Tuke Marches On Nashville

Bob Tuke, former Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, isn't running for the US Senate, he's marching. Tuke, a former Marine, decided to reprise Lamar Alexander's famous walk across Tennessee in his campaign against Jake Butcher in the 1978 Gubernatorial race.

I caught up (literally) with Tuke as he made his way down Rosa Parks Blvd on his way towards Fisk University. Dressed in his marine combat shirt and his army issued combat boots, Tuke was walking at a brisk clip, starting out at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium with the intended stopping point at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

While some have mocked his march across Tennessee, Tuke seems to think the benefits of walking across the state are that you get to meet people you wouldn't normally get a chance to see at an orchestrated event at a union hall, including a mother on welfare trying volunteering for HUGGS, which (I believe) tries to get people out of welfare and help reform ex-offenders. He also feels it will help to better educate him on the problems in smaller communities which often get lost in the press. In addition, there is the ancillary benefit of perhaps losing a little weight and keeping in shape (similar to Jason Powell who vowed to lose 58 pounds in his quest for State Rep.).

On the issues, Mr. Tuke doesn't mince words in his criticism of Sen. Lamar Alexander who he says has "one of the worst records in the Senate on Veterans issues," including a vote against a bi-partisan, Jim Webb sponsored amendment to call for military members to be deployed for one year at home for every year in Iraq. The measure was supported by 56 members of the Senate, but because of Republican filibustering tactics supported by Sen. Alexander, it was not able to be passed.

While Bob Tuke is most often associated with his Marine service, he earns his living as an adoption attorney, and when I asked what effect that would have on how he'd be as a Senator, Tuke said, "while a lot of people talk about 'family values,' I've lived it for 25 years by helping to reform Tennessee's adoption laws and helping to draft our new adoption code...I've got two adopted kids myself and helped form hundreds of families." Tuke believes that his life story, both as an adoption lawyer, marine, and devoted husband of 38 years, would make it tough for the Republicans to attempt to smear him like they've done to other Democrats in the past..."I'd like to see them try," says Tuke.

In addition to Tuke's Senate run, he started out the year as the Political Director for the Obama for America campaign. I asked Tuke if there was any chance he'd back away from Sen. Obama should the Republicans come after him on it, he said flat-out "no way". And while many of their policies, such as Iraq and Health Care, are similar, one area of disagreement between he and Sen. Obama is on the Capital Gains tax, which Tuke believes is one of the only things working well economically.

Ultimately, while most political observers tend to think the chances of taking Alexander's Senate seat are between slim and none, Bob Tuke shows no signs of letting this race go without a fight, and while he still has to get passed his primary challenger Mike Padgett of Knoxville, he thinks that he'll make a strong showing in November once Alexander's record is fully explored and people get a chance to hear Tuke's life story.

Visit TukeforTennessee.com for more information.

Harold Ford : "Are We Safer Today?"

Harold Ford Jr. does a great job on Meet the Press in defending a robust foreign policy.

Progress in Cuba

Just one more sign that Cuba is making positive steps in the right direction:

Cuba's gay community celebrated unprecedented openness - and high-ranking political alliances - with a government-backed campaign against homophobia on Saturday.

The meeting at a convention center in Havana's Vedado district may have been the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever on the communist-run island. President Raul Castro's daughter Mariela, who has promoted the rights of sexual minorities, presided.

"This is a very important moment for us, the men and women of Cuba, because for the first time we can gather in this way and speak profoundly and with scientific basis about these topics," said Castro, director of Cuba's Center for Sexual Education.

They are also considering same-sex union legislation. I think we're starting to see that Raul Castro is less ideological than his brother, and its time that we engage (which isn't the same as "appeasement") with the Cuban government to possibly push them farther towards progress on a faster timeline.

Reject and Denounce! Part 342

TNDP Chairman Gray Sasser is calling on our Senate delegation to reject and denounce the TNGOP for their attacks on the Obama family:

“TNGOP Chairwoman Robin Smith and company have tarnished the reputation of the entire state with their grotesque political attacks: they have perpetuated lies about a candidate’s religion, they have attacked a candidate’s wife, they have equated the war in Iraq to a religious crusade, and they have defied the request of Senator Lamar Alexander to remove at least one of those claims from their website,” Sasser continued.

