Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser told local Democrats Tuesday night that the party will unite to support its presidential nominee, whether that nominee is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

"We are united as a party," said Sasser, the keynote speaker for Bedford County Democratic Party's annual banquet. "We might disagree right now about who our nominee is, but we are united as a party in what we want to do."

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(T-G Video by John I. Carney)

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Sasser, as party chairman, is one of the so-called "superdelegates" who serves due to his position can vote at the party convention without any restrictions. He did not say Tuesday night for whom he plans to vote.

Tennessee Democratic Party chair Gray Sasser (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

He told the story of being called at 11:30 one night, after having gone to bed, by an apparently-drunk voter with strong feelings on this year's hotly-contested race. Sasser tried to listen patiently at first but finally ended the conversation.

"You're not so 'super' anymore," his wife told him.

Sasser, the son of former U.S. Senator and ambassador to China Jim Sasser, said the Democratic party has an edge in key issues of public concern, including high gas prices (Sasser said it cost $55 to fill up his car for the trip to Shelbyville) and the high cost of the war in Iraq.

"We're rebuilding all the roads and bridges over there," he said, "but our roads and bridges and dams today are falling apart here at home."

He noted issues like gun control and tax cuts on which presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has changed his stated views over the years and said that a McCain presidency would be similar to the current leadership.

"John McCain simply represents another four years of the Bush administration," said Sasser.

Sasser said that in 1948, the Democrats had similarly important issues to discuss, and quoted Harry Truman as warning that the Republicans would throw out "red herrings" -- trivialities meant to distract voters.

"It's up to us to change the talk," he said, challenging Democrats to respond to conservative talk radio hosts or to news coverage which they think is unfair or misleading.

He said that on a state level, Tennessee Democrats are expanding access to pre-kindergarten programs and bringing jobs to the state.

Jean Ann Rogers (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

Sasser praised Jean Ann Rogers of Murfreesboro, a Democratic challenger to State Sen. Jim Tracy who was in attendance Tuesday night. Andy Womack, a Democrat who once held that 16th District State Senate seat, was also at the banquet, and Sasser called Rogers a worthy successor to Womack and the role he played in shaping state education programs.

"I certainly would like to see the State Senate seat that I held in the hands of a Democrat," said Womack.

The banquet was held, as usual, in the American Legion hall. Mike Terry, representing U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, said that when he talked to Gordon about the banquet, Gordon recalled hearing Al Gore give one of his very first stump speeches in that building, during Gore's 1976 congressional race.

Others in attendance Tuesday night included State Rep. Curt Cobb. Judge Lee Russell presented the local party's Lytle "Jug" Landers Democratic Leadership Award posthumously to Cobb's father, former state representative and chancellor Tyrus Cobb.

(T-G Photo by John I. Carney)

Bedford County Democratic Party chair Connie Crafton was the emcee for the evening.