Nashville for the 21st Century

Hate That For Ya

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:34:00 +0000

Update: Unfortunately, Lynn seems to have taken down this note from her Facebook page...more unfortunately, I did not print a copy before she did.

While its difficult for me to feign a large amount of sympathy for Rep. Susan Lynn, I find her story detailing the underhanded and spiteful nature of Mae Beavers' campaign tactics to be thoroughly enjoyable and so may you. Its quite lengthy, so I'll just give you the gist. Basically, Mae Beavers "loaned" 50,000 to a newspaper editor during the same time said newspaper editor began lambasting her opponent over an ethics issue...an ethics issue that resulted from the filing of a complaint by the employee of Mae Beavers' finance chair.

Now, obviously this is a one-sided account coming from the second half of a bitter, bitter, did I mention bitter, rivalry between Beavers and Lynn...a rivalry that caused Beavers to drop out of a Mayor's race she was almost certain to win just to block Lynn from winning the State Sen. seat Beavers was vacating. But, still, it raises some interesting questions. Not the least of which is, where did Beavers get that $50,000?

Is That a Republican Under That Robe, Or Are You Just Happy To Be Running

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:05:00 +0000

Michael Cass done drummed him up a story on Nashville defense lawyer Jack Byrd's voting history as a Republican. Byrd is one of two challengers, along with Rachel Bell, hoping to debench the recently appointed Judge Mike Jameson. Byrd is running as a Democrat in the Democratic primary. His records show he's voted in four GOP primaries and two county primaries (of which Republicans rarely ever post candidates), but he's telling Cass that he is in fact of the Democratic persuasion.

Now, I can't know what's in Byrd's heart as an individual, so unless there is stronger evidence to the contrary, I guess you sort of have to take him at his word...until he says something like this:

Byrd said he might change his mind about who deserves his vote by the time the general election rolls around. Asked if he voted in the 2002 Republican primary because he supported Van Hilleary or another GOP candidate for governor, he said he was “fairly certain” he ultimately voted that November for Phil Bredesen, the Democratic nominee who defeated Hilleary in the general election.

“But I can’t swear to that, because honest to God, I don’t remember,” Byrd said.

You don't remember if you voted for the former Mayor of Nashville over the mentally handicapped right-wing Republican Van Hilleary? That shit just slipped your mind? I could see if it was a council race or something, or hell a judicial race (God knows I can't remember who all I've voted for in those things) but you can't be sure who you backed in the run for Governor at a time when the incumbent was at historic levels of unpopularity?

C'mon. Really?

Quite frankly, I somewhat agree with Byrd that these races shouldn't be partisan...but they are, and whether someone is presenting themselves as something they are not speaks to honesty and judgement. Again, maybe in his heart of hearts he's a Democrat, but this answer hardly assuages disbelief.

If You Leave It, They Will Come

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:33:00 +0000

The decision by Sen. Joe Haynes not to seek re-election has resulted in many politicians both current and past to jut their fingers up skyward to get a sense of where the political winds may be blowing.

On the Republican side, it appears that Dickerson will have a challenger, either in the form of David Hall, who defeated the establishment backed Jeff Hartline in the 2010 Republican Congressional primary. Or Eric Crafton, our xenophobic former Councilman from Bellevue who seems to have run and lost for all manner of races in the past couple of years.

On the Democratic side, the field also appears deep. Ronnie Steine has expressed interest in exploring a race, but with a stated affinity for the ability of local government to effect change at a faster and more dramatic pace than that of the Tennessee State Senate. Tim Garrett's name is also in the mix as a guy with money who could buy his way into the seat. I've also heard former Council at-large candidate Richard Exton's name being bandied about, in addition to David Briley who was recently drawn into the 21st Senate District and would have to move in order to run for the seat.

All told, the first open Senate seat in Davidson County since the 1980s is unsurprisingly going to result in a tough fight on both sides of the aisle.

The Catholic Vote

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:16:00 +0000

I've had MSNBC on this morning in the background and they keep coming back to the Obama Administration's decision to say that employees of religious affiliated are accorded the same health care protections as those in the secular workforce. The assumption is that, somehow, people who might normally vote for a pro-choice Democrat, a prospect which some in the Catholic leadership say will put your immortal soul in peril, will now rally around a Republican all because some Catholic affiliated hospital won't be able to carve out exclusions in health care insurance policies so that the pill is not covered?

This is utterly and fantastically absurd. Yes, there are some Catholics who might otherwise vote for Democrats but for social issues...but those are already either voting Republican or not voting at all. It would take the exceptional person in the electorate to have this odd cognitive dissonance wherein they are fine voting for a candidate who supports a woman's right to an abortion, but oh God, if a catholic affiliated corporation, who competes within a secular workforce, isn't allowed to proactively tell insurance companies what their employees can do with their insurance...well, that is just going too far.

And, really, besides the Talkerazzi, who the hell is complaining about this? That clown Bill Donohue and his organization The Catholic League? The self-appointed slander policeman who goes after any perceived slight against Catholicism, no matter how convoluted? Like he was on the verge of backing the President? Or some right-wing Bishop or Cardinal somewhere who has almost zero connection or influence to the Catholic laity?

Now I'm not saying I have a great deep insight into the mind of the Catholic voter. Yes, I was baptized by a Catholic priest and I am preferable to the Catholic tradition over those wannabe hippies who go around playing acoustic guitars and singing about how much they want to make love to Jesus...but all the same, it seems like a pretty simple logical argument to make, that few people who make their voting choices on the basis of reproductive rights are going to be swayed in one way or another on the basis of this policy. Perhaps if this ruling were that Catholic churches would have to set a bowl of Plan B next to the holy water...then I could see this being an issue, but otherwise, this is just thugs like Donohue trying to use their status to intimidate the White House into rolling back rights for the religiously affiliated, but ultimately secular, workforce.

Its Halftime America

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:30:00 +0000

"I've seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life, times where we didn't understand each other...it seems that we've lost our heart at times. The fog of division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead. But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right, and acted as one." -Clint Eastwood

Whether intended or not, this is an implicit endorsement of President Obama who took a chance on America's industry when it needed it, while Republicans like Mitt Romney sat on the sidelines cheering for failure. A President who has called for America to come together and act as one to solve our problems, versus a candidate who has called for Americans to fend for themselves.

Update: Karl Rove and Michelle Malkin form group called "Americans for the Failure of America".

