Tough Love From Bibi

Apparently, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is pleased that Bush is gone from office, saying, "[y]ou don't want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs.”

A Vote Of Confidence For Karl

The new Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has come out in favor of an idea much liked by the Mayor's office; to put mayors in charge of big city school districts*, rather than school boards:

Duncan said Tuesday there's too much turnover among superintendents in cities where the mayor is not in charge of the schools. He says strong leadership is needed to carry out reform in big cities, where kids are struggling the most.

Currently, mayors control the public schools in only a few cities while most others are run by school boards. Duncan told the U.S. Conference of Mayors that if the number doesn't rise, he will have failed as secretary.

*corrected, h/t David.

Say No To The Fashion Police

Tennessean's Gail Kerr had a good op-ed this past Sunday in regards to the phenomenon of legislators thinking its the role of the state to dictate proper clothing attire for private citizens:

It is a stupid look. It's a stupid trend, one that makes the wearer look ignorant and, frankly, lacking in any self-respect. Not to mention uncomfortable.

But should it be illegal? Of course not. No police officer is going to enforce it. Heck, it's all they can do to keep gangs and drug dealers in check as is. Becoming the Fashion Police is not realistic.

What is? Society changing in a way that makes the wearer of saggy baggy pants feel stupid as well as look stupid.

Of course, white newspaper columnists probably aren't going to be too influential in the battle to change urban youth culture, regardless, I too think this bill is bad for Tennessee.

First off, what business is it of the state to dictate clothing choices for the general public? Why are boxer shorts any more indecent than khaki shorts? Personally, I find head-to-toe Bhurkas to be non-conformist with our societal norms, but that doesn't mean I think women who wear them should be fined.

Realistically, what the bill to ban sagging would probably do is increase the harassment black youth face from cops. They now have even more reason to randomly stop, detain, or search people who otherwise weren't committing a crime.

The other day, at a Democratic breakfast, Rep. Mike Stewart thought a poll of his constituents would show unanimous consent for this bill. It may be true that the majority of them would want such a thing, but sometimes the job of a legislator in a Republic is to protect the minority from majority rule. And the fact that a Black legislator is sponsoring this piece of legislation doesn't matter one iota to me in terms of whether or not its fair.

The Night The Lights Went Out In Nashville

Due to my newfound inability to post anything between Saturday and Monday, I hadn't gotten around to mentioning the successful Earth Hour festivities this past Saturday. I spent the night at Cabana, which had most lights turned off in exchange for candles, and while it was difficult initially finding people, there was a certain charm to the atmosphere.

Curiously, some Conservatives decided that this global PR effort aimed at promoting energy conservation was morally repugnant to their rightwing ways. Now, I get that many conservatives believe nearly all the scientists in the world are involved in a global conspiracy to promote the false theory of global climate change in order to create a communist one world government; however, even if you remove the cause of stemming the effects of climate change from the table, the idea of energy conservation is still a good one.

One, we can reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of energy, thus strengthening our hand in the effort to combat anti-liberal ideologies being bankrolled through oil sales.

Two, it promotes individual responsibility...none of these companies that took part were forced to turn out their lights (see Merchant's).

Third, conservatism is supposed to be about traditionalism. What is more traditional than some cranky old guy telling his kids to turn the damn lights off when they leave the room?



(photos courtesy of Will Wilson w/ MP&F, and Whitney Bell)

To Raise or Adjust

ACK wonders whether Mayor Dean would be going back on his statement that he would "not raise taxes, period," if the Metro Governor readjusts the property tax rate back to its current level after its lowered due to the reappraisal.

Fighting For Your Right To Carry

Republican unity broke down last night at the capitol as they were unable to agree on provisions in the bill (HB233) to allow carry permit holders to pack heat in restaurants and bars prior to 11 PM:

Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, the bill's sponsor, abruptly moved for the postponement and Shelby County colleague Rep. Brian Kelsey tried to remove a provision of the bill that would prohibit guns in restaurants serving alcohol after 11 p.m.

Kelsey, R-Germantown, argued that because the bill already contains a provision banning guns in restaurants that limit admission to patrons age 18 and up -- under the theory that such places are more bar than restaurant -- there is no need for an 11 p.m. curfew on carry-permit holders in restaurants.

So, basically, at the end of all this, we'll have a bill that allows people to carry weapons in restaurants where 60% of sales come from food, as long as you leave by 11PM, and as long as kids are allowed in the same room. Ummm, yeah, this is a complete waste of time.

First off, in all likelihood, a good portion of restaurants will probably prohibit people from carrying in the first place. Second, are permit holders going to be required to check the balance sheets of any restaurant they go to before sliding their Glock in to their holster when leaving the car? Third, it seems people are going through such trouble to ensure that guns aren't being carried in bars or in restaurants that become 'more bar' past a certain time...but the fact remains that permit holders still are not allowed to drink and carry at the same time, so what does it matter the ratio of alcohol to food being served? Either the gun toter is going to follow the law, or he ain't, in which case, none of this really matters.

Profiles in Professional Excellence

His momma must be so proud...

Now in his third term as a member of the General Assembly, Rep. Stacey Campfield has finally seen a bill he sponsored pass a floor vote.

Well, it wasn't a bill to ban the word gay from school vocabulary. Nor was it a bill to require death certificates for fetuses that were never born. Rather, its a bill that "permits parents called to active military service that requires them to be out of state for more than 90 days to petition the court to assign their visitation rights during their absence to another person approved by the court."

Ah, To Be Treasurer For A Month

Could this be the first step towards reconciliation between the Party and the Governor? Bill Freeman has just resigned as Treasurer of the TNDP:

"As I've made fund-raising calls in the last month, several long-time donors have expressed their concern to me that Governor Bredesen was not as supportive of me as I had hoped," Freeman said. "By resigning now, I hope I can take away some of the criticism the Party has faced recently and give Chip Forrester a better shot at rebuilding a relationship with the Governor and taking the Party in the direction that it needs to go."

The Business Democrat

Last night I had the chance to attend a fundraising event for Ward Cammack at the Parthenon. Still not very well known in Democratic circles, the even last night had quite an eclectic crowd with lots of people from the Nashville business community who typically aren't quite involved in Democratic campaigns.

Chairman of the TNDP, Chip Forrester, spoke before Mr. Cammack and said "[t]he Tennessee Democratic Party is fortunate to have a number of extremely fine candidates for Governor, to follow in the footsteps of someone who has so masterfully guided our state through these tough economic times, Governor Phil Bredesen." He also noted that many people who knew Ward probably wouldn't have foreseen his forey into politics, but that since joining the race he's been pounding the pavement, and going to many Democratic events across the state, introducing himself to potential voters.

When Ward came to speak, he noted that he was born in Davidson, but went to The Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN, and his family owned a farm in Bedford Co. After 30 years in the business community, Ward retired from investment on December 31st of last year in order to devote his full time towards interviewing for the job of Governor. Cammack also noted:

I am running as a Democrat, and I think this has probably surprised a lot of people, but its important, and I appreciate those of you who are Republicans, because I think this is going to be a very bi-partisan campaign.

Cammack also noted that the endeavor to run for Governor is not a casual affair, saying, "I really haven't understood the people who've kind of waded in up to their knees and said 'I might get around to it after I see who else is doing it,' but its like running a business. You don't go into business because of your competitors, you get in because of the market...Tennessee is the market, and that is what we have to take care of."

Mr. Cammack also gave his top five campaign points:

1) No state income tax! Calling it an "industrial age remedy, when we live in a flat technological world."

2) Demographics. He noted that we are going to see a drop-off in 18 year olds, but a big boom in retirement, and that Tennessee should be positioned to attract retirees to the state and make it the "retirement capitol of the country".

3) Health Care. Focusing on reducing the burden to small businesses and promoting education to reduce the costs associated with preventable diseases, which constitute 70% of the costs.

4) Jobs and the "new green economy".

5) Schools. Creating a success strategy, helping businesses connect with community colleges, expanding vocational and technical options for kids who don't want to be in High School.

At the end, Cammack noted that he's got a full campaign staff, including former TNDP and Senate Caucus spox Mark Brown. He also said that an "Obama type" website should be going live fairly soon.

