The Obama-Palin Ticket
Posted on September 4, 2008 at 7:17 amFrank Cagle explains how this one-two punch may be a boon to Republicans down the ballot:
If Palin energizes conservatives and rural Democrats stay home or vote for McCain, it has to be good for Republican legislative candidates. There are also some conservative areas losing longtime Democratic representatives due to retirement. Randy Rinks and Frank Buck, two stalwarts of the House Democrats, aren’t seeking re-election. Could the Republicans pick up the two seats? They certainly hope so.
The Republicans need to pick up four seats to get control of the House. They got effective control of the state Senate last year. The state has trended Republican for years, but the Democrats have been able to maintain control of the House because they have control of the House. Re-apportionment often saves them. Control also allows them to solicit campaign funds from lobbyists and special interests to overwhelm challengers.
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All In The Game
Posted on August 24, 2008 at 9:08 pmThe TNGOP chides Jimmy Naifeh for asserting that dropping a “poison packet” including allegedly expunged records in the mail to a candidate’s wife is just “part of a campaign”:
Question: What exactly is the beef with what Jimmy Naifeh is saying here? Are Republicans saying that they have never used opposition research to intimidate a candidate out of the race? That they wouldn’t if they could? If the Democrats indeed came by the info honestly, as they say they did, what is the problem?
Jimmy Naifeh’s suggestion that this is “just part of a campaign” is based on a certain set of facts he subscribes to — that Keith Talley, Democratic operative, got the records from the Wilson County Courthouse and then dropped them on Jason Mumpower’s desk.
Assuming Naifeh’s assumptions, not the TNGOP’s, does he not have a point?
This Is Gonna Get Exciting If There Are Journalists On The List
Posted on August 19, 2008 at 6:30 amHouse GOP Leader Jason Mumpower is joining the TNGOP and House Majority Leader Gary Odom in requesting that a list of names that a state trooper made unauthorized background checks on be released to the public:
The suspicion, particularly from Republicans, is that a politically connected patrol lieutenant, Ronnie Shirley, ran the checks for political reasons. Shirley’s name is the only one to surface in connection with the allegations.
Mumpower said his concerns are compounded by a mysterious incident a month and a half ago at his legislative office in the Capitol complex.
The Bristol Republican said an envelope appeared overnight in his locked office containing photocopies of THP arrest records involving a Republican candidate for state House. The arrest had happened years ago, and did not result in a conviction.
Mumpower would not identify the candidate but said the episode smelled of political dirty tricks.
“Intimidation is the only thing I can think of,” said Mumpower, who said THP officers who work at the Capitol have keys to the legislative offices, as do cleaning personnel and some staff members.
He specifically asked Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, and the state Safety Department to release the names.
SEE ALSO:
Bill Hobbs says that THP keeps expunged records.
Chris Sanders weighs in
TNGOP To Rep. David Davis: Good Call
Posted on August 15, 2008 at 10:41 amThe folks over at the Tennessee Republican Party are glad that Rep. David Davis decided not to turn the next meeting of the state executive committee into a circus:
Tennessee Republican Party officials today praised U.S. Rep. David Davis’ decision not to contest the results of the August 7 primary in Tennessee’s First Congressional District.
“Congressman Davis’s decision to let the voters of the First District, rather than a parade of lawyers, courts and committees, have the final say on who they wish to represent them in Congress represents the best traditions of American democracy,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.
“State law permits voters to declare at the polling place which party’s primary they wish to participate in, a system that allows Tennesseans to vote for the man or woman they believe is best for the job and, unless an election result has been compromised by actual voter fraud such as false identity or votes cast by the dead, we believe the will of the voters as expressed at the ballot box on election day should be respected,” Smith said. “David Davis has served his community honorably and with distinction first as a state legislator, then as a member of Congress, and now by his decision to let the people’s vote stand without challenge.”
SEE ALSO:
R. Neal
The Hill
Davis’s plans for the future.
