We made the trip this morning to Memphis, and what a day it was. Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism put on a whale of picnic, with a little something for everybody.

There were horse and train rides for the kids and basketball for anybody who wanted to play. And there was a pavilion where we politicians got a chance to speak.

Memphis is a place where they take their politics seriously, and Sidney’s picnic is a must-attend event for candidates. Both Nikki Tinker and Congressman Steve Cohen, in a lively Democratic primary race for the 9^th District congressional seat, were in attendance.

I hooked up with my friend, Big John Bratcher, when we got there, and it was good to see Henry Perry, president of the powerful Memphis Teamsters No. 667.

It wouldn’t be a picnic without plenty to eat, and Sidney put on quite a feed. Jake had pizza, a hot dog (with not one but two wieners on the bun) and some kind of big orange soft drink.

We are headed back into Nashville for the night, and I’ll be back at it Monday. You’ll be hearing from me…Mike 

The day started early with a drive from Nashville to Greeneville. We got a very warm reception from a group of Greene County businessmen.

Then it was back to Knoxville to relax briefly before Patty and I attended a fundraiser this evening at the home of our old friends, Greg and Melissa Isaacs. Co-hosting with Greg and Melissa were Warren and Judy Gooch, John and Julie Sharp, Rep. Joe Armstrong, John Roach and Sid Gilreath. My sons Matt, with Ann Michelle Siler, and Mark, with our daughter-in-law Katie, also attended.

There was a big crowd, and, as always, Melissa was a gracious hostess. Everybody enjoyed the four Isaacs youngsters but especially Mark, who shot hoops with the boys. No doubt, he regaled them with stories of his college ball career.

Tomorrow’s a big day, as Jake and I drive over to Memphis for Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism’s picnic – a big summer social event. I’ll be sure and let you know what all Jake has to eat…Mike

I was en route to Memphis when I heard that the Supreme Court had affirmed the 2^nd Amendment right to own a gun, and I applaud that decision. Common sense dictates that law-abiding American gun-owners have a right to protect their families and to hunt, in accord with regulations in the states where we live.

Now that the justices have settled the constitutional question, let’s work on enforcing the laws to keep guns out of the hands of felons and the mentally ill and out of schools and government buildings.

When we arrived in Memphis, we joined our buddy, Big John Bratcher, and went directly to a meeting of the Teamsters, where union members, 600-strong, delivered the message loud and clear to Fedex: Let your workers organize.

James P. Hoffa, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ national president, gave a dynamic speech, then we enjoyed a big barbeque, complete with live entertainment.

I was proud, when asked, to say I support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would guarantee the right to organize in the workplace. Such a fundamental right ought to be a given, but Senator Alexander doesn’t see it that way. He voted against it.

Working Tennesseans can expect more of me in the 111^th Congress.

I am stopping over in Nashville tonight, then I’ll go to Greene County tomorrow and finish up the day in Knoxville at a fundraiser tomorrow night. I’ll be in touch…Mike

Whew! We made it! When I sat down for lunch today at Michael’s cafeteria in Lebanon, I breathed a sigh of satisfaction: Jake and I were in our 95^th Tennessee county. We’ve been to ’em all.

We ate lunch with people like those we’ve met all over the state: local Democrats, working people who have high hopes that we can turn things around in this country.

Next stop was the courthouse near Lebanon’s town square, where we met a number of voters. Of particular note: a Tennessee state flag on display with an Iraqi soldier’s armband and a piece of currency bearing the likeness of Saddam Hussein. A Wilson County soldier had taken the flag to Iraq and brought it back, as promised, for a special spot at the courthouse – something the folks of Lebanon must take a lot of pride in.

We also met a delightful young lady as we left the courthouse. We thought she might be a reporter covering our visit, but she told us she was a summer intern from the Republican Party who’d been sent out to Lebanon to hear what we had to say.

She and I talked a little about education, and she told me that her family had left Tennessee and moved to New Jersey in hopes of finding better public schools.

