FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:	Thursday, April 28, 2011
CONTACT:	Adam Nickas (lll) lll-llll, adam@tngop.org

LOSING TENNESSEE DEMOCRATS TO HOLD UNITY EVENT

LED BY AL GORE

NEW RADIO AD POINTS OUT THAT FAILED POLICIES OF BARACK OBAMA HAVE TENNESSEE DEMOCRATS UNIFIED

NASHVILLE, TN – On Friday, Tennessee Democrats, led by former Vice President and failed presidential candidate Al Gore, will hold a “Unity Breakfast” in Nashville. Headlining the event are former Congressman Bart Gordon, former Congressman Lincoln Davis, former Congressman John Tanner, former gubernatorial candidate Mike McWherter and former U.S. Senate candidate Bob Tuke.

Due to the failed policies of Democrats and Barack Obama, Gordon and Tanner chose not to run for re-election last year after it became obvious that they would be rejected by voters in their districts. Davis was overwhelmingly defeated in the 4th Congressional district by Dr. Scott DesJarlais. McWherter lost his bid for Governor against Bill Haslam and Tuke was only able to win one county in his bid for U.S. Senate against Senator Lamar Alexander.

“This so-called Unity Breakfast might be the largest gathering of failed Democrat politicians in one place ever in Tennessee. Besides their losing campaigns, the one thing they can unify around is the disastrous policies of Democrats and President Obama,” said Chris Devaney, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Last year, Democrats lost elections across Tennessee, resulting in Republicans gaining a 7-2 majority in Tennessee’s Congressional delegation, plus large majorities in the Tennessee General Assembly and a landslide victory for Governor Bill Haslam.

“Democrats should abandon Barack Obama and his liberal progressive policies that are wrecking our country, or face even worse defeats than they had this past election in Tennessee. The problem is their party is out of fresh ideas and it seems the only fresh thing this breakfast meeting will offer is the orange juice,” said Devaney.

Mary Mancini

Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Tennessee Civil Justice Act of 2011” should be renamed the “Miscarriage of Justice Act of 2011.” Since 1977, the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act has protected Tennesseans and their families from fraudulent and abusive business practices. But now, because the country has entered into an era of blaming the hardworking people of Main Street for the economic fiasco caused by the fraudulent business practices of the large corporations and unregulated traders of Wall Street, dismantling it seems to have become a priority. Tennessee Citizen Action maintains that depleting the strength of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act is yet one more way of placing undeserved blame for our state’s economic stagnation on hardworking Tennesseans.

State investigates Metro voter fraud

By Craig Boerner, cboerner@nashvillecitypaper.com
September 28, 2004

About 200 "citizens" who don't exist registered to vote in Davidson County for the Nov. 2 presidential election and now the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the person who submitted those forms on behalf of Tennessee Citizen Action (TCA).

The false cards are believed to be the work of a temporary employee hired by Tennessee Citizen Action, a consumer advocacy group working to push voter registration. Voter registration fraud is a felony.

TBI spokesperson Jennifer Johnson confirmed Monday that District Attorney General Torry Johnson asked her department last week to investigate the incident and that investigation is ongoing.

"Believe it or not, we work [voter fraud] cases all of the time," Johnson said. "Every single one is different but even since I have been here, in the last month and a half, we have worked other voter fraud cases in other towns.

"Sometimes it is as simple as somebody thinking that a ballot box has been contaminated to something more elaborate."

The TCA employee in question, whose name has not been released, was fired immediately after Metro Election Commission staff members discovered the false cards. The person was being paid by the hour and not per registration.

Democrats’ Grip on the South Continues to Slip

JONESBORO, Ark. — The Southern white Democrat, long on the endangered list, is at risk of being pushed one step closer to extinction.

From Virginia to Florida and South Carolina to Texas, nearly two dozen Democratic seats are susceptible to a potential Republican surge in Congressional races on Election Day, leaving the party facing a situation where its only safe presence in the South is in urban and predominantly black districts.

[emboldenings mine -ed.]

Former President Bill Clinton, who spent his career navigating between his party’s liberal sensibilities and the far more centrist instincts of Democrats in his home region, visited the district last week, passing through Batesville and Paragould before arriving for a rally in Jonesboro. He warned voters, “You are being played,” and urged people to cast ballots with their economic self interest in mind.

