What? Haven't voted yet? Here's the list of Satellite locations, GO!

Satellite Early Voting is from today through next Thursday, May 1.  Here are the list of polling places:

Early Voting Locations - April 25 thru May 1st

Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA), Sec. 2-6-103, notice is hereby given by the Shelby County Election Commission of unrestricted early voting for voters in all wards and precincts in Shelby County,

Tennessee. This early voting will take place as follows:

DOWNTOWN EARLY VOTING LOCATION: Shelby County Office Building, 157 Poplar Ave., 38103

Beginning: Wednesday, April 16 – Thursday, May 1, 2014 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Saturdays, April 19 & April 26, 2014 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

CLOSED FRIDAY, April 18, 2014, in observance of Good Friday

EARLY VOTING SATELLITE LOCATIONS:

Beginning: Friday, April 25 – Thursday May 1, 2014 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 26, 2014 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

 

LOCATION ADDRESS LOCATION ADDRESS

Abundant Grace Fellowship Church 1574 E. Shelby Dr., 38116

Greater Lewis Street Baptist Church 152 E. Parkway N., 38104

Agri-Center 7777 Walnut Grove Rd.

Greater Middle Baptist Church 4982 Knight Arnold, 38118

Anointed Temple of Praise 3939 Riverdale Rd., 38141

Mississippi Blvd. Church – Family Life Center 70 N. Bellevue Blvd., 38106

Baker Community Center 7942 Church Rd., 38053

Mt. Zion Baptist Church 60 S. Parkway E., 38106

Bellevue Baptist Church 2000 Appling Rd., 38016

New Bethel Baptist Church 7786 Poplar Pike St., 38138

Bethel Church 5586 Stage Rd., 38134

Raleigh United Methodist Church 3295 Powers Rd., 38128

Berclair Church of Christ 4536 Summer Ave., 38122

Riverside Baptist Church 3560 S. Third St., 38109

Collierville Church of Christ 575 Shelton Dr., 38017

Shiloh Baptist Church 3121 Range Line Rd., 38127

Dave Wells Community Center 915 Chelsea Ave., 38107

The Refuge Church 9817 Huff N Puff Rd., 38002

Glenview Community Center 1141 S. Barksdale St., 38114

White Station Church of Christ 1106 Colonial Rd., 38117

Enjoy your Good Friday and Easter weekend

And how else would I celebrate these holidays?

Some thoughts on where we are and WHO we are and WHAT we are as Democrats.

A couple of weeks ago, I was having a discussion with a friend who is also an elected official.  My friend suggested, with good reason, that next year, when there are NO partisan elections, that we have a retreat or gathering with as many of us who consider ourselves to be Democrats gather to discuss just what we mean when we say we are Democrats.

Part of our problem, at least on a statewide basis, is that so many Democrats wanted to run from what it meant to be a NATIONAL Democrat, since that involved discussions of race and what we were as Democrats prior to 1964.  We had Democrats in the rural areas that wanted no part of the Democrats of the urban areas that brought them statewide victories.  Many of them retired or got beat in response to the election of Barack Obama as President.

Also as much as no one wanted to admit it, there were (and ARE) urban Democrats who wanted no part of the rural Democrats that enabled us to control the General Assembly for 140 years, along with the machinery of state government.

The true fact, as far as I am concerned, Democrats are not all ANYTHING.  We are a polyglot, with white, black, brown, straight, gay, transgender, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, with the occasional Buddhist thrown in for good measure.  The Republicans have spent the last 40 years attacking any position left of far right, much less left of center.  In the process, they have done their best to destroy harmony in this country, marginalizing centrist Republicans and forcing moderates like Lamar Alexander to kowtow to the further of the right.

However, due to this situation, as many of us struggle with how to move the country's true center back TO the center, we face a struggle within our own ranks.  These pop up especially in the primaries.

Those of us that sit on the Executive Committee must understand (and I include myself) that we are not the Party, but merely represent it.  Those who vote in primaries are the ones who truly can call themselves Democrats, and we have to figure out A) why so many Democrats refuse to take part in the primary process and B) just what it is that they want for their candidates.

And, C) why it appears that white candidates feel that they can't win primaries, and D) why African-Americans feel that white Democrats won't vote for African-Americans in county general elections.

Both of these are, in my opinion, overreactions.  Both of the men named Harold Ford could not have been elected without white support, and Steve Cohen could not have been elected without African-American support.  Indeed, I find that when it comes to elections involving actual issues and policy, such as executive races (Mayor, Sheriff) or legislative, all Democrats vote together.

That, above all else, is why ALL Democrats need to gather next year.  I intend to work behind the scenes for this as we move through the year.

Here's something to consider:  Regarding clerkship races, white Democrats often see no difference in policy, and many of them believe that court clerkships should be appointed by the judges of those jurisdictions rather than be elected.  I have said this before, and will keep saying it.  Clerkship races tend to be more about the number of jobs that can be hired than any policies that need to be reviewed. This is why we lose white Democrats at that point in the ballot.  That, and the face that we lose all types of Democrats that far down the ballot.

One of the problems that African-American candidates face is that, while activists like myself know these candidates, the average voters do not.  I can help to a certain extent, but if you plan to run countywide, you had better be able to raise at least $50,000 or you aren't going to have a chance to beat an incumbent.   Why?  Because you need to be able to do direct mail to Democrats, especially white Democrats.  If you have sent mail pieces to white Democrats, that makes it far more likely that they will greet you warmly when you do targeted door-to-door.   (I had a candidate once ask me this very thing several years ago).  We are, in fact seeing this more often, as I am starting to get mail pieces from all Democratic candidates.

As familiarity increases, so will the number of victorious Democratic candidates.  This leads me to my next topic.

As Democrats, we need to stop beating each other up in public.  (Waits for the tomatoes to be thrown).  I understand my own role in this, and work to do better.  To those who are candidates in the primary, I want to know not only why you are the best Democrat, but to know how you will beat the Republican you will face in the general.

And once we have completed this process, we have to work together and elect Democrats.  You may not like whom the Democratic electorate has selected as the candidate, but we have to respect that choice, regardless, because, to paraphrase Hyman Roth, this is the Party we have chosen.

