July 24, 2006

The following story comes via Bill Hobbs. This is an outrageous violation of both the letter and spirit of laws protecting open and transparent government in the state of Tennessee. Corker is the likely Republican candidate to run against Democrat Harold Ford Jr. for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's open Senate seat. Democrats should join conservative voices who are demanding these records be produced.

Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker's official e-mails are missing from the city of Chattanooga and may have been stolen, according to city officials and a police report. The e-mails, contained on a compact disc, were discovered missing after the campaign of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ed Bryant sought to obtain them last month through an Open Records Act request, officials said.

Mr. Bryant, Mr. Corker and Van Hilleary are seeking the Republican Senate nomination in the Aug. 3 primary election. The request for the e-mail was made as researchers from the Bryant campaign comb through Corker-era city documents, including audits.
[Corker e-mails missing - Chattanooga Times Free Press - 07-22-06]

July 17, 2006

Three Republicans are fighting a nasty primary in a closely watched race for Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's open seat. A recent allegation that a chicken assaulted a campaign worker is just the latest. The winner of the Republican primaries will face Democratic Senatorial candidate Harold Ford, Jr.

Tennessee Political Pulse sums up an earlier story from the Chattanoogan about an alleged assault and has some pretty good ideas as to what really happened.

According to an account Friday in the chattanoogan.com a Corker campaign staffer - Bryan Shannon - claims he was "assaulted" by a kid in a chicken suit early Friday as Shannon worked the early voting polling place. Shannon said he was assaulted as he innocently attempted to snap a photo of a kid dressed like a chicken who was holding a sign critizing Corker for being too chicken to debate the other Republican primary candidates in his home town of Chattanooga.
[There's more to this Corker chicken tale - Tennessee Political Pulse - 07-13-06]

According to Chattanooga Deputy Police Chief Charles Cooke, who witnessed the incident, it appears the chicken was the one assaulted.

Chief Cooke said he was present just after noon Friday near the election office at Fourth and Lindsay and saw what appeared to be a "struggle" between the chicken and a Bob Corker partisan.

Chief Cooke said he saw Brian Shannon chasing the chicken down Lindsay Street. He said the chicken was trying to get away from Mr. Shannon.

The deputy chief said Mr. Shannon "was trying to stop the chicken from getting into the Volvo" he was driving.
[Deputy Police Chief Cooke Witnessed Chicken Incident - Chattanoogan - 07-17-06]

Of Course, Mr. Shannon denies.

There seems to be a concerted effort amongst some in the blogsphere, attempting to somehow make the events of Friday afternoon out to be my fault. This is both sad and distrubing. While I would like to think that deep down people want to do what is right, it is clear that some people are not wired this way and will stop at nothing to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.
[Conservatives For Corker - Let's Set the Story Straight - 07-16-06]

Read more: Volunteer Voters: Entering The Spirit World

July 05, 2006

Joe Lieberman only believes "we must honor the decisions made by Democratic primary voters" as long as that decision benefits his personal job security.

"I've known Joe Lieberman for more than thirty years. I have been pleased to support him in his campaign for re-election, and hope that he is our party's nominee," the former first lady said in a statement issued by aides.

"But I want to be clear that I will support the nominee chosen by Connecticut Democrats in their primary," the New York Democrat added. "I believe in the Democratic Party, and I believe we must honor the decisions made by Democratic primary voters."
[Clinton Draws Line on Backing Lieberman - AP - 07-05-06]

May 18, 2006

Despite the effort having no chance of passing a Senate vote, Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has scheduled a vote in the Senate on June 5, setting aside the American people's business for his own idea of America's priority.

The latest proposal from the Republican party to address the most important issues of intelligence gathering failures, emergency response failures, homeland defense, record deficit spending, a mismanaged war in Iraq, bribery scandals, criminal indictments of elected officials and ethics violations under the Congressional reign of Republicans is to add yet another disgrace to their legacy by attempting to write discrimination into the United States Constitution.

"Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman," reads the measure, which would require approval by two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states to take effect.

"Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman," it says.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has scheduled a vote the week of June 5.
[Specter to Feingold: 'Good Riddance' - Washington Post - 05-19-06]

May 12, 2006

The exit polls for the 2004 elections were clear. The most important issue for voters were "moral issues" (22%) followed by "terrorism" (19%), and an overwhelming number of voters who identified these issues voted for George Bush (79% and 86% respectively).

