Day: July 27, 2018

PAC Ad Supporting Harwell Says Legalized Marijuana Will ‘Create a State That Lets People Live in a Better State’

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Bruce Wolfe

A new ad from a PAC called TN State Victory touting gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell’s support of medical marijuana has hit the airwaves. Sources tell The Tennessee Star the PAC is spending $87,000 to run the ad on broadcast and cable television stations around the state, beginning today and continuing until Wednesday, the day before the Thursday August 2 primary election. Accompanyed a dramatic piano musical score, the 30-second spot features Dr. Bruce Wolfe. He says: All my training tells me to do everything I can to help my patients. Suffering comes in all forms, and patients need options for relief. We need to legalizae medical marijuana so we can regulate its use and help cancer patients, people with siezure and anxiety disorders, and give patients in pain an alternative to avoid addictive opiates. The only candidate for governor that is for medical marijuana is Beth Harwell. Beth will help Tennesseeans create a state that lets people live in a better state. Watch the ad: According to polling, the Tennessee State House Speaker Beth Harwell is in a distant fourth place behind front-runners Bill Lee, Diane Black, and Randy Boyd. Last Friday, Harwell promised a ‘major announcement.’ Many political watchers…

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Vice President Mike Pence Endorses Diane Black for Governor

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Mike Pence, Diane Black

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted his strong endorsement for Diane Black for governor of Tennessee on Friday, as early voting is set to close in the August 2 Republican gubernatorial primary. He wrote, “@DianeBlackTN is running for Governor of TN & a strong supporter of #MAGA agenda of tax cuts, military $$ & a champion of right to life policies. There are great candidates running but Diane has been my friend for years, we served together in the House, & she has my support!” .@DianeBlackTN is running for Governor of TN & a strong supporter of #MAGA agenda of tax cuts, military $$ & a champion of right to life policies. There are great candidates running but Diane has been my friend for years, we served together in the House, & she has my support! — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 27, 2018 Black said in a statement, “I am honored that Vice President Pence would choose to support me in a state like Tennessee that overwhelmingly supported him and President Trump in 2016. Even before he became Vice President, Pence was an exceptional leader for the state of Indiana, leading with his faith and values. I am proud to call…

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Gov. Haslam Says Possible Endorsement of Gubernatorial Candidate by President Trump ‘Not Helpful’

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Diane Blakc, Bill Haslam, Donald Trump

Outgoing Governor Haslam told reporters Thursday that he hoped President Trump would stay out of the Tennessee Republican primary to name his replacement. “I don’t think it’s helpful for the White House to be involved in primaries,” Haslam said, citing that as the current chairman of the Republican Governors Association, he and his group will not participate in primaries where the GOP candidates are running for open seats. Haslam said: I had a conversation with them back in February, them being the White House, saying we’re going to have 36 governors races. They’re going to be very competitive. We would like it if y’all would not get involved. We just think that’s best. We’re not going to get involved as [the RGA] unless we have an incumbent governor. If there’s an incumbent governor, we welcome your involvement. When he was asked if President Trump’s involvement in some gubernatorial races despite his request was frustrating, Haslam told reporters, “Well, they’re the White House. They can do what they want. But like I said, we would rather them not.” He said he believes there is “good reason for that in any mid-term election,” noting the November general elections “are difficult. And we…

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State Senator Thelma Harper Endorses Howard Jones as Her Successor Over Long Time Rival Brenda Gilmore

Jason M. Reynolds
Thelma Harper, Howard Jones

Tennessee State Sen. Thelma Harper (D-Nashville) endorsed Howard Jones Jr. as her successor to the 19th State Senatorial District in Nashville, a seat she has held for 27 years, over longtime rival State Rep. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville). The Tennessee Tribune reported the endorsement of Jones, a pastor and educator. “A few months ago, I announced it was time for me to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders,” said Harper. “Today, I am honored to lend my full support and endorsement to Howard Jones as your next State Senator for the 19th District. “I support Jones because I know he will listen, be honest and work tirelessly with the community to continue to move the 19th District forward.  I trust him to be our voice and to do what is right for the men, women and children that he represents.” Jones said, “I’m honored to have earned the support of Hon. Senator Thelma Harper. She has a been a trailblazer in Tennessee for more than 30 years. Throughout the years, I have proudly worked with the Hon. Senator Harper on a variety of issues to improve our community. I have the utmost respect for her tireless work on behalf of the people in the Senatorial 19th District.”…

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Mark West Commentary: When Men are Unwilling to Lead – Tennessee’s Gubernatorial Race

