Return of the Roundup!

The "toxic debate derivatives" edition of the weekly Tennessee progressive blog roundup with a look at what the state's best bloggers are talking about...

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Senator Drama Queen: ...how does a man go, in just a few days, from claiming that the economy is fundamentally sound to marching all over Washington, DC like Chicken Little, hitting new levels of scenery munching, derailing the negotiations Congress had gotten through before his arrival politicized the whole process -- swooping in, wearing his home-made cape and superhero pajamas -- pretending to be the man who’s saving the day, when he couldn't even be bothered to read the 3-page document that is central to the process?

• 55-40 Memphis: I ask again, is this the best way to use the ammo? Besides, the five biggest Wall Street losers have already rolled over. We need to protect cash deposits, homes, jobs. That's where Main Street lives.

• Aunt B: I start by saying two things that I have observed about Southerners -- one, a lot of them are Southern Baptist, which means, when they don't like how something’s going, they have no compunction about breaking off and doing something different while still considering themselves to be the true carriers of the proper torch and two, they don't like to be played for fools.

• Carole Borges: If you've been following the economic terrorist attack from within, you probably feel confused. Who wouldn't. It's obvious no one in Washington has a clue what is happening. How could ANYONE in their right mind even consider for one micro-second supporting anything that says "...the whole thing is up to Paulson's "discretion," and "may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

• The Crone Speaks: Now, onto why I felt Obama dominated the foreign policy segment. As I wrote quickly last night, he was authoritative, his answers came easily, he did not rely on anecdotes or generals, or the old guard. As I also mentioned last night, McCain tired quickly. He looked, to me, to be extremely tired.

• Joe Powell: I do know that for the first time in my life, this important office isn't being handed off to the next local insider, another pre-selected candidate from the Republican party which has held total control of [Tennessee's 1st Congressional District] for over 100 years.

• Don Williams: Welcome to full-blown oligarchy -- government that socializes the losses of big business while privatizing the profits and promoting corporate welfare through good-old-boy contracts for military build-ups, outdated energy plans and tax breaks for the wealthy.

• TNDP: In spite of the unprecedented economic crisis created by Bush-McCain policies that freed the banking and lending industry from vital protections for the American people, John McCain wants to put Americans’ health care at the mercy of Wall Street.

• Enclave: Given Barack Obama's strong, comfortable, steady performance in tonight's debate on John McCain's turf of foreign policy, I would say that the Republican attempts for the last four weeks to raise expectations on Sarah Palin by comparing her to Barack Obama may have been a deadly mistake. Also, see ongoing series re. racial tensions fueled by suspect Tennesseean reporting.

• Fletch: Lighthouse Light

• KnoxViews (Sven): The author, like all the other purveyors of this and other similar dumbass notions, fails to explain the mechanism by which the GSEs ruined America. He harps on poor and corrupt management, accounting scandals and skeezy congressional ties - all of which existed. But zero evidence is provided for the core implication that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stampeded Wall Street into making bad loans to the shiftless underclass. That's because no such evidence exists. And: R. Neal: Just like investors who have been duped, the federal government will have no idea what they are buying or what to do with it. Even on a straight up equity sale of shares nobody knows what they are buying any more. Quarterly reports are works of fiction and earnings conference calls are performance art. With derivatives they don't even have to lie -- they can just hide mistakes and corruption under impenetrable layers of bullshit. Corporate America's stock in trade is now deception.

• Lean Left: So the GOP plan is to insure the bad debts, putting the taxpayers on the hook for possibly much more than the 700billion dollar Paulson came up with without giving the taxpayers anyway to ever get compensation if the government is required to pay off on that insurance. And then, just to rub salt in the wounds of the average tax payer, they are going to give the class of people who are most responsible for getting us into this mess a huge tax break for two years.

• Left of the Dial: The only time George W. Bush has spoken to us with "any sense of conviction, control, sincerity and grasp of the situation" was atop the rubble of the World Trade Center holding a megaphone. And even that turned out to be a bunch of crap. Plus: No Bailout For You!

• LeftWingCracker: Here's how to help Obama in Memphis

• Liberadio(!): One of the most important questions that could be asked by Jim Lehrer is not being asked: "What exactly is victory in Iraq?" Plus: Yee of Much Faith

• Newscoma: "George Bush is no different than Herbert Hoover," he said. "I was a kid during the depression and I want you to know, we are heading down this path again."

• The Pesky Fly: What bothers me is that this dog whistle has so permeated the conversation that it has filtered down to second graders. That, dear children, is some effective marketing.

