| THE
BLUE RED
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The Mountain Press
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| Bredesen for Governor By: JIM ANDERSON October, 2006 Well, here's Jim Bryson on TV bragging, “I'm BIG.” He pretends he's a giant, like Gulliver, towering over “little people” while a tiny actor totters in his giant hand, mocking our Governor. Bryson makes big noise, with little proof. He's just cooking up political slime--“Biggie Size.” Biggie says Phil Bredesen made Tennessee a “Mecca for illegal aliens.” It's a false, unverifiable claim. Actually, the Governor pledged firmly to detect and deport illegal immigrants. He issued Executive Order 41 forcing employers with state contracts to hire legal workers only. Biggie says Bredesen “stood by while graduation rankings plunged.” Yet, Bredesen proposed a plan for raising graduation rates, with free community-college tuition; funded Basic Education fully; raised teachers' salaries; and expanded pre-K programs. Biggie says Bredesen “kicked terminally ill” people off TennCare. If so, Bryson did, too: he voted to revamp TennCare. Bryson said: “The state simply could not afford to continue to fund the program at its growth rate. The governor made a very difficult decision that simply had to be made.” Biggie calls Bredesen's administration “corrupt and scandalous.” Biggie is slinging wild mud about old Highway Patrol problems Bredesen is now working to clean up. And who called the General Assembly Special Session on Ethics?--Governor Bredesen! Somebody better tell Bryson that Gulliver looked tall but his ideas were puny. Gulliver fell to earth when he got out-smarted and toppled by “the little people.” Apparently, Bryson has one big idea--to get himself elected. While Jim Bryson was thinking up silly ads, Phil Bredesen was doing a brilliant, dignified job, solving real-world problems and building new opportunities for Tennessee, like adding nearly 77,000 acres of parks and greenways. With his vision, know-how, and leadership, the real giant in this race is Phil Bredesen--our best choice for Governor, today and tomorrow. -Jim Anderson is president of the Sevier County Democratic Club (www.sevierdemocrats.com). ©The Mountain Press 2006 |