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Karl Rove Takes the Hypocritic Oath
Posted on July 31, 2008 at 11:30 amSandra Clark points out a bit of irony:
Karl Rove has no shame. At the GOP Statesman Dinner last week, he touted the generous, kind hearts of John and Cindy McCain for their adoption of a girl from Africa whom they had brought here originally for medical treatment. Eight years ago, Rove is credited with the South Carolina smear that McCain had fathered a black daughter, later adopted by the family.
TNGOP Communications Director Concedes “Sluggish” Economy
Posted on July 30, 2008 at 8:12 amBill Hobbs says that the Governor should not be surprised by the reticence of state workers to accept buyouts in a poor economy:
Tennessee’s governor - whose net worth is north of $100 million - continues to seem surprised that so few state employees took his “buyout” offer to quit their jobs to help the state cut expenses as the economy turned sluggish. He shouldn’t be. He ran around all spring declaring the sky is falling, and then asked thousands of his employees to consider stepping out from under the roof over their heads and let it fall on them.
Marsha Blackburn: Proud Of A State Party That “Defies The National Trend”
Posted on July 29, 2008 at 10:57 ampermalink | Comment on this post
Bad For Business
Posted on at 10:22 amJeff Woods has a few thoughts about Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s speech at the TNGOP’s Statemen’s dinner over the weekend:
So what happens if Republicans are running the show? Well, Ramsey says, at a minimum the legislature will never enact any of those nasty “Job Killer Bills” that the state Chamber of Commerce opposes each year. In this year’s session, he says, the Democratic-run House passed all of them, but the Senate saved the day by refusing to go along.
One of those bills would have given unemployment benefits to women who have to leave work because their husbands have beaten them up. That kind of thing only creates a bad business climate. We owe a lot to those Senate Republicans.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey At The Statesmen’s Dinner
Posted on at 6:26 ampermalink | Comment on this post
Reporting From The TNGOP Statesmen’s Dinner
Posted on July 28, 2008 at 8:13 amRichard Locker reports from the closed to the press Republican Statesmen’s Dinner:
- Former White House senior political advisor Karl Rove told Tennessee Republicans the story of Sam Houston, the only man who ever served as governor of two states, as a metaphor for an unnamed president who grew unpopular with his people.
According to some who attended, Rove said Houston was wildly popular as the Texas governor (and former Tennessee governor) who helped lead Texas to independence from Mexico. But he was deposed as governor in 1860 because he opposed secession from the Union, an unpopular stand before the Civil War broke out — but a stand for which history later vindicated him.
SEE ALSO:
City Paper editorial
Sandra Clark
Photos by Blake Wylie
Protesters on hand
The Hobbs Report
Former Rove Deputy Says Rove Events Aren’t Normally Closed
Posted on July 25, 2008 at 6:12 pmDru Fuller reports that Karl Rove’s former White House deputy, Scott Jennings, doesn’t understand why the Tennessee Republican Party’s Statesmen’s dinner is closed to press because that not how the keynote speaker usually rolls:
“I am actually a little surprised because typically most of Karl’s events are open to the press. Typically that decision is made by the local organizers.
“I don’t know. Those things are usually set by host for event, so I’d take it up with Tennessee Republican Party.
“I’ll tell you I don’t typically do things not open to the media. I do a lot of in Kentucky. I prefer it when they are there because who doesn’t want to send clippings home to their grandmother?
“I don’t know. They open and close fundraisers for various reasons. Sometimes they are for security related, sometimes not. I’d call the state party and ask them if you want a real answer.”
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The Continuing Controversy Over The TNGOP’s Closed Statesmen’s Dinner
Posted on at 8:49 amSeveral prominent Republicans criticise the decision that may very well have been Karl Rove’s:
Sen. Alexander spokesman Lee Pitts said the senator will be unable to attend the dinner Saturday because he will be managing a Senate debate on energy.
“If it was his decision, the event would not be closed, but it’s not his decision,” Mr. Pitts said in an e-mail.
State Rep. Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, who served as state GOP chairwoman from 2004 to 2007, said that “it’s every chairman’s prerogative whether they want to have an open event or closed event. I chose to have our’s open.”
“Actually, we encouraged it (reporters’ coverage) because we wanted to get our message out,” Rep. Harwell said.
