Post Politics: 7 April 2008

By Kleinheider Posted on April 8, 2008 at 9:54 am

The longest-serving congressional district director in Tennessee history, Joe Hill, is retiring after 35 years. Hill started his tenure under Congressman Ed Jones in 1973 and stayed on when Congressman John Tanner was elected to the Eighth District seat in 1989. Hill will now serve as a member of the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.

CBN political reporter David Brody notes social conservative uneasiness with a possible John McCain/Mitt Romney ticket.

Fred Thompson travels to Arizona to catch up with his old friend, John McCain.

A recent Rassmussen Reports survey shows Hillary Clinton to be the best Democratic candidate to go up against John McCain in the General election — at least in Tennessee.

Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr announces the formation of a committee to explore a possible run for the Libertarian nomination in 2008.

Memphis mayor Willie Herenton will outline his vision for the Memphis City Schools in what he calls “the most important presentation in his entire public life” on May 6.

Gov. Phil Bredesen gave a guest lecture last week on the ins and outs of his superdelegate primary plan to a Vanderbilt Political Science class taught by Professor John Geer and Harold Ford, Jr.

Fourteen Tennessee businesses have signed a letter to Senators Alexander and Corker in opposition to new patent reform legislation before Congress.

David Oatney notes state Senator Mike Williams’ evolution on the subject of term limits since his days in the state House.

Roger Abramson pens the definitive polemic on the continued co-option of Martin Luther King, Jr. by the Tennessee GOP.

Randy Neal compiles last week’s state legislative and congressional filings of candidacy in a handy browsable database.

Absolut Vodka sparks a debate over immigration policy – and some creative Photoshopping – with its latest advertisement.

Joe Lance discusses the pros and cons of Phil Bredesen as Veep.

ABC News reports that Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice is actively seeking the Vice Presidential nomination.

According to a press release, People First of Tennessee received a letter from the TN Division of Mental Retardation that its self-advocacy contract will not be renewed. The organization suspects that their outspoken opposition to state spending cuts was the cause.

A conservative blogger gives the Clintons kudos on the release of their tax returns and their contributions to charity.

Lamar Alexander in the Washington Post on pulling the plug on his Presidential runs in 1996 and 2000: “”A lot of people invested time and money and effort into my campaign when I ran. One of my feelings was that I let them down. I haven’t done as well as I should have.”

At a fund-raising breakfast Friday for State House District challenger Tony Shipley, former Sen. Bill Frist said he will make a decision about running for Tennessee Governor “by the early part of next year.”

State Senator Doug Jackson: “I’ll tell you what, when you let the hillbillies into the White House, they’ll get the ashtrays and even the Sweet n’ Low.”

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain explains why he voted against the Martin Luther King Holiday during his first term in Congress.

Tom Humphrey breaks down which party seems to have the advantage in state legislative races now that the filing deadlines have passed and the fields are set.

Former governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee leads a Gallup Poll measuring who Republicans would like to see as John McCain’s running mate.

Tennessee’s Republican Party spokesman isn’t the only one opposing the continued openness of the state’s firearm carry permit database while benefiting from the current status of the records. Rep. Mike Bell concedes that the database helped him challenge those making hyperbolic claims of cost regarding a gun rights bill he had sponsored.

Both the younger and the elder Harold Ford issued harsh rebukes of statements by their family members reported in the Commercial Appeal last week. On Friday, Jake Ford, an independent candidate opposing Rep. Steve Cohen, and his campaign manager brother, Isaac, insinuated that Cohen was unfit to serve because he was white and a majority of the constituents in the district are not.

Harold Ford, Jr. distanced himself from his brother in the starkest possible terms: “It’s beyond concern. I want to make clear my brothers’ comments are not mine. I reject them. … I don’t believe any candidate’s fitness for office should be measured or determined by race or gender.”

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Tags: Ed Jones, Harold Ford, Jake Ford, John Tanner, Sr.