Ultimately, having heard Cammack speak for the first time, I came away impressed. While he's probably a bit more energetic than our current Governor, he comes from the same business/technocrat line of politicians. He acts and sounds like what he is, a businessman, which could work in certain environments, but at the same time, in order to win a Democratic primary, he'll probably have to bump up his populist rhetoric a tad bit.

Nashville March Madness

The final four is now the final two as John Ray Clemmons and David Glasgow were eliminated from contention in the race to replace Councilman Keith Durbin in the 18th district. Last night we got the first real indication of support, and it appears that Kristine LaLonde has the most of it, while Stephanie Dodson had slightly more (about 30 votes or so) than David Glasgow.

The way it appears going forward is that, by virtue of her first place finish with a comfortable margin, Kristine LaLonde is in the best position to win in a runoff race.

It Says They Are Rational, Thoughtful People

President Obama doesn't quite understand what the fuss is all about:

After taking questions lower on the list, Obama addressed the pot issue head on, noting the huge number of questions about marijuana legalization and remarking with a chuckle, “I don't know what that says about the online audience."

"The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy," he said, as the audience in the room applauded and joined him in a laugh.

Hahahah, ohhh, those crazy kids and their marijuana.

Of course, the issue is a lot more complex than the President let on with his dismissive laughter. For starters, state finances are stretched thin in the efforts to incarcerate people for non-violent drug offenses.

Large sums of money are kept out of the legal financial system in order to avoid arrest or taxes, thus leading to a loss of revenue for banks and potential legal investments.

We make illegal a versatile crop, hemp, which has little to no amounts of THC, simply because it looks like the stuff that gets you high.

And last, but not least, Mr. President you yourself have admitted to using it, and harder drugs, in your youth. What if you had been busted for possession? How would your life have turned out? What if you had lost your scholarship, your chance at going to Columbia or Harvard...you wouldn't be President all because you got busted holding a small amount of weed.

Hundreds of thousands of kids and adults aren't quite as lucky as the President when it comes to getting busted by the cops. Non-violent people are forced into violent prisons where they either learn to be violent, or learn to be victims. All the while the taxpayer is footing the cost of incarcerating these people for a crime that studies show half of us have been complicit in.

So, while I don't think legalizing marijuana or other drugs is the answer to the economic crisis, its certainly a topic worth considering when you go "line by line" through the federal budget to eliminate or fix programs that "don't work". The results are in, the drug war has failed...please, have the political courage to at least seriously consider addressing the situation.

(h/t ACK)

David Axelrod, Consiglieri

The Fair and Balanced News Network felt it newsworthy to have a mob snitch come on to compare Democrats in Congress with rankings in the mafia:



So I guess that means Obama is Paulie, Robert Gibbs is Tuddy, and Rahm Emmanuel is Tommy.

Regardless, I don't understand the obsession conservatives have with George Soros. He wasn't really even much of a factor in the 2008 election. Granted, in 2004 he was big into the 527, America Coming Together, but in 2008, those didn't play a large role.

Preliminary Election Today

The final day to vote in the race to fill the vacant 18th district seat is today. With four strong candidates, in all likelihood nobody is going to get the 50% needed to win the seat outright, resulting in a runoff.

David Glasgow

Kristine LaLonde

Stephanie Dodson

John Ray Clemmons

If you live in that district, click here to find your polling location.

Who Knew Not Doing Your Job Could Land You In Jail?

If you saw this picture, under the headline "Former State Senator Arrested" what would you guess the charges were? Well it ain't that:

[Former State Sen. Jeff] Miller was indicted this morning in Bradley County on one count of official misconduct, one count of conspiracy to commit official misconduct and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated perjury in his role as Bradley County's delinquent tax attorney.

Miller's secretary April Miles was also charged with one count of aggravated perjury, one count of conspiracy to commit official misconduct and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated perjury.

Who Wants A Beatiful Bundle of Cytoplasm?

Tennessee Right to Life is holding a symposium on the glorious benefits to being one of the dozens of people annually who choose to adopt one of the millions of frozen embryos being kept in cryo-storage:

Come learn about the groundbreaking processes of embryo donation and adoption. As public debate increases regarding the use and treatment of human embryos, take advantage of this opportunity to become better informed about the medical, moral and legal aspects of this practice. Presented in partnership with Bethany Christian Services of Nashville.

I'll be perfectly honest, I have trouble understanding the mindset of someone who'd spend thousands of dollars to adopt an embryo with wholly separate DNA, have it artificially implanted in their uterus, and carry it to term, when there are thousands of flesh and bone kids in America begging for a home. But hey, whatever rocks your boat.

Perimeter Park Executive Center
301 South Perimeter Park Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37211
Note: Entrance B on the upper side of building
Monday, March 30th
6:00PM-9:00PM

President Primetime

The President had another one of his prime time press conferences to discuss the economy, budget, and other issues. Critics will likely point out that Obama is a bad President because he A) used a teleprompter for his opening statements (apparently note cards are more Presidential) and B) he used a list to pick a diverse group of journalists to ask him questions (as opposed to making up cute nicknames and calling on former male prostitutes).

A Blow To The Election Industry

Go figure, replacing a shit ton of new electronic voting machines that we just bought a few years ago with a shit ton of new scan tron voting machines is gonna cost a shit ton of money.

Maybe we should work to retrofit the machines we have with verifiable printers instead of scrapping a system that has yet to be proven to have failed Tennessee so far. I realize I've got quite a few friends on the other side of me on this issue, but if the military-industrial complex was gonna step in and try to fix an election, don't you think it would've been when we had a Black Liberal Democrat vs. a Malleable Conservative Warmonger?

Someone Needs A Handyman To Fix That Hinge

OK, so apparently, Michelle Obama is "trash" for relaying a story to DC school kids about how she strived for good grades despite kids who would tease her for it. I had to listen to the tape twice to find the offending language used by Michelle Obama that made Tammy Bruce go off the handle, but I don't think its there. Please, if there are any conservatives in the audience who understood where Bruce was coming from, enlighten me in the comments.

Baby Killers Beware

Your days are numbered in the state of Tennessee. And by numbered I mean you've got a good thousand or so of them before a constitutional amendment potentially goes before the people of Tennessee which states that the Constitution doesn't give a flip about a woman's right to terminate that blessed miracle in her belly.

Via Randy Neal, SJR 127 passed the State Senate with a comfortable 24-8 vote margin, with 5 Democrats joining the Republicans in saying that the constitution is agnostic on the matter of a woman's right to choose, even in cases when the life and physical health of the woman are in jeopardy.

Of course, all this doesn't mean much of anything so long as Roe v. Wade is the precedent of the land, except perhaps the Tennessee legislature can now pass a host of feel good abortion restriction laws which do little or nothing to actually reduce the number performed.

Et Tu Brute?

Mike Byrd is not to pleased with the actions, or lack thereof, of Councilwoman Megan Barry in regards to LED signs being allowed into neighborhoods:

That is one feeble and runny response compared to the stiff bravado that Megan Barry expressed to me when CM Tygard began playing the advocate of the sign lobby. Whether CM Barry played or betrayed this constituent is up in the air. All I know is I will be less likely to jettison my pragmatism next time around, and I'm going to once again advocate drawing the line at high density neighborhoods, which may fit the Nashville Business Coalition's interest of dividing and conquering sign opponents.

However, don't lay the blame at any neighborhood leader on that score. Megan Barry if failing neighborhood opponents on LED signage. She is the one choosing not to lead. Guys like me are just trying to keep LEDs as far away from our homes as possible.

Time To Step It Up

Lets face it, as of right now, the TNDP is in a bit of financial trouble. I have been waiting to see what the figures were with our new treasurer and Chip's first full month on the job, and lets be honest, it leaves something to be desired.

In February of 2009, the TNDP raised about 31K and spent 39K according to FEC records. In February of 2007, under Chairman Sasser's first full month, the TNDP raised $214K and spent $60K.

The fact is, this level of funding is not-sustainable, regardless of how many volunteers are pulled into the process. Looking at the contributions, and comparing those big donors to the 2007 numbers, I can't really see any significant gains from having the former Republican donor Bill Freeman on board. Granted, he gave the maximum $5,000, but he did that in February of 2007 as well.

In terms of money spent, we've got a $4,000 "management consultant" fee paid to Kim Sasser Hayden, the former ED of the TNDP, as well as the salary of Forrester ($6K + other fees) along with $1,250 to a "fundraising consultant," Meredith Puleo.