While Rep. Harwell said she would prefer this year’s “be opened to the press,” she emphasized she didn’t know the reasoning behind Mrs. Smith’s decision.
Former GOP Chairmen John “Chip” Saltsman and Bob Davis recalled having their Statesmen events opened, but they emphasized the decision is up to the chairman.
In her e-mail statement, Mrs. Smith said that Mr. Hobbs “was acting on information he had been given in making the statement that ‘traditionally’ the dinner had been closed. It was said that ‘traditionally fundraisers are closed.’ The Statesmen’s Dinner is a fundraiser.
“Bill remains correct on the information that he was given that ‘traditionally fundraisers are closed,’” Mrs. Smith continued.
Rep. Harwell, Mr. Saltsman and Mr. Davis all noted that events for large donors, which take place before the dinner, often have been closed.
TNGOP Communications Director Defends Closing The Statesman’s Dinner
Posted on July 24, 2008 at 10:07 am“I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!”
Bill Hobbs chastises the media and blogger coverage of the news that, in a historical departure, the TNGOP will close this weekend’s Karl Rove-keynoted Statesman’s Dinner to the press:
[T]he suggestion that it should be open to the public because it is being held in a city convention center built with public funds is, frankly, silly. The Tennessee GOP rented the building - taxpayers aren’t paying for the building that night, the TN GOP is. That gives us the right to control access. And there are countless events held every month at city-owned convention centers across the state that aren’t open to the press. Weddings and business conventions, for example.
The Tennessee Republican Party from time to time holds events that are open to the media. In fact, we even invite the media to them.
PREVIOUSLY: No Tickee, No Rovee
SEE ALSO: Democrats accuse Hobbs of wearing pants that are less than fire-retardant.
No Tickee, No Rovee: TNGOP Statesman’s Dinner Closed To Press
Posted on at 7:22 amUnlike the Tennessee Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser, Jackson Day, the Tennessee GOP confirms that their annual money-raking event known as the Statesman’s Dinner will be closed to the press. TNGOP Communications Director Bill Hobbs:
Like most political fundraisers, the Statesmen’s Dinner is a private ticketed event. No one without a ticket gets in. It’s standard operating procedure for most every political fundraiser.
The keynote speaker this year is “The Architect” Karl Rove. At last year’s event at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, then Presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to the assembled Tennessee Republicans in the wake of speculation of Fred Thompson’s presidential bid. This year, the event will be held at the Nashville Convention Center downtown.
UPDATE 8:19AM: The Associated Press reports on the historical departure.
SEE ALSO:
Silence
The Donkey’s Mouth
Brainstem
KAG
R. Neal
More Carly Fiorina
Posted on July 22, 2008 at 1:24 pmIf you didn’t get your fill of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina yesterday, the TNGOP has more from the potential Veep’s visit to Middle Tennessee from Marsha Blackburn’s Women of Distinction Luncheon:
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Poster Girl
Posted on at 10:28 amBusiness School Professor Bruce Barry lends some insight as to why the press may not have so eager to attend a TNGOP-hyped press conference featuring Carly Fiorina:
Fiorina, a poster child for the fundamental corruption of executive pay, walked away from this sparkling performance with a $21 million severance package after the HP board summarily fired her. One can only hope that McCain taps her for VP and has to spend the next three months defending her tarnished leadership brand.
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A Distinction Without A Difference
Posted on July 15, 2008 at 10:38 amRob Huddleston on the reporting of a public record:
A.C. at Post Politics won’t reveal his source. As a former MSM journalist, I can respect that normally. Here though, it seems silly. A.C. is protecting a source who gave him information about a public document that anyone can access. Sorry, but is that really a source of great information? Perhaps someone will reveal to me that it’s only 48 days until it’s Football Time in Tennessee - should I anonymously let y’all in on that piece of public knowledge? If there is a reason that A.C. is protecting his source for their actions this time around, then it’s journalistic integrity. If A.C. is keeping their name out of the press for some future information that might not be a public record, that’s opportunism. There is a genuine distinction.
