Nashville for the 21st Century

The Moment the Charter Authorizer Died

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:05:00 +0000

Republicans thought they were just sticking it to the Senate. Luckily for Nashville, the Senate stuck back and killed the state charter authorizer because Speaker Ramsey didn't get his judicial redistricting plan...

TN House Week in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:36:00 +0000

This week in the Tennessee State House the topic of education was at the forefront of the debate. Legislation that would limit local control of charter schools in Memphis and Nashville was moved out of subcommittee, and legislators were informed of the poor progress and questionable practices of the for-profit virtual school company K12, Inc. In addition, legislation that would allow for handgun permit holders to carry their firearms virtually everywhere moved forward, as well as a bill to end Medicare in Tennessee and move senior citizens onto TennCare.

State Charter Authorizer goes forward

State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) has introduced legislation (HB702) on behalf of Speaker of the House Beth Harwell that would take control of charter schools away from locally elected school boards and give it to a state board of education that is appointed by the Governor.

During the hearing, Rep. Joe Pitts (D-Clarksville) questioned why the legislation would only apply to the Nashville and Memphis school boards, asking “why public policy should just apply to those two communities. If it is good enough for those two, why would you just make it statewide?” Watch the video.

Also testifying on the proposed legislation was Metro Nashville School Board Member Amy Frogge. Frogge, who won her seat last year by a 2-1 margin despite being outspent 5 to 1 by a charter school proponent, stood up to represent a “strong, silent majority here in Nashville who are vehemently opposed to bills like this.” Frogge implored the committee to “hear from parents and those who will be directly impacted by this bill.” Watch video here.

Despite pleas from local parents and school board members, the House Education Subcommittee passed the legislation on to the full committee by a 6 to 3 vote. It is scheduled to be heard again on Tuesday, February 19^th in the House Education Committee.

Democrats move to close poor performing for-profit virtual school

The day after a news story by News Channel 5’s Phil Williams broke alleging a potential grade-fixing scheme by the K12, Inc. operated Tennessee Virtual Academy, the House Education Subcommittee heard legislation that would limit or abolish this underperforming and highly controversial experiment.

Passed in 2011 despite overwhelming evidence of poor performance nationwide, the Tennessee Virtual Schools Act allowed the for-profit Virginia based firm K12, Inc. to begin operating in our state. Since then, the Tennessee Virtual Academy has achieved the lowest scores possible (1 out of a potential 5) in all categories of the state’s TVAAS grading system.

Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) introduced HB728, a bill to repeal the portion of the 2011 that allowed for K12, Inc. to set up shop in Tennessee. During the hearing, Rep. Stewart laid out overwhelming evidence that K12, Inc. has failed taxpayers and students, questioning the millions in compensation their CEO has received, and asking them to produce a detailed explanation of costs associated with the program. Watch the video.

Despite serious concerns, the Education Subcommittee voted not to move the legislation forward to full committee. The administration has introduced a bill that would give the Commissioner of Education authority to close or cap enrollment for a virtual school if it continues to underperform, but it was weakened in committee to remove the 5,000 total cap that was in the original legislation.

In other news…

“Guns Everywhere” moving quickly through the legislature

HB118 by Rep. Jeremy Faison, a bill to allow handgun permit holders to bring their weapons onto private property regardless of the wishes of the property owner, has moved on to the Civil Justice full committee. Despite drawing the ire of some of the biggest employers in the state such as Volkswagen, the House Civil Justice Subcommittee moved the bill on a voice vote. Speaking out against the legislation was Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) who sought clarification that this bill would limit the property rights of business owners. Watch the video.

Bill to force seniors off of Medicare and into TennCare passes subcommittee

House Republicans have reintroduced legislation that failed last year which would authorize the state to enter into a compact with other states for the purposes of eliminating federal health care programs in those states. The bill, HB536 by Rep. Mark Pody, would eliminate federal control of Medicare and put it under the control of the state TennCare program. During the committee hearing, Reps. David Shepard and Joanne Favors objected to the placement of this legislation – which would dramatically alters the state budget and the health care system in Tennessee – in the Insurance and Banking Committee instead of the Health Committee where it was heard in the previous session. Watch the video.

