Archive for January, 2009

Who is Michael Steele?

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Yesterday the RNC chose a new chairman to lead the Republican Party. Being head of a political party is not something that I could ever see myself doing as I like to be an independent minded critic that points out the negatives of all candidates. Blame it on my cynicism, but being a cheerleader for a bunch of politicians is not a job that I could respect myself in. If I ever rose to any level within a political party, I would still remain a vocal critic even of those in my party.

Michael Steele was one of five seeking the head of the RNC. He won on the sixth ballot. I watched most of the action as it happened on CSPAN. I must say that this is really the first time I have watched such an election. I actually have found this to be a superior form of electing a leader as you cannot have several good candidates with split support and a terrible candidate with solid support. If you had 5 good candidates each pulling in 15% each, but the 6th candidate may be a horrible choice but he may have 25%. It kind of makes me think of the Corker, Bryant, Van Hilleary Senate race from a few years back. You had Bryant and Van Hilleary running as conservatives and Corker as a moderate. Had Van Hilleary or Bryant dropped out, I am sure the other would have won. Instead, we got stuck with the moderate.

Steele, himself, is somewhat of a moderate on issues. He is pro-life but believes that Roe v. Wade is settled law that should remain. With civil rights type issues, he is pro-traditional marriage, but he is also pro-affirmitive action. He is also against the death penalty. He is conservative on a host of other issues, however. He is against No Child Left Behind (believe it or not, this is actually a conservative ideal), for guns, against socialized medicine, and against illegal immigration.

Steele also received the endorsement of Newt Gingrich and he led GOPAC, a political action committee that develops candidates for state and local offices.

Steele has some minority appeal as an African-American, but his leadership with GOPAC makes him a prime candidate to lead Republicanism back into the mainstream on a grassroots level. While I would like Steele to be a stronger conservative on some issues, he may have been the best candidate to bring the Republican Party back from the ashes.

Tennessee News Platoon Fresh out of Beta…

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Nashville, TN - Strategic Activism, LLC, partnering with the #Don’t Go Movement is proud to launch a news and opinion website focused on state and local news and written by Tennesseans for Tennesseans.

Tennessee News Platoon goes live today along with sister sites in Arizona and Virginia with the other 47 states to follow shortly.

The News Platoon model is different from other multi-author news websites in a number of critical areas setting it apart and holding great promise.

News Platoon is committed to State and Local news. As MSM outlets cut staff and coverage, State and Local stories fall out of the news cycle. This creates a population segment that lacks news coverage and news consumption. News Platoon is written by citizen journalists. Dissatisfied with Liberal bias from “professionals” in the MSM, News Platoon contributors are engaged and informed citizens with a flair for communication.

Further, they are openly and unashamedly Right of Center. They are unafraid to be known as committed to values like Free Markets, Smaller Government and Individual Liberty. News Platoon contributors are fair, factual and Right. News Platoon is founded on a “for profit” model. It will solicit and accept local and national advertising and pay contributors for their work. This ensures fresh content and permits setting high standards for the quality and integrity of the content.

Finally, and most uniquely, News Platoon is not the product of any think tank, political party, organization, PAC or non-profit. There’s no inside-the-beltway spin and no protecting the-good-ole’-boy network. The folks behind News Platoon are ordinary citizens interested in politics and gifted to engage the culture in print. There’s no Party line, issue or agenda to drive. Contributors say what they think and believe. They are passionate about their politics and we believe ou’ll be eager to hear what they have to say.

Come by Tennessee News Platoon. Tell friends in Arizona and Virginia about their News Platoons and your friends across the country to watch for launches in their states.

Strategic Activism, LLC is a new media/web strategy consulting firm based out of Nashville, Tennessee.

For more information about the News Platoon Network, or to request information about advertising rates, please contact Eric Odom via eric@newsplatoon.com

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Which Naifeh Webpage Should the State Use?

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Here is the link to the Naifeh webpage the House has now. Notice the title he has that has not even been voted on.

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h81.html

Here is a link to a webpage Jim Boyd created for Naifeh.

http://www.cooljim.com/naifeh/

Vote in my comments for the one you like best!