SEE ALSO: Silence
Pigs That Don’t Fly Straight
Posted on at 8:12 am
Andy Sher shares this report on the fallout which followed the release of a letter from the TNGOP’s Chairwoman to Governor Phil Bredesen regarding her service on Tennessee’s Human Rights Commission.
The TNGOP maintains that the release was a part of a coordinated smear effort. At issue is the inference by Post Politics that the letter could be seen as an effort by Smith to remain on the Human Rights Board:
In an interview Monday, Mrs. Smith and her communications director, Mr. Hobbs, said part of her charge about a “smear” was based on the suggestion she was trying to bargain for reappointment.
“You know what?” Mrs. Smith said. “I’m not going to get in the mud with the pigs because the pigs will enjoy it and I’ll get muddy, too.”
PREVIOUSLY:
The release
The reaction
A comedic performance
An accusation
An admission
TNDP Made Public Records Request Of Smith Letter
Posted on July 14, 2008 at 3:05 pmFrom the word processor of Tom Humphrey:
NASHVILLE - The state Democratic Party has acknowledged obtaining an email that state Republican Chairman Robin Smith sent to Gov. Phil Bredesen through an open records request last month, then making copies available to others.
But Democratic Chairman Gray Sasser says the move was a matter of curiosity, not an attempt to smear or embarrass his Republican counterpart, as Smith has said.
In response to an inquiry from the News-Sentinel, Bredesen spokeswoman Lydia Lenker said that a review of records today shows that the Wade Munday, the state Democratic communications director, requested copies of any email to the governor from Smith on June 13. The administration provided the document on June 18, she said.
SEE ALSO:
Bill Hobbs wants more
The letter
The reaction
The Youtube
Audience Participation
Posted on at 1:36 pmTNGOP Communications Director Bill Hobbs weighs in on his estimation of the good, the bad and the ugly that came from the public release of his chairwoman’s email to the Governor of Tennessee:
But at least now we know where the Bredesen administration stands on whether personal emails on state computers are to be released or not. If it might make the administration or especially the governor’s wife look bad, it’s personal and not subject to the state’s open records laws. But if the administration thinks releasing the document will hurt a political rival, the personal is made political - and public.
That’s what happened last week. The administration released a political opponent’s personal email in order to participate in a Nashville media outlet’s baseless smear of one of the administration’s political opponents, a smear based on a fallacious linking of two unconnected events and a deliberate misrepresentation of the content of the email - reporting the email said one thing when it clearly said the opposite.
Fighting The Smears: Chris Crocker Defends TNGOP Chair Robin Smith
Posted on at 8:13 amOkay, it’s a look-alike, but this YouTube, based no doubt on the revelations in this post, is truly a piece of polemical fine art:
The Dean On The Robin Smith Letter
Posted on at 1:00 amThe Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Tom Humphrey gets in on the action covering the disclosure on this website of correspondence between TNGOP Chair Robin Smith and Governor Phil Bredesen regarding her (former) position on Tennessee’s Human Rights Commission:
Lydia Lenker, spokeswoman for Bredesen, said she had received a copy of Smith’s original e-mail but had not provided a copy to anyone. She said that e-mail and other correspondence to the governor in his official capacity are public records.
“Anyone who e-mails the governor, whether they realize it or not, that document becomes a public document,” she said. “That’s sometimes a little jarring for people to learn.”
Lenker said Bredesen, who was on vacation last week, was “aware of the situation” involving Smith’s e-mail but had not, to her knowledge, responded to it. She said no political considerations were involved in the appointment of Pierce to the Human Rights Commission, which was “a pretty standard procedure” of filling a vacated seat.
Smith could not be reached for comment Sunday.
A.C. Kleinheider, who oversees the Post Politics blog, declined to say who gave him the copy of Smith’s e-mail.
SEE ALSO:
The Post Politics report
Jim Grinstead
Daily Kos
R. Neal
autoegocrat
Knoxville Talks
Number One Lover: Robin Smith Replaced On Human Rights Board
Posted on July 11, 2008 at 8:07 pmPatricia Ann Pierce of Harriman, director of the Opportunity Development Center at Vanderbilt University, was appointed today by Governor Phil Bredesen to serve on Tennessee’s Human Rights Commision. Pierce fills the expired term of Tennessee Republican Party Chair Robin Smith who was appointed to the Commission by Gov. Don Sundquist in 2002.