I'm hoping for the best, but unless something breaks, and breaks soon, I just don't see how the party can survive without sufficient funds.

How'd Obama Do in TN?

Well, we all know he got shellacked...but the Swing State Project went ahead and crunched the numbers by Congressional district, and we find that Obama increased the margin over Kerry in three CDs: 5, 7, and 9; while decreasing in all the others:

Roe - Obama -41
Duncan - Obama -30
Wamp - Obama -25
Davis - Obama -30
Cooper - Obama +13
Gordon - Obama -25
Blackburn - Obama -31
Tanner - Obama -13
Cohen - Obama +55

A History of Presidential Dignity

Randy Neal makes a fair point about President Obama's appearance on Jay Leno, saying, "[i]f the argument is that Obama is reaching millions of people who wouldn't otherwise be engaged in public affairs, that's a different problem and a sad commentary on the state of public affairs. He shouldn't drag the dignity of the office down to that level."

I understand where Randy is coming from, however, I'd much rather see my President engaging in a combination of light-banter and serious discussion with the likes of Jay Leno, than see my President go on The Newshour and lie to the American people, or see the President give an Oval Office interview with Sean Hannity.

If I had to choose a better source for news, it would be Jay Leno or Jon Stewart over Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly. So maybe President Obama should hold himself to a higher standard, but if we are going to compare and contrast him to the other Presidents in my lifetime, I think Obama is still holding the dignity of the office to a higher standard than his immediate predecessors. Judge for yourself...

A Million Here, A Million There

The fiscal note is out on the bill to allow wine sales in food stores, and according to the legislature, the state would potentially get an extra $16 million in revenues, along with $11 million for municipalities.

Meanwhile, the bill to remove the Family Owned Non-Corporate Entity tax loophole would net the state roughly $25 million.

So why is it that the House Democratic Caucus and the Governor are willing to come out and push hard to remove the FONCE exemption, while they are mum on the bill to allow consumers to have more choices by selling wine in grocery stores? Especially considering that allowing wine sales in grocery stores is a bi-partisan proposal that has a chance of passing, while increasing taxes on FONCE's probably ain't gonna make it through the House, and definitely won't make it through the Senate?

Sic Semper TYRANNIS!

The good rightly gentleman Bob Krumm hath declared tyranny upon us in this the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Nine.

Among the most important of reasons for which we have a Constitution is to protect the unpopular from the torrent of popular opinion. It, after all, is the heinous derelict who is most in need of a fair trial to protect him from the posse, or the unpopular opinion that most requires the freedom of speech.

If this dubious writ stands then so too will stand the horrific precedent that the unpopular may have summarily stripped from them whatever the majority deems, and that it may be done so without benefit of trial, witness, counsel, cross-examination, or due process. It is nothing less than the usurpation of the awesome punitive reach of complete judicial power by a mob unconstrained by any rule except that which it writes for itself.

This bill is what tyranny looks like. It is time to convey the alarm.

The TYRANNY! with which Maj. Krumm speaks is that of the scoundrels in Congress who have passed a law which *gulp* imposes a tax of 90% on bonus monies paid with federal dollars and received after December 31st, 2008, to those making over 250K per year.

My question is this. If the Federal Government can pass tax decreases in the year 2009, which take effect in 2009, why can it not increase taxes in the year 2009 to take effect in 2009? Is this a question of specificity? Too narrow a tax increase? Fine, but there are plenty of tax breaks and deductions that are extremely narrow and targeted in scope.

Krumm uses Alexander Hamilton as the launching point for his manifesto on the downfall of American society, but while I'm sure Hamilton would side with the bankers in this mess, the acts of "tyranny" he spoke of were far different than a 90% income tax imposed on TARP bonuses. We aren't throwing these people in jail without trial, or confiscating all their wordly posessions. The Government isn't even increasing taxes to take away the salaries of the men responsible for the collapse of the global economy. What we the people are doing is saying that if, through your ineptness, your company required billions or trillions of dollars in federal money in order to remain solvent, you probably shouldn't be getting million dollar bonuses with said money. Period.

They can still keep their summer homes in the Hamptons, their yachts, their garage full of cars, even though they are personally (at least partially) responsible for the theft of wealth from broad sectors of the global community. Thefts which will result in Americans having to extend their time in the workforce and delay retirement, thefts which will keep kids from going to college because their parents savings evaporated, thefts which will require the Government pay out billions more in unemployment because companies (who weren't deemed critical to the global financial system) were forced to go out of business.

Now, I don't know if the Supreme Court will uphold this narrowly targeted tax increase, if they don't, it probably won't be the end of the world. But I've seen tyranny, and this ain't it. Ain't even close to it. If anything, tyranny is allowing a handful of unelected capitalists to hold the livelihood of hundreds of millions, if not billions of people in the palm of their hands.

Being A Republican Is a Gateway Drug to Stupidity

Sen. Chuck Grassley is all hot and bothered that the Justice Department isn't going to be arresting little old ladies who feel the need to reduce the pain from glaucoma.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) ripped into Attorney General Holder on Thursday for announcing on Wednesday that the Obama administration will ease enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that have authorized the use of medical marijuana.

"This Attorney General is not doing health care reform any good," said Grassley. "The first rule of medicine - 'do no harm' - is being violated by the Attorney General with this decision."

Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said that Holder's announcement is "counterproductive" to US goals on preventive medicine because the farmer-turned-senator sees marijuana as a "gateway" drug which leads to addiction to more potent drugs including methamphetamine.

Lets see...Marijuana is a drug that makes you giggly, spaced out, tired and really hungry. Methamphetamine makes you lose your appetite, makes you alert, and makes you stay awake for hours/days. Yep, one in the same. I suppose Marijuana is a gateway if you have people that need to come down off their high in a hurry, but that is sort of self-defeating.

Calling Marijuana a gateway drug to Meth is like saying being a Republican is a gateway to voting Democrat.

Marsha Stands Tall For Minorities

And by minorities, I mean the couple hundred recipients of million dollar bonuses to employees who helped wreck the global financial system, paid for with Government monies.

Marsha Blackburn was the only Tennessee Congressman to vote against HR1586 which imposes an additional tax on bonuses paid for with bailout money. Lincoln Davis did not vote on the measure, and Cohen, Cooper, Tanner, Gordon, Wamp, Roe, and Duncan all voted in favor.

Cammack For The Win

Adam Kleinheider is filling out his 2010 TN Gubernatorial bracket and sees a possible upset in the form of Ward Cammack:

Ward Cammack is in many ways an unknown entity. Born to a Republican family and a (very) recent convert to the party, he has a lot of Republican friends and a lot of money. He doesn't have the successful stint in elective office but with a bankroll and a message of reasonable moderation, Cammack just might be able to camp out in traditionally Republican East Tennessee, as Bredesen did, and make a race of this thing.

None of the candidates for Governor have anything close to statewide name recognition, and while those in the political class might know most of the names sans Cammack, the truth is most voters (primary or otherwise) haven't much of a clue who Kim McMillan, Zach Wamp, Bill Haslam or Andy Berke is.

Personally, I'm not in the camp that believes having deep pockets is the guaranteer of success. Sure, in the case of Cammack, it helps to get his name out early, but I think the reason the person with the most typically wins, is because people generally give to the winner. So far, Ward Cammack doesn't seem to be resting on whatever bank account he has, and has been tapping his deep well of deep pocketed friends to get his fledgling campaign noticed.

The key to Cammack is coming off as a serious, well thought out candidate, who knows what he believes, but more importantly, has a deeply personal reason for running. Typically, wealthy candidates who get in just 'cause they can, are rooted out by the voters in favor of someone who seems to have a much more clear vision for the future of the state/country.

I think anyone who calls the race for the Governorship this far out is doing so with as much knowledge as a person who calls the Super Bowl champion during the pre-season. You just don't know what can and will happen in the next year and a half to disrupt the conventional wisdom.

For the Democrats, Bredesen still has positive approval ratings, the President is holding his own despite losing the state badly, and there are no signs that the Republican legislature is endearing voters to their cause.

For the Republicans, the economy is still probably going to be bad, and there is a Democratic Governor in charge...time will tell if voters blame the Governor for whatever situation we are in come 2010.

