Discrimination Still Popular in Shelby County

From CA:

A proposed ordinance to protect gays, lesbians and transgender people from job discrimination failed an early test at the Shelby County Commission on Wednesday, one step in an emotional debate that touches on deep questions of race and sexuality.

County rules mean the measure still goes to a vote before the full County Commission on Monday for the first of three readings it must pass before it becomes law. Gay activists plan to lobby commissioners who didn't cast votes Wednesday.

See Also: Grand Divisions

Hispanics Against Latinas

The Tennessee GOP Hispanic Caucus, all two of them, have come out against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because some of her decisions as a judge were overturned by the conservative Supreme Court in 5-4 decisions, and she was honest in her assessment that courts often dictate policy in this country.

As the folks at DailyKos pointed out yesterday, its really the "conservative" members of the Supreme Court who have been the most activist in overturning the will of the people as enacted by their duly elected representatives.

What Would Nixon Do?

That is essentially the question being asked by Jonah Goldberg at the Corner, though in place of Nixon he has Obama:

Lots of readers ask whether Obama would really retalliate with nukes if North Korea attacked America or one its allies. Obviously, no one knows the answer and no one wants to find out for sure. But I do think it's a reasonable question. Would Obama nuke Pyongyang if the Norks nuked Seoul? I kind of doubt it. Would he nuke Iran if LA were in ruins at Iranian hands? More likely, but I'm not positive about that either. It'd be a good plot device for a political novel: a liberal, anti-nuke, president refuses to retaliate after a nuclear strike. Would the public demand his impeachment? Would the Congress declare war and force his hand? Questions best left for fiction and academic debate, I think.

Its really fascinating considering that Richard Nixon in 1969 urged the Senate to ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at time when our enemy had not a couple, but hundreds of nuclear weapons at their disposal (and the capacity to deliver them to every major American city at once). While North Korea's actions, and Iran's desires, should be and are a concern of the President, that doesn't mean we need to ramp up the creation of more nuclear weapons or take off the table the option of limiting our large stockpile.

Will Obama counter an attack against Iran if they attack us? I'm sure he would. Personally, I'm not too concerned about such a scenario as I still believe the powers that be in Iran are more concerned with self-preservation than they are advancing an ideology...I'm less convinced of this when it comes to North Korea, but still, I can't imagine a Nuclear Weapon would be launched prior to some sort of active military engagement with South Korea or others...and we'll just have to cross that bridge when it comes.

Councilman Invites World of Trouble Into His Life

Woe unto he who supports commercial development over neighborhood concerns, for he shall reap a whirlwind of angry constituent calls (from the Nashville Post):

Matthews called the relationship between May Town developers and Tennessee State “a blessing,” and said the addition of an agricultural research facility for the university was a benefit to the project.

But Matthews was also adamant that the project made sense in its scaled-back form, which would accommodate about 20,000 residents and commuting workers to the mixed-use business park and residential development.

As for concerns surrounding traffic raised by Metro Council members whose districts would face pass-through commuters, Matthews said those are “sincere and valid.”

“I think the developers know that the scenario where a second bridge would be required would be if there are more than 19,000 to 20,000 people, and they know they want to keep it at that scale,” Matthews said.

Department of Strange Bedfellows

Controversial Councilman Eric Crafton is promoting a law change that would require that any Metro Employee reside inside Davidson County.

A bill filed by District 22 Metro Councilman Eric Crafton would require all Metro government employees to live in Davidson County.

Crafton’s bill will be on first at the June 2 Metro Council meeting.

Crafton has said in the past that those who work for Metro and receive the benefits of working for the local government ought to live in Davidson County, too.

I find this somewhat odd coming from Crafton considering his district is at the very edge of the county, but regardless, its good to see his sights set on a group other than Hispanics.

(h/t ACK)

Roll of the Dice

Well, that didn't take long. In about a day Egalia at TGW went from celebrating the wonder that is a Latina Justice to deriding Obama for not knowing enough about her views on gay rights and abortion.

Of course, this is going to be a problem with most nominees before the Supreme Court. Even if they've dealt with cases involving the subjects before, there is a difference between being on the appellate court and feeling compelled to follow the Supreme Court's lead, and being on that court which sets the lead.

Personally though, I'm tired of having the abortion subject so front and center on the issue of the Supreme Court. That subject is probably a tenth of a percent of what a Justice will deal with in their career and it makes no sense that their feelings on Roe v. Wade should decide their nomination or confirmation. That is why its well past time for the Congress to deal with this matter constitutionally in some form or fashion so as to free up the courts from having to decide what should be a question of medical and societal ethics.

Speaking of Ethics Leg

It bares pointing out that while Cammack's campaign is lambasting the
GOP effort to roll back ethics laws, it was Kim McMillan who chaired
the committee that wrote the laws which are the subject of debate. I
guess one of the benefits of being a candidate with a track record in
politics is that you have actions to back up the words... Though that
could be a double edged sword.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Umm, Weren't The Rules Instituted for a Reason?

Ward Cammack's Communications Director Mark Brown had the following comment regarding a recently advanced bill through the legislature that would allow for representatives to raise funds during session:

"If a sitting legislator believes so strongly they should run for another office, they should resign their seat in the General Assembly and run. During session, legislators should focus on doing the business of the people. Is it really in the best interests of the people of Tennessee to allow monied special interests to write huge campaign checks to influence the legislative process?"

Although I'm not as strongly against this measure as I would be eliminating caps on campaign donations, it doesn't seem prudent to eliminate a rule that was put in place in order to strengthen the confidence of voters in the legislature.

Cohen Supports Sotomayor

In a press release about as surprising as Marsha Blackburn's inevitable opposition, Congressman Cohen['s new Communications Director Steven Broderick] writes:

“Memphians understand better than anyone that we need Supreme Court justices that will ensure that all Americans are afforded equality, opportunity and justice. I believe that in nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, President Obama has found such a person.