Smith’s position on the board had come under fire recently due to her actions as party chair. Under her watch, at least two communications were released out of her shop at the TNGOP which made national news for their incendiary nature.
The boldest of which was a press release which caused a firestorm this past February by referring to Barack Obama’s middle name, referencing alleged antisemitic associations and featuring a picture of Obama in what was described as “Muslim garb” but turned out to be Somali tribalwear.
The state’s senior Senator Lamar Alexander, as well as John McCain, Karl Rove and the head of the RNC all rebuked the TNGOP harshly, calling for the removal of the release from the state’s website.
Many in the blogosphere along the way were calling for Smith’s removal from the HRC and cautioning against her reappointment. Of course, reappointments to the commission are unusual, especially those whose original appointments were made by a previous Governor of an opposite party.
For instance, of the other 14 members of the current Commission, 12 were appointed by Governor Bredesen and are serving their first term. One, was appointed by Governor Bredesen to an unexpired term in 2006 and then appointed to a full term in 2007. The other was appointed by Governor Bredesen to an unexpired term in 2004 and then appointed to a full term in 2007.
However, despite the high turnover and the unlikelihood of a Democratic Governor appointing a holdover from a previous Republican administration, on June 2, following yet another controversy, this one over the TNGOP’s video welcoming Barack Obama to Tennessee, Robin Smith wrote a letter to Governor Phil Bredesen defending herself against charges of racism and intolerance and seems to convey, implicitly at least, an openness to the idea of reappointment.
You can read the full letter here. In it the TNGOP Chair decries the tactics of the Democratic Party to smear her and defends herself citing her son’s friendship with an African-American youngster and her own experiences as a child:
I would’ve chosen to let these hollow accusations fall without answer had it not been for my children coming to me with concern and for understanding. You see, my son’s best friend for the last many years is African American who vacations with us and enjoys our home as his. My children have been taught by my husband and me the same teaching I’ve referenced already and have taught for 2 1 years in Bible studies at my church: there is one human race.
Further, my children have heard of childhood accounts of my being called an “n.. .-lover” for playing with African American pals on the playground. I have unfortunately shared on several occasions being “booed” and “hissed” at while speaking, along with former Tennessee Democrat Party Chairman Bob Tuke and other Democrats, to the state dinner of the NAACP in an effort to extend a friendly hand.
My children, along with others, have witnessed my efforts for years through politics to work with individuals of all races and through our church to serve in ministry to the inner city and those who struggle with needs.
UPDATE: TNGOP Chairman Robin Smith responds to the publication of her correspondence to the Governor in an email addressed to “Readers of Post Politics“:
I was phoned about 2 hours ago while driving back home with my family by my Chief of Staff at the Tennessee Republican Party who was seeing for the first time a correspondence I had sent privately to Governor Phil Bredesen to address the attempts to damage my reputation publicly through the appointment I was finishing as a Tennessee Human Rights Commissioner. Let be state very clearly: The correspondence published was written solely by me as a personal statement for my beliefs and values and to defend my integrity; no other individual(s) were involved, especially staff of the Tennessee Republican Party.
Let me first clarify that I have never sought reappointment, as was falsely implied by PostPolitics editorialism. As stated very clearly in my correspondence to the Governor, I understand political appointments and have full appreciation that once my term was complete on June 30, the position was his to fill with a selection of his own.
However, there have been whispers making their way back to me of individuals who wanted to “smear” me publicly, to “embarrass” me, and to distract from my work at the Tennessee Republican Party. Upon hearing several different versions of the same accounts with the same individuals, I chose to write an email addressed to the Governor and his communications staffer from my personal, family email account. The whispers are now absolutely validated by the fact that a private correspondence was publicly distributed by the Tennessee state government server to a press outlet that has consistently been associated with “smears” coming from the same sources that believe themselves to be anonymous.
As noted in the correspondence to the Governor, I have never politicized my term of 6 years on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. It was truly an honor to serve and to work with individuals who fought against the discrimination that unfortunately continues based on gender, race and age.
