Day: November 9, 2018

Commentary: To All the Disillusioned Bredesen Supporters, Illinois Awaits

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by Marshall Towe   One of the enduring beauties of America is our freedom of movement. Citizens easily migrate between States, unregulated, for things such as schooling, employment, retirement or just better weather. After reading the November 8th, 2018 article in The Tennessee Star by Chris Butler chronicling many Bredesen supporters taking to social media with threats of leaving Tennessee, there is a clear message to be conveyed: Illinois wants you! For years now, hundreds of people per day immigrate to Tennessee, one of the fastest growing States, while Chicago, in Cook County, in the State of Illinois have topped the list of most population lost in each the these category for years. For those Bredesen supporters upset with the election result and the direction of Tennessee, nothing can beat a debt-ridden Illinois, where its $225 billion debt is tops in the country, with the added benefit of a bond rating one notch above junk. Tennessee, with its constitutionally mandated balanced budget and State Government with the fiscal responsibility to manage its budget to an annual surplus while accumulating a rainy day fund, is not for you. It is a guarantee that Chicago will welcome and embrace you with open arms,…

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Tennessee Star Report Exclusive: State House Majority Leader Glen Casada Says GOP Caucus ‘Will Take a Look At’ Nashville’s Amendment One

Julie Carr

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the morning duo spoke to “soon to be” Speaker of the Tennessee House Glen Casada about the mid-term elections here in the state of Tennessee, how the Speaker of the House election works, and what he see’s as a primary legislative agenda for the state. Gill:  Well we thought we’d go right to the source and find out what Republicans have planned next as the house majority leader Glen Casada who’s now the punitive head of the Republican party of the house because you have Beth Harwell whose moved on running for Governor and the speaker is moving out.  Glen Casada also preparing a bid for the speakership in Tennnessee and Glen Casada on our NewsMakers line this morning Glen good morning! Casada: Good morning Steve, Patrick great show as always, really informative, enjoyable show thank you guys. Gill: The blue wave wiped you guys out (laughter) man, you go seventy seven to seventy six out of the ninety nine members in the state house? Casada: So statistically speaking they…

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Congressman-Elect Mark Green Appoints Stephen Siao as Chief of Staff

Jason M. Reynolds

Congressman-elect Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his appointment of Stephen Siao as his chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. Siao will lead the transition over the next two months and lead the congressional office starting in January. Green will succeed Marsha Blackburn in the 7th Congressional District as she moves over to the U.S. Senate. Green was elected to the 22nd Tennessee State Senate in 2012. “I’m excited to announce Stephen Siao as my chief of staff,” said Congressman-elect Green. “A well-respected leader in his own right, Stephen led my campaign team flawlessly and will help me serve the people of the Seventh District well. Our paths first crossed the night I announced my first campaign seven years ago, and since then, he has become a trusted advisor and friend to Camie and me.” A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Siao was previously state director for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) presidential campaign, grassroots manager at Heritage Action, and started his career in Washington, D.C. at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Siao has served a total of nine years on the executive committees of four different Republican Parties and auxiliary organizations, including five years as chairman or…

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New Tennessee State Rep. London Lamar Says State Full of Racists

Chris Butler

UPDATE: The Tennessee Star has retrieved the video – see more details here. – – – The newly elected state representative for Tennessee’s 91st district livestreamed a 15-minute rant on Facebook Wednesday and, said, among other things, Tennessee is a racist state and full of uneducated Republicans. That newly-elected representative, London Lamar, a Democrat from Memphis, also reprimanded white men for wanting to keep more of the money they earn. Lamar also suggested allowing felons to vote will help elect more Democrats. “Looking here at Tennessee, let’s just call a spade a spade,” Lamar said in the video. “Tennessee is racist, period. Period. And if you for one moment thought that white people in Tennessee were going to leave their own to jump over here and give us more access, they just told you last night it’s not happening.” Lamar said her video was also “a letter to all our statewide political consultants and candidates.” She warned against “catering to Republicans.” “If we look at some of the numbers last night, white men voted Republican well over 60 or 70 percent,” Lamar said. “Obviously, that is a particular base of people who believe in superiority. They don’t believe in sharing their…

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Leftist Groups Have Meltdown Over Whitaker Appointment as Acting Attorney General, Organize Protests Around Nation, Including Tennessee Cities