The Week Ahead

The Legislature will be out of session on Monday in recognition of President’s Day. Starting on Tuesday we can expect to have some of the legislation mentioned above move into their full committee hearings where more legislators will be allowed to weigh in on these laws being proposed. Wednesday, the House will continue to hold hearings on the $32.6 billion budget proposed by the Governor.

Chris Christie Channels Ron Swanson

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:06:00 +0000

As crews continue the recovery effort in the aftermath of Sandy, Governor Chris Christie has postponed Halloween in New Jersey. Christie signed an executive order which postponed Halloween celebrations across New Jersey until Monday, November 5. (Via NBC)

On the Tennessean's endorsement of Mitt Romney

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:46:00 +0000

The Tennesseaneditorial board has produced an incoherent argument for why voters should choose Mitt Romney in November.

The editors rightfully point out that Romney’s foreign policy views would take us closer to another ill-fated foreign excursion, this time into Iran.

They rightfully point out that Mitt Romney’s social views are murky, incoherent and inconsistent at best.

They rightfully point out that Romney’s economic plans are dangerously opaque and the math simply does not add up.

And then, inexplicably, they end their review of the choices in this election by saying voters should choose Mitt Romney.

The Tennessean’s editors seem to think that we should reward the Republican Party’s well documented and patterned efforts of obstructionism by handing them the White House for the next four years. This is the political equivalent of giving an unruly child a treat for misbehaving. They absolve the GOP of any wrong-doing in the health care debate, despite the President supporting centrist reforms largely modeled on the plan passed by his Republican challenger in Massachusetts.

The Tennessean’s editors also wonder aloud if the President should have pursued policies that would grow jobs and cut the deficit. Only a small fringe of Ayn Randian acolytes view these two options as compatible. Nearly a century of economic theory backs up the Keynesian economic model of using the borrowing power of the government to replace lost GDP. Additionally, there is no path to budget solvency that does not include an increase in revenues – something the Republican Party and Mitt Romney have pledged they will never – ever – entertain the possibility of.

The Tennessean also neglects to point out that the Republicans have blocked the President’s American Jobs Act of 2011, which the Washington Post reported is “still the best — and most detailed — plan on the table to create jobs.”

The truth that the Tennessean's editors fail to see, is that the President has shown extraordinary leadership in extraordinary times, and Tennessee is better off for it.

Because of the President’s leadership, Tennessee received $500 million for the Race to the Top program that is improving Tennessee’s public education system.

Because of the President’s leadership, the American Auto Industry is alive, and at least 1,000 Tennesseans have good paying jobs in Maury County because the President didn’t think that “letting Detroit go bankrupt” – as Mitt Romney hoped for – was a viable option.

Because of the President’s leadership, hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans will have access to health care coverage, and will no longer be discriminated against because of pre-existing conditions or gender.

For these reasons and countless others, President Obama clearly has earned another four years, whether the Tennessean’s editors see it or not.

Tutorials in Biased Polling from Beacon

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:51:00 +0000

The Beacon Center, the folks who brought us their Screw the Poor alternative budget to Mayor Dean's proposal for an increase in the property tax, have commissioned and released a poll which, shockingly, affirms their belief that Nashvillians oppose the Mayor's budget.

Beacon released preliminary results yesterday and released the full poll earlier today which they say proves that, even when presented with the Mayor's talking points, voters oppose the plan. Just a few thoughts on the findings.

"Likely voters" - The polling firm excluded anyone who said they will "probably" or "definitely" won't vote in the next countwide election. If by the next "countywide" election, people thought you to mean the school board and primary races, that excludes quite a lot of people who aren't habitual voters.
"13% tax increase" - This, in and of itself, is a biased description in that its a 53 cent property tax increase. The first question uses this designation, and its reiterated again in the poll. Perhaps the results would've been the same, but we'll never know, and I'd imagine that people are more willing to pay an extra "53 cents" as opposed to a 13% tax hike.
"The Mayor's Talking Points..."