In contrast, those who sought to “smear” my integrity used that very position to attempt to gain political points on the field of political play. I made the decision, as noted in my letter, to address this when my teenagers began to participate in family discussions about the matter. We call them “teachable moments.”
Let me be clear, my faith and values drive my beliefs about life, family and the role of government and policy. After the events of the last few months, my commitment to that which is right and good has been absolutely strengthened and my determination increased.
There is always a “teachable moment” in every area of our lives, as we teach our kids and spend a life of learning. The teachable moments involved here are quite apparent:
1. Many who claim to stand for rights, deny them as evidenced by this entire occasion in handling a simple political appointment.
2. Those who claim to stand for rights chose to “smear” those who don’t support their agenda: I was targeted for being a conservative, Christian Republican who chooses to be truthful and candid rather than cater to the politically correct and the elite.
3. Many that portray themselves to be “above the fray” are the most guttural of all, demonstrating their vacant core of any beliefs.
4. There are those who occupy positions of leadership and power to lead who only choose political exploitation: I now join those employees of the Bredesen administration who had their rights denied in the shredding of their harassment claims. I have been publicly slandered and libeled.
5. Truth stands and so do those who defend it. I sincerely appreciate those I know to be committed to more than politics and their own agendas and who are dear friends.
6. The counsel of a brother in Christ, an African American pastor who preaches truth, not hate, directed me toward Scripture that provides summary:
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this: but He who judges me is the Lord…”
Again, a personal word of thanks to those who have been vocal and kind in your support. You will always remembered and treasured. Now, it’s time to move on.
Respectfully Submitted,
Robin Smith
Naifeh Fudges On Gun Permit Claim In Wake Of Controversy
Posted on July 9, 2008 at 2:58 pmThe Tennessee Republican Party has unearthed a potentially damaging bombshell regarding House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh.
The party accuses Jimmy Naifeh of lying in a press release describing himself as a concealed carry permit holder nine days after catching heat from the gun rights community for engaging in some inspired parliamentary maneuvering in order to to scuttle a piece of legislation which would have concealed the identities of concealed permit holders.
The Tennessee Firearms Association asserts that Naifeh’s “boast” on April 11 that he had become a permitholder was a lie. Naifeh, according to public records, did not officially apply for the permit until April 21 and thus could not legally have received his permit until at least a month later.
Naifeh did provide the state with a certificate showing he took a handgun certification class on March 29, 2008, at Brighton Arms with a Smith and Wesson Model 8906 9mm semi-automatic pistol. However, Naifeh did not submit an actual application for the permit until nearly a month later.
At least now it would appear we know why the TNGOP was making public records requests on gun owners while they were at the same time decrying such records being available to the general public.
SEE ALSO:
Sean Braisted
Jeff Woods
Say Uncle
Farley
Bill Haslam On A Gubernatorial Primary With Bill Frist: “I Can’t See That Happening”
Posted on June 16, 2008 at 10:02 am
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam traveled to Nashville on Saturday at the request of Tootie Haskins, Director at Large of the Davidson County Republican Party, to speak to before assembled Republicans at the Davidson County GOP’s Straw Poll and Picnic.
In an interview with Post Politics preceding his speech, the Knoxville Mayor reiterated that despite his visit with Republicans miles from home and his key role as chair of the Tennessee Republican Party’s annual Statesman’s dinner in July, he hasn’t made any firm decisions about running for Governor in 2010.
“It sounds like a political answer but it’s really not. I haven’t made a decision about what I want to do,” Haslam said.
Haslam would offer up to Post Politics that he would be unlikely to challenge former Senator Bill Frist were the former Senator to enter the race.
“If Senator Frist said he was going to run for Governor, in all likelihood, I would say I would be supporting him. I can’t envison a circumstance where [a Haslam/Frist primary] makes a lot of sense. I can’t see that happening,” Haslam stated.
Mayor Haslam, however, refused to continue the “what if” game when other potential candidates, such as Congressman Zach Wamp, were mentioned.