Vanderbilt Students Bristle at Notion of Inclusiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Some of Vanderbilt's conservative Christians are singing "we shall overcome" after being told by their University that in order for them to be recognized as official organizations, they have to adhere to the University's non-discrimination policies. One of these is Justin Gunter, a second year law student at Vanderbilt who has decided to cherry-pick out of context some quotes in recent Supreme Court decisions to conclude that Vanderbilt's policy is wrong.

Example one:

In a controversial 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in a case called CLS v. Martinez that an all-comers policy definitely is not required, but may be legal if it is universally applied to all groups on campus. While a bare majority of the court thought the policy was legal, they also questioned whether it was right, noting that this policy was “an intrusion into the inner structure or affairs of an organization” that “sometimes produces discord.”

Umm, no they didn't. These quotes were taken from two different parts of the decision. The first "an intrusion into the inner structure or affairs of an organization” was actually a quote from the 1984 Roberts v. Jaycees decision which was used by the plaintiffs. Ginsburg referenced those quotes after declaring "the expressive-association precedents on which CLS relies, in contrast, involved regulations that compelled a group to include unwanted members, with no choice to opt out." Meaning that Vanderbilt groups, like CLS, have the option of meeting as a group, just without official recognition by the school.

The other out of context quote was "sometimes produces discord," which actually was used to say that if a policy produces discord, "Hastings can rationally rank among RSO-program goals development of conflict-resolution skills, toleration, and readiness to find common ground." Meaning, its an opportunity to hone life skills that don't involve discriminating.

Gunter also references the recent Supreme Court decision Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC. Gunter describes the case as this:

Three weeks ago, in Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, the Supreme Court addressed the importance of having strong leaders in the context of religious organizations. The unanimous majority asserted that religious groups’ freedom to choose their own leaders was a foundational precept of America. In other words, it is not only legal, but it is right for religious groups to choose leaders who agree with their beliefs. A concurring opinion authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, and joined by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, argued these restrictions were both legal and right because “(a) religion cannot depend on someone to be an effective advocate for its religious vision if that person's conduct fails to live up to the religious precepts that he or she espouses.”

First off, Hosanna-Tabor was about the ability of a school to differentiate between a "called teacher" and a "lay teacher," and then fire said "called teacher" after she got sick on the grounds of "religious beliefs" because "her threat to sue the Church violated the Synod's belief that Christians should resolve their disputes internally."

Second, what the Supreme Court decided was that Hosanna-Tabor was a religious institution and the employee in question was working in a religious position, therefore, the EEOC protections against discrimination don't apply. What the court DID NOT find is that student organizations wishing to discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs or sexual orientation can still do so while being officially recognized by the school. Just as you may have the right to freely associate with people of one religion, gender or sexual orientation, so too does Vanderbilt have the right to freely associate or disassociate with separate groups on the basis of a set of rules of their choosing.

So, while Gunter may wish to twist the words of the Supreme Court justices to pretend if there is some unanimity on behalf of their cause, the simple truth is no one is trampling on their rights, nobody is telling them they can't believe what they want to believe, all they are being told is that if you want the official Vanderbilt University stamp of approval, you have to meet their qualifications for getting said approval. If that requirement is too cumbersome, then you can disassociate yourselves with the university or go to a more discriminating institution.

Haynes Is Out, Who's In The Bullpen?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:08:00 +0000

So, another one bites the dust. After three decades in service to his district, Sen. Joe Haynes has decided to let someone else take over representing the significantly altered 20th Senate District.

The most likely Republican candidate is Steve Dickerson, who tried his hand at defeating Sen. Henry two years ago and was clearly unsuccessful. Moments after the Senate Republicans announced their intentions towards Davidson County, he pounced on the opportunity to run in the more Republican friendly 20th.

On the Democratic side the picture is a little less clear. The Tennessean reported that Nashville lawyer Kevin Doherty has been mulling a run for this seat. Doherty has been an active giver to the Democratic party and its candidates in the past, and has recently launched a non-profit organization whose intention is the change the political system which is geared towards gridlock and demagoguery, especially in Washington.

Another name that I've heard being floated from some of those famed "Democratic insiders" is that of recently elected Councilman Brady Banks. Banks, 33, won his Republican leaning 4th Council District by a nearly 20 point margin against his tea party supported Republican challenger Dave Patterson. Banks is a Hermitage native who has a Divinity degree from Harvard and worked for Sen. Roy Herron on his State Senate race in 2004, and later left the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods to work on the Senator from Dresden's short-lived 2010 Gubernatorial campaign. Oh, and he and his minister wife just had a baby...so, if you were to create a Democratic candidate in a lab to run in this district, you'd be getting something roughly similar to Brady Banks (unlike lab-grown Mitt Romney though, he has a likeable personality).

Brady's roots in eastern Davidson County coupled with his strength and organization in southwest Davidson could be a political asset were he to run in a general election against Dickerson who would have to run up the score in heavily Republican Belle Meade. But, of course, that all depends on whether he'd want to run another race after just going through a year long council race and having a baby. Either way, you can expect that Democrats will compete heavily for this district, and against a politically inept but well-funded Dickerson, we have a strong shot at holding it.

Obama (Probably) Gonna Be On Georgia Ballot

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:10:00 +0000

Some World Nut Daily folks were crying into their beers tonight as their best hopes to wrangle the President in front of a court to attest for his whereabouts on the day of his birth were dashed by the same administrative judge who had originally tried to compel the leader of the free world to prostrate himself in front of a bunch of lunatics on a legal fishing expedition.

“Neither defendant nor his counsel, Michael Jablonski, appeared or answered. Ordinarily, the court would enter a default order against a party that fails to participate in any stage of a proceeding. … Nonetheless, despite the defendant’s failure to appear, plaintiffs asked this court to decide the case on the merits of their arguments and evidence. … By deciding this matter on the merits, the court in no way condones the conduct or legal scholarship of defendant’s attorney, Mr. Jablonski,” he said.

Hell, in all likelihood they were probably hoping that this judge would have denied the President ballot access. Its not like Georgia will make a lick of difference in the general election, as winning Georgia would mean a national landslide, while his campaign has already written it off for the their neighbors in Florida and North Carolina. On the other hand, a nice story about a bunch of Georgia conservatives blocking the President from being on the ballot would've made for a helluva fundraising haul.

