What Sontany's "skirt comment" says about many on the left

You've probably heard about the comment that Janis Sontany made about female conservatives in the state legislature:

"You have to lift their skirts to find out if they are women. You sure can't find out by how they vote."

Stupid comment? Yes. While I'm sure it drew a positive reaction from the crowd (the comment was made at an event to honor Jim Cooper), the idea that a member of a certain group has to vote a certain way in order to prove they belong is just utterly ridiculous.

Why do so many on the left insist on putting people in political boxes based on their socioeconomic group, sex, race, etc.? I like the way that Adrienne Royer put it:

Women on the left have determined that they decide the correct attitudes and opinions for all women. The rest of us should just follow them and issue fealty to the Democratic Party. They are the Voice of Women,™ and it is not our place to question it or diverge from the sorority.

While I'm sure that Sontany will have no problem securing the endorsement of NAARL, EMILY'S List, etc., don't look for this blogger to give her a round of applause.

In the news - April 26, 2010

No, I'm not dead. Just in hibernation.

Tennessee Board of Regents considing tuition hikes to offset budget shortfall

The Palin e-mail saga drags on...

Memphis jail accidently releases convicted killer. He's still on the loose.

Frist and Corker want GOP gubernatorial contenders to be "civil"

What do local governments do when they are too afraid to raise taxes? They get creative.

The Tennessean is reporting on the fiscal woes of local governments across the state and how they are addressing their problems.

In a state that is so averse to new taxes or having their taxes raised, many governmental entities are looking to raise the necessary funds by increasing fees. For example, Tennessee's medical boards are looking to increase their license fees. As the Tennessean article points out, these fees are technically only supposed to be used to operate the boards, but just recently they shifted over eight million dollars to the state's general fund.

What you can take away from this is that local politicians know that they are in fiscal trouble, but they are so afraid to levy new taxes or increase existing ones that they are forced to raise money thorough obscure means in order to avoid the poisonous repercussions.

This is not only unfair to the professionals who see their fees consistently rising (I believe many doctors pay at least $500 a year to renew their medical license), it's also just unsustainable and discourages these professionals from relocating to our state. Eventually our state and local politicians will have to face this head on. So what will it be? Will you raise taxes or will you cut budgets even further?

Obviously, this decision is not one that is solely made by lawmakers. Tennesseans must also confront the fact that they may need to pay more in order to keep our state fiscally viable.

Stop running from the problem.

73% of Tennesseans can't name a single gubernatorial candidate

I think one thing that folks who are interested in politics at the state and local level often forget is that the large majority of people just don't follow politics as closely as we do:

Gov. Phil Bredesen remains popular, but almost three-quarters of Tennesseans surveyed couldn't name a single one of the candidates running to replace him, according to poll results released Wednesday by Middle Tennessee State University.

The poll also showed that President Barack Obama is losing support. For the first time since he took office in 2009, a majority of Tennesseans — 51 percent — said they disapprove of the Obama administration.

Some 73 percent of those surveyed couldn't name any of the candidates for governor from either party. One candidate, Jim Kyle, has dropped out since the poll was taken.

I guess that's sort of elitist, but whatever. I heard a variant of this story on WPLN this morning and they said that name recognition should increase as the race heats up in the summer and the campaigns start running more ads.

Sharp increase in number of Tennesseans with carry permits.

Via the Knoxville News Sentinel:

The number of Tennesseans licensed by the state to go armed increased by nearly 51,000 people last year — to 268,711, according to new state statistics.

That's an increase of 23 percent over the 218,004 Tennesseans with handgun-carry permits on Jan. 1, 2009. By comparison, the 2008 increase was 14 percent, according to Tennessee Department of Safety figures.

The report also says that Knox County has the highest concentration of permit holders in the state, followed by Shelby County.

The increase has been attributed to the amount of coverage that the permit program received during the "Guns in Bars" debate. Of course, there was also the hysteria about President Obama and a Democratic Congress taking guns away.