Like Senator Frist, Mayor Haslam doesn’t believe that the results of the 2008 state legislative races would affect his decision to run. Whether the Republicans keep control of the state Senate or capture the state House will not factor into his analysis.
“I don’t think that would be a determinant factor for me. My sense in state politics is if you waited to do something until all the factors got to be perfect you’d be waiting around a long time. So for me that wouldn’t be a big deal,” Haslam explained.
On the tactics of the Tennessee GOP and their penchant for making national news and drawing harsh rebukes from party leaders and both of Tennessee’s U.S. Senators, Haslam took the side of the moderates in the party.
“I would probably agree with both our senators, I’m not sure that was advisable,” Haslam said when speaking of the TNGOP’s February press release touting alleged antisemitic ties of Barack Obama. Haslam said he had not actually seen the subsequent Michelle Obama “Proud” video which also had the TNGOP being roundly criticized for their tactics but seemed to deferred to Senators Alexander and Corker on the issue.
As to what statewide issues truly animate the man and which might be highlighted in a Haslam Gubernatorial run, the mayor responded much like one would expect our current governor to answer, “Good government starts with a great budget, a budget that works with the financial resources you have, after that a Governor needs to be concerned with education issues, with job recruitment and economic development issues.”
As for the names floating around as potential Gubernatorial candidates on the Democratic side, Haslam refrained from handicapping the candidates or indicating a preference of opponent.
“In the end, I think there’s gonna be some qualified people who raise their hands to run and I don’t know that you look at that and say I’d like to run against him or her. I think you look out and say, whoever runs, you better be ready to make a serious effort where you’re ready to run hard.”
SEE ALSO:
A photo set from the Haslam visit.
Raw audio.
REACTIONS:
Left Wing Cracker
Say Uncle
R. Neal
TNGOP Is Just Ahead Of The Curve
Posted on June 11, 2008 at 10:11 amThe Los Angeles Times discusses the Tennessee Republican Party’s “Proud Video” as a harbinger of things to come as their spokesman needles the local press for not covering it:
In what could be seen as a test run for future attacks, the Tennessee Republican Party last month posted a Web video crosscutting her gaffe with declarations from average folks about how they’ve always been proud of their country.
Bill Hobbs, spokesman for the Tennessee GOP, said the party was stunned and delighted by the national publicity garnered by the cheaply made video, which coincided with a fundraising visit to the state by Michelle Obama.
“Our goal was to get the local media to play that clip of what she said back in February,” Hobbs said. “The amazing thing was this thing blew up nationally before any local media even covered it.”
SEE ALSO: John Rodgers
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The Tennessee Republicans Sending Mixed Messages On Gas Tax
Posted on June 4, 2008 at 12:43 pmThe Tennessee GOP thinks it is bad to endorse a candidate that believes that a gas tax holiday is unnecessary:
“Gov. Bredesen and Chairman Sasser have endorsed a candidate who believes Americans don’t need a tax break at the gas pump and who believes the best way to deal with a troubled economy is a massive tax hike,” Hobbs said. “They have endorsed a candidate who knows the price of arugula at Whole Foods Market but criticizes rural Americans for ‘clinging’ to God and their Second Amendment rights. They have endorsed for president a candidate who is willing to meet unconditionally with the terrorist leader of Iran but refuses to meet with Gen. David Petreaus, the leader of America’s troops in Iraq, and who believes the best way to defeat our enemy is to run from them.
What party members and the public to imply about the TNGOP’s feelings for Senator Bob Corker after reading this?
Senator Corker, you will remember, vehemently opposes the idea of a gas tax holiday just as Obama does.
McCain, for his part, fired back at Corker for his declaration that the plan was pandering during an appearance at the Ryman on Monday.
Is it not odd that the state party would implicitly back the nominee’s play on a position so publicly in conflict with a member of the Tennessee Republican Congressional delegation? What is the TNGOP position on the gas tax, pro or con?
Could this be a bit of veiled payback, a covert GOP civil war of words, for calling out the TNGOP on the Michelle Obama video?
Or was the line perhaps designed to get back in the good graces of a nominee who no longer wishes to play referee as he did earlier this year over certain press releases the state party was putting out?