Beacon had been hyping their super special release of the full poll that tested "the Mayor's talking points" to see if voters support it. And while the first part of question 5 does give the Mayor's budget highlights, the second part of the question implies the first part wasn't true:

So, in other words, either you can raise taxes to avoid cuts in education and police OR hey, all you have to do is maintain current spending and "cut unnecessary waste".

Hell, if that were an option, I'd take it too. But what TCPR/Beacon fails to mention in the poll, is that their version of "cutting unecessary waste" involves eliminating all funding for public transportation, shuttering Metro General, and ignoring needed improvements in schools and other parts of the city.

If they were truly trying to find out which idea was more popular, they'd have asked the question that way...but that wasn't their goal, they wanted numbers that scared councilmembers and reaffirmed their own worldview, and hey, you pay any polling firm enough, they'll get you these numbers.

On taxes and spending...

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Earlier this morning, Mayor Karl Dean spoke to the Kitchen Cabinet (a group of progressive and moderate young professionals) and plugged his push to increase revenues (AKA increase property tax rates) in order to expand and fully fund public safety and education.

His pitch is fairly simple, maintain and increase funding on public safety, education and 'other'. He wants to increase the starting salary for teachers, fund a DNA crime lab, and invest in capital improvements for schools and other parts of the city.

In total, its a fairly good plan that will (as supporters like to say) Move Nashville Forward.

Of course, the tried and true refrain against the increase in revenues is just as obvious as the emphasis on education and public safety spending.

Some basic iteration of "government should live within its means," "why are we raising taxes on citizens when we are giving tax breaks to corporations" and "its all because of the convention center". The logical answers (a. this is a silly statement, because government sets its means; b. tax increment financing is a necessary evil in the marketplace of municipal competition; c. its got nothing whatsoever to do with the convention center) are going to be largely irrelevant to the opponents of this measure.

The Beacon Solution, ignore 'em, and the poor will go away.

One of the leaders in the charge to oppose this revenue/tax increase is the Tennessee Center for Policy Research turned Beacon Center of Tennessee. In a policy paper (loosely defined), TCPRBCT presented an alternative budget which finds the cuts necessary to avoid any increases in revenue.

Gut/eliminate public funding of public transportation, write-off Metro General Hospital, eliminate additional education funding, and about $10 million or so in "other". In other words, if it even remotely benefits poor people, its 'waste' and should be cut.

Now, maybe you could "trim some fat" here and there...and certainly there are probably some department managers who make more than they might deserve. But, really, even if you remove a little more gristle here and there, it still doesn't take away from our need to increase revenues and grow the budget of Nashville.

We are a growing city. We've come a long way in the decade I've been here, and I think there is a lot more room for growth and improvement. While I'm no more enamored with the idea of a tax increase than the next person, I'm happy to stand with the Mayor and many councilmen and women in moving Nashville forward toward being the city we know it can be.

Where You At?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Apologies for the lack of posts in the past few weeks, I should've updated sooner, but I recently started working with the Tennessee Democratic Party doing New Media. While it doesn't preclude me from blogging here, chances are most of my attention will be on the TNDP blog I'll now be operating.

So if you want to see my flackery in full effect, redirect your bookmarks and feed readers to http://tndp.org/blog.

Democrats "unenthusiastic" just like in 1996

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:23:00 +0000

The Tennessee Republican party is trying to spin away the great dissatisfaction with their nominee to be, Mitt Romney, by projecting some feelings on the Democratic base in Tennessee that just do not exist. In a press release, the Republicans are claiming that “The only enthusiasm gap that exists in this Presidential election is with Democrat voters. The fact that more than 1 out of 10 Democrats took the time to go to the polls to reject having President Obama as their nominee, should be very troubling to the Obama campaign."

