I had a whole different blog planned today, but the events of yesterday sort of kicked those off the table: a murdered politician, a massive manhunt, protests, and a parade. Turnout for the many No Kings events was even better than anticipated—even in Minnesota, where they tried to cancel–and they were peaceful. Turnout for the expensive birthday vanity parade was less than expected and totally lame. Did you see the soldiers not marching in lockstep, no unity at all? Sad.
I’ve just finished Week 3 of my Harvard course on Rhetoric. I know you already know it’s a Harvard course, but, well, you know.
Anyway, I’ve submitted my first assignment. Since I’m auditing the class, I don’t get a grade, but we’re encouraged to get peer feedback and to try and get it published. Well, y’all are my peers, and this is my blog where I can publish whatever I want. Feel free to skip to the end if you’re not interested. (I’ve posted some pics from our backyard.)
If you are interested, here’s a bit of background. Our newly formed county party has some real newbies to the political process, including me. There seems to be some hesitation about where we should start, though there have been some good suggestions from one of our committee members. We disagree slightly on what to focus on, so since I needed to do an assignment, I used this situation to write about.
Enjoy—or not—up to you.
Our first campaign as the newly elected Executive Committee should be letting our neighbors know that we’re here.
When was the last time a Democrat was elected in Sequatchie County? There hasn’t been an active Democratic presence in the two years I’ve been here, and my wife, who has lived here most of her life, says it’s been longer than that.
According to the Tennessee elections website, Bill Harmon was the last one elected here over fifteen years ago. Missy Crutchfield made several visits here during her campaign, and she had a decent turnout in Hamilton County in November, but it wasn’t even close here. (https://www.elections.tn.gov/)
When Gloria Johnson came here on a campaign stop, only six of us showed up. We are small blue dots in an ocean of red. It feels, however, that the tide may be turning.
I know you’ve heard it too. The rumblings we’ve been hearing from the right about how they “did not vote for this”. They did, in fact, vote for that, but are we going to just leave them in their “Find Out” befuddlement? I believe that would be a mistake.
These folks fall into two categories: Those who believed the lies without questioning, and those who thought it would only happen to other people and were okay with it. Both groups are facing hard truths about themselves, and we have a chance to help them. Many will continue to live in denial, but maybe we can “convert” some of them by giving them an alternative. In order to do that, we must have a visible and vocal presence here.
However delightful it would be to win these folks over, they aren’t the ones we really need. We need to reach those who didn’t vote at all.
The Sequatchie Post, an online news site, asked its Facebook followers on May 9, 2025, to explain why, out of 3,114 registered voters in Dunlap, only 846 people voted in the recent mayoral election. They only had a few legit responses: apathy, laziness, and bad weather. https://sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/2024%20November%20Turnout%20Report.pdf)
Small local elections typically have a bad turnout. However, thirty-one percent of registered voters in Sequatchie County did not vote in the November 2024 election either. (https://www.elections.tn.gov/)
While I did vote in the November election, I was one of those who did not vote for Mayor in May. I was demoralized by the previous election and the resulting chaos. I thought, “What’s the point?” I could count on one hand the number of yard signs I remember seeing in this town supporting a Democrat back in November.
When I found out about our reorganization convention, I was hopeful but resigned to being with only a handful of others. I was excited to see how many people attended, and to hear how many more wanted to be there but had scheduling conflicts. How many didn’t see the tiny, almost hidden press release in the paper or the notice on Facebook? How many thought they were alone? How many are waiting for a nudge reminding them that they can still do the right thing?
Regardless of why folks voted the way they did or did not vote at all, these are our people. They are not alone. Others want to save this sinking ship, too. They need to know we are here and that they are welcome.
Gratuitous backyard photos
Baby Gay When You're Fat and Gray - All Grown Up 