Jason Holleman Loves Him Some Doug Henry

Councilman Jason Holleman, in an appeal to get people to join the Re-elect Doug Henry committee, states what very few people would dispute, that Sen. Henry is a good guy whose done some good things over the years:

Senator Henry is one of my personal heroes. He is a man of unwavering principles who has served our state with dignity and courage, and I am unabashedly proud to say that he has been my State Senator throughout my entire life. Even when I have disagreed with his position on a particular issue, I have respected the process by which he arrived at his conclusion; he votes for what he believes is right, not what he believes is popular or politically advantageous.

Some examples are that in the 80s, Sen. Henry helped create the "the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute, the only agency of its kind in any state government throughout the United States." In the 70s, Sen. Henry helped preserve Radnor Lake (both through private funds and public advocacy), and in '72, "Senator Henry authored the first child restraint law in the United States, and it became a model for states across the country."

More recently, Sen. Henry sponsored the "Rural, Agricultural and Natural Resources Act," which was assigned to committee but never received a hearing, that would've "authorized a two-thirds majority of the landowners within a community to petition the department of environment and conservation for designation of their community as a Rural, Agricultural and Natural Resources Act ("RANRA") community." Effectively, it would've allowed landowners in the Bells Bend area to nix the proposed May Town development.

He Raised How Much On The What?

Well, that's unexpected to say the least.

Jeff Yarbro, that uppity kid who has the audacity to challenge an incumbent, has raised over $50,000 in a mere matter of hours. That's well over a quarter of what Doug Henry raised and spent in his entire campaign in 2006...in one day.



As some person somewhere once elloquenty stated, "this shits on like Donkey Kong."

Best Results $400 Can Buy

Adam Kleinheider makes note of the fact that Sen. Henry dispatched with both his primary and general election challengers with much ease in 2006. I don't doubt that Sen. Henry does have a lot of love in that district, including often from his challengers, but Gary Pennington spent about 400 bucks on that race, between a printer and Office Depot.

Jeff Yarbro is no Gary Pennington, he has probably already raised and spent exponentially more than that in the couple hours before and since he announced. Now, money isn't everything, and nobody doubts this will be a serious uphill battle for Jeff, but he's a serious candidate and Sen. Henry would be mistaken not to realize that.

Update:

About that Gary Pennington fella, I forgot what a winner he was.

TNDP Weighs In On Cooper

Via Mark Brown, a statement from the Chipster:

Congressman Jim Cooper is one of the most studious and deliberative members of Congress we have in Tennessee – on either side of the aisle. It is illogical for someone or some organization to try and remove a statesman like Congressman Cooper. Democrats need to focus their attention, energy and resources on helping retake the state legislature because Republicans intend to redraw legislative districts after the 2010 Census.

The Year of the Primary

While the potential for a Jim Cooper primary challenge is up in the air, one race that has just gotten real is State Senate District 21 where incumbent Doug Henry is going to be facing opposition from up-and-coming Democratic activist Jeff Yarbro. A graduate of Harvard and an attorney with Bass, Berry and Sims; Jeff is a young father who has a strong desire to serve his neighborhood and state.

Challenging an incumbent of nearly four decades is certainly not going to be a walk in the park, but the fact is there is serious question about whether Doug Henry still represents the views of his district (for instance, not supporting an exemption for rape in abortion cases because the term is more broad than in his day).

The Democratic party needs young progressive representation in the legislature if we are going to fight an ever more radical GOP. Their Senate Caucus is on track to get younger and more rightwing with the possible inclusion of Stacey Campfield and Brian Kelsey, and we need voices in the legislature who will take them on, without having to fear voter backlash. That is why in our urban areas especially, we need fresh voices who are up to the challenge, whether it be in District 58 where Steve Turner is challenging Rep. Mary Pruitt, or now Sen. District 21 where Jeff is taking on Sen. Henry.

Jeff is smart, energetic, and committed to the cause of making our state a better place. He got his BA from Harvard, and a law degree from the University of Virginia where he was editor of the Virginia Law Review. He's helped engage young progressives in this city with his leadership in groups like the Kitchen Cabinet, which seeks to bring young professional democrats and progressives together to inform and motivate to action.

It is people like Jeff that the party needs to look to for future guidance and leadership. While Sen. Henry has done many good things for the state over his many decades in office, the simple truth is that he is going to be 84 when the primary date rolls around, if he wins, he'll be 88 by the time his term is up. Whether he can make it through a full term is something we can't know for sure, but the time for having new leadership in District 21 is NOW, before the seat is potentially redistricted and a new candidate has to run in what could be a more Republican district.