• Resonance: Financial Crisis Reveals Bush's "Political Capital" Is Now An Illiquid Asset

• RoaneViews: We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself. Republican Party Platform adopted September 2008

• Russ McBee: Both Fulmer and McCain are decrepit, counter-productive shadows of their former selves, and both have far exceeded their sell-by dates. Plus: Trillion dollar life preserver: I don't know about you, but I'm awfully tired of being trickled on.

• Sean Braisted: Ultimately, while this bailout deal might be in the best interest for our country, the language being used by the administration is fairly reminiscent of language used to push through the ill-conceived Patriot Act, and the War on Terror in general.

• Sharon Cobb: I'm giving away two tickets for you to see and meet my favorite rednecks, Jackie and Dunlap from Red State Update. They are appearing in a town hall meeting in Nashville on October 6, and all you have to do is drop me an email telling me why you love these two lunatics, and I'll forward your entry to Jackie and Dunlap to choose the winner. (No way I was going to choose the winner!) Please get all entries in by Friday, October 3 at midnight to me at: MissSharonCobb@aol.com

• Silence Isn't Golden: But the Republicans aren't going to touch this thing with a ten-foot pole. Why would they? Bush has no coattails anymore, there's no need for them to fall in line with him. They can vote against it, and they will, and then go back to their districts and put all the blame for the fact that we're wasting billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out irresponsible corporations...on the Democratic leadership in Congress!

• Southern Beale: Yesterday blog trolls started touting the expected line that our mortgage crisis is the fault of a) Bill Clinton, and b) black people. Gee, what took them so long?

• vibinc » Blog Archive » The Coming Financial Disaster: Remember, just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it doesn't affect you.

• WhitesCreek Journal: I don't know that much about this stuff, but according to one Democratic Congressman calls to Congress are running about 50-50 on the bailout... 50% No! And 50% HELL NO! Plus: Did You See the Debate?: I saw something else on John McCain's face as he turned it away from Barack Obama. I saw one hell of a pancake makeup job hiding the purple rage. That $5000 was money well spent.

• Women’s Health News: McCain just said something to the effect that healthcare should be between the patient and the physician, not the federal government. Can I hold him to that on reproductive health and "conscience?"

More Cafferty on Palin

here's MY FGF entry

This Friday has GOT to be better than last Friday, so here we go.

Memphis fans, I realize you are going to hear this a LOT on Saturday afternoon, but why not get started now?

Jack Cafferty calls shenanigans on McCain

Shelby County AC Wharton To Appear At Memphis For Obama VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY

Shelby County AC Wharton To Appear At Memphis For Obama VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY Saturday, September 27 at 9:00 a.m.

City-Wide Voter Registration Drive To Follow

MEMPHIS, TN--On Saturday, September 27, elected officials in communities across Tennessee will come together for VOTE FOR CHANGE rallies intended to show their support for Senator Barack Obama's historic candidacy for President and to reinforce the importance of voter registration. Memphis For Obama will be hosting a rally with special guest Shelby County Mayor AC WHARTON, a long-time supporter and endorser of Senator Obama. Rallies and voter registration events are also being planned by Obama supporters in Frayser, Binghampton, and Orange Mound.

The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Memphis For Obama Volunteer Office, located at 5026 Park Avenue in the Eastgate Shopping Center. The event is free and open to the public. All who attend will be called upon to take part in voter registration activities at locations across Memphis that day and throughout the rest of the following week. The Volunteer Office will remain open to the public and members of the press until 6:00 p.m.

Tennessee has not voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate since 1996, although many agree that Senator Obama's ground-breaking candidacy represents a significant opportunity to move it back into the Democrat column on November 4. Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. lost a hotly-contested contest to Bob Corker in 2006 by only 50,000 votes; it is estimated that nearly 100,000 registered Memphians did not vote in that election.

Since the Democratic primary contest earlier this year, the Memphis For Obama effort has added thousands of new Democrats to the voter rolls in Tennessee. Getting these new voters to the polls, coupled with higher-than-usual turnout in Memphis among already registered voters, could send the Volunteer State's 11 electoral votes to Senator Obama.

Details and sign-up about Mayor Wharton's VOTE FOR CHANGE rally may be found here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs77k8

Event: VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY WITH MAYOR AC WHARTON
Time: Saturday, September 27 at 9:00 AM
Location: 5026 Park Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117

Note: Senator Obama will NOT attend this event.