This, too, is why I hope that we, as a Party Executive Committee, do NOT choose to endorse in the non-partisan judicial races.  If we wish to identify those who have voted more in the Democratic primaries, that's one thing.  Choosing between Democrats is not OUR job, it's the electorate's job, and we had better respect that.  It also takes focus away from our primary function: to assist the NOMINEES of the Party with their elections.  Also, as I know (and have DONE in the past), the ExecCom members will help whomever they please, as it's a NON-PARTISAN election.  ENDORSEES are NOT NOMINEES, now or ever.

With regard to Party Discipline, we have to be judicious and select the proper time for such matters, which is NOT the same thing as suggesting that we have NO discipline.   We can move forward from here.

I also have to say that Bryan Carson is doing an amazing job of juggling all the various groups within the party, and those of us who have been around for a while need to be there for him more than we have been.  He's doing a fine job right now, and he continues to bust his butt to elect Democrats.

It's time to work for the primary candidate of your choice, and then support whichever nominee is chosen by the Democratic electorate.

And let's think always about how to INCREASE that Democratic electorate.

Give me some RED MEAT, y'all!

As Kyle Veazey noted in his coverage of last night's Democratic County Mayoral debate, (sorry, behind a paywall) there was not much disagreement among the candidates, other than Rev. Kenneth Whalum calling, as he has throughout, that NO SCHOOLS should be closed in the city.  It got to a point where my co-blogger Jon and I figured that if we had taken a shot of whiskey every time he suggested this, our livers would have fallen out of our bodies before the first hour had ended.

I believe he is sincere, and I agree that we have to focus on the inner city in order to turn the city around, I just don't know how you fund that, since it will take a hell of a lot more than the $57 million that the courts say the city owes Shelby County Schools.  To be blunt, if a school is closing in a neighborhood, that is a real sign that the neighborhood is dead anyway, with anyone who could leave having done so.

Enough on that.  Even with all of that, all three of the candidates, including outgoing Commissioner Steve Mulroy and my favorite candidate, former Commission Chair Deidre Malone, would be a dramatic improvement over the incumbent, Mark Luttrell, who runs the County like it was a jail, something that I wish all three candidates would point out.

Y'all, PLEASE give us some red meat, will you??  All three of you need to beat up Mark Luttrell and point out his failures, because you are asking the electorate to reverse a decision they made four years ago, and that's not easy.  This means you A) have to point out why continuing his employment would be a costly mistake for Shelby Countians, and B) you then have to prove why YOU are the proper replacement.

AND YOU NEED TO STOP BEING SO DAMNED NICE ABOUT IT.  HIT HIM, WILL YOU?

Not physically, of course, that would be assault!   But ALL three of you need to attack him and attack him HARD and stop worrying about whether you are offending anyone.  If you are doing your jobs properly, SOMEONE will be offended, you just have to make sure it's the people who deserve to be offended!  I can't imagine that there are that many people who are voting in our primary that worry about Mark Luttrell's feelings.

Once this primary is over, you have to go HARD every day whacking the incumbent about the head and shoulders, and it's not like there's not a litany of reasons to do so: Title X, the anti-blight plan, Head Start, screwing over the city of Memphis, and on and on and on.

And when the Mayor shows up at Sidney Chism's picnic in June, whomever the winner is needs to be all up in Luttrell's grill about this stuff.  If you can't go after the REPUBLICAN County Mayor in Southwest Memphis, where the hell ARE you going to do it?  We need to be sure that any GOP candidate who shows up down there (and they ALL do) is confronted about their performance in office (or lack thereof).

Oh, and Early Voting starts downtown on April 16, and in the satellites on Friday, April 25.  Be ready, and go vote.

In the interim, Mayoral candidates, GO KICK LUTTRELL'S BUTT. REPEATEDLY.  LEAVE BOOTPRINTS!

You can thank me later.

One last note:  Since my last post, this blog has not one, BUT TWO, writers that are now members of the Shelby County Democratic Party Executive Committee.  I replaced the legendary Steve Ross in House 90, and Jon Carroll is now representing House 93, along with our friend John Marek.  Thanks to all who voted for us to be there; we promise to raise hell, take names, and elect Democrats.

I see what you did there, Commissioner Ford

Commissioner Justin Ford is in a tough re-nomination fight for his re-drawn County Commission seat.  During the redistricting, the parts of South Memphis surrounding the family funeral home at Florida and South Parkway were taken from him and given to Commissioner Walter Bailey.  Now, Ford's seat is primarily composed of Whitehaven and Westwood; while he is certainly known there, his strength is not as solid there as it was in South Memphis.

Add to that two fierce primary opponents in former MCS Board Commissioner Patrice Robinson and Memphis Education Association President Keith Williams, and the Commissioner faces the toughest campaign that he has had to face as a candidate.

All of that puts today's interesting development into context.

My phone blew up this morning with news that the Commissioner was planning to challenge Congressman Steve Cohen - as an INDEPENDENT.  This would have enabled him to avoid a primary; however, it would not have looked good if he were a sitting Democratic elected official who was undermining another Democratic nominee, regardless if it were the incumbent, Steve Cohen, or one of his challengers..

Then, it turns out that the petition was pulled but never filed, and by what Ford described as a "community group" that was not happy with the list of Democratic candidates for TN-09 and wanted him to run.  Ford was later quoted as saying that he may consider a Congressional run in two years.

UPDATE:  This is being edited to reflect new information, stop here and go read Jackson Baker, who, as always, has the full details.

Why we need to focus on MORE and BETTER Democrats at a state and local level

First, I apologize to the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association for not properly advertising the terrific event they had in Clarksville over the weekend.  I heard that they had a good turnout and people shared ideas on how to pull this state out of the death-grip of the Koch Brothers-owned Republican Party.  Right now, the TNDCCA is at the forefront of the movement, and I urge you to check them out.

I realize that people are disappointed that no one is challenging Governor Haslam other than his own party, but now is not the time to waste a run unless someone just wants to throw $10 million into a race.  Haslam is part of the problem, to be sure, but not the biggest part of the problem.

