KKK Ad Runner Loses TN Primary In Landslide

Being linked to "big oil" turned into a big problem for Tennessee Republican freshman Rep. David Davis, who became the first congressman from that state to lose in a primary in more than four decades. ...

Meanwhile, in the 9th District, in Memphis, a racially charged Democratic primary ended with an incumbent congressman trouncing the opponent who ran an ad linking him to the Ku Klux Klan.

Unofficial results showed Democrat Steve Cohen with 79 percent of the vote to 19 percent for Nikki Tinker, a black corporate lawyer who was his chief opponent in the district that covers Memphis, with all precincts reporting.

Cohen is the first white congressman from Memphis in more than three decades and one of only two white congressmen representing a majority black district.

"The results are pretty clear," Cohen told cheering supporters at a victory party. "I'm here to report that Tennessee and Tennessee (District) 9 voted firmly for the post-racial politics that has carried a new generation to power."

The campaign turned ugly in its final days, when Tinker ran a television ad juxtaposing photos of Cohen, who is Jewish, and a hooded Ku Klux Klan member. Tinker's supporters argued the district, which is 60 percent black and 35 percent white, should be represented by a black candidate. Cohen, a former state senator, has a long record as a civil rights supporter.

Tinker said her ad linking Cohen to the KKK for opposing a 2005 effort to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from a downtown park "merely states the facts. I think the nation needs to know Steve Cohen's complete record."

But the ad drew condemnation Thursday from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. It juxtaposed pictures of a statue of Forrest, an early leader of the KKK, and a hooded Klansman in front of a burning cross while asking, "Who is the real Steve Cohen?"

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[harriscrl3]

The thing is too African American's are NOT motivated by fear. The more you appeal to their fears the less likely you are to get their vote. Perhaps its because they've lived with fear particularly in the south its hard to scare them into voting for you. Thats why when rethuglicans start their fear mongering they can barely make a dent in their democratic support. If you recalled too during the primary they were behind Hilary but the more negative she got the more they coalsced around Obama. They are a hopeful people they respond to positivism, a sense of unity and community and hope not fear and division. One would think that since Nikki claimed that because the city is AA they should be represented by an AA she would know that division and fear is not the way to appeal to them. BTW I'm AA

Carol

[GwenElle]

Now let's see, by the standards, analysis and expectations of the Pat Buchanan crowd who think being black is the quality that African Americans vote on, Tinker should have won by 79 percent and Cohen lost with 19 percent of the vote. What say ye now Patrick?

[Rog49Thomas]

That's really unfair.

Pat and his cohorts don't truck in facts, logic or reality.

Simple belief (and I mean simple) is all that they need.

[HerbTee]

So true Roger. The Repugnicans all appeal and cater to the very worse inner cores of our human nature in order to win elections. They are counting on voters to be stupid, fearful, and gullible...that's exactly how they keep winning. After 8 years of GWB, you would think some people would become smarter and stop allowing themselves to be lied to, pandered to and be made fools of to get their votes. But it is apparent daily that certain people and elements of our country are firmly wrapped in the "ignorance is bliss" mode.

[marignymitch]

Bless the voters in Tennessee's 9th District.

[patriotic008]

Just more proof that African-Americans aren't the sheeple the MSM paint htem to be and that they do know better than to just vote for a candidate because they are "black". I always thought that theory was so condescending.
I am also tired of the MSM minimalizing 0ba ma's strengths and glorifying his shortcomings.

[harriscrl3]

AA like other groups vote their interest. They dont vote for someone simply because they are AA. You know what the irony is most of the people AA vote for until recently have been white but for some reason with Obama the media has propelled this false NONSENSE that they are voting for him because of the fact that he is Black. Its ridiculous because Obama for example had just as much white votes as Hilary during the primary. Yes he overwhelmingly won the AA vote but thats typical of democrats. They split the white vote and overwhelmingly win the AA vote which is what happened with Bill Clinton. THe idea that AA vote their race is the most ridiculous nonsense that has been put forth and spin until they fool the American people into believing its true. We really need critical thinking in this country. I'm frankly embarassed at how dumb the media has made us. Its like we are indoctrinated and we dont say to ourselves wait a minute this doesnt make sense. I've never seen anything like it. We are the most manipulated people on the planet and we dont even know it. At least folks in dictatorship KNOW they are not free we think that we are when the media is feeding us lies and thats even more DANGEROUS imo.