“If it’s a referendum on Democrats against some imagined perfection, we’ll get whacked,” Mr. Clinton said in a brief interview. “If it’s a real, informed choice, we’ll do fine.”

“I wouldn’t have voted for the cap-and-trade bill, and I couldn’t have supported the health care bill,” Mr. Causey said. “The Constitution doesn’t say anything about Democrats and Republicans. It talks about representing constituents, regardless of who’s in control in Washington, and carry their voice. That’s what I’m going to do.”

• Ron Ramsey supports Arizona 
• Ron Ramsey is the Tea Party candidate
• Ron Ramsey is strong in support of the 2nd Amendment. Zach Wamp and Bill Haslam? Not so much.

“Just when you think it unfathomable that Washington can get any crazier, they announce news highlighting just how out of touch they are with mainstream Americans.

“I’ve said before that I fully back Arizona’s efforts to enforce immigration law and secure their borders from the scourge of violence and crime that illegal immigration is causing in their state. In fact, when I am elected the next conservative Governor of Tennessee, I will enact a similar measure.

“The primary function of the federal government is to protect its citizens from foreign threats and if President Obama won’t act, then Governors across this nation will act to protect our citizens.

“We are a nation originally comprised of immigrants and while I support legal immigration, we must never forget that we are a nation of laws and they must be upheld. Those seeking to come to our country through legal avenues are always welcome in America and the state of Tennessee,” stated Ramsey.

TENNESSEE (July 5, 2010) – An association of twenty Tea Party organizations representing every corner of the state announced today that they are endorsing Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey for the next Governor of Tennessee.

These groups arrived at their decisions following a thorough, three-month vetting process, which included research into the candidates’ backgrounds and voting records, completion of vetting questionnaires, and culminated in a vetting forum near Nashville on June 27th. Republican, Democratic, and Independent candidates were considered for their knowledge, commitment, and record on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, fiscal responsibility, the role of the State and Federal Governments, and protection of the rights of individuals.

Gun Owners of America Supports Ron Ramsey for Governor

(Springfield, VA)—Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund today announced the endorsement of Ron Ramsey for Governor of Tennessee.

Ramsey, the current Lieutenant Governor, “Displays a constitutional and historically accurate understanding of the Second Amendment and the threats that face it today,” said GOA Vice-Chairman Tim Macy.

As a strong Tenth Amendment advocate, Ramsey believes that “We must have a Governor who can stand up to federal officials who want to erode our basic rights.”


In 1997, while serving in the state legislature, Ramsey pushed a concealed carry bill that improved the state’s right-to-carry. Ramsey’s bill, which was signed into law, streamlined the application process so honest, law-abiding citizens would not have to wait up to a year to receive their permit.

GOA-PVF noted, in a letter to supporters, that Ramsey’s strong support of the Constitution and the Second Amendment stands in stark contrast to other candidates in the race.

Bill Haslam, mayor of Knoxville since 2003, was a member of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

As a member of the group, Bill Haslam’s name was part of a 2007 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supporting a bill to prohibit the hundreds of thousands of people on the federal government’s so-called terror “watch list” from purchasing firearms.

Under the bill, the Attorney General is permitted to strip away the civil liberties of Americans without due process of law and without the accused even knowing the details of the suspicion.

This provision was part of a larger bill that would have federalized even more gang and gun crimes, which properly belong at the state and local levels.

In 2008, Haslam’s name again appeared on a letter to Reid and Pelosi seeking to close the non-existent and misleadingly named “gun show loophole.” This legislation would have led to the closing down of gun shows and opened the door to complete federal control of private firearms transactions.

“As soon as Haslam announced his bid for governor, he left Bloomberg’s anti-gun group with much haste. If that isn’t the clearest sign of pandering and lip service, then we don’t know what is,” said Macy.

Another opponent in the race, Representative Zach Wamp, was criticized by GOA for “joining forces with Sen. John McCain to put a stranglehold on free speech over his support for the so-called Campaign Finance Reform Act.

“When Republican opposition stymied the bill in 2001, the anti-freedom crowd circulated a ‘discharge petition’ to force it on to the House floor. Zach Wamp joined a handful of other Republican turncoats to help pass a law that made it illegal to publish certain political information within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election.