You know, it hurts to hear that. We can do better by our public school families in Tennessee – and for the life of me, I don’t understand why the former education secretary and university president who represents us in the U.S. Senate has not taken steps during his six years in Washington to make schools better.

When I get to the Senate, I will work to see that innovative, practical ideas get the federal funding they need to bring pride back to our public schools. There is nothing more important.

Our last stop in Lebanon was a touching one. Dixie Taylor-Huff invited us to stop by one of her nursing homes, where we talked with many of the dedicated workers. It is heart-rending to see the patients there, especially when you realize that your own loved ones my one day need this level of care. But I drew a lot of comfort as I saw the level of professionalism and dignity that goes into the care of these helpless patients.

I’ll spend the night in Nashville, then go down to Memphis in the morning. I’ll report back tomorrow afternoon…Mike

Last night, I really enjoyed the get-together in Knoxville with a group young professionals. Some I met: Rachel Ralston, Shea Middlebrook, Robbie Pope, Michael Aktalay, Brandon and Ashley Pace.

Jake and I met with about 20 folks in Hartsville this morning at the Senior Citizen Center. We also talked to Judy White, the Trousdale County Democratic chair; Jakie West, whose running for property assessor, our friend Dixie Taylor-Huff; former County Clerk Harold Gregory and Mary Holder, register of deeds.

We toured the courthouse in Hartsville and spoke with a great group of fellows out side the VFW, just off the square.

We just drove into Wilson County – our 95^th county to visit. A big day for us. I’ll update you this afternoon from Lebanon…Mike 

Hooking up with old friends is one of the best things about a campaign like this one, and when the phone rang this morning, it was good to hear a familiar voice. My old friend, Tom Humphrey, Nashville correspondent for my hometown paper, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, was calling. We must have talked for well over an hour about the race and how I plan to win it.

Then, I had lunch with Ed Cromer, who’s with the Tennessee Journal, and we talked over this summer’s political landscape. Both of these guys, Humphrey and Cromer, are old-school newspapermen, steeped in a tradition where trust is everything. Their readers are better off for the work they do.

Then, it was back on the road for Jake and me, as we headed out Briley Parkway for the quick drive to Ashland City.

We were warmly welcomed at the Cheatham County Courthouse by another old friend, County Clerk W.J. Hall, and the county party chair, Don Cochron. They introduced me to a number of voters from the offices of the county mayor, register of deeds and the assessor.

Jake had hoped to get in on some of that fine fried catfish that Ashland City is known for, located as it is along the Cumberland. But I was still full from lunch – had an awesome  crab cake salad from Bricktop’s in Nashville – and I was eager to get home, so we’re headed to Knoxville.

Cheatham was my 91^st county to visit. We’ll go to Greene County in the morning, then Hawkins County, before we return to Knoxville tomorrow night for a get-together of young professionals at the Market Square Mall. I’ll let you know how it goes…Mike 

A Moon Pie and an RC Cola: If that doesn’t say summertime in the South, I don’t know what does. And the folks in Bedford County sure know how to celebrate this culinary tradition.

They put on one of the best festivals today that I’ve been to – and you know I’ve been to a few across the state. In fact, there were visitors there from Wisconsin, Alabama and North Carolina, and that’s just the ones I met.

It’s important to me to meet people from other states because, as a U.S. senator, I’ll be working on their behalf too. And the problems Tennesseans struggle with certainly aren’t unique to our state.

Americans from all over are worried about how stable their jobs are, whether they can afford health care, when we’ll get a break from high gas prices. We Democrats are ready to roll up our sleeves and work our way back to the America we had before the Bush/Alexander/McCain brigade got hold of it.

My friend, Bob Tuke, joined me for the festivities in Bell Buckle today – signaling that this is truly a gentleman’s campaign. Tennesseans deserve no less…Mike

We had a big day in Bledsoe and Franklin counties.

Started the day with breakfast on the patio at Scotties in downtown Pikeville. The big topic of conversation was farming and how the farmers had to pay such high overhead for such little return last year.