Carol

[HerbTee]

Good points Carol. The stupidity of all this is, when African Americans voted primarily for White candidates over the past decades, why wasn't such voting call "racism" then? But now that BO is on the scene, and African Americans gradually (and I do mean gradually because AA support of BO was NOT immediate) began supporting him, some Whites and the AM radio right wing-nuts were calling it racism...Blacks voting for a Black candidate who actually has a chance of winning. I never heard such stupidity when Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton were running for President and were receiving a healthy (but not overwhelming) percentage of the AA vote.

Let's all just call it what it is...that some Whites are deathly fearful of Blacks voting en masse for a Black candidate who has a strong chance of winning!! That's it in a nutshell. The specters of racism, racial fear-mongering and utter stupidity by those willing to lap up this swill as the gospel are very much alive in this country about race and we're now seeing it more and more each day.

[McChimp]

if African Americans voted based on skin color alone, then Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, hell even criminal Tupac Shakur, all would have already been President.

The GOP/MSM likes to think that blacks are uneducated, but most of them actually understand the issues and pretty much support ANY credible Dem, regardless of race, as is shown here.

[ignrnthllblly]

Tinker brought a lot of focus to TN-9 where, fortunately, nothing changed. Congrats, Steve Cohen.

But the vote in TN-1 was historic--and, no, I don't mean because it was the first time an incumbent Tennessee congress-critter stubbed his toe since '66, although that's plenty significant too. Why, you ask? They're both conservative Republicans--by vote, you probably won't be able to see that much difference.

The dour-faced Davis became the congressman-elect in 2006 by winning 22 percent of the vote in a crowded Republican primary by relying upon appeals to conservative Christians. The last Democrat to hold the seat was 127 years ago. Davis then immediately set about alienating residents of the 1st District with poor constituent service, short shrift of anyone not a part of his "base" and, finally, infuriating a large portion of the district with his politically tone-deaf vote (following l'affaire Vick) against making dog-fighting a felony under federal law.

The emergent Democratic majority of 2008 would have found Davis as a highly partisan obstructionist. In Roe they will find someone markedly more pragmatic and experienced at finding a consensus approach. Roe self-financed his campaign and took no pac funds.

Roe managed a 500 vote margin by winning only three of the district's 11 counties. Davis, who has yet to concede, is blaming Democratic crossover for this defeat (note to readers: if you don't get this joke, just go ahead and laugh lustily here).

[Freesia2]

The best thing that could come from this is that Ms. Tinker becomes the poster child for how to run a tawdry campaign and lose, and that Rove style campaign strategists everywhere shiver and feel warned.

But I doubt that will happen.

And I'm still glad that she at least lost. Gives a person a little drop of hope.

[uheardme]

Hillary Clinton is the poster child for how to run a tawdry campaign. No one really cares about Nikki Tinker or Steve Cohen nationally.

[kimstory]

I have been, and am still, concerned about the racial undertones of the presidential contest, but, speaking as a native Memphian, I am heartened by this display of post-racial politics in Memphis and the apparent repudiation of negative campaigning (especially in light of the Harold Ford debacle). Of course, this doesn't necessarily offer much hope about the Tennessee Republicans, who show no sign of rationality.

[chronic]

More proof bla ck Americans vote issues not race!


Obama 08

[radlib1]

TENNESSEE AND NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

Thank god that Nikki Tinker got her KKK, anti-Jewish comeuppance. She's pretty, but what's she got but bigotry and corporate sell-outism to recommend her?

Oh, I forgot, she's also a protege of the odious, corporate sell-out, Harold Ford.

Perhaps Rahm Emmanuel and Steny Hoyer will learn to let progressive Democrats win in their own Districts rather than saddling the Democratic constituents with rich-Republican lite corporate, pro-war suck-ups like Keith Schuler, John Barrow, et. al.

Democrats should be Democrats, by God, and not pusillanimous punks in Democratic Mouseketeer uniforms. They're hypocritical, cowardly, scum-sucking pigs as far as I'm concerned.

And that includes Rahm Emmanuel, Steny Hoyer, Harold Ford, and their hand-picked pretty, sell-out, Nikki Tinker.

They are the soulless purveyors of "1984 politics." If they all left the Democratic Party tomorrow, it wouldn't be too soon. Face it, scum is scum, no matter whether it is Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Steve Schmidt, Rahm Emmanuel or Steny Hoyer.

[uheardme]

We have nothing to prove, brah. Despite Hillary Clinton's race-baiting in the Presidential Primary, she managed to grab the majority of older Whites and White women. I think those groups vote race over issues.