If Jeff Yarbro is elected to that district in 2010, and the GOP maintains control of the legislature, he'll have four years to establish himself in that district to fight back against potential Republican challengers. If Henry maintains control, and he manages to make it a full term, there is no way he could keep running in that district forever, and the Democrats would be at a disadvantage if we were to have to run in an open race.

Before the political establishment gets their daggers out and aims them at Jeff Yarbro, they should step back and look at the bigger picture. Long term, we need new blood in the caucus if we are going to be a viable voice in Tennessee in the years to come. Jeff Yarbro is that new blood, and we should be doing everything in our power to get him, and people like him, in positions where they can move our agenda forward.

District 5 is "Only" D+3!

I've seen that number a few times, as if to say democrats only have a slim advantage in the district. The way the D+3 number is contrived is by taking the results of the last couple presidential races in that district, and comparing them to national results.

So in 2004, John Kerry beat Bush by 4 points in the TN-05, Bush won nationally by 3 points. So in terms of spreads, Kerry beat the national average by 7 points, and did 4 points better here than nationally.

Likewise, in 2008, Obama won the district 56-43, or by 13 points, but he won the country as a whole 53-46, so while he only did 3 points better than his national average, a 13 point spread is still quite impressive and shows that the district, like the country, leaned more Dem.

But just because the Democratic presidential candidate runs a few points better than he does nationally, doesn't mean there isn't deep Democratic support. For instance, Lincoln Davis and Bart Gordon reside in R+13 districts, and yet they have cruised to re-election every year; Tanner is in a slightly more tolerant district, at R+6, but he's still popular as all heck.

Now, Red State seems to think the NRCC is seriously recruiting a GOP candidate to take on Cooper, or whomever the nominee is...frankly, I doubt it, given that their candidates to run against Davis and Gordon are lackluster at best, and those districts are far more hostile to the national Democratic party than those of us here in District 5.

Update:

It should be noted, that despite the seemingly meager D+3 number, in all other districts besides Steve Cohen's, Obama's numbers decreased over that of John Kerry, despite his much better showing nationally. If you exclude 2004 numbers, District 4 would be R+18, District 6 would be R+16, and District 8 would be R+10.

Sneaky Devils You

I've got to hand it to those creepy rightwing fundamentalists, they sure are clever. You see, because the Bible, prayer, and all references to Christianity are banned from public schools (don't question it, they simply are) and because Darwin's On The Origin of Species is the bible of Atheists (again, don't question the logic or you'll go to hell) then clearly, the answer to saving the souls of the college youth is to republish the book, but write in an introduction which calls Darwin a racist misogynist Nazi, and then hand them out to college kids at the top 50 universities where people are known to simply take verbatim and unchallenged whatever words are written down on a piece of paper.



The problem with these creationists is that they don't quite understand how the scientific, or reason-based world works. For instance, I don't care if Charles Darwin was a racist, misogynistic pedophile who ate puppies for breakfast...the man who wrote On The Origin of Species is irrelevant to the words on the piece of paper. And those words themselves, while a launching point for the theory of natural selection, are largely irrelevant because there have been countless libraries worth of research and studies done which show that initial research to be correct, and the theory has yet to be falsified outside of a handful of religious cranks.

For example, Galileo was a prick who fathered three children out of wedlock and forced his two girls into a convent because they were "unmarriable" due to their illegitimate status...doesn't mean that what goes up will probably now stay there because I find the person who said it must come down to be distasteful.

But, for people like Cameron, their views are entirely based on "faith," or the belief in stuff written down a long time ago simply because they want to believe it.

Personally, it doesn't impact my life whatsoever if it turns out Darwin got some details wrong, or that some alien named Zythan is responsible for genetic mutations...but for folks like Cameron, who believe in an inerrant bible, any slight deviation from their interpretation of The Word leads to a complete collapse in their beliefs...so they'll take any shred of evidence to back up their claims and weaken that of the scientific community, and selectively ignore those which contradict them.

So the sad part is that Cameron and his buddies are gonna work their li'l zealot hearts out to put what seems to them to be an iron-clad case in favor of "intelligent design" into a book, and they'll get so excited about how clever and super-smart they are, and they'll go to these colleges and hand out the books...and guess what, nothing will happen. There won't be a slew of conversions to their side of the aisle. Christians who support their view will think what they are doing is cool, the vast majority of the students will be ambivalent and throw the book out or tuck it away in a pile never to be seen again, and those who are interested in the origin of species will notice the countless flaws in Cameron's theory and laugh at their arguments.

Women Are For Trophies, Not Congress

Fred Thompson, star of Fred Thompson's Old Timey Radio News Hour, is breaking with tradition and opposing the female Republican party candidate to replace John McHugh in the 23rd Congressional District of New York, instead opting for the male Conservative party candidate.

