Today is a sad day, as we have lost a great man.

I was lucky enough to call Johnny Hayes my friend. There are not enough words to describe how great a person Johnny was.  Ken Whitehouse does an outstanding job with it though.

Hey Hey. The world will miss you JHH.

” We’ve got a lot of people who love him here and who are working hard for him, but I’m not sure this is where I’d advise him to spend his time when you’ve got an Ohio which which is probably the swing state in this election right close by here.” – Phil Bredesen, September 2008

Phil Bredesen is right. I’ve seen polls. Governor Bredesen has seen polls. More importantly, the Obama Campaign has seen polls. Barack has no chance in Tennessee. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. McCain is leading by about 19 points or so. It would be irresponsible of him to spend time campaigning here, with such little time left, when he could, when he should be in place like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other states where the polls show he has a chance at winning.

Should campaigns be poll driven? In one word, YES. In two words, not totally. The bottom line is that it is not that simple. There are things you do early on in a campaign that do not exactly go with the polls. Things like visiting all 95 counties in Tennessee or (attempting) to visit every state in the union. Early on, you have the time and the luxury of doing these things.

And it’s not just for show. If you are going to be representing a state or a country, citizens of every county or state should have the opportunity to see what you are all about. And if you are going to hold office, you should care enough to visit every part of your prospective constituency.

BUT, there comes a time that you have to focus on the finish line, WINNING. You can’t help the people you did, or did not, visit if you don’t win. With two months to go, there is no reason for Barack Obama to set foot in Tennessee, a state where he is down by double digits. At the same time, there is no reason for John McCain to be here either. It’s in the bag, move on, focus on how you win.

I really do, I feel sorry for Tucker Bounds. Tucker and I actually went to high school together — not friends, just friendly. His mother was my history teacher, one of my favorite teachers ever. As we like to say in West Tennessee, his family is good people. 

Why do I feel sorry for Tucker Bounds? Well, Tucker is John McCain’s spokesperson, and I started feeling sorry for him over the weekend when he was getting pounded with questions about Sarah Palin, the vice presidential pick. Particularly, a CNN commentator was asking him about her experience and whether she really is qualified to step into the job of president from Day One, if need be.

True to his job, Tucker toted the official line. He said that, unlike Barack Obama, she had served in the executive branch of government. When asked if she was ready to command the troops, Tucker cited the fact that she’s commander of the Alaska National Guard — more command experience than either Obama or Joe Biden.

The Alaska National Guard, as opposed to, say, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (That one makes me do a double take every time I read it.) 

By choosing the glaringly inexperienced Palin, McCain has put his staff in the unenviable position of having to defend her. And it seems with Palin, there is something at every turn — experience, family matters, a controversial firing …

When Biden was announced as Barack’s selection for VP, there was the occasional line that he was too much of a Washington insider, but for the most part, it was seen as a good pick, someone who’d bring real strength to the ticket.

And the Palin selection started out looking brilliant — a woman on the ticket as a counterplay to Obama’s history-making nomination. But then, all the shit started flying.

Now, most people, especially the women I know, are questioning McCain’s first “presidential” decision.

Me — I just feel Tucker’s pain. He’s having to spend all his time basically saying, “No, really, she IS a good pick, she DOES have experience. She’s commander-in-chief of the Alaska National Guard, for God’s sake! 

I’m serious: Tucker is a smart guy. I’m sure he sees this pick the way most Americans do, but he is also good at his job and will say what NEEDS to be said. It’s just too bad John McCain put him in such a crappy position. 

That’s why I feel sorry for Tucker Bounds.

UPDATE: Immediately after posting this, I called my mother and read it to her. She knew the Bounds family as well. I wanted to make sure I was not taking a swipe at Tucker, because that is the last thing on my mind. Her words,

Oh, I know. I watched it this weekend too and I just thought, bless his heart, he is doing the best he can. I just feel sorry for him.

Like any good southern “Momma,” she is always thinking of others.

Words I never thought I would say. And I have now said them twice in 24 hours.

First, I think his ad yesterday was a class act. I don’t agree with his policies or where I think he would take the country, but he is a decent man who’s proud of our country at this historic moment.

