Mike Ritz interviewed at Speak To Power about his actions on behalf of THE MED

Steve Ross interviews Commissioner Mike Ritz about THE MED, and it is well worth your time!

You gotta read this...

For the best analysis I've yet read on the impending 9th District race between Steve Cohen and ex-mayor Willie Herenton, go read POLAR DONKEY now!

Danny Kail Fundraiser on February 23

Click on it for a larger image; I'll be there, I hope you will as well.

Um, well, OK.....

As my STP co-blogger Steve Ross wishes all of you a Happy Valentine's Day (as I do), he advises that your gift could have been worse! (scroll to the bottom!)

Heh.

The picture doesn't tell the whole story

Deidre Malone opened her Headquarters today for her bid for Shelby County Mayor, as lots of supporters and public officials came to the opening, which was from 12-3. Many thought that it started at 1 and missed her wonderful speech, in which she talked about her experience as Budget Chair and Commission Chair on the Shelby County Commission. She brought the fire, and people began to swarm in.

Among those in attendance were County Trustee Regina Morrison Newman, Senator Jim Kyle, State Representatives Larry Miller and G. A. Hardaway, Democratic National Committeewoman Gale Jones Carson, and candidates for office such as Norma Lester and Reginald Milton (both County Commission Dist. 2, position 3), Danny W. Kail (Probate Court Clerk), Coleman Thompson and Carlton Orange (both for County Register) and lots of well-wishers and supporters.

To learn about and to be a part of the campaign to elect Deidre Malone County Mayor, please go here!

UPDATE: Jackson Baker covers this in more depth here and provides a video:

A quick, but hilarious feel good friday

Hat tip to EDSBS, hope to see you at Deidre's opening tomorrow.

Enjoy.

Deidre Malone opens her County Mayor Campaign HQ THIS SATURDAY!

This Saturday from 12-3 P.M., Commissioner Deidre Malone opens her campaign headquarters at 3161 Poplar Avenue, across from East High School. The event is open to the public, so come on out and meet the next Mayor of Shelby County!

MOVED BACK TO THE TOP

Soon, there will be none

Patrick Kennedy, the last member of his illustrious family to serve in Congress, announces his retirement at the ripe old age of 42. Now that we need them more than ever, there will be none left. Maybe we are doomed as a republic. Here's his announcement:

Our Congressman talks about THE MED and that campaign on WREG's Live at Nine

 

Because there's nothing more insane than telling a man he didn't really know his father

Watch this amazing exchange between Ron Reagan, Jr and Pam Geller of wingnut blogging fame, courtesy of Crooks and Liars, hat tip to Leigh for telling me about this at DL last night. (See why you need to show up?)

AFL-CIO Endorses Steve Mulroy for Re-Election

Re-Elect STEVE MULROY

for County Commission District 5

The AFL-CIO Labor Council has endorsed Steve Mulroy in his re-election bid for the County Commission District 5 seat. The vote was unanimous.

For more info about Steve, or to donate, please visit Mulroy4dist5.com. Contact Steve at Mulroys@gmail.com.

Here are more of Steve's endorsements-

• AC Wharton, Memphis Mayor
• Harold Ford, Sr., Former Congressman
• Joe Ford, Interim County Mayor
• Harold Collins, Chair, City Council
• City Council members Janis Fullilove, Joe Brown, Shea Flinn, Edmund Ford and Jim Strickland
• Former City Councilwoman Carol Chumney
• Former Shelby County Commissioner Dr. Cleo Kirk
• State Senators Beverly Marrero and Ophelia Ford
• State Reps. Ulysses Jones, Joe Towns, Mike Kernell, Jeanne Richardson, and G.A. Hardaway
• Tomeka Hart, Chair, Memphis School Board
• Memphis School Board member Dr. Jeff Warren
• AFL-CIO Labor Council
• Pipefitters Union Local
• Iron Workers Local Union #167
• Plumbers Local Union 17
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 474
• Howard Richardson
• David Upton, State Democratic Executive Committee
• Paul Shaffer
• Former Shelby County Democratic Party Chairs
• Current/Former Shelby County Democratic Party Committee members Desi Franklin, Cherry Davis, Diane Withers, Lynn Strickland and Dave and Diane Cambron
• Novella Smith-Arnold
• Fannie Clark
• Reginald Milton
• Billy Orgel
• Brad Watkins
• Jonathan Cole
• Jocelyn Wurzburg, Happy Jones, and Paula Casey
• Steve Sondheim
• Carter Rosenthal, Roseleigh Neighborhood Association