You've seen what's happening around the country. Conservatives are standing up and making it clear that our fight today isn't bound by parties. It's about saving our country and getting back to the foundational principles of liberty, free markets and the rule of law. Even if you don't live in Upstate New York, we all have a stake in Doug's campaign if you believe those conservatives principles are worth fighting for.

I find it hilarious that Ol' Fred Thompson is so aggressively courting the wingers in the GOP considering he stayed in the Presidential primary simply in order to siphon off the vote from a Christianist "fair tax" supporting Republican, Mike Huckabee in favor of John McCain. Had Thompson dropped out when it was entirely evident he didn't have a shot in hell of winning anything, John McCain might not have won South Carolina, and thus his hold on the nomination would've been severely weakened.

Anywho, the district that is up for grabs went to Obama 52-47. A three-way race between a Republican, Conservative Party member, and a Democrat is the dream situation for the DCCC. By helping a third party challenger, Thompson is basically helping the Democrat, Bill Owens.

Devil's Advocate

Well, since everyone is gonna come out screaming against Iran, I feel it is my duty to take a contrary position...

OK, so Iran revealed a nuclear enrichment facility to the IAEA which Western governments have been tracking for years. Under international law, hiding such facilities is a no-no.

But lets be real, pretend you are an Iranian for a second. You want a civilian nuclear power network so that the oil you extract can bring in more money to your economy (a program supported by the Reagan regime in the 80s). Even big bad Iran, under international law, is allowed to build civilian nuclear power reactors and enrichment facilities. Now, your leadership has pissed off quite a few people over the years, including the most potent military force in the region...Israel, which has expressed a willingness to bomb the enrichment facilities necessary to a working nuclear power program.

So, do you reveal the facility to the international community, thus adding another target to an Israeli bombing map...or do you hide your investment in case you are attacked? Yes, they should've revealed the location, but not revealing it does not automatically equate to a nefarious plot.

Of course, Iran could be using this secret facility for nefarious purposes, such as enriching Uranium for military purposes, which is why they should be required to allow IAEA inspectors in to determine the strength of the equipment. If Iran is telling the truth, and the facility can only enrich uranium to about 5%, far below the 90% required for nuclear weapons...is their hiding it really all that big of a deal? If they refuse to allow inspections, or inspections turn up a more powerful facility than disclosed, then perhaps some of the fear mongering going on in Drudge land and elsewhere will be more justified.

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

Where Is That Stiff Upper Lip I Hear So Much About?

When did the British become a bunch of whiny bitches? President Obama meets and talks with Gordon Brown on a regular basis. They chat on the phone, visit each other's homes, take long walks in front of cameras at G8/20 meetings...and nearly all of it is to benefit the Prime Minister. Obama has little to gain from having an exceptionally cozy relationship with the British Prime Minister who in all likelihood won't keep that job much longer, but Brown is constantly trying to get any face time or media exposure as possible to show that he and an American leader much more popular than him in his home country, are tight.


So Obama goes to New York for the United Nations meeting. There are a lot of foreign leaders who want to talk with him, but he obviously can't have long engaged sit downs with all of them...so who does he go with? Leaders from Israel/Palestine, Japan, China, and Russia...all of whom we have far greater differences or points of disagreement with, than we do with Great Britain. So, instead of using this time to sit down with Gordon Brown for something like the tenth time, he meets with leaders who he has serious business with. Its not a "slight" against Brown, or a "snub," its an allocation of resources (time) which factors in a whole host of variables.

So what is the now predictable response by the British press? Waaaaahhhhhhh....

This country has proved, through the bravery of men like Acting Sgt Lockett, America’s staunchest ally in Afghanistan. In return, the American President treats the British Prime Minister with casual contempt. The President’s graceless behaviour is unforgivable. As most members of the Cabinet would confirm, it’s not a barrel of laughs having to sit down for a chat with Gordon Brown. But that’s not the point. Mr Obama owes this country a great deal for its unflinching commitment to the American-led war in Afghanistan but seems incapable of acknowledging the fact. You might have thought that after the shambles of Mr Brown’s first visit to the Obama White House - when there was no joint press conference and the President’s “gift” to the Prime Minister was a boxed DVD set - lessons would have been learned. Apparently not. Admittedly, part of the problem was Downing Street’s over-anxiety to secure a face-to-face meeting for domestic political purposes but the White House should still have been more obliging. Mr Obama’s churlishness is fresh evidence that the US/UK special relationship is a one-way street.

First of all, the British aren't simply doing us a favor by sending troops to Afghanistan. They have just as much to fear, if not more so, from a terrorist haven as we do. So as sad as it may be that some of their soldiers have sacrificed for the cause, its a joint cause, not a US one.