Really though, what the hell do they expect the President to say, even if by some ridiculous interpretation of law it was decided that he has to defend his citizenship to any yahoo with a law degree? I don't know where the hell I was born but for my parents and a piece of paper telling me it was Columbus, Ohio. For all I know, I was born in Kenya and my citizenship was all part of some elaborate scheme to one day allow me to become President...if so, I'm so very sorry you all went through the trouble for nothing. Is the President to confirm or deny where he was born based upon memory?

Jobs4TN a Rousing Success?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:11:00 +0000

That is what the folks at ECD, whose job it is to implement the Jobs4TN plan advocated by the governor, are saying in a report on 2011 economic activity. Last week, Politifact got into some hot water for mischaracterizing the President's statements on jobs, claiming that he was taking credit for private sector job growth when there was scant evidence of that actually happening. Well, I think the case is a bit more clear for the Governor's administration using better job growth numbers in 2011 as vindication for his recently implemented Jobs4TN plan:

The results of the Jobs4TN strategy are tangible. In 2011, job creation in Tennessee hit its highest mark of the last five years and since the onset of the global recession. ECD projects and private sector growth tracked by the department accounted for 28,535 jobs created in Tennessee in 2011 and more than $4 billion in investment.

They made similar claims later in the report, stating:

As a result of this year of transformation, ECD reached a peak it had not achieved since before the onset the global recession. Over 2011, ECD projects and other job growth in Tennessee’s healthy business climate resulted in 28,535 new jobs created in the state.

So, did reorganizing the Department of ECD to cut jobs, staff was reduced from 210 to 126 according to the report, really result in all these jobs gains statewide? Or, rather, was this the culmination of long-standing proposals for corporate relocations, expansions, and the overall improving economic situation?

Did GM and Amazon expand locations because of this ingenious strategy or some new-found lax regulations, or was this the result of years of hardwork by the Bredesen administration, local authorities, and in the case of GM, the Obama administration?

Mittens on the Poor

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:10:00 +0000

And the Lord thy God came to thee and said, "forgeteth about the very poor, for they have their reward, and it is food stamps and crappy housing. Verily I say unto you, it shall be the middle income bracket to which you shalt be concerned, for they do vote more easily for thyne Republican party." - Romney's interpretation of Jesus.

Moneyball

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Today is Florida Primary Day, Huzzah! As expected, Mittens Romney, INC. has prevailed over his rotund and rosy-cheeked opponent. Partly contributing to this victory were the corporations listed below, who gave to Romney's Super PAC in the last half of 2011 and were required to be disclosed today. Take special notice to the companies that end in "of Asia," "of Japan," and "of Southeast Asia".

Oh, yes MR Inc., America the Beautiful indeed.

Company	Total Donated
Acton Industrial Park	$ 5,000.00
Ballard Exploration Company, Inc.	$ 25,000.00
Blue Ridge Capital LLC	$100,000.00
Building and Land Technology, Inc.	$10,000.00
Consol Energy, Inc.	$150,000.00
Crow Holdings, LLC	$150,000.00
EAM Services LLC	$50,000.00
G. H. Palmer Associates	$100,000.00
Glenbrook LLC	$250,000.00
Jenzabar, Inc.	$250,000.00
Jet Set Sports Holdings, LP	$100,000.00
Klehr/Harrison/Harvey/Branzburg LLP	$25,000.00
M.C. Dean, Inc.	$5,000.00
MBF Family Investments	$500,000.00
Melaleuca, Inc.	$250,000.00
Melaleuca of Asia Ltd. Co.	$250,000.00
Melaleuca of Japan, Inc.	$250,000.00
Melaleuca of Southeast Asia, Inc.	$250,000.00
Monterey Peninsula Surgery Center, LLC	$20,000.00
Neal Communities Land Development, LLC	$25,000.00
Northwest Business Park LLC	$5,000.00
Oxbow Carbon, LLC	$250,000.00
Oxbow Carbon, LLC	$750,000.00
Pacific Capital Group, Inc.	$7,500.00
Paumanok Partners LLC	$250,000.00
Pita Raleigh LLC	$50,000.00
Rooney Holdings, Inc.	$500,000.00
Rooney Holdings, Inc.	$1,000,000.00
Sareli Investments, LLC	$50,000.00
Sierra Advisors	$50,000.00
Slocum and Associates	$100,000.00
Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc.	$25,000.00
Suffolk Construction Company, Inc.	$10,000.00
Suffolk Construction Company, Inc.	$35,000.00
Tamathli, McGriff Farm, Inc.	$10,000.00
The Rod and Leslie Aycox Foundation, Inc.	$100,000.00
Trott and Trott PC	$200,000.00
W/F Investment Corp.	$275,000.00
Wendt Family Trust	$100,000.00
Young & Susser	$7,500.00
Total	$6,540,000.00

Just noticed something. The Rod and Leslie Aycox Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of a Title Loan Shark, is listed as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. I know corporations are people and all, but are tax-exempt non-profits able to donate to slash and burn political funds?

Colbert Super PAC

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Just thought this was too funny to pass up. Colbert's Super PAC reported his haul to the FEC, a little over a million bucks, not bad for a sarcastic PAC. The actual letter filed with the FEC is probably the best part though:

Re: Supplemental Memo To Disclosure Report

Dear Sirs and Sirettes,

Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow (ABTT) would like it entered into the record that as of January 30th, 2012, the sum total of our donations was $1,023,121.24.

Stephen Colbert, President of ABTT, has asked that I quote him as saying, ''Yeah! How you like me now, F.E.C? I'm rolling seven digits deep! I got 99 problems but a non-connected independent-expenditure only committee ain't one!''

I would like it noted for the record that I advised Mr. Colbert against including that quote.

Sincerely,

Shauna Polk
Treasurer
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Inc.

The State of the State is Meh...

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Live blogging, Citizen Action style:

The State of the State with Tennessee Citizen Action

Occupy Nashville Letter to Haslam

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +0000

The Occupy Nashville protesters have issued an open letter to the Governor as we prepare to hear his State of the State speech in 30 minutes.

