The Knoxville News Sentinel endorsements- good and bad from the perspective of Bob Scott

Gloria Johnson deserves everyone’s endorsement!

The News Sentinel failed to recognize a fatal flaw when they endorsed Dr. Briggs instead of the better candidate, Cheri Siler. Dr Briggs- perhaps for political expediency- opposes the state participation in the Affordable Care Act which is incomprehensible to me. Cheri Siler will make a great state senator and the News Sentinel should have thanked Dr. Briggs for defeating Stacey and then

they should have endorsed Cheri Siler.

I expected the News Sentinel to endorse Jimmy Duncan- they would have lost some subscribers otherwise. However their endorsement is flawed. Jimmy Duncan has indeed been serving on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure but the big question for that committee should be ” how do we get the money to do what is needed?”. “CFR Progress Report and Scorecard, Road to Nowhere, explains, other nations are building new highways as the United States’ crumble. U.S. transportation fell from fifth in the World Economic Forum’s rankings in 2002 to twenty-fourth in 2011, passed by nations such as Spain, South Korea, and Oman…….Current infrastructure requires more investment—for instance, one in nine U.S. bridges are structurally deficient—while new projects are needed to address issues such as road congestion, which costs American drivers $101 billion annually in wasted time and fuel….” How can a man who signed the Grover Norquist pledge (below) be of any help in solving our nations REAL PROBLEMS?
(“I, ______, pledge to the taxpayers of the ______ district of the state of ______ and to the American people that I will:
One, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and
Two, to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”)

What the News Sentinel really missed is Jimmy Duncan has been co-chair of the Clean Water Caucus. This is a man who thinks “climate change is a rich man’s issue”- the fox is guarding the henhouse. In particular Jimmy Duncan listens to Patrick Moore instead of James Hansen and he doesn’t understand the science of global warming- only the politics. You can pass a law to repeal science but words can’t stop the rise in carbon dioxide in the air.
The News Sentinel implies that Duncans conservative stance on issues is an asset when it only means his thinking is tied to the past. When Jimmy Duncan was first elected to congress the internet was beginning to stir and technology has been racing since then and leaving almost everything conservative behind.
The News Sentinel mentions his legendary commitment to constituent service and he does it well but so do all the other US Representatives and so will I, Bob Scott, if elected.
Last it is said that “his opponents­ Democrat Bob Scott…..have little hope of putting a scare into Duncan, much less winning.” Jimmy Duncan spent about $8 per vote in his primary and his opponent got about 40 percent of the vote. Jimmy has spent very little in the general election and he is not scared.
Based on past elections:
There will be about 20 percent of the voters who will vote for me, the Democrat.
There will be about 30 percent of the voters that usually vote for the Republican but many of the people who voted against Duncan want a change and if half of them vote against the incumbent then I would get 6 percent of the vote.
There will be 50 percent of the voters who will vote for either a Republican or a Democrat and if they split 60/40 like the Republican primary voters then I could get 20 percent for a total of 46 percent.
If the young people and the people the Republicans are trying to suppress will get out and vote there could be a surprise.
If it happens. a Bob Scott WIN Will BE BY ONE VOTE!