Right, just like in 1996, when Bill Clinton pulled 88.93% of the vote to 10.99% for "uncommitted". How did this "lack of enthusiasm" for Bill Clinton play out in the general election? Oh, yeah, he carried Tennessee with 48% of the vote to Dole's 45.6%. And, unlike Mittens, Dole actually won Tennessee with 51% of the vote.

Now, I'm not predicting an Obama victory in Tennessee, but based on the GOP's faulty logic, Tennessee should be ripe for the picking for President Obama given the historical comparisons.

The End of an Era

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:02:00 +0000

The son of a Lebanese immigrant, Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, the "Lebanese Lion" as Mike Turner calls him, was perhaps the most influential and important political figure in modern Tennessee history who was not the governor.

While controversial at times, Naifeh never feared speaking his mind and doing what he felt was right, despite an increasingly conservative and Republican leaning district. That meant sometimes using the power of the committee to ensure the legislature focused on issues that were actually important in the lives of Tennesseans, rather than the social conservative distractions the Republicans have pushed in recent years. As Mike Turner said in a press release:

He has done more for the people of Tennessee than most of us will ever know. He’s a hard worker, he’s well-informed and he’s not afraid to stand-up for the issues and the people he cares about. When he goes home this fall, our caucus and this House will be a much emptier place. I will miss him, but I wish him the best in everything he does in the future.”

In remarks on the House Floor, Speaker Naifeh said "Governor McWherter, my mentor, always told me I would know when it was time to go home and I know that time has come for me to step aside for the next generation of leaders." Indeed, with this end of an era brings the possibility of a rebirth of both the Democratic party and the House Caucus. While his district will likely fall to the Republicans this year, there are many other opportunities to infuse new life and blood into the legislature, hopefully within the new crop of Democrats there lies the potential for the next "Lebanese Lion".

Update: Video from Naifeh's farewell address to the House, with words of support from his fellow members, and a brief turn back at the gavel.

Jason Powell Announces in District 53

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Civic leader Jason Powell has announced he will be running to replace Rep. Janis Sontany at the State House in District 53. Powell, 34, had previously run for State House in 2006 against Rep. Mary Pruitt and is starting off the race with some major endorsements from Councilman Jerry Maynard, Sheriff Daron Hall, and former US Senate candidate Bob Tuke.

In his release, Powell stated that he has "always been looking for opportunities to give back" and this was another way for him to do so, along with his charitable work with Big Brothers Big Sisters and role as Hope Gardens Association President.

The election is August 2nd and the filing deadline is April 5th. Read the full release after the jump:

JASON POWELL ENTERS RACE FOR STATE HOUSE -- DISTRICT 53

MAJOR ENDORSEMENTS: DARON HALL, JERRY MAYNARD, ANNA PAGE AND BOB TUKE

WORKED WITH “BIG BROTHERS,” TAUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HAS DEEP DISTRICT ROOTS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Democrat Jason Powell today announces his candidacy for the Tennessee State House of Representatives, District 53, in a bid to replace retiring State Representative Janis Sontany.

“If elected, I hope to continue in the tradition of strong leadership demonstrated by Representative Janis Sontany,” Powell said. Powell is a staunch supporter of great jobs, safe neighborhoods, affordable healthcare, and excellent schools. “This community has given me so much that I have always been looking for opportunities to give back. This is another great opportunity for me to give back.”

Powell, a native Nashvillian, has deep roots in the 53rd District. Jason was baptized and attended Sunday school at Saint Matthias Church on Nolensville Road. He even called bingo at the Woodlands South senior residence where his grandmother lived during his youth. Jason taught in public schools throughout the district including Glencliff and Overton high schools.

Powell’s character was formed early in life. At the age of five, Jason’s father died. As a child, he learned how to live by the values of hard work and commitment to his faith from his mother, a single mom and registered nurse with a career in healthcare who worked long hours to provide for Jason and his older sister Shannon.

Jason was fortunate to become a Little Brother in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program at the age of seven. Bill Davis, his Big Brother, instilled a strong sense of self confidence in Jason, who had many academic, athletic, and extracurricular pursuits during his youth.

