Alexander Votes Against Guns In Parks AND Increased Regs On Credit Card Companies
Posted on May 19, 2009 at 2:51 pmSen. Lamar Alexander, after voting against an amendment that would allow carry permit holders to bring loaded guns into national parks last week, votes against the entire Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009 in which the amendment is contained.
About his failure to vote for the amendment, Alexander said the following last week:
“I have consistently been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, but this legislation goes too far - further than President Reagan, further than President Bush, and further than Tennessee law.”
The full bill prevents credit card companies from raising rates until holder is 60 days late in payment, bans “double-cycle billing” and beefs up customer notification regulations.
UPDATE 4:29PM: Sen. Alexander explains his vote:
“This legislation is over-regulation that will lead to higher interest rates and less available credit. Also, it is unnecessary, because the Federal Reserve Board will implement many of the regulations in this bill next July.”
SEE ALSO: Braisted
A Beautiful Day In The Smokies
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 7:32 pmSen. Lamar Alexander prepares to play another concert in the park with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra:
Lamar Lone GOP Vote Against Guns In National Parks
Posted on May 13, 2009 at 10:28 amThe U.S. Senate yesterday approved 67-29 an amendment to the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009 that would restore concealed carry rights in national parks.
In March, Federal District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction against the Department of the Interior rule that would have allowed the carrying of firearms in national parks.
Sen. Tom Coburn sponsored the amendment which allows firearms in parks and wildlife refuges, as long as they are allowed by federal, state and local law.
“If an American citizen has a right to carry a firearm in their state, it makes no sense to treat them like a criminal if they pass through a national park while in possession of a firearm,” Coburn said.
Twenty-seven Democrats joined 39 Republicans and one independent in supporting the amendment
Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander was the lone Republican against the amendment.
Alexander issued a statement to the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Michael Silence following the vote.
“I have consistently been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, but this legislation goes too far - further than President Reagan, further than President Bush, and further than Tennessee law,” said Alexander in an email.
SEE ALSO:
Say Uncle
Jeff Woods
Zach Wamp Is Just Like A Bunch Of People Many Of Whom Will Be Behind His Opponents
Posted on May 5, 2009 at 9:46 pmSo proclaims his press release:
“Zach combines the clear vision and laser-like focus of a Lamar Alexander, the energy and drive of a Bob Corker, the command of complex issues like a Bill Frist or a Bill Brock, the common sense and straight talk of a Fred Thompson, and the ability to relate to and communicate with folks from all walks of life like a Winfield Dunn or a Howard Baker. That makes Zach a uniquely talented candidate and a major political force, and I believe his momentum will simply be unstoppable as voters in Middle and West Tennessee get to know him as well as folks already do in East Tennessee.”
Help
Posted on at 7:31 amYou elected represents ask for some on your behalf:
U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and U.S. Reps. Jimmy Duncan, Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon and John Tanner have joined Gov. Phil Bredesen in requesting that President Barack Obama issue a federal disaster declaration for four counties in Tennessee to help state and local governments recover costs for damages related to recent storms.
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No Longer A Pipedream
Posted on May 4, 2009 at 7:28 amActivists lobby legislators to end the practice of giving harsher sentences to those who possess crack than those who possess powdered cocaine:
Similarly, there was no arm wrestling when they met with U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. He’s already a co-sponsor of two drug sentencing reform bills.
Norman and Coleman-Davis also met with U.S. Reps. John Tanner, D-Tenn., and representatives for Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both R-Tenn., and U.S. Rep. Zack Wamp, R-Tenn. (Coleman-Davis also met with staffers from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.)
Norman said he believes some politicians “don’t want to be perceived as easy on crime,” but he told them, “We want to be tough on crime, but just on sentencing.”
Both Coleman-Davis and Norman noted that powder and crack cocaine are the same drug pharmacologically.
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Bye, Bye To Tom Ingram
Posted on April 30, 2009 at 4:06 pmDC says farewell to the man who will architect the gubernatorial campaign of Bill Haslam:
And, last night Sen. Lamar Alexander’s longtime COS, Tom Ingram, held a rather festive farewell party at The Monocle.
It was a packed house, with Sens. Lamar Alexander, Mitch McConnell, Mark Warner, Bob Corker and Former Labor Sec Elaine Chao, plus Minority Leader John Boehner, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the White House Legislative team, Chuck Schumer’s CoS Mike Lynch, new staff director of the SRC Ryan Loskarn, Jim Jeffries with Alexander, Denzel McGuire of Kyl’s office, Stephen Replogle with the SRC, Rhonda Bentz of Navigators LLC and Jen Morris of McConnell’s office.
Guests were treated to a warm and funny speech by Sen. Mark Pryor’s COS Bobby Russell, Ingram’s DC roommate and cofounder with Ingram of the Bipartisan Chiefs of Staff breakfasts.
Alexander And Corker Want Money Back From Specter
Posted on April 28, 2009 at 3:35 pm
In a statement earlier today on his party switch to the Democrats, Sen. Arlen Specter said he would return any monies donated to his campaign as a Republican upon request.
