- Democratic turnout in Tennessee favored Democrats, which is more noteworthy than some other states where this has been the case considering that we don’t have party registration.
- The media has been desperately trying to turn the Republican race into a two-man race before it legitimately was one. I was (too privately, alas) an early predictor (before Iowa) of Huckabee as a dark horse. And my prediction wasn’t that he would only do well in Iowa. The media tried to cast him as Chucklebee and to be dismissive of another southern candidate. They were wrong. Unlike Thompson, Huckabee has real grassroots support and is successfully tapping it. Voters are thumbing their noses at the media for once.
- Regarding the rise of Huckabee, did Karl Rove create a monster he can no longer control? Famously announcing and then engineering the turnout of 4 million evangelicals in 2004, could he have failed to foresee the rise of evangelical populism that Huckabee is now tapping into? Would there be irony if Karl Rove turned out to be worse for his vision of a long-term Republican majority than Bill Clinton was for the prospect of a long-term Democratic majority and strong progressive movement?
- We had a caller to the show on Monday who remarked about the possibility of a Bill Frist return to public view (in the form of a Super Bowl ad) as a reminder of his potential as a vice presidential candidate. Look for him on an eventual short list. I’m still predicting McCain as the nominee, and if the Republicans look South, Frist is as competitive as anyone (certainly more so than Huckabee or Thompson at this point).
- What is the deal with Ron Paul? How could a Republican candidate who raised more money than his competitors (to the tune of $20 million) in the 4th quarter of 2007 be failing so spectacularly to engineer broader based interest in his campaign? I, for one, think he has a lack of talent in his campaign team. But considering the devotion of the supporters he has, is this evidence of a highly motivated, surprisingly wealthy (and quite possibly racist) lunatic fringe within the Republican party? The contrast between Paul and Huckabee is striking.
- Obama and Clinton each executed their strategies brilliantly last night. Clinton managed to maintain her firewalls in California and New Jersey, cementing big state wins, and she spat in the eye of the Kennedy-Kerry-Patrick trifecta in Massachusetts. Obama, meanwhile, sought broad-based statewide support and gigantic margins of victory. We’ll see these strategies continue, but they favor Obama in the short term. Clinton now has firewalls in Ohio and Texas, which vote on Mar. 4th. But in the meantime, Obama has the opportunities to pick up wins (and delegates) in Louisiana and D.C., among others. His opportunities don’t happen on the same day as hers from here on out, so he might gather momentum that will finally be hard for her to combat.
- Fred Thompson didn’t come anywhere close to pulling a Howard Dean in 2004 and winning his home state. And John Edwards had negligible early voting impact.
- Four counties in West Tennessee had to close polling locations early as a result of weather. What does that mean for voters (and votes)? Would this have tightened the margin in Tennessee?
On February 5, 2008,
in Liberate Your Radio from The Right,
by Mary Mancini
On February 5, 2008,
in Liberate Your Radio from The Right,
by Mary Mancini
I’ve been following the debate about whether or not to vote for Hillary Clinton for President solely on the basis of her being a woman. Apparently, the New York NOW chapter even issued a statement denouncing Teddy Kennedy’s support for Barack Obama, saying he has “betrayed” them:
He’s joined the list of progressive white men who can’t or won’t handle the prospect of a woman president who is Hillary Clinton (they will of course say they support a woman president, just not “this†one).
So basically what my sisters in New York City are saying is, we’ve fought hard to help women achieve equal rights – including the right to choose their own path and think for themselves – but now we want to tell others how to think. And, if they don’t follow our lead them, well, they’re no true supporter of our cause.
Does anyone else find this absolutely ludicrous?
On February 4, 2008,
in Uncategorized,
by Mary Mancini
This morning we interviewed Filmmaker David Earnhardt, who is bringing his election integrity opus, Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections, to the Belcourt Theatre tonight at 6:30 and 9:00 PM.
This feature length documentary tells the story of this systemic threat to our democracy powerfully and thoroughly by examining in factual, logical, and startling terms how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the U.S.. And let me tell you, it is easy.