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Leftist groups organized protests in hundreds of cities across the nation, including Tennessee, Thursday to protest the appointment of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, citing fears he might interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Many protests used similar words and slogans. Demonstrators marched on Nashville, Chattanooga and Murfreesboro, among other cities. They packed the streets of Nashville Thursday night in support of Mueller, NewsChannel 5 reported. Whitaker has assumed the role of overseeing Mueller. In Murfreesboro, the Women’s March descended on downtown with signs bearing such slogans as “TIME TO IMPEACH.” The Women’s March on Nashville Facebook page called the protest “Nobody Trumps the Law” and “Rod Rosenstein Removal Protest.” Crowds also turned out in Chicago; Greensboro, North Carolina; Chattanooga, WRCB said, citing the Associated Press. Breitbart reported that Public Citizen tweeted “In firing Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump has crossed a red line and started a constitutional crisis. We are activating our rapid-response network, launching mass protests nationwide TOMORROW (11/8) at 5pm local time.” (Sessions actually resigned by President Trump’s request.) In firing Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump has crossed a red line and started a constitutional crisis. We are activating our rapid-response network, launching mass protests nationwide TOMORROW…

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Commentary: The Migrant ‘Caravan’ Marching Northbound To Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas, and What The U.S. Constitution Has To Say About It

Gregory Watson

The United States Constitution does contain a few references relative to immigration and naturalization as well as to persons seeking to enter the United States in contravention of its laws — whether violently or non-violently and whether singly or in the form of a human tsunami. In its Article I, Section 8, Clause 4, the Constitution specifically grants Congress the power “To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization….” By expressly allocating this capacity to Congress, the Constitution seeks to prevent the confusion which would inevitably result if an individual state could itself bestow U.S. citizenship upon a person not born within the boundaries of that — or any other — state. Construing Clause 4, the United States Supreme Court, in the 1892 case of Boyd v. Nebraska ex rel. Thayer, defined “naturalization” as “…the act of adopting a foreigner, and clothing him with the privileges of a native [U.S.] citizen.” In Clause 11 of that same Article I, Section 8, the Constitution authorizes Congress “To declare War…and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water….” Interpreting Clause 11, the High Court ruled in the 1795 case of Penhallow v. Doane that the war power of the United States government is…

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Commentary: There Was No Suburban Female GOP Problem in the 2018 Midterms

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by Robert Romano   One conventional wisdom headed into the 2018 midterms was that Republicans would have a very poor night and lose races they might otherwise win because females, specifically suburban Republican females, were abandoning President Donald Trump and down ballot candidates. There was only one problem. On election night, it didn’t actually happen. In states that are evenly divided, like Florida or Iowa, Republicans did about as well as Trump did in 2016. According to 2016 CNN exit polls in Florida, Trump garnered 52 percent of men and 46 percent of women. In a Nov. 2 St. Pete Polls survey that correctly predicted the outcome, Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL), running for Senate against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), did comparably well along gender lines. Scott got 53 percent of men and 46 percent of women. Almost exactly the same. In the same poll, DeSantis — who over performed the poll’s result when voting actually happened — garnered 49 percent of men and 44 percent of women. If there was some exodus of suburban Republican women from the GOP, it should have proven fatal to Scott and DeSantis in Florida, a state that could not be more closely divided politically.…

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Commentary: The Anti-Antifa Way to Win Hearts, Quell Arguments

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by Joe Long   If logical argument is the Right’s “Maginot Line,” a defense against attacks from other directions entirely; if winning rational arguments doesn’t actually help much in our Society of Feelz, then how do we counterattack the Left in ways that matter? What can an individual do to check this so-called progress and even roll it back? The answer does not lie in reflecting the tactics of riot and harassment advocated on the Left, and certainly not in fulfilling Leftist caricatures of our side. You don’t need “The Anarchists’ Cookbook,” and your familiarity with Alinsky—though necessary—is necessary solely for “Defense Against The Dark Arts,” not emulation. We’re not doing open social sabotage, but surreptitious social repairs. Here are some suggestions for effectively winning hearts instead of arguments. Take someone to a gun range. Introduce a person who has never fired a weapon to the pure pleasure of safely poking holes in a paper target. Let him feel the recoil and smell the powder. Odds are, he won’t leave with PTSD. Every gun-range target proudly displayed on a new shooter’s fridge, or his Facebook wall, is worth a thousand well-ordered Second Amendment arguments. Request a book at your library.…

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A Mob Showed Up Outside Tucker Carlson’s House and Ordered Him to Leave Town