WOW! My Senator has a GREAT new website

With a hat tip to my STP Co-Blogger T. Sharp, I discovered Senator Beverly Marrero's outstanding new website, go check it out!

Interesting post, eh?

Brother Carroll's fire and brimstone post about Steve Cohen's challenger was interesting, but I am not sure I can go there with him.

First, I am not at all convinced that Dr. Herenton can win this race. His campaign is essentially the same campaign with which Nikki Tinker ran twice and got pounded. A-ha, you say, but this is a historic figure we're talking about, the first African-American superintendent of Memphis City Schools and the first elected African-American Mayor of Memphis.

Well, he's not running for either of those, and he wouldn't be the first African-American Congressman from the 9th District, he would be the THIRD. Lots of people do love him in this city and he will always hold a special place in their hearts. Lots of those folks will go up and give him love and wish him the best and tell the Doc that they are behind him all the way.

And then, they will go vote for Steve Cohen because Cohen gets things done for the entire community, but the African-American community in particular.

The hardcore group of people who have never strayed from Dr. Herenton in all those races tend to vote in general elections in October and November. An August Democratic primary? Not so much. If they HAD voted in large numbers in a Democratic primary, the Democrats would have gained control of Shelby County government a decade ago; instead, they are still trying to win a majority of these elections.

A heavy Democratic turnout would certainly be welcome, but pardon me if I remain skeptical. Dr. Herenton apparently plans to run a campaign from the streets that says "we have no African-American Congressman from Tennessee, therefore vote for me". His only real hope is that he can trick congressman Cohen into putting his foot in his mouth and turn off African-American voters.

Congressman Cohen's predecessor, Harold Ford Jr., was African-American and he absolutely threw his constituency under the bus when he was technically our Congressman, voting for the Bankruptcy Bill and campaigning like he was a farmer from Lawrence County rather than as a Memphian. He was like his father only in that they shared the same name and look somewhat alike; otherwise, nada.

If Dr. Herenton wanted to run an issues-based campaign, he could probably pull it off, as he is an arduous campaigner; no one ever said he would be a slacker on the campaign trail. However, why is he running a campaign that has failed miserably twice? Here, he is NOT the historical figure, he is running to be one of 435 instead of running to be one of one.

Everyone is nervous, and I have no doubt the Doc will pull votes out of nostalgia, but I do NOT think he will beat Steve Cohen.

If he does, that says more about our city that I want to know.

I am going to make a few predictions

Right here, right now. Willie Herenton will win the race for the Democratic nomination and thus the 9th District Congressional seat. He doesn't deserve it by any stretch of the imagination for the reasons Wendi has said. Herenton is running because he feels like in 1990 he is the only candidate. In addition, this move by Herenton and his Flavor Flav like hype man Sidney Chism is exactly what is wrong with Memphis politics. Herenton has refused to build the bench of strong candidates. Herenton also is complaining about lack of representation and racism (using dog whistle tactics). He believes that only he can remove the seat from the iron grip of Steve Cohen.

Give me a break. If Herenton and Chism would not have fostered division and distrust within the local party, then Steve would have faced a stronger candidate the last two elections and would have most likely lost.

It is no wonder Herenton doesn't think anyone else could beat Cohen. When the list of young, energetic candidates is nonexistant who could do it because of your own insistence on cronism and division, no shit. When you do nothing but belittle and deride those who disagree with you, when you work with downtown developers who line your pockets at the expense of development in areas that need it, when you call racism on your own incompetent apointees being indicted on animal cruelty while people who paid you off aren't, no shit.