Second, what is so god awfully important that Brown needs to talk with the President about, that he needs a formal, pre-arranged sit down meeting in New York? There are plenty of opportunities for these guys to talk, either via the phone, or hey, Brown could probably squeeze in on Air Force One on the way to Pittsburgh.

No, in reality, this supposed snubbing is the result of a few people inside the British media who dislike Brown and Obama. They feed the American Conservative media which are anglophiles by nature of their aristocratic leanings, while at the same time making Brown look weak to a home audience. Its a win-win for them, but it ultimately says nothing about the temperature of US-UK relations.

Soon enough, I suspect Gordon Brown will lose his next election, and when Cameron becomes PM, I wouldn't be surprised to see stories of an affectionate relationship between he and Obama much like we saw between Blair and Bush.

You Play With Matches, Someone Gets Burned

OK, it may be too soon to jump to conclusions about why this teacher, working part time as a census worker, was strung up with the word "FED" written on him, but I'm sorry to say that given the political environment created and fomented by the Republican party and its media counterpart Fox News, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this was some Tea Bagger going off the reservation.



While I certainly don't foresee any states getting enough people on board to leave the Union, some of this stuff being spouted by the tea baggers is reminiscent of the 1860s, where you had news organizations in the South printing false and misleading stories about Lincoln, thus scaring people into supporting the destruction of the Union.

Who, if anyone, can be the check against this snowballing effort to create a paranoid and delusional alternate reality known as the Fox Nation? The people who are getting sucked into this tea bagger and 9/12 "movement" have been conditioned to believe that all mainstream media sources are corrupt and biased, and only those spouting rightwing rhetoric are "fair and balanced". Its this alternate reality, where reason and logic are displaced by fear and emotion, that leads to violence. So far, nearly all major Republican politicians are playing along...but soon they might find themselves with an out of control situation that they no longer have a handle on.

What's a Dazzling Urbanite Like You Doing in a Rustic Setting Like This?

Rep. Bart Gordon has diagnosed Obama's problem in Tennessee...it wasn't that he was too black or too liberal, just that he was too "urbane".

Note to the Pres...you wanna win in 2012 here in the Volunteer state? Put you on some overalls and get a li'l skoal and we'll be in business!

Someone's Angling for Andy Rooney's Spot on 60 Minutes

Seriously, CBS, you need to get on top of this.

Sarah America Sticking Up For The Little Guy

If, by little guy, you are referring to the Chinese government:

In the CLSA speech, which lasted about 75 minutes, Palin also tackled the recent US trade spat with China, a country she said the United States should have the best possible relationship with.

According to delegates, she said US President Barack Obama's administration worsened an already difficult situation when earlier this month he slapped duties on Chinese tire imports blamed for costing American jobs.

No wonder CLSA "closed Palin's session to the media after she indicated that she would have to adjust her speech if reporters were present."

Hah!

Is the DSCC seriously thinking about challenging Bob Corker in 2012? Even if Bredesen were the candidate I think it'd be a major uphill battle, and I'm struggling to think of a single other elected or unelected person in Tennessee who could make it a race.

I don't like it, but Bob Corker has shown himself to be a relatively moderate Republican given that he is a part of a Southern GOP which seems to be slowly morphing into the Southern Democratic party circa 1860. I don't quite see a pathway to victory for the Dems unless some serious ground shifts in the next two years.

Good Staff Work Starts At The Top

The McWherter campaign has diagnosed the cause of their embarrassing showing at the Rutherford Co. straw poll:

“We just didn’t do our staff work on this one,” campaign manager Kim Sasser Hayden admitted. But she insisted, "I still feel that Mike is the frontrunner, and he’s the one to beat."

McWherter, seen by some observers as the strongest Democrat in the race, won only 32 votes in the contest Saturday at Murfreesboro. The winner was Roy Herron with 119 votes followed by Jim Kyle with 81 and Kim McMillan with 58. Only Ward Cammack, a little known businessman who got only 13 votes, finished worse than McWherter.

If their staff wasn't worked properly, is it the staff's fault, or is it a failure of leadership at the top?

Now, we obviously shouldn't put too much stock in this straw poll as I distinctly remember the wingers obsessing about Bob Corker's numerous straw poll losses to that retarded guy and Ed Bryant. But, eventually, McWherter is going to have to do more than coast on his father's name and connections, and that means inspiring something other than mild antipathy towards his candidacy.

They'll Write a Check Because of Ned Ray, But Will They Travel To Murfreesboro?

No.