[HerbTee]

There've been many MSM talking heads and the AM radio ultra right wing-nuts who were claiming "racism" "reverse racism", and "playing the race card" because of BO's successful courting of the African American vote. Well, I hope this election between Tinker and Cohen will now silence them once and for all. As anyone can see, Blacks just don't vote for a Black candidate only for being Black, even when that Black candidate is from a predominately Black district. That's true with Cohen and is certainly true with BO. I wish those who are stuck on stupid about how Blacks only vote for a Black candidate and then call it "racism" will now sip from their hot cups of “S-T-F-U” and sit down!

Speaking as an African American, how could Tinker have been so stupid? Didn't she know that African Americans wouldn't fall for that kind of campaigning...to untruthfully link an opponent with the most racist hated group in all of Black America, the KKK? What was this woman thinking? The KKK card is one which should NEVER be played against anyone unless there is absolute proof and confirmation. Did she really think Black folks are so foolish to be taken in by her kind of politics? I am glad that Tinker lost the election against Cohen and BO was dead to rights for speaking out against her tactics.

[Seven7s]

Well they will ignore the voting results and will not apologize for the attempt at labeling black voters as "reverse racists."

She should have known that negitiv attack ads dont work with black people because we are too used to seeing them on us on the local news everyday lol We know BS when we see it. PERIOD.

Glad she lost. Disgraceful and low.

Kinda cute though :)

[uheardme]

Yet race-baiting works on white votes, huh?

[iswideopen]

I'm an African-American female, middle-aged. I am glad you lost, you deserved to. What you did was shameful and pathetic. We don't do "Karl Rove", no matter what. Never, ever, respond in kind to ignorance. The road is long and hard, but we are moving on and forward. Please, stop embarassing the rest of us; we don't feel as you do. Everyone needs forgiveness. Express yourself on the blogs when you can't deal with the Main Stream Media's lies and cover-ups. Or. simply, find another outlet for your anger. I hope you, and other ambitious politicians have learned a very much needed lesson. You may have cost yourself a future in politics for this madness. We are the "human race".

OBAMA '08

[Dreamers101]

This kind of crap coming from anyone is dead wrong and sham’eful and this goes to prove to you neo’cons tro//s that AA’s don’t vote for people because they are black but because they have good vision and leadership.

We will rejected that kind of BS no matter where or whom it originates from, I’m not saying that racism doesn’t exit on both sides but there are people of critical thinking and people of pure ignor’ance, which one are you?

[GrainOSand]

“Cohen is the first white congressman from Memphis in more than three decades and one of only two white congressmen representing a majority black district.”


So much for the premise that so-called “black people” always vote for, or fall in lock step behind, the “black” candidate, now let us turn our attention back to the other story. Namely, the hypocrisy of certain so-called “white” individuals who make this faux claim in a country where historically “black” candidates have been few and far between the massive amount of “white” candidates, who have been voted for and elected time and time again by the masses of so-called “whites”.

The hypocrisy of the democracy is not fooling those who care to see, who try to judge fairly. May America reap what it sows, not what is says, but what it sows which is all of the behind-the­-scenes-ga­rbage that goes on and that gets lied about and spun, out in public,. Alternatively, may America finally shake off its hypocrisy and truly move towards being a “great nation” versus a hyped nation. Which one will it be, remains the question.

Hypocrites unite and take flight into the wall of your hypocrisy to crash and burn, while you learn some much-needed lessons, that some people cannot be fooled by what amounts to lame attempts at distraction, through divisive window dressing that has long since gone out of fashion.

[Bluejay00234]

Amen.

[uheardme]

Yes indeed.

[ebethgay]

I'm proud of the Memphis voters for seeing they have a good representative in Steve Cohen and seeing past Ms. Tinker's disgusting devisiveness. I also rescind my statement that Memphis should be ceded into Arkansas or Mississippi. While Memphis politics have often been squirrely in the past, they have obviously risen above the corruption.

[liseworks]

Memphis - you've done us all proud - Just SAY NO to corruption & YES, to truth.
I've never been so proud ....you know the rest : )
G-Obama !

[malanb5]

I am glad to see that racial barriers are being brought down. No long its what your skin color is but what your actions are and your values are. Finally some common sense in America which is why Barack is going to win.

[remc]

From your mouth to God's ears.....

[rwe]

more and more are seeing the race card being played by black candidates ... BHO

[abromber]

Or not.

[edwarvir]

rwe are you saying that Senator O is playing the race card?
Now you put the statement out their so please answer.

[belief08]

People will never learn and I just hope Memphis doesn't regret their decision.