Nashville for the 21st Century

Swinging For The Fences

2009-07-10T13:17:00.002-05:00

Maybe its just me, but I think the key to a good political ribbing or attack is subtlety...and the new press release from the TNDP is anything but subtle:

"Mr. Hargett's refusal to do the job he was sworn to do appears to be part of a nefarious Republican strategy to stand in the way of secure and verifiable elections in Tennessee.

"We deserve better. Mr. Hargett needs to go. That's why I'm calling on the General Assembly to remove him from office."

And...

"It's all beginning to look like an organized effort by the Republican Party to steal elections here in Tennessee."

And...

"It's obvious to me that Republicans are involved in a conspiracy to steal elections through intimidation, fraud, and denial of basic constitutional rights. This kind of behavior has to end. Hargett must go," Forrester concluded.

Look, I wasn't a big fan of Hargett being tapped to be the Secretary of State, but isn't this a bit overboard? I understand that a lot of people think paper ballots (you know, the things used in the Iranian election and Florida circa 2000) are the only thing standing in the way of the death of our Representative Democracy, but before making a lot of accusations, could we have a little bit of evidence first?

The main argument, not addressed in the press release, is that there isn't equipment available that meets the standards outlined in the new law. If there is that equipment available, wouldn't it be better to list a manufacturer's name, so that you could prove him wrong, rather than release a hyperbolic tirade with seemingly outlandish claims with very little to back them up?

Look, I'm sorry, I think the GOP is as evil as the next guy, but we are talking about the same equipment used in the last couple elections. The notion that the GOP (via the SOS) is involved in a massive conspiracy between 95 county election commissions to commit felonious election fraud is not backed up as of yet by any real evidence.

Feel Good Friday

2009-07-10T09:22:00.001-05:00

Because we didn't get a chance to see him last night...

Eeeeasy Tiger

2009-07-10T08:09:00.002-05:00

Harold Ford Jr. is urging the President and Congress to slow their roll on a new Health Care policy because we just haven't looked at the data carefully enough:

I don`t mean to suggest to the White House that health care`s not important, that it should not be pushed, but we now have to sit back, take stock of the data that we have, take an inventory, understand what direction we have to move and how much political capital that will take.

Yeah, some 60 odd years after President Truman called for a national health care policy, after decades of rapidly expanding health care costs far above the rate of inflation, its time to sit back and do some more research.

A new health care program, like the latest one proposed by the Senate and the President, is not only necessary from a policy point of view, but from a political point of view its critical towards any future success for the Democrats in Congress. If all we have to run on in 2010 is bailouts and a few road projects, we're fucked.

From a political point of view, the Cap and Trade bill has far more potential to be politically damaging with little in the way of political capital gained. But in terms of earning or keeping the faith of the American people, we have to get ourselves on the path to long term stability, and our current health insurance system is a severe tax and drain on our economy.

A Town Full of Mike Jamesons

2009-07-09T15:41:00.001-05:00

A small town in Australia one ups Nashville by banning the outright sale of bottled water, whereas we just banned it in city government.

Yes, But At Least The South Has Good Manners

2009-07-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

Time Magazine looks at the various possibilities for why Southern states tend to have the highest rates of obesity and concludes:

So there you have it. Southerners have little access to healthy food and limited means with which to purchase it. It's hard for them to exercise outdoors, and even when they do have the opportunity, it's so hot they don't want to.

Democratic Staffers

2009-07-09T08:04:00.003-05:00

The TNDP has announced that Keith Talley, at the strong urging of Congressman Gordon's office, will be the new Communications Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party. Talley was formerly the Political Director for the House Democratic Caucus in the run up to the 2008 elections, though understandably the TNDP left that nugget off the resume when they put out the press release. From what I understand, part of the backroom deal to get the Congressional delegation and Governor on board with the TNDP was to allow them input into who the Communications Director would be.

