MYSTERY GROUP JOINS FIGHT FOR GOVERNOR'S RACE IN TENNESSEE (crank up the slime machine...)

                              LT. GOV  RON  RAMSEY  PROVES HE HAS THUMBS

       News from the morning Tennessean warns us that a new group calling itself "Tennesseans for a Better Tomorrow" has filed paperwork with the IRS and will begin tossing cash at the ongoing race for the Republican nomination for Governor.  This is one of those "527" groups, so named because of the IRS statute that allows a cash cow to campaign, fundraise, and smear for a candidate so long as they don't coordinate their attacks with the candidate's actual campaign.  Got all that?
       Ron Ramsey is running for governor of Tennessee.  He's currently the Lt. Governor of the state, and by law that makes him the Speaker of the State Senate, second in line of succession to the throne.  Being "second" is a big deal to Ron, according to his website.  One of the first things that page will trumpet is that Ron Ramsey is "2nd to none on the 2nd Amendment."  It also tells us that Ron wants us to "Help Give Washington the Boot."  One of his campaign issues is to bring back reasonable restrictions to abortion rights in Tennessee... which, combined with the 2nd Amendment thing probably means he supports giving tiny pistols to fetuses for defense against abortion providers or something.  I'm a little unclear on that last position, but promise to check it out.
       This new "527" group is such a mystery even it's own president wasn't aware he'd been elected as the group's leader.  "I'm a little surprised," said TFBT president Howard Moon, "but I'm willing to serve."  Ramsey himself, when asked about the group's endorsement, said, "... that's news to me."  which is, by law, expected since the candidate's own campaign can't coordinate activities with a "527" group.  Consider it a surrogate pit bull on a very weak chain, controlled by people who don't even know they're part of the group, and funded by out of state concerns who don't care to be identified publicly.

       So far Ron Ramsey has been endorsed by twenty of Tennessee's forty registered Tea Party groups, so he claims on his campaign website to be the Tea Party Candidate.  Half of them is good enough, I guess, especially since no one is really sure what they want in the first place.
       What this means for the average Tennessean is quite clear, however.  Instead of watching Sonic commercials between segments of Law and Order reruns (bonk bonk), we'll get to watch negative campaign ads that end with "paid for by Tennesseans for a Better Tomorrow."

        The only people who gain from those commercials are those who get paid to make commercials and the television stations that are paid to air them.  The rest of us will soon long for the good old days when we could roll our eyes and bitch whenever those jerks would banter in the Sonic commercials.  We're gonna miss those guys...