For the record, I don't view this as a bad thing at all. Then again, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to gun rights.

Tennessee kids are slightly less fat

Child obesity rates drop in Tennessee:

In this state — third in the nation for pediatric obesity — even a flat year-to-year rate could be considered progress. But researchers at East Tennessee State University found that school-age children who are overweight or obese dropped from 40.9 percent in 2007-08 to 39 percent in 2008-09.

This won't help Haslam with his base

So Republican candidate for governor, Bill Haslam, has had a hard time trying to convince TN GOP voters that he is conservative enough for their tastes. However, he just can't seem to catch a break. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Haslam recently purchased licenses to go hunting but he didn't even have enough sense to buy the right ones:

Bill Haslam, Knoxville mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, apparently violated state law during a recent West Tennessee duck hunting trip, but will face no penalty because his offense was a simple mistake.

"I just messed up," said Haslam, an infrequent hunter who said he went to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Web site to purchase the appropriate licenses for a Dec. 28 trip with his son and friends to hunt ducks in Dyer County.

As it turns out, he did not buy the most appropriate license of all under state law - the basic Tennessee hunting and fishing license that costs $27 - though he did purchase other permits he did not need, according to Haslam's account and TWRA records reviewed by the agency's assistant commissioner, Nat Johnson.

I think this shows that Bill Haslam knows next to nothing about hunting in Tennessee. Also, what is the deal with conservatives and hunting gaffes? I mean, there was this Haslam incident, Dick Cheney shooting someone in the face, and there was George W. Bush accidently shooting and killing an endangered species. I know you neocons want everyone to know that you're a red-blooded REAL American, but come on. At some point it just becomes counter productive.

Keith Olbermann knocks Mayor Wiseman

Keith Olbermann on that idiotic Arlington, TN mayor:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Also, the mayor has issued a statement.

See how your representative voted on last night's health care bill (HR 3962)

The New York Times has a great interactive map here.

Here's how Tennessee's congressional delegation voted (click for larger image, based on NYT map):
TN-1: Phil Roe (R) - NO
TN-2: John Duncan Jr. (R) - NO
TN-3: Zach Wamp (R) - NO
TN-4: Lincoln Davis (D) - NO
TN-5: Jim Cooper (D) - YES
TN-6: Bart Gordan (D) - NO
TN-7: Marsha Blackburn (R) - NO
TN-8: John Tanner (D) - NO
TN-9: Steve Cohen (D) - YES

Mumpower is whining about Tennessee Right to Life

So apparently Mumpower is so miffed about how Democratic candidate Ty Cobb was endorsed by Tennessee Right to Life over Republican Pat Marsh, that he's writing a sternly-worded letter:

House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower has drafted a letter to Tennessee Right to Life President Brian Harris declaring that endorsement of Democrats would harm prospects for passage of anti-abortion legislation.

Mumpower emailed a copy of the letter last week to all Republican representatives and invited them to join him and House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada in signing it. Several instead have objected, including House Speaker Kent Williams and Knoxville Reps. Bill Dunn and Stacey Campfield.

The letter cites the group's endorsement of Democrat Ty Cobb in a special election last month that was won by Republican Rep. Pat Marsh of Shelbyville.

As part of TNRTL's response, they argue that the NRA regularly endorses Democrats but have never been sent a nasty letter. I guess the TN GOP is just too chicken to go after the gun lobby. Or maybe they just feel like they are entitled to the endorsement of RTL organizations no matter what and will throw hissy-fits when they don't get their way. Tantrums see to be main tactic of Tennessee's GOPers.

Also, this happened over a month ago, and you're just now writing a letter?

Really Lamar? Nixonian tactics?

