Tag: Ben Cunningham

Star News Network Washington Correspondent Neil McCabe on Trump Move to New Jersey and Next House Freedom Caucus Speaker

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Washington Correspondent for the Star News Network Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line to weigh in on his recent story about the House Freedom Caucus’s Speaker choice and the possible motivation behind Donald Trump’s move to New Jersey.

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Conservatives Scold Tennessee AG Herb Slatery for ‘Cheerleading’ Controversial Joe Biden Cabinet Nominee

Chris Butler

  Three well-known Tennessee conservatives on Tuesday found fault with Republican Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery for supporting Xavier Becerra, U.S. President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as Health and Human Services secretary. Becerra, a Democrat, serves as California’s attorney general. FOX News published an article Friday that described Becerra as a controversial nominee who lacks medical experience and supports abortion access. Slatery spokeswoman Samantha Fisher said by email Tuesday that the FOX News account of Slatery’s words were accurate. “It characterized their positive working relationship as fellow attorneys general and nothing more,” Fisher said. Former Vanderbilt University professor Carol Swain told The Tennessee Star in an email that Slatery has allowed “a personal relationship to supersede valid concerns about Becerra’s record on religious liberty and human life.” “Slatery’s decision highlights the fact that it is more important than ever before for Tennessee to change the process for selecting its attorney general,” Swain wrote. “Accountability is crucial if we are to have decisions reflecting the will of the people.” Ben Cunningham of Tennessee Tax Revolt, meanwhile, said “Slatery’s endorsement of Becerra for HHS is tantamount to enthusiastic cheerleading for the far-left liberal agenda of the Biden administration.” “Biden is taking…

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Campaign to Pressure Davidson County Election Commission Is off, For Now

Chris Butler

Some of the same people who collected the signatures for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act are holding off on pressuring members of the Davidson County Election Commission.

As reported, The Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum, if approved, would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase. As reported last month, the Nashville Election Commission voted three to two to neither approve nor reject the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act. They instead passed the matter on to a chancery court to guide them on how to proceed, and also moved the “conditional” date of the election from December 5 to December 15.

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Guest Host Ben Cunningham and Laura Baigert Discuss the Media’s Glorification of Protesters and the Need for Government Transparency

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Kevin and Laura Baigert to the studio.

During the third hour, Cunningham and the Baigerts discussed the protesters at Legislative Plaza who broke their deal with the Tennessee Highway Patrol yet manage to be fawned over by media outlets. The Baigerts added that there is now a large class of people whose job is of political theater by provoking the police and manipulating the news media.

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Chase Matheson Talks About His Back the Badge Rally Happening This Sunday at the Legislative Plaza

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Back the Badge Organizer Chase Matheson to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, Matheson described his motivation for the upcoming Back the Badge rally this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. As a son of a former police officer, he felt that is was important that law enforcement know they have the support of the community.

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Tennessee State Executive Committeewoman Michelle Foreman Wants Recall Vote over Nashville’s 34 Percent Poperty Tax Increase

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Tennessee State Executive Committeewoman Michelle Foreman to the newsmakers line.

During the first hour, Foreman explained her call for budget cuts to Metro government which would avoid a steep property tax increase. She described several ways that Metro government could frugally cut spending leaving for a gradual tax increase year over year.

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#FreeTN Event Draws Hundreds to State Capitol in Nashville Over Stay-At-Home Order Extension

Laura Baigert

An estimated 750 people participated in the #FreeTN event held at the State Capitol in Nashville Sunday in response to the extension of the statewide stay-at-home order.

While #FreeTN organizer Kim Edwards of Nashville and others were not happy with the governor’s initial stay-at-home order, the extension from April 14 to April 30 moved them to action.

A Nashville mom of three, who with her husband open their home for Airbnb rentals, Edwards told The Tennessee Star that the message of the stay-at-home order is that their entire future is no longer essential, while the truth is “Everyone is essential.”

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Neil McCabe of One America News Network Says There are No Moderate Democrats, It’s Just All About Their ‘Tone’

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast live on Wednesday morning on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – special guest host Ben Cunningham and all-star panelist Crom Carmichael welcomed One America News Networks own investigative reporter Neil McCabe to the show to talk about the Democrats’ New Hampshire results.

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With All Due Respect: Leahy and Cunningham Discuss ‘Revelations’ in Nikki Haley’s New Book

Julie Carr

Live from music row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist, long-time friend, and Tea Party organizer Ben Cunningham to discuss former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley’s new book, With All Due Respect.

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Rep. Mark Green Provides Inside Look at GOP House Members ‘Storming’ of Democrats’ Impeachment Star Chamber

Julie Carr

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Micheal Patrick Leahy spoke to U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Republican congressman representing Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District, regarding the recent Republican political theatre at the nation’s capitol.

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Desperate David Briley Punches Down, Criticizes Nashville Tea Party’s Opposition to Property Tax Increase

Julie Carr

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy and special guest Ben Cunnigham – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy and Cunningham talked about Cunningham’s recent Tweets stating that he would hold John Cooper accountable to his implied commitments to the reallocation of Davidson County funds and not raising property taxes.