“Throughout her long and distinguished legal career, Judge Sotomayor has demonstrated that upholding the rule of law means going beyond legal theory to ensure consistent, fair, common-sense application of the law to real-world facts. She is incredibly well-qualified and I urge the U.S. Senate to swiftly confirm her.”

Biblical Judicial Activist

President Obama seems to endorse using the Bible to interpret our laws when he talks about words put to paper nearly 20 centuries ago.

Sotomayor por la Tribunal Supremo

President Barack Obama is going to tap Appeals Court Judge Sonya Sotomayor to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court. The media seems to be focusing right now on her Hispanic credentials (though there is a question as to whether she'd be the first Hispanic on the court), and there is somehow the presumption that Republicans would be scared to oppose her out of fear of pissing off the Hispanic voters.

First off, the vast majority of elected Republican officials don't care about long term strategy, they care about mollifying their base. Right now, the GOP base is a bunch of anti-immigrant xenophobes who think all people with complexions that fall between white and black are "Mexican". While there might be a handful concerned about steering the party towards future relevancy, the vast majority are simply rightwing zealots worried about the here and now (after all, Jesus is coming back any day now, why worry about the future).

Second, the presumption is that Hispanics will rally around Sotomayor and be offended by anyone voting against her. My first query is whether or not a majority of Americans of Mexican or Central American decent really identify with Puerto Ricans or Cubans? After all, the Puerto Rican immigrant story can often be vastly different than the Mexican immigrant story, given the fact that Peurto Ricans aren't really immigrants at all, rather American citizens at birth. Second, how closely will the American public (Hispanic or not) follow the SCOTUS nomination process?

Third, the attack line against Sotomayor is going to be the same as it would be against some uppercrust northeastern white liberal, essentially, "the most extreme leftist liberal in the history of God's green Earth." Doesn't matter if its true, because most Americans aren't going to scour her judicial opinions to try and find a bias or theme, they are going to hear two sides, random quotes taken way out of context, and an idea is going to be formed. Republicans will largely vote against her, with perhaps Collins and Snowe and maybe someone like Orrin Hatch who believes that the Senate's job is to test whether or not a nominee is qualified, not ideologicially in tune with them.

My feeling is that the only thing that could come out and derail her nomination is some non court controversy coming to light...she forgot to pay her property taxes one year in 1987, or something like that. Republicans won't have the stones (or likely the votes) to filibuster her nomination, but at the same time, the radical right created a bit of a monster in the 2002-2003 fights over Bush's judicial nominations, and so its unlikely we'll see a return to previous nearly unanimous votes for Supreme Court nominees like Ginsburg and Stevens.

See Also: TNR on Sotomayor.

Do You Like Mike?

Mike over at MMACreative has designed the new website for Mike McWherter which emphasizes the candidate's first, rather than famous last name.

(h/t ACK)

Feel Good Friday

Half day for yours truly, gonna go catch me some Terminator. Found yet another "Obama song" that was posted shortly after the election but didn't quite get the play of "Yes We Can." A little too happy go lucky for me, but hey, its FGF.

American Exceptionalism By President Obama

In a fifty minute speech in Washington, the President outlined his plan for the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, along with an enunciation of his version of American exceptionalism which holds that our values keep us safer and more secure than any enhanced interrogation program could ever hope to:

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

See transcript here.

While occasionally redundant (as you might expect from a 50 minute speech on such narrow a subject), I feel President Obama was able to outline a forceful and effective response to critics like Darth Cheney who believe that torture is the only way to ensure the safety of American safety. He also managed to dispel some myths and fear mongering by Republicans and Democrats alike:

Let me begin by disposing of one argument as plainly as I can: we are not going to release anyone if it would endanger our national security, nor will we release detainees within the United States who endanger the American people. Where demanded by justice and national security, we will seek to transfer some detainees to the same type of facilities in which we hold all manner of dangerous and violent criminals within our borders – highly secure prisons that ensure the public safety. As we make these decisions, bear in mind the following fact: nobody has ever escaped from one of our federal "supermax" prisons, which hold hundreds of convicted terrorists. As Senator Lindsey Graham said: "The idea that we cannot find a place to securely house 250-plus detainees within the United States is not rational."

We have hundreds of thousands of violent criminals locked up in State and Federal prisons across the country. The only major difference between the Islamic terrorists and the average multiple murderer is that the terrorist has a political or religious motive for his crimes...there is no reason to believe they are any more adept at escaping from a supermax prison than a former Marine who has been sent to prison for crimes committed after his service.

The President also spoke of the American Criminal Justice system and its efficacy of trying terrorists for crimes against the United States. I understand Republicans post-9/11 took the notion of taking a law enforcement approach to combating terrorism as a sign of weakness, but the fact is once we've captured a threat to America, we eventually have to take further action beyond holding them. In a war against a uniformed army, many of those who fought against us would be released once the war was over, or tried for war crimes. So what if our enemy does not wear a uniform? Why can we not try them as we'd try any other war criminal, but instead of sending them to the Hague, we can ensure they get the pain and discomfort associated with our fine prison facilities.

While I was predisposed to support them from the beginning, I found President Obama's rationale to be quite concise in the various subjects he touched on (though my one qualm would be lumping in Taliban commanders with Al-Qaeda forces). We'll see what Darth Cheney has to offer as a rebuttal, but my guess is that it won't win him very many fans outside the cabal of neo-conservatives who have wet dreams about being Jack Bauer some day.

Update:

Dick, searching for excuses to oppose the Obama administration, gets his teabagger on:

Attorney General Holder and others have admitted that the United States will be compelled to accept a number of the terrorists here, in the homeland, and it has even been suggested US taxpayer dollars will be used to support them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does not the United States taxpayer foot the cost for the Guantanamo Bay prison facility?

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Gubernatorial candidate Ward Cammack has added a feature to his website which enables people to submit questions to be later answered publicly and on record. So far, unlike the majority of Democrats in the legislature, Mr. Cammack does not support SJR127 to eliminate constitutional protections for a woman's body nor does he support the dreaded income tax.

Department of What The Hell Man?

