As Nashville Post has described, I do see a disturbing parallel between 1987 and 2007 that I hope will not be fulfilled, but I do see one big difference: In 1987, Nashville did not have early voting.

On July 13, 1987, the campaign of [Bill Boner's] business-supported opponent, former Chamber of Commerce chief Eddie Jones, folded its tents after failing to make significant headway against Boner in the polls.

The field is much more crowded twenty years later, but I have to wonder: Could Karl Dean or David Briley still drop out at this point? Sure, some votes would be wasted, but with every passing day these two candidates (both of whom would make good mayors, in my opinion) are dividing support that they each desperately need to make a runoff. Will both of them be on the outside looking in on August 3rd, wishing that they’d had the courage to do what’s in the best interest of the city today?

That raises another question: Is it more politically advantageous to drop out for the good of the city or to land in fourth or fifth place in a five-candidate election?

Despite a Nashville Post description that could fit either politician, I’ll admit that Bob Clement is likely not the second coming of Bill Boner, at least not on the harmonica and affairs level. But it’s hard for me to ignore that the city is in a very similar quandary as it was in 1987, as E. Thomas Wood observes:

His accomplishments in Congress had been minimal. Questions about his ethics had risen repeatedly during his political career. He displayed what political scientists had come to call “rent-seeking behavior,” showing every sign of being in public life primarily for his own private benefit. Perhaps worst of all, in the eyes of his detractors, he was just not someone who could be taken very seriously as a leader. It was anyone’s guess what cronies he would surround himself with as mayor, or how he might embarrass the city.

I am holding out hope that Wood’s next words are accurate, but I’ll admit that I’m concerned:

As years went by and another northern-born good-government type, Bill Purcell, took the reins of the city, there was a growing confidence that Nashvillians could henceforth be counted on to make discriminating choices in the voting booth.

The operative word here is henceforth, and as of today, the above characterization is being seriously questioned. We’ll have an answer in a few weeks.