Speaking of which, both the House and Senate Dem Caucuses have in recent weeks hired new Political Directors. I can't seem to find the name of the House PD, but on the Senate side, they have hired former Harold Ford Jr. assistant Claudia Weaver to run their campaign to staunch the losses incurred over the past couple cycles. During the 2006 Senate campaign, Weaver was in charge of operations in Chattanooga, where HFJ pulled off a surprising upset against Corker in the town he was formerly Mayor of. More recently, Claudia was elected to be the President of the Tennessee Young Democrats.

I'll update on the House side when I get more information.

Obama's Super-Secret Plan

2009-07-08T09:10:00.002-05:00

Jeb Bush, the seemingly bright one of the Bush Brothers, is spouting off in interviews and seems to support the notion that President Obama is somehow sneaking up on the American people with his agenda:

Barack Obama would not have gotten elected if he'd let us in on his secret plan prior to the election. He would not have gotten elected if he'd said, "My idea is to create a $1.8 trillion deficit for the next fiscal year. My idea is to spend $750 billion [the president's budget estimate puts this figure at $630 billion] over the next ten years on a government-sponsored, government-subsidized health-care policy. My idea is to create a massive cap-and-trade system [based on the idea] that CO2 is [a] pollutant and we need to tax it in a massive way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions."

Uh-huh, except, well, he sorta did say those things. Well, not in one paragraph, and he didn't plan on a "$1.8 trillion deficit," in large part because bailouts and stimulus plans weren't seen as a necessity until after his election.

But on Health Care, he articulated his plan on the website, and this archived page from February of 2008 shows that he would promote a national health care plan to augment the private health insurance market.

As for Co2 regulation, the President made clear in early 2008 that he supported a Cap and Trade system as well:

Cap and Trade: Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies. Some of the revenue generated by auctioning allowances will be used to support the development of clean energy, to invest in energy efficiency improvements, and to address transition costs, including helping American workers affected by this economic transition.

So far, sans the stimulus package and bailouts, everything the President has done since taking office was part of his platform in the election. Now, some on the left are upset that he hasn't moved fast enough on parts of his agenda, and you can argue from the right that the President should readjust his agenda given the economic and budgetary constraints caused by the global recession, but he's still doing what he said he was going to do based on the platform that helped get him elected.

Republicans For Obama?

2009-07-07T12:17:00.003-05:00

While it may not seem it given the high profile efforts to block the President's agenda, when you get to the votes of the matter, quite a few Republicans have lined up with the President on less publicized votes. Including our own Sen. Bob Corker who ranks in the top 10 of Senate Republicans in their voting with the President.

According to CQ Politics by way of DailyKos, Sen. Corker has supported the President's line 68% of the time, ranking him number nine among Republicans. Sens. Snowe and Collins were the most supportive, backing the President 92% of the time.

Sen. Alexander isn't far behind, with a record of supporting the President 65% of the time. Now, this isn't exactly an indication of liberalism on either of their parts. The vast majority of Republicans fall in the 50-70 range of agreeing with the President, and nearly all of those votes weren't very controversial.

But, all the same, given the President's large vote deficit in the 2008 election, its somewhat surprising to see that both Senators from Tennessee tend to steer clear of the crazy caucus within the GOP. Especially in Sen. Alexander's case given that he is in the bottom 10 of Republicans who stayed united with their caucus (81% party unity), even though he is Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

Hurray for Child Molesters!

2009-07-06T13:43:00.004-05:00

Ned Williams seems pleased as punch that an adoptive father in North Carolina has been accused of raping his adopted son, as this one incident will likely be used over and over and over again by anti-gay activists to promote group homes for orphaned children:

This guy is the poster child for all the concerns that people have about endorsing adoption by folks who engage in homosexual activity...Thanks for the assist, Mr. Lombard!

Of course, you don't have to look too far to find plenty of examples of heterosexual men raping their foster children. Like James Spellman, a 57 year old man accused of raping his adopted daughter for upwards of 5 years before being caught by police.

Or how about Ernest and Windie Perry, some good ol' Christian folk from Tennessee who, along with one of their adopted daughter, were charged with aggravated child rape and abuse.

