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We have passed the midway mark of November. The mid-term elections are over. We have celebrated our veterans, and next week will be Thanksgiving, and, of course, on its heels is Black Friday and the official opening of the holiday shopping season.
Through the years, November has been marked by some notable events — some we many not have been aware, others we have forgotten over time, and some will forever be a part of our memory.
To jog your memory, we will mention a few: the Ford Model A began production in 1927; the American citizens in 1913 receive information over the new national income tax. A married man living with his wife, who is in receipt of an income of $5,000 plays $10 a year and if his income is $10,000 he pays $60 per year. In 1969 the Berlin Wall came down allowing East and West Berlin to visit. Apollo 12 lands on the moon in 1969. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963. Thanksgiving Day was established Nov. 26, 1941. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on Nov. 27, 1924, and in 1963, the Beatles release “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”
November has been an eventful month locally as well. In November 1920, Tennessee became the first southern state since Reconstruction to vote Republican in the presidential race. President Warren G. Hardin carried the state by about 10,000 with Carter County casting 5,777 votes for Harding. It’s hard to imagine Carter County voting any party but Republican. In November 1932, President Hoover carried the county over Democratic nominee FDR. At the time Carter County was the most Republican district in the state. Carter County has continuously voted Republican in the presidential election, even choosing Alf Landon over FDR in three presidential elections. However, it has at times voted for Democrat governors, including Gordon Browning in 1948 over Republican Roy Acuff. In 1954, Carter County voted for Frank Clement for governor and Estes Kefauver for U.S. Senate, but helped send. B. Carroll Reece back to Congress.
Carter Countians have overwhelmingly voted Republican in all presidential elections. The positions of the Republican Party have evolved over time. Some vote Republican because that’s all they know, but, currently the party fiscal conservatism includes support for lower taxes, free market capitalism, deregulation of corporations, and restrictions on labor unions. The labor union question was raised again on this year’s state ballot. Voters in all 95 counties, despite strong opposition from unions, embraced worker freedom in the state.
Do all Republicans believe the same things? Of course not. Rarely do members of a single political group agree on all issues. Even among Republicans, there are differences of opinion. As a group, they do not agree on every issue.
Some folks vote Republican because of fiscal concerns. Often, that trumps concerns they may have about social issues. Others are less interested in the fiscal position of the party. They vote the way they do because of religion. They believe Republicans are the party of morality. Some simply want less government. They believe only Republicans can solve the problem of big government. Republicans spend less (except on military). They lower taxes: some people vote for that alone.
As more and more out-of-state people move into Carter County and make it home, local politics may change, but for now, Carter County is red through and through.