Here's how to help Obama in Memphis

From Desi Franklin:

Friends,

Please excuse this blast email - I get frequent calls and emails from friends and strangers alike asking me how they can get involved here in Memphis to help elect Barack Obama president, so this email is to let you know of some positive and tangible ways you can show your support. Everyone likes to do what they are comfortable with - here are several options.

First, go to www.BarackObama.com and sign up for the Neighbor to Neighbor program. On the Obama website, scroll down to Make a Difference and click on Talk to Voters. You will be given everything you need to call on voters in person or by phone. You can choose to contact voters here or in battleground states where you can make the biggest impact. I've done this. It's easy - and you can do it at your convenience.

Second, at the local headquarters (located in Eastgate Shopping Center just west of Ike's) they continue to focus on voter registration until the deadline, which is October 6. Make sure that you and all your friends and family are registered to vote. If you are interested in helping with voter registration, contact Kerry Hayes at kerry.hayes@gmail.com.

Third, Nika Jackson, the West Tennessee Field Coordinator for the Obama campaign, needs many things for headquarters such as office supplies, gift cards to Office Depot and Kinko's, etc. The best thing is to simply go there and ask what you can do to help as the needs change daily. Headquarters hours vary but are generally 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Fourth, Women for Obama in Memphis are working to build support by holding fundraising and other events. This coming Saturday, there will be a Movie Night party at the home of Felicia Boyd, 5258 Quince Road, beginning at 6 p.m. A flyer about this event is attached. If you would like to hold a fundraising, phonebanking or other event, please let me know and the Women for Obama steering committee will help you with easy ideas, PR, etc.

Finally, give to Victory Memphis PAC. Some local Democrats have formed Victory Memphis PAC to purchase Obama signs, bumperstickers, etc., for distribution here in Memphis (required legal disclaimer: Victory Memphis is not affiliated with the Obama or any other campaign).

It has been very hard to obtain signs and other materials from the BarackObama.com website lately - yet there is such a demand. Unfortunately, the local Obama campaign headquarters is unlikely to have much in the way of signs or bumper stickers given slim financial resources and the campaign's priorities of voter registration and "get out the vote" activity.

So we decided to just make it happen. Once we started, Victory Memphis quickly raised almost $3,000 and now has 3000 signs on order that should be here next week.

But those signs will be gone in a heartbeat, and we need additional contributions now to continue ordering materials. We need to act fast due to turnaround time in getting the materials. Our current goal is to raise $10,000 in the next week. This a doable goal, and amounts to just 100 people giving $100 each. Contributions in any amount are appreciated, of course. If we all participate and reach out to our friends and ask them to do the same, we can help Memphians to show our huge support for Barack.

Please send your contributions (checks payable to Victory Memphis) to me at 5169 Rich Road, Memphis TN 38117. Every penny raised will be spent directly on campaign materials for Memphis Obama supporters. I would be glad to speak to your friends or to email them, etc. about our effort. Or feel free to forward this email to others.

If any of you know of other local efforts, please let me know and I will let others know.

Thanks!

Desi

One down, one to go!

Courtesy Chicago Tribune

First, before I go further, I want to thank everyone for your thoughts on the passing of Missy, it meant a lot to me, and it is deeply appreciated. Lauren and I worked ClanJamFry today and it helped take our mind off things.

Now then, The Cubs clinched their second straight NL Central Championship today, against the Cardinals. Now, if the Sox will just go into the Humperdome this week and sweep the Twinkies, BOTH Chicago teams will be in the playoffs, and that would be a delight.

Missy 1994-2008

My beloved cocker spaniel, Missy, shown in the front of this picture, left us today after being found to have inoperable cancer of the urinary tract.  She had difficulties urinating, and was taken to the vet, then to the emergency room.  After tests, it was determined that she only had a 20% survival if all stops were taken, and that they could not operate.  We then made the only decision we could make.

She left us with her grieving father and mother there, as well as her Uncle Mike.  She is survived by me, Lauren, her Uncle Mike, and her child, Silky, who remains here, along with Zoey (upper left).

Missy came to us, sadly on the day my father accidentally backed over and killed our Jack Russell terrier, Sam.  As my grieving father and grandfather drove the back road from Trumann to Jonesboro, they found this little puppy, miles from any farm.  Seeing it as the sign it was, they picked her up, and she was with him until he died in 2003, and was with us until today.