So our dear, sweet, senior U.S. senator, Lamar Alexander, has been employing some far-right rhetoric in order to cuddle up with the teabaggers of his party. Today he excoriated President Obama for his "war" on Fox News, even going as far as to accuse president Obama of being close to adopting Nixonian tactics. Here's the vid:




Now, lets think about what the Obama White House has been doing. They have been taking verbal shots at the cable station that isn't even a real news outlet. It's an opinion outlet and the PR arm of the Republican Party. Repeat after me: Fox News is not a legitimate news outlet. As Media Matters has recently argued, it's a "24/7 Political Operation".

So where was Lamar Alexander when the Bush administration leaked the name of a CIA agent to get back at Joe Wilson (not the South Carolina representative) for criticizing the war in an editorial? Where was Lamar when the Bush administration was trying to prosecute the New York Times? If those aren't Nixonian tactics, then I don't know what are. This is just another example of CSM - Conservative Selective Memory.

Alexander is a disgrace. We should have elected Bob Tuke when we had the chance. Now we're stuck with this schmuck for the next five or so years. I don't care if this asshat walked across the state in a plaid shirt 30 some odd years ago. I once respected the man, but in recent weeks he's sold out to right-wing shills.

Putnam County to Consider Getting Rid of Primaries

WSMV reports:

On Monday night, the county commission voted 14 to 9 to ask the county parties to forgo primary elections and select candidates through private caucuses.

The county executive said county races aren't usually partisan, but both parties are not satisfied with this proposal.

Democrats are holding a meeting on Tuesday night to learn more.

Republicans also said they are concerned about whether it silences the public's voice. They also worry that once a primary is taken away, it never returns.

Currently, 38 smaller counties in Tennessee do not have primaries.

They expect the move to save $60,000.

Sen. Douglas Henry's lengthy list of supporters; is Yarbro even trying?

Henry's campaign issues a press release today that highlights the depth of his support among the political establishment:

NASHVILLE – State Senator Douglas Henry is kicking off his re-election campaign with an outpouring of strong support from a host of major state and local leaders, including Governor Phil Bredesen, key members of the Governor’s Cabinet, every serving Democratic Senator from across the state, 24 Metro Council members and dozens of local and civic leaders from every corner of Davidson County. The Metro council members supporting Senator Henry include 16 of the 18 who serve in his state senate district.

I previously wrote a blog entry about how Sen. Henry has made a lot of friends in the TN political establishment. This press release confirms what I already knew.

The question is, what does this mean for Yarbro? Is this going to make it harder for him to get endorsements? It seems like they are becoming scarce.

The more that I think about this, the more that I'm coming to realize that the speculation about Yarbro is true. Maybe he's just running to get his name out there to make it easier to run when Henry actually retires. He hasn't updated his Twitter account since he announced. I haven't heard of any public events he has held yet. I haven't received any emails from his campaign since I signed up on their distribution list. He hasn't updated his website much at all. Is this guy even trying?

Exposed: TN's gun show loophole

WSMV reports:

NEW YORK -- Investigators hired by New York City conducted stings at gun shows in states that have not closed the "gun show loophole" and found some vendors openly selling weapons to buyers who admitted they couldn't pass background checks.The stings, described in a city report released Wednesday, were conducted at seven gun shows in Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada. Those states are among the many that permit private unlicensed dealers, known as "occasional sellers," to sell weapons at gun shows without conducting background checks.Gun-control advocates have said the loophole makes it easier for criminals to acquire guns and prevents law enforcement from being able to trace those weapons if they are used in crimes.Nine states have passed laws to close the loophole, requiring background checks on at least all handgun purchases at gun shows. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long campaigned for Congress to close the loophole, and for states to do it on their own if the federal government does not.

Now, the fact that New York City was conducting stings in other states kind of rubs me the wrong way, but whatever. Even though I support gun rights, the gun show loophole is just one thing that doesn't fly with me. The fact that anyone could have bought a gun without having a background check performed is just stupid. It worries me deeply that many of the gun sellers, even when confronted with the fact that the buyer wouldn't be able to pass a background check, still went ahead and sold them the gun! No second thoughts, no questions asked!