Or how about the DiMaria's, a Conservative Christian couple who adopted various girls with physical disabilities for the purpose of raping and exploiting.

Yeah, the Lombard case is tragic, and certainly evidence of the need for strict scrutiny by child protective services...but evidence of the follies of gay adoption? Hardly.

The Rise and Fall of Sarah Palin

2009-07-06T10:48:00.003-05:00

Just when you thought things couldn't get weirder...Sarah Palin goes ahead and quits her job as Governor about a year and a half shy of the end of her first term.

Now, obviously the proper reaction for any sane person is, "what the fuck is she thinking?" But of course, when it comes to her supporters, reality and sanity are luxuries they simply cannot afford. So, you've got a host of commentators over at The Corner prattling on about the possibilities of her running for President in 2016 or 2020.

The real hard question they should probably ask themselves, is why? Why in God's name would you want this person to be your standard bearer? Seriously, what does she offer? She quite simply is not a stable person (and no, this isn't a statement of "sexism," Mark Sanford is just as unstable as she), she isn't extraordinarily intelligent, she hasn't offered much of anything in the way of policy or ideas that stray from the status quo of GOP conservative thought.

What were her strengths? She got knocked up and carried her down-syndrome baby to term...and...ummm....she's folksy? What else? Whatever shred of credibility she had just got blown out of the water and she tacitly admitted she couldn't handle the pressures of the job of being the Governor of one of the least populated states in the nation...how the hell could she handle being President?

Here is what I think happened. Gov. Palin came into office at a good time in Alaska. She oversaw the rewriting of oil and gas tax code which saw enormous profits for her state in the first year or so of office. Essentially her job was to find unique ways to dole out this windfall in Government revenues to the people, and she basically did it by writing checks to its citizens. Then the spicket started drying up, and some more difficult choices would have to be made...and who the hell wants to do that? Its so much more fun to be Robin Hood than it is to be the Sheriff of Nottingham. So, she bailed. Its time the GOP establishment does the same with her.

And Then There Were...Ummm...5?

2009-07-02T11:54:00.002-05:00

Well, its now official, Senate Majority Leader Jim Kyle is going to be running for the Democratic Nomination for Governor, according to the Nashville Post.

Kyle is probably one of the more liberal of the candidates out there, representing a strongly Democratic district in Memphis/Shelby County. His biggest strength in the primary will be his name recognition in the Memphis/Shelby area. With what I predict to be low voter interest in the Gubernatorial primary, he stands to benefit greatly by the heated contest between Congressman Steve Cohen and King Willie Herenton.

Prepare To Be Informed

2009-07-02T07:56:00.002-05:00

Whether you like it or not, it looks as if we are one step closer in Nashville to being able to see just how unhealthy our food is:

Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have overturned a Metro health board decision to require calorie counts on restaurant menus.

The bill said that only elected bodies could require nutritional information to be posted on restaurant menus. The Metro Board of Health, composed of mayoral appointees, voted in March to require restaurant chains with 15 or more outlets nationwide to put calorie counts next to menu items.

While I'm not entirely convinced about the efficacy of putting caloric information on fast food drive-thru menus, I do think a city has -in the interest of public health- the right to require their restaurants to comply with the rules.

The House Race To End All House Races

2009-07-01T07:58:00.003-05:00

In what could be a game changer for the State next year, Rep. Curt Cobb (D - Bedford Co.) is resigning to take a position with the County Government, thus resulting in a special election for the 62nd House Seat.

In 2008, Rep. Cobb won re-election by a 55-45 margin against the Republican Barbara Blanton. Also that year Barack Obama got creamed by John McCain in that district, losing all but 2 of the 33 precincts represented by Cobb, and losing Bedford County by a 2-1 margin.

All this indicates a tough uphill climb for the Democrats to retain the seat in an environment where Republicans in the South are getting increasingly agitated by the direction our country is going (ie, away from them). The Democratic caucus is going to have to find a really popular figure in Bedford if they hope to keep this seat, and thus keep the shaky 50-50 split (when one includes Speaker Williams with the Dems) that we currently have.