From Woods:

Up from the primordial scum of what's left in the legislature's committee system has emerged one of the worst bills in all of this session (and that's saying a lot): It would remove all limits on contributions to candidates for governor and lift the ban on campaign fund-raising by legislators during sessions.

Oh, that's a great frackin' idea...while we are at it, might as well open up the campaigns to receive corporate donations too.

Supporters of this plan seem to think it'll benefit Ron Ramsey or Zach Wamp against the potential self-funding power of Bill Haslam. But ya know what? I'll bet you dollars to donuts that Bill Haslam's friends are a lot wealthier than Ramsey's or Wamp's. The only thing this might accomplish is to allow Haslam to save some of his own cash and use that of his cronies.

See Also: ACK

Alexander Hearts BNA

Lamar Alexander was one of 5 US Senators to vote against a bill that would give debtors a more solid footing against credit card companies that decide to raise interest rates on a whim without any wrongdoing on the part of the card holder. 35 other Republicans, including Bob Corker, decided that there was a limit to the level of corporate whoring the GOP should do...but Alexander saw no such line.

Americans Trust Obama On Security

If the new numbers from the admittedly Democratic pollster Greenberg hold up over the next few years, then Republicans are completely screwed. For years now, foreign policy has been their bread and butter in terms of electoral success.

"Don't trust us on Social Security, Health Care, Jobs, etc...? Well, at least you won't die under our watch."

Now, though, it appears that Obama's mix of diplomatic overtures, increases in troop strength in Afghanistan, and a restoration of American values in the treatment of prisoners of war, has won over the American people.

His highest levels of approval come on the issues of restoring America's standing in the world (69-28) and his engagement with foreign leaders (68-28).

Of course, its not all sunshine and rainbows. Republicans still get high marks on "patriotism," luvin the troops, and the GWOT. And Americans in general are skeptical of efforts to reduce the global nuclear stockpile. But despite a few challenges which may or may not ever be overcome, the fact is that as of right now, the majority of Americans are cowering in their closets in fear of some attack Obama's naivete is supposed to bring about according to Fox News.

Update:

For more polling fun, see what ideological purity has gotten the GOP in recent years. Yessss...the GOP just needs to be more rightwing, that'll win back the moderates.

Mad Respect For Naifeh

Say what you want about Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh, but after seeing the vote in the House last night on the bill to strip the TN Constitution of protections for women, you have to commend his skill at keeping bills he didn't like off the floor of the house.

While the SJR127 bill has come up time and again over the past few legislative sessions, this is the first time it has ever gotten a floor vote on the house, and it passed by an overwhelming 76-22 77-21 margin. That means that over half the Democratic caucus voted for a bill that before couldn't even get out of committee. The caucus could not even be unified in protecting the life of a pregnant woman who requires an abortion to live. At this point, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we could get unified Democratic opposition to a ban on Plan B.

See Also: Aunt B has some stern words for Rep. Mike Turner who voted with the majority of the Democratic caucus to state that the TN Constitution confers no right to privacy for women.

Rally 'Round The Hospital

Councilman Jerry Maynard and others are sponsoring a rally to help support Nashville Metro General Hospital on May 21st before the budget hearing.
Save Metro General

Publish at Scribd or explore others: School Work Illustrations & Maps jerry maynard nashville metro gene

Why Incompetence Matters To You

Gubernatorial candidate Ward Cammack breaks down the reasons why poor financial decisions made by municipalities might effect you even if you don't live in said area:

On a very personal level, a specific way Tennesseans might be impacted is through a reduction in the value of their savings and investments, including retirement investments. Numerous Tennesseans own municipal bonds either directly or indirectly through a fixed income mutual fund. Additionally, many banks and brokerage firms offer clients products such as interest bearing checking accounts and CDs that invest directly in municipal bonds or in money market funds that hold municipal bonds. When the cities and towns that entered into these swaps face higher interest payments, the credit-worthiness of those municipalities deteriorates, causing the value of their bonds to decline.

On a broader level, reduced economic activity in the communities struggling with the consequences of higher interest payments translates directly into lower sales tax receipts for the state. Given the dramatic underperformance of state tax collections for well over a year now, this creates more pressure on the state budget, increasing the likelihood that Tennesseans face cuts to the vital services that state government provides.

Who Knew What When and Why?

I've spent the past hour or so reading various articles, trying to grasp what this spat about Nancy Pelosi is all about. My mind is slightly boggled because you've got Republicans calling for her to resign, calling her despicable and what not...am I to understand that Nancy Pelosi was the one who authorized the Government to torture criminal suspects? Oh, wait, no that was El Jefe Bush.

No, it seems as though Nancy's alleged crime is that she might have known that El Jefe Bush authorized the federal government to torture criminal suspects before she let on that she knew. Ummm, ok? That is sort of like charging the wife of a criminal with his crime because he may have told her about it, and then letting the criminal off the hook.

Quite frankly, I want all this to be done with. I'm with Obama, its time to move past the Bush administration, it sucked the first go around, so why would I want to relive that shit?

Bringing Home The Bacon

State Sen. Roy Herron is pushing back against the insinuation that he hasn't done a good job for his district, specifically Perry County which has an unemployment rate about 25%. According to a Senate Democratic Caucus press release, roughly $108 million has been spent on Perry County between 2001 and 2009, or a little under $14K per resident.

Personally, I don't think its fair to blame a State Senator for the economic condition of his district. While Government as a whole has the ability to encourage private sector growth, its not always going to be even, and sometimes through happenstance, a certain area might be worse off than another. Perry County lost their major source for jobs, auto manufacturing, and its hard to recover right away.

Not to mention, I supported Barack Obama for President, and his State Senate district certainly had its fair share of problems.

Makin' Nashville All Purdy Like

Some Nashvillians and people from around the state got together the other day to host the Great American Cleanup and help improve the look of our city.

Time To Step Up Your A Game Servers

It looks like guns 'n bars is fast on its way to being codified in the
TN code now that its passed the Senate 24-7. It now goes to Gov.
Bredesen where I will bet you a shiny nickle it sits without his
signature until it becomes law.