Until we regain a majority of the seats of one of the houses of the legislature, we can do nothing.  I am fully aware that it's very difficult right now the way the district lines have been drawn, anything we do is going to be an uphill fight.  That fight HAS to be fought, though.  This, year, next year, and every two years until we get control of the Assembly back in our hands.

It's going to require a lot of organizing and ground work, something that a lot of us seemingly have either forgotten how to do or gotten tired of doing it.  Unless you sell your soul to ALEC or Education "reformers" (see Deberry, John), you're not going to get much money with which to run for the legislative offices.  Given that we are in a post-Citizens United era, that makes life hard on those of us who do not believe in neo-feudalism and economic servitude.

What that means is that we have to change our message, change it to a message that will startle people at first, one the challenges people that vote against their own economic interests.  It means we need good candidates who aren't necessarily slick and who don't rely on messages that won't offend the wealthy, which means there are people in Nashville who won't be making money off the TNDP pushing neo-liberal or Blue Dog messages any more.

It means looking at some less-than-middle-class person who quit voting Democrat because we had the temerity to nominate and elect a person of color and saying this to him:

REALLY?  HOW'S THAT WORKING FOR YOU?

Sure, he will be pissed at first.  Then strike up a conversation where you talk to him about the GOP's economic vision is killing everyone but the 1% and ask him how rich the Republicans made HIM.  Until the culture is challenged, it won't change.  And if the culture won't change, then it will take all of us down with it.

We need people to run for the legislature that KNOW these things and can COMMUNICATE them.  Sure, at first, it will be tough.  But we have to stay on message and keep repeating it, just like the right-wing does.   Once you start, you can't stop.

One other thing.   The right-wing got control by running for smaller offices and working their way up, and that's what the left needs to do.  That's how you build a bench and that's how you train people to run.  Few things in life make me shake my head than to see someone who has no experience in politics run for a big office and then fall flat on their face, then bitch about politics.

It is a LEARNED SKILL, people.  You gotta work at it and pay your freaking dues.  Just because you look good or have money or you have people who follow you around and flatter you does not mean you should run for a high office off the bat.  Start with School Board, City Council, State Representative races.  Learn how to do it, and maybe you will catch a break and get elected.  Then, you learn the most important skill, one that most of the GOP in Nashville lack, the skill of GOVERNANCE.

Then, you can actually do what people sent you there to do: HELP THEM.

That's all for now, more in the next day or so.

Reginald Milton for County Commission, District 10

If ever someone's time has come, it's Reggie Milton's time.  Although he has never held elective office, his non-profit organization South Memphis Alliance has been a ground-breaker in bringing necessary social services to low-income families at, of all places, a LAUNDROMAT.  As this is widely used by the residents of the area, it helps them to access needed services that they might not otherwise be able to access.

Reggie is a pioneer in South Memphis and has worked with local officials in every area of government, making him particularly well-suited to serve the constituency of District 10.  I trust him to do the right thing and I know that not only is he the best candidate in the race, he will be the best public servant.

His primary opponents are former MCS Board member Martavius Jones and Jake Brown, who did some work for the State Party here before leaving to work for Liz Rincon's firm, which he has also left.  Jones did the right thing by voting for the MCS charter surrender, but his overall body of work on the Board was not, in my opinion, much more than adequate.

Brown is attempting to get the white Democratic vote (which, given the number of Midtown Democratic activists lined up behind Reggie, is rather puzzling) and has also been seen with folks formerly associated with, but now against, Congressman Steve Cohen.  THAT won't help Brown in Midtown, that's for sure.

It will be a heavily contested race, as Jones does have some well-heeled backers.  However, Milton does as well, and I think that the combination of organization and work-ethic that Reggie has displayed for all the years I have known him will carry the day.

I trust Reggie Milton, I support him and will vote for him for County Commission.  I hope that you will as well.

It's all in how you prepare and how you respond

It took me 16 hours over two days to get from Dallas to Memphis.  Part of that was because I-30 was slowed to a horrible crawl yesterday between Greenville and Sulphur Springs, a 25-mile drive that took four hours.  Dallas was fine, and after Sulphur Springs we made great time all the way to Bryant, AR, where we stayed the night.

We stopped there, even though Memphis, under normal conditions, would only have been two hours away.  However, even then we knew that I-40 was a virtual parking lot between Brinkley and West Memphis, because the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department had not adequately prepped the roads for the winter blast of Sunday night. (we got that in Dallas, too: it was 82 on Saturday, 22 on Sunday).

Also, the I Drive Arkansas app would not work at times, so I drove on US 70 between Hazen and Shell Lake, and drove on roads that were covered in ice, and I STILL kept moving and making better time than I-40, which paralleled US 70 for a good portion of the trip.  We made that part of the run in roughly 3 hours.

We got back on 40 at Shell Lake about 2:45 PM, only a few miles outside of West Memphis.  It moved well until we got to near the Airport exit and everything stopped.  From that point, it took two hours and 30 minutes to get across the Desoto Bridge because of the road conditions.  We couldn't get good information, and the Crittenden County Sheriff's office hung up on me.

The AHTD and the State Police pretty much had a complete failure.  They KNEW this was coming, and they didn't pre-treat the roads, and we had the disaster that we had, and I-55 from the Bootheel to West Memphis was even worse.  There is no excuse for this situation, and this is what limited, reduced government of the type the Tea Party wants to force on us will bring you.

If taxes have to be raised to ensure that the state of Arkansas has the infrastructure necessary to prevent a recurrence, then RAISE THEM.  I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis is said to have the HIGHEST percentage of semi-truck travel in the UNITED STATES.  Their failure to prepare and then react has affected the commerce of the entire country, which matters more than a frustrated middle-age couple going from Dallas to Memphis.  Hell, there are trucks and people STILL on the damned expressways over there with no real idea how they are getting out of it tonight.  All the truck stops in West Memphis are FULL.

One of the things I thought of while driving in the middle of all this was that how this might have been different if, A) they had prepared properly, and B) we had TWO more bridges across the Mississippi River in this area.