Jason attended Nashville’s public schools through 8th grade and graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy. At the University of Colorado, Jason was elected as a representative to the nation’s largest college student government and walked on to the Colorado Buffaloes football team as an offensive lineman. He went on to earn a Master in Public Administration from the Institute of Government at Tennessee State University while working as a substitute teacher in Nashville’s public schools.

Jason went to work for Big Brothers Big Sisters to help launch a faith-based program that recruits mentors for children who have one or more parents incarcerated or who are simply in need of a positive role model. Jason works as a real estate broker in addition to his position at the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association as Director of CHASCo, a statewide higher education coalition of 32 public and private colleges and universities representing tens of thousands of students that promotes healthy and safe campus environments. Jason’s position has taken him across Tennessee working with various community anti-drug coalitions, local law enforcement, and colleges.

Among his achievements is organizing his neighbors to take back their local park from gangs and drug dealers and returning it to a safe place for children to play. In addition, Jason worked with the police to condemn a crime ridden house in his neighborhood that had received hundreds of violations.

Powell is a Representative on the Davidson County Democratic Executive Committee, member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Education Report Card Committee, serves as a Board Member of Prevention Alliance of Tennessee and Nashville Emerging Leaders and served as President of his neighborhood association for the last five years.

Jason is married to Heather Powell, the Development Director at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, and is a proud father of their sixteen month old daughter, Sophie Marcella.

Powell has received the endorsements of Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, Councilman At-Large Jerry Maynard, former Councilwoman Anna Page, and former Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Bob Tuke.

To learn more about Jason Powell please visit www.facebook.com/powellfortennessee
or www.twitter.com/powellfortn.

Mayor Berke?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

You won't have Chattanooga's Sen. Andy Berke to kick around at the legislature for much longer:

State Senator Andy Berke announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to the State Senate District 10 seat he has held since 2007...

...“Although I am not running for re-election, I am dedicated to growing jobs in our area and working on issues that affect my neighbors,” Berke said. “I am excited to continue to serve Southeast Tennessee, and I look forward to new challenges and opportunities.”

So, in other words, he's giving up his chance to be one of a handful of Democrats in a Republican dominated Senate in order to serve *cough*Mayor*cough* in new *cough*Mayor*cough* ways.

Don't Say Stacey

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Gender neutrality in the allocation of names is a crime against God.

Richard Exton on being in the loyal opposition

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:07:00 +0000

It looks like Richard Exton has moved beyond simply collecting signatures for a possible Senate District 20 race, and began making his pitch for his candidacy at a Bellevue Democrats (there are some...really) breakfast. (h/t Dru Fuller).

Jameson Wins Bar Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:34:00 +0000

Judge Jameson has once again curried favor with his fellow Nashville Bar members who have overwhelmingly chosen him to be their candidate for the Democratic nomination in the March 6th election:

In results released by the Nashville Bar Association today, Judge Mike Jameson dominated the field in recommendations by his peers to remain on the bench. Judge Jameson, who currently presides over the General Sessions Division VIII court, was "highly recommended" five times as often as any other candidate and received the recommendation or high recommendation of almost 700 of the 1,062 attorneys contributing to the poll.
"My service to Nashville has always been an honor, but no more so than today," Judge Jameson said. Judge Jameson's success in the NBA survey comes on the heels of a recent stream of endorsements from the Nashville Firefighters, the Neighborhood Defense Fund, the SEIU and the Central Labor Council. "Our local courts should be places within which the expertise of the law is matched with service to the the individual. On the bench, I've tried to balance the rights of individuals with the mandates of the law. Earning the support of so many attorneys, civil rights, labor and neighborhood groups confirms that aim."

Sometimes good people do bad things

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:02:00 +0000

I'm sure all of you know by now the news about Councilman Brady Banks. I won't get into the details, you can find that elsewhere. As it seems traffic is being driven to my blog because of a story I wrote a couple weeks ago regarding his potential for the Senate District 20 spot, I thought I'd say something.