The results of the Rutherford County Democratic Straw poll are hardly scientific, but it sort of holds with my observations which is that Mike McWherter has failed entirely to inspire passion in his party activists. Yes, his name recognition might give him a lead in whatever polls are done, but for anyone engaged, its a lukewarm feeling at best...save the people who feel they "owe" Ned Ray one.

In a lot of ways, this race sort of reminds me of the 2007 Davidson County Mayoral race. Li'l Bob started off strong in all the polls, but as soon as people got to see him matched up with the rest of the candidates, that lead slowly but surely disappaited...the difference being, Bob Clement had more qualifications to be Mayor than Mike McWherter has to be Governor.

Gettin' Down With The LGBT

Kim McMillan wants you to celebrate the passage of the Metro Non-discrimination Ordinance by giving her a little money:

Please join us for a Fundraising Reception at Lipstick Lounge to celebrate the Nashville Metro Council Non-Discrimination Ordinance and to meet and support

Kim McMillan

Democratic Candidate for Governor of Tennessee

Wednesday, September 23rd at 6pm

at Lipstick Lounge
1400 Woodland St
Nashville, TN

Suggested donation is appreciated

Sponsor $100
Friend $50
Guest $25

We Don't Need To Know This Crap, We've Got Birth Certificates

I'm usually not surprised by the, lets say, lack of knowledge among a broad swath of America, but I am truly surprised to see this study about our youth.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs conducted a survey in which they tried to find out whether or not high schoolers could pass a citizenship test given to immigrants. Out of 1000 surveyed, only 22 were able to answer the six out of ten questions necessary to pass the test. And to make matters worse, immigrants aren't given multiple choices, but these kids were.



There wasn't a single kid that knew at least 8 out of these very basic 10 questions? Even with multiple choice?

For the full list of the 100 questions that can be randomly selected, go here.

Quick, Lets Find Some Brown People to Scapegoat!

ZOMG!!! The President thinks we should address the large number of unauthorized aliens residing in the United States! Do you know what this means? If he is successful, they could one day participate in a health insurance exchange which provides them with the opportunity to buy their own health insurance! He IS the anti-Christ after all.

"Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under this plan, just like everybody else.
[snip]
"It is ironic that the president told the American people that illegal immigrants should not be covered by the health care bill, but now just days later he's talking about letting them in the back door," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

"If the American people do not want to provide government health care for illegal immigrants, why would they support giving them citizenship, the highest honor America can bestow?" Mr. Smith said.

Yeah, first off it isn't "irony" or "letting them in the back door". If we decide to give immigrants here unlawfully a pathway to citizenship it is effectively walking them to the front door and giving them a number. And citizenship is hardly the highest honor America can bestow, a lot of worthless douchebags hold claim to it.

Don't Damn The Man, Thank Him

A website with a novel concept...actually singing the praises of Government.

We'll Cross That Bridge If It Comes

That should be the subtitle of any press release from the Ty Cobb #2 campaign when heralding their announcement that Tennessee Right to Abolish a Woman's Right to Choose is endorsing their candidacy of him over Republican Pat Marsh because Marsh apparently gave qualified endorsement of their cause.

If Cobb does win, and the dems manage to get control of the House, that might be good news for quasi-Pro-life Dem Caucus leader Mike Turner.

See Post Politics for more

Update:

I guess I forgot to include it last night, but the reason for the title is that Ty Cobb has pledged to vote ONLY for a Pro-life Speaker. That would effectively exclude Gary Odom, and leave Mike Turner as the most senior member of the party who is pro-life and could run for the top spot should Democrats win a majority.

Like Taking Candy From A Baby

Sen. Andy Berke and Sen. Charlotte "No 3D Sex Objects" Burks wrote an opinion piece in which they discuss the increasing heft of our future leaders and conclude:

The Tennessee General Assembly has tried to push legislation to help with this problem. From funding coordinated school health programs to mandating exercise at school, we have tried to encourage good physical shape. We banned soft drinks from schools to cut down on the sugar intake.

But there is still much more to be done. Children spend a great deal of time at school; from the cafeteria to the ball fields, we need to make those hours as healthy as possible.

Hrmm, what can we do? Well, we can try making school buildings more vertical in nature so that kids have to climb more flights of stairs to get to class.

We could try and encourage the youngins to walk or ride their bikes to school by giving small tax credits or incentives to parents/students who opt out of busing for their little ones (perhaps in the way of reduced lunch prices).

We could provide free nutrition courses / cooking classes for parents who may not know what is and isn't healthy for their kids.

We could remove seats from the cafeteria and make kids stand for lunch.

So many options, so little time...

