should be an easy win

I watched the head-to-head gubernatorial debate Tuesday night between Republican Bill Haslam and Democrat Mike McWherter on TV. Greg Johnson called me earlier and said he was driving to Cookeville, but I couldn’t go because of a previous engagement.
McWherter came out swinging against Haslam right from the start.  McWherter did not like Haslam, that was very clear.
That didn’t seem like a very statesmanlike manner to me. And he kept it up all night long. The jabs didn’t seem like legitimate attacks, but rather a desperate attempt to maintain a foothold in the race which appears to be an effort in futility by McWherter. McWherter is rated the underdog in polls.
Throughout the evening Haslam took the high road, stayed on track and made excellent points. Haslam showed no animosity toward McWherter even after the attacks by McWherter.
Even though both candidates came from successful family businesses, it was evident that Haslam has had hands-on practical experience in the world of business and understands what it means to be on either side of the jobs table.
Whereas McWherter’s façade led me to believe that he was raised in a more protected environment.
Also, a stark contrast between the candidates made it quite clear there were two distinct and different leadership styles on stage.
McWherter’s style appears to be laid back with an attitude that we’ll keep doing things the way we’ve always done them.
Haslam on the other hand, seems to have a real vision and understanding of economics and how the business of government needs to be run.
As noted by all of the media, the most spirited exchange of the debate came in the final portion when the candidates were allowed to question one another.
"Your oil company used really terrible tactics to price-gouge people who were fleeing (Hurricane Ike in 2008)," McWherter declared in his query to Haslam, adding that some Pilot stations charged $5 per gallon for gas. "Is that the kind of leadership you're going to bring to Tennessee?"
Haslam responded that Pilot Corp. is a widely respected business and that the Democratic nominee's father, former Gov. Ned McWherter, attended many of those management meetings and has in the past declared "how proud he was" that Pilot is Tennessee-based and has "given so much back to our state."
The price-gouging matter came in a handful of cases that were promptly corrected with steps taken to assure such things never happen again, Haslam said.
McWherter responded, "I know it sounds like I'm picking on Pilot, but Bill has been very deceptive up to now by not disclosing that a Luxembourg-based firm owns half the core business of a company Haslam describes as family-owned.
Haslam said Pilot Corp. is "100 percent owned by my family," but the Knoxville-based firm in turn owns a portion of Pilot Travel Centers, which has other ownership interests. Haslam said he was surprised that McWherter was trying to make "such a big deal" out of foreign ownership.
"Last time I checked, you were still a Budweiser company," which is owned by Belgium-based InBev, which is owned by a couple of guys in Brazil, Haslam said.
So for me, the decision is simple. I’ve seen what Bill Haslam has accomplished in Knoxville; I believe he is the right man at the right time with the right experience and leadership to take Tennessee in the right direction.
It should be an easy win.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do know Bill Haslam and have never met Mike McWherter.