Sarah Palin On Northern Exposure

It took just a matter of hours with a special link to Chez Bez because he brought this up on Twitter today.

H/T to Media Needle and Mock Paper Scissors

Patricia Ann Pierce To Replace Robin Smith

I have to agree with Progressive Nashville and Aunt B. about Tennessee GOP head Robin Smith.

You can read the letters she sent to Bredesen and Post Politics here.

If you aren’t familiar with what’s going on, Kleinheider breaks it down:

Patricia 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.

We wish Patricia Ann Pierce well in her new appointment.

How Will The GOP’s National Attention Impact Our State?

I’ve written about this before and I’m not going to go into it more than just to say that I really am so disappointed in the national press focusing on the actions of Bill Hobbs and the Tennessee GOP.

I’ve lived in Canada and In Europe for long stretches of time. I guess I’m not your typical Tennessean. The stereotypes of Tennesseans is a reality because I’ve seen how we are perceived outside of this country’s walls. It’s something we have anyway. Not everyone in the state of Tennessee, for those of my readers that live outside the state line, is like the way we are being portrayed.

When industry is looking to move to Tennessee, are they going to be looking at the Obama bashing that we’ve seen over the last few months and think, “No, I think I’d rather move to Minnesota.”

I’m a Tennessean. I love the way the mountains in the east side of the state have lazy clouds hiding the tips of their peaks. I love the color of winter wheat which is impossibly green that is so vibrant and alive that it makes one wonder if you could swim in it’s buttery softness. I love the feel of Midtown in Memphis where there is a subtle urgency that makes you pick up your feet. I love sitting in the juke joints with people who talk about their parents, and their parents’ parents and how the first time they heard The Beatles they thought they had died and gone to heaven. I like that in Nashville I would go to Pancake Pantry and see Lyle Lovett eating chocolate chip pancakes not once but numerous times and that no one bothered him. I love the way the wind whips off the river in Chattanooga as you walk downtown. The cypress knees that line Reelfoot Lake are incredible as you see hundreds of turtles neatly lined on fallen logs.

It’s a good state really. We are not the crude lines that are being portrayed by the national media right now. That is not the Tennessee I live in.

I make fun of Hooterville, but I stay here because, at this point, I choose too. It’s flawed but it’s also not too bad and I love the people here. I do. I feel such affection for my home. When people are struggling to make ends meet and I see that the state branch is making a short-term funny (I don’t think it’s amusing in the least) I can’t help but wonder what the long-term cost will be.

Our area lost a plant several years ago because of James Hart being written up in a Florida newspaper. The industrial folks who were looking to bring industry here didn’t like that a (former) alderman talked to Hart and said he agreed with Hart’s blathering. Hart has been denounced by the GOP and that’s not my point, but it was that two men’s words made a difference that impacted thousands of people’s lives.

My state is not a one-note joke.

Ka-Boom

Russ McBee says:

Yesterday, both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to force the Bush administration to stop buying oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Senate voted 97-1, and the House voted 385-25; even after a threatened veto from the White House, Republicans in both chambers bolted from the President’s veto threat to strike what amounts to a meaningless election-year pose on the issue of gas prices. Although I believe the bill will make absolutely no difference in retail gas prices, the fact that so many Republicans ignored the President on the issue speaks volumes about his shattered credibility and their party’s collapsed leadership.

Today, the House approved a $300 billion “farm” bill (which actually had relatively little to do with farming); over another veto threat from the White House, the bill passed by a vote of 318-106. This means over half of House Republicans ignored the Bush administration and voted for the bill.

Russ is digging that the GOP isn’t voting the way our current White House administration wants them too.

Rove, Hobbs and The National Enquirer

The National Enquirer reaches a whole lot of people.

William Howard Hobbs is at it again and once again, Tennessee looks just damned spiffy. (Insert appropriate amount of snark here.)

I commented over at Sharon Cobb’s blog that this made me laugh. Then I got to thinking about it after my initial reaction of spewing coffee on my computer screen about all the people that believe everything they read in the National Enquirer.

Kleinheider has a breakdown as does Katie Allison Granju.

Mr. Hobbs, Karl Rove called CBS the “National Enquirer” of news a couple of weeks back. I don’t think he’d approve and meant that as an insult.

Of course he was hammering CBS but I’m just saying.

It must be Karl Rove day here at Newscoma.

Update: KAG has a response from Mr. Hobbs.

Dear TN GOP Party (and you, Bill Hobbs)

You know, I live in this state. I’m a native of this state. And, you know, I’m probably just as well-traveled and well-read as you are, Mr. Hobbs.

And right now, much of the country is looking at our state because of your press release about Barack Obama which is absolutely the most amazing piece of crap I’ve ever seen.

And every time this story runs it says Tennessee. I’m watching cable news and even Fox and tons of national political websites and the first word I see is … Tennessee.

I’m looking at state sites and what do I see … Tennessee.