Dear Governor Haslam, Tennessee General Assembly, and Tennessee Highway Patrol,

HB 2638/SB 2508 not only criminalizes Occupy Nashville, but also further criminalizes all of Tennessee’s economically disenfranchised, unhoused citizens. If you want to criminalize Occupy Nashville and our unhoused neighbors, then say so. But don’t say you are evicting us because we don’t welcome other groups. Don’t say we threaten public health. Corporate influence in our political system is the real threat to public health, and when you stand on the side of corporations and criminalize your fellow citizens, you threaten the health of our democracy.

Occupy Nashville welcomes all people to exercise their First Amendment rights on the plaza. We seek to create an environment that makes other groups feel welcome, safe and empowered. We have worked with the Metro Public Health Department to address health concerns. It has never been possible to control the behavior of everyone who comes onto the plaza, though we take it upon ourselves to clean up and encourage everyone to follow the Code of Conduct, which discourages inappropriate behavior.

Despite knowing these things, you have continued to be hostile. In the early-morning evictions of October 28th and 29th, you declared war against the rights of your fellow citizens. You were overruled and reprimanded for infringing on our First Amendment rights and we have occupied Legislative Plaza since then.

Since October 8th, we have raised the consciousness of a generation and opened the eyes of the public to a system that perpetuates greed, injustice and inequality. The people of the world cried out against your attempts to evict us and we won an injunction barring your harassment. We have remained nonviolent, we have launched a successful campaign to halt the foreclosure of Nashvillians’ homes, we have taken to the streets to protest against corruption and injustice, and we reclaimed a derelict public building so that it could once again be used for public good. Now you are once again poised to enact an unjust law that will harm the public.

HB 2638/SB 2508 is an attempt to control, constrain, and manipulate public space to conceal the failure and inequity of the system you perpetuate. The visibility of unhoused people in public spaces is evidence that all is not well. Your system isn’t working when 25.7% of children in Tennessee live below the poverty line and when vacant housing units outnumber the people lacking affordable housing. You can’t lock people away in jail, declare success, and sweep suffering under the rug. Public property belongs to the public.

When you pass unjust regulations and use force, we grow stronger. If you pass this bill to evict Occupy Nashville and criminalize our unhoused friends, we will prevail in the courts and on the streets. You may expect actions like these:

1) We will occupy the State Capitol,
2) We will occupy public property (abandoned and in-use),
3) We will reclaim foreclosed homes, and
4) We will occupy the restrooms of all Pilot Travel Centers.

We take these actions in a spirit of love for our fellow citizens and unhoused friends. We hope you will respect the people’s right to use public property for public good. We stand in solidarity with our un-housed neighbors and occupations from New York to Nigeria, Murfreesboro to Memphis, Oakland to D.C. We stand for the rights of the people.Which side are you on?

Sincerely,

Occupy Nashville

State of the State

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Mary Mancini with Tennessee Citizen Action has assembled an all star panel to live blog Governor Haslam's State of the State address, thus forcing me to actually watch a State of the State for the first time in...well ever I think. Anywho, you can catch me along with those listed below over at www.tnca.org/live tonight starting at 5:30PM.

Mary Mancini, Executive Director, Tennessee Citizen Action
Wade Munday, Board of Directors, Tennessee Citizen Action
Sean Braisted, Producer, Nashville21.com
Kris Murphy, Political Coordinator, AFL-CIO TN
Steve Scarborough, Proprietor, RoaneViews.com & WhitesCreekJournal.com
Bill Howell, Tennesseans for Fair Taxation
Dick Williams, Common Cause of Tennessee
More to come....

On Ideas and Actions

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Via KNS and Joe Powell

I know I probably shouldn't bother, but Matthew Hurtt decided to continue his Campfield apology tour by writing a post lamenting the "left's" reaction to Martha Boggs refusing to serve a State Senator because of his well documented homophobic actions:

The problem with the incident in Knoxville and the subsequent public response is that it’s motivated by disdain for an individual and his beliefs. The manager who tossed Campfield out and the people who have applauded her aren’t standing on some libertarian, free association principle. They’re doing so because they don’t like Stacey.

What’s the difference, then, between refusing service to a man because you don’t like his ideas and refusing service to a man because you don’t like his skin color? Both decisions are based on a disdain for an individual.

Stacey Campfield also agrees with this notion that he was ejected for his thoughts, telling a Buzzfeed reporter, "if you don't think the way certain people think, then they think you don't have a right to be served."

Here's the thing. Martha Boggs would have absolutely no way of discriminating against Campfield's personal views if it weren't for the fact that he has made it his mission in life to use his position of power as an amplifier for spreading his own personal brand of verbal santorum around the state and nation.

Ideas and thoughts are the consequence of synapses firing in the brain, they happen billions of times a day to every human being. In order to know what ideas are floating around in someone's brain, they have to commit an act, be it writing or speaking, informing their fellow humans about what those ideas are.

Stacey Campfield was not denied service because of his ideas, he was denied service because of his actions. Such as, going on a radio show and saying that AIDS is the result of people getting it on with monkeys. Or actions such as sponsoring the "Don't Say Gay" bill which would prohibit teachers from allowing the word, or concept, of homosexuality to leave their lips.

Now, its all fine and dandy to have a philosophical discussion on the merits or demerits of the concept of "free association," but, as it stands right now there are protected classes against discrimination, and being an idiot is not one of them.

See Also: Cup of Joe Powell for more reactions.

The Customer Isn't Always Right

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:17:00 +0000

Earlier today, from what I can tell, the restaurant The Bistro at the Bijou in Knoxville refused service to one Sen. Stacey Campfield. They posted a FB message that said, "I hope that Stacy Campfield now knows what if feels like to be unfairly discrimanted against." From all that I can ascertain, that was a response to not serving him for his well documented views of ignorance and bigotry towards the GLBT community.

In response, one Matthew Hurtt wrote: So, discriminating against someone because you don't agree with their political beliefs is perfectly fine. Two wrongs do, in fact, make a right, Fantastic logic!

That's a fine example of false equivalency. Stacey Campfield, who I've met, talked to, and actually kind of like as a human being, is a person of power in this state who has used said power to promote discrimination, misinformation, and outright hatred towards his constituents and other Tennesseans. Knoxvillains who wish to eat out have a whole host of different options from which to choose from. But Tennesseans who want equal representation and rights have only one legislature to look to. While there are many representatives, theirs, Stacey Campfield has made it a mission in his life to make life harder for those who don't fit his own personal view of 'normal'.

