Tennessee Democratic Party disavows U.S. Senate nominee

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: The Tennessean

The party of Cordell Hull, Estes Kefauver and Al Gore Sr. and Jr. won’t have a standard-bearer — or at least not one it can stomach — in Tennessee’s next U.S. Senate race.

Less than 24 hours after a man espousing conservative and libertarian views surprised the state’s political scene by winning the Democratic nomination, the Tennessee Democratic Party disavowed him, saying he’s part of an anti-gay hate group.

The party said Friday that it would do nothing to help Mark Clayton, 35, who received nearly twice as many votes as his closest challenger in Thursday’s seven-candidate primary, winning the right to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker in November.

"The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself,” the party said in a news release. “Many Democrats in Tennessee knew nothing about any of the candidates in the race, so they voted for the person at the top of the ticket. Unfortunately, none of the other Democratic candidates were able to run the race needed to gain statewide visibility or support.

Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120803/NEWS02/308030124/Senate-nominee-Mark-Clayton-disavowed-by-Tennessee-Democratic-Party-?odyssey=nav%7Chead

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and this is what happens when the national party abandons the 50-state strategy, writes off races and doesn't get involved.

[jpbollma]

1. I posted on this as well

So does this mean that the Tea Party is now climbing into the Democratic Party as well? How much you wanna bet Palin endorses this guy now?

[julian09]

4. Dems will have to vote republican to ensure he doesn't win.

The DNC has to pay attention who they let in the dem party primary.
Obama can not accomplish anything with a senator who doesn't stand for dem agenda of equality and fairness.

[Jim Lane]

20. Primaries are open to all comers, as they should be.

You write, "The DNC has to pay attention who they let in the dem party primary."

I've never heard of any state where the DNC has the power to exclude someone from a primary ballot. Often you get on the primary ballot by receiving a certain level of support at the state party convention. If you don't qualify that way, many states let you get on the ballot by submitting a certain number of signatures.

Think well before calling for DNC screening of primary candidates! They would exclude the occasional right-wing nutjob infiltrator, but those people had no hope of winning the general election anyway. I'd worry that the DNC would also exclude genuine progressives who wanted to challenge Party establishment favorites.

[julian09]

25. Apparently after the fact they are not going to

support him.

[leveymg]

2. Thought we were supposed to avidly support anything on four feet with a D pinned to his tail?

[woo me with science]

33. [phone]

[alp227]

3. Dixiecrats (who voted AGAINST the 1964 civil rights act) still exist?

[24601]

18. Al Gore (Senior) wasn't a civil rights advocate. While he supported the 1965 voting rights bill, he

fought & voted against the 1964 civil rights act. But to his credit, he also was one of only of only 3 southern Democratic senators who declined to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Gore,_Sr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Manifesto

[still_one]

27. they were a blemish on the party and country. in fact it was the george wallace

Lester Maddox, helms and others who after Johnson got the civil rights act passed became started switching their party after Nixon's southern strategy, and became what is the tea party today in my view

[d_r]

5. I thought it would be Park Overall

[Lars39]

6. Me, too...she got my vote.

' Course I voted on touchscreen.

[southerncrone]

37. Ditto & ditto.

We've got to get rid of these electronic voting machines. They are the vehicle the continually use to steal elections. Remember it all went thru a bank basement in Chattanooga in 2004.....

[dflprincess]

35. Maybe the Democratic party should push her as a write-in

I wasn't aware she was running (and just recently caught one of her old movies and had wondered what had become of her) so, after reading this thread I found some of her position on Wiki:

[div class = "excerpt"]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Overall

Overall believes that the government's role is to be "stewards of this planet, and of our people, and of this great nation."[1] She argues that tax dollars should be used for infrastructure, roads, libraries, schools, and "services that made this country great."[1]

Stating that she grew up in a household with an AFL-CIO ash tray on the dinner table, Overall has spoken in favor of labor unions, and warns that Republicans have "stolen" the language of unions, successfully redefining terms like "good benefits" and "pensions" as "a string of cusswords."[1]

Overall is pro-gay marriage, arguing that same-sex couples are guaranteed the right to marry by the 14th Amendment. In response to President Obama's May 2012 endorsement of the legalization of gay marriage, Overall released a statement saying, "hallelujah and what took so long?"[13]

Overall has frequently criticized state lawmakers for passing restrictions on abortion. In her Jackson Day keynote address in Nashville on April 5, 2012, she mocked the Tennessee state legislature for passing a bill requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges, stating, "if you have an abortion, you have to have a doctor who has in-house privileges, but keep in mind, the guy who does my botox and lips doesn't."[1] She also accused Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell of not knowing the meaning of "transvaginal," referring to McDonnell's initial support (which he later withdrew) of a measure that would have required a transvaginal ultrasound for women seeking an abortion.[1]


Damn, I wish she'd filed for the DFL primary in Minnesota and ran against Amy Klobuchar.

