Nashville for the 21st Century

Tennessean: Obama It Is

2008-10-12T13:33:00.002-05:00

In what won't come as too much of a surprise, the Tennessean (reflecting the mentality of its Nashville readership) has endorsed Barack Obama for the Presidency of the United States:

In a historical context, support of Obama might be expected to focus on his race. He is the first African-American to head a major party ticket for the presidency, which should be a source of great pride for the candidate and the country. It must be noted here. But the times and the candidate do not signal such a narrow view, where race is the overwhelming story of Obama's candidacy. Throughout a lengthy, trying campaign, Obama has simply emerged as the right person at the right time to lead the nation when leadership is at a premium. The nation could ask for no more. Obama has the opportunity to lift the United States at a time when its burdens are heavy. His campaign has carried a theme of "Yes We Can," which is exactly the message the nation needs to hear most now.

Meet President Fitzhugh

2008-10-12T12:20:00.003-05:00

The stars are coming to Nashville tonight:

Hollywood Film Star Louis Gossett Jr. will be in Nashville on Sunday night to promote early voting in this year's election. Gossett, a supporter of Democratic Nominee Barack Obama, will be addressing a crowd with a "get out the vote" message at The Flying Saucer on Sunday night from 6pm-8pm. The event is free and open to the public at 111 10th Ave S (21 and up only).

Gossett is a familiar face who has played many supporting roles in his career, including President Gerald Fitzhugh in one of Tim Lahayes' "Left Behind" movies which chronicles the ~~insane machinations of rightwing Christians~~ "end of times" as seen by many an Evangelical Christian. In the movie, Fitzhugh unknowingly works with the Anti-Christ by destroying US weapons caches in the effort to promote peace.

What About Wal-Mart?

2008-10-10T15:36:00.002-05:00

Michelle Obama takes umbrage at the title of elitist imposed on her husband:

MC: Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen has advised Barack to head to Wal-Mart to connect with the “Wal-Mart women” who supported Hillary. What do you say to people who think your husband is too slick or elite for working-class voters?
MO: I find it funny that people have tried to label Barack as an elitist. This is the man who grew up not knowing his father, with a young, single mother who he watched struggle to make ends meet — even going on food stamps at one point. And despite the economic struggles that his family went through, Barack turned down lucrative careers on Wall Street and went to work in communities to help folks in need on the South Side of Chicago, helping families who’d been devastated when the local steel plants shut down.

MC: Do you shop at Wal-Mart?
MO: I’m more of a Target shopper.

Defending West Virginia

2008-10-10T15:14:00.002-05:00

It appears that perhaps the latest ARG poll in West Virginia might not be too far behind the McCain campaign's internal polling:

Palin has scheduled a bus tour through a state that until, roughly, now, everyone had assumed was safely McCain's.

I was one of those who assumed that as well. But the state does have a nearly 50+ percent Democratic voter registration...so if he could pull 70% of Democrats and break even with "Independents" (which is what the internals of the poll say) he could easily win the state.

Obama has already been running ads in Huntington to reach parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as having 7 campaign offices open. Of course, with less than a month to go, its doubtful they'd put much time in having the candidate campaign in the state, because chances are if you are winning West Virginia, you are winning quite a few other swing states. But I wouldn't be surprised to see a stop in Wheeling or Huntington in the next week or so.

Tuke Accepts Debate, Asks Lamar If He's Man Enough

2008-10-10T14:50:00.002-05:00

Senate Democratic Candidate Bob Tuke is tired of talking at Lamar Alexander, and instead wants to talk to him in a radio debate in Jackson:

"Tennesseans are facing some tough times, and they deserve to hear a public debate on the issues that matter most to them.

"I encourage Senator Alexander to join me in a public debate on WNWS to defend his voting record on the economy, jobs, gas prices, health care, and the war in Iraq.

"And I urge all voters in the West Tennessee area who want to hear a debate on these issues to contact Senator Alexander's campaign today."

There is now active talk amongst the media of the possibility of a 60 seat Democratic majority come next January. Seats which weren't thought to be in play, such as in Kentucky and North Carolina, now very much are. Right now, the biggest thing Lamar has going for him (besides favorable name recognition) is his overwhelming financial advantage. Agreeing to debate might lessen that, which is why he probably won't. Of course, he probably also doesn't want to have to defend Congressional Republicans which are the least like entity next to Wall Street in the country.

Before Its Too Late

2008-10-09T18:12:00.000-05:00

Via DailyKos

CEO's For McCain [Update]

2008-10-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

William Howard Hobbs points out that the vast majority of CEOs, who would get the biggest tax breaks under a McCain Tax Plan, not surprisingly prefer the Republican nominee to Barack Obama.

I'm sure the working class folks around the country are rethinking their vote in light of this. Why, how could they challenge the wisdom of the people who have led us to wage stagnation, job losses, health care increases, and financial collapse?

Update:

Amazingly, William H. Hobbs is so breathtakingly tone deaf, that he went to the trouble of issuing a press release hailing the support for John McCain among the top corporate CEO's who've made millions on the backs of a struggling middle class.

