fieldmarshaldj

Yes, Cooper is sort of a strange fella. He was a bit of a "wunderkind" when he was elected to Congress in 1982 at the age of 28, when we regained a 9th House seat, beating the daughter of then-Sen. Howard Baker (though Cissy Baker was clearly not ready for prime time). Cooper was the son of long-ago Governor Prentice Cooper, a Conservative Democrat bitterly opposed to Sen. Albert Gore, Sr. (Gore, Sr. being somewhat similar to Arkansas's Sen. Bill Fulbright, a liberal Democrat and supporter of racist segregation) and unsuccessfully attempted to unseat him in 1958. Cooper was, as was Gore, Jr., anxious to avenge their respective father's losses. He actually had been leading in the polls against Fred Thompson early in '94, but once Thompson campaigned, he fell behind and never recovered (and to add insult to injury, his House seat went to Republican Van Hilleary, the first time the district had elected a Republican since the legendary Cordell Hull was beaten in the Harding/GOP tidal wave of 1920, when TN sent a whopping 5 Republicans to Congress, more than any other southern state combined). Cooper, though nowhere near as Conservative as his dad (who would be a "DINO" as opposed to a "RINO"), attempted to forge a moderate record during his first 12 years in Congress. Like Cooper, Bob Clement (also the son of a former legendary Governor, populist Frank Clement), had "carpetbagged" into Nashville's 5th (Clement narrowly losing the newly-reconfigured GOP 7th district in 1982 to future RINO Governor Don Sundquist). Clement at least managed a non-extremist moderate record, but after Cooper won the primary over the embarrasing ultraliberal Sheriff Gayle Ray and my moderate Antioch State Rep. John Arriola, and the general, he shockingly started voting like Nashville was San Francisco, and his record is now even more to the left than Memphis's Harold Ford, Jr. ! As I mentioned, he keeps such a low profile that he risks someone challenging him for that alone (they probably should). After 3 years in office, I couldn't even tell you one thing he has accomplished (the only thing I remember was his whining in the Tennessean about serving in a Republican Congress, of which he never had the opportunity to serve in during his prior service, and he seemed so depressed and despondent about it -- hey, if that's how he feels, maybe he ought to retire and get someone who is more interested in getting involved, being aggressively pro-active for the city and not whining by the sidelines ?). I'm presuming at this point, and if someone who is close to Clement can confirm, that he'll probably be the candidate of the business establishment, in which case, that'll be about the best one can hope for where Nashville is concerned.

Clement is no longer the Congressman from Nashville, having since been replaced by former 4th district Congressman Jim Cooper (in 2003). Though being a Republican and not much of a fan of any of these guys, I'd at least credit Clement in attempting to bring in some $$ for certain projects. Alas, the one he was successful at getting was that boondoggle public trans platform off of Demonbreun Street (built just in time for the street to be closed when the bridge needed replacing). I don't know what Cooper is doing, he cuts such an incredibly low profile (in stark contrast to when he served in the rural 4th), he has been an even bigger disappointment than Clement (whom I never thought I'd miss). Bart Gordon has little reason to do anything for the city of Nashville since he solely represents the ever-increasing GOP suburban counties. I expect him to be replaced by a younger, more dynamic Republican by 2013 when the lines are corrected. One last mention on Clement, he is already a declared candidate for Nashville Mayor, and I expect he may very well succeed in that endeavor, following in the footsteps of Dick Fulton and Bill Boner, both Congressmen who went on to become Mayor.

After "urban renewal", the greatest crime of the 20th century in our towns and cities was the total and complete dismantling of the trolley system from coast to coast. Even in small towns, trolleys were an integral part of the urban fabric. It's sad to realize perhaps the only 3 places you can experience this in only the mildest form is San Francisco, New Orleans, and Memphis. Perhaps we'll beat a return to the old days (and btw, dressing up buses like trolleys don't count !).

I was expecting the "Rover" to come 'cross the fruited plain there...

That's a nice picture of Mars.

Same for Nashville, too, sadly.

Great stuff, Hankster ! I was going to ask you something somewhat C'nooga-downtown related. I'm sure you're familiar with the First Tennessee Bank Building ( http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=124876 ). To the untrained eye, you'd assume that is simply some fairly hideous late '60s Internationalist-style monstrosity. But to most folks, what is not known is that it was built in 1911 and covered with that horrendous facade in 1966 during the "let's make everything look modern" fad du jour. I have seen pre-'66 pics of the building, and consider it to be a beauty. Will there ever be any efforts to remove that dreadful "modern" paneling and restore the structure to its beaux-arts glory anytime soon ?