I don't see how this is a "wasted" article, instead I see it as a fleshing out of the resume of the person who wants to be our next Governor. Personally, I like Mayor Haslam and think he would do a good job as governor, but it is important to know about the person who is asking for our vote. For example, we had an abject failure as President for 8 years who kept telling us that he was going to be the "CEO President", but who didn't tell us that every business venture he ever touched became an abject failure. We see how well that worked out for us.

I think that this information shows us that Haslam hasn't been bailed out of every situation he's been in, and is not afraid to try things even if it's outside of his comfort zone - that's a good thing. On the other hand, not acknowledging one's failures and what you learn from them - that's a bad thing.

"Saks had a terrible online experience because that wasn't their business model. It had little to do with Mayor Haslam."

It had to do with the fact that over an eighteen month period the Saks e-commerce website was a complete failure. Blaming the dot com bust is a convenient simpleton excuse.

Haslam was not the person for the job. He had almost no IT or e-commerce experience. He was in over his head and couldn't manage the tasks before him. Poor hires, poor management, lofty and goofy ideas sucked up the time that should have been devoted to making the site work.

Everyone in e-commerce knows to secure every single name that sounds like the website name. Everyone but Bill Haslam. Consider the case of saksfithavenue.com.

(link...)

How do you lose a case like that? How do you even have that problem? Kids in high school back in 1999 knew to secure every single name that sounded like the website. It was common sense.

Being Governor is a lot like being called on to run Saks online e-commerce. No one person knows everything there is to know about running a state. You hire and manage people who do know. Looking at the Saks debacle and the Ten Year Plan debacle can you really say that Bill Haslam is ready to run this state?

Wes might ask, do you have an example of one of those goofy ideas?

(link...)

360 views while good for cars are pretty dumb for dresses. A front view and a back view are all that is needed. In addition, the 360 view was painfully slow so no one used it.

@wes hartline: Do you want to provide some data that shows that e-commerce exploded onto the scene and did remarkably well? You probably couldn't find much if you even bothered to check.

Source

what rock did you come out from under. On line is NOT their business model? oh yeah right....then why do they post nearly 30% of their revenue as "online". Simple fact ..Haslam is a rich guy who was born with a 24kt gold spoon in his mouth. Left to his own devices he couldnt run a lemonade stand much less a state. His whole candidacy is a joke and he is about to be exposed as a liar and a fraud.

I never figured out why Proffitt's bought Saks.

Sort of off topic, but me either. Good point about the different markets. A NY company selling $500 Italian t-shirts with sparkles being managed by a company that I guess considered themselves an "upscale" department store brand (and I guess it was for Tennessee) doesn't seem like a good match. And the fallout ruined a bunch of good department store names in the process.

I guess maybe there was also a shakeout in the industry during all that time, with price conscious buyers moving to Target, K-Mart, and Walmart.

Have you. got evidence of these claims you make about the other candidate?

"Yep, your right! The next gov of Tennessee should be a college dropout, and a member of C-Street, just google that one, Wamp and C, and YIKES!"

What is wrong with Mike McWherter's experience? He is head and shoulders above Bill Haslam.

All the Haslam plants that come here and act like it is either Haslam or Wamp are disingenuous. Mike has a law degree from Vanderbilt University. He has run a business. Has Haslam? After what Big Jim has done for Knoxville I don't want that spread to the state.

yeah he's a Christian all right. anybody can cal themselves that. But does he live what he preaches...lets eee...he gets 50 million dollars a year from Pilot Oil. What does he sell to get his 50 mil
1. Cigarettes that deliver a long, slow and costly death.
2. Beer....drunk drivers kill thousands of innocent people a year....some of THEM Christians.
3. Lottery tickets...a tax on stupid people.
4. Oil...think Pilot..think Gulf Oil spill..think Pilot think Cigarettes..think Pilot..think drunk drivers....think poluution on a grand scale think Pilot....
It wouldnt surprise me in the least if they werent into other things but lets not go there now. lets just look at the facts.
Haslam worked for Saks 5th ave. A world class brand with stores everywhere. what did he do? built an ecommerce site that was shut down because it was a bad business idea. what does saks and all the other retail stores do now...they use their local presence as an advantage...let you buy online and pickup at the store....pretty simple. whos idea was this? Not Haslams...he spent 35mil on a harebrained internet strategy when he had the real solution in his back pocket. THIS alone is enough to eliminate him from leading ANYTHING bigger than a small town. this is a complete lack of awareness of your surrounding. Yeah he may call himself a Christian but thats what they all do. Look at what he does...I dont know many Christians that make their money on booze, gambling and Cigarettes but Haslam does. No wonder he wont release his taxes....he would be sunk once that hits...he's just another liar as far as Im concerned.

Campaigns are learning that they have to do this sort of blog bombing. It's like lawn signs - they don't win many votes, but they help you hold onto votes you might lose if you left the field wide open to critics and opponents.

I think the campaign of Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.) is doing this too, although somewhat more subtly, in the comment threads of the Boston Globe.

Fred,

If you consider the total and absolute abandonment of his responsibilities as Mayor, to be a Good thing, than I guess you are right.

He is surrounded by his handlers that tell him that everything is alright. He can’t make a decision on his own. He is the supreme delegator.

His handlers told him that he should make a campaign commercial with a rip off of the Travelers Insurance Umbrella in it and that he use the phrase “he built a lot of Truck stops, Good Ones" in the same advertisement.

Dude, you need to wake up and smell the coffee, Bill Haslam can’t decide what socks to put on in the morning without his advisors helping him. No State needs him as Governor, especially Tennessee.