In the words of Stan Marsh,

This is fucked up right here.

Channel 5 did some research and made a rather interesting discovery. Thaddeus Matthews could be successful in getting the recall of Willie Herenton on the ballot, and the voters of the City of Memphis could recall him. However, in spite of that, it is still possible that the City Council, after the initial 20-day term of Council chair Tajuan Stout-Mitchell, could REAPPOINT Herenton. For a Councilperson to accept the appointment, they would have to resign their seat.

Yes, you read that right. It is theoretically possible that, even if all the pieces fell into place and the voters of our city told him to take a hike, he could be reappointed.

Is that likely? Well, I can think of at least four probable NO votes on the council (and not all of them are white by any means), but you would need SEVEN.

My head is spinning......

Well, friends, Thaddeus has done it again...

I saw this little movie of the Mayor with the holy spirit as it carried him across the pulpit, and I thought, wow, Thaddeus has got a HUGE pair to put this out!

I thought, that's funny, but I shouldn't link to it. Then, what the hell, Brassmask and Autoegocrat did, so HERE WE GO!

It's getting CRAZY here!

With all of the political nuttiness of the last two days, the blogging around this town is on FIRE!

Nobody is hotter right now (well, other than Rachel, of course) than the mighty Autoegocrat, who responds to our post about the newest Ford in our future with a terrific column of his own.

Here's a snippet:

Upon reading this news, the first thought that sprang to my mind was this one: if I hurry, I still have enough time to legally change my name to Chevrolet and file for the damn seat myself. I'll do it, too, but only if I can convince Mike Hollihan to change his name to General Motors and run for the 9th District seat as a Republican. I'll have to gamble on the chance that no one named Toyota or Honda pops up and decides to run as an independent at the last minute.

Go and read it NOW!!!

That's what I'm talkin' about!!!!

Rosalind Kurita has come to town to kick ass and take names! In town for a fundraiser tonight (which I will be attending), she held a press conference on the steps of the US Bankruptcy Court to remind everyone who voted for the bankruptcy bill that will decimate his own constituency. Here's a hint; he's running for the Senate, too.

In addition, the Clarksville Democrat challenged the 9th District Congressman to a debate on the issues. I particularly liked this comment in the Flyer article:

Referring to the widely ballyhooed joint appearance in Memphis this week of Ford and Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Obama, Kurita, a state senator from Clarksville, took note of the fact that Obama had used the line, “I believe we are our brother’s keeper,” in defining the mission of the Democratic Party. Kurita herself had featured the line on the stump in explaining her candidacy, usually adding, as she did in Memphis on Friday, We’re a nation of souls, not a multinational corporation focused on the bottom line.”

Kurita said that, in contrast to her own emphasis on traditional Democratic principles, Ford seemed intent on sounding as Republican as possible.

Enough said.

Yet ANOTHER Ford in our future?

I received an email that contained a press release from Joe Ford JUNIOR, son of the County Commissioner and erstwhile City Mayoral candidate, announcing to one and all that he was moving back to his hometown from Los Angeles and filing for his cousin's old US House seat.

Essentially, he hasn't lived here since he graduated from Kirby High in 1991. After a two year stint at the U (University of Miami, FL for those who don't watch SportsCenter), he transferred to UCSB, where he got a degree in Computer Science. He then changed courses, got a MS in Sports Management from Georgia State, then got his JD from Pepperdine Law School.

He's been in LA until now, where he apparently deemed in necessary to return home to save the seat, I guess.

Look, I've always liked Joe Senior, he's a very nice, unassuming fellow who could presumably have been an damn good Mayor of Memphis. I also presume that he has kept his son abreast of all the political madness in this town.

What makes this guy think he can waltz into town on short notice and claim the seat? Where has he been for the last 15 years? Not here.

End of rant.

I got your Lifestyle Center right here, mofo!

The killer crew at Smart City Consulting delivers a broadside here about what "lifestyle centers" are doing to downtowns all over the USA. Here's a tidbit:

Lifestyle centers are simply the latest incarnation of shopping malls cleverly masquerading as public town centers or public main streets. In fact, many developers incorporate the name “town center” or “village” into the development’s name and brand. They offer visitors shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities that are often marketed as urban, unique, historic and even European-style shopping experiences. The truth is that these centers are solely created to attract national chain stores and restaurants such as the Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor Loft and California Pizza Kitchen, anchor retailers that would better serve the community if located in downtowns or town centers.

