And so it begins...

Frances is marching through Georgia, Ivan is heading into the Lower Antilles, and the fury of Campaign 2004 is unleashed upon the land. In this forum I plan to share some observations from deep within the Red States. I write to you from Nashville, Tennessee. The same state that was the home of the previous Vice President and failed Presidential candidate, Al Gore...and, as the punchline goes: 11 electoral votes for George W. Bush.



Tennessee, is supposedly "not in play," but the yard sign count here in the heartland would indicate it's going to be close. On the northward drive to my office the tally was 14 for George W. Bush and 12 for John Kerry. I suspect that the more people are exposed to the good Senator, the more they will dislike him. Tennesseans have an appetite for people that are straight shooters. Now we don't mind if you couch it in some flowery metaphors, but don't change your positions constantly. Kerry can't seem to make up his mind on the most fundamental issue of the day: how we should prosecute the war in Iraq.



Then there's the beer test. Now I know that "W" gave up drinking after a pretty good run in his youth, but even given that, which of these two men would you rather sit down and have a cold beer with? Carry it one step further, which one of their wives would you want to come over and look after your kids when you head out of town? If you answered W and Laura, you are most likely a red stater...at least in values.



So sit back, relax, bookmark this site and look for more perspectives from the back porch.