How Not To Respond To Jewish Senator..

...by invoking the Nazi's in defending your bill on school nutritional guidelines.

In discussion on Senate Bill 421, which allows for the sale of 12oz products in schools, as opposed to 8 oz, Sen. Bunch responded to Sen. Andy Berke about a question regarding whether or not this law violates nutritional guidelines, by saying "if you are trying to be the nutritional Nazi police..."

He later took a point of personal privilege to apologize for the remark, stating that he heard it from a Comedian. Lets all just hope he never watches the Katt Williams special on HBO.

See video here.

Update:

Liberadio has the transcript and the video.

Men Suck

What the hell man? According to a PPP poll (.pdf) on a potential match-up between Sarah America and President Obama in 2012, the Commander-in-Chief only has a 20 point lead. And, according to this poll, its entirely due to her popularity among the men folk.

Obama Approval:

62-29 Women
47-45 Men

Palin Approval:

29-61 Women
48-38 Men

Of course, this could all be due to women generally leaning more towards the Democratic party than the Y chromosomes...but c'mon, Palin?

Legislators to Harass

The Red White and Food team has released the list of legislators for, against, and agnostic on the issue of selling wine in grocery stores. In Nashville...

In favor of their constituents:

Rep. Beth Halteman Harwell, Nashville
Sen. Douglas Henry, Nashville
Rep. Gary Odom, Nashville
Rep. Mike Stewart, Nashville

Opposed to consumer choice:

Sen. Joe Haynes 741-6679
Rep. Ben West 741-6959

Undecided:

Rep. Brenda Gilmore 741-1997
Sen. Thelma Harper 741-2453
Rep. Sherry Jones 741-2035
Rep. Gary Moore 741-4317
Rep. Mary Pruitt 741-3853
Rep. Mike Turner 741-3229

See the whole list here.

If Its All The Same, I'll Lodge My Complaints From This Chair

Pissed? So be the Change That Works campaign:

If you're tired of our financial institutions using their bailout funds for CEO bonuses, lying about unions, and opposing healthcare reform, we want you to stand up and speak out with us.

On Thursday at noon, Change That Works will be holding a demonstration outside of the Bank of America in Hillsboro Village on Church Street to protest BofA's irresponsible treatment of its workers and its customers while taking taxpayer-funded subsidies.

The Bank of America office in Hillsboro Village is located at 2121 Blakemore Ave. on 1634 Church Street and we will be demonstrating from 12 noon until 1:00, so join us and use your lunch hour to help save the economy.

See Also: Mark Naccarato takes on Bank of America in an article in the Nashville Free Press.

District 18 Update

Chris Sanders has it because I can't find much inspiration to write about it. He notes that David Glasgow is a hop, skip, and a willingness to throw off the yolk of British oppression away from being Irish.

Doth Thou Have No Honor?

Andrew Sorkin with the New York Times thinks that the Government risks losing its credibility with the financial services industry if it doesn't honor the AIG employee contracts which lead to bonuses that averaged $1,422 per employee (and somehow I'm doubting that the Janitors received those payouts).

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

Now, I could sorta see what he was saying if this was some sort of Government takeover ala Hugo Chavez. But its not. The fact of the matter is that AIG and other companies like it were the ones who could not honor their contracts. They agreed to insure risky mortgages for a fee, meaning they shoulda been able to pay up when loans went south. They didn't have the money. For all intents and purposes, AIG ceased to function as a company. Their product was a guaranteed box o' crap.

The US Government didn't step in to make sure that AIG employees didn't go without massively large paychecks, we stepped in to ensure that a further collapse of the economy and credit markets didn't occur because of AIG's recklessness and greed. If AIG employees aren't happy with the idea of forgoing massive bonuses, well then good fuckin' luck trying to find another job. Please, leave, we dare you...double dare you. In fact, I think the Government should offer a $1000 bonus to any AIG employee or Executive who decides to go because they didn't get their bonus.

Do you know how many Americans have lost their jobs in part because of AIG's ponzi scheme? How much the American government and state governments are paying out in unemployment insurance because AIG and other financial services companies decided to create a $50 trillion dollar credit default swap market that stated assets that in reality were figments of imagination and bytes in a computer hard drive?

You know what, when I started writing this post, a part of me actually agreed with li'l Andrew, but the more I think about it, the angrier I'm getting. Despite what the chattering class on talk radio and CNBC says, this economic crises was not caused by poor black people getting houses, it was caused by the greedy notion that you can double a buck in days or weeks simply by shuffling paper. Worthless companies like AIG who are doing nothing but bleeding the US Treasury get to stay open and lavish bonuses on their employees, while manufacturers and producers in this economy are having to lay off and shut down because the credit markets froze due to greed by a handful of financial insiders.

I'm also tired of hearing crap like this:

"But what about the commitment to taxpayers? Here is the second, perhaps more sobering thought: A.I.G. built this bomb, and it may be the only outfit that really knows how to defuse it."

By that same logic, we should be employing Bernie Madoff at the Treasury because of his superior ability to cook books and con investors. I mean, if he was smart enough to bilk over $50 bn from investors, surely he could find a way out of this crisis?

One Heckuva Clarification

"Senator Grassley has said for some time now that generally speaking, executives who make a mess of their companies should apologize, as Japanese executives do," Mills said. "He says the Japanese might even go so far as to commit suicide but he doesn't want U.S. executives to do that."

Which is a "clarification" of this:

"I suggest, you know, obviously, maybe they ought to be removed," Grassley said. "But I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide.

Yeah, he seems all broken up at the prospect of American executives plunging a dagger into their heart. If only Andrew Jackson were President, he wouldn't suggest suicide, but rather a firing squad.

Heh

Donna Rowland is an illegal.

Department of Redundancy

Democratic Leader Gary Odom and his staffed have flagged some bills that they find "of interest," including this gem from Speaker Republican Leader Jason Mumpower:

-HB862 by House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower, which defines "inception of human life" to mean "the moment of conception." Discussion included doubt about a legislative staff estimate that the measure would have "minimal" fiscal impact.

Isn't "inception" pretty much the same thing as "conception"? According to Webster, inception is "an act, process, or instance of beginning" whereas conception is the "originating of something". Sure, conception "begins" the process of making a living human being, I don't think many people would dispute that.

Workforce Development

The topic of unemployment has come up quite a bit recently, so I was perusing the interwebs, and stumbled on the Workforce and Community Development site for Nashville State. They offer online courses with specific areas, some good, some probably not great for this economic environment, and some that are supposedly recession proof: Casino Baccarat Dealer, Casino Blackjack Dealer, Casino Poker Dealer.

A Democrat After ACK's Heart

Sen. Eric Stewart chastises Republicans in the State Senate for usurping power from localities who wish to raise the minimum wage in their jurisdictions:

For years, we have heard about more local control, less centralized government, and most of the time it has come from many of my good friends on the other side of the aisle. And the case has been made so strongly that I even agree in most circumstances because again I believe in the principal that no one knows how to build a community better than the folks who live in it.

Yesterday, we went down a slippery slope, a slope that is paved with the idea that 132 people in the legislature know more and know better than the folks back home. I admit, I don’t know if a local wage scale is good for Memphis and Shelby County or not, but your community should be built from your house to the court house. Those of us in the state house, even when we don’t agree, need to realize:

No one knows how to build a community better than the folks who live in it.

I'm personally much more on the side for more centralized national control. Yes, I know its not popular to admit, but I would like to see a unified federal curriculum in federally funded public schools, a nationalized health care system, etc...I think one of the biggest problems with our political society is that we try to do things half-on and half-off.

But, it is what it is, and I don't see the prevailing reason why the state legislature had to limit the authority of a locality to set decide which wages are necessary in their city.

Feel Good Friday

No Contest Means No Job

TNDP Chair Chip Forrester is urging House Republicans to fire a staffer who plead no contest to charges that he set up websites under Rep. Nathan Vaughn's name and published false information about the East Tennessee Democrat.

Gilmer entered a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest. The plea essentially means Gilmer took the consequences for breaking the law - without actually admitting his guilt.

"If he weren't guilty of this, why plead no contest?" said Forrester. "I demand that Mr. Casada and Mr. Mumpower get this guy off the state payroll. There are far better uses for this state money than paying a law breaker's salary."