They're talking about potentially turning the Highland Strip, five blocks from my house, into a "lifestyle center". Great, just what we need in the 'hood, a mall-like atmosphere. I'd rather have the Highland Street Church of Christ myself, and I'm not even Christian. It's a more stable part of the community, though.

The NRA Shoots Itself In The Ass

Wow. According to this MyDD post, the NRA went after businesses in Florida because some of them wouldn't allow their employees to keep guns in their cars while at work. In so doing, they forced the Republicans in the Florida legislature to choose between the NRA and the Chamber of Commerce.

The result? Fuck you, NRA! Here's an excerpt:

Lakeland Republican Rep. Dennis Ross could speak from both sides.

"I'm sorry that we have to come to this crossroad where I have to make a decision between what I think are two very fundamental rights," said Ross, who said he belongs to the NRA, numerous hunting organizations and even holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

But he couldn't support the NRA's bill.

"While I believe that my Second Amendment rights are very important to me, as a business owner my private property rights are (paramount)," said Ross, a lawyer.

Look, I grew up around weapons; I hunted as a boy and my father was a gunsmith. Let's face it, the NRA doesn't give a rat's ass about gun owners, they represent gun manufacturers. Nobody I know who hunts takes a damned AK-47 deer hunting; that weapon is for hunting PEOPLE.

Yet, when the assault weapon ban was considered, one would have thought we are being disarmed, to hear the NRA tell it.

If the NRA really gave a shit about guns and gun safety, they would push for licensing, with someone having to pass a gun safety course before you could own one. Incidentally, the NRA Gun Safety course, IIRC, is one of the best.

However, they want nothing to do with anything that restricts ANYONE'S right to purchase a weapon, no matter what; that would hurt the precious gun MANUFACTURERS.

I think it's hilarious that when the NRA forced Goopers to make a choice, they stuck with business rather than the NRA. Fuck 'em!

Talk about lobbing a grenade!

The unexpected withdrawal of County Commissioner Bruce Thompson from the District 5 race has thrown a monkeywrench into the works.

As the Flyer article notes, Thompson's retreat leaves the Republicans (temporarily) without a candidate for that seat, which would shift the balance of power to the Democrats. However, it should also trigger the state's anti-skulduggery law, causing the filing deadline to be reopened for another week.

(Note - as always, Jackson Baker and the Flyer beat the CA like a red-headed stepchild to this story. This would not happen if we had a fully functioning daily newspaper that cared about hard NEWS.)

The reopening of the filing deadline also should render moot any of Joe Cooper's arguments regarding Steve Mulroy's residence (NOTE: It's at 755 SOUTH GRAHAM in the heart of precinct 46-2, in the northwestern corner of District 5, shown in yellow in the link!) which will be grandfathered in and he will probably allowed to run.

Who will run on the Gooper side? The flyer article indicates it might well be Thompson's 2002 opponent in the Gooper primary, John Ryder, a former Republican National Committeeman and one of Terry Roland's attorneys. Think he might try to make this an Ophelia Ford referendum?
Given that Ryder has been one of the ultimate Republican insiders for more years than I can remember, he will fight the Democratic nominee like a rabid badger, and will use ANYTHING to win.

This is THE BATTLE in Shelby County this fall, especially if Mulroy beats Cooper.

Uh, let's not blow up the building just yet...

There apparently has been a hatchet job on Steve Mulroy by Andy Wise of Channel 3 (Andy Wise? Hatchet job? who knew?) regarding the fact that he is renting (for the time being, until his wife finds a house to buy) a home in District 5.

As Greg Duckett points out, it is about INTENT TO LIVE. He's selling his house, for heaven's sakes, and NOW LIVES at 755 South Graham, in 46-2, in District 5.

Joe Cooper is desperate to get Mulroy out of the race, because he knows Mulroy is the candidate who can beat him, thus, the phony lawsuit designed to get him out. It won't work, either. Cooper, a convicted felon (yes, it happened in the 70s) wants to get on the Commission so that he can sell off Shelby Farms to his developer friends.

Thompson wants to sell off the Jail to private interests, screwing over the workers at the jail.

Yet, as Mike Kernell notes, all Mulroy wants to sell is his old house in District 1 so that he can represent the people of District 5 and not the developers or the privateers.

Here are two terrific comments on the Obama visit.