I know a lot of Dems were hot and bothered by this bill, but like I
have said before...if you are going to allow people to carry firearms,
I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to carry in a place that
sells alcohol so long as its still illegal for them to pack and drink
at the same time.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Time For Reid To Grow A Backbone

I don't expect miracles out of Democratic leadership, but I do expect some effort, and so far, I'm having trouble seeing where the effort is on the part of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

According to TPM, Reid isn't quite sure he'll have the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture on the nomination of Dawn Johnsen for the Office of Legal Counsel.

"Right now we're finding out when to do that," Reid said, according to Roll Call. "We need a couple Republican votes until we can get to 60."

Right now there are 59 Democrats. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has said he's "concerned" about her nomination, but his office strongly suggested to me that he'd vote for cloture on her confirmation. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) has said he "opposes" Johnsen, but hasn't answered the cloture question thusfar. Republican Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), though, says he supports her. Assuming Nelson's cloture vote really will be there, but that Specter will continue his...unpredictable streak, that means Democrats need one more Republican to get behind her.

Looking back on Senate Roll Calls during Clinton's first year (when Dems controlled the Senate 56-44) I saw only one example of a rejected cloture vote, and that had all Democratic senators voting to invoke cloture.

Now, our problem is not Republicans, but FUCKING DEMOCRATS refusing to allow the President's nominees a simple confirmation vote. I don't care if they vote for the confirmation, but unless they have unanswered questions, refusing to invoke cloture because a Democratic nominee is "pro-choice" should not be tolerated.

Just a few hours ago, another of Obama's nominees, David Hayes for Dep. Sec. of Interior, had a cloture vote rejected by a 57-39 vote. Now, one of those 39 was Harry Reid who voted that way so he could bring the measure up for reconsideration, and three "not-voting" members were Kennedy, Kerry, and Mikulski, so more than likely they can achieve the 60 votes once we have everyone there, but that brings me to another point.

Sen. Kennedy has missed nearly every vote, save a handful like the stimulus, since the session started. I'm personally of the opinion that if it appears he isn't going to be able to perform the functions required of a Senator, he should resign. It may be tough, considering he's been in the Senate for so long, but we need that extra vote to get important things done, and if Sen. Kennedy can't perform the duties, then maybe he should resign so that the Governor can appoint someone who will (even if that person is Kennedy's wife).

Ultimately though, Sen. Reid needs to strap on a pair and start making Republicans pay for their obstruction. Back in 2003 and 2004, Republicans had a 51-49 advantage in the Senate, and they managed to get all but a handful of Bush's nominees passed cloture. And what did they do about that handful? They organized church protests, held nationwide town halls, went on the TV day and night to complain about Democratic obstruction making "up or down" a phrase that Democrats heard in their sleep. We have currently 59 Democrats in the Senate...60 once Al Franken is seated sometime shortly before his re-election campaign. We have a President elected by a majority of the voters. He's nominated qualified, mainstream appointees to administration positions. We need to stop rolling over and playing dead, and make the Republicans, but even more so the Democrats, understand who is in charge of the Government.

I'll Stick With The Stupid Grid Thank You Very Much

It appears that Tennessee is moving into the the 21st century [cue LA Times Beverly Hillbillies reference] via municipalities going with a "smart" grid that attempts to maximize efficiency by reducing unnecessary power consumption:

In Chattanooga, the pilot program with 32 residences saved up to $48 a month for customers and reduced energy use that would have resulted in emissions equal to 17 cars, the Electric Power Board says...

...Water heaters and heating/air-conditioning systems were remotely turned off for brief periods. The people in the households rarely if ever noticed, according to the follow-up survey...

...The meters have two-way communication with the power distributor. That opens lots of possibilities, including the ability for a customer to know how much energy is consumed by, say, a washer and dryer, and when's the best time to use them.

Someday, the TVA system is expected to offer residents different prices for electricity depending on the season and time of day, providing an incentive to use power when it's plentiful and cheaper and to help TVA avoid the need to build new, polluting power plants.

My parents had their own smart grid, it consisted of waiting until you woke up in a bed soaked in your own sweat before turning on the ol' AC. But I suppose this will work too for those who prefer the creature comforts of modern life but don't want to be wasteful about it.

(h/t Wardforgov)

Is Health Insurance Too Complex For .gov?

Sen. Chuck Grassley thinks that because the US Capitol decided to farm out its cafeteria to a private company, we shouldn't offer a public option for health care.



Yes, there are some functions to which it makes sense to farm out the duties to a private contractor. The ability to specialize in a certain function can reduce overall costs and improve efficiency...its the underpinning to the argument in favor of free trade.

But here is the rub. When it comes to private health insurance, what are they specializing in? Its not health care, that's the doctors. No, their specialization is in the ability to make a profit by collecting more money from the public than they disperse to the hospitals while taking a cut for the thousands of employees and shareholders. Their specialization is in the ability to deny otherwise legitimate claims in order to make a buck. We Don't Want That.

I don't want a public health insurance program that makes a profit, I'll settle for one that breaks even. And under an Obama plan with the public option, if the Federal Government fails worse than the private health insurance industry, well, you'll still be able to pay the private companies to deny your claims.

As Steele Would Say, "He's Fo' Rizzle"

Ilissa Gold sat down with Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Ward Cammack and came away impressed with the former Republican.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

You know, maybe I just missed it, but I don't recall the media covering the anti-Bush responses at college universities as much as they seem to be focusing on a few religious zealots at Notre Dame.

Basically, Obama supports baby killing ergo sitting through his speech would be tantamount to killing babies, or something like that. Personally, I've never understood the inability to listen to someone talk, regardless of how deplorable you think that person is. Whether its the dirty hippies who would stand up and turn their backs on President Dubya, or those who think Obama should've stormed out of Trinity UCC when Rev. Wright gave some charged sermons, I personally have no problem sitting through and listening to someone I disagree with (well, I do have a problem in that I want to shout out rebuttals, but regardless...)

