We Are Gearing It Back Up

Have You Noticed?

Are you not getting what you paid for or find things and products just not the same. Two of my staples of nourishment on the campaign trail were M&M Peanuts and Cracker Jacks. With consistency..I found that with the new packaging for Cracker Jacks..most of the caramel has cracked off the kernel of popcorn and ends up with a big pile of it along with the peanuts at the bottom of the bag...while you have nothing but puff corn to eat. I'm sure it has something to do with the bag the product is put in and the shipping and handling. Its not what it used to be and I'm tired of collecting nothing but removal tattoos for prize inside. Bring back the unique little toys!! Toddlers are not eating Cracker Jacks anymore.

As for M&M Peanuts... very few have full peanuts inside the candy anymore. I found many of the candies lacked a peanut at all. Many of the ones that had something in it was usually just a broken piece of peanut. Don't ever buy a bag from a convenience store...most are now run by folks who don't care if a product has an expiration date on it. A stale M&M peanut is like eating an old dried up Krystal hamburger. (Not what we seek from the Krytal..We want the mushy steamed bun)

FAIR AND BALANCED? OH GIVE ME A BREAK!!
This was the only picture that the mainstream Nashville media posted of me and mentioned our campaign during the nearly past two years. The only other exception would be a couple of stories that Mindy Tate and the Williamson Herald ran. This picture was used in a well-written story by Bonnie Burch and appeared in the Brentwood Journal portion of the Tennessean.

You would have thought that the local guy would have generated more interest from the Nashville papers and the Television and Radio Stations. On numerous attempts we tried to get them to publish our announcement of the run, we sent several Press Releases on Campaign positions and at last resort we tried to send Letters to the Editors...But nothing!! When we tried to reach out personally with emails to columnists, they shot back comments..."we determine what we cover and who we cover!" The three major stations in Nashville, WSMV, WTVF, and WKRN all failed to cover any aspect of our campaign and what we stood for. Credit Fox 17 for giving me 12 seconds of air time back this summer. They were the only one in Nashville. I know for a fact that each station got email can calls from folks asking them to include us in the conversation, which they totally ignored. They eventually quit responding to email from us, most notably the Channel 5 News Director. I even bought ads on Channel 5 and Channel 2. No one would give us a reason why? For our campaign to have some success and to be able to springboard into other areas of the State, I needed exposure from the media in Nashville and that didn't happen. What the papers and the TV and Radio Stations were doing was no public service to the audience. They didn't care to let you know that there were other options in attracting new jobs to Tennessee or that we proposed additional ideas in Education reform. They determined that you the voter only needed 2 options. However, they were interested in selling ads to us. The two major talk radio stations in Nashville were as arrogant as well in determining what you should know as a voter. However, one morning host did invite me to call in and I did appreciate that opportunity as well..and he pitched our website as well.

You can throw into that mix, the League of Women Voters who are supposed to be a non-partisan group looking to inform the voters by hosting events including the debates. You should have heard the excuses they gave me and some of the other Independent Candidates of why they were not going to include me in the debates. The Next addition of this blog will share that information with you.

Credit the Knoxville Media, all three areas: TV, Radio, and print. They gave me and some of the other candidates more exposure than the rest of the State combined. It was surprising that it came from Governor-elect Haslam's hometown. It looks like I have picked at the Nashville market in particular...I have...its my hometown. The Memphis Paper did post a voter's guide which included me, The FreePress in Chattanooga did announce my candidacy. The Johnson City paper also included me in on a story, along with the McMinnville Standard. Other small papers had bits and pieces along the way.

There were two radio hosts that were bold enough to include me on their shows and issued their support to our campaign. Carl Boyd, Jr of WTST Radio in Nashville (major internet programming) and John Hester of the Average American show on KWAM in Memphis. Blake Farmer did a NPR/WPLN report which included us. The Hallerin Hilton Hill show on WOKI in Knoxville did a 15 minute interview with me. The News Talk station in Chattanooga also did an interview as well. I also appeared on John Gaessler's Internet Radio show in Murfreesboro and another internet show originating from Memphis.

I truly believe that the Tennessee Voters deserved a little better than what was served up to them by the media. I even had one Memphis TV station that told me to take money somewhere else when we tried to buy air time....and Shame on the League of Women Voters. Hopefully they will wake up next time.

Hope you will check back for future updates as we will deal with all kinds of stuff..not just political stuff...share this blog with your friends. We will post update notices on my Facebook page.

Until next time...I am the Dedeacon. (Its good to be back!)

TN. First Lady Andrea Conte Perpetuates The Cycle of Traditional Politics

Last night (August 31st) in Nashville, Tennessee's First Lady Andrea Conte hosted a town hall meeting at the Governor's mansion. Questions were posted by local area High School seniors to the two candidates of the parties, Beverage Distributor Mike McWherter of Jackson and Mayor Bill Haslam. The event was not open to the public but was streamed over the internet according to reports.

It is evident that Ms. Conte has fallen in line with the League of Women Voters, many of the State's major newspapers and most of all the broadcast media and a number of Colleges and Universities by not including any of the active Independent candidates for Governor.

Despite recent Voter Polls in the Country and our State...news organizations, and certain advocacy groups continue to dodge the Independents by not including them in forums, debates or covering their campaigns citing moving targets of criteria which includes, providing proof of having paid staff members, having multi campaign offices statewide, not raising enough money, not having enough positions on topics...the list changes from week to week. They need to know times are changing with the internet and and technology and what they are propping up is old school. While many Statewide organizations have ignored us, Google my name and see what comes up on a National basis. It might surprise you.

It is evident that there are folks who pull the switches who do not want you the Tennessee Voter to know that there are other views and thoughts on State Government. The two parties are content with each other, but yet they are going to use their power to keep everyone else out of the picture. It is virtually impossible for a third party to run in Tennessee. There are laws on the books that make that option null and void. So everyone else must run as Independents. I know there are some independent candidates who do not take this challenge seriously and are not truly active candidates Statewide...thus we are all lumped in together.

Not all groups are closed societies only open to the candidates of the parties. I have been invited by some radio stations, have been interviewed or had a release published by a newspaper, and even have appeared on two different television stations in the State. I have participated in some forums across the State and recently accepted an invitation from Vanderbilt and will appear in a debate in Chattanooga in October. But most of the outlets and organizations do not return calls, return emails, fail to publish press releases, letters to the editors from me and supporters..which is quite disturbing.

While this campaign has been challenging..it has been rewarding. 1000's of my introductions to people bring smiles...(maybe because they feel sorry for me-Ha) especially when they hear that I am an independent candidate for Governor. They nearly all have the same comment...we're tired of the same ol same old. Its my quest to reach out to more people like this and to get the word out....that you do have another choice, an independent choice...an independent voice. If you have grown tired of traditional politics and want another voice heard...you can do something about it...Call in to the radio shows, write the newspapers, send emails to the television stations, send notes to organizations like the League of Women Voters and let them know..you want more..you want to hear from the Independent Candidates (most notably Bayron Binkley).

I hope you will continue to help us spread the word on our Campaign.