Just give me one more minute and then I'll settle down...

Braisted totally missed the point of Padgett's release.  It was about pragmatic thinking: getting things done vs. political bitchslapping. It was about how Padgett suggested the same thing as the Gang of 10, only he did it two weeks ago. It was about how this is how Mike Padgett thinks. AND it was about Mike Padgett's experience in working in a bipartisan way.

WTF does this have to do with Tuke and Corker hiking together?

But as a Padgett supporter, I'd like to thank Braisted for pointing out the kind of insider guy Bob Tuke is and the kind of folks he hangs out with.

Braisted is right -- to a point -- about Memphis.   And Padgett has a fierce ground game going on down there. But Braisted seems to ignore all the non-metro counties that Padgett has worked (he went to ALL of them) and Tuke hasn't.  Those hometown Democrats know how to turn out the vote, and they remember who had time for them and who didn't.

That's where Hillary Clinton won Tennessee in January (to my dismay).  She didn't carry any of the metro counties but one -- Knox.  Whoever was working Knox County for her must've known what they were doing.

The guy's name was... um, Mike Padgett.

It could go either way on Thursday.  I just hope whoever wins can take Lamar! down.

But I predict they'll be playing the blues Thursday night in Memphis, and in Knoxville, it'll sound like the Vols just beat Florida.

Ok, I have it out of my system now.

Ugh.

Private Arguments Over Bipartisanship : What do you expect from someone who has been a cheerleader for the guy all along? I'm just sayin....

EDITED TO ADD: Some might say ("some" being ME) Braisted's use of "might privately argue" is a lot like Fox New's tactic of using phrases like "some say" as a means of a reporter espousing their own opinions in a story (as is covered in 'Outfoxed'). It sounds more to me like it's Braisted publicly expressing his opinion.