He Has His Moments

Unlike the lunatic Glenn Beck and the smarmy partisan hack Sean Hannity, on occasion, Bill O'Reilly has his moments of clarity:

Roy Herron 2.0

Roy Herron has launched a new website for his bid to be the Democratic Party's candidate for Governor in 2010. Included is this video of him explaining why he's down with the dems:

Conservative: Obama Right On Missile Defense

Over at The Corner, one conservative isn't succumbing to the temptation to beat his chest and re-enact a scene from Red Dawn, rather, he sees the US's changing position on placing a redundant and unproven anti-ballistic missile shield in Eastern Europe as a good thing:

Despite the outcry that President Obama has sold out the Europeans and caved to the Russians by cancelling missile defenses in Europe, it was the right thing to do. Those defenses were not going to work (or work well enough or soon enough to matter in any major crisis with Iran), and the diplomatic price we were paying for them was far out of proportion to any small gains we might have made by annoying the Russians or reassuring the Czechs and the Poles.

And to those Conservatives who have an irrational affinity for former members of the Soviet Union, Obama is not "abandoning Eastern Europe". In fact, the Bush administration had to wheel, deal and cajole for nearly the entirety of his Presidency to get Poland and the Czech Republic to accept these mid-course anti-ICBM technologies (designed to protect the West, not East) which were very unpopular within the general populations of those respective countries. In return, Bush's folks agreed to strengthen Polish and Czech forces with Patriot missiles to defend against Russia...plans which are still a go.

Nerd Alert!

Get your Geek on.

That Bush Guy, He Was A Democrat...No?

How do Conservative Republicans cope with the idea that one of their own went down as one of the least popular Presidents upon leaving office, in history? Well, that's easy...just pretend you never liked the guy in the first place. According to Nathan Moore, former President of the Davidson County Young Republicans when Bush was in office, he "was no fan of Bush, which is but one way I am daily bemused when partisans try to respond to my criticisms of Obama by saying 'Bush did it, too!'."

Yes, while there might have been some who were fooled by Bush's straight shooter, down-to-earth folksiness, Nathan was not one of them. Granted, you can be forgiven for thinking otherwise, what with him having called Bush "a candidate of vision" back in 2004 when he worked hard to see that Bush got a second term.

Let's face it, Republicans dislike Bush for one reason and one reason only...he became unpopular. He was an albatross around the GOP's neck and they viewed him to be the cause of all their problems. Of course, they tend to neglect some of the demographic problems that plague their party, such as their bleeding of support among Hispanics, even though Bush worked hard to reach out to that increasingly important constituency; work that was squandered by Congressional Republicans.

So now, some guy who worked briefly for Bush comes out with a tell-all book that mentions a time when Bush brushed off the notion of a conservative "movement," and it gives free reign for those who spent a good 6 of the 8 years of the Bush presidency defending his every action and utterance. But really, what Bush said is the epitomy of conservatism: "Look, I know this probably sounds arrogant to say," Mr. Bush said, "but I redefined the Republican Party." That to me is the perfect summation of what it means to be a conservative...me, me, me. Conservatism is all about me and mine, screw the rest of you, so Bush's belief that the GOP was all about him fits perfectly within the ideology.

Side note:

Ran across this interesting bit from Nathan Moore's archives...swap out Obama for Bush and doesn't it seem eerily familiar?

Those who believe the country is some how near the the point of destruction because of Bush’s Obama's first term are, to put it mildly, out of step with the American people. Saucing it up, they are either historically ignorant in mammoth proportions or are under the false assumption that condescending arguments win elections. [snip] A rabid 30% of our nation is fueled by what can only be called an irrational hatred, who believe that power is worth having for the sake of power, and that Bush Obama should be kicked out of office for a whole host of spurious reasons that only a madman could conjure up and the blindingly hateful could believe.

You Tell 'Em Joe!

Thousands, perhaps tens of them, marched on Washington DC to alert our democratically elected leaders that they have "waken up" to what is going on and won't take the President's "arrogent" wife anymore.

Creating Red Tape

Republicans hate Government and red tape...except when it comes to their blessed citizenship documents, in which case they can't get enough of forcing people to produce such documents.

That was the case when the Congress forced state's to require citizenship documents for all of the Medicaid enrollees seeking coverage, and guess what happened? American citizens, because they couldn't automatically produce such documents for themselves or their children, were kicked off medicaid and went without insurance.