No other moral issue was on more ballots in states across the country, the subject of massive state-by-state direct mail campaigns, state-wide rallies, and drove evangelicals to tour the nation on behalf of President Bush like the moral issue of gay marriage. While their are plenty of wishful pundits who dismiss this analysis for their own political realities, they are hard pressed to prove otherwise.

Following the 2004 re-election of President George Bush, an emboldened Republican Moral Majority demanded President Bush sweep aside fiscal responsibility, Iraq, terrorism, the economy, and ethics in Congress to act on the issue that mattered the most to them.

Dr. James Dobson - Focus On The Family

"This election is a resounding victory in the battle for American families. We applaud the re-election of President Bush, who has shown himself a true champion for the family and of traditional values. Those who care deeply about the moral issues facing this nation have cause to be encouraged by the prospect of the Bush administration promoting policies supportive of these values throughout his second term.

"We further celebrate the overwhelming successes of pro-family candidates in other races, and in the 11 states that passed amendments to their constitutions protecting traditional marriage. The victorious difference was made by 'values voters,' who have sent the clear message that morality in America is alive and well."
[Dr. Dobson: U.S. Families Won - Newsmax - 11-03-04]

"Following the sweeping re-election of President Bush and a new generation of conservative lawmakers nationwide, a new organization, The Faith and Values Coalition (TFVC), has been launched," said Falwell from his headquarters in Lynchburg, Virginia. "The group's central premise is to utilize the momentum of the November 2 elections to maintain an evangelical revolution of voters who will continue to go to the polls to 'vote Christian.' Essentially, TFVC is a 21st century resurrection of the Moral Majority."

Falwell said the three-fold platform of the new organization is: (1) the confirmation of pro-life, strict constructionist U.S. Supreme Court justices and other federal judges; (2) the passage of a constitutional Federal Marriage Amendment; and (3) the election of another socially- fiscally- and politically-conservative president in 2008, along with other state and national candidates.
[Falwell Launches The Faith and Values Coalition - PRESS RELEASE - 11-09-04]

Robert Knight of the Culture and Family Institute called the success of the marriage amendments a reaction to the Massachusetts court ruling that legalized such unions in Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry's home state.

"What Bush should do first," Mr. Knight said, "is to send a bouquet of flowers to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, whose clinically insane ruling against marriage ... set the tone for the showdown that occurred [Tuesday]."
[Conservatives urge Bush to go his own way - Washington Times - 11-05-04]

"Now that values voters have delivered for George Bush, he must deliver for voters," said the Rev. D. James Kennedy, a broadcast evangelist based in Florida. "The defense of innocent unborn human life, the protection of marriage, and the nomination and confirmation of judges who will interpret the Constitution, not make law from the bench, must be first priorities come January."
['Values voters' seek their reward in policy - Mercury News - 11-09-04]

Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition of America, made similar comments, saying evangelicals were mobilized by the same-sex marriage issue.

"We are pleased that both the executive branch and the legislative branch will be controlled by pro-family conservatives and that every one of the 11 state constitutional amendments to ban homosexual 'marriages' passed overwhelmingly," Combs said. "There is no doubt that because four radical left-wing Massachusetts judges ruled that homosexual 'marriages' are constitutional last year, there was a conservative backlash which played a major role in the election outcome yesterday. Christian evangelicals made the major difference once again this year."
[Moral issues drove voters - World Net Daily - 11-03-04]

In your re-election, God has graciously granted America—though she doesn't deserve it—a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. You have been given a mandate. We the people expect your voice to be like the clear and certain sound of a trumpet. Because you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly.

Don't equivocate. Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ. Honor the Lord, and He will honor you.
[Congratulatory letter to President George W. Bush from Dr. Bob Jones III - 11-03-04]

Responding to these demands, President Bush's chief architect of the 2004 victory, Karl Rove, made a promise to the Republican Moral Majority.

"If we want to have a hopeful and decent society, we ought to aim for the ideal. And the ideal is that marriage ought to be and should be a union of a man and a woman," White House political guru Karl Rove told "Fox News Sunday."

Rove, who engineered Bush's victory last week over Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), said Bush will use the political capital he has accumulated to make a renewed push on moral grounds to outlaw gay marriage through a proposed constitutional amendment.

