Dennis Justice resigned as webmaster for the Henderson County Republican Party. His reason, basically, is that he cannot support Charles Taylor in another run for Congress, a race Justice feels Taylor will surely lose. Furthermore, he finds Taylor’s “non-response,” to the question of whether or not he intends to run for Congress next year, unacceptable. This has many politicos upset, as they are itching to start work on a successor’s campaign, if there is to be one.

 I commend Justice for sticking to his principles. However, the Utopian part of me thinks it disgraceful that politicians are so in love with themselves, and the people are so willing to lap up the ego trips – that campaigns must now run for a year or two at a time. This is made even more absurd in light of the circus atmosphere that characterized the race between Charles Taylor and Heath Shuler in the last election cycle. One would have had to look very hard to find the issues. Besides the mudslinging, Shuler, a long-time Tennessean was trying to convince the populace he was a mountain boy; and Taylor, a Repulican, was running on a track record of “bringing home the bacon.” The branding was so intense, the candidates were making parodies of themselves