A. I had to work and B. i didn't want to appear at ANYTHING that was a rally for that sellout Junior.

However, the mighty Brassmask went, took pictures, and wrote a killer review of the proceedings. Then. riffing on the Brassmask report, Autoegocrat puts a Charles Oakley-like hurting on Chuck Schumer, the DSCC, and the Man Who Would Be Senator.

Did he REALLY say this??

I am enclosing the entirety of a Junior press release sent out today. I deleted the phone number so Schuermann wouldn't be besieged by phone calls; it's not his fault his boss is an idiot.


For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Schuermann
Friday, February 17, 2006 (202) XXX-XXXX

Ford: "We must have an honest budget that ends wasteful pork barrel spending,
finds savings in every federal agency and includes the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan"

WASHINGTON - Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., a member of the House Budget Committee, today urged Congress to find budget cuts in every federal agency, end wasteful earmark spending and include the President's emergency war and Hurricane Katrina relief funding in the regular budget, not as off-budget spending items.

"Today, the President asked Congress to appropriate $72 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan and almost $20 billion more for hurricane relief, both of which I will support. However, if we expect to keep the American people fully behind the war, we should have an honest budget that ends wasteful pork barrel spending, finds savings in every federal agency and includes the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past, I have not supported an across the board spending cut, however, the federal budget situation we find ourselves in today is indefensible," Ford said.

(My bolding - LWC)

Ahem. An across-the-board spending cut? Would that not mean cutting social spending even beyond the draconian cuts it has already experienced under King George II? WTF????

Harold Senior, you did your son a serious disservice by letting him stay in DC all these years. If he had stayed home and learned the mortuary business and dealt with REAL people all these years, he wouldn't come up with this garbage.

I can hardly wait until he's out and we get a REAL Democrat to represent the 9th District.

It's all campaign mud-slinging, but....

When a Republican calls you an unethical whore, that's saying something. Who would know better?

Howard Dean is not pleased

with the DSCC's undercutting of the Paul Hackett campaign, and he spoke out in Miami.

The AP story notes that "Dean told a student audience in Miami that "some skulduggery in Washington" improperly led to Hackett's decision to end his bid. And he said Democrats will have a tough time winning if similar things happen to others."

That's why I wanted him to be chair, to stop this garbage in DC. That's why I signed up for a Democracy Bond, so we can build the party from the ground up and tell the elected officials what to do, not vice versa.

Hat tip to Jeff over at Pesky's site!

I feel like I'm waiting for the the Party to die after a long illness.

I'm not talking about at the local level, there are still more of us (D) than THEM (R) in Shelby County, but after what happened to Paul Hackett in Ohio, I wonder how even Howard Dean can turn the national Democratic Party around.

As you may have read in Autoegocrat's post, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid called Paul Hackett's donors and asked them to cut him off. Yes, that's right, they saw to it that his money dried up. This is NOT the DSCC's job; their job is to stay the fuck out until AFTER the primary and THEN help who ever the VOTERS decide should be the Democratic nominee.

You can see that here, as the DSCC refuses to even recognize that Rosalind Kurita's Senate campaign exists; they have attached themselves to Junior like baby hogs to their mother's tit.

I, for one, am tired of it. It is mighty damned infuriating to be told who I can and can't support by some moron in Washington who is afraid to stand up to a would-be dictator like Bush.

I have made the following decision: I will NEVER vote for a Republican unless Lincoln or Winthrop Rockefeller comes back from the dead. But I'll be damned if I EVER vote for another Democrat who doesn't live up to what a Democrat is supposed to be: Pro-labor, Pro-working and middle-class, pro-FAIR trade.

If things don't turn around and quick, I might be going to the polls just to vote for Mike Kernell this November, and then go home. I hope that's not the case.

The DSCC throws Paul Hackett under the bus

Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid threw Paul Hackett and his Ohio Senate campaign under the bus, even calling his donors and asking them to stop giving. These same people, who refuse to recognize the Kurita for Senate campaign here in Tennessee, are killing our Party.

I'm not the only one that's mad, though; go read Autoegocrat at the Flypaper Theory:

It's bad enough that the government is in the hands of murderous sociopaths, but the situation almost becomes dreadfully poetic when you stop to consider that the biggest obstacle to a return to normalcy and decency in this country is the gang of runaway court eunuchs in charge of the opposition party. It's not even that they're afraid of losing, they're simply afraid to take any risks at all.