Let's be honest - a lot of gun laws are just stupid. However, prohibiting convicted felons and the mentally ill from purchasing guns is a GOOD law (when it's enforced). Keeping the gun show loophole open is just a political gift for the arms manufacturers and gun dealers. Unfortunately, by blatantly ignoring huge red flags, they have shown that they care more about their profits than they do about your safety.

Church sign in Murfreesboro, TN calls Obama a "nut"?

From the Tennessean:

Bellwood Baptist Church pastor James Avaritt has never been one to mince words from the pulpit. The Murfreesboro minister is also turning a few heads with words on the Middle Tennessee Boulevard church sign: "ACORN, not the only nut in D.C."

WOW. So... just a one time thing right? This doesn't happen on a regular basis? Wrong. A Murfreesboro local had this to say:

"And that wasn't the first sign up there that was offensive," she said. "One had something to do with socialism and health care and another said something about a czar."

This sort of stuff doesn't surprise me. I actually think it happens quite regularly, or at least more than most people would suspect. Congregation members don't usually complain about political messages being posted on church billboards or being pronounced from the pulpit. Largely this is because most of the people in the congregation will agree with the sentiments being expressed.

However, every time a church does something like this, they are putting themselves in danger of breaking federal tax laws:

Currently, the law prohibits political campaign activity by charities and churches by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one "which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

Unfortunately churches in middle Tennessee are too often engaging in political messages. Typically this sort of stuff happens in evangelical churches, where the congregation is heavily Republican. You won't be hard pressed to try to find an instance where a candidate has been invited to deliver a special sermon. Perhaps the senior pastor makes an off-hand comment during his own homily. Or maybe some volunteers are distributing "voter guides" after the service.

This past June at Cornerstone Church in Madision, TN - one of those "mega churches" - Pastor Maury Davis gave a lecture series entitled, "Our Civic Duty". In checking Twitter replies to Maury Davis' Twitter account, several seemed to indicate that he had spoken about the liberal assault on Christianity and had made politically explicit comments regarding President Obama. As of right now, Twitter won't let you search for Tweets older than ten days, but once they fix this I'll post some screen shots. In the mean time, here are a couple of screenshots from Maury Davis' own Twitter account:

Davis is no stranger to stirring political controversy, but his congregation is extremely defensive of him and any attempt to expose him is met with a great amount of hostility.

Now, are Pastor Davis and others breaking the IRS tax code? I'm in no place to say. In all likelihood, they aren't. It's hard to prove that a church has broken the law because how exactly are you supposed to define "participating" in a political campaign? Merely expressing political sentiments to your followers doesn't exactly mean that you're advocating the election of or defeat of a certain candidate. There is also evidence that the IRS just doesn't put a lot of effort into investigating alleged infractions. On top of all this you have groups like the Family Reseach Council along with Republican members of Congress putting pressure on the IRS in order to protect churches from having their tax exempt status revoked.

So don't look for any of this activity to stop at some point in the near future. In fact, you can look forward to an increase in covert political activity by churches, because many of them are feeling "persecuted" and just have to speak out. However, I'll save a rant about faux persecution for another blog entry.

Jeff Yarbro supports "policing" the internet?

You have to give Jeff Yarbro some big props. Since announcing his primary challenge to incumbent state Senator Douglas Henry only a few days ago, he has amassed over $50,000 and sparked a flurry of blogger interest. His website is fantastic. The best part about it? He actually has an issues section with information regarding - GASP! - where he stands on the issues. That's a lot more than I can say for Tennessee's gubernatorial candidates (except Ward Cammack - props to him too).

