is the time for a change in this district, and I sense that the race would be win-able, but now is just not the right time for me to be a candidate. Instead, I will continue to speak up on important issues and look for other ways to serve the community. Thanks again.

The post by LeftWingCracker is correct — I have qualified as a Republican candidate for Tennessee House in District 95. I certainly wouldn’t be the first candidate in Memphis with a blog, but he may be right that I could be the first candidate who was a blogger first.

If I run, Republican voters in District 95 would be the only ones in Shelby County with a choice; every other Republican incumbent, and every other GOP candidate, will be running unopposed in the statewide office primary.

I say if I run, because I haven’t committed to launching a campaign just yet. The deadline to withdraw is April 10, so there is still a week left before the candidates are locked in.

Over the next few days, I will continue to talk it over with my family, seek input from my friends and associates, and check with my boss and co-workers to determine if such an effort could impose any sort of hardship on my job or on the organization. I will also continue to examine myself and consider how a political campaign might fit against my talents, my personality, my goals, my experiences and my career path. I will also be meeting with advisers and political friends to determine if I could put together a viable campaign. And last, but certainly not least, I will be praying for guidance and direction, as I do every day.

But I’m also very mindful of this district and the shameful way it has been represented over the past few years. As with Tom Leatherwood, I would be running as an underdog up against an entrenched incumbent. Leatherwood has characterized his race against U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn as not just climbing a steep hill, but rather walking “up to the face of the cliff.” My situation would be even more dire, however, given my status as an untested newcomer.

At this point, if you’re a new visitor, you may be wondering exactly who I am, and why I would seek to challenge a fellow Republican. If I decide to run, I will soon be launching a campaign website that will attempt to answer those questions. In the meantime, you are certainly welcome to browse this blog and sniff out my opinions on the issues, a few of which I will briefly touch on below.

As for the Admiral Stockdale question (who am I?), a summary bio is available on my About page, but the gist of it is that I’m basically an average guy, one who is increasingly outraged by our representatives in government. In addition, I am beginning to realize that significant elements of my party, the GOP, have lost sight of its platform and its responsibility to the citizens of this great land. They are getting too comfortable with power, too friendly with lobbyists and have twisted it into the Good-Old-boy Party.

Rep. Curry Todd is a symptom, if not an agent, of the disease. Why else is this 10-year incumbent with his $100,000+ war chest seeking to water down the ethics bill our state government passed only a few years ago, in the wake of the Tennessee Waltz FBI sting? Why does he think he deserves $75 meals from lobbyists, up to $1,000 per lobbyist, per year? What have our representatives been doing with their per diem allowance?

Why else did he support a plan the Commercial Appeal called an “incumbent protection scheme,” a deal that allowed individual legislators to hand out wads of cash (up to $300,000) to cronies in their district?

Why else did he back down when a special interest group recently lobbied against his sensible bill to allow Tennesseans to purchase wine over the internet?

If Rep. Todd hasn’t lost sight of the Republican party’s conservative principles, why is he supporting toll roads, tax increases and spending increases that violate the state constitution’s Copeland Cap? Why did he short-circuit an inquiry into the questionable financing of renovations to a public facility? Why does he want to criminalize the free market?

The party leaders I’ve heard from should be asking these questions about Rep. Todd, rather than asking me to drop my name from the ballot. They may be rightly concerned that a primary challenge will eat up resources that could be diverted to districts Republicans may have a chance to flip, while strengthening the hands of incumbents who will support a member of the party as speaker in the event of securing a majority in the House. But they seem generally unconcerned with what type of majority that might be, and what kind of legislation would result.

If a majority led by Rep. Curry Todd would mean tax increases, out of control spending, over-regulation of small businesses, slush funds, weaker ethics and doing the bidding of special interests, that would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Republican party.

So the question now is if it’s worth it for me to stick my neck out and stand up to the face of the cliff. Is it worth it for me to ask my family and my employers to bear that burden? Is it worth it for me to ask my friends to hit the streets, grab the the phones, contribute and volunteer?

Those are questions I can’t answer right now. But I would appreciate your feedback. And your prayers. Thanks very much.

UPDATE: There is also a Democrat running this year; I suspect this is the correct Christopher Taylor. He was a big Ed Stanton supporter, apparently.

Tonight’s bottom three:

Carly Simon, Hair Curtains, and Big Sky Barbie.

Results

(more…)

Carly Simon

Tonight: “Jolene.” Not bad, but it doesn’t really showcase her voice very well.

Randy: Not stellar, but it was all right.
Paula: You are who you are.
Simon: It lacked emotion.

Final take: Meh.

David Cook (nice haircut; he’s not combover guy anymore)

Tonight: “Little Sparrow.” Someone had better sing “9 to 5″ or “Islands in the Stream,” or I’m not going to know any of these songs. This one sounds decent, but I have no frame of reference.

Randy: Very cool. Another hot, consistent performance.
Paula: Nice haircut! Fantastic performance.
Simon: Not as good as last week, but congratulations.

Final take: He’s not going anywhere.

Hair Curtains

Tonight: “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” I don’t even know the song, but I can tell she’s having major pitch issues. She has confidence issues, too.

(more…)

A friend of mine sent me a photo of his desk the other day, and it reminded me how much I like to see how people work. I’ve always enjoyed seeing how people like Hemingway, Buckley or even Al Gore arrange their offices.

Here’s my workstation:

It’s a goofy enough day, being April 1st. Perhaps we can start a new meme — blog a photo of your desk or workspace and tag five friends.

I will tag Matt Dabbs, Ainsley’s Mom, Jason Middlekauf, Bob Krumm and James Wood.