UNCOUNTED is showing tonight – the night before Super Tuesday – on purpose. The date was chosen as a symbolic reminder that each of us must be vigilant in protecting our right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy.
And although you think it might be depressing, it’s not. It’s also an uplifting story of a small group of whistleblowers who transform the movie from an overwhelming and frustrating indictment of our election system into an uplifting story of American patriots hell-bent on doing the right thing. These men – computer programmer Clint Curtis, who is directed by his boss to create software that will “flip†votes from one candidate to another, Utah, County Clerk Bruce Funk, who is locked out of his office for raising questions about security flaws in electronic voting machines, and Californian Steve Heller, who gets convicted of a felony after he leaks secret documents detailing illegal activities committed by a major voting machine company – embody what’s best about our country.
U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, who will join Filmmaker, David Earnhardt, and Tribune Media Services Journalist, Bob Koehler, for a panel discussion following the 6:30 PM screening, says it best, “If you don’t know that your vote is counted, and counted fairly, then we have no democracy. It becomes rule by a small group of elite insiders who manipulate what looks like a democracy for their own advantage.”
Listen to our interview with David Earnhardt.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
On February 4, 2008,
in Liberate Your Radio from The Right,
by Mary Mancini
From Reuters:
The Grateful Dead, the San Francisco cult rock band that has played at political events since the 1960s, will reunite on Monday for the first time in four years to rally support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a spokesman said on Friday.
I’m warming up my Dead dance.
On February 4, 2008,
in Liberate Your Radio from The Right,
by Mary Mancini
“…but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst… And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life…”
- Lester Burnham, American Beauty
On February 4, 2008,
in Uncategorized,
by Mary Mancini
Guess who’s one of 6 states at “High” risk for voting machine mishaps tomorrow? That’s right – Tennessee! Sweet, we win again! Oh, wait….
According to a new report by Common Cause and the Verified Voting Foundation:
Six of the 15 states that hold presidential primaries on Super Tuesday are at “high” risk for having election results affected by electronic voting machine malfunction or tampering…[Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee] were given that ranking for using electronic voting machines that do not produce an independent, voter-verifiable paper record that could be used in the case of a recount or audit.
The report also found that 17 states have a “medium” risk, the classification given to states that “use voting systems that deploy paper ballots or produce a voter-verifiable paper record of each voter’s vote, but do not require audits,” and six states are at “low” risk because they use voting systems that deploy paper ballots or produce voter verifiable paper records and require audits.
It’s a good thing we still have time to do something about it election integrity in Tennessee. But we have to act fast. This week HB 1256 – legislation that will mandate that all voting equipment in Tennessee use or produce a voter-verified paper ballot and that statewide random post-election manual audits be conducted to verify the vote count – will be making it’s way out of the State and Local Government sub-committee and into the full S& L committee for a vote. Tennessee is one of the few states in the country where voter-verified paper ballots are not required by law. The full State and Local Government Committee will meet on Super Tuesday (2/5 – Presidential Primary day) at Noon in room 16. On the same day, at 10:30 in room 12, the Senate committee will hear the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) report, “Trust But Verify,†which recommends that to improve election integrity in Tennessee we move away from electronic voting machines and replace them with paper-based optical scan machines.
Please email and call each member of the Committee and tell them that we need voter verified paper ballots in Tennessee in time for the 2008 elections. Urge them to support HB 1256 (Rep. Gary Moore, D-the fightin’ 50th!), the Voter Confidence Act, which calls for this change no later than 2010. You can also email a link to this latest Common Cause report [pdf] to further send a message.
What’s remarkable about our state legislature is that Rep. Jason Mumpower and others want the balls back because they don’t trust computers to pick our lottery numbers, but they’re still willing to trust them to accurately count our votes.
Also, if you’re having trouble convincing your friends and family that election integrity is a worthwhile issue, please bring them out to the screening of UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections tonight at the Belcourt Theatre. There are two showings – 6:30 and 9 PM – so everyone who wants to see it should be able to get in.
As Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause, says:
“It is senseless that after two presidential elections marked by voting machine failures that some states still use voting systems that do not produce a paper record that can be re-counted if there is a problem. Congress and the states must fix this problem by November. We can’t afford another national election in which voters don’t have full confidence in our election results.”
Amen, brother.
The Network
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Filed under: Uncategorized... - FOX News Has Spoken. Period. End of Story?26 April 2011, 5:27 pm
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- I've Moved20 May 2011, 1:59 am
Visit me at my new home at WordPress .... southernbeale.wordpress.com.Thanks!... - I Already Hate WordPress19 May 2011, 7:03 pm
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- About That Motion to Intervene…15 May 2012, 6:15 pm
Yesterday, the Commercial Appeal published an article about my decision to wade into the County redistricting issue. The decision wasn’t a difficult one. Ultimately, this comes down to the way we are represented in our County government, and the inability of that County government to do something that is, at best, an administrative task. To [...]... - Whose Rights Are Being Violated? #TNLeg #GunsInParkingLots17 April 2012, 4:19 pm
Being Lt. Gov. of Tennessee must be a pretty confusing gig. On the one hand, you’re the second in command, even though you have been elected by a tiny minority of Tennesseans, which would seem to call your “mandate” into question. But thanks to the easy compliance of a Governor who just won’t stand up [...]... - Spineless Cop-out on “Monkey” Bill #TNLeg #TNGov11 April 2012, 11:49 am
Its been widely reported, to the dismay of Science instructors statewide that yesterday TN Gov. Bill Haslam allowed HB 368 to become law without his signature. The bill, which pushes a “Teach the Controversy” agenda, preferred by groups like the Discovery Institute and the folks at the Creationism Museum seeks to push the notion that [...]... - Primum non nocere (First, do no harm)21 March 2012, 5:18 pm
There are few maxims in the western tradition that are more misunderstood than this one: “First, do no harm” I say misunderstood because it is often difficult for people, in their haste or excitement, to see the impact of their actions beyond the immediate thrill. It is, of course, most prevalent in the “gotcha” politics [...]... - Sen. Kyle Defends The “UnDo Can’t Do” Bill – #SB276213 March 2012, 9:40 pm
One of the more onerous bills that passed out of last year’s session was HB0600 dubbed the “Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act”. Sponsored by Glen Casada (R) of Franklin, the bill sought to remove the ability of a local government to set certain ground rules in contracts. That’s shorthand for enacting non-discrimination ordinances. Here’s [...]...
- Mad Libs18 June 2010, 2:15 pm
Dear TNDP, I’m not alone in saying it, but this is a problem. (That’s seven months, and many “Chip Forrester is Outraged on a Friday” pressers ago.) We know you know better. How about acting on it? Is…... - He’s So Excited! He’s So Scared!28 May 2010, 4:43 pm
I didn’t watch the Tea Party-hosted Republican gubernatorial debate, not only because I had other plans but because I figure such a thing would be as substantive as a pageant. While nobody emerged wearing a sash and tiara, ... - Just the Facts, Ma’am25 May 2010, 6:20 am
Last night the state House voted to commend Arizona on its upcoming centennial (in 2012) as well as for passing controversial legislation which many argue encourages racial profiling. Here’s the breakdown of how your state Democrats voted. …... - Liberal Blogger Afternoon on the Hill12 May 2010, 4:55 am
Everyone’s favorite Aunt B. did a great job summing up the Liberal Blogger Afternoon on the Hill at Tiny Cat Pants and at Pith. She fails to mention, however, the great restraint both she and I exercised in…... - Sandbagging the MetroCenter Levee4 May 2010, 5:30 am
Approximately 200 Nashvillians sandbagged the levee at MetroCenter today – despite MNPD officers explicitly saying we were entering the neighborhood “at our own risk,” and that if the levee went out we’d likely go out with it – with some…...
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