Sen. Lamar Alexander who just hours ago rebuked Specter for his actions will be taking him up on that offer.
Alexander was one of a group of Senators supporting Specter financially in his expected primary with conservative Pat Toomey. Now that Specter is no longer a Republican, Alexander will be asking for a refund of that money.
“Sen. Specter said he would return contributions made to him in this cycle, upon request. That’s the right thing for him to do, and we will request a refund,” Alexander said in a statement released by staff.
Tennessee’s other Senator, Bob Corker, will also be asking for a rebate on the money he has given the Senator from Pennsylvania. As point of fact, he already has.
When asked if the Senator would be asking for the campaign cash back, Post Politics was provided with a letter sent by Rock City PAC treasurer Kim Kaegi to the Specter campaign.
“[Rock City] PAC solicits funds to support Republican candidates and because Senator Specter in will no longer be running as a Republican in this election, we ask that the contribution be returned as soon as possible,” Kaegi says in the letter.
Specter’s primary challenger-to-be, Pat Toomey, is now expected to win the Republican nomination for Specter’s seat. It is unlikely that Specter will receive much of challenge in the Democratic Party primary although there have been rumblings to that effect.
Lamar Upbraids Specter For Party Switch
Posted on at 2:06 pmKen Whitehouse has the statement from the senior Senator:
“I am very disappointed for the country, because it will make more difficult the Senate’s ability to restrain one-party rule. Historically, Americans have not liked what Alexis de Tocqueville called a ‘tyranny of the majority,’ and they are now more likely to get a taste of it.”
A Specter Of Things To Come From Alexander?
Posted on April 19, 2009 at 8:23 pmOur senior U.S. Senator seems to have the back of one of the bodies most liberal Republicans:
The five-term Pennsylvania Republican, who faces a tough primary challenge from conservative former Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, received donations from 10 Republican senators in the first three months of this year.
The pro-Specter senators, who donated from either their candidate committees or their leadership PACs, include Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the Senate GOP Conference chairman.
Lamar’s First Ballot
Posted on April 7, 2009 at 7:20 amAt a reception honoring Anna Belle Clement O’Brien, according to Dru Fuller, Sen. Lamar Alexander unburdened his soul about a long held secret:
In his remarks, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander disclosed for the first time that he cast his first vote for Frank Clement and led a campus organization for Clement. He cited his admiration for Clement’s civil rights record and charisma at the podium. “I’ve kept this quiet for a long time,” Alexander told the mostly Democratic crowd gathered to honor Anna Belle Clement.
Making State And Local Sales Deductions Permanent
Posted on April 2, 2009 at 6:01 pmLamar Alexander is working to make it happen:
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said today that passage of a bipartisan amendment he cosponsored brings Congress one step closer to making the state and local sales tax deduction permanent, which would put more than $400 each year in the pockets of nearly 600,000 Tennesseans.
“The state and local sales tax deduction will mean on average $400 in tax relief for nearly 600,000 Tennesseans,” Alexander said. “That’s good news for our state’s economy and for family budgets. We need a permanent fix for this, and this amendment passing today puts us on track to do just that.”
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Alexander’s Trying To Prevent China From Telling Us How To Run Our Family
Posted on April 1, 2009 at 4:14 pmFrom the office of the Senior Senator:
“This is the runaway debt limit amendment,” said Alexander, a member of the Senate Budget Committee. “It says 60 senators have to agree before a budget can bring out national debt to more than 90 percent of U.S. gross domestic product – which this budget does every single year.”
“We saw this week the leverage a lender can have over a borrower. The President of the United States fired the president of General Motors. Well, China, Japan, and Middle Eastern oil countries already own $1.4 trillion of U.S. debt. This amendment would prevent China, Japan and the Middle Eastern oil countries from telling America how to run our business in the same way our government is telling General Motors how to run its business.”
The Alexander amendment would have raised a point of order against any budget resolution that estimates a gross federal debt exceeding 90 percent of GDP in any year covered in the budget. The point of order could only be waived by a 60-vote majority of the Senate. According to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, President Obama’s budget begins its first year with a total debt of more than 95 percent of GDP and grows the debt to over 100 percent of GDP in 2017. Gross debt has not exceeded 90% of GDP since 1950, when the United States was recovering from WWII.
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Ingram Leaving Lamar
Posted on March 23, 2009 at 12:09 pmKen Whitehouse has the breaker. Sen. Alexander’s longtime chief of staff will leave his post but will continue to consult with Sens. Alexander and Corker and most notably Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam who is currently running for governor.
UPDATE: R. Neal on the news.