Anywho, David Brody seems to think this is indicative of the President losing support among Catholics:

Since becoming President, Mr. Obama has made policy that has left himself open to criticism by pro-life Catholics (conscience clause, mexico city, embryonic stem cell research). When the President faces re-election in 2012, the faith team will have an even tougher challenge because with evidence in hand, pro-life Catholics will now mount a full scale offensive against the President. Moderate Catholic groups are armed for battle too. Will this be a Catholic armageddon of sorts?

Seriously, the man voted against the "born alive infant protection act" when he was a State Senator...anyone who based their votes on the issue of abortion had plenty of reasons not to support Obama in 2008, why allowing for the use of embryos destined for the waste bin in scientific experiments would now turn them against the President is quite beyond me.

Ultimately, Catholics are just as diverse a lot as Protestants. There are liberal Catholics, conservative Catholics, and some "in-need-of-therapy" Catholics. Those who put the issue of abortion at the forefront of their political life haven't voted for a Democrat in years. Those who put the economy at the forefront are going to judge the President on his economic performance, not on whether he dedicated his presidency to fighting for blastocysts everywhere.

Use The Gifts God Gave Ya

Rep. Marsha Blackburn has no time for demanding equal rights, rather, she is too busy deploying her god-given gift to regurgitate talking points in order to work for equality:

While women now have more opportunities to transform their careers, Blackburn acknowledged that there will always be “external and internal” walls. However, she explained that it is the approach to these that makes the difference. “Female leadership is not about demanding rights, it’s about deploying gifts,” she said. Instead of taking the “fight” perspective, she expects women to focus on their skills and background to advance. She writes, “I am contending that we need women to rise up and take places of leadership alongside men.”

Blackburn stresses with her book that women need to take their natural strengths and combine them with their passions. Then, as she says in the subtitle, they can pursue careers at any stage in life. Women do not need to put family life on the back burner while rising up in their careers. Blackburn argues they can take that time to raise their children and stay involved in their community to take the next step when they are ready.

What If...?

Harold Ford Jr. plays the if/then game regarding torture:



How about this.

If you knew that an American citizen was guilty of kidnapping.

If you knew his victim would die shortly if they weren't found.

Would you authorize torture? If not, why are you coddling criminals at the expense of innocent Americans? If yes, where does it stop? What if we need to find a murder suspect before he strikes again and we "know" his brother knows where he is...surely a few hours of waterboarding, in the grand scheme of things, is better than an innocent American being killed.

(h/t LWC)

No Country For Independents

ACK bemoans the lack of options for politicians wishing to avail themselves of the pesky partisan ties that bind them to a group, thus diminishing their individual potential and uses the Arlen Specter situation to find shortcomings in the Tennessee political system:

A Tennessee electorate as independent as it claims to be should be holding up politicians who challenge and buck the party system as heroes. Instead, the party system triumphs time and again despite our proclivities, forcing future potential independents to learn an unhealthy lesson: Don't challenge the system. If you intend to serve, you must serve one master, Republican or Democrat. There is no halfway.

Now, if that's the lesson we as voters are teaching our politicians, sooner or later we must stop complaining and admit that the problem with our politics is not that our politicians are not responsive but that we ourselves are communicating the wrong message.

Here's the rub. Tennessee is probably one of the easiest states in the country to run as an "independent" or "third party" candidate...you need only 25 signatures from people in your district in order to get your name on the ballot, that goes for every office from Council-member to Governor. In Rosalin Kurita's case, she could have chosen to run as an "independent," but instead, she chose to go for the Democratic party label, and under state and party rules, she lost that race.

In the case of Mike Williams, he lost by a razor thin margin against a candidate who, quite frankly, probably wanted it more and worked harder (he sure worked overtime courting the female vote).

The key thing here is that none of the people who we generally look to in Tennessee as "independents" started out that way, but rather moved to that direction for some reason. We haven't really had any well qualified, well financed candidates who started out as independents from the get go. Perhaps if we did, we could really test the theory that voters fail to reward true "independents".

Also, in order to have a vibrant election system not controlled by the parties, we need to change the way elections are done. We should have an instant run-off voting system that ensures no legislator or representative is elected without 50% + 1 vote, so as to reduce the effect of "spoiler" candidates. Because, no matter how unique a snowflake you are, there is a good chance you fall to the left or right of the 50 yard line, and so generally speaking an "independent" is going to siphon off votes from one of the major party candidates more than the other (assuming both parties put up a candidate).

Until we can negate that effect, we will never rid ourselves of the party apparatus.

Cammack 2.0

Ward Cammack has relaunched his website to replace the basic starter package he had before. On it, there is a video of Ward talking about why he's running for office (hint: economy and ethics).

Of the announced candidates, Cammack probably has the most substantive website (though like his competitors, he doesn't have a strictly "issues" page), and he has put the most time in trying to engage the online community, both personally and through his staff.

Read Between The Lines

Greg Sargent seems taken in by the religious nutters when it comes to the prospect of an openly gay SCOTUS nominee:

“Our concern at the Supreme Court is judicial philosophy,” FOF spokesperson Hausknecht continued. “Sexual orientation only becomes an issue if it effects their judging.” For example, he said, “If someone says, `I don’t care what the law says, on the next case involving sexual orientation, I’m going to decide the case in favor of the openly gay party,’ that would be a breach of judicial duty.”

To some degree, the group’s surprising statement reflects the fact that an openly-gay SCOTUS nominee would take religious rights groups, and the rest of us, into uncharted political waters, since there hasn’t been one before. And it also suggests that some leading members of the Republican Party may find themselves to the right of leading religious groups on the question of whether to tolerate an openly gay Supreme Court justice.

Here is why its so easy for them to say that...because whoever Barack Obama picks, they are going to oppose the nominee. Gay/Straight, White/Black, Christian/Jew, doesn't matter, they will be opposed by a good number of Republicans and the groups that enable them.