I have no children, so I have no idea what it could be like to bury one's child.  I saw my grandfather do it with my mother, and I never want to go through that.  For me, this has come as close as it gets, and I don't want to ever go through it again, although Silky is 13, and for a lab, that's pretty old.

I will remember my Missy for the fact that she loved everyone, and was as loyal as any dog could be.  She used to go wake up Gatlin in the middle of the night and would not leave him alone until he checked and told her I was all right.

She was loved and loved back, and will always be with us.  I am out for a day or two, even though I am still working ClanJamFry in the morning .  It will do me some good to get away from the house for awhile.

Goodbye, Missy.

Since you've all heard about it by now

I felt I should post about the situation regarding Mike Kernell's son David. As you know, rumors on the internet at various sites have attempted to link him to the hacking of Governor Palin's e-mail account.

I have not talked with Mike since late last night, but as of this writing, to the best of my knowledge, NO ONE from the FBI or Secret Service has contacted either David or Mike about this situation. Mike is going to Knoxville to see David this morning, beyond that, I have no knowledge.

As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for Mike right now, so the updates are going to be sparse until we know more. It could be nothing, or it could be something.

Sharon Cobb has been doing a magnificent job on this, and I urge you to read her updates on this situation. I also want to thank R. Neal at TennViews, and our beloved Newscoma for her kind words as well as those of Rep. Stacey Campfield. Yes, you read that right, Stacey Campfield, and I appreciate it.

So, when I know more, you'll know more, in the interim, check Sharon for updates.

GREAT commercial for Ronnie Musgrove

H/T to Janetta for sending..

Some background on the Kurita situation

As everyone knows, my initial reaction to the TDP's voiding of the Senate 22 primary was not a good one, as I believed the TDP screwed up. Certainly, without knowing the backstory, the average voter would have come to the same conclusion that I did, that Democratic voters were disenfranchised.

After checking into this a bit further, not so much.

My sources, some of whom sat in that room Saturday, have told me a different story. I have learned that the primary, which was decided by 19 votes, was corrupted by GOP voters who deliberately crossed over to influence the race. At least 138 of them were found by Barnes' legal team to have voted in 8 of the last 8 GOP primaries, and a few hundred more were found to have voted in at least 4 of the last 8 GOP primaries.

Now wait, you say, we don't have party registration, people can legally vote in whichever primary they choose, just not both at once. This is true; however, each party has the legal right to determine who may run under their banner, and if it is determined that the voting process was corrupted to the point of being “incurably uncertain”, they may void such a primary election.

Other things learned at the meeting on Saturday is that some of Barnes' would-be voters were told by their election judges, according to one of my sources, that in order to vote for Barnes, they would need to vote in the GOP primary, only to learn that he was not in that primary, then to be told that nothing could be done. Who's disenfranchising WHOM at this point?

In addition, my sources have advised that there WERE Republicans who sought to run for Kurita's seat, but were apparently told by Ron Ramsey that they were protecting Kurita, and asked them not to run.

As all of these happened with numbers far larger than the 19-vote margin, and as this was a PRIMARY, and not a general election, the Tennessee Democratic Party was within their rights to boot Kurita. They then made the decision to put the burden for deciding the nominee on the Democratic Executive Commitees of Houston, Cheatham & Montgomery Counties, the three counties that make up District 22.

On Wednesday night, they voted 61-4 to nominate Tim Barnes, a bona fide Democrat, to run. Kurita has filed to wage a write-in campaign, which is difficult to win but not impossible, especially with the support of the GOP, to whom she threw control of the State Senate back in January 2007.

Having learned what I learned, I now believe the TDP had no choice other than to boot Kurita. However, this comes with a warning: You need to take the steps necessary to prevent a recurrence, such as requiring registration by Party in order to vote in a primary election, and taking pre-emptive action to prevent someone who stabs the party in the back, as Kurita did in 2007, from ever having the opportunity to represent the Democratic Party.

Do you think the GOP would have put up with something like this? Hell no, so why should we?

My own AAP*

Annoying Autobiographical Pause, as our beloved Newcoma calls them, except hers are never annoying, and inevitably enlightening. I can only hope that this can come close to her gifts.

Some guy I never heard of hanged himself last week, and I am saddened because I never heard of him. He appears to have touched the lives of many with his writings, which I never got to because A) I didn't know who he was, and B) it was on paper, which I have abandoned in a fit of ADHD.

I write here, and read this wonderful yet confounding contraption called the computer and the associated intertubes, but when I get home I'm too tired to read a real book, which my friends torment me about on a consistent basis. Yet, it seems I am never too tired for these intertubes and the hyper-connection to the world which it provides.