Your words aren’t mine. If you want to bring people over to the GOP party, are you really pulling stunts like this?

Wait, you are.

Do you have any idea how asinine this is?

I live in this state and yet you’ve smeared it about with one of the biggest hack jobs I’ve ever seen.

Could the next time you write something like this, could you please remove the name Tennessee from it?

I don’t want to be associated with it and no one should have to be. Even Lamar Alexander is embarrassed.

Updated 4:58 p.m. CST: Lee Pitts, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), has issued the following statement:

“Senator Alexander has talked with Robin Smith, and she is removing the release and the photo from the website. She and the senator agreed it could be easily misinterpreted, taken out of context and considered inappropriate.”

Updated 4:04 p.m. CST: Crystal Benton, a spokeswoman for the John McCain for President campaign has issued the following statement to Tennessee media:

“Senator McCain has made clear that he rejects these sort of tactics and will campaign on his record.”

But it’s not our embarrassment. We are just living with your actions, Mr. Hobbs. As Tennesseans, we get to see Tennessee smeared all over the web, the TV and the blogosphere.

Thanks (and know I don’t mean that and it goes to Robin Smith too.)

Is bad attention better than no attention at all?

I would say in this case, no.

Dude, you may have won the official Tennessee Wanker award for the year and it’s just February.

And, yes, I said Tennessee.

Thompson Weighing The Options

I think there are a lot of Tennesseans today watching Fred Thompson to see what he’s going to do next. Looking at some of the posts around the blogosphere from last night as well as Ken Whitehouse’s excellent first person perspective from South Carolina, it seems that Thompson will be sputtering toward the presidential light at the end of the proverbial tunnel within the next few days.

I’m not so sure, honestly, but I think they are right. He lost South Carolina, the state he was predicted to sweep in the early days of his campaign.

When Thompson (finally) announced last summer, I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried. I thought he would do much better than he has, of course, we didn’t anticipate the Huckabee/Norris ticket or the Internet buzz of Ron Paul. When MSM was trying to bury John McCain, who I’ve always thought was a force to be reckoned with personally, they tended to make Thompson all sexy.

But here’s the thing, he wasn’t. Not once in this race has he lived up to the hype and spin that was the focus during the pre-announcement days of his plans to run for president. His campaign was something that the Republicans and the Democrats anticipated quite anxiously.

And then when he actually announced it went downhill fast.

Although he has the cool voice and the popular acting career, he has been unfocused and appears to be tired. He has literally napped through the debates as well as the campaign and, this is just me talking, he has appeared to not really care about winning.

Americans are a funny breed when it comes to voting. They want spark and fire or they want someone they feel they can relate to. Or they vote for the person they wouldn’t mind trading places with. They like the underdog as well, and Thompson has not capitalized on that at all which if he really wanted the White House, he would have done. Voters love the comeback kids of the world. They do not want a candidate who has a sense of entitlement or who looks absolutely bored to death.

On top of everything else, he just doesn’t seem to want it.

Now, with that said I interviewed Thompson when he was running for the Senate back in the day. (Yeah, I’m long in the tooth, shut up.) He was a fantastic interview but that was a decade and a half ago. He was driving the red-pick up, talking with that home-spun charm he was famous for and he was pretty fiery. And he sold the moderate Republican package very well (I’ve been around the block a time or too, I knew spin when I saw it but he did it well.) Of course, after eight years of Bush, Republicans don’t do the moderate thing like they used to. And the thing is, I know a ton of moderate Republicans but for whatever reason it’s not translating to national races these days. I guess what I’m saying is he didn’t seem like a bad guy at all.  I didn’t vote for him, mind you, but as a rural reporter on the beat back in the day, he was a fun interview.

But that fire is no longer there. Could it be the cancer battle he recently endured? Could it be that he was “expected” to run?  Is he sticking around to help out McCain, as some pundits believe?  Is he going to stick it out until Super Tuesday?

Either way, a third-place finish in South Carolina is bad news for Fred Dalton.

The South Carolina and Nevada Primaries

So, there are 24 delegates up for vote today as GOP supporters head to the polls. It will be the Democrats who come out next week.

I just heard a scream from the other room from Squirrel Queen – “Have they picked a winner yet?”

Umm, no. The MSM will probably be very cautious today with the Nevada and South Carolina primary results.

This news doesn’t sound good for SC:

Three hours into voting, the South Carolina State Election Commission reports that turnout has been low “across the board” for today’s Republican primary here.

And this is the latest from the Dems as Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are taking hits at Barack Obama over recent statements he made in regards to the Republicans.

Here’s another breakdown of what is at stake and what both parties are doing today.

I’m no pundit, but there’s a lot happening today.