Who Was That Masked Man?
Posted on June 2, 2008 at 10:59 am
If you stop by the John McCain townhall meeting at the Ryman today you may see a few folks donning George W. Bush masks in order, one would assume, to further the meme that the election of John McCain would amount to a third Bush term.
If you would like to join in the effort you can stop by and pick up a mask compliments of the very inwardly focused, positive messaged Tennessee Democratic Party.
Late last week an email went out calling for “twenty names who will definitely show up and wear the George W. Bush masks the party purchases.”
If you are interested, you can show up at 11:45 today at 223 Eighth Ave. North and pick you up a mask and show the colors.
UPDATE 1:30PM: From Cara Kumari:
In addition, there is a crowd of protestors wearing George W Bush masks holding signs saying “100 more years in Iraq” etc.
In Compliance: TNGOP YouTube Not On Their Site — Never Was
Posted on May 21, 2008 at 8:51 amSharon Cobb wants to know why the TNGOP’s “Proud” video is still “up” after Senator Corker asked that it be removed. Post Politics contacted Senator Corker’s office this morning and was told that they would be saying “nothing new” on the subject. TNGOP’s spokesman Bill Hobbs also had no comment on the situation.
One reason the video might still be up, however, is due to semantics. The Corker statement reads as follows:
“After the Republican National Committee damaged our campaign with their infamous ‘Call Me’ ad - which we immediately denounced - we have strongly encouraged the national party and state parties to absolutely refrain from getting involved in negative personal campaigning, and we have asked the state party to remove their You Tube ad from their Web site. Republicans will be in much better shape if we spend our time focused on issues like reducing federal spending, lowering the cost of health care and creating a coherent energy policy.”
Key words here are “their website” meaning, one would assume, the TNGOP website. And sure enough, the video is not there, never was.
Linked from there? Sure. Embedded there? No. The video is on YouTube’s website, the TNGOP’s channel, yes, but YouTube’s website.
So, if you wanted to parse words, which certain folks on both sides might be inclined to do, one could say that the TNGOP is technically in compliance with Senator Corker’s directive.
UPDATE: To be clear, neither the Office of Senator Bob Corker nor the TNGOP offered up the semantic argument. That argument is merely a hypothetical conjured up by your humble blogger.
Tennessee Democratic Party Begrudges A Man For Making A Living
Posted on May 20, 2008 at 10:27 amIt would seem that Tennessee progressive political party has gotten a bit excited in the rush to castigate the tactics of the Tennessee Republican Party:
The Tennessee Republican Party should be ashamed of the way they have run amok in recent months, drawing unwanted attention to the state of Tennessee.
Going so far as to use a former strip club owner to make their point, the TNGOP betrays their voter’s confidence and further increases the likelihood that their deplorable attack against Sen. Barack Obama’s wife will be one more national news item mischaracterizing the vast majority of Tennesseans.
It appears that the Tennessee Republican Party would rather use a pornographer as their spokesperson than their top elected officials Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Bob Corker.
Is there something wrong with owning a strip club in the Democratic Party’s estimation? Since when did the party of modern liberalism begrudge a man from making a living this way?
Democrats can point out the hypocrisies here, of course, but do they really want to be using the same “holier than thou” moralizing tactics that the party they so love to hate has made its bread and butter?
UPDATE: Clint Brewer reports that Bob Pope denies being a “pornographer”:
Pope, however, when reached by The City Paper, denied every being involved in pornography.
“I’ve never dealt in any kind of pornography,” Pope said. “I owned that club for four years in the early 1990s. That is over and finished.”
Munday said the Democratic Party was not aware Pope had any interest in producing pornography, adding, “That may not have been the best choice of words.”
“Not that I know of,” Munday said when asked if Pope was involved in pornography. “It’s just that the industries (pornography, strip clubs) seem to be linked.”
An interesting debate, I think. Are strip clubs a form of pornography or are they something else?
NashvillePost.com’s graphic artist Wild Billy Givens offers this on the subject, “Naked chicks dancing on a pole seems like pornography to me.”
Agree or disagree?
SEE ALSO: Tiny Cat Pants