Here is but one story that will surely warm the hearts of the xenophobes:

“We recently saw a toddler in our pediatrics clinic. Her grandmother, who has custody, brought her in. She was worried that her granddaughter was behind in her immunizations, and since the little girl has no health insurance, the grandmother turned to us for help. We then discovered that the child, who had been born prematurely, suffers from chronic lung disease and her development is considerably delayed. She needs a nebulizer to deliver the medication to help her breathe and she also needs speech and other therapy. This child is eligible for Medicaid, but because her grandmother does not have the required birth certificate, she could not be enrolled. The child will get Medicaid coverage when we obtain her birth certificate, most likely at least a month from now. But in the meantime, necessary treatment has been delayed because her grandmother cannot afford to pay the bills during the wait for an eligibility determination. For a child with developmental delays, every day without the necessary therapy and treatment makes it more difficult for her to catch up with her peers… It has gotten so complex that we’ve added a lawyer to our clinic to help sort things out.”

If You Repair It, They Will Come

Chairman Chip takes Terri "Ummm, how do I work this button thingy" Weaver to the woodshed for not supporting some bridge project in Smith County.

Weaver voted against authorizing the use of bonds to repair or replace bridges across the state earlier this year. The projects will be funded through the state's Better Bridges Program and are located on Lebanon Highway at Roundlick Creek and on Dixon Springs Highway at Lick Creek.

[snip]

"Smith County residents should ask Mrs. Weaver how she plans to lure top-notch companies to the area without safe roads and bridges to transport their goods and services," Forrester said. "Those bridges have to be repaired, and now is the time to do it because of today's lower construction costs.

"Part of being a good steward of taxpayer money is to understand basic principles of finance. Mrs. Weaver, however, has shown in the past through federal tax liens filed against her and late property tax payments she cannot manage her own finances very well. I guess we cannot expect her to manage state finances any better," he added.

All You Need To Know About Pat Buchanan in Two Sentences

Pat Buchanan sums up his point of view in two succinct sentences (lamenting the supposed de-unification of America):

One part of America loves her history, another reviles it as racist, imperialist and genocidal. Old heroes like Columbus, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee are replaced by Dr. King and Cesar Chavez.

Yeah, the horror. Instead of school children across America honoring the life and times a general who fought against the United States, Stonewall Jackson, they are forced to honor that scoundrel communist Martin Luther King Jr.

Of course America is divided. When you have rightwing bigots like Pat Buchanan holding up secessionist generals as their heroes, ignoring the various Presidents and military brass who have worked hard over the centuries to keep us united, its no wonder there is a segment of America who sees disunity at every corner.

But America has long been divided in various aspects, be it racially, culturally, economically, or geographically. There have been times when Northern states ran roughshod over the South, and times when the South prevailed and the North sat quietly on their hands. There have been times of liberalism and conservatism. Secularism and fervent religious activism. With the exception of a four year period in the 1860s, we've stood together.

So what makes things different? Buchanan mentions abortion, but that issue has been far more divisive in years past than today. While people in many parts of the country still oppose the term "gay marriage," almost across the board people have warmed to the notion that gay couples should be able to live their lives in peace, and be afforded similar rights to straight married couples, if not the name itself. Hell, it was only about 6 years ago that courts struck down anti-sodomy laws, a controversial position at the time, but now even some ardent opponents of gay marriage will state they think people should be able to do what they like in their own homes.

Is race becoming more of a problem in America? Hardly. Every new generation becomes more diverse and more racially harmonious than the next. While racist views are passed on from generation to generation, the infection rate is slowly declining, and as more people move into urban settings, or go to diverse colleges, they often begin to relieve themselves of the shackles of hate.

So what makes now different than 2, 10, 20, or 50 years ago? "THE PRESIDENT IS A SOCIALIST!" Well, yes, Conservatives have been saying that about every Democratic President since FDR (who did far more to legitimately earn that title than our current President). The DEFICIT IS EXPLODING! Problem, sure, but the deficit has always been a problem, and will continue to be long after Obama.

So what is it that makes Conservatives like Buchanan or Rob Huddleston think our days are numbered and the dissolution of our grand experiment is at hand? Simple, wishful thinking. Folks like Buchanan and Huddleston would love nothing more than to see a white conservative oasis free from the shackles of secularism and social welfare. But guess what, its only that, wishful thinking. Sure, some rabble rousers have made their voices heard in town halls and various rallies...but that too is nothing new. People have been shouting, hollering, picketing, and yelling for various forms of radical change for centuries. Communists (and by that I mean people who actually believe themselves to be such) have protested in large numbers during various points of our nation's history, and yet, no communist revolution ever took root.

Remember, the white Southerners have only been out of power for about 3 years, before that, their party held the White House, Senate, US House, and the Supreme Court. Yet, there wasn't any serious talk of states like Vermont or Washington breaking off to start their own country. Sure, liberals would claim in vain that "if Bush wins, I'm going to Canada!" But it was always viewed, and rightfully so, as an idle threat. So, Southern Conservatives (I lump Buchanan in there because of his passionate love of the old South) are doing what they do best. Throwing a hissy fit when things don't go exactly their way. They'll bitch, moan, throw out patriotic slogans while simultaneously threatening to dissolve the country, but at the end of the day, they won't leave their cushy jobs or air-conditioning to do anything more than hold a sign for an hour or so.