“Of all the types of speech protected by the First Amendment, political speech was foremost on the minds of the Founding Fathers. Just this year, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that fact and in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (a case in which Gun Owners Foundation participated) undid much of the damage caused by Wamp and his congressional allies.

“In this race for Governor, the choice for gun owners and sportsmen is clear. Ron Ramsey is a proven, effective and constitutionally minded leader who will stand up to all attacks on our right to keep and bear arms,” concluded Mr. Macy.

The bill was opposed by immigrant groups and the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU-Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg urged the governor to veto the legislation, calling it “un-American.”

In a letter, she charged the bill “effectively creates a police state” and also “invites disparate treatment of minority groups, and encourages racial profiling” — assertions rejected by the measure’s proponents

Just a note on Instapundit's link to Moe Lane, pointing out Gordon's Coburn problem, assuming he has any designs on going to NASA. What makes it an ever bigger problem for Gordon is how the rules have changed.

Five years ago he would have experienced grief, but ultimately Hill comity would likely win out and he'd slip by with some bruising. Coburn's tough, but he's reasonable and people can disagree.

With politics playing out in real time under an Internet-powered microscope, a huge number of Americans angry over HCR combined with Coburn's especially angry base, there just isn't room for what was once the status quo.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Walt Baker spent Saturday apologizing for an e-mail he sent to a few close friends, including a legislative aide, the president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and members of the press.

"I am sorry for my actions. I am sorry for the offensive contents of the email," Baker said. "I can only hope those that know me can find it in their hearts to forgive me."

The e-mail starts off saying, "I don't care who you are, ... this is funny." It then compares first lady Michelle Obama to Tarzan's sidekick Cheetah, a chimpanzee. At the bottom of the e-mail is a picture of Michelle Obama in an awkward moment with her lips pursed. Next to it is a picture of a picture of a chimpanzee with a similar expression.

As the CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association and a representative of the state's hotels and restaurants, Baker is trying to make amends.

"I'm disappointed in myself," he said.

But many feel the damage is already done.

"Who wants to come to a state where people think like that? This is far reaching and it's damaging," said District 3 Metro Council Member Walter Hunt.

Hunt is outraged by the e-mail, and can't believe Tennessee is in a negative light again over email.

"How can somebody be so stupid after it happened twice before," he asked.

Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.)
Gordon’s one of a growing list of Democratic lawmakers who are likely to have a serious challenge for the first time in a long time in 2010. Though Sen. John McCain won his district with 62 percent of the vote in the 2008 presidential race, Gordon, the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, voted with Democrats on “party unity” votes 90 percent of the time in the previous Congress, according to CQ.
Lou Ann Zelenik, who just resigned her post as a county party chairwoman, is vying for the right to face Gordon next November. Gordon told POLITICO that the results in Virginia and New Jersey could have a chilling effect on Democratic politics, including the health care legislation working its way through Congress.
“It definitely slows down the Democratic momentum,” Gordon said.

Zelenik, 53, retired last year as a founding partner in L & N Construction Company. She is an Engineering graduate from Vanderbilt University. She currently serves as a member of the Rutherford County Planning Commission and as Vice-Chair of the Rutherford County Republican Party.

In announcing her campaign, Zelenik cited her business experience, raising a child as a single parent and her “mainstream conservative” philosophy as qualities she brings to her efforts to represent the 48th district. “I understand what it means to struggle through hard economic times. I understand the challenges of meeting a payroll, and most of all, I know the importance of raising a child alone while sharing our mainstream conservative values.”

Zelenik cited several issues she sees as critical areas of concern. “Our next state representative must help clean up the culture of corruption personified by speaker Jimmy Naifeh. We need to also address the lack of enforcement against illegal immigration at both the state and federal levels.”

Zelenik continued, “During these difficult economic times, I believe government must control its own house, and limit its adverse impact on the budgets of hard working Tennesseeans. My successful business experience will help me be a positive force in doing just that.”

Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care

The president's proposals would give unelected officials life-and-death rationing powers.

By SARAH PALIN

How can we ensure that those who need medical care receive it while also reducing health-care costs? The answers offered by Democrats in Washington all rest on one principle: that increased government involvement can solve the problem. I fundamentally disagree.

Now look at one way Mr. Obama wants to eliminate inefficiency and waste: He's asked Congress to create an Independent Medicare Advisory Council—an unelected, largely unaccountable group of experts charged with containing Medicare costs. In an interview with the New York Times in April, the president suggested that such a group, working outside of "normal political channels," should guide decisions regarding that "huge driver of cost . . . the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives . . . ."