Just like Republicans will back a black justice who opposes civil rights, so too would they back a gay justice who opposed gay rights. They'll support anyone who will further their agenda, and if they could get some openly gay people to endorse their rightwing agenda of keeping gay rights to a minimum, well, all the better. They may be bigoted at heart, but they also know a thing or two about public relations, and they'd rather attack someone for being liberal than for being gay.

Anti-Ethics Platform Never Generally Popular

TNDP Chair Chip Forrester doesn't think Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey's opposition to campaign ethics reforms bodes well for his would be Governorship:

Lt. Gov. Ramsey's defense of House Bill 506 is the latest in a series of efforts to diminish state ethics laws and their enforcement. When asked about the Ethics Commission bill, Lt. Gov. Ramsey was quick to assure Tennesseans that "...not one law in the state of Tennessee is going to be changed." This assurance comes on the heels of an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press on April 2 where Ramsey called for changing the law banning legislators raising money during session (Tennessee Code § 2-10-310).

"The next Governor will have to convince the voters of Tennessee that he or she is a strong advocate for good government. It's increasing difficult to imagine Lt. Gov. Ramsey pulling that off," Forrester said.

You Can Stop At Cap

Kudos to Rep. Lincoln Davis for coming out against the wishy-washy middling alternative to carbon regulation.

“You wanna put a cap? Fine. But I’m not for shifting that dollar somewhere else and give them the economic advantage.”

Its somewhat ironic that Republicans have come out in such opposition to "cap and trade" legislation, given that its a compromise between simply regulating carbon emissions and "free market principles".

Rep. Davis also gets nostalgic for the PayGo days of yore, and says that under Obama, it will be reinstated.

Barrack, Barack, Same Diff

I guess its take you digs at Mike McWherter day...

ACK has video of the Gubernatorial candidate and his unique take on the President's first name:



Actually, what I find more interesting is that Mr. McWherter seems to think Obama's election represented "the most historic time in the history of this country". Now, I'm not one to diminish the awesomeness that is our President, but all the same, I don't think his election overshadows the civil war.

See Also: Jeff Woods doesn't think having a father that created TennCare is all that its cracked up to be.

Tweety Bird

The Tennessean is doing the obligatory "social media" post, focusing on The Twitter and the people that use it. According to the twittering senator from Memphis:

"I do believe social media is filling gaps, at least for public officials, as there has been a reduction in traditional media coverage of public officials,'' [Sen. Jim Kyle] said. "You can supplement traditional media with social media. It's like an afternoon paper."

I have to say, I'm trying to get into twitter, but I still don't see the great promise in the technology that others do. At best, its a good medium for breaking news, but in terms of transforming the way business is done, etc...not so much. Not to mention, I'm a fan of complete (and run-on) sentences, so the medium is a struggle for me.

You Can Keep Your Sorries, Gimme A Job

Mike Byrd is not all that enamored with the effort by Brenda Gilmore to pass a resolution apologizing for slavery.

Any statement of regret for chattel slavery would likely be assumed to be an act of absolution for the albatross of American apartheid that should continue to hang around Tennessee’s historical neck for generations. Gilmore’s bill would give the state an excuse to say that it has met a moral requisite in race relations and that further demands to reform would reflect ingratitude for Tennessee’s progress.

Instead, our Democratic legislators should be pushing the envelope past the ruling-class comfort zone to meaningful legislation that opens up real political and economic opportunities for those who are currently left behind in minority communities. Sacrificing an apology is not necessarily losing. Those seeking deeper reform in the wake of racial prejudice have a moral advantage that cannot be relinquished until they determine that they are treated fairly.

I see no harm in a mea culpa from the state, but at the same time, I don't think there are a whole lot of people standing around waiting for the folks at the capitol to say they are sorry for what their great-granddaddies did to their great-granddaddies.

Is it just me...

Or does the logo on Mike McWherter's website make it seem like he just scribbled over his father's campaign material?

Waste and Inefficiency Out Of Budget

Huzzah for the White House for restoring fiscal discipline to our budgeting process. In what will most surely go down in history as the start of a new way in America, the White House has announced a whopping $17 billion in cuts to outdated or unnecessary programs out of a $3.55 trillion dollar budget.

The budget will show 121 terminations, reductions and savings for a total savings of $17 billion in 2010 -- $11.5 billion from discretionary spending, the rest from the mandatory part of the budget. Roughly half of the savings come from defense budget, and the other half is non-defense related. The officials said that 80 of the programs that will face cuts are new and have not been previously discussed by the administration. The bulk of the defense cuts have already been announced by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Seriously folks, while this is all sunshine and rainbows, the truth is that we are at some point going to have to re-evaluate policy, and make substantive shifts in our priorities if we are ever going to get the budget in order. Reducing or eliminating a handful of small programs ain't gonna cut it.

TNDP Names Director

The Tennessee Democratic Party is expanding their payroll to add Jennifer Buck Wallace (who has been more or less doing the job pro bono for a few months now) as "Director of Operations" (probably so people don't whine about Forrester hiring an ED).

As the Tennessee Field Director for Obama for America, Wallace organized thousands of volunteers across the state. In the last week of the 2008 campaign, she coordinated more than a dozen volunteer phonebanks which made over 120,000 calls. Before joining the Obama campaign, Jennifer worked as a writer and producer for Country Music Television.

"Jennifer brings production and new media knowledge, strong management and organizational skills, and grassroots organization experience to the Party - all invaluable assets as we continue to build our grassroots and 95-county Democratic Party base for the 2010 election cycle and beyond," Forrester said.

Last night, at the annual Davidson County Young Democrats Heritage Day fundraiser, Wallace was voted as the best(?) newcomer to Tennessee politics, while Steve Turner (House candidate for the 58th district) won the Rising Star award.

Where All The White Women At?

Jeff Woods ponders why the women folk haven't jumped on board the McMillan express:

Why haven't more women come out for McMillan, especially given the field of dull dweebs running in the Democratic primary? What are they waiting for? To raise money, McMillan desperately needs to establish herself as a credible candidate now. Where are the liberal women bloggers like Aunt B and Southern Beale? Unless we missed it, they haven't had much to say about McMillan.