Compean and Ramos Commuted!

Monday, January 19th, 2009

President Bush finally commuted the sentences of Ramos and Compean.  Read more http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D95QC3480&show_article=1

The Barack Obama - Alan Keyes Ping Pong Match

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

Alan Keyes and Barack Obama apparently have an ongoing feud.  The first time that I believe their paths crossed was in the 2004 Illinois Senate race.  In that race Obama was elected as the Junior Senator for the state of Illinois, but not before Keyes really frustrated Obama with several charges that he brought against him. 

Their paths crossed again in the 2008 Presidential Campaign.  While neither candidate debated each other this time, Obama was the Democratic candidate and winner of the Presidential Election.  Alan Keyes lost the Republican and Constitution Party nominations, but he did win the third largest amount of votes in the Presidential Election.

The real kicker from the 2008 Presidential Campaign is a lawsuit that was filed after the election.  Several lawsuits were brought against Obama due to a lack of proof of “natural-born” citizenship status.  This stems from his “citizenship” in Indonesia as a child (Indonesia did not allow dual-citizenship, so his parents would have had to have given up American citizenship), his travel to Pakistan in the 1980’s (which was closed to American citizens), and his lack of proof of a birth certificate in Hawaii (not a certificate of live birth, and the fact that his grandmother claims to have seen him born in Kenya).  Most of the lawsuits were deemed to not have standing because the courts ruled that those people were not harmed from the lack of documentation concerning Obama.  Alan Keyes also brought a lawsuit, and since he was a Presidential candidate, there is little doubt that he would have standing. 

*** A separate lawsuit is going to have a conference after Justice John Roberts called one for January 23rd. ***

Now the next set of barbs are being traded as Obama has launched a new service plan.  Alan Keyes has a website called RenewAmerica.us.  What is the name of Obama’s new service plan?  Renew America Together.

TNGOP Should Look for a New Comptroller Candidate?

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

The Bear Creek Ledger says so… 

http://bearcreekledger.com/2009/01/07/looks-like-tn-gop-legislators-better-look-for-another-comptroller/

Tim McGraw v. Bill Frist Seemingly Thwarted

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

The potential heavyweight fight between Country Music Superstar Tim McGraw and former Majority Leader Bill Frist for the Nashville Governor’s mansion seems to be quickly fading.  Tim McGraw, a Democrat who has called former President Clinton one of his greatest political influences, has expressed interest in the governorship… just not in 2010.  He has repeatedly denied that he will be a candidate for the post in 2010.  Bill Frist, a heart surgeon and former U.S. Senator, has also stated that he will not seek the spot in 2010.  Frist seems to be enjoying private life again though you have to wonder if he is not itching to get back in the spotlight for a future Presidential run. 

With the lack of interest from the heavyweights, that begs for an answer to, “Who will run?”  There are several names being thrown about on the Republican side, but the Democrats seemingly have few big names with wide popularity that the average Tennessean might know already.  The Republicans have some heavy hitters in certain circles, but any one of the candidates may have big trouble in setting themself apart in the Republican Primary. 

The Bill Frist announcement has led to a flood of names entering the fray.  On the Democratic side State Sen. Andy Berke, Congressman Lincoln Davis, former Congressman Harold Ford Jr.,  and former State Rep. Kim McMillan are the headliners that may seek the spot.  The potential Republican headliners are Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Shelby County DA Bill Gibbons, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and Congressman Zach Wamp.  I could also very easily see Van Hilleary getting into the mix.  I also have to wonder if former Congressman David Davis may get involved.  This past election cycle was good for the last name Davis in the US Senate Race in Tennessee as a huge upset nearly happened simply on Davis name recognition.  Another interesting figure would be State Rep. Stacey Campfield, though I really have no idea if he would even run. 

I must admit that there are several of these figures that I really have no clue about, but I will research each potential candidate a little more, and I will provide some updates about them over the next several months.

***Edit at 9:40 PM January 6, 2008***  Add State Representative Beth Harwell to the possibles.  ***Edit at 9:40 PM January 6, 2008***