There is nothing inconsistent or incoherent about discriminating against those with power who actively discriminate against those without power. There is no difference between refusing to serve David Duke than there is Stacey Campfield. While Campfield's views may currently have more resonance among the American populace, it doesn't change the fact that he wishes discrimination against people based on who they are.

I hope Campfield was refused service for his advocacy of abhorrent beliefs, and I would hope that Nashville establishments would do the same to Stacey and the many other advocates of discrimination within the legislature. As long as the enemies of tolerance and compassion are given aid and comfort by the society at large, they will continue their evil deeds.

I look forward to soon patronizing The Bistro at the Bijou, and I hope you would do the same.

Update:

The Metro Pulse in Knoxville got a quote from bistro owner Martha Boggs:

"I didn't want his hate in my restaurant," Boggs said in a interview this morning. "I told him he wasn't welcome here. ... I feel like he's gone from being stupid to being dangerous, and I wanted to stand up to him."

See Also: Michael Silence has a good rundown of reactions.

Update II:

Stacey Campfield has blogged about his experience and says that he left the restaurant because "she started to yell and call me names again so I figured it was better to just leave." He also adds this nugget:

Some people have told me my civil rights were violated under the 1964 civil rights act in that a person can not be denied service based on their religious beliefs. (I am catholic and the catholic church does not support the act of homosexuality)

Ummm...no. According to the EEOC, "Social, political, or economic philosophies, as well as mere personal preferences, are not “religious” beliefs protected by Title VII." While Title II covers restaurants, its safe to say that the same definition of "religion" would apply there as well. Arguably the belief that "homosexuality is a sin" is a religious belief, but saying that AIDS resulted from people having sex with monkeys, or passing laws that prohibit the discussion of the concept of same-sex relationships, does not fall under that classification.

Update III: Martha Boggs responds on camera to the incident on Sunday, saying she thinks Campfield is a "bully" and that "he needed to be stood up to".

Herron says "Peace Out"

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Sen. Roy Herron, in an uncharacteristically long press release, has announced he will not be running for re-election to the 24th Senate District seat.

Dresden—Senator Roy Herron (D-Dresden) today announced plans not to run for office in 2012, but instead to lead the Ned McWherter Center for Rural Development in expanded efforts to help young people go to college and create jobs for Tennesseans.

The senator expressed both great gratitude to constituents and high hopes for students and workers. Herron stated:

“I am blessed to represent the most wonderful people on earth. The people who have let me work for them as their representative and senator are my teachers, friends, and many are like family. I’m excited about working with them and other Tennesseans to help more young people go to college and help our state grow and gain good-paying jobs.”

Herron said after he finishes his state senate responsibilities this year, he will work actively as the president of the McWherter Center, a non-profit, non-partisan, charitable organization. The McWherter Center provides scholarships and educational opportunities for Tennessee students.

The McWherter Center was founded in 2008 with the blessing of the former Governor who died last April. Herron explained, “Some of us blessed to learn so much from Governor McWherter wanted to continue his service, and he loved the idea of a Center that would help young people.”

“Governor McWherter repeatedly taught,” Herron recalled, “’Schools plus roads equals jobs.’ And while he called himself a college drop-out, he helped his two children earn five (5) university degrees, and he recognized that in the 21^st century his formula must be updated to say, ‘Colleges plus information highways equal jobs.’”

Herron said, “Now the Center can use Governor McWherter’s wisdom and legacy to help enable our young people to continue their education beyond high school so they can become all that God’s grace and their gifts will let them become.”

Herron said re-districting made the decision to leave the legislature hard, because he knows and loves so many people in the new 24^th senate district.

“The new senate district is four counties I’ve represented in the senate for 16 years (Obion, Weakley, Henry, and Benton), another county I represented in the House for 10 years (Carroll), and my late sister’s home county (Gibson) near our farm where I also know so many that I love so dearly.”

“But Governor McWherter said his second term was ‘for the kids’ and I want my next stretch of public service to follow his lead in making a difference for our young people.”

Senator Herron said the McWherter Center will be working with Tennesseans of both political parties as well as independents to expand college opportunities. He explained, “The rich can afford college, the very poor can get financial aid, but the middle class and working people are struggling as college costs soar. The ‘strong back jobs’ are gone overseas and the 21^st century jobs are going to those who have a 21^st century education. The McWherter Center can help students get 21^st century educations and jobs.”

“At a time when some in the General Assembly want to make college scholarships harder to attain, I don’t see Nashville moving in the right direction. But I believe many Tennesseans will work together to help the young people who want to study hard and improve their lives.”

LEGISLATIVE RECORD

Herron won then-Speaker McWherter’s seat representing Weakley and Carroll counties in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1986 when McWherter ran for Governor. In 1996, Herron ran for the state senate where he initially represented Dyer and continues to represent Lake, Obion, Weakley, Henry, Stewart, Benton, Henderson, Decatur, and Perry counties. In 2010, he was the Democratic nominee for Congress. He remains in the state senate.

In the General Assembly, Herron has held numerous leadership positions, including chairing the Select Committee on Children and Youth, the TennCare Oversight Committee, the Senate General Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee, and the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Herron has sponsored literally hundreds of bills that have become law and a state constitutional amendment. As an attorney who had served as a special prosecutor, Herron authored the Crime Victims Bill of Rights that for the first time in Tennessee history enshrined in the Tennessee Constitution a set of rights for victims of crime.

As a former minister and lawyer who graduated from and taught at Vanderbilt’s Divinity and Law Schools, Herron wrote the Student Religious Liberty Act to protect children’s rights to pray in public schools and the Bible in Schools Act which provides a constitutional way for children to learn about the Bible in public schools.

As the father of three sons, two of whose lives were saved in the womb and as newborns by exceptional healthcare professionals, Herron worked with Governor McWherter to expand access to healthcare for working families. He then fought to try to get the next administration to require better stewardship of taxpayer dollars by the managed care organizations.

As a country lawyer, Herron took the case of a natural gas company employee worried about unsafe and illegal practices endangering hundreds of West Tennesseans, then wrote Tennessee’s Whistleblower Law that protects citizens who refuse to break the law or report crimes to law enforcement.

An avid hunter and sportsman, Herron often quipped that with a district including more rivers and lakes than any other, he represented “more ducks and geese, more bass and bream” than any other legislator. He authored and worked on numerous acts to protect Second Amendment rights and expand outdoor opportunities. Herron grew up fishing and duck hunting on Kentucky and Reelfoot Lakes with his father and raised his own sons doing the same. Working with Congressman John Tanner, Governor Phil Bredesen, and Representative Phillip Pinion, Herron helped obtain the new spillway at Reelfoot Lake.