I understand the "game is the game," I'm one of the worst offenders in treating politics as sport. We've all, at one time or another, experienced some level of schadenfreude over the failings of a politician because they were a member of another party or because we didn't like them. So I understand the inclinations of some Republicans or people who hate the Mayor as to why they would relish in this news.

For many of us though, especially many readers of this blog in Nashville, this is a personal story about a friend who made a horrible mistake and has deeply and perhaps irreparably hurt his wife and marriage. His political career is irrelevant at this point, for those closest to him that is what we are concerned about. So, I ask all of us to try and be better people, not just in our own lives but in how we treat those who fall, because we have all done things we aren't proud of at one time or another, and being a real friend means being there for someone in good times and in bad.

Petitions Pulled in 53

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:51:00 +0000

News of Sontany's desire not to run for re-election has inspired two women so far to pull petitions for the district. One, a Republican, is Nikki Goeser, a gun advocate who has gone around the country arguing for looser restrictions on carry permits after her husband was killed in a bar.

Another, a Democrat, is Shannon Stoner, but I don't have any info on her yet.

On the State Senate side, three Democrats have pulled petitions for District 20.

James Baxter, a TSU History Professor and perennial candidate.

Kevin Doherty, lawyer and creator of ChangItNow.us, a political reform advocacy group.

and Richard Exton, a real estate appraiser who ran in 2007 for Council At-large.

Why I Like Mike

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Today is election day in Nashville and around Tennessee. I know many of my Democratic friends in Nashville are going to be tempted to vote in the Republican primary for either the worst or the least worst option...don't. While it may not be glamorous, we do have important local elections in Nashville, and one in particular is that of Metro Sessions judge.

I'm voting for Mike Jameson, and here's why. Sometimes I vote for someone because I like him or her better than the alternative, in this case, with Judge Jameson, I've voting for him because I believe he is what other public officials should aspire to be.

I've been to a few of his events recently, and he's taken to telling a story about his first day on the job. Jameson, being a politician, is conditioned that whenever you meet someone, you reach out your hand. Now, in the world of judges, this isn't commonly done because, hell, you don't know where that hand has been or what is in there. But Jameson did it his first time, and despite protestations from courthouse staff, he has continued to do it ever since because the first man whose hand he shook told him that he'd never had a judge do that before, and they made a human connection, however brief it may have been.

What I want in a judge is someone who will look at the person standing in front of them, not as a statistic or a case number, but as a person whose life will be impacted by their decision, and I want a judge who will take that responsibility seriously.

I don't know if Rachel Bell or Jack Byrd are those type of judges, they may be and my interactions with Rachel Bell indicate she's a good person who'd do a great job. But I know Mike Jameson, I've considered him my representative in the council even when I didn't live in the district, I know him to be a good person with great principles, and we need those people in our courts and government offices.

So, resist the temptation to meddle in GOP affairs, and vote for Judge Mike Jameson in the Democratic primary.

Alright, show of hands, who IS running for re-election?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Rep. Janis Sontany has added her's to the list of Democratic incumbents who won't be collecting their 25 signatures over the coming weeks. Stating that she "never wanted to be a career politician" (and admirable and under-represented quality actually), Sontany leaves a newly redrawn district that has shifted "dramatically" according to Caucus Chairman Mike Turner who understood her decision to spend time with family instead of trying to relearn a largely new district.

Based on the numbers I have less than 30% of the residents of the newly drawn district 53 were in the old 53. So, yeah, in a sense this is a whole new district.

I haven't heard who is running or eying the seat just yet. I'm sure the names will start popping up shortly.

Jameson Bags CLC and Firefighters

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:04:00 +0000

The Central Labor Council and the Firefighters Union have endorsed Mike Jameson for Judge:

"Judge Jameson began his legal career in General Sessions court. He has gone on to practice in every court in Tennessee, giving him the perspective a good judge needs -- all while demonstrating concern and dedication for the working men and women who are Nashville's firefighters.” said Mark Young, President of Local 140.