Want to know when the last time I sat down to read a book cover-to-cover? It was several years ago, when I was in the hospital due to a cellulitis flare-up, and I read Richard Ben Cramer's magnificent bio of Joe DiMaggio, THE HERO'S LIFE. I truly enjoyed it, but I was only able to devote the time to do so because I couldn't freaking move without tremendous pain.

While I read 150-200 blog posts a day, thanks to Bloglines (Holt, this is YOUR fault! :), it seems I can't slow myself down enough to read a book and get lost in it, the way I could until a few years ago. It's not that I don't find things interesting, it's that if it takes more that a minute or three to digest, I blow right past it. I have, it seems, become too damned efficient for my own good.

Does this mean I am stopping these posts of rambling and crotchedy-ness for some time of contemplation? Well, not in the short term, there's too much going on.

However, if America doesn't commit suicide by electing a possibly dying John McCain and his Manchurian Governor, Sarah Palin, I may post a little more infrequently after November. Only time will tell.

As always, thanks for your readership, comments and support.

Thank you Federal Reserve; you're insuring my car and sponsoring Manchester United!

Thanks to the Fed's decision to bail out AIG, they now own my car insurance policy (at least until March) and sponsorship of the defending Premier League and UEFA Champions League side, Manchester United!

While I am actually a fan of Chelsea, I find this humorous. Or not, as The Big Lead notes here:

One of the most notable of these, for sports fans, is A.I.G.’s mega deal with Manchester United, to appear on their jerseys. In 2006, the insurance company signed a record four-year $98.88 million deal for the prominent frontage. The agreement lasts until 2010.

So, basically, while one out of eight Michigan residents require food stamps and public elementary school classrooms climb toward 40 students, a further $50 million of taxpayer money, will be donated directly to Manchester United.

Miss Chumney wishes to respond.

In response, no doubt, to the published reports that a Wharton campaign for City Mayor in 2011 (or before, perhaps?) is in the planning and fund-raising stage, Carol Chumney has issued the following statement:

I am surprised by the attention given to the potential announcement by County Mayor Wharton that he will begin raising money for a City Mayor election over three years away. Perhaps he has some inside information from his good friend Mayor Herenton that he should share with the citizens.

The people of Memphis should keep in mind that Herenton has made it no secret that he intends to hand-pick his successor. However, the people now know after the last election where Herenton was nearly defeated, that they do have the power to elect their first choice as City Mayor from the many serious contenders who are well-qualified who have their eye on that position.

I do wish Wharton the best during the remainder of his term as County Mayor in addressing the county’s growing fiscal problems, getting the Med properly funded, working to save babies' lives and reducing our ranking as having the highest infant mortality rate in the country, reducing our growing poverty rate, and moving our county up from 11th in the state in terms of economic growth. These problems certainly deserve his full attention.

It’s a new day in politics. On the national level, we are seeing both the Democratic and Republican parties open the door for ground-breaking candidates that will bring real reforms and needed change, and reject the old time good old boy politics of cronyism and corruption. We can do this too in Memphis, and have energetic leadership with the passion, drive and dedication to bring reforms and positive change.

We must make our city safer for families, bring efficiencies to help bring jobs to Memphis, and improve education to help every child have a chance to succeed. We deserve better, and it’s now up to the citizens of Memphis to make their voices heard.

All righty then.

Shocked, Shocked I am

The Flyer reported last week (somehow I overlooked it) and The Commercial Appeal is reporting today that Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton is about to announce that he will seek the office of Mayor of the City of Memphis in 2011, if Mayor Herenton does not run for re-election, which I doubt he will if he knows Wharton would likely replace him; hell, it could come sooner than that.

Gee, who could have seen THAT coming, eh? I believe this is known as attempting to scare off the potential opposition, such as Carol Chumney, Myron Lowery, Thomas Long, etc.

But what if they say the hell with it and challenge Wharton anyway? Remember that part of Wharton's strength in running for County Mayor is that Republicans crossed over to vote for him, and there aren't as many of them in the City as the County, to be sure. Also, in the City, it's not inconceivable to think that Lowery and/or Long could take African-American votes from Wharton, while Chumney (Lowery and/or Long, too, for that matter) could take white votes away from him as well.

It could be that people might just think 8 years as mayor of Shelby County was enough for the likable Wharton, who will likely have a sizable financial advantage in this race. Or not.

It will be interesting to see if everyone runs away in fear, or they respond like Myron Lowery.