We also talked about something that I am pretty high on: using farmland not needed for food crops to help bring down the high cost of energy. I plan to work in the Senate to see that Tennessee farmers get in on the biofuel industry – which is only going to grow as we look for ways to use less gas.

It’s a classic win-win: Beleaguered farmers get new economic opportunities, and cheaper fuel becomes a reality.

I met the Democratic county chair Charles Raines and Property Assessor Phillip “Winkie” Cagle. 

We talked about Iraq and their friend who’s currently deployed. Get this – the fellow’s unit got new cots, all MADE IN CHINA. That’s work that could have – should have – been done in this country. And more of it will be, if I have anything to say about it.

We paid a call on the folks at the courthouse before leaving and heading for Franklin County.

We had lunch at Scallywags Uptown Grill on the square in Winchester, then we toured the courthouse and met voters around the square.

We made one last stop for the road, at the San Miguel Coffee Co., where we met voters. I like seeing how coffee shops are making a comeback in our towns. Time was, that was the gathering place, where you’d lie about the fish you caught and brag about a new grandbaby.

These days, they may serve stuff like latte and mocha, but they’re still a good place to meet the locals. (And Jake usually finds some kind of good dessert to feed that sweet tooth of his.)

We are driving back to Nashville this afternoon, and we’ll be going to the  Moon Pie and RC Cola festival tomorrow in Bell Buckle. Jake’s so excited, you’d think he was going to the county fair! I’ll check in with you…Mike

There is nothing more American than the labor movement, and I was proud to be invited to have lunch today with Nashville union folks. I spoke to the monthly get-together of the Central Labor Council at Piccadilly’s. It’s always great to talk to Jerry Lee, and I was glad to run into Lewis Beck and Alma Sanford, who might be the hardest-working Democrat in Middle Tennessee.

Ironically, as I met with a group of folks so dedicated to Tennessee’s working men and women, the unemployment figures came out for the month, and the picture wasn’t pretty.

Here in Tennessee, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in May, up a point from April and a percentage point higher than the national average.

“One month doesn’t a complete story make,” Governor Phil Bredesen told The Tennessean, “but it’s not good news, and keeping our nose to the grindstone and keeping the budget tight … makes even more sense today than it did a month or two ago.”

Tennessee is fortunate to have a governor who runs a tight ship and has worked tirelessly to bring more jobs to the state. But the economic conditions nationwide were bound to have an impact here, and at least Governor Bredesen had the foresight to be prepared.

It’s time we got help from the federal level to create more jobs here, and I have some ideas along those lines. 

The governor’s right: One month’s disappointing news isn’t the whole story. We can turn this thing around. It’ll require bold action in Congress that puts working men and women first, not the wealthy or Big Oil.

Count on me to be a part of it…Mike

It takes great courage to battle the odds and stand proud and dignified when you are homeless, but Kevin Barbieux has done just that.

I had lunch today with Kevin, who’s known in the blogosphere as the Homeless Guy.

He shared his courageous story with me, how he once thought that traveling around from job to job would be an adventure until he found himself out of work, living in his car and faced with depression and no way to get treatment.

Kevin currently has a place to live and is trying to find a job. He has access to medication. And he has gotten several semesters at Belmont under his belt. But his illness can make stability elusive.

What so many people don’t understand, he told me, is that no one leads that kind of  roller-coaster life by choice.

When Kevin hears people say the homeless should “just get a job,” he says it’s a little more complicated than that. When you have no home, how do you take a shower or keep work clothes clean? How do you get a good night’s sleep so you can make it in on time?

I am running for the U.S. Senate for the Kevin Barbieuxs of the world. For the farmers who are one bad crop away from foreclosure. For the young woman making minimum wage at McDonald’s.

As I’ve said before, the people have the answers to the problems we face in this nation, if their public servants would only listen to them.

Well, I am listening, and I will work hard to make the difference for folks like Kevin Barbieux…Mike