With the DLC doing absolutely everything possible to squash every single outbreak of democracy coming up from the liberal grassroots, it's hard for me to believe that they are actually this incompetent. If some jackass blogger in Memphis can figure this stuff out, it isn't exactly rocket science. Either the DLC works for the GOP, or they are the most spineless bunch of invertebrates this planet has seen since the Paleozoic Era.

This is not the best idea, I believe..

I have always liked Shep Wilbun. He carries himself with dignity and grace and there is good reason why I supported his mayoral campaign in 1999, unsuccessful though it was.

He is running for his old job of Juvenile Court Clerk, which puts him in the primary against School Board commissioner Wanda Halbert. He was cleared of criminal wrongdoing that occurred under his watch, which the Commercial Appeal blew out of proportion. I am certain he believes that he was wronged, and is now asking for a second chance, which everyone deserves.

On the other hand....

While he may very well win the Democratic primary, it is difficult for me to see how he could defeat Steve Stamson in the August general election. While it is true that he did not commit any criminal acts, things occurred under his watch that had to be either a lapse of judgement or a lack of oversight, and you can bet that Stamson would throw them into Wilbun's face. It's not difficult to envision a TV commercial from Stamson that suggested that Stamson "cleaned up" the office of JC Clerk.

Wanda Halbert carries no such baggage, and could argue that Stamson has merely acted to perpetuate a sluggish JC system in tandem with the retiring Kenneth Turner. She should do that, if she hasn't planned to, anyway.

I believe Shep Wilbun could win a district County Commission or City Council race right now without much trouble; this would enable him to rejuvenate his political career in short order.

However, to run for his old office now would only ensure Steve Stamson's eventual re-election, and I don't think any of us want that, do we?

It's Official! Joe Young is IN the race for County Clerk

Here is Joe filing his petition yesterday at the Election Commission offices. I am hoping we will know more soon, as I believe has had an excellent chance to regain this office from the Republicans.

Watch this space for more information as it comes down the pike. Let's help Joe become the next Shelby County Clerk!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend Joe Young, who as you know I supported for SCDP Chair last summer, has decided to run for the Democratic nomination for Shelby County Clerk, and I am supporting him for this office as well.

Republican Jayne Creson is retiring from the office, and since it appears that there is a potentially brutal GOP primary between Debbie Stamson (WIFE of JC Court Clerk Steve Stamson) and outgoing County Commissioner Marilyn Loeffel (she of FLARE fame), this is a PRIME opportunity for the Democrats to pick up a County office.

Joe is just the person to do this, in my opinion. He is a terrific administrator, is goal-oriented, and would be outstanding in this job.

As soon as I know more about logistics (HQ, how to help, any fundraising, etc) I will let you know!

They're having an interesting discussion on the LIVING WAGE

Confessions of a West Tennessee Liberal...: Living Wage

at the West Tennessee Liberal's site, and a tip of the hat to the Pesky Fly for pointing it out!

DFM, along with the Mid-South Interfaith Network, has set up several townhall meetings and encourages everyone to turn out in support of the Living Wage for full-time city workers.

One of the interesting questions is whether SCDP Chair Matt Kuhn will show up for the Thursday night Town Hall meeting, as he has promised to do. Note: I had said earlier that it was the City Council meeting tonight, but thankfully Brad Watkins' post below corrected my error. Mea culpa!

I cannot imagine why he wouldn't, this is a DEMOCRATIC issue if there ever was one. If not, it will certainly look like he was pressured not to show up by those who are opposed to the amendment.

One thing; do NOT confuse LIVING WAGE with LIVABLE WAGE, as some may try to do; LIVING WAGE has been researched heavily to ensure that full-time workers are paid fairly for their work, which is not always the case.

Go read the post and see what the fuss is about.

A matter of clarification...

It seems that NBC anchor Brian Williams became confused during the State of the Union speech, and identified Harold Ford Junior as Barack Obama. Our friend the Pesky Fly clarifies the difference in his post; go read it!

Bolton Jumps in to the 9th District Race

Longtime Shelby County Commissioner Julian Bolton is now a candidate for the 9th Congressional District being vacated by whats-his-name.

One can only imaginer how this might affect the race, and who might opt not to run because of this announcement. Frankly, I hope EVERYBODY who is announced runs, because we ought to have a choice, and I believe that whether or not Steve Cohen gets in the race that they ought to stay.