There are no other qualified candidates by your definition because you definition has only your picture Willie D. I wish you and Flavor Chism would have built a bench. I wish you and your Bomb Squad of campaign crew would have had a better campaign slogan then Shake off the Haters. Willie is not about Memphis, he is about himself.

On to the other races. Bill Haslem will win the Republican nomination and also the governorship. Sorry Jim. You will win the Democratic nomination though. The Republicans should win unless this year's General Assembly session is a disaster that we can lay at the Republican doorstep. Keep painting them in a negative light as a do nothing Assembly.

The 8th district race will be tight. I think Herron pulls it out if the Republican primary battle is as brutal as they say. Flinn probably won't win. Funnily, if we win, we will probably lose the seat shortly after. The Republicans are looking to make the district solidly Republican. Look for them to put a good deal of East Shelby over in that district from the 7th regardless. This will mean Lincoln and Bart's old districts will get hard to win.

Agree? Disagree? Prove me wrong.

We proudly introduce Speak To Power

THIS IS THE PROJECT I have been telling you about, working with my cohorts Trace Sharp and Steve Ross, and I want you to go check it out.

Its been 5 weeks today since it happened

There's a UFC PPV on tonight. When the last one was supposed to come on, two of my friends were coming over to watch the PPV with me until it happened that morning and we all dropped everything to rally around them. Its been 4 weeks since we buried her and it really hit me that she was gone physically.

She and I had an unusual relationship. She liked me enough, especially since her long time companion considered me in many ways the son he never had. She like my son, she was always his Aunt Lauren, never, ever would she be grandma. She helped push the woman who became my wife to take a chance and have a fling with me to get the bad taste of her last relationship out of her. For this I will always be eternally grateful. She found out that my favorite food is lasagna, only home made, I cannot stand store made, and she made it a couple times for me for my birthday.

I had written this originally after the funeral, but wordpress had lost it, and so I decided to wait until the appopriate time to put this up. I just checked as I wrote this and Steve had posted about the chili. I gotta say, I loved her chili. Took her recipe and I've tweaked it just a little to fit my love for thicker and spicier, but you can tell it was inspired by her.

She is in a better place and will soon rest at the four places she loved most of all in this world. She and Steve are always in my thoughts everyday and I miss the joy she brought into our lives both directly and indirectly. Even though I know she is in this better place, I still miss my friend and I think this scene from Shawshank Redemption fits well. I know she is in a better place, but I miss the brightness she brought into our lives, and I miss my friend.

Today, I threw away the chili

No, this is not the beginning of a really bad country song, this leads to what our beloved Newscoma calls an annoying autobiographical pause.

Today, it's been a month since Lauren died, and I am cleaning out the refrigerator because there were things that I couldn't get rid of that were starting to smell.

And then I got to the chili. It was the last thing she ever made for us, about three days before she went to the hospital. Today, there was mold on it, and I knew I had to do it, and I did. it seems really silly, but it was always wonderful chili, as those of you who have had it know very well. I couldn't eat it, but I couldn't let go of it, but today I did.

I am okay, surprisingly well, all things considered, and that is because of all 0f you. You who have been there for all of us ever since this happened, who sat with us in ICU and called or texted when you couldn't, who came to the wake and the funeral and who have checked on us constantly. You, who are the best friends any human could ever expect to have.

Because of all of you, I am here, and will be for the foreseeable future. Somewhere, Lauren is laughing and saying, "SEE! I TOLD you!" And she did, nearly every day.

The cats are a big part of this as well, giving me attention as well as demanding it, and it is always appreciated, they ground me very well, thank you.

So, I am going to get through this, with my faith and my family and friends, which includes you if you are a reader.

Enough of this, I want to tell you to watch this space on Monday morning, I have something wonderful to tell you about. It is a new project about which I am very excited and have been working on with two wise old hands. Be here at 8 AM Monday for the news!

No, LWC is not going away, this is in addition to the blog and I hope that you will love it. More good news, I hope, will come later this week, with the word of the return of a great blog which has lain dormant for a year or so, and we hope returns with a flourish, because we have missed it greatly.

