A
Liberal Dose, July 2026
Troy
D. Smith
“Don’t
You Think It’s Time for a Change?”
July 11 was the annual dinner for the Putnam
County Democrats. All the candidates in contested primary races were allowed
two minutes to introduce themselves. It was short, but I thought I'd share with
all of y'all what I said,
"Let me start by saying how good it feels to be here tonight, in a party that is not about the PEOPLE IN POWER, but about the POWER IN PEOPLE! My name is Troy Smith, I'm a history professor and a writer -some of you know I had a newspaper column that was canceled due to the death threats I received from MAGA extremists, but I prevailed on the new editor to bring it back, because I will NOT BE SILENCED. This is NOT THE TIME. Now, despite being a professor and a writer, I do not come from any ivory tower. I am the first person in my family to graduate from high school (though several worked hard to get GEDs). I spent twenty years as a janitor. I am a proud blue collar, working class, rural, redneck -what they used to call white trash. Now they think we're ALL trash. But we are living proof of how unwise they were to put out the trash, and forget to burn it, because we're bringin' it back to 'em! We know where the trash is. The unique skill set I bring to the table is this: I can speak to an academic audience, but I can speak just as well to the farmer and the truckdriver at the Waffle House, because I am one of them, too. I can speak to rural people in their own voice -and then I can take their concerns to the fancy people in the city and frame it in terms THEY can understand. And that's just what I'll keep doing -strategizing and working to reach those rural voters throughout Tennessee who are despairing because they can't pay their bills, and they don't know why. We're gonna tell 'em why! My time is reaching its end, so I'm going to close out with a quote from one of my heroes, Fred Hampton: 'Why don't you fight for the people? Why don't you die for the people? Why don't you LIVE FOR THE PEOPLE?' Because the people are where the power is, and I say, ALL THE POWER TO ALL THE PEOPLE! Can I get an AMEN?? Amen! Thank you for your time, and I appreciate your support."
Now I want to say a few words to my conservative friends -and I have a lot of them. My TV has been inundated with ads from Republicans running for state office. The main message I hear in those ads is that they hate China, Hispanics, and trans people, and will pass more laws to reinforce that. They also all talk about how tough they are, and how much they love Donald Trump. Know what I have not heard, one time? What they will do about the economy. About inflation. About what they will do to help working people in Tennessee. How many of you actually lost your job to a Latino immigrant or have been negatively impacted by a trans person? BUT, on the other end of the issue, how many of you are paying too much for gas and groceries? How many of you are suffering and worried it’s going to get worse?
Republicans have been in complete control of this
county and this state for about fifteen years now. Is your life materially
better than it was fifteen years ago? Is it AS GOOD as it was fifteen years
ago? Tennessee now ranks at or near the bottom in every measurable category of
quality of life. And yet all they talk about or vote on is taking more money from
our schools and punishing people who are different. Don’t you think it’s time
for a change?
--Troy D. Smith is a novelist and a history professor at Tennessee Tech University. His words do not necessarily represent TTU, nor are they connected in any way with his job- they are his own opinions on matters of public concern, and an expression of his First Amendment freedom of speech.
He is a candidate for District #15 committeeman in the TNDP- you can see his qualifications HERE
You can find all previous entries in this column HERE
A list of other historical essays that have appeared on this blog can be found HERE
Author's website: www.troyduanesmith.com
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