Wade Munday with the Tennessee Democratic Party summed it up fairly succinctly, "John McCain is like a bad mortgage on America's future, and the Wall Street CEO's that support him are all too familiar with bad mortgages."

Radical Barack Obama Was A Radical Civil Rights Attorney Who Radically Wanted Law Followed

2008-10-09T15:56:00.003-05:00

Its all over folks, call it a day, move to Canada, Barack Obama is going to lose.

Why? Well, first he was friendly with a Professor of Education at the University of Chicago.

Second, a group of quasi-socialists once endorsed his candidacy.

And third? Well, Obama was a civil rights lawyer who once fought discrimination in the mortgage industry.

Yes, according to Krumm, if banks were allowed to discriminate based on the color of skin, then this financial mess would never have happened.

You see, Obama was once a member of a class action lawsuit which claimed that Citibank "rejected loan applications of minority applicants while approving loan applications filed by white applicants with similar financial characteristics and credit histories. Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief, actual damages, and punitive damages."

The case was resolved out of court a few years later, but clearly, this marks the downfall of the American economic system. All of this, the global credit crisis, the fall of the Dow, the foreclosures of thousands of homes in predominantly white suburbs in California...all of it was due to Barack Obama's belief that the rules of the Fair Housing Act should be followed, and that Citibank, et al, should not be allowed to discriminate based on race (just on credit and financial history).

Even if we don't know if there was merit to the case (and based on the out of court settlement one might assume there was some), Obama must've been a "race hustler" as Krumm so elegantly put it, because as we all know, if Black people weren't getting loans, its 'cause they weren't as qualified as the goodly white folk.

Oh, and did I mention that Frank Raines is black???

Update:

Republican Gov. Frank Keating wants Obama to admit he lived the thug life.

Stock Market Still Crashing

2008-10-09T14:50:00.002-05:00

Don't blink, or your life savings will be gone. Dow (as of 2:54 CST) dropped 600 points today, though, given how it dropped 50 and gained 50 in the course of a minute, there is no telling where it will end up with another 10 minutes or so of trading.

Make 'em Run Home And Cry To Their Momma

2008-10-09T14:33:00.002-05:00

Markos Moulitsas explains why it is important not to get complacent, even if all the signs point towards a Democratic victory in November:

See, here's the deal -- we're going to win the White House, we're going to win big in the Senate, and we're going to rack up big gains in the House. Republicans know this and are preparing for the worst. Now think of 2004 -- we really thought Kerry was going to pull it off. Remember that? And remember how utterly devastated we were when Bush pulled it off? The pain was so much worse because we expected to win.

So with conservatives bracing for the worse, they won't experience the kind of pain we did. Not unless we deliver a defeat even worse than their worst nightmares. And I'll be honest with you -- I want them to hurt as much as we did. I want their spirits crushed, their backs broken.

Essentially, Kos is Cartman to the GOP's Scott Tenorman:

Obamerica

2008-10-09T13:51:00.004-05:00

According to Real Clear Politics, if the election were held today, and John McCain were to get all of the "toss-up" states, Obama would still win with 277 electoral votes.

If we allocate toss-ups based on who has the lead, Obama wins 364 to McCain's 174.

But this was before America was informed that Obama may have once belonged to the "New Party," whilst running to be the Democratic nominee for State Senate. So this is all subject to change.

Show Them Party Bosses...Write-In Kurita

2008-10-09T12:57:00.002-05:00

Sen. Rosalind Kurita has taken on the role of voter education specialist as she describes the process for writing in her name made necessary because of the decision of the "party bosses in Nashville" (though, the party bosses in Hart, Houston, and Montgomery had a big say in the matter):

Via Kleinheider

The Next J.C. Watts

2008-10-09T12:22:00.002-05:00

You know this guy will be recruited by the GOP to run for Congress at some point.

"Sesame Street is a liberal show".

(h/t Ned Williams)

NRA Endorsement

2008-10-09T10:58:00.002-05:00

The mainstream National Rifle Association has endorsed the mainstream, all-American candidate, John McCain, for the Presidency of the United States (despite once calling him an enemy of the second amendment).

Fearless leader of the organization dedicated to the promotion of gun industry legislation, Chris Cox (not to be confused with SEC Chairman Chris Cox who McCain wanted fired to bolster his campaign), said that he plans to spend $10 million plus to tear down the radical Barack Obama and his gun grabbing ways.

The states they are targeting appear to be Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nevada, and Missouri based on today's travel schedule.

Barack Obama has also been endorsed by some group setup to counter the rightwing tilt of the NRA.

(h/t Say Uncle)

Quote of the Day

2008-10-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

"Watching Fox News is like watching a cross between a McCain infomercial and the 'X-Files'" - Bill Burton on Fox and [McCain] Friends

Radical New Party Endorses Radical Barack Obama for Radical State Senate Seat

2008-10-09T09:02:00.003-05:00

The ultra-radical "New Party" endorsed the Radical Barack Obama in the radical year of 1996 for the radical State Senate seat which opened up when radical Alice Palmer ran against radical Jesse Jackson Jr. for the radical 2nd congressional district seat.

