>And Now for an Odd Left Turn into Local Politics
>Back in the days when I was a TV news reporter here in Nashville, there was one man I dreaded calling more than just about anyone else. Generally, he ignored my repeated pleas for information but on the rare occasions that he did take my call, he was rude, snide and dismissive. Since he was Nashville’s legal director, I really needed him to answer a few background questions over the phone every now and then, but he seemed to go to great lengths to be unhelpful. I must have talked to thousands of people during my news career, but even now, he stands out in my mind as one of the worst. What’s his name, you’re wondering?
Karl Dean. And next week, he very well may win the race to be Nashville’s next mayor.
I actually laughed out loud when I saw one of his commercials for the first time. Maybe it’s just me, but he seems supremely uncomfortable trying to maintain the smile that’s plastered across his face in every shot. Oh, the corners of his mouth are pointing in the right direction, but his eyes seem to be saying, “Get me the fuck away from these morons.” His campaign promises are all well and good, but honestly, I have a hard time voting for a jerk.
As for the other candidates I’ve interviewed, Howard Gentry was always nice and seemed pretty popular among his peers, which says a lot about a person. I remember David Briley going to great lengths to be helpful, answering questions and doing interviews even on evenings and weekends. He was one of my favorite council members because he seemed genuinely concerned for the city and excited about his role in governing it. And former US Representative Bob Clement won my appreciation after the daughter of two of our good friends died in a drowning accident. Her parents were supposed to go with us on our wedding trip to the United Kingdom, which had been scheduled to take place just one week after their daughter’s death. After the funeral, we convinced our friends to come with us to sort of get away from everything for a week. The trouble was, they no longer wanted to leave their older, surviving daughter behind with her grandparents and the girl didn’t have a passport. Bob Clement’s office found out about the situation on the Friday evening before our scheduled Monday departure and helped our friends (who have zero political pull, by the way) get their daughter a passport in time for the trip. It was a truly awesome gesture.
Some of you will say these things shouldn’t factor into a decision on how to vote. But they make a difference to me. Why would I expect a man who was rude and unresponsive as Metro’s Director of Law to be any different as the city’s mayor? And why shouldn’t candidates who were kind before they were shilling for mayoral votes not reap the benefits down the road?
Many of you, obviously, don’t live in Nashville. But there’s something in all of this that affects everyone. Would hearing from a friend that a candidate is, well, a jerk, affect your voting decision? Is it a woman thing? Right or wrong, a large part of my voting decisions are based on the candidate’s personal life and actions. But I’m constantly being told (usually by men) that that’s a mistake. What do you think?
>Yes, I think some of what you’ve metioned is a “woman thing.” We, as a whole, tend to think and react with emotion. However, as a woman, I can say that I don’t think that that’s necessarily a bad thing, especially in this case. Knowing someone’s track record and how it has affected their consituents should definitely count for something.
>I think going on a “gut feeling” is a great thing and has definitely served me well in life. I’m voting for Briley…by the way.
>I don’t live in Nashville, but I read your post with interest. I think it is partly a “woman thing”, but I agree that this is not all bad. It is worth looking at someone more objectively (like men say they do) to examine what they actually DO to help the organization they run, etc., etc., but paying attention to the emotion that person brings out in you shouldn’t be ignored; it just shouldn’t be in control. Men can benefit from that too. Whether someone is a “jerk ” or not brings up such questions as are they approachable, are they able to listen, are they able to consider other opinions, etc. Our emotions do affect our decisions, for both men and women; we just don’t always admit it, or we try to justify it away.
>Women have much better instincts than men do. I’ve lived it with my own husband. If I lived in Nashville I’d vote for Briley…
>I think it’s perfectly sensible to vote for someone who is more in touch with and has respect for the people he is to represent. I would never vote for someone I knew was a jerk. Good Luck, Nashville.
>I think what you’re talking about is called statesmanship. A leader isn’t just someone who makes decisions. If the man’s a jerk, how can he be expected to build good relationships with all the people he’ll work with as mayor?
>My husband and I both hold public offices in our small town. I hope we were voted in because of our service to the community, kindness to people in town, and excitement for the future of our city and school district. If someone is a jerk, they won’t give a rat’s ass about what’s best for the community. They’ll do whatever they damn well please and won’t care who they step on in the process.
>If he’s a jerk, yes, it affects the way I vote. Some people are just in it for the “look-good” and don’t care about anyone but themselves.Now, like with Clinton and his affair, that didn’t bug me so much. If he was a jerk about it, or a jerk to his wife and divorced her, yeah, I would think less of him. But he seemed pretty remorseful about it.
>I wouldn’t vote for a jerk. Because some of it has to bleed over into their public life, right? And I do agree with you that the people who were helpful to you should get your vote.
>I don’t think it’s a “woman” thing. It’s an American thing. Look at how many people voted for Bush because they thought he was more likable than his opposition.This candidate’s jerkiness matters only in so far as you think it will affect his ability to govern. And since you have personal experience actually interacting with the him rather than a manufactured tv ad on which to base your impression, your opinion is probably considerably more valid.That being said, I really prefer to vote for candidates based on their track records, and whether the policies they are advocating are in line with what I think should be done. Sadly, most of the time politicians OVER focus on appearing like nice people, and UNDER focus on what they actually plan on doing when they take office. It makes being a voting citizen frustrating.
