Since I don't follow Knox County politics very much, who are the good people in these election?

My picks:

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The Apathy Party sweeps Knox County Elections.

Looks like we're back to same ole, same ole.

EV results posted. That's probably it.

Props to WATE for running election coverage v. WBIR and WVLT which are running Last Comic Standing (which I guess may be appropriate) and Big Brother or something.

Looks like Gray's Anatomy to me.

Local reporting tonight is just terrible.

WVLT (volunteertv.com) seems to have good coverage online.

where's the Campfield race?

Sad that WATE, with their great coverage, couldn't get a better Democrat. She was seriously outnumbered and outgunned.

Sounds about right.

Frank Cagle...

How depressing. It seems hopeless when you have so many wealthy GOP KnoxGOBs cough more money into campaigns for candidates running for spots like County Property Assessor (and this one tainted by Black Wednesday) than I could ever afford to donate to a candidate running for U.S. president. And I ain't exactly poor.

Ah, the effect of the so-called free market on alleged one person/one vote democracy...

Short memory + Scandal fatigue + Low turnout + Incumbent/name recognition + GOBGOP machine politics = Fail for Dems and progressive government.

A couple of rays of hope with Broyles and Saunders, though. So there's that.

You just don't get it, the folks of Knox County are over News Sentinel coverage of so called "Black Wednesday", the real issue is the Mayor and his theft of tax money.

That is my point, voter turn out was light because folks are over the sunshine crap and want to rid Knox County of Mike Ragsdale.

I sometimes think I should just stay home. Even when I know I'm voting for the good guys, the bad guys stay in control. Year after year after year.

You guys do realize that now Phil Ballard will have to be replaced on Commission??

Criminy.

I heard the "analysts" on WGOP talk radio interpret the results as an indication that voters are ready to move on from past shenanigans.

OK, then.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

The death of the Black Wednesday movement

Tomorrow people will wonder how Black Wednesday died. Was it from the editorial saturation from the News Sentinel? Did Jack McElroy's editorial advocacy turn off voters? Did people think February was all that was needed? Did the misleading and dishonest marketing campaign of the Knox Charter Petition signature collectors drive people away?

Or was Black Wednesday a myth? Was February only a highly charged Presidential Primary with Black Wednesday as tag along that meant nothing? Was this Black Wednesday movement ever real? Or was it an editorial illusion?

It is official. Black Wednesday doesn't matter. Today voters ignored the rage of February and the Apathy Party ruled local Knox County elections. In a shocking display of low voter turn out people gave a clear message, they don't give a damn about local government. On a pleasant day with moderate temperatures, people chose to stay away from the polls just like they did in early voting.

It was a dismal day for reformers and local Democrats as Amy Broyles and Finbarr Saunders had wins with wide margins for the Democrats.

The headline race for Sheriff had incumbent J.J. Jones winning with 58.19 percent of the vote.

The carnage is over and now comes the time to lay blame. What happened? It was a great day for embattled County Mayor Mike Ragsdale as he gained new support on County Commission. People have to wonder how a Mayor who may be removed at any time with an ouster lawsuit and who may possibly be indicted on criminal charges can win County Commission meeting votes and sweep County Commission races. The Teflon coating may be scratched but it still works.

Collective head scratching will begin as people begin to unravel the strangest election in many years. One of the greatest ironies is the News Sentinel. Editorial after editorial ranted about Black Wednesday but the Sentinel’s recommendations were old school. In fact, the people who decided to vote took those recommendations to heart. In a strange sort of way, the Sentinel has a Pyrrhic victory. After all this drama about changing things the decision was to go back to the way things were.

Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale may be the big winner tonight but News Sentinel editor Jack McElroy may be the big loser. The Pulitzer Prize winner editor McElroy may now receive attention he really doesn’t desire for the inexplicable series of editorials drumming up support for the Black Wednesday movement, which was reversed by the Sentinel’s voter recommendations.

McElroy won the Pulitzer for his former newspapers coverage of the tragic Columbine shooting. Now concerned voices in his new town of Knoxville worry that he will take the tragic Church shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on July 27 and try for another Pulitzer.

Ragsdale wins big as the editor of the only daily paper faces confused and outraged readers.

...WGOP talk radio interpret the results as an indication that voters are ready to move on from past shenanigans.

That's good. Didn't they remember to say it was a bunch of Democrat shenanigans? Voters of Knox County would say, Hell yeah, 'course they was! Everybody knowed that.

A lot of people didn't even know that today was election day. This played into the hands of the republicans.

Seriously, I have no idea what that means? I live in Blount County and we have our share of cracker judges and corrupt commissioners. What is Black Wednesday?

100% reporting: Kurita 4477 Barnes 4458

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____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

In case anyone's interested...

Looks like TN-1 is rid of David Davis.
Might be a recount, but it looks good right now.

LINK

Cohen easily defeated Tinker.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

Worked the Fort...Got down wit it @ Sam's gig on the East side..then went to the Democrats gig Downtown.

If ya want to have a helluve of an election day...check out the results from the wards.

Come to the 1st District!!!!!

I'm pleased that Sam,Amy & Finbarr all won.Good folks.

To JJ a tip of the hat.It was a tough race..& you got us pretty good.

Randy Tyree..one of the good guys...we fought as hard as we could & just came up short

Ya know ole Tyree has taken on some of baddest folks on the block..

Testerman,The Clements,Alexander,Ashe,Hutchinson & Jones.

We were underdogs every time.

Thats what I like about him.

When you get behind Tyree it aint gonna be easy..sometimes we win sometimes we lose..but god damn it we always scare the hell out of em!!!

JJ knows he's beat the best.

We passed the 15% deal which is HUGE.This maybe the REAL victory of Black Wednesday.

By the way March 31,2006 the Democrats had 4 seats on County Commission.

We now have 5 seats.Half way to 10.

The only explanation I have for the overall low turnout, and the low Dem turnout in particular, has nothing to do with Black Wednesday and everything to do with the Presidential primaries. My theory is that our primary dragged out so long that people are burnt out on politics and won't get fired up again until the convention. There's also nothing in the numbers to suggest that the two state house primaries caused higher than normal turnout in those districts.

I think turn out is media driven. And for whatever reasons, the MSM in Knox County didn't even put the keys in the ignition this time.