However, one thing on that page needs some clarifying:

Policing the Parentless Neighborhood of the Internet: New technologies have left our children more vulnerable than ever to sexual predators and strangers. Too often, parents cannot keep up with who their children are meeting online. Adults who pose as children on the web to prey on children should be sent to jail, and our police forces must be prepared to police this virtual space and to insert a responsible adult presence in the often parentless Internet. We also must teach our children how to be safe online just as we teach them how to be safe crossing the street. [Italics added]

I'm kind of confused. I understand the need to go after pedophiles, but when you say ". . . our police forces must be prepared to police this virtual space and to insert a responsible adult presence in the often parentless Internet" it kind of sounds like you want the government to regulate the internet. What the hell does a "a responsible adult presence" in the internet even mean? You might want to reword that part, Jeff.

TN state senators and their Twitter accounts

I took the liberty of compiling a list of Tennessee state senators with Twitter accounts. Notice any changes that need to be made? Did I miss any accounts? I will be updating this on a routine basis, so please feel free to give me a heads up in the comments section. You can find Twitter accounts for state representatives here, and for Nashville Metro Council members here.

Where do the gubernatorial candidates stand on the "guns in parks" bill?

It's a rare occasion when the media actually reports the policy stances of state level primary candidates, so make sure you relish this little bit:

The "guns in parks" issue could also be a factor in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Two of the Democratic candidates, Sen. Roy Herron of Dredesen and Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis, took opposite positions on the legislation that led to the current law.

Herron, who voted for the bill, said he did so Ingram also said the criticism from the Wamp and Ramsey camps on the guns in parks issue is unwarranted because Haslam has taken a thoughtful position that reflects his support of Second Amendment rights.

Sen. Roy Herron of Dredesen, who in the past has received an 'A' rating from the National Rifle Association, said he voted for the bill as a supporter of "the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against rapists, robbers and murderers."

Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis voted against the bill, saying he preferred to leave in place prior law that prohibited firearms in parks operated by state and city governments throughout Tennessee.

"I support the Second amendment as much as anyone, but not guns-in-parks or guns-in-bars," said Kyle. "To be a leader, sometimes you have to be able to say no. I said no. My position is very clear."

Messages left with other Democratic campaigns inviting comment on the topic had not been returned late Thursday.

Herron's position shouldn't surprise you. This is Tennessee. Anyone who wants a serious shot statewide needs to support gun rights.

TN-09: Steve Cohen beseiged by race-baiting opponent (again)

The New York Times ran an article yesterday about potential turbulence in Rep. Steve Cohen's re-election effort. The Memphis Democrat is a anomaly - a white Jew representing a city that is sixty percent black, and some in the city just don't think that that is appropriate:

MEMPHIS — A Congressional race in Tennessee has become freighted with racial overtones almost a year before the election, with a prominent black politician saying the white incumbent cannot properly represent black voters.

The black candidate, former Mayor Willie W. Herenton of Memphis, has argued that Tennessee needs a black voice in its currently all-white delegation. He is running a blistering campaign against Representative Steve Cohen, a fellow Democrat with a precarious hold on the majority black district.

“To know Steve Cohen is to know that he really does not think very much of African-Americans,” Mr. Herenton said in a recent radio interview on KWAM. “He’s played the black community well.”

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Race relations in Memphis are deplorable enough already. Herenton isn't helping the situation at all by trying to divide the electorate in this fashion. To top it off, his campaign manager said the following:

“This seat was set aside for people who look like me,” said Mr. Herenton’s campaign manager, Sidney Chism, a black county commissioner. “It wasn’t set aside for a Jew or a Christian. It was set aside so that blacks could have representation.”

Really, Mr. Chism? Tennessee's ninth district was "set aside" for a particular ethic group? I'm sorry, but if that's not racist, I don't know what is. It's also an unconstitutional statement to claim that a Jew shouldn't be elected because of his religion. Article VI of the Constitution states, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

There's a much larger issue here than just race-baiting. It's the idea that elected representatives must pass a racial litmus test in order to preside in their office. I mean, can you imagine if we applied that rationale to presidential elections? Obama wouldn't be president because (according to Mayor Herenton's beliefs) as a black man, he could not possibly represent a nation that is seventy-four percent white.