A fiscal conservative known for his pickup truck with almost half-a-million miles, Herron has spent the taxpayers’ dollars like his own. He helped balance Tennessee’s budget every single year in office, while keeping Tennessee one of the lowest-taxed states in the country.
Herron warned that many in Nashville today seem intent on bolstering private for-profit educational companies at the expense of taxpayers and to the harm of public schools. Herron said he will miss continuing to fight for public schools as a senator, but plans to continue his efforts for public school students through his work with the McWherter Center.

As the son of a smoker who died of heart disease and the brother of a smoker who died of lung cancer, Herron sponsored the legislation that first banned smoking in state government buildings, then the legislation that banned smoking in most public places. That legislation has taken Tennessee from a third more citizens smoking five years ago to where we are today, saving taxpayers and insurance premium payers millions in reduced healthcare costs and which will ultimately save thousands of lives.

A runner who has completed more than thirty marathons and three 140.6 mile Ironman Triathlons, Herron sponsored the legislation creating the Coordinated School Health Program that works across Tennessee to reduce childhood obesity and improve children’s health.
As a businessman committed to economic growth, Herron helped create infrastructure improvements that have meant jobs and will mean more jobs in the future. Herron has played a significant role in the four-laning of Highways 22, 45E, 45W, 79, 412, and I-69, as well as new roads like 218 and numerous life-saving improvements such as the safety barriers between opposing lanes of interstate traffic.

He fought for and helped secure funding for the Cate’s Landing Port and Industrial Park in Lake County, the West Tennessee Jobs Megasite in Haywood County, improvements to area airports, and the expansion of efforts by the Department of Economic Community Development to draw companies to Tennessee.

As the parent of three sons, Herron worked to improve Tennessee’s schools, helping pass Governor McWherter’s and Governor Bredesen’s education initiatives, including the Better Education Program, pre-kindergarten for low-income children, and fairer funding for rural school systems.

“I’ve seen great teachers do great work and the differences they’ve made in our sons’ lives,” Herron said. All three of Herron’s sons attended Weakley County public schools in Dresden. “I want all children to be blessed with great, loving teachers like our sons were blessed to have.”
As a graduate of and former teacher at the University of Tennessee at Martin and Vanderbilt University, Herron has advocated not only for public schools, but also for post-secondary education in the vocational and career centers and community colleges and universities.
Herron has been known in the Senate for his willingness to work. In more than a quarter century, he has 100% attendance except for the day his youngest son was being born. He missed the House session that day, but only that day, and he has yet to miss a Senate session.
Herron also has been known for his Listening Meetings. It is believed that he has conducted more public Listening Meetings than any other member of the General Assembly, a number he acknowledges is “somewhere well north of a thousand.”

In addition to the legislation that Herron has helped pass, he also is known as having modified bills that needed correcting and having helped stop bills he thought should not pass. When asked for examples of some of the bad legislation he has helped stop, Herron declined, saying, “I don’t want to give anybody any ideas about trying some of those bad ideas again. We’re doing too much harm to the people already.”

CONCLUSION.

Herron will serve out his term which ends with the new general election in November. The current session of the General Assembly is expected to adjourn by May.

Herron assured citizens, “I’m just as passionate about the issues and care just as much about our people. If I can help you now as senator or in the future in any way, please, let me know.”

The Long Lost Brokered Convention

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Its something that political junkies love talking about. It engenders all sorts of Aaron Sorkin-esque romanticism about the political process. It was discussed in 2008, when a handful of journalists and columnists freaked the fuck out when Obama and Hillary had taken the primary into the depths of February (in case you forgot, it didn't stop there) and started talking about a brokered convention with Al Gore positioned as the savior to be.

Well, now its the Republicans turn, but instead of machinations by editorialists trying to fill their contractual writing obligation by positing ridiculous theories, its now the Republican base who are looking at their deeply flawed candidates with a sense of resignation and remorse.

I am part of the base that will do everything I can to defeat Mitt Romney because I believe he will be a disastrous nominee who will cost us the House, the Senate, the White House, and consequently the Supreme Court. There are Mitt supporters who feel the same about Newt, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. So maybe we ought to all find someone who we all kind of like instead of heading to Tampa in August all licking wounds and pretending to rally to the man the voters chose between the evils of two real lessers.

Of course, there are a few hiccups to this solution to your problem.

1) The GOP rules don't allow for the same level of "super-delegates" that the Democratic party had. From what I can tell, there are generally about three automatically "unbound" delegates per state. Now, this isn't hard and fast, there are some states where all the delegates are unbound, some with binding rules that only require for 1st ballot unity, some that require multiple ballots, some that are "moral" but not legal, and all sorts of other various measurements for judging how loyal someone is. So, based on my calculations, there are roughly 1768 "bound" delegates to 587 "unbound". Is that enough to trigger a brokered convention with an outsider candidates? I suppose, but its unlikely because...

2) Neither Romney or Gingrich are just going to give up, nor will their contributors let them. Yeah, its great for Republicans to think they'll set aside personal ambition and years of hard work so that Chris Cristie can waddle his way to the nomination, but really, does anything you've seen so far indicate they have that sense of selflessness? Someone is going to come out of this nomination process with the most votes, whether they matter or not, and the most delegates. That person will fight to make their case as to why they should be the nominee. They may come to an agreement with the runner-up for a VP slot, or they may cut a deal with Ron Paul to add Rand to the ticket and moderate their recklessly dangerous geo-political views. But ultimately...

3) Someone will probably collapse. None of them have the same sort of foundational campaign apparatus or fundraising base that Obama and Hillary did. Newt Gingrich is right now running entirely on the power of his adoring fans who marvel at his brilliance in debates...except, when he falls flat in one, and then he collapses ten points the next day. This sort of volatility makes me very pessimistic about the chances of a competition lasting until August, because sooner or later one of the candidates will make enough of an ass of themselves to allow for the other to gain a permanent momentum. My guess is, based on all available evidence, that person is Newt, especially given the apparent coalescing of the mainstream GOP establishment (Fox News, Drudge, Coulter, etc...) into a rag-tag group of Anybody But Newt. They may not like Mittens Romney Inc, but they sure as shit aren't gonna sit by while Newt auditions to play the part of Walter Mondale in the general election.