Unclear (to me at least) is whether or not Republicans would be able to challenge Williams' speakership should they manage to win the seat. (UPDATE: I'm told it would take a 2/3rds vote to suspend the rules in order to boot Williams, which is not going to happen.)

Billy Mays The Embodiment of Free Enterprise?

2009-06-30T14:04:00.003-05:00

RedState.com has an interesting take on the death of Billy Mays, the late-night infomercial guru best known for OxyClean:

Billy Mays started out hawking a washer-in-a-bucket on the Atlantic City boardwalk. He was a shameless pitchman, became an entrepreneur and a capitalist, and died a multimillionaire… all on the back of his skill as a salesman. Is there anything more quintessentially capitalist than that? Does anyone’s life better represent the promise of free enterprise? Does Billy Mays not belong in the American Dream Hall of Fame?

That's all well and good, but Billy Mays is not any different than any of the hundreds or thousands of other successful celebrities. He was an actor. He had an ability to connect with his audience and get them to buy the story he was selling. Same as when Billy Bob Thorton gets on screen to try and sell his character. Perhaps Mays picked some good scripts (products) to try and sell, but that doesn't really change what he did.

So, for Conservatives who complain about the adulation given to "Hollywood" celebrities, just realize, that Mays' story is not really any different. The vast majority of actors and musicians started with little or nothing and struggled to make it big, for every one of them that made it there are 1,000 more who did not.

State Sovereignty!

2009-06-30T13:52:00.002-05:00

OK, so it appears that the Minnesota State Courts have ruled unanimously up and down the board that Al Franken is the lawful winner of the US Senate elections. Will all this talk by Conservatives about the States reasserting their roles as sovereign bodies stay true? Or will they abandon their neo-confederate rhetoric and push for Pawlenty to hold off on signing Franken's election certificate in the hopes that Coleman can drag this election out in the Federal courts?'

Update:

Coleman concedes, Franken to be seated.

The Tea Party Revolution in America

2009-06-26T09:55:00.002-05:00

Couldn't you easily have done the same thing in regards to the Tea Bagger protests a few months ago, as these people are doing with the Iranian protests?

Yes, there are protests in most major provinces in Iran. At the risk of being accused of moral equivalency, you could say the same thing in the run-up to the war in Iraq, after the [s]election of Bush in 2000, or his election in 2004.

There are reform elements in all of Iran. Even if Ahmadenijad legitimately won a province of 1 million voters by 80%, that still leaves 200,000 potential protesters to show their disdain for the official results.

I really hope these protests can result in some moderate reforms in Iran, I doubt they will, but I hope they do...but lets not delude ourselves into this notion that somehow there is a mass movement nationwide to radically change the status quo in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The vast majority of Iranians support the clerical system to some extent, and there isn't some overwhelming desire outside certain elements in Tehran to liberalize the country. For Islamic countries in that region, they are already more culturally liberal than say in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan.

There is still no real evidence beyond some statistical analysis that Mousavi won the election a few weeks ago. "But high turnout should mean the reform candidate wins!" Yeah, I remember hearing that high turnout would be the key to Kerry's victory...guess what, 2004 was the highest turnout election up to that point, and afterward Bush had more popular votes than any candidate in history (up to that point).

I'm just rather concerned that the drumbeat in the press and the blind acceptance of this idea of a popular uprising in Iran is going to lead to a foreign policy that ultimately harms our national interest in the long run. You've already got neo-cons like Joe Lieberman and others itching for a battle royale in Persia, and these protests (whose numbers represent a small fraction of the overall Iranian public) are helping shape the debate in their favor.

NY Times Concerned About Liberalized Firearm Laws

2009-06-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

The NYTimes looks at the efforts of Tennessee and other states to liberalize their carry permit laws to allow holders the ability to take their weapon wherever they so choose:

Once again, politicians caved to the gun lobby’s “right to carry” agenda which insists that there is no place — campuses, workplaces, churches — that should be off limits to guns.