Then, he surprised many Americans, myself included, today when he chose Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. Bravo to you Senator for looking past the labels this country sometimes has problems looking past. This is a truly historic selection, as it ensures that one of our top two offices will be held by someone other than a white male.

But the biggest cheer goes up for Barack Obama. As I said last night, his nomination would open doors, and that is exactly what has happened for Sarah Palin. It’s highly unlikely that a little known governor of a sparsely populated state would have been tapped otherwise.

I know little else about her, so for today, I congratulate her.

And governor: Send a little thanks out to the guy from Illinois who made it possible.

Barack Obama’s speech was damn good. Duh. No need to go into the obvious or to rehash what literally thousands of others around this country are doing right now.

I want to touch on something different. Something that has been on my mind for months, ever since Obama hit the national stage.

It has always perplexed me when someone with one black parent and one white parent (or any other combination, for that matter) gets put into the category of one or the other.

I believe it was Chris Matthews or Keith Olberman said earlier in the day,

“If America had had 43 black presidents, then we would be describing Barack Obama as potentially the country’s first white president.”

He could not be more right. It is absurd in this day and age that we continue to use the limitation of labels.

Barack Obama is everything that is good about this country. He defines what this country was founded on. It was not founded as a haven for any specific group of people — but as a haven for all people. Not a place where one man is better than the next — but where all are good enough to get a chance. This country is a melting pot of essentially every country and culture on this planet.

Don’t get me wrong, I think what Barack has achieved by becoming the Democratic nominee tonight, does wonders for African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, women and all other non-white males in this country.

It is a great thing. It is the way it should be. I could not be happier or prouder of us as a country.

My point here is that I hope we as a country will soon be where we don’t define our brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers, friend and neighbors by these narrow labels, but rather as simply Americans.

Barack Obama is not black, nor is he white.

Barack Obama is, simply, American. As Kix and Ronnie say: Only in America.

…and I still consider him worthy of being a Southern Appalachian Democrat.

Actually,  being a Southern Appalachian Democrat isn’t dependent on being a member of a specific religion. It’s about values . A set of values Joe Biden showed tonight.

In Joe’s words,

“Work is about more than a paycheck, it’s about dignity. It’s about whether or not you can look your child in the eye and say, we’re gonna be alright.”

Throughout the Padgett campaign, we heard people on the campaign trail, day in and day out tell us, “We are gonna make it, but we need some help, we need some relief.” That falls right in line with a couple of lines Biden said tonight.

“With a dad who fell on hard economic times, but who always told me: “Champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up.”

“Millions of Americans have been knocked down. And this is the time as Americans, together, we get back up. Our people are too good, our debt to our parents and grandparents too great, our obligation to our children is too sacred.”

“These are extraordinary times. This is an extraordinary election. The American people are ready. I’m ready. Barack Obama is ready. This is his time. This is our time. This is America’s time.”

The people of America are a strong proud people. We will make it. But, yes, we need some help. The middle class needs help. They need someone in Washington fighting for them. Joe Biden has been doing that for years. Together Joe and Barack will fight for the middle class.

“And I am here for everyone I grew up with in Scranton and Wilmington. I am here for the cops and firefighters, the teachers and assembly line workers—the folks whose lives are the very measure of whether the American dream endures.”

He talks about the struggles that many middle class American families go through.

These are common stories among middle-class people who worked hard and played by the rules on the promise that their tomorrows would be better than their yesterdays.

That promise is the bedrock of America. It defines who we are as a people. And now it’s in jeopardy. I know it. You know it. But John McCain doesn’t get it.”

The last eight years have been hard for most Americans. This country does need a change. Tonight in Denver, Joe Biden, telling a story about his mother when he was growing up said best what needs to happen in the next few months.

When I got knocked down by guys bigger than me, she sent me back out and demanded that I bloody their nose so I could walk down that street the next day.”

We as an American people have had our noses bloodied over the last 8 years under the Bush/Cheney administration. Now it’s time to hit the streets and in November, hit the voting booth and like any good Southern Appalachian Democrat would do, bloody their noses by sending the Republicans packing.