It's time to COMPLETE THE BELTWAY.  Let's extend I-269 West from Millington,around the north end of Shelby Forest, around the junction of I-55 and US 63/I-555, then down on the western side of West Memphis, down around Horseshoe Lake, and across the river to meet the western end of I 69 near Tunica.  This would greatly ease the truck traffic around the city, and might have helped get rid of the slowdowns.

(Cue SMART CITY MEMPHIS screaming about sprawl!)

Too late for that, what sprawl we have has already taken place on the eastern edge of I-269/TN 385.  I seriously doubt that if this were to take place, Turrell, Arkansas would suddenly have 50,000 people move there, and same for Horseshoe Lake.  We need serious infrastructure improvements, and this would be spectacular.  It also would reduce the in-town semi-truck traffic for Memphis, and that is something we would all like.

Add to that the building of I-69 from here north to the Kentucky border, which is necessary AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and we might just have something.

It's time to start building SOON.

Deidre Malone for County Mayor

I know, a lot of you probably thought I would jump on the Steve Mulroy bandwagon.  Why?

I supported Deidre 4 years ago, because I thought she was the best candidate running then, and I still do.  She is as solid a Democrat as there is, I served with her on the SCDP Executive Committee, and I was impressed then with her abilities to manage and coordinate while standing up for those issues that we as Democrats support.

She has been involved with large businesses, having served as a Vice President while at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and small businesses, working with them for her public relations firm the Carter Malone Group.  She has served two terms on the Shelby County Commission, chairing the Budget Committee and the Commission itself.

It is one thing to be a good advocate, as Commissioner Mulroy has been, for the most part, and as Reverend Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. was on the School Board.  That is what good legislators do, and Deidre did that as well.

It is quite another to build consensus, to manage large projects, and coordinate diverse efforts, and that is why Deidre, in my opinion, stands head and shoulders about the other candidates in the Democratic field.  Deidre is the only candidate in the Democratic field that can show her abilities in this skill set, the ADMINISTRATIVE skill set, and she will prove why she can defeat Warden, er, Mayor Mark Luttrell in the August County General Election.

Look, I like Steve Mulroy, he stands up for a lot of the things I believe in, and he 's a great advocate.  I appreciate the Kellogg's campout, it's something that all Democrats need to be involved with, supporting our workers.

However, I have a question for him:  Do you remember back in October 2011, when Luttrell pulled the Title X funding from Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region and got the Commission to approve a contract for Christ Community Health Center, which was about the least-friendly option for reproductive rights for indigent women?  Remember how you wound up voting for that, which led to an angry call from me and we talked about it?  You even posted your reasoning on Facebook, which appeased a lot of people because you said that you would be able to get oversight for the CCHC operations to ensure that indigent women would get the reproductive services that had been provided by PPGMR.

My question is twofold, Commissioner.  First, where's the oversight?  I don't remember seeing ANYTHING in the CA, the Flyer, the Daily News, the MBJ or the TV stations about any oversight being done.  Has there been any oversight?  If so, what happened?

The second part of the question is this:  If you were to be elected Mayor, and the contract came up for renewal, would you support giving the contract back to PPGMR?  I think a lot of your potential supporters would love to know the answer to that question.

While we are waiting, let's talk about the Reverend Kenneth Whalum, Jr, whom I like and respect as well.  He knows how to advocate against something, as his pointed attacks on the poor campaign done by the Memphis Pre-K Initiative sank it.  His use of free media overcame the huge sums of money spent by the Pre-K folks, and he was smart about it.

One of the reasons that he is in this race, I believe, is that he is upset with Deidre for her support of the pre-K Initiative and for her support of the MCS-SCS merger, which I also supported and proudly so.  Yes, the Reverend has screamed about the $57 million supposedly owed by the City of Memphis to MCS/SCS (Shea Flinn can prove that the schools actually owe the city, but I digress), and he was on the Board when that was going on, so what happened?

It is also important to remember WHY MCS surrendered its charter.  The GOP-dominated legislature was going to allow the then-suburban based SCS to draw a hard boundary and create a Special School District, which would have forced MCS to rely on just the tax money from within the city, which would have starved it to death.  (yes, I agree that MCS was overly layered with bureacracy, but that's an argument for another day).  SCS would have gotten richer, MCS would have gotten poorer, and the downward spiral would have escalated quickly.

Now, since the merger took place, all the schools in MCS receive money from the ENTIRE county as the unified district, while all the folks living in the burbs with their own MSDs have to pay for TWO systems, like Memphis used to do.  The problems in SCS now have far more to do with the GOP agenda to force excessive testing on the system in their never-ending attempt to destroy public education.  You know that to be true, Reverend, why don't you mention that?

You say you want to retire and replace ineffective politicians; I can appreciate that.  So why are you opposing someone who has actually been EFFECTIVE?   You have to be more specific in your advocacy and you need to tell us how you're going to do this.

And all of you need to tell us why Luttrell needs to go, because the media, especially TV, seems be in the tank for him.  It's one thing for me to tell people why he runs the county like a jail, but you ALL need to do it.

Since I believe Deidre Malone is not only the best candidate for doing just that, by governing this county and working with the Commission to achieve a higher standard, I am supporting her for Mayor, and I hope you will as well.

We CAN'T let up on Senator Kelsey

As I noted Friday, even though Senator Kelsey may have fooled the ACLU because he dropped sponsorship, the TURN AWAY THE GAYS bill is STILL in the committee that he chairs, Senate Judiciary.
The pressure is not going away; in fact, if you get a chance, call his office or email him here:

Senator Brian Kelsey

R-Germantown
District 31 — Part of Shelby County — Map

district address

110 E. Mulberry St.
Suite 200
Collierville, TN 38017

nashville address

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 7 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-3036
sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov
www.briankelsey.org

KILL the Bill, Senator Kelsey

You know the one, Senator Kelsey, SB2566.