Lewis Beck, President of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee said, ”Based upon [Judge Mike Jameson’s] past record, we know he will continue to dedicate himself to the service of men and women who live and/or work in Davidson County.”

Jameson is up for election on the March 6th Democratic Primary Ballot.

On Bad Legal Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Has the Tennessee legislature not learned about Google? Well, if so, they probably won't be reading this blog post, but just in case, might I recommend that the Republicans exercise their rights to use Google's free services when deciding who to bring as "expert" legal testimony?

Case in point, Van Irion. He served as Rep. Bill Dunn's legal expert in the House Judiciary Subcommittee as they sought to pass HB2619, which makes it a crime to enforce laws that Republicans don't like. Basically, Van Irion argued that the bill to criminalize the enforcement of laws without first gaining the permission of a local sheriff is not "nullification," and even it if was, its necessary in order to challenge federal laws in court.

Who is Van Irion? Why, not only is he a failed Congressional candidate, but he was also acting as one of the attorney's in a recently failed lawsuit challenging the President's eligibility to be on the ballot. Yep, Irion's a birther lawyer. Not only that, he's so awfully wrong on the law that even with a judge hostile to the President's legal defense team, he still couldn't get a judgement in his favor even though the President put up zero legal defense. Yeah, that's right, Irion couldn't win an argument with a brick wall.

This is who the Tennessee legislature has acting as their legal counsel...I'm sure that'll end well.

Haslam Prefers His Own Do Nothing Approach to Health Care

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Governor Haslam has signed on to an amicus brief presented by the Republican Governors asking the Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act because they claim it would cost them too much to implement.

“The Obama administration’s approach is an unaffordable healthcare mandate that is a significant overstep of the federal government’s authority,” Haslam said.

“I’m committed to controlling health care costs and finding meaningful ways to improve the health of Tennesseans by encouraging healthy choices, personal responsibility and accountability. Forcing mandates on states and individuals is the wrong approach, and if Obamacare is implemented, healthcare costs will rise significantly, putting a serious strain on state budgets across this country.”

So, apparently, if the Obama administration were to have done nothing, health care costs would've magically stopped rising significantly? Because, I seem to remember there being a little problem with bloated health care inflation that necessitated action by the federal government in the first place.

Oh, but wait, Haslam has his own novel approach to encourage "healthy choices, personal responsibility and accountability." Could someone fill a brother in on what that is? Are we talking about their plans to protect negligent doctors from legal repercussions?

The Fabian Bedne Story

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:49:00 +0000

The Tennessean had a great story this weekend on Councilman Fabian Bedne and his story of going from the military dictatorship in which thousands of people were disappeared by the government, to becoming Nashville's first Hispanic councilmember.

Bedne was elected Metro Nashville’s first Latino council member, three years after that council debated a measure that would have kept any city documents from being written in his native language — or anything other than English. Voters defeated it.

“Living under a dictatorship made me really resent being disenfranchised,” he said. “When people don’t have a way to get their point of view heard, I find that to be wrong.”

He survived a Nashville house fire. Was defeated in an election once before. Was asked about his citizenship on the campaign trail. But today, he wants to protect his constituents from that same feeling of voicelessness, and spends hours each day talking to them about shaping Nashville.

We ♥ Our School Employees

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Braisted) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:44:00 +0000

The SEIU is putting together a rally tomorrow to speak out on the decision by Jesse Register to rescind the MOU's regarding the support staff of Metro Public Schools.

Who:
Employees of Metro Nashville Public Schools, elected officials, parents, local clergy, and community leaders.

What:
Concerned citizens will speak out against Dr. Jesse Register’s actions against MNPS employees and his controversial decision to rescind the School Board’s labor policy without approval from the board.

When:
This Tuesday, Feb. 14, 4:45 pm.

Where:
MNPS School Board
2601 Bransford Ave.
Nashville, TN 37204

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.