Of course, I would love to be wrong here...let the process drag out in a war of bloody attrition where Republicans put the Clinton impeachment and Capitalism "on trial" for the world to see. Yes, you've dug yourselves into a deep hole with your Reagan revisionism and utter rejection of reality these past 20 or so years. Now, no candidate with half a brain or know-how can survive the type of rigid purity tests you have created for yourselves. You've become a wholly dysfunctional walking blob of cognitive dissonance in your battle against the secular-humanist-muslim-terrorist-communistic-socialist-liberal-corporate-crony that you see as our President. You did it all to yourselves. If you, Erik, don't like the candidates with which you have been presented, look into a mirror and blame yourself.

Jameson Meet and Greet

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Judge Mike Jameson is having a good ol' fashioned meet and greet at Swett's tonight, featuring many of Davidson County's African-American elected officials such as Sen. Harper, Rep. Pruitt, CM Maynard, Davis and others.

Judge Mike Jameson

Thursday, January 26, 2012

5:30-7:30PM

Swett's Restaurant

2725 Clifton Avenue

Nashville 37206

Taxing Capital

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:22:00 +0000

It seems that Mittens Romney Inc has brought to the forefront a discussion about our 10 year experiment with dramatically lowered long-term capital gains tax rates and how they effect the economy. Now, I'm not a tax policy or economic expert, but it seems to me that if, as Republicans seem to contend, lowering or eliminating the capital gains rate will have a positive impact on the economy, then the 2001 decrease in capital gains taxes should reflect that, no?

Well, they don't. In fact, when I ran the numbers and tested the capital gains rates from 1987-2008 (the latest available for the "effective rate" I actually found there is a moderate correlation between higher capital gains rates and INCREASED employment.

Now, obviously "correlation does not equal causation," but this guy makes a pretty compelling case for why the lower tax rates might hurt the economy, rather than helping it. What this indicates to me is that, at the very least, lowering capital gains does not have a positive impact on the economy, at least in so far as it is felt by average Americans. A lower rate may help with the accumulation and expansion of wealth among the already wealthy, but in terms of making our economy grow or prosper, the evidence just doesn't seem to be there.

Kurita Hilarity

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:59:00 +0000

Matthew Hurtt has piggybacked on a post by Joe Lance discussing the prospects of a Federal judge overturning the decision by the Tennessee Democratic Primary board to declare the results of the 2008 Senate District 22 Democratic primary "incurably uncertain" and kick the decision back down to the county parties to decide who should be the Democratic nominee (hint: they chose Tim Barnes). Hurtt concludes:

The only course of action that I can see if the court rules in Kurita’s favor is to remove Barnes from office immediately and allow Kurita to serve out the remainder of the term that would have been hers. No Republican filed to run in the 2008 election.

Both parties could then run again in the August primary without TNDP meddling.

It has always seemed to me that once a primary election is held and paid for by the taxpayers, then the results should stand. Sure, a political party should reserve the right to select a nominee, but they should be required to announce a selection process and cancel the primary.

First, I'll bet $20 the federal courts do not overturn the decision of a lower court to allow the Democratic Primary Board's decision to stand. However fair or unfair, the fact remains that state law, Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-17-104 to be exact, establishes that the Primary Board, comprised of the elected members of the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee, are to be the arbiters of any nomination dispute. This was upheld in 1978 in Taylor v. TDEC which states:

Court's opinion that under Tennessee Code Annotated § 2-1704, plaintiff had a statutory right to contest the nomination, but that it was the State Primary Board of the Democratic Party, not the chancery courts, which had exclusive jurisdiction to dispose of such a contest.

It is apparent from a reading of the seventeenth chapter of the election code that the legislative intent was that intraparty squabbles over the nominating procedures are to be considered a political matter which are to be resolved by the party itself without judicial intervention. The party machinery is much better equipped than the courts to resolve such a dispute with the speed and finality that is required to preserve the integrity of the democratic election process.

Fact is, Tim Barnes contested the nomination, the TDEC was, by law, required to hear the complaint, and by fact of legislative construction, the board is made up of elected members and impartiality is not one of the requirements for obtaining office.

Alright, so now that we got that out of the way. If by some chance Kurita managed to land a group of "judicial activists" who decide to supplant the law with their own feelings of fairness...what should be the outcome? Well, nothing. The other fact that still remains is that despite her name not being on the ballot, Kurita still (as Hurtt points out) was able to run for the seat. By the end of the campaign, every voter could reasonably be assumed to have known she was running, and they decided to elect Tim Barnes anyway (by 15,000 votes). The notion that she should be given a seat in the legislature with no evidence that was the will of the general electorate, is utterly absurd and I'm willing to bet without precedence. There is no way for a judge to prove that, if Barnes had been deemed the loser of a nomination contest, he couldn't have won as a write-in candidate.

My hope here is that the courts do uphold the original rulings and put this waste of the court's time to rest. The place to litigate this is not in the courts, but in the legislature. If we don't like the process set forth for determining nomination contests, then the Republicans in the legislature should change the law that sets it up.

Turner Running Again for District 58

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Steve Turner, who when up against Mary Pruitt in 2010, is going again for the 58th District seat once more:

Community leader and small businessman Steven Turner has announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination for State House District 58. Turner, a native Nashvillian and long-time resident of the 58th district, is seeking to build on his 2010 campaign in which he came within 170 votes of the 25 year incumbent Rep. Mary Pruitt.

“Now more than ever, Nashville and the 58th District needs a strong voice in the legislature to speak out on behalf of underserved families against those who work to silence their voices and ignore the rights of our city and its residents” said Turner. “I remain committed to serving my community by running for the opportunity to stand up for our seniors, our teachers, our students, and all of the other Tennesseans who have been under attack in the past legislative session.”

The 58th District hasn't changed too terribly much since 2010. Some notable differences would be Germantown is now out and in 51 (ironically, Steve Turner used to live in Werthan but moved last year to the East Nashville), while TSU's main campus has been drawn in. In addition, the district is slightly more African-American 63% - 31% white.

[Disclosure: I'm supporting and volunteering with his campaign.]

Congrats Stacey!