To paraphrase one of my favorite movie characters, did you think that little farce you played yesterday by dropping sponsorship of this ridiculous, blatantly UNCONSTITUTIONAL bill would fool the LGBTQ community and their straight allies?  You have to ANSWER for this bill, Senator.

We know that just because Senator Mike Bell of Riceville picked up the Senate sponsorship, it's still going through YOUR committee, Senate Judiciary.  Do you think for one second that those of us who believe in full equality are going to let up on you for even a second?  Oh, and if I were you, I don't think I would try to make reservations at Restaurant Iris or Second Line any time soon, you know what I mean?

The ideology may have changed, for the worse, since Ron Ramsey became Lt. Governor, but bills that don't need to see the light of day still get killed by committee chairs, such as yourself.  Kill this bill, and let Senator Bell tell his constituents that it was your fault because you got too much heat from YOUR constituents.  You know how to do it, you did it to Mae Beavers last year when she had a clearly unconstitutional bill.

Some of the comments in the CA and the Flyer hit a little too close to home, did they?  We're still holding YOU accountable, Senator, just like we will for your bill to remove two Shelby County judgeships that are still necessary.  Just because you and your $244,000 war chest may not yet have an opponent, doesn't mean you won't face more intense scrutiny, one way or the other.  And it's only going to get hotter for you.

We've already got a fundraiser lined up, all we need is a candidate.  Sure, a good portion of your 31st Senate District may have Germantown, but the district is far more than Germantown, if it comes all the way over to me in Humes Heights.  No matter how prostrate you may be to the Koch Brothers, you can be had, Senator.

Killing this bill would be a good step, Senator.  The gas is on medium heat now, if the bill is not killed in committee, who knows how high it could go?

Your move, Senator Kelsey.

At Long Last Senator, Have You No Dictionary?

Try Union Brand Laxative for Republicans
Effectiveness 100% Guaranteed!

Bob Corker really, really doesn't like unions, and he's been on quite a tear lately to tell everyone who will listen just how much he wishes they would stop all the complaining about workers' rights and fair pay and just go away. I was probably as surprised as anyone to learn this morning that Senator Bob Corker claimed to have a secret plan to end the Vietnam War inside information about Volkswagen's plans for its Chattanooga plant, but that did not prepare me for the nearly electric shock I experienced when I read that he'd said this:

Our concern is not with the works council and never has been, and Volkswagen knows that very well. U.S. labor relations and German relations are very different. There's some question as to how a works council can be set up in the U.S., and there are various opinions on both sides of the spectrum, one says you have to have a union, one says you don't. But we in no way have been negative relative to the works council. It's really been the fact that the UAW would be the implementing entity. We've even told Volkswagen that, 'why don't you guys create your own union within the plant, if you feel like that is something that is necessary to fully implement this in a way you see fit.' I will say that BMW has implemented its works council without the UAW.

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that this statement alone demonstrates that Bob Corker has no idea how a union works, what unions are for, or why someone would want to join one.

First of all, company unions were outlawed in the United States in 1935. You might expect a U.S. senator to know that already, but in Corker's case you would be wrong. Volkswagen might also expect a U.S. lawmaker who is presuming to tell them how to do business in Tennessee would be conversant in the relevant laws and statutes, and they would also be wrong.

Secondly, BMW has done no such thing, for the reason outlined above: it would be illegal. Let me reiterate that Senator Corker told a reporter that a company operating in the United States was conducting its business in violation of the law. When asked about this, Corker responded:

It's not illegal. As a matter of fact, I don't want to debate this, because this is a debate for lawyers, but I believe that it's easier to create a German-style works council without a union.

Gee, if only the senator had someone handy who understood the law.

Most alarming, however, is the senator's apparent belief that Volkswagen can simply form their own union and put all the Chattanooga factory workers in it, as if that neatly settles the matter. It just so happens that Senator Corker is not the only person with inside information, and a source within his office has revealed to me that next on his legislative agenda are plans to put children in charge of schools, give lunatics the keys to the asylum, and beef up hen house security by hiring unemployed foxes.

West Tennesseans For Progress helping Reginald Milton (and so am I)

For the record, I am openly and proudly supporting the candidacy of Reginald Milton for County Commission District 10, in which I now reside.  I hope that you will support him as well.  His record of service to the community is beyond exemplary at the South Memphis Alliance.  Please join us if you can this Friday at Red Bar.

We're chipping in for Reginald Milton's run in the new County Commission District 10. Please join us. When FRIDAY FEB 7, 2014from 5:30 to 7:30pm Where Red Bar  31 Florence Street, Memphis, TN 38104 Register

Touching tribute from Bill Day

Shared with permission:

Pete Seeger. American, dead at 94

One of the greatest American folk singers and songwriters, Pete Seeger, passed away last night after a short hospital stay.  We remember his greatness here:

WHALUM! Stirs the pot, enters Democratic race for County Mayor

I wondered what was up a few days ago when the Reverend Kenneth Whalum Jr of the New Olivet Baptist Church announced on Facebook that he had informed presumed Democratic frontrunner Deidre Malone that he could not support her candidacy.   Given that, to that point, her only challenger for the nomination was County Commission Chair James Harvey, who had soiled himself among Democratic activists by giving his votes to the GOP in return for their Chair votes, so things looked rather good for her, primarywise.

I knew that the Reverend was not pleased with Deidre for her support of the Memphis Pre-K Initiative, which Whalum busted his butt to defeat at the polls.  He took the very poor campaign of the Initiative, used free media brilliantly to overcome a heavily-financed campaign.  He is also no stranger to elective office, having served on the MCS Board and arguably had re-election taken from him due to, at the very least, ineptitude of the Shelby County Election Commission.

So, he knows how to run for office, he knows how to marshal support and he knows how to get free media, not even counting his every-Friday-morning appearance on Drake & Zeke on 98.1 The Max.  So, does he have a chance to win?  Yes.  Will he win?  Well, let's see how this plays out.

This battle is going to be fought in a May 6 County Primary, which is traditionally one of the lowest-turnout events that we have in this County.  With that in mind, if you are a candidate, your job is to A) find YOUR voters, B) get them out to vote for you, while C) NOT waking up your opponent(s)' voters so that they go out and vote for THEIR candidate.  Tricky?  Yes.  While I have no doubt Reverend Whalum can pull off A and B, C may be more difficult, as he is not subtle and is good at stirring things up, which is not a bad thing at all, usually.

