No, it is not because he is a Democrat. It is not because he supports Harold Ford, Jr. At one point, I actually thought Governor Phil Bredesen was a great representative for the people of Tennessee. That thought of mine, however, quickly changed after the Tennessee Waltz scandal. Four members of the Tennessee General Assembly and a few others were arrested for taking bribes from undercover FBI agents. Many were disgusted, but not shocked, that these activities took place with those people that are responsible for running our state. Many called for huge ethics reform to take place to help prevent such horrid acts in the future. The main man in charge at the time: Governor Bredesen. He had the prime opportunity to take charge and show us Tennesseans his true leadership abilities (despite 3 of those 4 General Assembly members being from his own party). He could have waved the white flag of ethics on the steps of the Capitol and served us Tennesseans like great Governor should. His performance on the controversy was less than lackluster. He made a few speeches and appointed a committee; that is all he did. Sounds like a leader, doesn't it? Then, the big bomb hit for me. A Nashville newspaper uncovered evidence that officers of the Tennessee Highway Patrol that donated to the 2002 Bredesen campaign received unwarranted promotions in return. The evidence was black and white; all the parties involved were guilty. Bredesen sort of shrugged off the scandal and acted like he had done nothing wrong. Everyone involved in the incident either got fired or demoted, except for Bredesen of course. He denied any wrongdoing and did not even bother to return the tainted money. His actions in both these incidents show that our governor does not have a bone of ethics in him and lacks the leadership that we need from a governor. Bredesen has proved to me that he does not deserve the seat of the Governor of this great state. He has failed as my Governor, and he certainly does not deserve my vote.
tagged 06election, tennessee, politics
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