“It’s high time for Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander to put a stop to the Tennessee Republican Party’s shameful tactics; they are beneath the dignity of voters- Republicans, Democrats, and Independents- in the state of Tennessee.”

You'll Take Our Nuclear Waste and Like It

Mike Padgett gets a li'l ballsy:

He also indicated a preference to keep nuclear power at the forefront of our ongoing plans—and not a little distaste for Nevada Senator Harry Reid's efforts to keep radioactive by-products from being deposited under Yucca Mountain. "This issue is bigger than Harry Reid; it's the nation. If it takes the (elimination) of a man of my own party [from the Senate]," he flatly declared, "then we don't have a choice."

He later clarified with Kleinheider to say, "I respectfully disagree with Leader Harry Reid on this, but that is a far cry from calling for his head."

Frankly, I think Padgett is dead on. We need Nuclear power, and we need to put it somewhere...we could drill in ANWR and pump the nuclear waste back in as we take the oil out; or we could put the nuclear waste in facilities already built into Yucca Mountain. Nevada was apparently more than happy to get the jobs and money associated with building the facilities, but as soon as they were to be put to use, they backed off...sorry, no "take backs" Nevada.

Nuclear power is going to be a necessary component to any energy plan that involves getting ourselves of the foreign oil spicket. Glad to see Padgett is willing to say what needs to be said. If Republicans were looking for a Democratic "Bridge to Nowhere," the Yucca Mountain facilities would certainly be it.

Adlai Stevenson

I keep hearing Democrats (like Carville) and Republicans equate Barack Obama's coalition with Adlai Stevenson...so is this going to be Obama's map (Eisenhower - Blue, Stevenson - Red)?


I was telling some friends last night, my biggest pet peeve is historical references that have no basis in history.

Register for YDA Conference

Anyone who plans on attending the Spring Conference of the Young Democrats of America, being held here in Nashville, ought to register today if you want a guaranteed ticket to the luncheon on Saturday, May 31st. Tickets are only $35 for the weekend long event held May 30-June 1st.

Thump It Somewhere Else

The Rutherford County Commission forsook a group of developers hoping to build a Bible Park in the Murfeesboro area:

SafeHarbor Holding LLC, the park’s developer, was seeking rezoning of 282 acres north of state Route 840 and west of Florence Road from a residential zoning to a planned unit development to allow the construction of the park.

At 1 a.m. Friday nine commissioners voted against the rezoning and 12 voted for it, but that was not enough to make the two-thirds majority required.

In other news, the NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Rutherford County area with heavy lightning and the possibility of tornadoes expected.

Obama Calls for Talks with Hamas

And of course by Obama, I mean John McCain circa 2006:

McCAIN: "They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that."

The Straight Talk Express has broken two axles, lost 3 tires, and had an engine fire in the past few months. I guess Hamas' "worst nightmare" is to sit down to tea and crumpets with John McCain.

See Also: Jews for Obama

The Ragin' Cajun Not So Ragin' After All

Randy Neal over at Knox Views landed an interview with James Carville, who was speaking at the Knox County Truman Day Dinner. Neal threw a loaded question at Carville, but he didn't bite:

KnoxViews: Speaking of the war, do you find it strange that Sen. Obama's first attack against Sen. Clinton was about her vote on the war...

Mr. Carville: No, I think that's probably...

KnoxViews: ...but his introduction to America was at the 2004 convention introducing Kerry, who also voted for the war, and Obama supported him in that campaign. Isn't there an inconsistency there?

Mr. Carville: I don't want to defend Obama because I'm for Hillary, but no, I mean he's trying to draw a distinction on the war. He had some other statements that indicated he wasn't as opposed to it as maybe his campaign put out, but you know, you had two pro-war candidates, Kerry and Bush, and I think that Kerry would have been the better choice there. I don't know, I don't think it's necessarily a big inconsistency there.

