Blackburn to join rally for Jacobs; how is abortion a relevant issue here? | Victor Ashe

Mayor Glenn Jacobs is showcasing an appearance by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on July 29 to assist his campaign for reelection. It is a Get Out the Vote Rally at The Barn Event Center at 2700 West Emory Road in Powell starting at 6 p.m.

Early voting started Friday and ends the day after this rally. If past figures hold true, about half of all people participating in the Aug. 4 election will have voted in Knox County by July 30.

Blackburn's appearance was announced in Tennessee Star, a very conservative and strongly anti-abortion blog. In fact, the Star centered most of its announcement about the Blackburn visit on the abortion issue, which is not an issue Knox County government can do anything about.

Jacobs is considered a prohibitive favorite for reelection over Democrat Debbie Helsley, so it is surprising he feels it is necessary to bring in Blackburn to help his campaign when Blackburn barely won Knox County over former governor Phil Bredesen for U.S. Senate in 2018. (Elsewhere in Tennessee she did very well.)

The article in Tennessee Star highlights her strong opposition to abortion and applause for the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade and sending abortion policy back to the states.

In November 2014, Knox County was one of a few Tennessee counties to reject the anti-abortion amendment to our state Constitution. One wonders about the political wisdom of Jacobs highlighting his anti-abortion position when a majority of Knox County voters disagree. Furthermore, it is the legislature that makes decisions on this issue ... not the county mayor and County Commission.

Jacobs would be better off stressing his own achievements as county mayor — maintaining the tax rate, backing parks, rivers and streams, promoting his views on schools and roads — things on which county government does have an impact.

Jacobs, if he nationalizes his message, comes out at best neutral. Folks who hold anti-abortion views are already for him. But why persuade abortion-rights advocates to oppose him if he keeps reminding them how much he backs the reversal of Roe vs. Wade?

Blackburn would do well to keep her remarks to her disagreements with President Joe Biden, who is not popular here.

Democratic district attorney nominee Jackson Fenner has made abortion a keystone of his campaign by pledging not to enforce anti-abortion laws.

DA Charme Allen responds that she took an oath to uphold all the laws. She says she does not have the discretion to pick and choose which laws she will enforce. She says the legislature enacts the laws.

Fenner, however, goes further on his website and accuses Allen of lies. In the section of "Why I am running," he says "Persons die in police custody and our current DA lies to our face."

I do not believe Allen lies. What is Fenner referring to? He cites the Robert Bailey and Anthony Thompson cases as evidence. But accusing Allen of telling lies is a very personal and unwarranted attack. He should remove it from his website.

Republicans are wondering what has happened to their GOP chairman, Daniel Herrera, who has been almost invisible during this election cycle. He has not even scheduled a Lincoln Day dinner for 2022. Should Knox Republicans lose any of the county elections on Aug. 4, it can be traced in part to his inactivity as party chair, which contrasts sharply with the high-octane energy of Democratic party chair Matt Shears.

County Commission candidate Stuart Hohl has attracted support for his advocacy of greenways from an usual source. His opponent, Gina Oster, has a Facebook photo of her on a greenway posted 10 days after Hohl announced his backing for creating a county greenway commission. Hohl was there first, but good to see Oster has joined up.

Birthdays

July 23: Knox County GOP chair Daniel Herrera is 30. Christian Seus is 48. Local artist Jonathan Howe is 37. Janice Tocher is 64.

July 24: Architect George Ewart is 61. Attorney James Giffen is 65. Susan Wilson is 77. Ann Sherbakoff is 92. Businessman Joe Johnson is 82. Elizabeth Woody is 41. Mitchell Steenrod is 56. Attorney G. Turner Howard III is 75. Former state House Speaker TVA director and congressional candidate Beth Harwell is 65.

July 25: Fran Prince DeLozier is 64. Legislative candidate Elaine Davis is 55. Marc Sallinger is 27. Ellen Zavisca is 49. Rachel Penmore is 36.

July 26: Former Knoxville mayor Madeline Rogero is 70. Ronald Grazioso is 49. Steven M. Smith is 68. Attorney John B. Waters III is 67. Former city finance director Jim York is 71.

July 27: Retired Judge Brenda Waggoner is 73. David Dickey is 95. Simon Hall is 39. Attorney Kevin Dean is 43. Democratic state executive committee candidate Virginia Couch is 58. UT communications assistant Jacob Rudolph is 44. Stuart Hohl, County Commission candidate in Cedar Bluff and northwest Knox County, is 32.

July 28: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is 56.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Blackburn to join Jacobs rally; how is abortion relevant here? | Ashe