Frankly, we could use new blood around here; let's see what happens with this new crop of candidates and see if they can withstand the rigors of campaigning.

Flame away.

That gurgling sound you hear

is probably the reign of John Wilder going down the drain. As Sgt. Larry commented in the post below this one, Democratic Senator Don McLeary of Humboldt announced today that he is now a Republican. Counting still-seated Senator Ophelia Ford, that makes the GOP advantage in the State Senate 18-15.

If McLeary is re-elected this fall as a Gooper, combined with the retirement of Senator Curtis Person, this will ensure that, come next January, Tennessee will elect a new Lieutenant Governor/Senate Speaker for the first time since John Wilder ascended in 1971. Gone will be any Democratic chairmanships, such as Steve Cohen (if he's not already in Congress) at State and Local Government, Jerry Cooper at Commerce, Thelma Harper at Government Operations, Jim Kyle at Rules, Roy Herron at General Welfare, and, perhaps most importantly, Douglas Henry at Finance, Ways and Means. Henry has long been regarded as the Senate's finance guru, and this will hurt Bredesen deeply should he actually attempt to govern as a Democrat.

OK, cheap shot, but not undeserved.

What this will do is allow the state GOP to focus on taking the State House of Representatives, where the Democrats have a precarious 53-46 advantage at this time. Every remotely vulnerable Democrat will be attacked repeatedly in order to gain a hammerlock on the General Assembly.

I know many of you who read this have a less than stellar view of our legislators. Outside of Shelby County, I would agree with you. Despite the unfortunate unpleasantness that is Tennessee Waltz, our delegation has fought like hell for Shelby County; if the Goopers get the House on top of the Senate, Shelby County may as well not exist in Nashville. If you think we're treated badly now, just wait until they seize complete power; it won't be pretty.

Another domino falls...

The Republican takeover of the State Senate got one step closer today with the announcement that Senator Curtis Person would not seek re-election to the District 31 seat that he has held since November 1968.

Person, who served two years in the House as a Democrat prior to switching parties and running for the Senate, is a close ally of Lt. Governor John Wilder, something that has gotten him in trouble with his GOP brethren in the past. He was reportedly threatened with primary opposition if he hadn't voted for Sen. Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) for Speaker prior to the 2005 session.

He voted for Ramsey, but not before making sure there were at least two GOP votes for Wilder in the form of Senator Mike Williams of Maynardville and Senator Randy McNally of Oak Ridge.

Person, who may run for Juvenile Court judge if his friend Kenneth Turner decides to step down, will no longer be there to help his friend Wilder. And it is a given that NONE of the candidates listed in the CA story linked in the title will vote for Wilder, who the Republicans have been trying to remove for years.

As for Williams and McNally, they may well receive the same pressure that Person got last winter; only this time, there's no room for error and Wilder might well be toppled. Should that occur, don't be surprised if Wilder were to abruptly resign his seat; after 36 years as Lt. Governor, the longest unbroken term in the country, he may well pack it in and go home to Mason. If Wilder leaves, the seat would almost certainly go GOP and that, my friends, would be that.

This would almost certainly cause Shelby County to take yet another hit in power, as Steve Cohen (if he's not in Congress by then) would lose his chairmanship of State and Local Government. That on top of the loss of John Ford would be a punch in the gut for the County.

Do you see NOW why there is a brawl over the seating of Ophelia Ford? This is about far more than Ford, it's about preserving what little power the state's largest county has left in Nashville. Given that the rest of the state has never forgiven us for the Crump years, Shelby County may soon get the Ned Beatty treatment from a GOP-led Senate.

Steve Gilliard, I am stealing your post!

Because it's SO good! What starts out as a fund-raising quest turns into a great column about our relationship with the Democratic Party and its' elected officials. By the way, if you like his stuff, go to his site (linked in the blog roll) and give him some $$. He's worth it!


Chris Bowers , Matt Stoller and Kevin Hayden are all doing post-mortums on the Alito fight. And they all make good points, but miss something.

First, we, the netroots, didn't do anything wrong. We created a campaign out of whole cloth and forced the Senate to respond. While that didn't work, it's a powerful tool to have on tap. We did what we could and we did it well, better than I imagined, but.......