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Mark West, Bill Lee

by Mark West   There is a story in the Old Testament (Judges 4), where we read about two leaders in Israel, Deborah and Barak. The people of Israel were facing a serious threat from an oppressive enemy, King Jabin and the Commander of his army, Sisera. God had told Deborah to instruct Barak, a leader of men in his own right, to march out against Sisera to defeat the infidel. When Deborah informed Barak of God’s charge to him, Barak’s answer was: “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” In that brief response, Barak revealed a lack of trust in God, a fear of men, and an unwillingness to go into enemy territory alone, without someone of greater courage and faith. Deborah’s response to Barak was: “Very well, I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture.” Like all stories in the Bible, there are typically modern day applications to our lives and even our nation. Rewind twelve months ago to July 2017. I was contacted by Bill Lee to sit down with him, one-on-one, to discuss his campaign…

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House Passes Act to Undo Supreme Court’s Kelo Ruling Which Allows Use of Eminent Domain For Private Development

Jason M. Reynolds
Susette Kelo, Little Pink House

The U.S. House took a stand for private property rights Wednesday when it addressed the issues from a controversial 2004 Supreme Court ruling that gives broad powers to seize private property. One writer, at least, cautions against premature celebration. Rick Moran at the blog American Thinker reported the House’s passage of HR 1689, the Private Property Rights Protection Act. American Thinker quotes Ed Morrissey at Hot Air who said no major media outlets covered this issue regarding the rights of citizens to be secure in their property. “It might not have gone far even now had it not been for renewed interest in the case from the recent independent film Little Pink House, starring Catherine Keener as Susette Kelo and Jeanne Tripplehorn and produced by Ted Balaker, formerly of Reason,” Morrissey said. Moran said eminent domain is justified in many cases where the public good would be served. However, “The argument isn’t if states and local governments have the right to invoke eminent domain, but rather the overly broad justification used by the court to allow a private developer to seize someone else’s property. “In Kelo, only a few private developers benefited,” Moran continued. “That the court deliberately weakened private property rights has been a stain…

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Commentary: The RINO Carbon Tax Proposal Reminds Us the Power to Tax is the Power to Destroy

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Carlos Carbelo

by Jeffery Rendall   With all the crazy stuff coming out of Washington these days it shouldn’t be surprising to hear a liberal congressman introduced a tax to address “climate change” that he claims is an investment in the future. But when it’s a Republican doing the proposing the matter’s worth a double-take. Such is the case for a lone RINO lawmaker representing a district full of Democrat voters. His latest attempt to save his own political skin makes a statement – and it’s not a positive one for conservatives. Josh Siegel reported in the Washington Examiner, “Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., on Monday became the first Republican to introduce national carbon pricing legislation in nearly a decade, and challenged his party to confront climate change to save future generations from ‘crushing environmental debt.’ “’While there are still some deniers out there, most Americans today understand that climate change caused by human activity is a reality that must be addressed,’ Curbelo said at an event at the National Press Club. “’I remind my colleagues who often decry our nation’s growing debt that saddling young Americans with a crushing environmental debt, meaning an unhealthy planet, is at least as immoral as leaving behind an unsustainable fiscal…

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JC Bowman Commentary: Giving Tennessee Educators a Choice and a Voice

JC Bowman
teacher

As teachers and administrators go back to school across the state, they will have a choice in what teacher association in which they want to join.  We hope they will join Professional Educators of Tennessee.  As an independent, Tennessee -focused professional association, we keep our membership dues low by ensuring that our dues dollars are put to good use meeting the needs of our members here in Tennessee, not supporting a national labor union and a national agenda. In fact, our dues are so reasonable that you can cover the $189 cost simply by taking advantage of our various benefit programs which are clearly valued by educators (teachers & administrators, as well as support personnel) .  Contrast that to the roughly $600 plus union members pay for less legal coverage and benefits.  Educators are also consumers and should expect quality services at an affordable price. You won’t have to look for the fine-print on our application just to see what you are joining.  Many Tennessee educators dislike the concept of forced “unified dues” and are opposed to the militancy of teacher unions’ nationwide.  (See NEA and AFT websites for your own comparison). You will find that our organization, Professional Educators of Tennessee is NOT engaged in aggressive political partisanship. We are NOT involved in a…

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OFF THE RECORD: John Rose Raises Money on K Street in Washington, D.C.