Assuming Mr. Gilmer is on the House payroll, then Speaker of the House Kent Williams has the authority to fire him. That might be a more likely scenario, but it doesn't seem likely that Speaker Williams wants to further strain his relationship with the House GOP caucus.

Heh

John Boehner has slightly higher favorables than Bernie Madoff, but nearly 3 times higher unfavorables.

Department of Slow News Days

You know Republicans are running on a short fuse when they get their panties in a bunch because Eric Cantor said "LinkedUp" instead of "LinkedIn".

You Know...

Conservatives can't choose who adheres to their theology, but they can choose who they elevate to be its spokespersons.

Yo, Dean, Listen Up

Jane Grimes, a former campaign staffer for Mayor Karl Dean, isn't too thrilled with his attempts at abandoning the plans for Riverfront Development in favor of a new proposal:

Mayor [Karl] Dean, Metro Council members and MDHA representatives, as I'm sure you are aware, this past weekend a community meeting was held at the East Park Community Center. Ed Owens and Chris Koster did a wonderful job of rehashing the [Riverfront Park Development] plan that community members spent 16 months developing over the last few years.

However, what they were unable to do is to truly explain, with any conviction, why the sequencing of these developments was changing.

I would urge you to go forward with the riverfront plan as put forth originally by members of our community and the consultants that we hired (because they've had experience doing this type of work — and their knowledge is valuable) by starting with the Adventure Park & Pilot Urban Forest.

Personally, I'd like to see a new dock built and some riverfront casinos put in there...but then again, that's just me.

Tennessee Most Improved Nationally in HS Graduation

Under Governor Bredesen Tennessee has shown the most improvement in high school graduation rates in the country:

he national high school graduation rate remained flat at about 75 percent between 2002 and 2006, while a dozen states made substantial gains, according to a new report by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

The report, released Thursday by the Baltimore university's Everyone Graduates Center, found the largest gain was in Tennessee, where the rate rose from 61 percent to 72 percent. New York's rate increased from 64 percent to 67 percent.

It will be interesting to see how fast those gains evaporate if we are cursed with a Republican Governor and Legislature after 2010.

How Best To Win An Argument If You Are Steve Gill?

Lie.

Mr. Gill says in a City Paper opinion piece regarding the federal stimulus package:

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office calculates that the cost of the Stimulus Plan at $3.27 TRILLION, not $790 billion — which does not include the interest cost for this money. Nor does it include the ongoing expenses of the programs that are started as part of the package but not funded after two years. Dividing the actual cost among the 156 million federal taxpayers in the U.S. reveals a per taxpayer cost of slightly over $20,000.

Of course, he's wrong, as per usual. In fact, that $3.27 trillion dollar number plucked from the sky is a CBO projection of what the plan would cost if the biggest parts of it were made into permanent annual expenditures instead of a one time spending boost, and that number includes $744 bn in debt servicing, i.e., interest.

I know the City Paper lost Clint Brewer, but surely there is someone at the South Comm organization that can fact check Mr. Gill when he submits an article. It isn't difficult, just assume as I do that whenever he puts pen to paper, that he is lying, do a quick Google search, and you'll verify it nearly every time.

Please, Stop Producing

Apparently, an industry that has recently taken upwards of a trillion dollars in federal monies is a "producer" according to Krumm:

No one knows exactly how all of today’s economic messes are going to shake out, but I feel safe making one prediction: The recovery, when it comes, will occur with a lot less banks and insurance companies and a lot less of their employees.

The effect on downtowns could be devastating. Those two industries are producers. Government offices and law firms are not.

What do insurance companies "produce" exactly? In essence, they take money from a whole lot of people, and dole some of it back out when need be (unless you are AIG, in which case you take money, and when it comes time to pay up, just have the .gov pick up your tab). As for banks, so long as they built a healthy foundation and didn't get involved in gimmicks and schemes, they should be alright. People are still gonna put money in there, and there are still plenty of quality individuals and businesses to loan to in order to return a profit.

Beyond those two points, Krumm is right to be concerned about "ghost towns" in urban areas. After all, it was the recessions of the 70s and 80s that brought to bare many of the crime problems in major American cities. The boom of the 90s, as well as the 20 year anniversary of Roe v. Wade, helped reduce crime problems in urban areas.

Visions of From Dusk Till Dawn

The Guns 'n Bars measure is moving quite briskly through the House Committee process to an almost assured passage should it make it to the full floor. Rep. Sontany has questions about the amendment to the bill which stipulates an 11PM curfew for packing heat in bars.

Here is the problem. Its still illegal to drink and carry at the same time. What is the reason for the 11pm curfew? Is it that we are worried people are more trigger happy when they are likely to be tired and cranky? If its that we are worried they'll be more likely to be drunk, well, after that first sip they've already broken the law, whether its at 2PM or 2AM.

Personally, I don't quite care if this bill passes or fails. The most likely effect is that people who already illegally carry into bars and drink will just have one less violation to worry about if they get caught prior to 11PM. In terms of additions to weapons in bars, now bouncers and barkeeps will be able to carry (not sure if barkeeps are already allowed, I'm guessing not). Maybe this will cut down on burglaries, but I'm not quite sure the addition of firearms to steroid addled bouncers is necessarily a good thing...hell, you can't even trust San Francisco BART cops to handle their shit.

Gubernatorial Wannabees with a Side of Hashbrowns

Like Breakfast? Like Politics? Well, there ya go.

Barack Obama as Morpheus

I haven't been following this Chas Freeman business too closely, but apparently a potential adviser to the President was pressured to resign because of things he's said about foreign affairs which weren't in line with the thoughts and feelings of Likud.

Andrew Sullivan thinks President Obama is one step ahead of us:

The one thing I've learned about Obama is that he's smarter - both intellectually and politically - than most of us. He knows that a central test of his time in office will be managing the Middle East. He knows too that any grand bargain will require some push-back on Israel's occupation of the West Bank. But at every time, the Israel lobby has challenged him directly to reassert that no change will occur in the US-Israel relationship, he has backed the AIPAC line 110 percent. He did so by firing Robert Malley; he did so by hiring Dennis Ross on the Iran question; by hiring Clinton as secretary-of-state; and by humiliating his own intelligence chief, Dennis Blair, on Freeman.

But if you know Obama, you know he always gives away the shop-window to his opponents, while retaining the store for his own counsel. I believe he has the national interest at heart and genuinely wants to assess intelligence with as much open-mindedness as possible. He will be denied a true contrarian to challenge the old way of thinking, but I have faith that he will not be bamboozled by groupthink the way Bush was.

Despite the protestations of people like William H. Hobbs and the 20% of Jewish Conservatives out there, Obama has never shown any real inclination, since announcing his intention to run, towards a truly "even-handed" approach towards the Israeli-Palestine situation. Nearly all of his statements on the matter and policy proposals still favor the Israeli point of view. Maybe that is the way it should be, and is the right position, but that is what it is.

Obama buckled to the pro-Zionist/anti-Palestinian group of political activists, just like nearly every other politician out there. Why sugar coat it? Why assume that he's thinking 12 steps ahead of the rest of 'em? Will he be slightly more favorable to the Palestinians than a Republican might be? Sure, but will he still be one of the most pro-Zionist leaders in the free world? You betcha.

Carter County House Republican

It appears that Williams will still be able to call himself a Republican both in Carter County and in Nashville, just not on the ballot.

If and when Robin Smith drops out as Chair of the TNGOP in order to run for Congress to replace Zach Wamp, it'll be interesting to see if the next Party Chair upholds the ban on Kent Williams using the Republican label.

If Only Hitler Treated Eva Braun Like Crap...

This is kind of scary. Generally when people fret over "dirty bombs" which could spread radioactive material around a a small radius, people are thinking about Islamic terrorists...not middle aged millionaire neo-nazis in a Maine suburb. But it appears that a woman's killing of her husband over domestic violence issues might have inadvertantly stopped him from carrying out an act of domestic terrorism.

Somehow I'm guessing when this li'l nugget of information makes it to trial, the woman's actions won't be judged too harshly by her peers.

Its All In The Accessories

Nashville Scene Editor Pete Kotz advises TNDP Chairman Chip Forrester to embrace his inner Fletch and start chomping on a cigar.