Get Excited!

The Teabaggers are going to take a break from bashing our Government to wrap themselves in the flag on the day after 9/11. As per usual, this seemingly monthly protest/rally will be held at the legislative plaza starting at noon tomorrow. But now instead of just having certifiably insane speakers like Micheal DelGiorno, they'll have a solid B musician too...RAY STEVENS!

Oh, That Mike

I think Mike Turner is, literally, trying to be the Joe Biden of Tennessee politics.

Is It A Lie?

As you all know by now, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina decided to make an ass out of himself by heckling the President during his speech on health care last night. Either he shouted "it's a lie" or "you lie," but the gist is basically that the President lied when he said "[t]here are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants [sic]. This, too, is false - the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

Who is right? Who is wrong? Well, the only complete bill available to us is HR 3200, and in that package there is a provision (sec 246) which states, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

So, by law, undocumented aliens (commonly referred to as "illegals") would not be eligible for the portion of the health care reform package which reduces costs for Americans via subsidies. Politifact looked at it further and saw no indication that Medicaid would be expanded to cover undocumented immigrants.

The only question would be, could undocumented immigrants purchase a public option health care plan? On that point, the Republicans have a shred of truth to their argument because there is nothing that explicitly denies them the chance to purchase health insurance on the newly created exchange. Now, a reasonable person might ask themselves, "Self, why is it a bad thing for anybody residing in our country to purchase, at full price no less, insurance coverage as opposed to the current system of using emergency rooms for care and not paying the bill?" Of course, from a logical or economic standpoint, it isn't a bad thing, but we don't live in a logical political environment.

There are two basic groups at play in this debate, moderates/liberals and conservatives. The center-and-left look at this package and ask, "how does this help the average American improve their health care?" The Conservative looks at this package and says, "how are baby-killers and dirty taco eating border hoppers going to benefit from this bill"? No matter how many amendments, provisions, or caveats the moderates/liberals put in the deal to assuage concerns that baby-killers or dirty taco eating border hoppers will be covered, the Conservatives in Congress will see a baby-killer or dtebh around every corner, under every rock, standing next to every Home Depot.

Mark Rogers over at Post Politics makes my point clear by saying that even if there is a provision in every section of the bill clearly stating that "illegal immigrants" aren't eligible for consideration, a "liberal" Supreme Court one day could decide that is unconstitutional...so we shouldn't do anything because someone one day in the far off future could decide to change it.

Basically, because Republicans feel somewhat uncomfortable coming out against a plan that expands access to insurance, lowers costs for the middle-class, and discontinues the practice of denying coverage based on preconditions; they need boogey men, and whether they exist or not, the GOP will use creative accounting to invent them.

The Great Usurper's Indoctrination of Your Children

In case you were one of the millions of parents who forgot that today was the day that B. HUSSEIN Obama, the illegal usurper of the Presidency, was going to try and brainwash your children into radical Liberal/Islamic/Socialist/Fascist dogma...here is his speech to your kiddos.

More Transparency From White House

The Obama administration has announced a change in policy regarding the White House visitor logs, so no longer will folks like Glenn Beck be able to question in ignorance whether obscure leftist figures from the 70s have visited the White House to influence policy proposals:

Cue Rightwing Conniption Fit in 3....2....1

The White House photographer, Pete Souza, has released some photos from August, including one that will inevitably lead to wingers attacking Obama for having a Messiah complex:

GOP to Seniors: Drop Dead If You Can't Pay

It looks like the GOP is seeking to eradicate gains made with senior citizen voters over the past few years with their Orwellian named "Senior's Bill of Rights".

In this new platform, the GOP calls for a radical call for eliminating Medicare under the title of "stop bureaucrats from getting between seniors and their doctors," and seeing as Medicare is part of the Federal bureaucracy, clearly this means they want seniors to have to pay their doctors directly.

And to drive the proverbial nail in the coffin, Chairman Michael Steele wants to "[p]revent any government role in end-of-life care." Really? So we are going to cut off medical benefits when patients get close to the end of their life? What about the VA? Is Chairman Steele really suggesting that Veterans who are on their death beds should be kicked out into the street to die? I think he is.



What a shame that the GOP has become so wedded to their radical anti-Government base that they'd leave Seniors who had come to rely on Government run health care in the lurch.

(wow, this is fun, now I see why Republicans do it all the time.)