My guess? For starters, it feels like Kim McMillan has been running since about 2008...may not be the case, but it sort of feels that way. It wasn't a surprise when she announced she'd think about starting an exploratory committee to decide if she wanted to set a date to announce her run for the nomination, nor has she done anything since then to really kick her profile up beyond candidate. Conversely, Ward Cammack has been a new face, he's been putting out a lot of issue statements (things bloggers more often care about) and has a rather impressive web presence.

Now, maybe Kim has gotten a large chunk of female supporters out there...without a statewide poll its hard to tell beyond an interactive community like the blogosphere, which is not indicative of the community at large (only a handful of bloggers supported Hillary in the primary here in TN).

Jeff's follow up question: "Could McMillan manage to win a crowded primary race based on the votes of women alone?" The answer is absolutely. Women generally make up a larger percentage of a Democratic primary than men, so if they circled the wagons and voted for her in a large group, and the men split the male vote up, she'd win in a landslide.

In the Presidential primaries, according to exit polls (which could be flawed due to early voting), women made up 59% of the Dem Primary electorate in Tennessee, and they voted for Hillary 58-38, whereas men chose her 47-44. Large gender disparities were also found in states like Wisconsin and California, while states like North Carolina showed very little gender difference.

Given the fact that most of the candidates are unknown to the large chunk of primary voters, something like McMillan's gender could play a big role in deciding the election, just like Mike McWherter having a famous name could help him overcome what many politicos see as a bit of a charisma deficit.

Ramsey The Ram Ain't Big On Ethics Investigations

Jeff Woods reports that the Speaker of the Senate is not too keen on having outsiders looking into the actions of him and his cohorts:

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is defending legislation to dismantle the state Ethics Commission, which was created after lawmakers took envelopes stuffed with cash in the "Tennessee Waltz" scandal.

While Ramsey says its a matter of efficiency, others say its because the Commission has been questioning the practices of Sen. Ramsey's RAAMPAC, which is used to buy the support of fellow Republican legislators, as well as investigating potential misuses of taxpayer funded offices for campaigning by other GOP legislators.

Can the state ever really have too many watchdog groups keeping an eye on the happenings of the legislature? Or was it just a good idea when the Dems were in charge, but now that the graft is flowing to the right, its see no evil, hear no evil?

What If Reason Won The Day?

California could potentially legalize marijuana. Not decriminalize small amounts for possession, but rather authorize farms to grow it, cultivate it, distribute it, and sell it within the state in exchange for some hefty tax fees.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has come out in favor of studying the issue, while not necessarily destined to lead to legalization, if the study committee is made up of serious people who'll look at facts, rather than a bunch of anti-drug activists, they could reasonably find that allowing adults to purchase this popular drug from reputable sources could reduce crime while increasing state and local revenues.

Department of Mixed Messages

Bristol Palin really wanted to have her li'l bundle of joy soooo much that now she's advising girls her age to keep their pants on lest they end up miserable like her.

Seriously though, instead of abstinence or safe sex campaigns, how about she joins up with Britney Spears and has a "don't hook up with white trash assholes" campaign?

Not Another One...

Seriously? Isn't five enough?

Cortney Piper is reporting that East Tennessee attorney Gordon Ball has entered the race for Governor. Post Politics understands that NashvillePost.com reached out to Mr. Ball over a week ago following up on a rumor to this effect. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Don't know anything about the guy, some sort of lawyer. But if this is true, you can add his name to the list of Democratic contenders including Kim McMillan, Ward Cammack, Mike McWherter, Roy Herron, and Jim Kyle.

Tis Time To Sweep Westward

It appears that New England is on track to be fully supportive of equality, as a bill to delete gender from marriage qualifications has passed the Maine Legislature by a vote of 89-58.

I listened to a good portion of the debate online, and while there were compelling arguments on both sides, including a Democratic Representative who came forward that her daughter was gay, and for the first time had to tell her she didn't approve of her lifestyle so that she'd have to vote against the measure.

Otherwise though, the traditional arguments about doom and gloom, end of society as we know it, etc...were the norm on the Nay side; while many on the pro side recalled past civil rights situations, as well as personal stories of their lives or those of their friends.

With Vermont, New Hampshire* Connecticut, and now Maine, 2009 is shaping up to be a bad year for proponents of exclusion and discrimination.

*New Hampshire is still debating their bill, which has passed the State Senate and will be up for a vote tomorrow in the full House.

Update:

District of Columbia has also passed gay marriage...the US Congress has the authority to review and reject the legislation if they please, so this could be the first test of the Democratic majority on the issue of equal rights in this session.

Rep. Todd: For it 'fore He Was Against It

It appears that Rep. Curry Todd, the Republican sponsor of a bill to allow carry-permit holders to pack heat in establishments that serve booze, was just funnin' a few months ago when he agreed to a curfew in said bill:

In the conference committee, Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, House sponsor of the bill, moved immediately to drop the House version and accept the complete Senate version. That brought protests from two House colleagues who argued that the study committee had recommended the curfews and that Todd had committed himself to that approach.

"I was never for the curfew. I agreed to it in the study committee, but we're in the conference committee now," Todd said.

But last month when the bill was up for a House floor vote, Todd vigorously opposed an attempt to remove the time curfew from his bill. He told reporters at that time, "I'm not going to vote for a measure now that doesn't have a time frame on it because that opens it back up to bars."

Before I somewhat mocked the bill because of all the restrictions imposed, can't carry after 11PM, can't carry in a place whose income is derived by less than 60% food, etc...now there are apparently no such restrictions.

All the same, will this have any real impact on my bar crawling habits? Not at all. The law still restricts people from drinking while carrying, so anyone in the bar who is drinking is violating the law whether this change goes into effect or not. Could this lead to some steroid addled bouncers packing heat? Perhaps, but I generally avoid the kinds of places with those kinds of bouncers. Ultimately, my guess is that as a result of this bill no more than 2 or 3 people will die in the next five years because of it. A small price to pay in the defense of paranoid wingers to feel secure in their manhood when going out into public.