ManBearPig Politics

 

So Edwards, Obama and Clinton are all in a dead heat in Iowa. Obama is getting the Superman treatment, Edwards says Obama is too nice and Hillary Clinton is trying to get Bill not to eat another cheeto because they are bad for him all while telling voters if she can protect Bill, she can protect Americans. Although Edwards says he will add Bill to his White House if he wins the presidency.

Of course he will. Bill Clinton is more popular than anyone running in 2008. (Of course, that’s just my opinion. It’s also my opinion that I think Al Gore probably laughed at ManBearPig because he has a sense of humor, which others don’t share with me.)

Sorry, I’m a progressive and I just couldn’t pass that up. I offer my apologies ahead of time.

The GOP candidates are fighting like my dogs do over a scrap of macaroni and cheese or the last bit of a hot dog. Man, McCain and Huckabee apparently want to run together because they sho’ don’t like Romney.

“APOLOGIZE!!” Huckabee is screaming at Romney.

***crickets***

“NOW!” Huckabee yowls, joined by the scratchy voice of John McCain. It is a symphony of Republican tenors that rivals only the now-deceased stylings of Luciano Pavoratti.

***crickets***

Nashville voters should be scratching their heads and getting on the phone so their vote makes a difference because right now, there are questions.

So here it is. I will not vote for a presidential candidate in a primary who is trying to offer me fear. I will vote for one that gives me hope.

And that laughs at ManBearPig. (Wait, he’s not running. Damn.)

If politics bores the heck out of you, go here. It’s a picture of a puppy.

Keep this man away from it.

Dennis Hastert Has Left The Building

Denny Hastert officially resigned last night and not a soul noticed.

Silence Gets His Own “Ouch” Award

On Trent Lott resigning.

It’s being announced officially today that he retired from the Senate five years ago.

From Michael, who always gives the Ouches out. Now he gets one. Whoa.

And Heh, I laughed.

Battling It Out

Are any of you guys watching this over in Nashville?

Kleinheider does work at a television news station, you know. Supposed to go get, I dunno, news.

Political wranglings ensue as Hobbs questions his sources. Intriguing, but I wouldn’t reveal my  sources either. And neither would anyone else I wouldn’t think. You give an anonymous source up, you tend to lose them and others.

And, maybe Kleinheider just asked the right questions.

I have just plum been out of the blogosphere too much lately ’cause I missed this and it’s juicy. 

I’m with our lovely soon-to-be-Californian Brittney Gilbert who says in the comments, “This. Is. Hilarious.”

Comparing Tennessee’s Political Party Sites

Daylights Savings Time, for those of us who are early birds, has created this lovely, little new development for me of waking up at 4 a.m. as wide-awake as a person can be. I’ve had lovely little adventures of wandering about the house and falling over one of the “little dogs” as Homer calls them, catching up on some blog reading (sorry, I’ve been so bad at that lately) and holding on to the joy of knowing I am now reduced to less coffee than I used to drink so I make it last.

You do what you have to do.

With that said, I’ve been reading more about politics as I occasionally take a break from it all when my eyes start bleeding or I go into overload by reading the SOS over and over again. I compared the Tennessee Republicans’ Website this morning to the Tennessee Democrats’ site.

Gary Gray Sasser, I’m talking to you dude.

A suggestion to my democrat party friends in Nashville: Work on your website. It’s very 2004. I shouldn’t be that way and we can talk on (yada, yada, yada) about it’s substance over style (yada, yada, yada) but the site needs a major overhaul. The GOP’s efforts look pretty good. There are free sites out their that look a heck of a lot better than our site, Mr. Sasser.

Now, I’m not meaning to be grouchy as I know my little old free blog here looks like a hot mess and I have the technical ability of a three-day old rabbit, but the Republicans site is filled with pictures, has some interactive qualities that are user friendly and is constantly being uploaded with pictures.

The Democrats’ site, not so much.

As we head into a new election year that will be historic in the big picture, I’m thinking that those individuals who are in the know need to work on a redesign pronto. And, you know, Fred Thompson, Tennessean, running for president?

Did I mention that he’s a Republican? And that a bland Website just isn’t going to cut it.

You guys know I lean left. Heck, call the folks over at TennViews or something and they may be able to help you. We are in this together. And I’m not meaning to be critical (see comment above. Hot mess here) but competition during our upcoming election year is going to be in a variety of areas including the Internet.

Let’s not forget that Ron Paul raised more than $4 million dollars on Monday.

On the Internet. I’m talking about campaign fund-raising and communication here as a collective, unified effort. I’m not talking about his value as a viable candidate.

And just for good measure, we will throw in The Libertarian Party of Tennessee’s website in the mix as well so you guys, if you are so inclined, can take a gander at that one as well.

Now I realize that the fund-raising coup was a grassroots effort by supporters for Paul, but with the addition of fund-raising tools on social networking systems like MySpace and Facebook, I’d say that these innertubes should be given another some serious consideration. I know that is happening, but, Mr. Sasser, but the site just doesn’t look good.

Just saying and trying to be helpful.