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by Peter Hasson   A left-wing mob showed up outside Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s house Wednesday evening, posted pictures of his address online and demanded that he flee the city of Washington, D.C. Carlson, a co-founder of The Daily Caller and host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” was at the Fox News studio when the angry crowd showed up outside of his house. At least one of the protesters went all the way up to Carlson’s front door, where they left a sign with his family’s home address written on it and rang his doorbell. Right now #Antifa is posted up outside Tucker Carlson's home in DC chanting, "We know where you live." pic.twitter.com/ZTOQk5TlwU — Ken Webster Jr (@ProducerKen) November 8, 2018 Video the group, “Smash Racism DC,” posted to Twitter shows one of the mob’s ringleaders leading the crowd in chants of “racist scumbag, leave town!” and “Tucker Carlson, we will fight! We know where you sleep at night!” “No borders! No walls! No USA at all!” the protesters chanted in another video posted to Twitter. The group posted a picture of the sign with the Carlson family’s address on it to Twitter. “Tucker Carlson, you cannot hide from…

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Nashville Police Fear Loss of Rights Under New Civilian Oversight Board

Chris Butler

In a referendum Tuesday, Nashville voters approved a civilian oversight board over police. One day after the vote, Nashville Fraternal Order of Police President James Smallwood said in an emailed statement it’s important this coming board not exclude the perspectives of law enforcement officers. “Although the FOP still believes that an expensive oversight board is an unnecessary redundancy that we simply cannot afford – we intend to work with the administration as it seeks to implement the amendment in the coming months,” Smallwood said. “While it is our intention to respect the rule of law and work with the administration as they implement this new legislation, we fully intend to stand alongside our members and ensure that their rights are preserved. They deserve nothing less.” City officials will create the board. As reported, FOP members previously said they have serious constitutional concerns over it. They said the $10 million plan is “constitutionally questionable,” doesn’t address due process, and is not set up for fact finding. They’ve even said the board is “set up for some means of retaliation and retribution for a problem that doesn’t exist.” “We fully intend to stand alongside our members and ensure that their rights are…

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Trump Forces Out Attorney General Jeff Sessions

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by Maswood Farivar   President Donald Trump forced his controversial Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign on Wednesday, setting the stage for a potential showdown with newly energized Congressional Democrats over the investigation of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Sessions, in a letter to Trump, wrote that he was resigning at “your request,” accepting a fait accompli he’d long sought to avert despite being repeatedly chastised and publicly belittled by Trump over his recusal from oversight of the Russia probe. In a pair of tweets announcing Sessions’ resignation Wednesday afternoon, Trump thanked the attorney general for his service and said Matt Whitaker, Sessions’ chief of staff and vocal critic of the Russia investigation, would take over as acting attorney general. A permanent replacement would be announced later, Trump said, without indicating whether he’d tap Whitaker for the top job at Justice send his name to the Senate. The forced departure of Sessions, a 71-year-old former Republican Senator and early supporter of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, capped a turbulent tenure that hit a rough patch just weeks after Sessions took office in February 2017 and recused himself because of conflicts of interest. Trump blamed the recusal for the appointment…

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New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu Among Lone Republicans Left Standing

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The blue wave made its way through New Hampshire Tuesday night when both U.S. House seats went to Democrats as well as both houses of the state legislature. Neither of the state’s U.S. senators, both Democrats, were up for reelection this year. The results left incumbent Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) among the only victorious Republicans of the night in the state, beating his opponent Democrat Molly Kelly 53 percent to 46 percent. “The next two years are going to be a little bit different, but that’s OK. That’s New Hampshire. Anybody who has ideas is invited to the table,” he said in his victory speech. Sununu will also be up for reelection in 2020, since governors are elected every two years in New Hampshire. Local conservatives blamed nobody but the state GOP for the bad results. The local website GraniteGrok wrote: If the NH Republican Party wants to win, and win Consistently, act like you believe in the Platform.  Speak like you do and at each and every turn.  Vote like you do at each and every opportunity.  And Legislate like there’s no tomorrow because two days ago was that “no more tomorrow” – and you blew it. Creating additional trouble for Sununu is the state’s Executive Council, a political body…

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OFF THE RECORD: Post-Election Video Highlights Errors of Pollsters and Media in 2018 Tennessee Senate Coverage