Tennessee Star Staff
John Rose

6th Congressional District candidate John Rose was on K Street in Washington, D.C. earlier this week raising money from a group of PACs and lobbyists. His rivals for the Republican nomination to succeed Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) spent the time talking to constituents across the district back in Tennessee. Rose’s chief rival is former Judge Bob Corlew, whose internal campaign polls show is running neck and neck with the former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture under former Gov. Don Sundquist. Rose had two fundraising events in Washington, D.C. this week. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill notes that is unusual for a candidate to be in Washington DC the week before a tightly contested election ends, especially an election where everyone is trying to distance themselves from the “swamp in DC.” “The optics are bad, and the timing is worse,” Gill observes. “It is the kind of late mistake that can swing a few points in an election and make the difference between winning and losing. The Corlew team was quick to take advantage of this unforced error, which was a gift to them courtesy of the Rose team. They even had a new TV spot up in just a few…

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Steve Scalise Supports Impeachment Of Rod Rosenstein: ‘Has Not Done His Job’

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Steve Scalise

by Nick Givas   Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana threw his support behind the GOP effort to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Fox News Thursday. Scalise praised the efforts of Republican Reps. Devin Nunes of California, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina for trying to uncover intelligence abuses and urged Congress to do whatever is necessary to find the truth — including impeaching Rosenstein. “If you look at what Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes have been doing, they’ve been fighting to get more information from the Justice Department,” Scalise said on “America’s Newsroom.” “Frankly, it is mind-boggling that Justice won’t comply. They ought to want to work with us to root out the bad apples, and if putting impeachment on the table as one more tool gets them to finally comply with the subpoenas from Congress, we need to make sure that they do their job and they comply and they show the American people exactly what’s going on.” “People want to know. What is going to root out the bad apples at the FBI? What are they doing to hold people accountable for what happened in this investigation that we’ve exposed?” he…

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Zinke Ends Obama-Era Policy Requiring Energy Companies Fund Environmental ‘Mitigation’ Projects

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Ryan Zinke

by Tim Pierce   The Department of the Interior (DOI) is scrapping an Obama-era policy mandating energy companies mitigate development on federal land by funding offsite environmental projects. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — a DOI-controlled agency and the largest land-owning agency in the U.S. — began forcing oil, gas and coal companies to pay mitigation fees to the BLM or a third party under former President Barack Obama. The fees would be used to fund environmental projects such as restoring habitat or protecting wetlands. The size of the fee was calculated by the BLM to cover the damage done by the proposed development. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke retracted the policy in a memo to the BLM Tuesday. “This policy means that Americans … who want to use their public lands will no longer be required to pay money to BLM or third parties as a form of ‘mitigation’ when they seek new permits from BLM,” DOI spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “BLM will continue to require project proponents to avoid or minimize actual harm on public lands as appropriate.” “This policy also does not affect State mitigation programs, or compensatory mitigation under other federal laws,”…

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Ignore the Man Behind The Curtain: Haslam Conspires to Block Diane Black Endorsement by Trump

Julie Carr

In the audio below, conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill of The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville, called out “Never-Trumper” Bill Haslam for his attempts to block a Trump endorsement for Tennessee’s Diane Black in the Tennessee Governor’s race and whether or not this will entice President Trump to do so. Gill reflected, “We were talking earlier in the show about the possibility of a Trump endorsement of Diane Black. Well now the Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting along with the Nashville Tennessean and Memphis Commercial Appeal that Governor Bill Haslam has said Trump should stay out of the republican primary for Tennessee Governor.” He continued: Now there’s been a few stories that have been done by the New York Times and the Tennessee Star pointing out that Bill Haslam was hoping to block a Trump endorsement of Diane Black. And we exposed that he was actually working behind the scenes to try and block that endorsement. Well now apparently, it’s been confirmed as the Governor has been outed that he is in fact telling people I don’t think it would be helpful for the White House to be in primaries.…

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Corlew Campaign Releases Poll Showing Statistical Tie in 6th Congressional District Race with John Rose

Tennessee Star Staff
John Rose, Bob Corlew

The Judge Bob Corlew for Congress campaign released the results of a new internal poll on Tuesday that shows Corlew is in a statistical tie with former Agriculture Commissioner John Rose in the race for the Republican nomination for the 6th Congressional District to replace Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), who is running for governor. While polls released by any campaign should always be viewed with a grain of salt, campaigns often release the results of their internal polls when they believe they tell a favorable narrative for their candidate. According to the Corlew for Congress campaign internal poll conducted of likely Republican voters in the 6th Congressional District primary on the evenings of July 22 and July 23, John Rose has 20 percent support, while Judge Bob Corlew has 16 percent support. All other candidates have 8 percent support, while a whopping 56 percent remain undecided. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was particularly intrigued by the 56 percent undecided number at this stage of the campaign. “We are in the final days of early voting and I expect around half of the total Republican primary vote to be cast during early voting,” Gill said. “If these whole numbers are…

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