Given such statements, is it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by—dare I say it—death panels? Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans. Working through "normal political channels," they made themselves heard, and as a result Congress will likely reject a wrong-headed proposal to authorize end-of-life counseling in this cost-cutting context. But the fact remains that the Democrats' proposals would still empower unelected bureaucrats to make decisions affecting life or death health-care matters. Such government overreaching is what we've come to expect from this administration.

Another Democrat Representative will dodge his constituents, opting to conduct "Telephone Town Hall" meetings, complete with "invitation only phone calls" where one can "listen, ask questions, and leave messages"...

Sign Up For My Telephone Town Hall

On August 21, I will be holding two telephone town hall events for residents of Tennessee's Sixth Congressional District. These telephone-based public forums will allow you and other residents in the Sixth District to communicate directly with me about health care, veterans’ issues, the economy and other important issues facing Tennessee and the country. [Oh, you cheap bastiche. Running away from your votes on Cap and Trade, running to Pelosi's waiting arms; you are NOT a man. You are a wussy. -ed]

Telephone town halls do not require participants to travel – they only require a telephone. This format will allow more people across the 15 counties I represent to share their concerns and listen to the discussion. [Telephone town hall meetings protect your sorry butt from the angry responses you so richly deserve. You KNOW there are people out here who once supported you, who believed you were a centrist, but now know you are simply a Party Man...enslaved to a Party that's far, far left of what you are supposed to represent. -ed.]

Participation is toll free and easy. Please fill out the form below to register for the telephone town hall in which you would like to participate.

On August 21, shortly before the start of the town hall you for which you signed up, you will receive an invitation phone call, which will provide you with simple instructions about how to listen, ask questions, and leave messages. [You can't stand to see the faces of the people you represent, can you, Bart? Look people in the eyes, you can't do that anymore, can you? You only want to hear what you want to hear; your mind is made up, you are in the pocket of this far-left Administration. -ed.]

Please do not forget to include your area code when providing your phone number. Also, if possible, I encourage you not to use a cell phone number because the invitation phone calls often don't work as well with cell phones as they do with landline telephones.

All fields with a blue asterisk (*) are required.

Democrat CongressMasters are now ducking their own constituents by holding stealth care meetings. Pickle-puss Harry Reid refuses to hold any townhall meeting. He’ll be lecturing to a few handpicked syphocants by phone.
...
Yes, Jesse, when John Dingell deliberately lies to his own constituents at a townhall, they should not get upset. No, they should recognize their CongressMaster is only looking out for them. They should have fallen to their knees with gladful sounds and thanked the good Master for knowing what’s best for them and how they should order their lives, right down to the food they eat and the lightbulbs they use. Those hoi polloi should know their place. Just because Congress is exempting itself (and unions like the SEIU who beat up Ken Gladney - a person of no interest to Leftists seeing he’s an inauthentic black man), they have no right to be resentful of supporting CongressMasters of having first class healthcare at hoi polloi’s expense. They should be happy with being dumped into a system that will be more expensive, less responsive and rationed for the very young and the very old ala Canada and Britain. I mean, Medicare and Medicaid are broken so rather than fix those programs lets just expand them to the whole country! What could go wrong?

McCain Loses Fight Over Earmarks

The Senate just defeated an amendment, 63 to 32, by Senator John McCain that would have maintained federal agency spending at last year’s levels and deprived lawmakers of nearly 9,000 in earmarks.

Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona and a longtime foe of pet projects tucked into spending bills, has been bashing the bill under consideration — a $410 billion omnibus spending proposal — that would finance governmental spending through Sept. 30 of this year.The amendment that was just rejected would have jettisoned the omnibus bill and frozen spending levels.

...

Nine Republicans voted with Democrats against Mr. McCain’s amendment: Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Robert Bennett of Utah, Christopher Bond of Missouri, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

Tennessee Republicans ousted their Republican in name only, House Speaker Kent Williams from the party Monday, giving up their first majority in 150 years as punishment for banding together with the 49 House Democrats to defeat the GOP-backed candidate. This, combined with another great story of principled GOP leadership today, may be a sign that conservatism is returning to the Republican party on the state level.