The fact is, that you can have a black candidate running in a majority-minority district, but that black candidate might hold conservative views that the black population traditionally does not espouse. Demographic representation does NOT equal effective representation. I mean, can you imagine if Alan Keyes was elected in a majority black district? The man is certainly black, but he's also on the radical right.

Now, I do believe that blacks should be elected and that their presence in Congress is of indisputable value. However, the solution isn't to "set aside" districts for minorities. The solution is that more blacks need to run for office. "Set aside" districts are a tool that the Republicans use to dilute the power of minority voters in other districts. If they can lump minorities, who tend to vote Democratic, into one district, surrounding districts have a better chance of voting Republican due to the absence of those minorities. This is called "packing" a district. [On the other hand, you don't want to "crack" a district either, but that's too tangential to discuss here].

So is Mr. Cohen an effective representative for Memphis, despite his low levels of melanin? Well, according to the article he received an "A" rating from the NAACP. Local black leaders in Memphis view him as a strong ally and advocate for issues important to the black community. If recent history is any indication, his constituents also approve of him. Cohen faced this same sort of race-baiting in the 2008 primary campaign against Nikki Tinker, who was nearly universally condemned for her divisive ads. One in particular tried to make Cohen out to be in alliance with the KKK. That idea was laughable, as the KKK is notorious for its antisemitism. Her tactics were so vile that Obama got involved and called her out on her shameful campaign. So what did Tinker's race-baiting get her? She was defeated by Cohen to the tune of 79% to 19%.

This time around may be different. Herenton is a former mayor who still holds considerable sway in the city and should be a much better match for Cohen than a no-name former aide to Harold Ford, Jr. One can only hope that a candidate's policy positions and credentials come back in focus and race stays out of the picture. Unfortunately, because this is a primary where the two candidates are not likely to have substantial policy differences, I don't expect the focus on race to dissipate any time soon. It will likely be the sole means by which to make a distinction between them, and Herenton seems to want to exploit that. He himself proclaimed that this campaign is "going to be about race, representation and power". What a world we live in.

Nashville: Bastion of Progressivism?

Recent article in The Tennessean discussing the shift towards progressivism in the Nashville city council:

The council recently opted out of a state law allowing guns in local parks. A nondiscrimination ordinance that would protect gay city employees and job applicants is on the verge of becoming law, six years after a more conservative council shot it down. And earlier this year, the city's legislative body spoke out against the controversial English-only proposal, 18 months after the previous council favored a similar law.

Nashville voters followed the council's lead — and Mayor Karl Dean's — in January, rejecting the plan to make the government do almost all business in English.

Councilwoman Megan Barry, considered one of the most liberal council members, said the "shift in orientation" reflects the will of the people.

"Voters are the ones who made this decision that they wanted Nashville to be a more welcoming place and a more progressive place and a place where we can attract and retain business," said Barry, the lead sponsor of the nondiscrimination bill. "And you do that by being more forward-thinking."

If you ask me, this is a welcome development. I was as surprised as anyone when Nashville voted to reject the English-only bill. I'm sure that a lot of this left-leaning stuff is the result of "outsiders" coming to the city, looking to take advantage of Tennessee's lower cost of living. Most of these people are coming from the north, which has generally been much more "Democrat-friendly".

However, Nashville definitely has some hard-right kooks who would love for Nashville to be less welcoming to anyone who isn't straight and white. These are the sorts of people who turned out for the series of tea parties at the state capital. Heck, these people are practically ubiquitous in the comments section of the Tennessean's website.

Nashville has an outstanding opportunity to set a trend for the rest of the state and the South in general. Progressives need to keep fighting to make this city even greater than it already is. The Tennessee Republican Party will fight this at every turn, but they need to understand that the way of doing things in the South is changing. America is changing.