Me Likey What I Hear

Well, there was considerable concern that Ward Cammack was a Republican at heart, based on his political donations of past, but if he is, I'd like to see more Republicans like this:

There won't be many other candidates of either party who would second Cammack, a recently retired veteran of the investment finance world, in saying this: “We're hearing a lot of argument about 'socialism.' The socialism we're seeing, so-called., is really just cleaning up the mess made by freemarkets, so-called. 'Free markets' is really a misnomer. Markets are not entirely efficient. They probe in various directions until they find they can't go any further.”

And, while other Democratic candidates will, like Cammack, profess themselves to be pro-choice on abortion, few would go on to endorse, as he does, the concept of adoption rights for gay parents. “We've got to move the line of adoption as far forward as we possibly can. We have to recognize that people have different lifestyles, but that does not keep them from being capable, loving parents.”

I'll just go out on a limb to say that any Democratic candidate for Governor who opposes the concept of gay adoption will get nothing but scorn and enmity from this blog. If you aren't willing to stand up to political forces who hate children who need homes, and loving couples who'd provide them, then you are not in the same party as me. I can see past objections to gay marriage and what not, but this is an issue where I draw the line.

Read the rest of Jackson Baker's article which profiles Zach Wamp and Ward Cammack.

(h/t ACK)

Stimulate The Economy

Through humorous passive aggression.

Better Late Than Never

Seems like Senate Democrats are getting around to thinking about having an agenda...

Spaz on TNDP Summit

Someone calling themselves Spaz was among those invited to the TNDP post-election summit, and he/she has a rundown of what happened:

Elected officials who attended were Mike Turner, Brenda Gilmore, Tim Tipps, Tim Barnes, Gary Moore, Sherry Jones, and probably another one or two I’m just not remembering right now.

The most notable elected official there was Sen. Roy Herron, who had opposed Chip Forrester and was a strong supporter (and longtime friend) of the Bone family. Roy gave a barn-burning speech in support of Chip and of Democratic unity that was one of the best I’ve heard from a state elected official in a long time. And I have heard a lot of them.

There were at least a half-dozen state executive committee members there. Again, I don’t know all of them so there may have been more. Bill Owen, a DNC member (who voted for Charles Bone) was there too, as was Elisa Parker (party vice-chair and DNC member), as were several labor leaders from the TN AFL-CIO and the SEIU.

After some opening remarks, Chip showed a detailed Powerpoint analysis of what happened in the last election cycle - the races, who won/lost, who raised and spent how much money, etc. There were several slides on the Coordinated Campaign’s efforts. Addison Pate, who at the time worked for the House Caucus and who I believe was one of the players on the ‘08 Coordinated Campaign, made a direct apology to everyone in the room on behalf of the House caucus/CC operation for the losses. I’ll give him credit for that because the blame really can’t all be laid at the caucus’ feet. It was refreshing to hear someone take responsibility for the beating. Wonder if Bredesen will do that? Not.

Despite what “Reality” said in an above comment, nobody was bitching about not having enough money. In fact, one of the union guys pointed out that the Dems actually outraised the GOP last cycle and got bupkiss for it. That started a discussion on how much money is wasted in these campaigns on direct mail and that funds should be directed more into hiring canvassers and on grassroots strategies in general. The audience was very engaged in that discussion.

Our hero Jennifer “Buckwild” Wallace was there and so were the folks from Team Obama that have been helping Chip out at the headquarters when they can. They were taking lots of notes and trying their best to get to know a lot of the “old guard” Dems that have been around the block. I think we are going to hear more from the Obama kids during the county party reorganization in April and that’s a good thing.

The overall mood was this. People are pissed at losing and they are still not sure who to blame. Some folks thought it was Obama that dragged down the ticket, some blamed whiny Hillary voters that never got on board with Obama, some thought it was the state Party’s fault, some blamed the caucuses and the Coordinated Campaign, and some thought it was just weak candidates running in tough rural districts that are trending red. In truth, it probably was a combination of all of these factors - what Mike Turner called a “perfect storm”.

It should be noted, too, btw, that Turner said several times that if the Democrats don’t win back the House in 2010, he will resign his position as caucus leader. Again, it’s refreshing to hear accountability from some of these folks. Anyway, the mood was urgent as well. Everyone knew the stakes if the D’s can’t get control back in 2010 - redistriciting will pretty much wipe the Party out for the next 20 years at both the state and national level.

After lunch when people broke up into smaller groups to discuss the situation and come up with strategies for a comeback, it was clear that despite their concern about the future of the Party in Tennessee, people remained unusually upbeat about the future. I think a lot of folks believe that if President Obama is successful, that Tennesseans will be over their anxiety of a black candidate and come back to the Democratic fold, up and down the ballot. IMHO, there is some merit to this.

In any case, here’s your firsthand account of the highlights of this strategy session - which, btw, was not publicized broadly or open to the media for what seem to be obvious reasons. Chip is planning a bigger event that will include all Dems that want to participate at a campaign summit in May, after county reorganization.

Update: Adam Kleinheider got the update on another TNDP Summit open to the public.

No On Reagan

Props to Rep. Cohen for being one of 17 Democrats and two Republicans to vote against creating a commission to coordinate honoring the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan.

Obama Done Pissed Off Ratzinger

Of all the low-down things Obama could do, he went and decided that blastocysts slated for the garbage disposal can be donated to medical science. Apparently, this could strain relations with the smallest country in the world:

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on pro-life activities, called Obama's decision "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics."

"This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested," he added.

Umm, yeah, OK. Just out of curiosity, what is Vatican City's position on organ donations? Should parents be able to decide if their children's organs can be used to help other children live? Even if you assume that a five day old dividing cell is no different from a 3 month toddler, if the blastocyst can't live absent implantation, and there is no willing uterus to implant the li'l feller in, shouldn't parents be able to decide what to do with them? The furnace or the petri dish?

Also curious, what would be Vatican City's position on maturing embryo's outside the womb? Assuming science advances to the point where its possible to replicate the chemicals and environment that a female uterus provides embryos, would Vatican City then ask that we thaw all the li'l buggers and have them gestated to term?

Oh, that's right, the position of Vatican City is that if you can't conceive the ol' fashioned way, you'd better give up 'cause its God's plan that you be that way.

See Also:

Concern troll extraordinaire, John Boehner, thinks this could unnecessarily divide the country.

Corker Votes With Democrats On Foreign Policy Amendments

I can't tell if Sen. Corker just doesn't like Sen. Kyl, or if he lines up with Democrats on some foreign policy issues, but in the debate over the Omnibus spending package, Corker voted 3 times against Kyl amendments that had to do with our foreign policy towards countries in the Middle East:

Kyl Amdt. No. 634; To prohibit the expenditure of amounts made available under this Act in a contract with any company that has a business presence in Iran's energy sector.

Kyl Amdt. No. 630; To require a report on counter-smuggling efforts in Gaza.

Kyl Amdt. No. 631 ; To require the Secretary of State to certify that funds made available for reconstruction efforts in Gaza will not be diverted to Hamas or entities controlled by Hamas.

The Disgruntled Ones Speak

Just in case you feel the blog is one-sided, here are the collective views of those who call themselves "reality" on the recent TNDP election summit:

Let me set you straight, Sean. Sources that attended told me that this summit amounted to defeated candidates and their staff bitching for a couple of hours and then they ate lunch. Not a single person that participated in the coordinated campaign at a senior level attended. No one from the office of the governor. No one from a congressional office.

Followed by:

By the way -- You should be kissing Lincoln Davis' ass. He may not be "your kind" of Democrat, but he was a vote for the President's stimulus at a time when goddamn Republicans were choking their puds.

And of course the advice and words of encouragement from a group of experienced hands:

What a wormy little piece of shit you are.

If your brain and balls are too embryonic...

Sean, you are retarded.

Wrong, bitch!

Shawn is about as qualified to talk politics as Turd Ferguson is to do a ballroom spin and twirl on Dancing with the Stars.

Update: I should point out that I find it ironic that I've gotten more flame comments by supposed "Democrats" in two months than I've gotten in two and a half years from Republicans.

TNDP Summit

Kathy Chambers with Nashville Community Organizers has pictures up from a summit at the TNDP headquarters that brought together volunteers, politicos, and defeated pols to determine what went wrong in 2008, and how to move forward.

