Day: August 14, 2018

Democrats Double Down on Personal Attacks Against Marsha Blackburn: She ‘Can Swim’

Jason M. Reynolds

Marsha Blackburn “can swim,” a Democratic consultant said Sunday in response to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s violent remark about wanting President Donald Trump to tell the Senate candidate to jump off a bridge. Cohen (D-TN-09) made the remark last month to a group of pastors at a prayer breakfast meant to increase Democratic turnout for the Aug. 2 elections. The breakfast was held at Broadway Baptist Church in Memphis and was hosted by Democrat Phil Bredesen’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. “The big orange president …. He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, ‘Jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge,” he said in the audio obtained by The Huffington Post. “I wish he’d say that,” Cohen said. Democratic consultant John Rowley added to the violent attacks on Rep. Blackburn (R-TN-07). He told Fox 17 Nashville In Focus on Sunday that Cohen’s remark was “totally inbounds” because “Steve Cohen knows Marsha Blackburn can swim.” You can watch the clip here. Rowley said the incitement to violence was “nothing.” “It could be a good publicity stunt for the city of Memphis,” he added. “You never…

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Tennessean Coverage of CoreCivic Protest Implies Heavy Bias

Chris Butler
CoreCivic protect

If one didn’t know any better one might assume the same left-wing activists who protested CoreCivic last week are chummy with the writers and editors of The Tennessean, given how the paper covered the event. So much so they collude with one another. So much so the writers at The Tennessean might allow their personal biases to overrule the truth. “They are protesting CoreCivic, and The Tennessean is giving them all the propaganda they can because CoreCivic does some of the detention facilities for illegal aliens,” said Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill. Reporters at The Tennessean, Gill went on to say, are not telling the real story of what CoreCivic does. Tennessean reporter Natalie Allison did not return repeated requests for comment Monday, and neither did her supervisor Duane Gang. On the day of the protest, Allison signaled likely coordination with the protestors. Her first tweet covering the event occurred at 6:32 a.m. that day. She used the protest group’s hashtag, #ResistICENashville, in later tweets. The story she eventually produced did not question the protestors, their motivations, or even their funding. She even ignored Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson, who said the following about the protest: We understand the…

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FBI Fires Anti-Trump Agent Peter Strzock

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Peter Strzok

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has fired agent Peter Strzok, who had become the target of Republican anger over his text messages disparaging President Donald Trump, Strzok’s lawyer said Monday. Strzok was a key figure in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, until his anti-Trump text messages to his lover, former FBI attorney Lisa Page, were discovered. In one of them, Strzok vowed to keep Trump from winning the election, though there was no evidence he and Page imposed their political views on the investigation. Earlier, Strzok helped investigate Trump’s Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, over her use of a private email server while she was the U.S. secretary of state. Trump praised the firing, saying in a Twitter comment, “Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI – finally.” Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI – finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction – I just fight back! — Donald J. Trump…

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Commentary: Media and Republican Establishment Nay-Sayers Frantic to Spin Ohio Primary Victory into Defeat for Trump’s GOP

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Donald Trump

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   It should come as no surprise to conservatives that the media took last week’s mostly positive Republican election results and spun them as though they were lopsided losses for President Donald Trump and his party – and that they represented a giant leap forward for the notion of a “blue wave” forming ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Republican win in the Ohio special election was particularly singled out by political talkers as constituting yet another “warning sign” for the GOP. Republican Troy Balderson’s narrow one-point victory in the Buckeye State’s 12th District meant the GOP held onto what was effectively an open seat – something GOP faithful should be proud of accomplishing rather than taking it as an apprehensive sign that the party ship is listing badly and is about to sink as the opening act on its inevitable journey to the depths. Still, many are concerned. They wanted to win by more, apparently, which is only natural since Balderson’s district is a traditional GOP stronghold that’s gone Republican for decades. President Trump was having none of the negativity, however, boldly claiming his assistance helped carry Balderson (and the others) over-the-top. Seth McLaughlin reported in the Washington Times last…

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Fusion GPS Founder Glenn Simpson Shared ‘False Story’ About GOP Lawyer in Meeting with DOJ’s Bruce Ohr

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Glenn Simpson, Bruce Ohr

by Chuck Ross    – Notes taken by Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr show that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson claimed that longtime GOP lawyer Cleta Mitchell was concerned about Russian funding for the NRA.  – Mitchell vehemently denies the allegation, which first appeared in a news article published by McClatchy in March.  – Mitchell says Simpson should be prosecuted for making false statements to a federal official. Veteran GOP lawyer Cleta Mitchell suddenly found her name mixed up in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The first public mention of Mitchell came in a March 13 report released by Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The report listed Mitchell, a partner at the firm Foley & Lardner, as one of the “individuals or groups who were involved in or may have knowledge of third-party political outreach from the Kremlin to the Trump campaign.” Two days later, McClatchy newspapers cited two anonymous sources who claimed that Mitchell expressed concerns just after the election that Russians had funneled secret cash to the National Rifle Association. The origin of the claims about Mitchell, which she says are a “complete fabrication,” have remained a mystery for…

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Nashville Abortion Center Closes for Good