Now, there is some radical new evidence (a radical piece of paper) which suggests that Barack Obama was not only radically endorsed by this radical "New Party" but he was actually a radical member of the group.

Granted, this radically assumes that this radical "New Party" had radically ensured that all of those radicals listed as members were actually radical members themselves, and not just people they radically liked and wanted to put on a piece of radical paper to radically boost their credibility.

Regardless, coupled with his radical association with the radical Bill Ayers, I think we have proved beyond a shadow of a radical doubt that Barack Obama is just too radical to be trusted with the Presidency. At least with the ultra-normal John McCain, we know exactly why he'll make a shitty President. We just don't know enough about Barack Obama (other than he is a radical) to in good conscience vote for him.

Obama A Step Forward For African-Americans Everywhere

2008-10-08T23:41:00.001-05:00

The Onion explains how Obama's candidacy is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream.

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans

Drunken Good Times

2008-10-08T16:07:00.002-05:00

This is one of the funnier videos I've seen in a while.

What is even funnier is that even this woman knows that Spain is an ally, unlike John McCain.

(h/t Andrew Sullivan)

The Obarmy

2008-10-08T10:43:00.002-05:00

The campaign released a little love note to the people who make the campaign work.

See Also:

Zack Exley with Huffington Post which has an extensive article focusing on the army of volunteers and community organizers which Obama has built up. The interesting and unknown question is what will happen to this group of highly organized volunteers once the campaign is over? Will it be transformed into something else, similar to Dean for America turning into Democracy for America, or will the fete go by the wayside?

No Good Tax and Spend Liberal Republicans

2008-10-08T09:26:00.002-05:00

The Tennessee Democratic Party has a new light-hearted ad which attacks Ken Yager of Senate District 12 for his tax and spend ways:

Deciphering Zogby

2008-10-08T08:30:00.002-05:00

The 7th or 8th national tracking poll went online yesterday, this time from Zogby. It currently shows a 47-45 split in Obama's favor. This poll is good because it shows what would happen if the electorate were evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. This poll is bad because there is no way in hell there is an even split between Republicans and Democrats.

According to Zogby:

The two candidates are doing well at attracting support from their own partisans - Obama is winning 84% of the Democratic Party support and McCain is winning 85% of the Republican Party support - but Obama has the edge among independent voters. He leads McCain among independents, 48 to 39%.

If Obama is winning Independents by 9 points, and the two are even in terms of partisan support, that should indicate a 5-8 point lead for Obama. Fewer people are willing to call themselves Republicans these days, and so many of them became self-identified "Independents;" conversely, many Independents have been more willing to call themselves Democrats over the past couple years.

So, given the skewed nature of this poll, it is no wonder that it has become the favored benchmark of Drudge.

Of note, all three tracking polls released so far today: Zogby, R2k, and Rasmussen, show a slight tightening of the race as of yesterday. It will be interesting to see if that remains the case tomorrow, when the first day of post-debate polling is included.

Bredesen : "I've Been A Strong Obama Supporter"

2008-10-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

Gov. Bredesen talks with Colby Sledge about the debate:

(h/t Kleinheider)

Who Won?

2008-10-07T23:33:00.004-05:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I think I was right in my earlier assessment of this notion that John McCain is somehow the Town Hall King; he is not. Yeah, he's done a lot of them in New Hampshire, and with moderate Republicans in a small state, that might have made the difference in a primary, but in a national debate, with someone to challenge him, John McCain did not rise above the process, he became a victim of it because Obama is much better at connecting with the public because of his demeanor, his youthfulness, and most importantly his message.

My initial reaction, echoed by a Democratic friend, is that this was a "tie". Now, in my personal estimation, Obama killed it, but in trying to get inside the mind of an "undecided" voter, I thought there were no blows landed by either candidate.

But as with the first debate, the post debate snap polls indicate that Obama was far and away the clear winner. Why? Because without any wins on gimmicks or "points," it comes down to policy, and the Democratic message is much more popular with the American electorate right now than the Republican electorate.

Despite McCain's few moments of "breaking with his party" (and really, the only major issue he has broken with his party is on campaign finance reform, which can be reduced to "good government" which isn't against Republican principles per se), he is still a traditional Republican and the Republican message is dead with the American electorate at this moment in time.

Tie goes to the front-runner, and ergo Obama wins the night, and thus, saving an external event, Obama wins the election.

See Also:

Andrew Sullivan Debate Reactions

Adam Kleinheider with the quote of the night from Phil Bredesen, “[Obama] looked like a president out there tonight.”

Update:

Aside from the debate, I was sort of surprised by the overwhelming turnout of Obama supporters compared to McCain Palin fans. After all, this is a Private Christian college in the heart of "McCain country" and they were outnumbered 100 to 1.

I WANT THOSE!!

2008-10-07T15:31:00.002-05:00

Apparently, the wingers are handing out cuff links to the press in Nashville. If any intrepid reporter is reading this, snag an extra pair for me please.

Via AP

Yawn

2008-10-07T15:04:00.004-05:00

Another day that ends in Y, the Dow dropped another 500 points.