Grand Divisions

Tennessee Equality Project seeks to advance and protect the civil rights of our State’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in each Grand Division.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sher's House of Horrors: Nastiest Legislative Races this Year

The always informative Andy Sher provides the pre-Halloween lowdown on Tennessee's legislative races. It's no surprise that the Fear and Loathing in District 12 contest between Becky Ruppe and Ken Yager makes an appearance:

Just in time for Halloween, the Tennessee Democratic Party is running a television ad attacking former Roane County Executive Ken Yager, a Republican running against Morgan County Executive Becky Ruppe, a Democrat, in the 12th Senate District, which includes Rhea County.

The ad, which Democrats say is intended to deliver a serious message humorously, spoofs a horror movie trailer. The spot portrays Mr. Yager as a deranged, hockey-mask wearing, chain-saw wielding “job killer” who presided over a 25 percent plummet in manufacturing jobs during his final four years in office.

“The new name in terror,” the ad’s announcer says as a woman shrieks and the chain saw roars. “Ken Yager is the Job Killer.”

The ad states that in addition to the 25 percent loss of manufacturing jobs, “unemployment ran higher than the statewide average” during Mr. Yager’s 24-year tenure.

Yager campaign manager Robert Kuykendall charged that the Democratic attack ad was “false” and “tasteless.”

“It appears instead of discussing the issues, Becky Ruppe and her liberal friends in the Tennessee Democratic Party are playing with numbers to hide her dismal record as Morgan County executive,” Mr. Kuykendall said, accusing Democrats of “trying to cherry pick numbers.”

Ken the job killer vs. Becky's liberal friends. There's a future for the loser of this race in cheap fiction.








No comments: