The State Democratic Shadow Party
Posted on February 28, 2010 at 1:09 pmNate Rau reports that the big fun won’t start til April:
Less than a year after losing a bid to become state Democratic Party chairman, Charles Robert Bone, a former finance chairman for Harold Ford Jr. and the son of a prominent state fundraiser, has created a new political action committee that is being perceived as an alternative to giving to the state Democratic party.
But Bone — who had the support of prominent moderates like Gov. Phil Bredesen, Lincoln Davis, John Tanner, Bart Gordon and Jim Cooper in his race for the chairmanship — insists the PAC would not siphon funds from the state party. Instead, he says, it would be used to better match the fundraising strategy of Republicans, who he said have used special interest groups more effectively than have Democrats to raise money for state candidates…
…Donating to a PAC carries with it some advantages versus giving directly to a campaign or to the state party. The state caps PAC donations for an individual at $66,100, whereas individual donations to a single campaign are capped at $1,000 per election. A PAC also can help multiple candidates. Bone has not yet filed the state paperwork to activate Forward Tennessee, and he said potential fundraising efforts wouldn’t begin until after the next public disclosure deadline in April.
Nobody In Their Right Mind Should Want To Be Governor
Posted on at 1:03 pmMike Pirtle on the mess that awaits the new guv:
You see, being governor of Tennessee next year is not going to be fun. The budgetary situation this year is grim with a generally expected $1 billion gap between spending and revenue.
When you consider a huge amount of the state’s budget is simply pass-through dollars from the feds for Medicare and such, state officials are facing cuts of better than one dollar out of 10. Maybe much more than that.
That’s with some federal help still filling the holes. Sadly for state officials that assistance evaporates every day.
By the time the new governor takes office the state is going to be facing some dire situations.
Resources to meet basic state functions like maintain prisons, schools and health care programs are not going to be enough.
The brand-new governor is going to have to make some draconian cuts that are going to literally make sizeable voter groups hate him/her. Just trying to manage the state’s dismal budget situation, and it’s better than many other states, is going to be totally consuming and a constant struggle.
I’ve been puzzled by this for a while, wondering if I was just crazy.
Ron Ramsey Adviser Explains Why Obama Is In Trouble
Posted on at 1:00 pmIt’s the Hillary Democrats:
One of the problems with long, tough primaries, according to Republican strategist Brad Todd, is that your opponent’s voters get vested in your demise: “If their anger against the other side is greater, you can overcome it. But it is something that has to be overcome.”
Obama is losing part of that “other side” - traditional “Jacksonian Democrats” whom Clinton brought back into the party after Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan won them over to the Republican Party. So, if they remain unimpressed with Obama, where will they go?
Todd thinks the 2010 congressional elections will be a gas pedal-brake pedal election, and a problem for the president regarding Hillary Democrats: “The fundamental question is whether or not voters want to send him a Congress to let him go farther and faster … or send him a Congress that will slow him down.
“Given the fact that they had doubts about his preparedness to begin with, I’m betting they send him some supervision,” he predicts.
Todd says the relevant comparison to Republicans happened in Reagan’s successor’s re-election campaign; the George H.W. Bush-Pat Buchanan primary battle left Buchanan loyalists lining up with Ross Perot in the general election.
Who Is The Tea Party Candidate In TN-03?
Posted on at 12:57 pmThey had a debate yesterday in an attempt to hash that out:
“I am really mad at what the government’s doing to our country,” Van Irion, a Knoxville-area attorney told a crowd of several hundred gathered at Woodland Park Baptist Church.
Mr. Irion, a self-described “constitutionalist,” touted that he was in Washington, D.C., at the Tea Party-sponsored march on Sept. 12, 2009, and called for the elimination of all payroll taxes.
Former Tennessee Republican Party Chairwoman Robin Smith described herself as “a Christian first and an American second.” She said she is in the Republican Party because it best represents her religious beliefs at the moment, but told the tea party crowd, “I’m one of you.”
Mr. Irion responded by saying, “I don’t need to tell you who the Tea Party candidate is.”
See the video here.
Gangs Are Not New
Posted on at 12:55 pmBetsy Phillips on the big Tennessean gang story:
And I just want to say a few things. We have always had violent gangs in Tennessee. I don’t mean to downplay the trouble we are having; it is substantial, but when the James gang got here, they had many Nashvillians willing to open their homes to them to provide them with food, shelter, comfort, jobs, and cover stories. That was in the 1880s. Payne had his criminal enterprise that reached back to his home town stretching the turn of the century. We had any number of illegal liquor and gambling clubs that ran throughout the city for much of the 20th century.
And when I moved here ten years ago? Even then people were talking about the gang problems in Smyrna and Murfreesboro. Even then people were like, “Ugh, Hickory Hollow mall. Be careful of the gangs.”
We have always had violent criminals as part of our community. If folks are saying this is something new, they have not been paying attention.
And I think this is an important story and an important discussion to have, but pretending like everything was fine before this newest wave of young people hit is dishonest and doesn’t really help us figure out what to do about fixing things.
I mean, of course there are gangs in the suburbs. Suburban and rural folks: Do you smoke up or enjoy a little Colombian marching powder every once in a while (or use it as a diet aid)? If your pot is not home-grown or grown by your dealer, it’s got to come through some sort of distribution channel. There may be some rare distribution channel that gangs do not have a hand in, but, in all likelihood, they are not yours. Same with cocaine. (And, going without saying, same for other drugs, but I thought those were the two that even “good” suburbanites have likely dabbled in.)
And kids are idiots.
Let’s just be honest. The likelihood of us being able to stop kids from joining gangs is slim and none. I mean, shoot, I looked at the pictures in the Tennessean and I thought those guys looked hot and bad-ass and I’m not a 13 year old kid looking to be hot and bad-ass.
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Lamar Talks Health Care On One Of Those Sunday Shows
Posted on at 12:53 pmFrom The Note:
VARGAS: When you say political kamikaze, are you saying that if the Democrats push this through, they will lose all their seats in November? I mean, what are we talking about here?
ALEXANDER: Well, here’s what I think. I mean, the people are saying, “We don’t want it,” and the Democrats are saying, “We don’t care. We’re going to pass it anyway.” And so for the next three months, Washington will be consumed with the Democrats trying to jam this through in a very messy procedure an unpopular health care bill.
And then for the rest of the year, we’re going to be involved in a campaign to repeal it. And every Democratic candidate in the country is going to be defined by this unpopular health care bill at a time when the real issues are jobs, terror and debt.
See the full transcript.
Opening Up The Redistricting Process
Posted on at 12:52 pmRep. John Tanner makes one last attempt:
Three times Tanner has introduced legislation to take the line-drawing process away from state legislators by mandating that independent commissions do the job after each decennial census. But those bills never even received a committee hearing, so Tanner is offering a more modest proposal this year. His legislation would require that proposed congressional maps be posted on the Internet, so people can comment on them, and require a public hearing at least 10 days before approval of the districts.
Tanner discussed his proposal Thursday as the health-care summit was highlighting what he sees as the problem — partisanship that prevents compromise on key issues.
Sorry, Did You Say Something?
Posted on at 12:47 pmNewscoma wonders if we are really listening to each other:
Are we really listening and retaining what is going on around us? Are we really paying attention to our friends, our associates and our families and what they are really saying? Are they listening to us?
When you think about it, it can be a lonely place because, despite what folks may say, it’s an angry, confused world out there right now. That’s not always the case, but it’s also a reality. I’m not saying we don’t have genuine love or appreciation or respect. But in my online persona, I sure don’t want to have to fight for it either. It should be organic. I am also pleased that I’m seeing new faces on the scene, less tired than I feel today and who have a spark of energy that is invigorating to watch and, yes, feel.
But today I’m talking about real communication and our ability to listen even if we don’t like or agree with the message.