You may remember that he told Jackson Baker and I earlier this year that if Willie Herenton resigned, he would run for City Mayor, AC Wharton or no AC Wharton, Carol Chumney or no Carol Chumney. Doesn't sound like a frightened man to me, does he to you?

And, folks, if you think a little thing like Wharton entering the race would scare off Carol, then you've obviously not been paying attention or just moved to town. This is going to be a VERY interesting race, and we're three years away, and counting.

Great response from Obama's campaign

Via Joe at AmericaBlog:

Barnes-Kurita, Round 2

Well, to the shock of few sentient beings, Rosalind Kurita filed as a write-in candidate for Senate District 22 to run against Tim Barnes in the November election. She can do that, today was the deadline, and presumably she will have every Gooper in that area writing her name in.

This, of course, is in response to the TDP ExecCom voiding her 19-vote landslide victory over Barnes in the August primary.

You know that I thought this was a bad move, but if this is going to be on, then I'm in Tim Barnes' corner, because she's gotta pay for her sins, folks. I don't like what the TDP did, but if you're going to do this, then it's time to step it up and put your money where your votes are.

This is where the lesson has to be learned. If you live outside the city of Memphis and you're a Democrat, this is one of the biggest races in the state. I know her name won't be on the ballot, but you're going to tell me that the Goopers are going to abandon her when they know Tim Barnes will vote for someone other than Ron Ramsey for Senate Speaker? Hell no, not after the guy they got to challenge Mike Williams (I-NASCAR-Maynardville), Mike Faulk, apparently got caught fooling around with a married woman who happened to be the former head of the Hawkins County Young Republicans.

Their hold on the State Senate is tenuous, and we need to ensure that the Democrats take back the Senate, or we will face near-destruction in two years, as Ilissa Gold smartly notes. We need to draw the line here and now, or we will be crushed in two years.

We can start by helping Tim Barnes.

The Assassination of Rosalind Kurita

Yesterday, the State Democratic Executive Committee made a misguided decision in voiding the primary election in Senate District 22, and I have a bad feeling that it will come back to bite them on the ass.

You all know that I thought Rosalind sold us down the river when she voted for Ron Ramsey, and I openly endorsed Tim Barnes to replace her. However, he LOST by 19 votes, and if the recount failed, they should have backed down. Just as I opposed the voiding of the Ophelia Ford election, I oppose this as well.

So, Republicans may have crossed over to vote for her in the primary? No shit, really? Who knew?

Look, TDP, you're the ones that have opposed registration by party, which could prevent this shit, but you haven't had the collective cojones to do something about it, so this is to a great extent YOUR fault. Why should I be surprised, since you couldn't even get OBAMA SIGNS to the home county of the last REAL Democratic Governor of Tennessee, Ned Ray McWherter, except at gunpoint?

As much as I wanted to see Rosalind Kurita pay for her sell-out of the Senate Democrats, I wanted to see it at the ballot box, not by a hijacking. TDP, you have effectively disenfranchised the Democratic electorate of District 22, and you are wrong. You want to fix the crossover problem? GET PARTY REGISTRATION.

The State Democratic Party doesn't seem to know, or care, that there is a world outside their precious Nashville, and they're absolutely PETRIFIED of the state's largest (and most DEMOCRATIC) county, Shelby. Those whitebread folks up there have no clue how to deal with us; thank heavens we have David Upton and Gale Jones Carson up there, or they'd be completely lost.

No, TDP, you fucked up yesterday, and you'd damn well better hope that you're able to win the Senate back, or else Ramsey and his crew will refuse to seat Tim Barnes, and order a new election. Then, you'll see Rosalind back as either an indy or a Gooper, and you'll never be able to get rid of her. And whose fault is that?

YOURS.

UPDATE: We have others weighing in on this screw-up:

R. Neal at TennViews

Andy Axel at TennViews

Newscoma

Sharon Cobb

GoldnI

Sean Braisted

Vibinc

Look, again, NO ONE is saying Kurita didn't screw the Party, but this is NOT how you address this issue, and the TDP is refusing to address the real issues that are crippling the Democratic Party in Tennessee. Note to TDP: It's not 1976 any more.

From one powerful IKE to another

And I'm NOT talking about the president between Truman & Kennedy, either. I'm talking about the man who created the FIRST true rock and roll, record, Ike Turner, he of the personal flaws but intense musical gifts. I present on Feel Good Friday, Rocket 88.