In an overwhelming speech by former President Clinton, in which he received an amazing standing ovation having to make people sit down, there were several lines I especially enjoyed:

“I am not grateful to speak in the wake of Hillary’s magnificent speech … but I’ll do the best I can.”

“Hillary said she would do whatever she can to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us. … Actually that makes 18 million of us.”

“I have the advantage of speaking from a perspective no Democratic American other than Jimmy Carter can. … The job of the next president is to rebuild the American dream and restore American leadership in the world. … My experience has shown me that … Barack Obama is the man for THIS job.”

“But if, like me, you believe America must always be a place called hope …”

I supported Hillary in the primary. I worked for her in the primary. I think she would have been the best person to beat John McCain.

But she gave me the best reasons in the world tonight to support Barack Obama: an ailing mother struggling to find health care, a young Marine who wants his buddies brought home from Iraq, and all the working Tennesseans she didn’t mention specifically but who need help as their wages and way of life erode.

In a speech that showed what she’s is made of, Hillary asked me, my friends, my family — all of us who wanted so badly for her to be our candidate in November:

“Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?”

Nothing could make it more clear to me.

So, to those absurd protesters I’ve seen this week in Denver: Get a clue. She is moving on, working for what she’s always worked for. Why can’t you?

If you don’t, it’s at your own peril. As Hillary said in her gracious concession speech in June:

“Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be.”

Tonight, she pointed the way:

“Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines. This is a fight for the future. And it’s a fight we must win.”

It’s not easy to lose with the kind of grace Hillary has shown this summer.

I know. I just lost a tough one a few weeks ago. I hope I walked away with a fraction of the style that she has shown. Because I believe that electing a democrat to the Senate in November is as important as keeping John McCain out of the White House.

So, get with it. Get with her. Keep working your butts off for change.

I know of one guy who will. Bill Clinton let it be known yesterday that he’s devoting his fall schedule to hit the campaign trail for Obama/Biden like only Bill Clinton can.

Get a preview when he speaks to the convention tomorrow night. He’ll bring the house down. Bet on it.

I just read a very interesting story in the Wall Street Journal about what was happening in back rooms and private meetings while Biden was stone faced with the press.

My favorite part of the story:

When Sen. Biden returned to the U.S. from his overseas trip to Georgia and faced reporters waiting on his driveway, he called out from his car, “I’m not the one.” That gave some Bayh supporters hope until an email was circulated among Bayh supporters, “That’s just Joe being Joe, being funny.”

It goes on to say:

When they were quizzed in return about Sen. Biden’s proclivity to make gaffes and be verbose, a Biden adviser had a ready comeback. “After having a president for eight years who can’t go beyond talking points, it’s a good thing that Biden can dig into the issues, even if he occasionally goes overboard,” he said.

The article shows a little of what the other guys and their advisers are thinking as they went through the process. Anyone who thinks that, shy of a Shermanesque statement from a potential candidate, they are not interested in being on the ticket is just being naive. I respect the way Senators Biden and Bayh approached the process. They knew they were being considered, yet respected the fact that the decision was Obama’s and Obama’s alone. Yes, they may have both had their advisers and staff working behind the scenes, but they did it respectfully.

On the other hand, I think that Governor Kaine did nothing to help himself by summoning his staff to Richmond to talk about he line of succession if he had to step down and be Obama’s running mate. As I have said before, if he really wanted to be veep, then he would have conducted that meeting in private and without any public knowledge.

The Last Mango analysis on Joe:

Joe may talk a lot, but so do I. He may flub a line sometimes, but so do I. I’m not talking about just me, but your everyday working man and woman in America.

Joe may not be from the Appalachia, or even the south, but he still fits the mold of a Southern Appalachian Democrat.

Joe can and will go to the farmer in the field, the guy on the factory floor or the lady working at Home Depot and listen to them.

Joe will not mince words. He will make damned sure they KNOW that an Obama/Biden White House will fight like hell to put them and their family back on their feet. That an Obama/Biden White House will kick Osama bin Laden’s sorry ass.

And those companies that ship good-paying jobs off to India, where they don’t have to pay a fair wage? Joe will make sure an Obama/Biden White House will tear em a new one at tax time.