We fear that Gov. Phil Bredesen, a gun owner and hunter, was right when he warned his state: “It’s an invitation to a disaster.”

The governor found no safety in provisions that ban the licensed gun toters from drinking alcohol — is it the honor system or will bartenders do a search? — and allow bar and restaurant owners to opt out by posting a notice prohibiting guns. Unfortunately, there is no requirement for owners to post warnings of the dangers inside at the doorways of gun-friendly places.

Of course, one could argue (rightfully so) that if a person is willing to ignore the restrictions on drinking while carrying, they probably would have no problem ignoring previous restrictions against carrying their weapons to a bar in the first place.

As for the "dangers inside" of restaurants and bars from carry-permit holders, is there any real evidence that there is a threat or danger? I'm not really sure you could even find much anecdotal evidence, let alone statistical proof, of gun holders who followed the law up to the letter up until the moment they shot or killed an innocent victim.

Bait and Switch

2009-06-25T11:52:00.003-05:00

Some journalists working in concert together seem to think that Sen. Roy Herron pushed for the passage of a law to ensure that paper ballots are used in the 2010 in order to make up for his missteps on the EFCA vote:

On the score of blogger effectiveness, just ask Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Roy Herron, a Democratic state senator whose dissembling and back-and-forthing on a legislative resolution opposing the federal Employee Free Choice Act was exposed by several attentive bloggers acting in concert. Maybe it was this embarrassment that prompted Herron to redeem himself with progressives by salvaging an endangered paper-ballot initiative. D'ya think?

Mayhaps so, if that is the case, its good to see Sen. Herron gives a flip about the liberal base of the party.

Personally, I'm probably one of the 5 liberals in the state that isn't so hot about scrapping millions of dollars worth of voting equipment in favor of technology similar to that which was used in the Iranian election...but you can't win 'em all.

Cammack About To Get Chipped

2009-06-25T11:16:00.002-05:00

It looks like Jeff Woods and his famous "political insiders" are setting their sights on Ward Cammack, the Republican turned Democrat running for Governor, in an effort to pave the way for Mike McWherter's nomination.

Pith's smug anonymous insiders just won't shut up about Ward Cammack. When last we heard from our hero, you will recall, he was denying reports---well, one report anyway--that his campaign is dragging ass. Now, here's the latest: When Cammack has made fund-raising calls, several prominent Nashville Democrats have told him that they could not support him as long as he belongs to the Belle Meade Country Club. You didn't know he's a member? Well, now you do.

Cammack responded by saying that he's not going to drop his membership to the club. I say kudos to him. First off, if it was wrong to join the club 5 years ago, it'd still be wrong even if he now dropped his membership. Second, Woods' consternation over a painting of Robert E. Lee might raise my hackles more if it weren't for the fact that sitting outside the State House Chambers is a bust of the murderous scoundrel Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Senate Invokes Cloture on Koh

2009-06-24T15:03:00.002-05:00

Harold Koh, the eminently qualified legal expert picked to advise the State Department, has gotten one step closer to being nominated as the Senate invoked cloture on the debate over his nomination. Sen. Alexander was one of eight Republicans to vote with Democrats on invoking cloture over a nominee who has been embattled over his belief that the United States should pay attention to international law.

In Case You Missed It.

2009-06-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Obama Press Conference:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What The Hell Man?

2009-06-24T08:04:00.003-05:00

Well, if Governor Mark Sanford had any thoughts of taking his schtick national, I think this episode might put a damper on those plans:

Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this morning, having wrapped up a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said. Sanford said he had not been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff said in a Tuesday statement to the media...

...The governor said he cut his trip short after his chief of staff, Scott English, told him his trip was gaining a lot of media attention and he needed to come back.

When asked why his staff said he was on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford replied, "I don't know."

So his staff just lied and made some stuff up about him going hiking? And did he really talk to his Chief of Staff, or did he catch something on CNN while in Argentina that made him think twice about his disappearing act?

Seriously, I get the allure of dropping everything and going to Argentina, if I had the money, I'd do the same...but I'd at least tell my bosses I was leaving and where I was going, and I'd certainly tell at least a few friend and family about my plans.