Of course, Carville is right...there is no inconsistency there, because Obama wasn't promoting Kerry in a contested Primary, he was promoting him against the President who was calling for an indefinite war to be waged in a shoddy and incoherent manner.

In a Democratic Primary, its perfectly legitimate to question the decision making process that went into enabling Bush to go to war...I supported Howard Dean [in part] because of it, but when it comes to the general election, you have to make choices based on what you have in front of you.

We're Talking About Appeasement

I LOVE CHRIS MATTHEWS!

Quote of the Day

"I don't feel like putting a Black man in there...I ain't prejudiced or nothing...but I just don't think he should be in there." - The Real News, which somehow, someway, was able to find people who would refuse to vote for Obama because he is Black or they think he is a Muslim (the one white person who said they'd vote for Obama? The Republican woman).

Kleinheider's Blocking the ....

Adam Kleinheider just stripped away any chances that the Legislators would get to have a little fun tonight.

Gun Nuts Scared of Gun Nuts

Interesting...at the NRA Convention in Louisville, where John McCain will share the stage with Ted Nugent who called Barack Obama a piece of shit and told him to suck on the barrel of his gun, it appears they aren't going to practice what they preach.

In a conference called the "American Values Leadership Forum," the NRA says, "Firearms Will Not Be Allowed!" Why is this? Well, yes, there are some high-profile politicos in attendance...but all of them believe that the more people who carry guns, the safer the world will be, don't they?

So instead of banning firearms from the hall, shouldn't that force everyone to be carrying? Then it would be the safest conference possible, no?

[Clarification from your favorite Gun Packin' Uncle: Its just the forum with John McCain that is weapons free (except for the S.S.), the rest of the convention will have plenty of people with their sidearms ready to go in case of terrorist attack]

Mr. 30% Attacks

Everyone's least favorite President is using a trip to a foreign country to attack those who think diplomacy is not a four letter word.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," said Bush, in what White House aides privately acknowledged was a reference to calls by Obama and other Democrats for the U.S. president to sit down for talks with leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to the Israeli Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American Senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Yes, because every single foreign policy decision we ever make is comparable to Germany circa 1939.

Lets point out at least one obvious difference. Iran hasn't invaded another territory. By the time Poland rolled around, Hitler had amassed one of the largest armies known to man (especially known to Europe), and he had already taken the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia and Albania.

The other difference, at any time we can (as Sen. Clinton so eloquently pointed out), obliterate Iran, or just about any other country we so choose. In fact, there are many countries with this ability to annihilate Iran, one of those being Israel itself.

There is a difference between negotiating with an equal, or stronger power (as was the case with Europe negotiating with Germany), than there is talking to a weaker power. We have the upper hand, and Iran knows it. So the question is, do they have the same sense of self-preservation that all other countries have? I believe they do, as they haven't shown any willingness to date to commit suicide by attacking Israel (at least directly) or any other country for that matter.

We have three options, invade, ignore, or engage. We have neither the will nor really the capacity to invade. We've been trying the ignore option and that hasn't exactly worked out. So lets try engagement and see where that gets us. Of course, this doesn't mean the President takes a trip to Tehran, but we do have this lovely island called Manhattan, and on this island is an organization called the United Nations, where leaders from all around the world come to meet. Is it outside the realm of possibilities that we could setup a meeting there, without television cameras, to discuss some of the issues we have?

Of course there is always the possibility that nothing positive will come of such meetings, but there is the chance that something might...and we ought to explore all options available to us before we let the situation in West Asia devolve to the point where another military conflict, which we can ill afford, arises due to our inaction and intransigence.

Update: Bush the Uniter?

Update II: Joe Biden responds to Lame Duck Dubya:

“This is bullshit, this is malarkey. This is outrageous, for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, to sit in the Knesset . . . and make this kind of ridiculous statement.”

Remember when the Dixie Chicks, private citizen musicians, nearly had their career ruined for saying they were ashamed the President was from their home state? This is 10 times worse to have a sitting President use a foreign Government's legislature as the place to launch a political attack on a US Senator.