Department of Re-used Memes

First, acknowledging that Rush Limbaugh is the moral leader of the GOP was a "distraction". Now, signing a much overdue executive order lifting the ban on embryonic stem cell research is also a "distraction":

"Why are we going and distracting ourselves from the economy? This is job No. 1. Let's focus on what needs to be done," Rep. Eric Cantor, the Republican whip in the House of Representatives, told CNN's "State of the Union."

Yeah, the President shouldn't even attempt to think of or do anything that isn't directly related to the economy. In order to set an example, Rep. Cantor is focusing on legislation vital to the growth of our economy, such as:

H.Res.151, Honoring the life and expressing condolences of the House of Representatives on the passing of Paul M. Weyrich.

H.Res.204: Congratulating the American Dental Association for its 150th year of working to improve the public's oral health and promoting dentistry, supporting initiatives to improve access to oral health care services for all Americans, and emphasizing the benefits of prevention of disease through support of community prevention initiatives and promotion of good oral hygiene.

HJR37: Amending the constitution to state that, "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of a legal union of one man and one woman."

H.R.1350: To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, post-abortion depression and psychosis.

Yes, Eric Cantor, focusing on the real important issues while our President fritters away his precious time signing executive orders which could save lives.

Gen. Krumm of the Revolutionary Capitalist Brigade

Bob Krumm has an interesting opinion article over at Pajamas Media in which he threatens the prospect of armed insurrection if President Obama does not capitulate to the demands of the Republican masses who are rising up all across America with hand-made signs about how he is a socialist without a proper Birth Certificate.

At some point, protests against mortgage bailouts turn into bricks tossed through the windows of bailed out homes, or baseball bats taken to car dealerships, or Molotov cocktails thrown at bank branches and government offices. When Americans lose hope, instead of taking handouts, they bite those whose hands are out, especially if those hands are holding guns.

Of course, the problem with Maj. Krumm's historical analysis is that he fails to look upon the period of time in the 1930s when Government actions far exceeded that of any proposals President Obama has put forth. In the 1930s there were massive Government programs that put people to work, paid farmers to destroy their crops, a national regulatory agency whose scope was not seen before or since. And yet, while I many have just read the wrong books, I don't recall some great violent outrage by upper-middle class investors who felt they got the shaft.

Krumm goes on to say:

While America has suffered through severe economic times before, it has never done so when its government is so disconnected from its people. Even during the downturn of the 1970s in the immediate aftermath of Watergate, it was largely the youth that rejected the establishment. Their parents were the nation’s walls that kept rebellion outside the body politic. Today those youth are the parents, and they have yet to show sufficient stability to be the bulwark that keeps barbarians at bay. Meanwhile, President Obama is building his walls with cases of dynamite, while he sits inside and plays with matches.

So what is he saying, that the youth are going to rise up against the President? We put him into office, we approve of his actions in levels far exceeding our parents generation. Sure, Krumm might have some great anecdotal evidence of how some young whipper snappers are pissed off about the President's plans as characterized by the GOP and Fox News, but by 70% or more, my generation approves of the President's action. Sure, a small minority could turn violent, but for what reason? Because of the worry that deficits will become untenable? They've been out of hand for three decades. Reagan nearly tripled the debt, Bush doubled it, and even if forecasts that Obama's budgets will double it again are correct...why would the youth choose now to get violent about it?

The greatest risk of violence would've been if the country had narrowly elected a status quo politician who thought the Government should take a hands off approach, allow banks to do what they please, and ignore the plight of the working class. That is how you spark revolution...not by raising the taxes ever so slightly on the top 2%, but by allowing a great mass of people fester in their anger of the actions and misdeeds of a bunch of bankers on Wall Street which lead to them loosing their job or home. By allowing people to go homeless and hungry, to allow everything they have to be taken away, stripping them of their dignity and self-respect...that is the recipe for insurrection and the rise of extremist ideologies.

Krumm might be right in that there is a chance for a third party to supplant the GOP, but only because the GOP is so completely and utterly disconnected from the American people. Meanwhile, the Democratic President and his party maintain approval and favorability numbers far exceeding anything seen in the last few years.

Looking for Love In All The Wrong Places

Apparently Teddy Bart, a hero to many politicos back a few years ago, got busted for trying to exchange money for services in one of Nashville's fine lodging establishments. Tax payer funds were used to lure Mr. Bart into thinking he'd be able to satisfy his desires (dude is really old, you know how hard it is to get a date at his age?), while satisfying the desire of some young female to make a li'l scratch. Unfortunately, the only escort waiting there was a police escort ready to shame him for trying to get a little play the only way a guy like him can.

O'Bama Disses Brits

If you need any further proof that Barack Obama is an Irishman at heart, look no further than the blog post by anglophile Nathan Moore who blasts Obama for not paying proper homage to our British lords. I say Mr. Brown should be lucky he got anything at all after his country's treatment of the Northern Irish!

In all seriousness, whomever is in charge of procuring gifts for foreign dignitaries ought to be working a little harder.

What Do Rush and Michael Moore Have In Common?

Egos. Massively enormous egos.

Have You Ever Seen A Wine Bong?

Guess who said this:

“For no apparent reason, Senator Faulk is proposing liberalizing the sale of alcohol in this state to a point we have not seen since the repeal of Prohibition...He of all people should be aware of the risks and the heartache of having alcohol more accessible in our communities. Not only is this legislation irresponsible, it is dangerous and would drastically alter our Tennessee way of life.”

The head of the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, that's who. Yes, the head of an organization comprised of people who sell alcohol, is talking about the "heartache" of having alcohol accessible in our community. Hrmm...I'm going to go ahead and take a wild fucking stab in the dark and say that this same group is not in favor of seeing a plethora of dry counties in the state. Oh, and this genius also thinks:

“In recent years, wine has been marketed along with food, but we can’t forget that it has more than twice the alcohol content as beer, making it twice as dangerous."

Yeah, twice as dangerous. When was the last time you saw a person stick a plastic tube down their throat and poor wine through a funnel? Or have someone hold them upside down while they chug wine from a box? Seriously, alcoholic content is not what makes a liquor more or less dangerous, its the behavior of the people consuming it. A glass of wine is no more dangerous than a beer or a glass of whiskey, its how you consume it, and how much you consume, that makes the difference.

The level of dishonesty coming from the TWSRA is quite astonishing. I've never seen an industry so gleefully spread malicious information about a product they sell before. I mean, you have those anti-Tobacco ads paid for by cigarette companies, but they are required to do that by the courts. If Chip Christianson is so concerned about the negative consequences of wine, why doesn't his organization push to have it banned from bars and restaraunts? After all, most problems associated with alcohol are driving related, and most people drive to and from restaraunts, so maybe his organization should be on the forefront of protecting the public by seeing a push to take away the privledge of selling it by the glass.

(h/t ACK)

Republicans Oppose Municipal Rights

Last Tuesday Republicans, along with two Democrats, voted to pass a bill (SB83) through committee which would strip local governments of the ability to set their own minimum wage laws. Senator Eric Stewart was the only one to vote against the bill which:

As introduced, prohibits local governments from requiring private employer to pay its employees any wage not required to be paid to such employee under state or federal law.

Now, you can make an economics argument as to why it is not in the best interest of a local government to increase their minimum wage beyond surrounding cities...but I don't see the compelling interest in the state to keep municipalities from doing this? Aren't Republicans supposed to be all about local rule?

In other minimum wage law, Rep. Fincher failed to pass through committee a state minimum wage law which would increase the employer provided wages for tipped employees from $2.125 an hour to $3.28. According to Fincher, via Woods:

"This week the legislature had a chance to make life easier for working families and three Republicans in subcommittee chose not to do that. ... We're talking about $3.28 an hour for someone who's breaking their back, wiping down tables, hustling food to people for tips. And these people and their party opposed it. It's awful for someone to sit here and say you can live on $2.13 an hour. That's not enough.

Here, Here! Having worked as a server before, I appreciated when I got that extra buck in my paycheck for training or something like that. Now, I also remember having paychecks of $25, $15, $30 or so lying around for months before I cashed them, because I made my money via tips. And, to be fair to the law, restaurants are required to make up the difference if a tipped employee does not make enough to meet the $6.55 minimum wage for everyone else. But, all the same, it was a noble effort, even if it was ultimately squashed in committee.