[d_r]

41. well I'm going to write her in

I can' figure out what else to do than write her in

[Jessy169]

7. Mark Clayton is one scary guy

That's quite a pathetic situation in Tennessee. How in the hell did that happen!? Sadly, it looks like the much lesser of two evils in this case is Sen. Bob Corker. Chalk one up for the Republicans -- they really know how to play dirty.

[JDPriestly]

8. Where is Howard Dean?

Did some jealous friend of Obama move him out? Fools!!!

[24601]

19. Vermont - at last sighting

[Mister Ed]

9. "this is what happens when the national party abandons the 50-state strategy,

writes off races and doesn't get involved."

Yes, indeed.

[eridani]

13. +1000

Bring back Dean as DNC chair.

[southerncrone]

38. [phone]

[primavera]

16. + another 1,000 - n/t

[nashville_brook]

23. +1000000

[part man all 86]

10. Corker is not any better.

[D23MIURG23]

24. At least Corker doesn't contribute to the "no difference between parties" meme.

I'd personally rather have awful republicans than awful democrats.

[blkmusclmachine]

11. Hey! We're getting our own Teabaggers in the DEM Party.

And Gov. Bev Perdue (DINO, NC) just passed a state law banning scientific research on Global Climate Change. The idiots are multiplying fast !!

[JNelson6563]

12. Sounds like TN Dems need to get organized

I'd say it's a safe bet the DNC ain't gonna swoop in and magically fix shit. Maybe the Dems are going to have to get busy, get organized and maybe manage to get an actual Dem on the ballot next time around.

How terribly pathetic.

Julie

[Scuba]

14. The Democratic Party is being infiltrated by the right-wing and we damned well better....

... do something about it.

Howard Dean in the driver's seat would be a good start.

[loyalsister]

15. Many of them were always Democrats

Unexpected partners in crime have emerged over immigration. A nazi group came to my town to march. There were two guys marching who identified as union members. They added an extra sign calling for universal health care.
Racists can be found among the least expected groups.

[woo me with science]

34. Has been infiltrated.

We had better damned well have a plan for after this election.

[treestar]

17. Geez what is this district like?

If is is that conservative, and no D can actually win without being an R instead, then maybe the Ds should run someone who really is a real radical left winger. That way at least the war would be on. D could never win but a least could campaign and say things that would shake up the people in the district.

[nashville_brook]

22. it's a Senate seat, so it's the whole state.

[treestar]

30. TN has a reputation for conservatism at this point

Is there any Democrat who could win a statewide office? Or is this state senate?

[southerncrone]

39. We have become mostly RED the last few yrs.

When I was growing up here in the 1960's & '70's we had a strong Dem presence. Since the late '70's they have increasingly taken over more & more districts & seats.

Sadly, this is a US SENATE seat at risk here.

Here's what we've elected to oppose Corker. Does this sound like a Democrat to you? Check out his "endorsements" :
http://web.archive.org/web/20110708163723/http://www.claytonforsenate.com/issues.html

[treestar]

42. Presumably the TN Democrats chose him

Maybe there, to be a Democrat is to be conservative without being absolutely batshit instance right wing Bachmann-style. Very red state.

[jwirr]

21. So it is too late to get a 3rd party candidate on the ballot?

[Igel]

26. This is one of the more absurd things I've seen for a while.

Many (D) didn't know much about any of the candidates and just voted for whoever was first. Strong praise, indeed.

Good argument for the Democratic Party in the state at least monitoring who's running and putting up nice, "neutral" informative ads and positions of the candidates in cases where one of the nominees isn't just left of center or right of center but clear in a ballpark in another state.

[PassingFair]

28. This guy sounds ALMOST as bad as Harold Ford!

:evil grin:

WTF Tennessee?

[southerncrone]

40. MUCH worse!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

29. Supporters urging Overall to run a write-in effort

Response from her facebook page:

I am humbled by the support I have received through this campaign and I thank you all. Now I am ready for a political appointment, lol... kidding. I am very frightened and do not support Mark Clayton in any way. I will continue to advocate for progressive Democratic values. If Chip Forrester and the state party calls on me to run I will run! I love you all!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

31. So effectively the senate is now 50-50 for the RW come Jan 2013

That doesn't even count the remaining races where the Democrats have to defend half-again as many seats.

[bullwinkle428]

32. How pathetic. Absolute epic fail on the part of the Democratic party.

[southerncrone]

36. This is so embarrassing for us in TN.

I wonder if this is the new "trick" Repukes are going to play now. Sneaking a candidate in w/a name that will be at the top of the ballot in hopes of "stealing" elections in a seemingly legitimate way, then candidate exposes their "real" agenda. I can' believe we couldn't field a better field of candidates at this critical point in the country's history. There was no media support for any of the candidates that I saw in the Nashville area. Corker, however, has been wearing the TV out w/ads. I know his pockets are very deep, plus Koch, et. al. money, but it looked like we didn't have ANYONE. This is a US SENATE seat, for heaven sake, not dog catcher!
This is truly disgusting & we need to coalesce around a candidate to write-in. Look for TN to be the last state reporting in Nov. because of the number of write-ins, unless FL or OH has "problems".

Heck, guess we should expect ANYTHING come Nov. 6 & 7.