A Tale of Two Papers
At first glance the Knoxville alternative weekly newspaper the Metro Pulse and the establishment mainstream newspaper the Knoxville News Sentinel could not appear to be more different. Knoxville had two mainstream newspapers until 1992 when the Knoxville Journal closed it’s doors.
Many people have said that the closing of the Knoxville Journal cast a pall over Knoxville and Knox County. It is thought that this event was the catalyst for the emergence of the Victor Ashe political machine. Some people say that Victor Ashe still has influence over the political affairs of Knoxville even though he is the Ambassador of Poland and is an ocean away from Knoxville.
Over time the void left by the departure of the Knoxville Journal has been filled to some extent by the Knoxville alternative weekly newspaper the Metro Pulse. Like most alternative papers the Metro Pulse is in a tabloid format and carries advertisements a mainstream paper could not print. The back of the paper has many advertisements for dating services, escorts, strip clubs, and adult bookstores. In the center of the paper alternative subjects like, “Two Knoxville party girls peer into Nashville’s nightlife”, a story about a road trip to Nashville with two twenty something Metro Pulse reporters and the recent article on bondage “Free to be dominated” show the Metro Pulse is indeed an alternative newspaper.
Or is it?
In this weeks Metro Pulse the editorial, “Don’t let the situation confuse you — here are our endorsements” presents a political machine message of complete voter disenfranchisement. The unsigned editorial suggest is better to place your trust in the party system and let the Executive Committee of the Republican and Democrat parties select the commissioner for your district over the 41 write-in candidates running against the term limited incumbents. These 12 incumbents were term limited by the Tennessee Supreme Court. No higher court can rule on the matter. Yet Tennessee Election Law requires that the ineligible incumbents must remain on the ballot. So you may vote for them but they cannot serve. If the ineligible incumbent wins the district primary it is not the second place write-in candidate that will go to the August General Election it will be a “replacement” candidate select by the Executive Committee of the party.
Does that sound like an alternative newspaper to you?
Yet the mainstream Knoxville News Sentinel ran an editorial, “McElroy: Wait! Know the candidates before voting” with the opposite message. The News Sentinel suggests that people wait to vote until they have learned about the 41 write-in candidates.
Some examples of “party” endorsements from the Metro Pulse:
2nd District, Seat B — Billy Tindell, who can’t succeed himself, deserves your vote, so the Democrats can pick an eligible candidate to stave off any write-ins.
4th District, Seat A — A vote for term-limited John Schmid will put the decision for an August candidate in the hands of the GOP, where it belongs in this instance.
4th District, Seat B — Likewise, a vote for Phil Guthe turns the decision over to the party.
5th District, Seat C — A vote for John Griess wisely sends the decision to the Republican Party.
6th District, Seat A — Votes for Mark Cawood will assure that the Republican primary winner has a strong opponent in August.
So a vote for the ineligible incumbent who has been term limited by the Tennessee Supreme Court and cannot serve no matter how many pie in the sky lawsuits are filed should be decided by the Republican Party or the Democrat Party?
How arrogant is the author of this unsigned editorial? This may give a clue, “A vote for John Griess wisely sends the decision to the Republican Party.”
So what may be a great chance for democracy in Knox County is rejected by the Metro Pulse because in the eyes of whoever wrote this unsigned editorial we should bow to the wisdom of the local Republican and Democrat parties?
Bow if you want. I will take my time and learn about the write-in candidates. Mr. McElroy, you got this one right. Nice work. Keep it up and I will renew my subscription.
