Capitol View Commentary
By Pat Nolan, Senior Vice President, Dye Van Mol & Lawrence Public Relations
January 27, 2006

THE SENATE
The candidates for the GOP nomination to be Tennessee’s next United States Senator have arguing among themselves for weeks about who is ducking who at an upcoming candidate forum being held in Memphis. It appears everyone is planning to be there but former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker who says he has a prior engagement to be in the House Gallery in Washington that evening (with a pass from Tennessee Congressman Zack Wamp?) to watch President Bush make his State of the Union address.

That is simply not true.

Flashback: December 29, 2005: Press Release: Corker to Boycott U.S. Senate Debate - LINK and LINK.

The Main Street Journal has just confirmed through Ben Mitchell from Bob Corker for Senate that this quote did not come from their campaign and that the State of the Union trip “was not a prior engagement” and that he (Ben Mitchell) “did not give that quote to” Pat Nolan of News Channel 5 of Nashville.

So where did the quote come from? Did Bob Corker lie or did Pat Nolan make this up?

It’s going to be an action-packed week, to be sure.

Monday:
A filibuster showdown in the Senate?

Tuesday:
Justice Alito?
Main Street Journal’s U.S. Senate Debate and State of the Union reception

Wednesday:
President Bush visits Tennessee

Thursday:
U.S. House Republicans select a new leader

Friday:
Shelby County’s Lincoln Day Gala with Gov. Haley Barbour

Saturday:
This space for rent

Sunday:
Super Bowl

***

Scheduling Faux Pas Redux

We wonder who at the Bob Corker (for Senate) campaign is responsible for the “grievous error” of scheduling an out-of-state fundraiser on the same day, at about the same time, as the President visits Tennessee. This type of scheduling faux pas does not speak well of the campaign’s organizational abilities, we must say. (more…)