This little episode makes John McCain look downright stable.

(h/t ACK)

Then Its Not An Addiction

2009-06-23T14:31:00.002-05:00

President Obama, in his effort to both maintain his habit and pretend as if its evil, seems to be comparing the occasional sneaking of a cigarette to when an alcoholic "struggles" with their addiction.

The problem here is that if you are an alcoholic that occasionally has a beer every now and again, then you AREN'T AN ALCOHOLIC! Congrats, you can control your shit. You are just a person who likes to drink and might have taken it overboard at some point in your life [see also: 50% of the college grads in America].

Likewise, if Obama "falls of the wagon" and chain smokes a pack of camels, well then maybe he has a problem...if he likes smoking and occasionally has a cigarette, then his problem is not nicotine addiction, but rather his problem is the political and social stigma of smoking.

Word of advice, just switch to cigars, they contain copious amounts of nicotine and are socially acceptable for politicians to use.

Cooper's Health Care Reform Tap-Dance

2009-06-23T14:05:00.002-05:00

Does he or doesn't he? Does Congressman Jim Cooper support a "public option" as he stated in a meeting at the TNDP headquarters? Or does he prefer to have that left on the table as he seemed to state back at the blogger meeting a few months ago, and now more tacitly by his support for the Daschle/Dole health care reform package?

It seems like Rep. Cooper is torn. He wants to be seen as supporting (and helping to drive) the President's health care agenda, but at the same time, he genuinely doesn't think that a health care package with a "public option" will be able to pass the Senate in a way that makes for quality public policy.

Who is right? Not quite sure. All I know is that its quite ridiculous that we are bending over backwards to alter a public health care policy that will ultimately garner a handful of GOP votes at best. They aren't going to support any health care plan (that manages to get broad Democratic support) because they ultimately feel it is necessary to demonize it as big government socialism, or else the Democrats win the day by doing what the Americans want...fixing our broken health care system.

The key for Dems is to put together the best plan from a policy standpoint, and then sell the shit out of it to Americans (polls indicate they are open to a public option). All we need are 2 or 3 Republicans in the Senate to switch our way, and we're in business.

Cammack On The Ropes?

2009-06-23T13:50:00.002-05:00

Jeff Woods ponders the significance of Mark Brown's departure from the Cammack for Governor campaign and comes up with the following:

The word in Democratic circles is this: Cammack is toast. His fund-raising is really sucking, and there is talk that he will quit the race soon. Recall Cammack gave heavily to Republicans in the past. That's causing Democratic contributors to give him the stink eye. If Cammack can't raise a respectable amount from contributors, there's no point in sinking his own personal wealth into his campaign.

"Basically, he has no base of support," one source says. "He turned on his old Republican friends, and Democrats don't know him enough to trust him. He doesn't have the time before the primary to build a relationship with Democrats. He won't have the money to get his message out."

Cammack had an uphill battle from the git-go. No name recognition, no campaign history, no real connection to the type of people who typically vote in Democratic primaries. He's got ambition and a rather impressive knowledge of policy, but that could be where his strengths end.

Of course, if I were him, and was about to drop out, I'd probably start canceling upcoming events...like the Davidson County Democratic Party potluck over at the CWA Union Hall tonight. It doesn't sound like the type of thing Ward would normally do for kicks.

But, assuming Woods' source is correct...where would Cammack's departure leave the race? My feeling is that Kim McMillan has been the most steady of all the other candidates. No major screw-ups are stumbles (like pissing off major Democratic constituencies). She's got a track record, she's got as much or more name recognition as anyone else in the hunt (except Ned Ray's son), the main question for her is going to be dolla dolla bills ya'll. Does she have 'em, and can she get 'em?

Mark your calendars for July 15th, 2009. That will be the day when we really get a good peak into the races on both sides of the aisle. That is when the mid-annual reports are due for candidates running for office, and we can see how much the prospective candidates have raised and spent over the past 6 (or 1 in some cases) months.