IKE is headed straight for Houston, then NE Arkansas

If you want more information, KHOU-TV is streaming live here, H/T to George Brown at WREG.COM. The Cubs-Astros games for Friday night and Saturday have been postponed, and we don't know when it will be made up. Air operations will be suspended at Hobby Airport at 9 AM tomorrow, with operations at Bush Intercontinental at 2 PM Friday.

Newscoma drills it home

Our beloved Newscoma, who understands rural issues better than anyone I know (and probably better than anyone YOU know, unless you live in a rural area) sends a letter to the Tennessee Democratic Party reminding them that there is a world beyond Davidson County:

You missed a huge opportunity. Rural communities want to be involved. Engage them and pay attention.

Several years ago, I went to several meetings at the local party and was one of those young voters who felt left out. I wanted inspiring conversations, events to feel excited about. As I recall, I went to one meeting with now Sen. Lowe Finney. I can’t speak for him but I can say that I didn’t get my needs met. After a while, I gave up.

This is the county that has Ned McWherter and his legacy. But there are other counties just like mine that need leadership from the state office. I set up a website for these young voters yesterday. Have you not sent out instructions to rural communities who need your guidance about online networking, talking points and utilizing social communication sites like Twitter or Friendfeed? I’m just asking because I know I haven’t seen them but you might have. Are you talking to established rural party leadership about how to recruit young people.

Gray, we had 4.4 percent of our registered voters vote here in August.

Damn, she's good; but you knew that any way, didn't you!

Not just NO but HELL NO!!!!!!

While it appears the city has a surplus this year, the idea that we need to build a NEW, $600 million dollar Convention Center is INSANE. This city has so many problems that need our attention and they want to build a new Convention Center when the White Elephant, er, Cook Convention Center is still operable AND, if Robert Lipscomb hadn't attached himself at the hip to BPS, we could have converted the Pyramid to a Convention Center.

Here's the list of the "study committee" assigned to this project. If you know one, call them NOW and tell them to STOP RIGHT HERE:

Calvin Anderson

John Bobango, ex-officio

David Boyd

Kevin Brewer

Lois DeBerry

Reid Dulberger

Ryan Fleur

Shea Flinn

Michael Hagge

Onzie Horne

Lee Jackson

Kevin Kane

Pierre Landaiche

Benny Lendermon, ex-officio

Deidre Malone

Jeff Sanford

Wayne Tabor

Blair Taylor

Tommy Volinchak

Obama hits a homer!

YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION

Lynn Strickland, one of my reps on the SCDP ExecCom, noted that people need to check to ensure that their voter registration is current and valid; he says that friends of his checked and found that it was NOT valid.

Here is where you go to check; mine turned out fine, by the way. Nice work, Lynn!

You know the Goopers will do whatever it takes to suppress the turnout of Democratic voters, this is our way to check NOW, before the deadline!

It's time to raise and allocate resources

It appears, by all accounts, that Obama has thrown up his hands and determined that Tennessee is unwinnable, and who could blame him? Most polls show him 20-25 points down, and this may be why a lot of Democrats outside Shelby & Davidson counties backed Clinton, fearing this result.

Combine that with a probable re-election for Lamar Alexander, and they figured that they have better places to put their cash. Yes, of course I support Bob Tuke; however, I presume you've noticed that the DSCC is treating him like plutonium, right? They're not sending money here, so I'm not looking for miracles. OK then.

In Shelby County, we still need to crank it up large for the Democratic ticket for several reasons. First, to reduce McBush's margin of victory, second, to elect Paul Shaffer to the City Council and drive a final stake in the heart of the Shelby County Republican Party. This, my friends, is the most important race on the ballot after the Obama/Biden race, and we need to help Paul as much as humanly possible.

He has been at the forefront of the labor movement in Memphis for years, and he has Democratic values, which, as we know, are the superior ones. He understands that Conrad would be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the developers who have sprawled Shelby County into a mess. Nice guy, but he's THEIR guy, and you know what I mean.

Conrad also represents the very last chance of the Shelby County Republican Party to win outside a district race, and they are fighting for Conrad as if this was the Alamo, which it may well be. Remember, though, how that turned out for those who fought Santa Anna!

So, if you live in SuperDistrict 9, while you're talking to your friends about Obama (and you ARE, aren't you?) Remember to talk to them about Paul Shaffer; he understands the true needs of SD-9, and he will fight for YOU, not the developer who's trying to screw up your neighborhood!

I may not be Barack Obama, but I sure approve this message!

