On Monday night there was a candidate's forum in Tennessee House District 62. Republican Pat Marsh showed up to the forum, as did Constitution Party candidate Chris Brown, whose idea the forum had been. Democratic nominee Ty Cobb, brother of the resigned incumbent, did not show up for the event, and through the wonders of the internet political activists from all over Tennessee and on all sides of the spectrum now know that he didn't. The excuse coming out of the Cobb campaign is that Cobb had to work (he is a driver for United Parcel Service). One commenter to a Shelbyville Times-Gazette blog said that he saw Cobb working that day.
There is certainly no problem with any political candidate engaging in good, honest work. Some of the best legislators at the Capitol are the people who not only have serious jobs outside of the House or Senate, but they clearly have a difficult time juggling their legislative schedule and their work schedule. Having a tough schedule is a part of political life, but that is especially true for the honest man who tries to run for a seat in the Tennessee Legislature. The great problem for even the best of men who are inclined to seek a seat in the House is the reality that they must be able to truly campaign and show that they are ready to meet with voters. It is one thing to avoid organizing a debate because you are in the lead (it is a political campaign axiom that a candidate with a clear lead never debates if it can be avoided), but it is quite another to stay away once a forum has been organized.
Service in the Legislature is something that requires a candidate to place their potential legislative responsibility on the front burner, and that means placing constituents first. When there is an important constituency event-and this forum can certainly be seen as that-the candidate has an obligation to put his or her potential constituents ahead of his or her work schedule. If he or she really believes that job or family may be too much of an imposition to doing that, then that person has no business sitting in the General Assembly. Many very good Representatives and Senators have left Capitol Hill in Nashville not because they couldn't get re-elected, but because they believed that their familial and professional obligations required them to take their leave, whether temporarily or permanently, of the employments of public life because those responsibilities required them to place other priorities ahead of family and employment on many occasions (Tre Hargett comes to mind as someone who left the House to take a job).
A couple of commenters were much less charitable in their opinion of Ty Cobb's no-show at Monday night's candidate forum:
Ty Cobb very well may have been working tonight and that is fine. But I have one question ... Can he not take a "little" time off to meet with us voters? Well I dont know about you, but I sure have gotten a LOT of campaign flyers in the mail - did he take time off work to do all those photo shoots??? Just wonderin' -- Posted by becoming on Mon, Sep 21, 2009, at 11:42 P
Look I have a Ty Cobb sign in my yard. I asked for it, happy to display it, have offended my Republican neighbors with it. Am very saddend by it now. I believe in our party but am very upset at the constant ducking weaving and dodging that seems to be going on. I understand the man has a demanding job, I do too. But something this big and it is big, need more attention than the three phone calls and two fliers that I have received.
I feel let down and disappointed. -- Posted by Juju35 on Tue, Sep 22, 2009, at 1:35 PM
When you are seeking to be a public servant, you must be ready to place the public first, and that means being able and willing to take time off from your employment or family to attend candidate forums and meet with voters. Clearly, at least some voters in the 62nd District feel that Ty Cobb thinks his name will be enough to elect him, and so meeting with them isn't as important. Perhaps his name will be enough to push him through, but his reputation as a public servant is not off to the best of starts.
Comments
Why do you not have links to Mr Brown .This pic of TY looks like this week look at the yellow baners.
If Ty is too busy to speak with the voters when he's trying to get elected, how can those voters be sure he won't be too busy to represent them once he's elected? Even though our state reps and senators are only considered part time, their work takes long, hard hours when they're in session. What's Ty going to do if UPS won't let him get away from the docks for House sessions and votes? He's not supposed to send his brother as his proxy, you know...or maybe that's their plan...tag-team repping???
You do know that state reps make about $24 to $30 a year right? They legislative session in TN is not year round - the state made it that way on purpose. The fact that Ty Cobb had to work shouldn't be ridiculed as something to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Shame on you David Oatney, you might want to brush up on how the state legislature actually works before you go tearing down a man for trying to make an honest living.
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