Chris Butler
Women's Center Nashville

As of last Saturday, no more abortions will take place at the unlicensed Women’s Center in Nashville. The owners of the facility officially closed their doors last weekend. The space they worked out of will soon get new tenants, said Tennessee Right to Life President Brian Harris on Monday. Harris would not say who the new tenants are, but he did say they form a local nonprofit healthcare provider that “offers ethical and life-affirming services for low-income individuals.” This mystery organization does not perform or refer for abortions, Harris told The Tennessee Star. “I think the (Women’s Center) facility had a plan to go out of business, and they just began marketing the building,” Harris said, referring to physician and owner Gary Boyle, who is based out of northwest Tennessee. Boyle is reportedly in his late 60s or early 70s by now. “I think what you are seeing across the country is the aging of the abortionist, and that is one factor in the closure of this facility,” Harris said. “It is very difficult to identify younger physicians who want to be involved in the dirty trade of abortion. Dr. Boyle is retirement age. I think — and I am…

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Liberal Women’s Group: Ellison Must Resign, Drop Out Of AG Race Following Domestic Abuse Allegations

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Keith Ellison

by Peter Hasson   A liberal-leaning women’s group is calling on Democratic Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to resign from Congress and end his attorney general campaign following allegations that he physically abused his ex-girlfriend. “We believe women. We believe Karen Monahan,” UltraViolet executive director Shaunna Thomas said in a statement Monday. “A domestic abuser does not belong in any position of power but particularly not as the top prosecutor in the State.” “Keith Ellison should withdraw his candidacy for Minnesota’s Attorney General and resign from the House of Representatives.” Ellison, the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, denied he physically abused Monahan, an activist for liberal environmental organization, Sierra Club. Karen Francis Monahan especially loved "Little Red Corvette" at the Revolution Reunion @FirstAvenue . pic.twitter.com/zbSgWDogUZ — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) September 3, 2016 Monahan’s son, Austin, on Saturday first accused Ellison of beating his mother in a viral Facebook post. Austin claimed to have uncovered a video on his mom’s laptop that showed Ellison dragging her off a bed and screaming expletives at her. “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being,” Ellison declared in a statement Sunday. “This video does not exist because I never behaved…

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Full-Time Work: North Dakota Pipeline Protesters Are Now Protesting In Michigan

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Nancy Shomin

by Jason Hopkins   People who spent their time protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline are now nearly 1,000 miles away protesting the operation of an entirely different pipeline. Resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline attracted a massive amount of people. Thousands of protesters in 2016 congregated at the Standing Rock Native American reservation to voice their opposition to the crude oil line that runs across the Midwest. Their efforts, however, proved fruitless after President Donald Trump green-lighted construction of the pipeline immediately upon entering office. With their cause now over in North Dakota, some protesters have set up shop in Michigan, where another pipeline has drawn the ire of environmental activists. Enbridge — an energy transportation company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta — owns and operates Enbridge Line 5, a pipeline that cuts through the Great Lake states as it transports petroleum from western Canada to the eastern part of the country. Given its presence between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, environmentalists have long called for Enbridge Line 5 to end. [  RELATED: The Dakota Access Pipeline Is One Year Old And All We Got Was This Awesome Economic Growth  ] “The goal is to shut it down,” Nancy Shomin stated to The Detroit Free…

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Tennessee Taxpayers Gave $1 Billion in Corporate Welfare Last Year

Chris Butler
Bernstein

You, the taxpayers of Tennessee, helped give away nearly $1 billion in tax credits to corporations who set up shop here last year. State law, as it turns out, forbids you from finding out exactly what kind of return you’re getting on your investment. In other words, even though the money came out of your wallet, you may not know how any one corporation spent it. For this, you can thank Tennessee’s confidentiality laws. Mark Cunningham, spokesman for the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free market think tank, said state officials hide behind them. “Beacon wants the books to be completely open when it comes to corporate handouts,” Cunningham said. “If you are getting money from the taxpayers then we should know how many jobs you are creating and what that money is being used for. If you are taking our money then you don’t get to hide behind these walls, in our opinion.” When there’s more transparency with these tax credits then there’s more clarity. When there’s more clarity about what, precisely, corporations do with this money then there’s more likelihood the taxpayers will dislike it, Cunningham said. The state’s powers that be, of course, bestow these tax…

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If Elected to Congress State Sen. Mark Green Would Propose Student Loan Payback Program With Employer Contribution Just Like 401Ks

Julie Carr
Steve Gill, Mark Green

Steve Gill and 7th District Republican Congressional nominee State Senator Dr. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) sat down for an extensive interview about Green’s candidacy for Congress , and his position on a broad range of issues important to Tennesseans. The cost of higher education and skyrocketing student debt was among them – in particular the federal government’s overreach into state education and how new college graduates can benefit from a ‘401K’ structured student loan incentive that could end up being a 360 degree win for both employers and their new young employees riddled with debt. STEVE GILL: Education is another issue we hear a lot about in terms of concerns with voters. If you’re in Congress, what would be your education priority how do you deal with education issues?I know most of that is local. DR. MARK GREEN: Sure STEVE GILL: But the federal government imposes 85 percent of the regulation and about 10 percent of the money. How do we balance that a little better? DR. MARK GREEN: The ESSA has got to go. Right? I think it is, all it is is this overbearing federal program that the state’s have to comply to, or comply with. If we can’t…

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