>I wouldn’t vote for someone who was a jerk. How effective are they going to be as mayor if they can’t be polite to people, if they’re rude and dismissive to constituents or employees, if they sneer at anyone looking for help. I would hope that’s not just a woman thing, but on the whole, I do think women vote more emotionally than men.
>If the way you vote Lindsay is based on emotion, then I’m proud to know you. The first guy was a jerk to you, your would-be representative, to one of his would-be constituents. And, Briley, went above and beyond to help someone it sounds like he didn’t know. He just felt bad at a family in excrutiating pain. That’s some pretty sound reasoning to put or not put someone in office, in my book. Your work allows you a special opportunity to meet these men, but it allows you some incredible insight as to who they really are. Information that someone who just reads the paper, or watches a debate would not get, so thanks for sharing.
>I completely agree. I have this problem with movies. I met many of the ‘big guy’ producers and directors in my time in Hollywood, or heard first person accounts of their nastiness from good girl friends.I won’t go watch their movies now. I boycott jerks, even if they make big summer movies that will succeed without my piddly little movie bucks.Anna J. Evans
>Lindsey, go with your gut.I am surprised, as the Bellevuephile that you are, that you didn’t mention Bellevue media-darling Buck Dozier in your warm review of the non-Karl Dean candidates.By the way, Karl did get the ringing endorsement of my 37205 friends, which may, correlate strongly with your encounters and appropriate gut feeling. I still haven’t made my mayoral mind up yet!Bo Mitchell going negative in a flyer I found in my mailbox swung me to Don Johnson, who was very kind when I met him in person.
>Thanks for posting about your personal dealings with these candidates. I plan to vote for Briley and Gentry is a second choice, so it’s good to have a little more information to support my decision.And I have no time for people (such as Karl Dean) who don’t have time to treat everyone with the respect they deserve. I hope he’s not elected mayor.
>There are always too many factors to take into account when truly evaluating candidates. My m.o. is to choose a single IMPORTANT factor (right to choose, death penalty, whatever) and allow that to be the deciding factor. I do not think your first hand experience with these candidates as people is any less valid. In fact, I would think it more valid!
>I primarily vote based on policy, but if I thought someone was too selfish or mean-spirited to follow through on promised policy, I definitely wouldn’t vote for him.
>darthdoc, I don’t know the rest of the candidates, or at least don’t remember them.
>Oh, I have one whopper of a personal story about Al Gore when he was a TN senator… the moron. He almost ruined my husband’s career before it even had a chance to begin. I will never be able to respect the man, even if he wins the nation’s vote and ends up being my husband’s commander in chief.I do believe that women have an uncanny intuition about people. When they prove to be idiotic jerks in the past, it’s more than likely they will be even bigger idiotic jerks in their future careers as well.
>I think the “human” side of the candidate is very important. My main compliant about a former politician, if he’s going to do …er… bad things in the …er… Blue House and treat his family with that much disrespect, exactly how could I expect him to treat my family or community any better?
>Sure it’s a woman thing, but you can’t knock women’s intuition.I’m a Briley girl myself. I know he was in last place in a poll a while back, but I also have that feeling that he’s the one who should get my vote. I adore Clement – have met him on a number of occasions and he’s also helped me out (but not to the extent he helped your friends), but I just don’t think he’s the right one this time.And I hope you don’t mind if I throw in a word for Megan Barry for Council at Large – I can’t help myself.
>I think you’re absolutely right on in your thinking. My small city has a mayor that is haughty, refuses to talk to the press, hired a liason to deal with things like taking the public’s phone calls, etc. We HATE him and can’t wait for his term to end. He didn’t campaign as a jerk, but boy, did he turn out to be one…in spades.
>I don’t think it’s wrong. The personality of a person will affect how they do any job, and if they’re going to be the number one public servant in your area they need to have more than just policies and spin doctors.Good luck Nashville – hope you end up with the right person for the job.
>I have never dealt with Karl Dean but have no love for the persons managing his campaign and ultimately they run the city. If you think Karl’s attitude is bad, just wait till you see theirs! I have always admired David Briley’s ability to juggle his family responsibilities to his son with his day job and council responsibilities, much like most women have to do. His wife works full time too and David truly splits the duties from taking his son to school and cub scouts to doing laundry and cooking, without giving any lip service to his elected job being more important than hers. That gives David Briley my vote for any office he runs for!
>I’ve known Karl Dean for 20 years. The men and women who have worked for him think–to a person–he is one of the most outstanding people they have ever met. He is a terrific Dad to three great kids, and a devoted spouse. There is not a lawyer in Nashville who has ever dealt with Karl who has an unkind word to say about him, his professionalism, his ethics, or his legal skills.But then, I’ve never heard any of those people use the word “f**k,” as you did, in conveying their feelings about Karl. Perhaps that would help them be more precise. Or perhaps that might explain why Karl wasn’t thrilled to get your calls.