Laying The State Of The State Democratic Party At Phil Bredesen’s Doorstep
Posted on at 12:45 pmGail Kerr does the honors:
Bredesen was an excellent Nashville mayor. He cleaned up a great deal of the good-old-boy mess in the Metro Courthouse, revived downtown and brought pro sports to Nashville. As governor, he’s run a clean administration. He has balanced difficult budgets (albeit at a deep cost to some of Tennessee’s sickest residents). He likes to tackle tough projects, and he’s good at that.
In short, he’s been a strong leader with clear vision who did what he said he would do. But there’s one project he’s done little or nothing about: building his own party.
Ford Jr. Breaks Bad With Veteran NY Dem
Posted on at 12:44 pmElizabeth Benjamin has the story:
A number of participants were surprised when potential US Senate contender Harold Ford Jr. challenged Rep. Charlie Rangel over the health care reform legislation under consideration in Washington, DC.
The former Tennessee congressman has made an issue of the bill during his non-campaign against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, saying the proposed changes to Medicaid it includes would hurt New York.
Rangel brought up the topic of health care reform at Sylvia’s while participants at the meeting were talking about what Paterson’s policy agenda should be going forward. Sources said Ford “civilly and respectfully” questions the veteran Harlem pol over the wisdom of the legislation in its current form.
One person in the room said the moment was “tense” and a little surprising, given Ford’s relative newcomer status in New York politics. Both Democrats stood their ground, however, and no voices were raised.
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In Defense Of Taxpayer Funded Lobbying
Posted on at 9:40 amTom Humphrey makes the case:
The contract lobbyists may actually save taxpayers money, as opposed to having a staffer on salary as a lobbyists. And the contact lobbyist must register, with his or her name, client list and picture posted on the Tennessee Ethics Commission website for anyone to look up.
The salaried staff lobbyist - while well-known to legislators and the state Capitol crowd - is off the radar insofar as disclosure to the general public goes.
Maybe they’re even better than salaried lobbyists. After all, these are free enterprise guys and gals, competing for clients with one another in marketing influence-peddling skills. Is not that better than the much-disdained government bureaucrat lobbyist?
How effective are they? Well, the subcommittee that Moore brought his ban bill is composed of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats - often prone to split their votes on a bill. But not a single one would make the necessary motion for passage of Moore’s bill.
Man Up, Democrats
Posted on at 9:26 amIlissa Gold’s got a few words for progressive defeatists:
If you’re a Democrat who’s now saying that all hope is lost eight months before the election and we shouldn’t even try to win the governor’s race, then honestly, a Governor Haslam or Wamp is exactly what you deserve. Enjoy.
They Don’t Know
Posted on at 9:25 amA journalist struggles blogging about her work:
I probably need to stop talking about work on my blog. I know. But work is basically all I do, and my identity as a journalist (albeit a lowly visual journalist, heh heh) is central to who I am. These questions of fairness and semantics and editing and community interaction are worth talking about. I don’t think journalists talk enough about why we make the decisions we make, or what happens when the people in charge make decisions we disagree with. Does the public really know how hard-fought newsroom decisions can be? My suspicion is no. Do they care? I don’t know. But I do.
Dr. No
Posted on at 8:23 amRon Paul refuses to apologize for the kind of politician he is:
“Obviously, there must be some disagreement in order for us to have a contest to challenge me in a race and I think I understand that because I am a stickler—I am a stickler for the Constitution—I vote ‘No’ a lot,” Paul said in his closing remarks. “I am not ashamed of this.”
Corker Stands With Unemployment Extension Blocker
Posted on February 27, 2010 at 9:37 pmFrom The Hill:
In the red corner is Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., whose decision not to seek re-election this year has made him a wildcard. He has blocked a $10 billion bill that extends the benefits for 30 days because he wants to lay out how the extension will be paid for, preferably with unallocated stimulus funds.
In the blue corner is Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who, along with other Democrats told Bunning no way because the extension is an emergency and shouldn’t come with any offsets.
The battle lasted for hours Thursday when Durbin sought unanimous consent, a move that forced Bunning to object each time to uphold his filibuster.