"Without the protection of that amendment, we are at the mercy of activist federal judges or activist state judges who could ... without the involvement of the people, determine, as the Massachusetts Supreme Court did, that marriage no longer consists of a union between a man and a woman," Rove said.
[Gay-nups ban in cards, sez Rove - New York Daily News - 11-08-04]

After 2 years of taking the nation in the wrong direction and compounded consequences of record deficit spending by the Republican controlled Congress and White House, ethics scandals, corruption, and the largest government in American history, President Bush and Karl Rove have a plan. Starting this summer, the Republican strategy for victory in the 2006 mid-term elections is a shrewd political calculation that requires spending what little capital they have left to pander to divisive issues that matter the most to the Republican Moral Minority instead of addressing the issues that matter the most to a majority of Americans.

Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, and GOP leaders are well aware of the problem and planning a summer offensive to win back conservatives with a mix of policy fights and warnings of how a Democratic Congress would govern. The plan includes votes on tax cuts, a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, new abortion restrictions and measures to restrain government spending.
[Hard-Core Republicans Are Fleeing President - WashingtonPost - 05-11-06]

May 11, 2006

Former speech writer for President Reagan, Peggy Noonan, thinks there is "something creepy" about the Republicans in control of the United States Congress and the White House. They spend borrowed money into record deficits like immature teenagers.

The Republicans talk about cutting spending, but they increase it--a lot. They stand for making government smaller, but they keep making it bigger. They say they're concerned about our borders, but they're not securing them. And they seem to think we're slobs for worrying. Republicans used to be sober and tough about foreign policy, but now they're sort of romantic and full of emotionalism. They talk about cutting taxes, and they have, but the cuts are provisional, temporary. Beyond that, there's something creepy about increasing spending so much and not paying the price right away but instead rolling it over and on to our kids, and their kids.
[Baseless Confidence - Opinion Journal - 05-11-06]

Noonan knows creepy when she sees it. Having worked for President Reagan, Noonan saw the enormous debt from the Reagan years the American people paid down a decade later to record surpluses under the leadership of Democratic President Bill Clinton.

May 10, 2006

Under Republican control of the United States Congress and the White House, America continues to endure the largest increase of government spending in decades and record deficit spending, record illegal immigration, bribery, ethics scandals, indictments, and corporate tax breaks for the oil industry.

That's the Republican record, and that's the Republican plan. Democrats warned the American people it was coming, and we are now living the Republican vision for America.

But over the next five months, Republicans don't want you talking about that and plan to shift the focus on what they believe will fix all these problems: denying rights to gays and banning abortion.

Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, and GOP leaders are well aware of the problem and planning a summer offensive to win back conservatives with a mix of policy fights and warnings of how a Democratic Congress would govern. The plan includes votes on tax cuts, a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, new abortion restrictions and measures to restrain government spending.
[Hard-Core Republicans Are Fleeing President - WashingtonPost - 05-11-06]

May 10, 2006

If the Republican controlled Congress and White House can't deliver fiscal responsibility and secure borders to their conservative base by the mid-term elections, maybe they can distract them with more important issues like defeating the gay agenda, abortionists and the secularist War on Christmas.

So what if Republican focus on these issues in 2000 and 2004 gave us record deficit spending, War in Iraq, outrageous gas prices, ethic scandals, indictments and jailed elected officials. Just think how many babies it saved from the cluthces of Satan, ask yourself 'What Would Jesus Do,' and GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

Gingrich said he agrees with political analysts who believe a substantial number of conservative voters -- upset over unbridled federal spending and unsecured national borders -- could sit out the mid-term elections, giving Democrats an edge in close House races that might otherwise go to Republicans.

Although recent polls show a majority of Americans would rather see Democrats controlling Congress, it's not too late to turn that around before November, Gingrich said.

"If you have the White House, the House and the Senate, and if you have the natural majority in the country, you always have the potential to be able to pose the election on your terms," he said.
[Gingrich: GOP can stop House loss - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - 05-09-06]

May 05, 2006

Rahmmy, don't call Suge.

Dogged by $12 million in tax liens and other legal judgments, rap music titan Marion "Suge" Knight is down to $11 in his checking accounts and the bling on his back, according to a bankruptcy court filing. The Death Row Records founder, who filed for Chapter 11 protection last month, claims that his $4.4 million in assets is dwarfed by $137.4 million in debt.
[Suge Knight Down To His Last $11? - Smoking Gun - 05-05-06]

May 04, 2006

Rahm Emanuel called asking for money to take back the United States House of Representatives. I have no clue how I got on that special list, but as soon as I heard how much he wanted, I told him I'm as poor as that man they crucified in that Hollywood film by Mel Gibson.

Maybe the Governor of Virginia shared my name forgetting that the thousands I gave was all in-kind. Or maybe Rahm just saw my updated MySpace account. I don't friggin know.