I do not think Harvey has that much of a chance, as the story of his election to the Chairmanship is made known to the Democratic electorate.  The would-be coronation of Deidre Malone has been put on hold for now, and she has to wonder how this keeps happening.  She was the pre-emptive favorite to win the primary four years ago until Joe Ford stunningly was named interim Mayor of the County.  When Joe decided to run for re-election,  his name still had enough clout in a Democratic Primary to knock off the outgoing Commissioner Malone.

This race just got real interesting real quick. It's time for everyone who supports these candidates to crank it up NOW!

Ladies and Gentlemen, SPEAK TO POWER has returned!

Out of nowhere, Steve Ross and Trace Sharp resurrected SPEAK TO POWER this week, just in time to cover the insanity that is the GOP-controlled Tennessee General Assembly.  It's time to add them back to your RSS feeds and bookmarks, they are rolling harder than ever to document the atrocities taking place in NashVegas!

Welcome back, SPEAK TO POWER!  Hey, I wonder if they need anyone else????  

Looks like I missed an interesting Kennedy Day...

As Jackson Baker noted, there was a good showing for the 2014 Kennedy Day dinner, put on by the SCDP at Bridges on Saturday night, I hate that I missed it.

After a good speech by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), a panel involving several women with great history within the party was held, including Judge Camille McMullen, former Public Service Commissioner Sara Kyle, former Senator Beverly Marrero, former NAACP head and current Representative Johnnie Turner, and longtime former school board member Sara Lewis.

However, it was a woman not on the panel who made the loudest comments.  Former State Representative and City Councilor Carol Chumney (full disclosure for those newer readers: she has been a friend for over 20 years and I co-managed her County Mayor campaign in 2002) said that in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties, there was a "Republi-Democratic" party filled with Democrats who support Republicans.  She then called out Congressman Steve Cohen for not supporting her during her unsuccessful race for Attorney General in 2012.

Sigh.

Should the Congressman have supported her?  It wouldn't have hurt, but let's be serious here, it wouldn't have helped that much, either.  Her campaign started too late, didn't raise enough money, and I'm not sure that if he had supported her as he supported Assessor Cheyenne Johnson and now-General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton, that she would have won.  One other thing that I have to note:  It never seemed to me that she went after Amy Weirich with the same vigor as she had AC Wharton (twice, in 2002 and 2009) and Dr. Herenton (2007).  I don't get that, either, because Weirich had and still has vulnerabilities with regard to the operation of her office.  Carol never brought those up and I just don't get that.

Carol just is no longer the strong candidate she was during her legislative days.  I hate that, as her days in the state House were terrific for her constituents and the City in general.  It just takes a hell of a lot of time and money to win city or countywide, and you have to start a year in advance.  THAT is how you get Democrats not to support Republicans, by making sure you are in early and by doing pre-emptive strikes on Democratic donors.

 My own rant: Why does no Democrat want to take on and attack Attorney General Amy Weirich, who refuses to discipline her lead prosecutor, Tom Henderson, who was censured by the state last week?  She will be in FOR EIGHT YEARS if we don't beat her this year, and that's not good for anyone.  If you believe it doesn't matter who the AG is, you are deluding yourself, it's arguably the most important office in the county.  Rant over.

For you old timers, remember when, during the 70s and 80s, Mark Flanagan would run against Harold Ford, Sr, in the 9th District primary just so people whom Senior had pissed off for whatever reason could vote against him?  Of course, they would return to the fold for November, because none of them would be caught dead voting GOP.

This is what Ricky Wilkins' candidacy represents to me, the latest in a longline of Flanaganesque campaigns that result in a massive landslide for the incumbent.  This is because our Congressman takes EVERY candidate who runs against him seriously, even Charlotte Bergmann.  It's the same group of people who have been pissed off for years, who pretend as though they have the pulse of the city, only to see their candidate lose like the 1962 New York Mets.

One of the problems that they have with him is that he won't be the boss.  The city's Democrats have been used to a machine at several points in the last century, most notably EH Crump from the Oughts to the late 40s, and the organization of Harold Ford Senior in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.  It's true that Harold Senior had a crack team of people throughout the city, many of them veterans of the civil rights movement to whom organization was second nature.

However, when Senior gave up his seat to Junior in 1996, Junior didn't do that much to maintain that organization, which was being decimated by age and death.  What remained of it through his ill-fated 2006 Senate campaign was maintained by family friends and friendly local legislators, who were also starting to be decimated as well, by age and the Tennessee Waltz scandal.   However, that came to an end.

Congressman Cohen won his first primary in 2006 with a combination of white Midtown liberals, some of the civil-rights veterans remaining along with African-Americans he had served during his 24 years in the State Senate.  He has retained the seat with an epic work ethic and solid constituent service despite campaigns from African-Americans who have implied that he can't truly represent their community.  Of course, as you know, each election, 70-75 percent of the African-American electorate show their disagreement with those campaigns by renominating and then re-electing the Congressman.  So, the Flanaganesque campaigns will continue, and as always, ending in a rout of the challenger.  It would be nice if he had a break, but since Senior never got one, I doubt Steve will, either.

Steve has his organization, to be sure, but it doesn't seem like anyone other than AC Wharton (and his is nonpartisan, not really Democratic in nature) has bothered to build an infrastructure for phone-banking and canvassing.  Van Turner started, and Bryan Carson is trying his damnedest to raise enough money for the August and November elections, hence the two big fundraisers of note.

I think there are those that believe Steve needs to be like Senior and carry the County Party on his back, but I don't think that's really possible any more, because it's not 1992 any more. As  I noted earlier, many of the old hands of the Ford campaigns are gone, and many middle-class African Americans have left the city for Desoto and other counties; go look at the census numbers if you don't believe me.  THAT, as much as anything, is why the old and fallacious belief, that all you need to do is turn now the African-American vote and you are a sure winner, has been an abject failure.  How's that worked so far?