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The Tennessee Star Report: Senior Reporter Laura Baigert on Why The Education Savings Account Bill Cleared a Big Hurdle in Committee This Week

Julie Carr

On Thursday’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 – guest host and Nashville Tea Party Activist Ben Cunningham spoke with The Tennessee Star’s own senior reporter Laura Baigert, co-guest host for the day, about the key 14 to 9 favorable vote in the Education Committee this week that moved the Education Savings Account legislation closer to a vote on the floor of the House. Kevin Baigert, Laura’s husband and a long-time conservative activist in the state, was also a special in-studio guest during the broadcast who provided key insights into the vote as well. Cunningham: Had a really interesting episode yesterday at the General Assembly the, one of the Governor Bill Lee’s main legislative initiatives is what’s called an ESA , educational savings account and a real important vote occurred yesterday in the education committee. Laura, you were there. Give us just the two paragraph version of what happened. I saw it was fourteen to nine vote. That’s really is more than I thought the bigger majority. Is that about what you expected in terms of the committee vote. Baigert:…

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Bill Hobbs (1964 – 2019)

Jason M. Reynolds

Tributes have been pouring in following the death of Bill Hobbs, former communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, who lost his fight with cancer on Saturday. Hobbs was also a professional photographer. His website is here. He also was a former reporter and blogger. Jeff Hartline, executive director of the Tennessee Spotlight and vice chair of the Wilson County GOP, on Saturday paid tribute to Hobbs in his newsletter, from his unwavering conservative beliefs to his faith in Jesus. Hartline said, in part: In the process of raising three children, building a business and being engaged in the life of the Ashwood Church and its eventual move, I lost personal track of Bill. But I was aware that he had landed at the Tennessee GOP and, as Communications Director, was making Democrats in Tennessee run for cover with his groundbreaking and penetrating messaging. I suspect he was front and center when it came time to throw then Rep. Kent Williams out of the Republican Party when he colluded with House Democrats to elect him as speaker following the Republican takeover of the House after Ron Ramsey led the Republican takeover of the Senate. As many would recall, Republicans won…

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Tennessee Star Report Exclusive: Ben Cunningham Says Conservatives Living in Metro Nashville Council District 29 Should Run in January Special Election

Julie Carr

On Thursday’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 – Leahy welcomed special guest host, Ben Cunningham to the show and chatted about his urging of conservatives in metro Nashville to run for office in District 29’s January special election.  The men also reminisced about the Tennessee Tax Revolt, how people became transformed and activists,  and how today there is so much a citizen can do to make a difference if they just get involved. Leahy: Guest hosting today is our good friend Ben Cunningham. Ben we were talking about getting involved in activism both the parents and grandparent’s and kids.  Possibly encouraging somebody to run for metro council in the 29th district here a special election in January where Karen Johnson has left.  Um, there’s also other things that need to be going on here… Cunningham: All the council seats are coming up in August of next year.  August of 2019 is, be a full slate of the council member elections.  Anybody can run for those seats also if you’re in Davidson county you have to qualify by, I think it’s May 13th…

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Steve Gill, Ben Cunningham, and Mae Beavers Blast ‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen and The Tennessean for Rewriting History on 2000 Horn Honkers Uprising That Stopped State Income Tax

Julie Carr

On Friday morning’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 – Steve Gill talked with veteran grassroots activist Ben Cunningham and former State Sen. Mae Beavers regarding The Tennessean’s revisionist history and continuous cover up for ‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen’s lies – in particular their dishonest misrepresentation in a story published Thursday on how the state income tax proposed by then-Gov. Don Sundquist was stopped. Tennesseans who were living in Nashville at the time know the proposed income tax was stopped by a populist uprising led by state legislators Marsha Blackburn, Mae Beavers, and Diane Black, and talk radio hosts Steve Gill and Phil Valentine. Bredesen is the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). He faces Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the Republican nominee, in the November 6 general election. Gill, Cunningham, and Beavers also reflected upon the historic fight to keep a state income tax out of Tennessee. Gill: Am I overstating it, Ben, to say that Phil [Valentine] and Marsha and Diane and Mae and your efforts and the efforts and…

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The Tennessee Star Blazes by 4 Million Visits

Admin

  FRANKLIN, Tennessee–In less than two months since September, traffic at The Tennessee Star has grown from 3 million visits to an astounding 4 million visits subsequent to its launch in early February. WOW!! We just had our FOUR MILLIONTH visit to The https://t.co/Awo9LigL60 since our launch Feb 6. THANK YOU, Tennessee – your readership and support mean the world to us! pic.twitter.com/aThos9gCeg — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) November 17, 2017 Launched on February 6, The Star hit the 3 million visit mark on September 23. It took just 7  weeks and 6 days to add another 1 million visits and hit the 4 million visit mark on Friday, November 17. It took The Star 3 months and 16 days from its launch on February 6 until it hit the first 1 million visit mark on May 23. Adding another million total visits in about half the time it took to reach the first million visits is a sign The Star’s traffic growth continues to accelerate dramatically. When asked what the secret to the upstart news outlet’s success is, Managing Editor Christina Botteri replied, “That is an interesting question. I believe it’s a number of factors that together, have created a new…

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Nashville Tea Party Asks Mayor Megan Barry to Provide More Details of Mass Transit Proposal

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

The Nashville Tea Party is calling on Nashville Mayor Megan Barry to release detailed plans for a tentative $6 billion regional mass transit project. Barry has said she will put a referendum on the ballot next year to raise taxes for the project, designed to be phased in over 25 years. The proposal she’s backing makes heavy use of light rail, as well as rapid buses. The Nashville Business Journal has reported that Barry is also considering underground transit downtown. “If approved, these new taxes will burden Middle Tennessee taxpayers for decades,” the Nashville Tea Party said in a press release Monday. “The mayor’s current petition campaign simply asks taxpayers to pledge they will ‘pay for it’”. “This amounts to the mayor asking taxpayers to sign a blank check,” Ben Cunningham, president of the Nashville Tea Party, said in the press release. The press release says that the Nashville Tea Party wants the public to have the complete details now and not “in bits and pieces over the coming months.” It notes that the IMPROVE Act passed by the state legislature earlier this year requires that the public be well informed before a referendum vote. The IMPROVE Act raised the gas tax…

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