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.