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:46:00 +0000

On the occasion of Newt's historic victory in South Carolina, I felt the Tennessee Young Democrats ought to congratulate our favorite Senator on his candidate's success:

Tennessee Young Democrats Congratulate Sen. Campfield
On the victory of his candidate for President, Newt Gingrich.
Nashville January 21, 2012: Sean Braisted, President of the Tennessee Young Democrats, would like to extend our congratulations to Sen. Stacey Campfield, Co-chair of the Newt Gingrich for Tennessee campaign, for his candidate's overwhelming success in the South Carolina Republican primary.
Earlier this week Mitt Romney's campaign had stated, 'On Saturday, South Carolina picks a President.' “While we disagree with that assessment, we are happy to acknowledge South Carolina's historic role in selecting the nominee of the Republican party,” said Braisted. “As the Republican voters of South Carolina have thoroughly rejected the candidacy of Mitt Romney, we look forward to a debate between President Obama and nominee Newt Gingrich.”
“We look forward to a debate between Newt Gingrich who supports a budget busting tax cut for the wealthiest one percent, versus President Obama's belief that we should have a tax policy that helps working families and asks the wealthy to pay their fair share in order to responsibly close the deficit.”
“We look forward to a debate between Newt Gingrich's desire to have all poor Americans become janitors versus President Obama's efforts to create a competitive education system that prepares young Americans for a 21^st century economy and allows all people, regardless of status, the opportunity to compete for the highest paying jobs.”
“We look forward to debate between Newt Gingrich's evolving health care views which have currently landed on throwing people off their health insurance and telling sick Americans to fend for themselves, versus President Obama's support for a health insurance system that encourages health insurance participation, enables young adults to continue their insurance while in school, and keeps insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.”
“Whether a debate between Romney or Gingrich, we look forward to advocating for and supporting the President's proposals to empower working families, send more people to college, protect Tennesseans against Wall Street greed, and improve the quality of health insurance for millions of Americans."

Is Newt the Reagan of 2012?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:16:00 +0000

As we sit and wait with bated breath to found out if the disgraced former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, will pull off an epic turnaround of fortunes and defeat Mittens Romney Inc in a state which he held a twenty point polling lead nary a week ago, I felt compelled to do a little research for some historical references. Now, I'll qualify this discussion with my opinion that I don't think Newt will wind up with the nomination...his fundamentals just aren't that strong in terms of his ability to sustain a national campaign. However, if Newt does win South Carolina, the possibility of upsetting Romney's path towards the nomination seems a lot clearer than it was just one week ago.

So, what are we looking at for November? Well, with Newton in the race, all current polls show Obama beating him like a bongo at an Occupy Wall Street protest. The current RCP average shows a +11 lead for the President, with only two polls in a year of polling that show Gingrich ever having a lead against Obama. While certainly encouraging, the fact that Newt ever came close or ahead of the President in polls shows that the possibility exists he could do it again, and if it were to happen at the right time, well, you and I could be looking into work visas in Canada in the not so distant future.

I suppose, in looking at the race, the most likely cited comparison will be between Newt and that of the 20th century Jesus, Ronald Reagan. And, if the comparison were to be made, it wouldn't be entirely out of context. After all, in an article on March 23, 1980, EJ Dionne cited a poll which showed President Carter drubbing Reagan by a whopping 53-34, with a 34% favorability rating for the former California Governor. That's actually worse than a Reuter/Ipsos poll earlier this month showing a 53-38 margin for the President over Gingrich. The same poll showed that a 47-42 lead in a hypothetical Ford-Carter matchup...not too dissimilar from some of Romney's leads. I wouldn't be surprised if the Gingrich folks pull out this poll to bolster their credentials in the coming weeks as the Mittens onslaught gets into full gear.

While relevant to point out, I also think that is about where the comparison ends. Keep in mind, these polls were before the political realignment that followed the Reagan election. Indeed, Dionne cited Carter's strength in the Midwest and South in contrast to Reagan's backing in the West. Now its largely a reverse of fortunes for the two parties, and its very difficult to see a similar realignment coming in the near future seeing as this realignment was largely due to Conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans swapping party affiliations over the coming decades.

In addition, just a month after this poll was done, Carter had a 21% job approval rating, largely due to an 18% reported annualized inflation rate. In comparison, the annual inflation rate in 2011 was 3% for all items, and .1% for December. Granted, food and energy inflation rates were higher, 4.7 and 6.6% respectively, which may have a greater influence on electorate moods than inflation on other items, however there is little indication we'll face the sort of massive economic pressures that Americans in 1980 were feeling, at least in comparison the the few years prior to the election.

Another similarity between then and now is that in 1980 is that Congress was deeply unpopular, the difference though is that in 2012 Congress is controlled by the Republicans. While Carter had a rough relationship with Congress, it was more difficult for him to blame the problems of the economy on them, because his party was in control...obviously Obama is much more free to attempt to sell the contrast.

So while Reagan could rely on Carter's unpopularity to carry the day, the fact is Obama's fundamentals are much stronger than that of the Georgia peanut farmer's. Reagan was also running during an ideological shift of the general electorate. Despite beliefs that Reagan was the reason for the conservative shift in America, the fact remains that polls in early 1980 showed shifts of the American electorate to the right on issues such as social welfare, spending, and the military. For the first time in decades, Americans favored an increase in military spending. There is, I believe, little evidence that shows a growing desire for increased militarism among the general electorate this go around.

But, beyond poll numbers and data, I think the biggest reason why Democrats like myself are cautiously optimistic about a race against the Newt have more to do with his personality than his positions. Newt is in many ways the gross and inaccurate caricature that has been adopted by the Right against President Obama. He defines egotistical and arrogant, his belittling of the media and his opponents, while endearing to the right, are less likely to be attractive to the middle of the political spectrum. And, in addition, he's a scummy human being compared to a President who by all appearance has his personal house in order.

My biggest fear though with Newt, is that while he's played the media and GOP electorate like a fiddle thus far, he's also smart enough to transition to "nice Newt" in the general election. After all, this is a guy who sat down with Nancy Pelosi on a couch to discuss the need for climate change legislation. Much like Romney, the man has few convictions beyond advancing his own personal success, and while he's come up with some idiotic ideas in the past, I think he's smart enough to track polls and adopt a more centrist viewpoint and demeanor should he get the nomination. The question is whether or not he could or would be able to look past his own brilliance to listen to other people. I'm guessing not, and I'm also guessing we won't have a chance to find out.