Stiffen That Upper Lip Buddy

A.C. Kleinheider has a column in the City Paper in which he castigates the American people for being a "nation of whiners" over the unnecessary panic resulting from the H1N1 flu virus:

We have become a soft and fearful nation. Our technology and medical advances have made us one of the safer civilizations to ever exist. Diseases and injury that would have resulted in a slow death back in the day now are quickly fixed by one trip to the emergency room or even a pill. Certainly we have not eliminated danger from our lives but we have minimized it quite a bit. And yet, we fear this swine flu.

We used to be a nation of hardy people (or so I've heard), a people who were not consumed with fear and death even though their fears were far more real and their deaths far more imminent. Now we're a nation treating a flu like it's the plague and a recession like it's a depression.

I tend to agree with ACK that Americans (and its not limited to America by any stretch of the imagination) need a stiffer upper lip and a serious dose of rational thinking. Life comes with risks, and for a large part we must accept that in order to maintain a normal life, but we tend to emphasize the lesser risks and ignore the larger ones. You are still much more likely to die in a car accident than you are to be killed in a terrorist attack or from one of these boutique viruses combined. Yet, most of us have little fear about climbing behind the wheel, but I turn on the radio station and you have people like Phil Valentine saying to boycott Mexican restaurants, and you have an even more irrational decline in pork consumption...the eating of which in no way can give you the "swine flu".

Precaution is one thing, but paralyzing fear is quite another.

And The Minority Leader Makes Five

Jackson Baker over at the Memphis Flyer seems rather convinced that Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle is going to run for the Governorship:

Kyle, who is the Democrats’ leader in the state Senate and was one of the attendees at the state Democratic Party’s weekend retreat in the resort community of Monteagle, sponsored a Sunday morning prayer breakfast for his partymates. Beforehand he told the Flyer that he would be making an announcement “as soon as the [legislative] session’s over.”

The nature of that announcement seemed clear enough as he expounded on his likely strategy. “I’m going to build a wall around Memphis,” said Kyle, who had previously floated trial balloons for both a gubernatorial race and one for Shelby County mayor. As he clarified his metaphor, it became obvious which way he intended to go.

“I’m going to build a wall around Memphis,” he repeated, “and then work hard on the rest of the state.” Which is a fairly definite way of saying that, with no other Democrats from Shelby County seeking the governorship, he intends to consolidate home-base support as a first step toward running statewide.

Kyle's entrance into the race would make five declared candidates, others include Kim McMillan, Ward Cammack, Mike McWherter, and Roy Herron.

If Kyle follows Herron's lead and resigns as Minority Leader, that would result in a completely new leadership team...Lowe Finney was recently tapped to replace Herron as Caucus Chair.

Kyle would probably be seen as one of the more progressive of the candidates running for office, with McWherter and Herron focusing more on the conservative Dem base.

Up or Down! Up or Down!

It appears President Obama will have one more item on his plate, as Justice Souter, a well respected moderate appointed by the good Bush, is apparently going to retire.

Over at ACK's place, he links to some winger who thinks the Senate Judiciary committee might hold up Obama's nominee now that the moderate Arlen Specter has flipped to the Democrat's side. While I understand that rank hypocrisy is a key tenet in the GOP platform, I can't imagine that the party which screamed and hollered about giving Bush's appellate court nominees an "up or down" vote bay in 2003, will force the US Supreme Court to maintain a stay at eight members by using some obscure procedural rules, especially considering that the Democrats didn't attempt to filibuster a far-right justice like Alito.

As for who Obama will nominate? I'm sure whomever that person is the Right will try to portray them as some dirty communist (because their frames haven't changed since the 80s) baby-killer...but my guess is that given his relatively bland, mainstream cabinet appointees, his judicial appointments won't be much more controversial (though I'm sure they'll have a few tax problems somewhere in their past).

The biggest qualification I'd like to see is that the person be relatively young. Bush was smart enough to pick some mid-lifers for his picks, so that his picks would carry on long past his disastrous presidency. I hope Obama does the same.

Councilwoman LaLonde

Kudos to Kristine LaLonde on becoming the next representative for the 18th district on the Metro Council. By about a 200 vote margin, LaLonde prevailed over local neighborhood activist Stephenie Dodson to replace now Metro IT Director Keith Durbin.

While there was some dirty-trickery taking place behind the scenes, it doesn't appear that either campaign was directly involved in it (so far as I know) so I'd commend both camps on keeping this a relatively clean contest and I look forward to seeing what Councilwoman LaLonde has to offer the city.

Mary Pruitt Recruits Opposition

It appears that Mary Pruitt's chances for re-election just got a bit slimmer. Steve Turner, head of Voting is Priceless, is throwing his hat into the ring to be the next Representative for the 58th district:

I will be running against a strong, well respected incumbent that has dedicated over 20 years of service to our district. The success of this campaign will not come easy and I will rely heavily on your support. We will have to be strategic in our planning and perfect in our timing. This is why we are starting our campaign early. The first phase of our campaign will be focused on early fundraising efforts and reaching new voters in the district. In order to be competitive in this election, we will have to effectively raise funds and engage new voters. I would like to invite you to a campaign kick off on the roof top of The Werthan Mills Lofts 1400 Rosa L Parks Nashville, TN May 26, 2009 6pm-8pm.

In the spirit of the first phase of my campaign, I am asking everyone to invite at least 3 people from the 58th District who would be interested in supporting my campaign for New Leadership and New Ideas for the downtown area of Nashville. This event will also serve as my first official fundraiser. I am asking each attendee for a minimum contribution of $20. I am excited about my campaign and confident in our ability to bring New Leadership and New Ideas to the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 58th District.

The 58th district is in desperate need of some new blood to represent their interests at the Capitol. While there are some long-term incumbents who bring a lot to the table, Mary Pruitt is not one of them, its time this up-and-coming district has someone who can be there to make sure the state does all it can to help the area grow and prosper.