The problem is that we're outsiders. People for the American Way, after sitting on their hands, is now raising money after not fighting Alito, using him as a boogieman. NARAL is still backing Lincoln Chafee, despite his refusal to vote for a filibuster, and the rest remain mute as French mimes. PFAW now says "we did all we could" to stop Alito, which is, excuse my French, utter and complete bullshit. Ralph Neas must think we're idiots.

We were the only people in the fight, and they want to collect the money for it.

Second, the Washington insiders think we're their bitches. We exist to raise money, do field work and shut up. Many bloggers are stunned when they get on a conference call with the 527 people and pols.

People were pissed when I went after Tim Kaine last year, and now Matt Stoller is saying we need to stop being starstuck by pols. Well, being a bit older than my friend Matt, I waill say this: as long as you go along to get along, you won't be respected. As long as you rely on pols to transmit your message, you will be constrained by them.

I value my self-respect far more than party loyalty. It nauseates me to see all the right bloggers defending Bush at any price. What? Did they stop thinking? Power groupies, the lot of them.

What Matt is getting at is that people have to stop genulfecting because Ted Kennedy is on a conference call, which is true. Respect often morphs into synchophantic behavior when confronted by the famous. It takes a lot of time to get that hard nose that you learn in J school.

But it's more than that. The old liberal structure is basically founded on the condescening idea that an elite is needed to protect our basic rights and promote progressive ideas, and you can see that from the Nation to NARAL.

The reason I harp on the Nation is that it is the most liberal magazine published, yet it is a preserve of the rich and white in a city which is black and hispanic. NARAL backed Chafee despite pro-choice Dems running, and both come to us, hat in hand, saying they're fighting for us.

Well, that day should end. We don't need people to fight for us, we need people to fight with us. Steve Elmendorf, one of Kerry's former consultants, said basically, well, let's figure out a way to take their money and not respond to their demands.

The sad part is people defended him because they knew him.

My response to that is "so fucking what."

Anytime someone disrespects you, you have to defend yourself. Even if you like him.

The reason we raise money, not just here, but at most other sites, because we have no choice. There is no liberal structure to support us, to fund our research. I hate asking for money, I don't think any blogger likes asking for money, but George Soros isn't dolling out research grants and sending us around the US to write on issues.

When bloggers went to New Orleans after Katrina, we did that. When they went to DeLay's indictment, we paid for that. There wasn't a call we could make and a project officer to talk to.

Despite that, we, collectively have a lot of power.

The problem is that we lack the institutional support the right has. Their bloggers may be hacks for the most part, but they are part of a larger team.

We need more from those rich liberals we see in the media. What, exactly, are they waiting for, another election, another 527? The more people who do this full-time, the better the work becomes.

It isn't that your support isn't great, it is. It makes things possible, but unless someone has an endowment of $2m to kick in, our activities are limited.

I mean, we can see how the right treats their young people, and how you still have to have a rich father to work on the left. The left has gotten use to cheap, subsidized labor and then wonders why they aren't effective. Because the best and the brightest wind up in government, with unions, with people who can pay their bills.

But I think the problem is that a lot of bloggers like politics and wanted to be inside the game. Well, not me, but that's not the point here.

You are either an insurgent or not. If you want to change the Democratic Party, you have to be serious about it. No more talk about the Greens, no stomping off. We have to be serious about getting rid of the dead wood at every level and pushing our arguments relentlessly.

We did that last weekend. We need to keep doing it.

As usual:
Stephen Gilliard
217 E 86th St
NMB 112
New York, NY 10028
posted by Steve @ 10:55:00 AM

Is this like splitting the baby?

And if so, where? Federal District Judge Bernice Donald refused to grant Ophelia Ford relief from a possible removal from her District 29 Senate seat.

However, she advised the Senate that they cannot take any action which violates Federal or state voting laws. Here is the full text of the 32-page ruling; tip of the hat to David Holt for sending the link from WMC-TV.

I'm not a lawyer, and I don't even play one on TV, but it appears that Judge Donald is warning the Senate to have their ducks in a row before they toss her to the street.

The question remains this; if she is removed, do the Republicans on the County Commission risk out-and-out war by attempting to name Terry Roland as the interim Senator? We have elections coming up, and ANY Democrat on the Commission who doesn't fight this tooth and toenail will face a fight in the primary. This COULD be war!

This is too true to be funny...

Jeff posted this at the Pesky Fly site, and I had to steal it....