Tue
May 13 2008
08:35:am
Cunningham backtracks
By: R. Neal  shortURL

The Knoxville News Sentinel covers for Cunningham.

Topics:

Now: A Daily Times' Retraction?

Submitted by TMabry on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 09:30.

Greetings:

I noted in the KNS article that Mayor Cunningham denied the that he engaged in any name calling . . .

He denies calling the commission's three Democratic members monkeys.

Now, I suppose it is time for the Daily Times to issue another "Apology and Retraction" . . . that's their history, isn't it?

TFM

Thomas F. Mabry
P. O. Box 52385
Knoxville, TN 37950

Fax 1-888-215-3119
Phone 1-865-671-0598

Yes, here's the quote from

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 09:46.

Yes, here's the quote from the Maryville Daily Times:

"And I can see the monkeys at the zoo or I can see them at the committee meeting," he said to a room full of laughter. "This next election ... do us a favor and turn those three Democrats out to pasture, for God's sake."

So is he saying the reporter misquoted him? I bet there's a recording somewhere.

A recording would go nicely with a reaction article

Submitted by Andy on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 10:24.

A follow-up article has been suspiciously absent. I can't imagine a situation where Dr. Proffitt, David Ballard, or Wendy Pitts Reeves would call Jerry Cunningham a name that the Daily Times didn't give Cunningham an opportunity to respond with his oh-so-righteous indignation. OTOH, a Republican rag like that probably doesn't care about journalistic ethics when it comes to Democrats.

I think Cunningham's guilty of mistaken identification, though, in attributing the following names to Democrats:

"dictator, megalomaniac, control freak, terrorist, political machine head, Boss Hogg, crook, one of the good ole boys, idiot, incompetent and SOB."

I have heard many of those names uttered, but generally by Republicans!

"Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference." --Voltaire

I'm tipping my hat

Submitted by Andy on Wed, 05/14/2008 - 13:53.

The Daily Times coverage, while late, was everything one could have asked for. (link...) Right down to the audio recording of Cunningham's hate-speech. (link...)

It takes some nerve for the person who made the offensive remarks to say

“It’s an issue that needs to go away instead of being whipped up,” he said on Tuesday.

That's the sort of thing that the offended party says when trying to take the high road. And it sure sounds to me like the News Sentinel was lied to about the comments being "taken out of context." In the future, they will have a better understanding of whom they are dealing with.

I still believe that Jimmy Duncan and Lamar Alexander need to make a statement about this. They were, after all, there and guilty by association.

"Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference." --Voltaire

out to pasture

Submitted by mello on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 10:51.

Dang, these southern farmers sure confuse me. I have never seen a monkey nor a hog turned out to pasture.

Just in case anyone missed it- Jerry's entire rambling was a very long winded spiel of mixed metaphors in a sorry attempt to frame Judge Meares as a liberal.

Nice try Jerry but you missed that broad side of the trailer.

No backtracking

Submitted by BeyondLeft on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 14:00.

I AM a far lefter--specifically Beyond Left, and the Man-of-Measure's comments were not absent of malice. I did NOT come from elsewhere, and I don't know of any Conservative Democrats--maybe fiscally conservative. If I knew where to rent a Monkey Suit then I'd get one for one of HIS County Commission meetings Thursday Night.

It IS typical of any political party to start throwing names around when their own party is falling apart--and that's what we're seeing here. The Republikar Party is crumbling fast, and we're only witnessing the beginning of their Name Calling Parties. The Republikars are having a heck-of-a-time selling the Exxon War, and their Presidential candidate is a brain-washed imposter with Alzheimer's. It's hard to garner support with failed policies. Here locally, we have leader after leader, praising the expansion of GROWTH in Blount County, at the same time folks are sitting on their money, refusing to go out anymore due to the fuel prices--how is that Growth?

So you can't have it both ways. You can't call folks names, live in a glass house, and then claim you weren't being malicious, just because one of your own ancestors fell outta the trees.

viva Evo Morales

Where do you live man? Not

Submitted by phinney on Wed, 05/14/2008 - 10:01.

Where do you live man? Not in Blount County, I suppose. People are sitting on their money? You have got to be kidding. Have you seen the Wal-mart parking lot lately? Have you seen the parking lots at area restaurants? Have you seen the parking lot at the mall? People have more money than they know what to do with? They can’t wait to spend it. Yes, fuel prices are high. But we are also consuming more of it now than we have ever at any other time in history. Therefore, your notion that people are not going out anymore is just plain ignorant.

You sing the praises of your socialist god, Evo Morales. How come liberals can’t grasp the notion that socialism is bad? Take an economics class for crying out loud.

Lester

Phinney, I've missed you, man

Submitted by BeyondLeft on Wed, 05/14/2008 - 10:57.

Have you ever hugged a Liberal? I've missed you, Lester. Maybe I'll see you Thursday night, and we can all have a group hug there. You'll know me. I'll be the one swinging in a tree, hanging by my tail.

viva Evo Morales

Phinney a jet-setter?

Submitted by Andy on Wed, 05/14/2008 - 13:42.

Phinney, you must be friendly with the jet-set. Everyone I know has cut back in every way they can. That's probably why the parking lot at Walmart is so full.

"Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference." --Voltaire

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