Murfreesboro Road To Stay A Moderate Crime Zone

Opponents of a plan to move the Greyhound Bus Terminal to the abandoned Music City Dodge building on the corner of Murfreesboro and Foster were successful in stopping the proposed move on the grounds that moving the facility would bring with them a criminal element.

Now, I personally wouldn't want to be caught in this area after dark, but my only beef with the proposed site would've been the potential increased traffic when I leave from work.

Now that proponents have successfully stopped it, Greyhound needs to find another place to relocate because their current facility stands on the grounds that are to be used for the new convention center.

Ol' Fred Thompson's Folsky News Hour

Got a chance to listen to a snippet of Ol' Fred's new radio program. Have to say, Mr. Thompson has a long way to go before he's in the same league as your Rush Limbaugh's, or even Phil Valentine's of the world. He was droning on about how this here "C-Chip" program is bad for the youngins, and how those li'l whipper snappers are being dealt a disservice by Barack Obama for the debt.

Of course, this is coming from a guy who fetishizes Ronald Reagan, the President responsible for breaking the the trillion dollar cherry, and ushering in a tax cut and spend era that brought the debt to nearly 10 trillion dollars, so, take with the requisit grain of salt.

Fred has to have some sort of co-host or "producer" to help guide him through the program so he doesn't start rambling and mumbling about kids on his lawn. But hey, he's fairly new at it, so you never know, maybe it'll get better and he could grow to be the new face of the GOP.

Update:

It turns out that the woman on with Fred is none other than his favorite possession...his "trophy wife", Jeri Thompson.

Wasteful Spending

I think cutting wasteful spending is certainly and admirable and necessary goal for the President. But at the same time, cutting further spending on mulit-billion dollar projects, like a Nuclear storage facility in Yucca Mountain, is counter-productive and a waste of taxpayer resources. We've spend nearly $8 billion to build this facility, bringing jobs and money to the Nevada economy, only to see the facility mothballed? Well, they'd better find a damn good use for that Mountain if they aren't going to keep the project as it was intended.

Who Is The Leader?

GOP pollster Rasmussen has a poll out which shows very few Republicans agree with the statement, “Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party. He says jump, and they say how high.” Of course, had they left out that last part, my guess is a few more Republicans would've agreed, but regardless, a better poll would've asked respondents to name the person they thought was the head of the GOP? Is it Michael Steele? John Boehner? Mitch McConnell?

For the Democrats, after Bill Clinton, it was still Bill Clinton. He became the titular head of the Democratic Party and, while he relinquished it ever so briefly to John Kerry in 2004, managed to hold onto that title until 2008, when he imploded over his wife's candidacy for President.

Republicans don't have that option. They've got George W. Bush, who is the Don Sundquist of the National GOP. You've got Michael Steele who was selected by a group of party insiders after four or five ballots. You've got some Congressional and Senate leaders who most Americans couldn't pick out of the lineup. You have John McCain who most Republicans didn't want to be their nominee in the first place. So who does that leave?

Well, the most outspoken, most listened to, most respected (by members of the party) person in the GOP is Rush Limbaugh. Democrats didn't "elevate" him to that position, he and his listeners did. He's the Boss Crump of National GOP politics. Sure, because people like Fred Thompson siphoned off Conservative votes in the primary, and a winner-take-all system, John McCain was able to win. But McCain still made decisions post nomination designed to please their fearless leader (hello Sarah Palin).

Now, you can argue that he is the head of the Conservative movement, and not the GOP, as did Tom Delay last night on Hardball...but the Republican party has purged or turned off nearly all their moderate members, leaving them with a base of hard-right Republicans.

Rush Limbaugh is the head of the Republicans because he has the highest name recognition, has the biggest bully-pulpit, and he is the only person in the GOP that Republicans fear crossing.

Update:

House Minority Leader Boehner comes out with a rebuke of the White House for saying Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republicans...without actually saying that Rush Limbaugh is not the leader of the Republicans.

Missouri One Ups Tennessee

Thanks Missouri for taking the focus off the ignorant assholes in the Tennessee Republican Caucus, and placing it squarely on your own assholes.

Some Things You Just Don't Wanna Know

Governor Bredesen is pushing a bill that will make you feel a helluva lot more guilty about eating that bucket of fried chicken than you did before...

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is pushing for a bill that calls for most restaurants in the state to make changes to their menus. The Governor wants you to be more aware of what you're eating.

Tennessee is one state that helps it live up to the United State's reputation as the fast-food nation. The Volunteer state has the dubious distinction of being the third fattest state in the country.

Will it reduce obesity in the state? Eh, I'm not sure, obesity didn't become a major problem in America until after the requirement of food labeling, and people still smoke despite label warnings of "this shit will kill you". But even if it doesn't do anything on that front, consumers do deserve to have all the information available to them when they are making a decision.

Oh, What Could've Been

Quick...To The Waffle House!!!

Tucked in that MTSU poll were Bredesen's most recent job approval ratings (.pdf). Though still popular in the state (52%, just below Obama's 53%), he has fallen with that prized demographic which most often frequents Der Waffle House.

Among demographic factors, education makes the biggest difference, with under half (45%) of Tennesseans without a college degree expressing approval of Bredesen compared with nearly two-thirds (64%) of those with a college degree. His strongest supporters are older, college educated Tennesseans.

Shock! Tennesseans Support More Consumer Choice

An MTSU poll, though not always the most reliable in the world, has come out with results showing that an overwhelming majority of Tennesseans support having the ability to purchase wine in grocery stores. By a 62-26% margin (.pdf), the people of Tennessee reject the false arguments put out there by the liquor distributors and teetotalers.

In addition, a majority of Tennesseans approve of the job President Obama has been doing since taking the oath in January. 53% support the President's efforts, compared to 27% who disapprove. In all likelihood, there is a direct correlation between those numbers, and the 54% who think Obama is doing enough to try and work with Republicans, while only 24% think the GOP is being a reasonable partner in running our country.

Of interest but of little consequence:

“On about how many occasions have you told someone a joke that referred to Obama’s race,” 15% say they have done so at least once, with most of those saying they have done so on between one and three occasions. Substantially more Tennesseans (70%) say they have read or heard a joke referring to Obama’s race on at least one occasion, with between one and four occasions being the norm.

A majority of Tennesseans say they would find a joke referring to Obama’s race “definitely not humorous” (57%), while about a fifth (21%) say they’d consider such a joke “probably not humorous.” Twelve percent say such a joke would be “probably humorous” to them, and 3% say it would be “definitely humorous.”

Gutting Consumer Protections

Elections have consequences, and while most people focus on the social legislation that is now going to pass the Tennessee House, lets not forget why Republicans ultimately go into politics...to serve the business community.

One such example is a bill introduced by Rep. McCord and Sen. Black which aims to gut the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, making it harder for consumers to claim losses that occur after a "consumer transaction" occurs, essentially making it harder to prosecute "Ponzi" schemes where the fraud occurs after the initial point of transaction or investment.

In addition, this amendment to the Consumer Protection Act attempts to limit the amount of damages a person can receive to "out of pocket losses," in other words, the price difference between what they paid for and what they got. According to the legislative summary:

This bill specifies that each person who seeks to recover damages for an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Consumer Protection Act must prove that the deceptive act or practice caused the person to enter into the transaction that resulted in those damages. This bill specifies that proof of a violation of the Act will not support an award of damages without proof that the person suffered an actual "out-of-pocket loss".

So, if for instance you purchased an item over the phone, got an item that was wrong, but was of similar market value, you might not be able to claim damages, and even then, it would only be for the difference in cost.

Honk If You Need To Unload These Bumper Stickers

If you attended the rightwing circle-jerk known as CPAC this year, you are in for a double treat:

The TNGOP is offering a special price for our new bumper sticker (HONK If you're paying my mortgage) to CPAC attendees.

Five for $10, ten for $25 or twenty for $45.

That's $5 cheaper than the online price. Make your donation via the secure form at http://www.tngop.org/contribute/ and then forward your email receipt to billhobbs-at-tngop.org with "CPAC HONK SPECIAL" in the subject line and we'll get them sent out to you.

You can be one of tens of people to show their friends how hypocritically ignorant you are to have voted for John McCain, and then criticize Obama for his mortgage relief plan.