Crossing Party Lines: Why I’m For Lundberg, Obama And Roe

BY DAVID SHUMAKER

Conventional wisdom dictates that as a local elected official, I stay out of other peoples’ political races.

Then, after a winners are announced, I congratulate them as if I had been pulling for them all along. This year, however, is different; the stakes are too high. This year, I’m going on the record for those individuals who I believe should have my support.

First, I want to weigh in on the congressional race. Two years ago in a crowded Republican field, David Davis squeaked out a win with less than 25 percent of the Republican vote. In a less-populated race, I do not believe that Davis would have prevailed.

For the past two years, I have watched as Rep. Davis has aligned himself with a small, far-right group of individuals and served the needs of special interests at the expense of his constituency. It is often difficult to watch him stand behind a podium and start his speeches with attacks on Democrats. Does he not represent all East Tennessee residents? How can he serve us if he can’t work with others in a bipartisan manner?

Like most Bristolians, I am tired of political partisanship at any level of government. We no longer engage in this on our City Council because it only detracts from the work to be done. I will not do it, and I will not tolerate it in others, including my congressman.

Dr. Phil Roe, the mayor of Johnson City, and I have gotten to know each other while working together on regional issues. I respect Roe, and I support his bid to represent the Republican party this November. While I don’t agree with him on every issue, in Roe I see a moderate, intelligent man who is willing to put East Tennesseans ahead of political gamesmanship.

I encourage others to vote in the August Republican primary, regardless of their political leanings. In our area, a Republican primary win pretty much guarantees success in the general election, and we must have a change.

In the presidential race, the choice is clear. Barack Obama offers our country the chance to rise out of the ashes of George W. Bush’s failed presidency and begin anew. While I respect Sen. John McCain and believe he would have made a far better president than Bush, it’s too late for a tiny shift in the way our country is run. The past seven years have been an absolute catastrophe.

How did we ever allow ourselves to be led into a disastrous war in Iraq that we did not have to fight? I supported the first Gulf War and the U.S.-led alliance that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait. I also agreed that we had to pursue the Taliban into Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. But Iraq? Completely different and completely wrong.

George W. Bush has sacrificed more than 4,000 of our bravest Americans and billions of dollars a year on a war that we did not need to fight. Under cover of this war and the threat of terrorism, Bush and Co. have systematically dismantled civil rights and environmental protections that took decades to put into place.

Our standing in the world community is at an all-time low. While Dick Cheney’s Halliburton and Bush’s friends in the oil business are harvesting windfall profits, the rest of us are struggling with $4-a-gallon gasoline and skyrocketing grocery prices. We must set a new direction under new leadership.

Finally, I am supporting Jon Lundberg for re-election to the District 1 seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. In his first term, Lundberg has done an outstanding job of representing our interests. I have conferred with him on several occasions about upcoming votes that could have had a significant impact in our community, and he has always been an objective listener. I have never felt that political party plays any part in the way that he works with local elected officials.

Lundberg is the “real deal” and makes us proud in Nashville. He has proven himself worthy of our trust and our support and we should keep him in office.

There you have it. I’ve put it out there in black and white for you to read, analyze, attack or defend. I have taken a public stand on the candidates who I believe to be our best choices in August and November. I am not sitting on the sidelines and merely voting this time. I encourage you to make a thorough and reasoned assessment of our candidates, then do your civic duty and participate. Vote.

David Shumaker serves on the Bristol, Tenn., City Council.