Cop-Out
Nashville's Tuesday referendum to raise the sales tax for school funding and property tax relief for seniors failed miserably. 2-1. In a county that voted for Kerry over Bush by 10 points, that's a pretty spectacular failure. There was no leadership whatsoever from the Mayor, who essentially demanded this vote by the budget he sent to the Council. But, the Governor, a Nashville resident and former mayor? He didn't even vote. From Wednesday's Tennessean:

Gov. Phil Bredesen, Democrat, out of town on family business yesterday and did not vote in the election.

Of course, early voting was available for weeks prior to voting day. As proud as I was to have Tennessee elect a Democratic Governor, that's about how disappointed I've been with his general uselessness. I'm sure a Republican Governor could have, and would have, done more damage. But "not a Republican" is about the lowest level of achievement a Democrat can possibly attain. And when he's afraid to even vote on an important matter, that tells me all I need to know about his character. With that kind of civic commitment, who needs apathy?