“It is unthinkable, unforgivable that we would cut off unemployment insurance payments to these people, that we would cut off COBRA payments, which helps them to pay for their health insurance while they’re unemployed,” he said. “And yet, that’s what’s going to happen Sunday night. It’s because the senator from Kentucky has objected to extending unemployment insurance payments and COBRA health insurance payments for 30 days.”
Bunning decried the move and was joined by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who accused Democrats of a “sneak attack.” Corker vowed to stay on the floor with Bunning all night.Durbin said he was defending out-of-work Americans, that he would love to be home because he is “no spring chicken.”
Gore: Climate Change Is Still Real
Posted on at 9:33 pmFrom his new op/ed in the New York Times:
I, for one, genuinely wish that the climate crisis were an illusion. But unfortunately, the reality of the danger we are courting has not been changed by the discovery of at least two mistakes in the thousands of pages of careful scientific work over the last 22 years by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In fact, the crisis is still growing because we are continuing to dump 90 million tons of global-warming pollution every 24 hours into the atmosphere — as if it were an open sewer.
Wishing Kyle Had Kept Up The Fight
Posted on at 9:31 pmSteve Steffens struggles with the loss of a true progressive leader from the Democratic gubernatorial primary:
My problem is that the primary is BIG for people like me. HERE, and not in the general, is where we get to have our voices heard, where we can determine which candidate is closer to our liberal line than the others, which one we can truly support before they have to go all mealy-mouthed in the general. (Note to Goopers, Haslam is going to do you like Bredesen did Democrats, now’s your chance to do something about it).
Kyle gave us RED MEAT, not inoffensive, aw-shucks patter. He would have been a LEADER, not a manager, as Steve Cohen once said of Phil Bredesen (and was he ever right about that). While I will vote for whomever comes out of the Primary, unless they show me something between now and August, I’m not too damned excited about it.
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McWherter Lacks The Qualities
Posted on at 9:20 pmKim McMillan on why she should be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee:
“I believe I have the right kind of qualities perhaps Mike doesn’t,” she said. “I have experience in state government. I know how to get things done. I also have the desire and the passion to make a difference for people in Tennessee. It’s not just that I have good ideas. I know how to accomplish them.”
Ramsey’s Franked Mail Piece Catches Heat
Posted on at 11:57 amHank Hayes reports:
When asked whether the average Tennessean can tell if the official mailer is a campaign ad or an informational piece, Ramsey said: “I hope that’s the case. These are sent to my (Senate) district … (but) obviously I want to be the next governor of the state of Tennessee.”
Inside the mail piece, Ramsey says he helped bring new investment and “hundreds of high-paying jobs to Tennessee.”
Ramsey says he is working on improving the state’s education funding formula and giving parents more choices through charter schools and home-school options.
Ramsey also says he is “upholding our values” by sponsoring the law to allow citizens to have a handgun carry permit and passing pro-life legislation.
The mail piece does not say “Ron Ramsey For Governor,” but Ramsey agreed its talking points are similar to those used in an election campaign.
Non-Profit In Trouble For Dabbling In Politics
Posted on at 11:54 amFrom Bob Smietana:
On Friday, the head of a local nonprofit said she is canceling a planned fundraiser for Bachmann out of concerns the event would violate IRS rules. And even if the event is canceled, Bachmann’s visit to Nashville may still land the charity in hot water with the IRS.
On Sunday, Bachmann will speak at a pro-Israel dinner run by Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, a Franklin-based nonprofit. Until Friday, she was also scheduled to appear at a private reception hosted by Laurie Cardoza-Moore, the charity’s president.
The price of admission: a $500 donation to Bachmann’s campaign.
In most cases, that would be perfectly legal.
As a private citizen, Cardoza-Moore can support any candidate she wants. But as the head of a nonprofit charity, she has to stay clear of politics. That’s where the trouble comes in.
The e-mail invitation to the Bachmann fundraiser was addressed to Proclaiming Justice supporters. In the e-mail, supporters were asked to give $500 to Bachmann’s re-election campaign.
“You’re receiving this e-mail because of your relationship with Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Inc.,” the header of the e-mail reads.
Nonprofit experts say the e-mail appears to violate IRS rules banning charities from politics.
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