Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ book is on the shelves at Barnes & Noble.
“Mayor Kane” is subtitled “My Life in Wrestling and Politics.” If someone helped Jacobs write it, they don’t get credit. The book retails for $28 in hardcover for almost 300 pages of biography and philosophy. It’s a quick read, suitable for holiday gifting to local developers and utility district commissioner wannabes.
Jacobs acknowledges his 23-vote margin in the 2018 GOP primary when he beat county commissioners Brad Anders and Bob Thomas. Jacobs suggests the political establishment didn’t take him seriously – until he won.
What’s the difference between wrestling and politics, he asks? “Political fans don’t know that what they’re watching is scripted.”
Jacobs credits his authenticity for his win. “Voters thought I was real.” Like Donald Trump, Jacobs came from outside traditional elective politics. Neither man had held office before winning his first campaign, and Jacobs says voters want outsiders to shake up the status quo.
Too often, voters have been disappointed by politicians who say one thing during the campaign and then do the opposite after being elected. Politicians are “scripted,” he says, “to push our emotional buttons – to get us to push the button beside their name on the ballot.” Someone wins – Republican or Democrat – yet nothing changes.
Jacobs argues that it’s not enough to change the people we elect. We need to change the system itself. “Government simply should not have as much power over our lives as we have given it. Neither should politicians. If we want real change, at least at the national level, we must force the federal government back into its constitutional box.”
“Mayor Kane” is a perfect present for any pro wrestling fan on your list. Content is about 70 percent wrestling to 30 percent politics and philosophy. Dual forwards by The Undertaker and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul show the struggle within the book and within Jacobs himself. Or maybe there’s no conflict at all. Perhaps as Jacobs says, “It’s all show business.”
Sandra Clark is editor/CEO of Knox TN Today.