So, what do we do now?  Give me a day to think about it, and I will have more for you, I gotta go to bed.

Stay tuned!

You still have time to get your Kennedy Day tickets, but you need to HURRY.

The Shelby County Democratic Party is having it’s John F. Kennedy Day DinnerSaturday, January 18, 2014.The theme of this event is “The Year of The Woman.” 

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-California, 13th District) is the confirmed speaker. 

After Rep. Lee’s talk, there will be a panel discussion made up of elected/appointed women primarily discussing the challenges of public office, the grit needed to achieve and maintain those offices and the challenge women face running for/being appointed to public office. 

The 2014 Kennedy Day Dinner will be at BRIDGES, 477 N 5th St, Memphis, TN 38105.

“The Year of the Woman” Panelists

Judge Camille McMullen previously served as a state and federal prosecutor in Memphis, Tennessee. She served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Thirty Judicial District from 1998 to 2001. She then served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 2001 to 2008. In 2008, Judge McMullen was appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. She made history as the first African-American woman to serve on an intermediate appellate court in Tennessee. She has also served as a member of the Memphis, Tennessee, and National Bar Associations; Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women; the National Association of Women Judges; and as a Master with the Leo Bearman Sr., Inn of Court.

Sara Kyle served as a public defender before her election to the Memphis City Court bench in 1991. Ms. Kyle resigned from her City Judge’s position in March of 1994 to run statewide for the Public Service Commission, the predecessor to Tennessee Regulatory Authority. The Public Service Commission was dissolved in 1996 and replaced by the TRA. Ms. Kyle was appointed to the TRA February 29, 1996, becoming one of the first three members, and served as a Director on the regulatory authority until March 2013. Recently, she considered a 2014 run against current Governor Bill Haslem – she changed her mind about running due to the illness of her mother who just passed. Ms. Kyle is married to state Sen. Jim Kyle.

State Rep. Johnnie R. Turner was appointed to complete the term representing House District 85 in January 2010 after her husband, State Rep. Larry Turner’s untimely death. He represented the 85th District for 25 years. She ran for election to the 85th District seat in 2010 and won. At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Rep. Turner served on the Consumer and Human Resources,Government Operations, Children and Family Affairs, Consumer and Employee Affairs committees. She is also the Treasurer of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators. A civil rights advocate, Rep. Turner is a former Executive Director of the Memphis Branch NAACP and a retired educator of Memphis City Schools.

Sara Lewis has been a classroom teacher, curriculum developer, grant writer, Title I Project Director, an area specialist, elementary school principal and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. She retired from the Memphis City Schools to become the Executive Director of Free The Children Inc., a demonstration program that addressed the root causes of poverty in selected census zones in North Memphis. In 1991 Lewis became the first African-American to be elected to an At-Large Position on the Board of Education of the Memphis City Schools. Lewis retired from the Board of Education on December 31, 2006 after completing her fourth term. She was re-elected to the Board of Education, representing District 6, on December 7, 2010. Her term of office ended August 31, 2013.

Beverly Marrero was first elected to the 103^rd General Assembly in the Tennessee House of Representatives by-election after Rep. Carol Chumney resigned to become a member of the Memphis City Council. Marrero served in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2006. In March 2007, Marrero won special election for the Tennessee State Senate seat vacated by then newly elected U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen. She represented the 30th Senate District from 2008 until 2012. Due to redistricting, Shelby County lost one of its six Senate seats which resulted in Marrerro and Sen. Jim Kyle running for the same Senate seat. Marrero also served as delegate for the State of Tennessee in the 1976 Democratic National Convention. She began politics working for the election of John F. Kennedy by going door to door in her neighborhood. She worked in Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, and New Hampshire for Jimmy Carter's campaign.

Moderator: Deidre Malone served eight years as a Shelby County Commissioner. She became the first African-American woman to serve as chair of the Shelby County Commission and budget committee chairwoman. In 2010, Malone made an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Shelby County. This year, Malone will again seek the Democratic nomination for Shelby County mayor, hoping to win the right to challenge the incumbent, Republican mayor. She is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Carter Malone Group, LLC (CMG), a public relations, marketing and advertising firm headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to opening CMG in 2003, Malone served as Vice President of Marketing Development for ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Director of Public Relations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for 10 years. 

Year of Woman 2014 Flyer with Panelists.jpg

Rally for LOCKED OUT Kellogg's Workers this Saturday!

Thanks to Representative GA Hardaway for the information:

*RALLY IN SUPPORT OF LOCKED OUT KELLOGG WORKERS*

Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and Community Partners Supporting BCTGM Local 252G Workers

WHEN: Saturday January 11, 2014
             3:30 p.m. til 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Airways at Dunn Avenue, Front Gate of Kellogg Company

ONE HOUR FOR WORKERS JUSTICE
"If Not Now WHEN"

This is an attack on all workers. A profitable company wanting to replace middle-income jobs with casual,part-time workers. Injustice to One is Injustice to All. A company that received PILOT for our city and county guarantee middle-income wages and benefits. Ignoring a Master Agreement it has with BCTGM local unions representing cereal workers at four plants: Memphis, TN; Battle Creek, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska; and Lancaster, PA.

It has been 78 days since Kellogg Company locked out its Memphis workers. It is time for the community to stand with the members and families of BCTGM Local 252G and demand that Kellogg open the doors and bargain in good faith. Over 200 working men and women no longer can support their families.

Contact Kermit Moore, President Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute at kermit.moorejr@gmail.com or 901-351-1973

Happy New Year, and let's prevent a mistake!

I had heard rumors for a month now that the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market was being wooed by Loeb to move from the parking lot of First Congregational Church at Cooper and Walker to the new parking garage at Overton Square.  Today, Toby Sells of the Flyer has an article about this possibility.

CYCFM is the only year-round Farmer's Market in the city that sources from local growers and vendors; the others in the area are seasonal.  From what I am hearing, the vendors are not agreed as to whether this would be a good move or not, and I tend to think that it will not be as positive as one would suspect.