Tennessee Senators Split On $410 Billion Federal Spending Bill
Posted on March 10, 2009 at 6:19 pmFrom the office of the junior Senator in opposition to H.R. 1105:
“I don’t know how anybody can look at piling this $410 billion bill on top of the $1 trillion stimulus passed last month and NOT call it excessive federal spending. This is trillions of dollars that we don’t have that we’re leaving for future generations to pay back,” said Corker. “Like most Tennesseans, I believe the flawed appropriations process that produced this bill is in desperate need of reform. There is absolutely no construct for fiscal discipline on the federal level, so I have supported measures not only to force a one-year moratorium on all congressional earmarks, but also to enact a two-year budget cycle, and to create a blueprint for solving the growing crisis surrounding entitlement spending.”
…and the senior Senator in support:
“Last month, I voted against the trillion-dollar so-called ‘stimulus’ package, but this is the regular appropriations bill that has to be passed each year if the government is to operate properly. I voted for several amendments that would have reduced spending, but ultimately those motions were defeated.
“The bill that passed today includes funding for several projects important to Tennesseans: an anti-gang program in Memphis; Wolf Creek and Center Hill Dam repair; rebuilding the Chickamauga Lock; as well as increased funding for Oak Ridge, the Great Smokies, and the US Forest Service’s number-one land-acquisition in the country, which is in Upper East Tennessee.”
SEE ALSO: Senatus
Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Gave Extensively To Republicans
Posted on February 23, 2009 at 8:09 am
It would appear that the Tennessee Democratic Party’s new treasurer is not the only Democrat of note with a history of contributing money to both Democratic and Republican causes.
Post Politics has learned that Ward Cammack, one of two Democrats actively campaigning to succeed Governor Phil Bredesen in 2010, has given to a myriad of Tennessee Republican candidates starting in 1979 with a donation to Senator Howard Baker’s 1980 Presidential run.
While Cammack has supported Congressman Jim Cooper with financial donations steadily throughout his career, a large majority of his donations have gone to Tennessee Republican candidates for federal office. In 1994, the year of the Republican Revolution, Cammack gave extensively to both Bill Frist and Fred Thompson who were victorious in grabbing both of Tennessee’s U.S. Senate seats that year.
Cammack also gave heavily to Lamar Alexander contributing to both his Presidential run in 1996 as well as his initial 2002 Senate run. In 2008, Cammack gave heavily to Alexander’s opponent Bob Tuke.
Cammack’s most recent Republican donation was in late 2005 when he contributed $500 to Bob Corker’s 2006 Senate primary campaign though Cammack tells Post Politics he ultimately voted for Corker’s opponent Harold Ford, Jr.
In discussing his party shift, Cammack cannot point to any “Road to Damacus” moment but admits that he is “clearly a convert” to the Democratic cause and credits the Bush years for his shift in worldview.
“Everything has changed. A lot of things people thought they had to protect, be it money or a set of so-called moral beliefs, have proved illusory,” Cammack explains. “All we really have is each other.”
Cammack, whose first Democratic vote for President was cast last fall for Barack Obama, said it was the exclusionary tactics of the GOP which led him to begin to question the staunch Republicanism he had learned as a child.
“Eventually you just have to ask: What is this all about? Why are we marginalizing people like this?” Cammack explains.
When asked whether he could pinpoint whether it was Republican policies on social issues, economic issues or foreign policy that ultimate let to his conversion, Cammack was unequivocal.
“All of the above,” replied Cammack.
Cammack does expect that some may be skeptical of his political past but insists that the Democratic Party is a “very comfortable skin for him.”
“Yes, I have given [money] to Republicans in the past and I have voted for Republicans in the past. I have never tried to hide that,” Cammack says. “But if you ask me if I believe in the Democratic Party, the answer is yes. Yes, I do.”
SEE ALSO: The Rotunda asks: “[I]s there a prominent Democrat expanding the tent of the party to reach the affluent white guys like Ward Cammack and Bill Freeman?”
The Era Of The Gubernatorial Education Secretary
Posted on December 17, 2008 at 8:06 amSome are saying it has ceased to be:
The era of gubernatorial leadership in education is officially over. It feels like a long time since we had a former governor as education secretary. Lamar Alexander and Richard Riley epitomized the role of the states as leaders in education reform. But now, with Arne Duncan replicating Rod Paige’s ascension, the mantle has passed to the big cities.
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Why Lamar Missed The Auto Bailout Vote
Posted on December 12, 2008 at 8:22 amWhile Senator Corker has taken a lead on the issue hastening the collapse of the Big Three bailout, Mike Slater wonders where our senior Senator was when the vote was going down.
Post Politics has your answer. Reached early this morning Alexander spokesman Lee Pitts explained why Senator Alexander was neither an official yea or a nay on yesterday’s vote:
Senator Alexander did not vote because he is home in Tennessee recuperating from surgery to remove a cyst from his back. If he had been present he would have voted no. In a statement the Senator said, “One-third of manufacturing jobs in Tennessee are auto-related, and we are all concerned about the challenges facing the auto industry, but taxpayers must also be protected. Government involvement may have a role in the solution to this problem, but putting a government that can’t run itself in charge of running two big car companies makes no sense to me, and that’s what this bill would have done.”
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