My papaw Riden was a preacher, a gardener and an auto-body repair shop owner in Maryville, Tennessee. He’d drive food he grew to the people he knew couldn’t afford it. My mamaw Riden taught highschool and was recognized by the state legislature for her environmental conservation efforts. They taught me to take care of this beautiful land and the people around us.
I’m sick and tired of politicians talking about their “faith” and then doing what Jesus would do on Opposite Day. He healed the sick. He didn’t drug test people or care where they were born. He fed the hungry. He didn’t have any work requirements. ALL people were created in His image and His message was LOVE. Politicans who claim to be Christians while saying and doing hateful, racist things doesn’t make sense until you realize that their true God is MONEY and POWER and they’re telling you what you want to hear.
I’m Chad Riden and I’m running for Governor of Tennessee. I want to build state-wide fiber optic internet as a public utility. I support Medicare For All. I’m for public schools and I don’t think any elected official should make one dime more than our lowest paid teacher. I’m for unionized labor, anti-discrimination laws, and the legalization of Cannabis. I’d like to build high speed rail connecting Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Bristol and regional transit systems.
I’m against outsourcing State tasks to for-profit businesses, charter schools, privatized prisons, voter suppression, discrimination, racism, sexism, hate, fear, and ignorance.
I am fed up with bipartisan politics and the hypocrites at all levels of government. Our elected offices go to the highest bidder and rich candidates backed by their elite friends spend millions on advertising claiming to be just like us. As an Independent candidate my chances of winning this election are slim but my mother always says, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” My goal is to push the conversation in a positive, progressive direction.
I’m a comedian, a dog walker and a single father. I only care about being a good dad and having a nice, safe place to live while having a little fun.
The other candidates like to say they’ve visited “all 95 counties” in the last year as if that’s something special. People say they want to elect somebody they could have a beer with. I’ve been driving back and forth across this state telling jokes in bars every day for over 15 years. If that interests you, give me a yell. I’d love to come to your town and hang out and have a beer with you and your friends. I’ll bring some of my comedian buddies from Nashville along and we’ll have a blast.
Thank you,
Chad Riden
615-829-6187
chad -at- chadriden -dot- com
https://elect.chadriden.com
http://Twitter.com/ChadRiden
http://YouTube.com/ChadRiden
http://Facebook.com/Chad.Riden
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiDEN4TN/
(I sent this guest editorial to every newspaper in Tennessee on June 14th, 2018.)