First, while the bottom floor of the Garage would provide cover for the Market, its' accessibility would be reduced, as well as its visibility from the street.  Second, will food trucks be allowed, or would the local restaurants surrounding the Market raise a stink?  Third, while this is a nice addition to the Square, how knows long Loeb will stay committed to what has always been a COMMUNITY market?  Loeb, for all the great things they have done, is a BUSINESS, and if the Market becomes more of a problem or out grows its space, could get dumped for something more profitable.  CYCFM, you KNOW that won't happen with First Congo.

And lastly, but most importantly, what about the COMMUNITY in the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market?  You serve the whole of Midtown in your great space in the First Congo lot, and it is a COMMUNITY meeting spot for that area.  There is lots of parking surrounding your current location, the irony of moving to the Square Garage is that there might actually be LESS surrounding parking for your customers.

CYCFM, you are one of the city's greatest assets, please consider this carefully before you leave your home at First Congo.  Your intentions, and those of Loeb, may be good, but like my daddy used to say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Thanks for reading.

In which I lead a round of cheers for......Wyatt Bunker?????

I am just as shocked as you, my friends.  I have been opposed to this person holding office, well, ever since he has HELD office.  I now admit freely that I took pictures used in a TV spot for EC Jones when Mr. Bunker ran for a City Council position from a storage space on Highway 64.  Mr. Bunker lost that race, but was elected to other offices, including the one he is vacating on the County Commission and the one he is moving to as the newly-elected Mayor of Lakeland.

So, why, pray tell, am I leading hosannas for someone whose politics I find abhorrent 99.9% of the time?  Because only he, among all elected Republicans in Shelby County, realizes the damage that Shelby County Elections Administrator Richard Holden is doing to the elective process, and secondarily, to the image of the Shelby County Republican Party.  On his way out the County Commission door to Lakeland, Mr. Bunker is trying to get a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE from the Commission in the abilities of Mr. Holden as Administrator.

One can speculate at will as to Commissioner/Mayor Bunker's motives all you want, but I salute him for doing what no other Republican has had the guts to do: recognize the absolute mess that Holden has made of the Election Commission, resulting in a lack of confidence that they can hold an election free of doubt and controversy.

Of course, getting the SCEC to do something about Holden is another matter entirely.  Election Commissioner Dee Nollner, per the linked Jackson Baker article above, has attacked Bunker and defended the indefensible Holden, leading Bunker to suggest that Nollner has "drunk the Kool-Aid".  One expects in an Election Commission populated by three Republicans and two Democrats that the GOP will receive the benefit of the doubt.  However, when the Commission has been shown to be downright incompetent and inept, and the SCEC ignores its Democratic members and does what it wants, that does NOT provide confidence to the public that they know what they are doing or that we will have safe, secure and accurate elections.

For whatever reason Commissioner/Mayor Bunker is doing this, I still salute him for his actions, because this needs to happen, and YESTERDAY, if possible.

Why Democrats Have Problems Winning CountyWide Elections, Part the Infinity

Yes,  I partially stole that title from Charlie Pierce, but it seems to work.

For almost twenty years, there has been a myth that has plagued our Party here; namely, that there are enough African-Americans here to ensure victory in any race.

Are African-Americans the majority in this county?  Certainly.  So, why does it seem like our Democratic candidates only win in Presidential election years in November?  Because our African-American base only shows up then.  Go ahead, look it up, but it's true.

If such a monolithic vote were true, we would have every County office. The truth is that the Republicans have more money (and they ALWAYS will, despite our efforts); even more importantly, they are far better ORGANIZED than we are.  Bryan Carson is doing his damnedest to try and change this with the SCDP, and I appreciate all that they are doing.

Democrats, of course, are famous for NOT marching in lockstep, but the lack of organization hurts us in off-year elections, and not just here in Shelby County, but nationally as well.  We need, if anything, to be MORE organized than the GOP, not less.

So, we can't afford to make mistakes.  For Countywide races, we need people who can raise at least $50,000 because you need to send mailings and have phone-banking operations; door-to-door just does not work Countywide.  If you have lost more than once before, you don't need to run because the electorate has already told you more than once that they would prefer someone else and you are not likely to win Countywide, even if you won a Democratic Primary because of name recognition.

If you are running to unseat an incumbent, you must do TWO things.  First, you must make the case that the incumbent is doing a such poor job that they must be removed.  Second, you then have to convince the electorate that YOU are the person to take the job and turn it around.  Complicating this task is the knowledge that you are asking the electorate to admit that they made a mistake in the prior election, something few people want to do.  That is the major reason it is so hard to dislodge an incumbent, unless they have done such an obviously poor job that the electorate is enraged at that incumbent.

Note: that is why I continue to be amazed that people continue to primary Steve Cohen, as his re-election numbers continue to reflect a growing satisfaction with his representation of the 9th District.  But I digress.

Another problem that Shelby County Democrats have is that there are people who make money off these quadrennial elections even though there has never been ANY indication that they have provided one iota of value to any of our candidates: the ballot creators.  They charge candidates to be on their ballot and pass it out at the polls and claim to be the difference on those rare occasions when one of our candidates wins an election.  These people are leeches upon our party and we need to find a legal way to be rid of them, because they cause more confusion than clarity and hurt our candidates more than they help.

We need candidates who can make a case that the person whose office they seek is causing injury to the taxpayers in Shelby County and can afford to get that case out to the public.  We still have no candidate to oppose Amy Weirich, who has continued the failed policies of Bill Gibbons; frankly, it's almost too late as she has amassed a war chest. To be honest, of all the county offices the Republicans hold, I believe it's more important to hold the AG's office than even that of the Mayor, even though I certainly support a Democratic County mayor.

Yet, we never seem to find a candidate until it is too late and they are inevitably underfunded, and we lose, time after time.  This must stop.

We seem to have good candidates at the County Commission level, but we need solid Countywide candidates with good name recognition (like, say, Deidre Malone) who know how to fight against the GOP. If you have lost Countywide more than once, do the Party a favor and get out unless you have the time AND money AND organization to win the race.

Rant over.