Julie Carr

  How can so many be so consistently wrong? Poll after poll, and pundit after pundit, claimed that the Bredesen-Blackburn Tennessee Senate race was “close.” It was consistently portrayed as one of the best opportunities for the Democrats to flip a Red seat to Blue in the mid-term elections. But when voters actually cast their votes, as opposed to pollsters calling a few hundred people who were often targeted for calls based upon flawed data, Marsha Blackburn earned the title of “Senator” by a 10.8 percent margin, leaving pollsters red-faced and Democrats despondent. An East Tennessee State University poll released just days before the Election claimed the race was a 44-44% dead heat.  Vanderbilt said the battle was a “tossup” and had Bredesen leading by one in mid October. Real Clear Politics moved the race from “lean GOP” to “tossup” on November 5 — the day before the election! They only missed it by double digits. A new video compilation is making the rounds that underscores how so many “experts” couldn’t see what was actually happening in Tennessee. Despite the best efforts of the pollsters, establishment media and some consultants to undercut the Blackburn campaign at every turn, SENATOR Blackburn…

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Newt Gingrich Predicts Pelosi Presiding Over Crazies Will Help Trump Win in 2020

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by Nick Givas   Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said if House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is chosen as speaker for the next two years, it could ultimately benefit President Donald Trump. “I think if the president can set up two years of Nancy Pelosi presiding over crazies, that’ll help him,” Gingrich said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday. “But I think his bigger interest is what does he want to get done for the country? What does the country want Washington to get done?” Gingrich then flashed back to when he was serving as speaker of the house under former President Bill Clinton and said Clinton benefited from the divided government and used it to get re-elected in 1996. “I will give Bill Clinton credit. He brilliantly would come back on Medicare, Medicaid, environment and education. No matter what you asked him, he’d come back and say, ‘I’m really working hard on all these things and I don’t have time for all that stuff,’ and gradually built a contrast that got him reelected in 1996,” he said. Watch the segment: – – – Nick Givas is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. You can Follow Nick on Twitter.      …

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Midterms See Big Win for Pro-Life Women Candidates and Ballot Initiatives

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by Grace Carr   Republican pro-life women put on an impressive showing in Tuesday’s midterms, while some of the pro-abortion candidates running for political office had less success. Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn bested former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen Tuesday in the state’s senatorial election. She is “100 percent pro-life” and has fought battles against Planned Parenthood. Republican pro-life Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also defeated her Democratic opponent Fred Hubbell on Tuesday. South Dakota pro-life Rep. Kristi Noem beat South Dakota minority leader Billie Sutton Wednesday morning, becoming the state’s first female governor. “I am, and always have been, pro-life. I believe every life, including the unborn, has dignity, and my voting record will always reflect that belief,” Noem’s website reads. Pro-life GOP Rep. Martha McSally was leading pro-choice Democrat Kyrsten Sinema with 49.3 percent to 48.4 percent in the race for Arizona senator as of Wednesday, according to The New York Times. The race is extremely close and might not be called for some time. The contrast between the candidates is stark on nearly every issue. McSally served as a military officer and was deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan before becoming a state representative. Sinema was previously an anti-war activist. “The pro-life movement has some impressive wins in ballot initiatives and in races like…

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McConnell Says Confirming Judges Will Be His ‘Top Priority’

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by Rachel del Guidice   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says his “top priority” for the rest of the year and into the new Congress is filling the judiciary with President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. “The president, I think, has done an excellent job in picking young men and women who believe the job of the judge is to follow the law and we intend to keep confirming as many as we possibly can as long as we are in a position to do it,” McConnell said Wednesday at a press conference. “It’ll still be my top priority in setting the agenda here in the Senate,” McConnell said. McConnell also said that the Senate has been successful in making two Supreme Court appointments and 29 circuit judges, adding that, “we’re not through doing those this year.”While not all Senate races are settled, Republicans are poised to pick up two seats in the Senate. John G. Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government and director of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an email that McConnell is correct to set his sights on judicial confirmations.…

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Tennessee House Leadership Selections This Month Will Set the Stage for 2019 Session of the General Assembly

Laura Baigert

Now that the public voting is over and Tennessee state representatives and senators have been elected for the next two or four years, respectively, each legislative body goes about their own nomination process to select their leaders.  The outcome of the selection process will be a strong indication about the direction of the upcoming 111th Tennessee General Assembly. The State House, in particular, will begin its massive changes in leadership in less than two weeks. The two most senior members of the House of Representatives, Beth Harwell (Nashville) and Steve McDaniel (Lobelville), both Republicans who served 15 terms each, are gone. Harwell served as Speaker of the House, the first woman to do so, and McDaniel was the Deputy Speaker, a position appointed by the Speaker. While the “Red Wall” of the House held off a “Blue Wave,” retaining its super majority and losing just one seat holding 73 of the 99 total, there are 25 new members. With one quarter of the body being new, the most since reconstruction, out of sheer necessity there will be changes to the chairmanships and members of the 15 standing committees and 14 non-standing subcommittees of the House. House leadership is more important…

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