Smart, competent, good at his job.

Would the party of Rumsfeld, Brownie, et al keep him and not replace him with some incompetent political hack? Wishful thinking, Betty.

First order of business- waste millions of dollars on new voting machines that don't work and are easily hacked. Then it goes downhill from there.

With respect to Larry's piece- I don't see a successful court challenge right away based on a 'what if.' It could be counter-argued that other counties have this form of representation so they do not represent a de facto unequal representative government. Give it 10 to 20 years of elections and data to demonstrate it, then someone will have a case.

Larry has a much stronger point in the issue of campaign finance and who is going to 'own' these 11 seats. Kiss those ridgetops goodbye, folks. Take photos of them in beautiful fall colors NOW because they won't be there much longer.

Good Lord, Steve, what part of "Bye-Bye Mackay" makes it sound like I don't think he's going to lose his job?

The GOP is going to sunset the state election commission, reconstitute and county ECs, and Mackay will be gone. The only question is when. If they do as soon as they can, he's probably gone by April 2009. If the Republicans decide to take their time, he'll survive until 2011. Either way, he's going to be replaced by a Republican. That's the way it works.

Road building on borrowed money. I assume they will have to say up front more accurately what the projects will cost. Bond issues?

Ironic Tennesseans have significantly embraced what the nation has thoroughly dismissed politically.