Greetings and hallucinations from Jackson!

We are at CelticFest, having a great time, hanging out with friends, listening to music (I can hear a session in the hotel in the background), and I wanted to give you a heads-up that Kula, one of the groups at ClanJamFry's Scottish Faire in two weeks, will be playing the Levitt Shell on Sunday, the 14th, at 7 PM. It's FREE, and you need to come hear our neighbors from Rose Creek Village, which is just outside Selmer. (Ask Holt!)

I hear the Tigers took the gas-pipe in the 4th Quarter against Rice tonight, while the unbeaten Red Wolves of Arkansas State beat Texas Southern, 83-10. I am looking more forward to the A-State- Memphis game more every second!

I'll be back tomorrow, so you may not get the weekly roundup until late.

Now, back to the music!

I just realized that, for the second straight week, I will be at a festival

and, as the Lovely Lauren has noted, it is CelticFest Mississippi, so my Feel Good Friday is first from the people who help run it, Jackson-based Legacy!



Now, here are our friends from Baton Rouge, Smithfield Fair, doing the traditional WILD MOUNTAIN THYME:





Have a great weekend, I know Lauren and I plan to!

All right, team, it's GO TIME!!!!

- Memphis Obama Campaign Headquarters is OPEN -

Need Volunteers to staff HQS, Volunteers to Register Voters, and supplies for HQS

Hello All,

Many of you were involved in the grassroots Women for Kerry Voter Registration initiative in 2004. Thanks to all of the hard work of volunteers like you, we managed to register about 6,000 voters in one month. Everybody did their part, we had hundreds of volunteers giving whatever time they could to exceed our registration goal. It is time again to register voters in this Obama 08 presidential campaign that may be the most important election in our lifetime.

We can't imagine candidates representing more dramatic differences. This week's Republican convention has just confirmed we MUST work to elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The stakes could NOT BE HIGHER.

It is time for Democrats to unite behind our exciting Obama/Biden ticket for CHANGE. As Barack Obama said in his incredible acceptance speech - ENOUGH! The consequences of allowing a McCain/Palin ticket to be elected is personally too frightening to imagine.

We are fortunate and very lucky to have an Obama/Biden HQ established in Memphis this year at 5026 Park Avenue in Eastgate Shopping Center. If you haven't already, sign up for the Memphis for Obama 08 Campaign at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MemphisforObama08.

Presently, the campaign is working to secure materials and resources for the city and this includes staffing and furnishing the HQ. Until the official open house, the HQ will be open only on Saturdays from 10 am - 5 pm for our city wide voter registration drive.

The items listed below are still needed for the Obama HQ. If you can donate please stop by 5026 Park Avenue on Saturday between the hours of 10am- 5pm. Items needed:

computers & printers/multi-purpose machines
office supplies (pens, pencils, clip boards, paper, etc.)
desks
phones
trash cans, trash bags
gift cards (Kinkos, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, etc)

Also, if you have any time availability and would like to volunteer to help out with staffing the office please contact Nika Jackson, Memphis/West TN Obama Field Organizer, nikajackson@gmail.com with your name and phone number. Any questions? Just contact Ms. Jackson.

The Obama/Biden team is planning to focus squarely on voter registration between now and October 6th. Please go to the MyBarackObama.com website http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gplgpg to sign up to register voters.

Voter registration events will be each Saturday between now and October 6th, from 10 AM - 2 PM, meeting first at Obama/Biden HQS, 5026 Park, in Eastgate Shopping Center.

VOTE FOR CHANGE City-Wide Voter Registration Drive
Saturday, September 6 at 10:00 AM - 4 hours

Volunteers will be meeting at Obama Headquarters, 5026 Park Avenue every Saturday at 10am to break into voter registration teams and cover the city. Focus right now is on Obama-friendly areas in the inner-city, particularly libraries, shopping centers, grocery stores, and other high traffic areas. If you have suggestions on where volunteers would be welcome to register voters, please contact Kerry Hayes, 901-481-5104, kerry.hayes@gmail.com.

Even if you can only volunteer for one hour, you can make a difference. If you can't volunteer on Saturday, contact Kerry Hayes, 901-481-5104, kerry.hayes@gmail.com to arrange other volunteer opportunities. Voter registration may well be the difference in the outcome of this election.

Let's Make History Together - YES WE CAN!!!!

Ann Sandberg

Becky Kelly

Midsouth Democrats in Action

Heh. Think THIS may be how Palin was vetted?

thanks to Joe at AmericaBlog