Bredesen to host civility forum

Gov. Phil Bredesen thinks political candidates sling too much mud these days, and he intends to do something about it.

Bredesen and First Lady Andrea Conte, along with former Sen. Howard Baker, will host a forum on civility in politics on Oct. 6, the day before the Belmont debate. It’s a topic Bredesen addressed in a similar forum in January.

“I’ve always been a believer that people who run for office, whether they have D’s or R’s after their names, are all Americans,” Bredesen said. “I understand it’s a contact sport, and you throw some punches, but I think that many times it has gotten way out of hand and very, very personal.”

Panelists at the forum will include Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman; Bill Nichols, Politico managing editor; former Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colo.), president of the Association of American Publishers; and Mark Whitaker, senior vice president and Washington bureau chief for NBC News.

Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw — perhaps best known for his question on the death penalty that helped sink Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential race — will moderate the forum.

The forum, which is free and open to the public, will be at 1 p.m. at Belmont’s Troutt Theater.

As for the debate itself, Bredesen said he hoped Barack Obama would come out swinging — but at his opponent’s policies.

“I hope to see specifics of his own, explaining the way he wants to conduct the presidency,” Bredesen said. I would love to see hard-hitting criticisms of Senator McCain’s decisions. I would not want to see criticisms of Senator McCain as an individual.”

Photos of the Day: Trailer toilets come to town

Only in Tennessee could we consider toilets in trailers high-class. The debate bathroom facilities -- known as "crowd pleasers" for reasons I don't know -- are now parked on a few of Belmont's tennis courts, and I ask that you please remind me to never, ever play there when this is all over.

Honestly, they're really not that bad. They're like your typical politician: they look kinda nice on the outside, but on the inside, they're pretty average.

Historian Ken Burns comes to Belmont tonight

One more reminder before I go into my writing cave: Documentary historian Ken Burns will give a lecture on American storytelling tonight at Belmont’s Massey Performing Arts Center.

Burns, probably the country’s most recognized historian, has studied American topics ranging from the Civil War to baseball to jazz music. His most recent documentary, The War, is a massive retelling of the events of World War II.

“He takes a look at big events through the eyes of individuals,” Belmont Provost Dan McAlexander said. “We hope he helps the community and our students think about the relationship of their own lives to the life of the country and the major historic events we’re living through right now.”

The event is free and open to the public, but all seats have already been reserved, according to Belmont. If you're willing to go and see if somebody doesn't show up, the event begins at 7 p.m.

Apocalypse weekend, or, a great time for an economic boost

A question was raised yesterday during a media walkthrough as to what the economic impact of the debate will be for Nashville. Convention and Visitors Bureau President Butch Spyridon told me he expects the economic impact of the city to be between $2-3 million, along the lines of the Americana Music Festival and Conference held earlier this month.

“The values of the media coverage going out of here – that’s where the real payoff is,” Spyridon said.

Spyridon estimated visiting media members have bought about 1,500 hotel rooms so far, which doesn’t include the other two huge events that will be happening this weekend: the Auburn-Vanderbilt football game that will draw ESPN’s College GameDay, and Bluegrass Fan Fest, which is expected to bring (updated Oct. 2) 3,000 people from outside Nashville.

Meanwhile, I have a really great parking spot at work that I’ll be taking offers for later this week.

Morning Links: Bailing out

I think we all know what happened yesterday, although it's a little sobering to hear our people talk about it. The consensus is there is no consensus, either in Washington or in Nashville. But hey, thank goodness for those brave souls on Wall Street who have sent the Dow up 200 points so far today ... you know, one-fourth of the damage done yesterday.

Meanwhile, back in election-land, the latest MTSU Poll has McCain comfortably ahead in Tennessee, and Lamar(!) handling challenger Bob Tuke fairly easily. And speaking of handling, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is following local liberal Larry Woods' advice and says he'll focus on John McCain instead of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin in their Thursday debate.

Also:

Tom Brokaw, the moderator for the Belmont debate, gets a write-up in today's NYTimes.

Remember, documentary historian Ken Burns (The War, Baseball) is at Belmont tonight, 7 p.m. If you're planning on going, you should probably reserve a seat.

(Photo credit: Richard Drew/Associated Press)

Events of the Day/Week: The race gets religion

Author Shane Claiborne (Jesus for President) will be showing up three nights in a row around Nashville, speaking about politics and Christianity and serving the poor. Claiborne is one of the best-known leaders of the New Monastics, whom I can best describe as a cross among hippies, hipsters and monks (although you can be married). Claiborne kicks off his Nashville mini-tour tonight at Collins Alumni Auditorium at Lipscomb University at 7 p.m., then follows with lectures Tuesday at Vanderbilt's Benton Chapel at 2 p.m. and at Westminster Presbyterian Church (3900 West End Ave.) at 7:30 p.m., and finally at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Belmont Heights Baptist Church (2100 Belmont Blvd.). All events are free and open to the public.

Also on Wednesday, author Stephen Mansfield (The Faith of Barack Obama) will appear at The Commons Center at Vanderbilt as part of a discussion on race, religion and politics. Mansfield, a conservative evangelical who has also written about President Bush, surprised some folks when he wrote what is considered a fairly pro-Obama analysis. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. on the Commons campus near Peabody College.

(Photo courtesy of Lipscomb University)

Photos of the Day: Signs of an impending debate

As mentioned earlier today, Belmont security has tightened pretty significantly today and will continue to do so this week. Above is a shot of 15th Avenue South, through the chain link fence that runs the length of the campus, from Acklen Avenue to Bernard Avenue. The fence will also show up on Belmont Boulevard next to the campus, according to debate coordinator Pamela Johnson. There's already a newly erected warning of what exactly you'll be getting yourself into if you venture down the boulevard in the next week:





On the campus itself, the school's recreation center (which sits in the same complex as the arena where the debate will be held) has been shut down, and the weight machines have been removed from their rooms. It's pretty much a ghost town in the student center, even though Fall Break isn't until next week.

In the debate hall itself, the floor has been laid and drapes hung to create the necessary partitions for the "set," but there hasn't been one two-by-four appear yet for the stage. Johnson said the Commission on Presidential Debates hopes to have the stage, which will resemble this one, completed by Saturday.

Also, there are a lot of guys in suits walking around. They look serious.