>Yeah, I’m quite sure she said, “Hi, I’m a reporter with Channel 4 news, and I’d like to fucking talk to Karl Dean.”Give me a break, lady.
>Just to attempt to inject some objectivity and context here:Consider the fact that as an attorney and as Metro’s Legal director, Mr. Dean would have had a professional and ethical obligation not to speak (or at the very least, to be extremely careful about what he said, and to whom) about ongoing legal matters or matters relating to his office, most especially to the press. I don’t necessarily think this makes him a jerk.As a congressman, it is part of Mr. Briley’s JOB to help people get expedited passports. Two of my friends received the same service for no other reason than they didn’t want to miss their vacation. Similarly, because Briley did his job does not make him a saint.I’m a long-time reader, and I’m surprised that someone as sensitive as you to the snap judgments of others with respect to you and your family would turn around and do the same to someone else, based on some very limited interactions, without even considering the context of those interactions. Are you sure he’s a jerk? Even if you think he *might* be, did he deserve to be called out in this public forum, at such an important stage in his career? I think this was undeserved.
>Many of the commenters indicate that they are voting for David Briley, so I wanted to point out what the Nashville Scene had to say about him: . . . But Briley is also one of Nashville’s most politically calculating personalities, so much so that he strategizes himself in circles. Examples are his recently released policy paper on dealing with illegal immigrants in Nashville and a TV ad covering some of the same terrain. While the whole of the policy paper is benign, one section—dealing with punishing local employers who hire illegals—is not only disingenuous, but also outside Metro’s authority, which Briley well knows. We believe Briley’s exploration of the topic was intended to exploit an anti-immigrant sentiment for political advantage.In contrast, here is what the Scene had to say about Dean: Meanwhile, Karl Dean, the former Metro law director and public defender, is simply an honest broker with a focused message. He’s not politically insecure, and thus doesn’t engage in the kind of cunning doublespeak that others have demonstrated a willingness to practice. His rhetoric is plain and clear, lacking platitudes and kowtowing. Dean has an almost Kennedy-esque persona, and is a sort of Nashville Mr. Smith, a character whose slightly dorky disposition is so genuine as to be endearing. While we can’t say Dean has offered a blueprint for reducing high school dropout rates in Nashville—which has been the core of his campaign message—we believe he possesses the skills to make such an impact on public education.Dean is someone who, by virtue of marrying well, probably didn’t have to work at all but who chose a career in public service. He has management experience running two different Metro departments and has been intimately involved with high-profile Metro negotiations and nearly every facet of government business. He appeals not just to a narrow base of Croc-wearing Vanderbilt alums living in Richland/West End, but also to business types who appreciate his refraining from promising more government, and to the poor who relied on him when he was public defender to get a fair shake in the criminal court system.For all of these reasons, we endorse him in his bid.I am sorry that your feelings were hurt when you tried to contact Karl Dean (you don’t say when this happened or how often or any other details), but I think the points raised by the Scene are more pertinent to the important decision of who will be Nashville’s next mayor. In my book, dorky beats calculating every time.
>Two points … whether or not the guy is a jerk in all aspects of his life, he was jerky in his behavior to you – and I wouldn’t vote for anyone who treated me that way, either.Secondly, regarding the comment left just above mine by the anonymous person who quoted the Nashville Scene … admittedly, I know nothing about the Scene – but I do know enough about newspapers and how they run to know how endorsements work. Money talks, my friends. And for that reason, you just simply can’t believe everything you read.
>When is it just a woman thing to judge a person by his actions? We had a city councilman who would have run for mayor, and in my heart and brain, I knew this manic would be elected since his credenials were impressive. I saw an entirely different side of him when he verbally attacked my son (who was very young at the time). Thankfully, his career was ruined when he was arrested for meth.
>Whoa, based on some of these comments, you’d think Lindsay held twenty thousand voters in her pocket! I think you’ve just found yourself on another group’s shitlist, Linday: the anti-profanity, pro-Karl Dean-ers.
>Back in the early 90’s, I had many discussions with my male cowokers about why I couldn’t vote for Clinton, whether or not I agreed with his politics. They couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t vote for an adulterer–but my contention has always been: how can the electorate trust someone who cheats on his wife? It really shows someone’s character. So many people (mostly men) say I shouldn’t judge someone on their private life–but I believe that the way people treat their family members shows exactly who they are. And it doesn’t matter to me what party they’re in–I have major problems with Rudy Giuliani for similar reasons.
>When my husband wanted to get me interested in Football, he told me about the players.He didn’t tell me about rushed yards, touchdowns, flags, penalties, etc. He told me about the players, their families, their histories.Now I am hooked, though I don’t understand the rules.I feel the same way about politics. I don’t give a hoot about whether you partied a lot in college. If you were kind and selfless to someone that was greiving, I want YOU in my corner.If you are a jerk, I don’t want you near me.I don’t live in Nashville, but I am pulling for the nice guy. I would vote for him.
>3 people wrote me in for Vice Mayor
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