All right, go enjoy your weekend and GO SAINTS!!!!!!!

Send prayers to Senator Ford

We learn this morning from the Commercial Appeal that Senator Ophelia Ford (D-29) is likely to miss the entire 201o legislative session, according to a statement from Senate Democratic leader Jim Kyle.

From the story:

But this morning, addressing his colleagues on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis said Ford’s family advised him that her illness is severe and there is no expectation that she will return to her public duties soon. Adjournment of the legislative session is now targeted for late April or early May.

“I have been in contact with her family, who have advised me that Sen. Ford had a surgical procedure in December and has had complications from the surgery since that time,” Kyle told his colleagues. “She has been hospitalized for various periods of time. I do not know whether she’s hospitalized today.

“But their expectation -- and they gave me the expectation -- is that Sen. Ford is facing some severe medical issues and that we should not expect to see her in the Senate anytime in the near future. There is no date they have given me.

“I can only ask, and her family asks, that you keep her in your prayers. Sen. Ford has struggled with her health in the last several years. I don’t have a period of time I can say I expect her back. I would hope she would be back next week but I don’t have the expectation she will be back in the next several weeks. We hope to have her back before the end of session but the session we hope is going to be shorter this year,” Kyle said.

If this is the case, then Senator Ford needs to focus completely on her recovery. This is not the first bout with serious illness since her election in 2006, and one sadly must wonder if she can continue to serve her District, given her frail condition.

Her first concern must be her health; if she is unable to perform her duties, it is time to consider if she should step aside so that the 29th Senatorial District may receive the representation it now lacks due to these circumstance beyond Senator Ford's control.

If she were to step aside, achieve full recovery (as we all very much hope that she does) and then decide to present herself for public office, I suspect she would be welcomed back with open arms.

Should she decide to do so, then the Shelby County Commission would appoint her successor to serve through the general election in November, IIRC. If that becomes the situation, I would only ask that they appoint someone who would not seek the office on a permanent basis.

Senator, please get well, we're all praying for you.

Jim Kyle picks up a great endorsement

From the Kyle camp comes this message:

Ward Cammack Endorsing Jim Kyle for Governor

Ward Cammack will endorse Jim Kyle for governor tomorrow, breaking his silence since leaving the gubernatorial contest earlier last year. The Kyle campaign released that former gubernatorial candidate Cammack will participate in a conference call with Kyle to announce his support.

Cammack sited Kyle’s legislative record and belief that he has the ability to lead Tennessee in the right economic direction. This is the first endorsement by a former candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

With Jim Kyle showing strong numbers in his first campaign finance totals released last week, the endorsement could send a powerful signal of the momentum the Kyle campaign is building.

For more information or to RSVP for the conference call number please call Katy Cutright at 901-543-8683.

WHEN: Thursday, February 4, 2010

TIME: 2:00pm CST

The County Mayor's race just got more interesting

Sheriff Mark Luttrell has apparently decided not to run for re-election; instead he will run for his party's nomination for County Mayor.

He is clearly the most popular Republican in this very Democratic county, and means that my candidate, Deidre Malone, will have a tough general election fight. Here's my question: if this is now the circumstance, why is Interim Mayor Joe Ford still in the race?

As an APPOINTED replacement, the advantages of his "incumbency" are small to non-existent. He's a good guy and I personally like him, but he's never won a race outside his Council or Commission districts (remember how WWH waxed him in 1999?). if he were the nominee of the Democratic Party, Luttrell would beat him handily.

Not to mention, the Commercial Appeal would flog him mercilessly about his personal finances and would be digging for any scandal which which he may have been remotely connected. If he runs, there may very well also be a backlash against his son Justin, who is seeking Mayor Ford's old Commission seat.

Mayor Ford, you could ensure that the Democrats would have a good chance for victory this August; all you need to do is announce that you are not running for a full term. In so doing, you would be keeping your word that your political career would end at the end of August, and also keeping your respected political legacy intact.

Let's prevent a divisive primary that would put the Democratic nominee at a disadvantage in August. We would all applaud you for a statesman-like act.