A Loser Is A Loser: Bredesen Says Nobody Likely To Defeat Alexander
John Rodgers reports that Phil Bredesen himself advised Mike McWherter to drop out of the race against Lamar Alexander and doubts that any member of his party could defeat the former Governor:
Gov. Phil Bredesen said today that former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike McWherter made the “right decision” in dropping out of the race and doubted his party could mount a serious challenge to Sen. Lamar Alexander.
Earlier this week, McWherter, the son of former Gov. Ned McWherter, bowed out of seeking the Democratic nomination for next year’s U.S. Senate race against Alexander (R-Tenn.). McWherter had formed an exploratory committee in September.
Bredesen said when he spoke to McWherter, he advised him not to challenge Alexander.
“I think it would have been a very tough year for anybody,” Bredesen told reporters this morning. “I think Mike McWherter is an attractive candidate. I told him when I talked to him, I said, ‘ya know, there’s a governor’s race coming up in three years down the line here and there will be other Senate races, there will be Congress races, and you know, you’re a good guy.
Why don’t you pick one that a good guy really could win?”
Question: With no more elections for himself on the horizon, why does Bredesen feel the need to cozy up to the East Tennessee Moderate Republican Establishment by talking Alexander challengers down and dismissing his own party’s chances for victory in the race?
Or was he just simply being a straight shooter?
UPDATE: When contacted by V-Squared for reaction to Bredesen’s statements to the City Paper and any effects they might have on candidate recruitment, Tennessee Democratic spokesman Wade Munday kept a respectful distance from the Governor’s words stating:
“The Tennessee Democratic Party remains focused on fielding a viable Democratic candidate to unseat Lamar Alexander based on their issues rather than their bank account.”
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Bredesen has never been a fierce partisan, and only a fierce partisan could think that Democrats have a good chance against Lamar Alexander in 2008.
You’d have to have the combination of a really strong candidate (McWherter wasn’t it) and Alexander doing some really dumb things (think, Macaca) in order to pull off that victory.
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
All true, but is it necessary to say this to the media? I mean someone is going to spend time and money during this next year to go down in defeat to Lamar.
Does whoever that person is really need their Governor saying they have no shot?
Do they really need for the first question asked of them when they announce to be: “Your party’s own titular head, the Governor of Tennessee, thinks it is unlikely that Lamar Alexander can be beaten, do you know something that a man who won all 95 counties in this state doesn’t?”
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
When you here something like that it makes one wonder about your loyalty to whatever political party you belong to at that time.
As far as Mike M. running for another office goes. It would be interesting to see if he runs for Tanners Congressional seat. The Democrat Primary looks like it will be fun: you have the black Sheriff of Madison County(aka David Woolfork),the preacher man(aka Roy Herron)and the bud man(aka Mike McWherter).
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Any one think maybe Bredesen is trying to keep the field clear in case he decides the day before the filing deadline that he’d rather take a shot at the Senate than finish his term as governor, especially if the economy is slowing down and the revenue picture isn’t rosy?
Only a candidate with big bucks could even make it a race, and Bredesen is worth north of $100 million, and could raise $10 million in a heartbeat.
And he’s decided to enter a race at the last minute before. Remember how he promised he wouldn’t run for governor if re-elected to a second term as mayor, and then he ran for governor?
A guy with $100 million and a record of winning all 95 counties might be tempted to think he actually could win the senate race.
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Does whoever that person is really need their Governor saying they have no shot?
No, but from what I’ve seen, Bredesen generally cares about Bredesen, he isn’t too concerned about the party or any other political candidate. He doesn’t really have anything to lose by being honest, and his honesty will reinforce peoples impressions about him, be they good or bad.
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
All true, but is it necessary to say this to the media? I mean someone is going to spend time and money during this next year to go down in defeat to Lamar.
This is SOP for Bredesen. He told the Chattanooga paper in 2004 that Kerry supporters were wasting their time trying to win the state for Kerry. (That, of course, didn’t stop him from making a personal appearance at the DNC convention to commit TN’s delegates for Kerry. No sense wasting a chance at a free national photo opp…)
…he isn’t too concerned about the party or any other political candidate.
Oh, is *that* why he fired the team that successfully got him elected in 2002 and installed Randy Button? Is *that* why, under his watch, control of the Senate tilted Republican and the House is sliding the same direction?
I’m SHOCKED. Just shocked.
He doesn’t really have anything to lose by being honest
Of course not. Just so long as he’s not *personally* impacted…
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
What Sean said.
I’ll be harsh but direct. Bredesen is to Tennessee Democrats what Bush is to national Republicans: in it for himself, party be damned. I will celebrate the day he leaves office.
on November 29th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Bredesen is just being the pseudo-Republican WPS that he has always been. Phil is out for Phil and no one or nothing else.
on November 29th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
An alternative theory: when Bredesen is Hillary or Obama’s running mate, he’ll be hitting up for cash all those Democratic donors who aren’t going to be wasting their money on a doomed senate campaign
on November 29th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
“Oh, is *that* why he fired the team that successfully got him elected in 2002 and installed Randy Button?” what rock are you living under? the TN dem party during the election in 02 did essentially squat for bredesen. THAT’S why he fired them.
Randy Button was part of the team that ACTUALLY got him elected…not to mention he was a party chair that won two special elections and set fundraising records all over the place. Randy Button brought the TNDP back from the dead and made them a legit party again…
on November 29th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
…NOT to mention that when Button ran the 06 coordinated campaign he directed the efforts that won, for the only time in history, all 95 counties.
on November 29th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Randy Button brought the TNDP back from the dead and made them a legit party again…
Well, he made it a modestly successful Bredesen-re-elect HQ, but the TDP has actually seen losses in the TN House majority and lost the TN Senate to the Rs; Tennessee was the only state who sent a freshman senator to DC in 2006 who wasn’t a Democrat.
That amounts to no net gains and even historic losses - seeing as how there’d been a D majority in the Senate for several generations; all under a D governorship.
This is what the TNDP accomplishes “back from the dead?” Wow. I guess I have different ideas about what constitutes “legitimacy.”
on November 29th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I think the Tennessee Democrats have had a tradition of changing party chairs every two years. I think Button might have stayed on an extra year, but I don’t remember why. I don’t think it was a matter of Bredesen “firing” the party chair in ‘03. I think the party just elected a new chair.
on November 29th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Also, as far as “slides” go: let’s remember that Democrats in the General Assembly have won all four elections in 2007 by wide margins. Senate Democrats have moved an 18-15 deficit (in 2006 after McLeary switched parties) to a 16-16-1 tie. In 2006, House Democrats held all 53 of their seats. That’s a big deal because they held all four of their open seats, and it was the first time since 1994 that the Republicans didn’t pick up seats.
That “slide” your noticing is toward the Democrats.
on November 29th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Looks like Robin finally let B-Ho out of the dungeon.