Tag: U.S. Senate

Commentary: What The U.S. Constitution Really Says On The Subject Of Impeachment And Trial Removal Of The President

Gregory Watson

Before then-President-elect Donald Trump could even take the official oath of office on January 20, 2017, his critics were already chattering about the possibility of Trump’s tenure in the White House being truncated by means of involuntary removal. Throughout 2017 and 2018, there has been, and continues to be, spirited discussion by the President’s detractors of the possibility of expelling him from office by means of the impeachment-and-trial process that is found in separate parts of the U.S. Constitution. One of the most ardent advocates of ousting President Trump has been U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-California). Another has been her colleague, U.S. Representative Al Green (D-Texas) who actually went so far as to offer articles of impeachment against the President only to be soundly rebuffed, as recently as January 19, 2018, by a procedural motion-to-table Green’s House Resolution No. 705 with 355 yeas, 66 nays, 3 “present”, and 6 “not voting”. Prior to the recent November 6, 2018, general election, some members of the U.S. House of Representatives vowed that, if the partisan composition of that body would flip from majority Republican to majority Democrat — which it certainly did on November 6th — efforts to impeach the President would…

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Commentary: The U.S. Constitution Narrowly Prevailed Over Mob Rule And Character-Assassination

Gregory Watson

On October 6, 2018, now-Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh was formally confirmed by the U.S. Senate — in a rare Saturday session — with a slender vote of 50 yeas and 48 nays in the 100-member body. Both of Tennessee’s Senators, Republicans Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, cast their votes in favor of Kavanaugh joining the highest court in the land. The last time that someone gained membership onto the High Court by such a close margin was on May 12, 1881, when Thomas Stanley Matthews (nominated by President James Garfield) squeaked by with 24 yeas and 23 nays in the Senate.  Matthews went on to distinguish himself on the Court as a foe of racial discrimination when he wrote the Opinion in the 1886 case of Yick Wo v. Hopkins, striking down the City of San Francisco’s then-policies of restricting the ability of Chinese immigrants in that city — and placing extraneous procedural obstacles in their path — to establish businesses there, thus infringing upon the federal Constitution’s 14th Amendment. A short time after this past Saturday’s 50-48 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts administered the official oath to Kavanaugh as the 114th Justice of the Supreme Court, thereby…

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Tennessee State Lawmakers Gave Up a Section of the State Constitution When They Quickly Ratified The U.S. Constitution’s 26th Amendment

Gregory Watson

Back in 1971, the Tennessee General Assembly quickly ratified the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which lowered the voting age in all elections–federal, state and local– to 18 in every state. By doing so, they voluntarily give up a section of the Tennessee State Constitution. Here’s that story: During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam War — with which the United States was heavily involved — continued to rage overseas.  With so many American soldiers — several of them younger than 20 years of age — dying on the battlefields of a foreign land in this War, public opinion within the United States began to shift in terms of by what age a person should become eligible to vote.  At the time, an individual had to be at least 21 years of age in order to register to vote. But with the evolution in social sentiment occasioned at least in part by the Vietnam War, Congress began to take steps to lower that age from 21 down to 18.  A popular slogan of the day was “if you are old enough to fight for your country, then you are old enough to cast a…

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Grassroots Conservative Roy Moore Crushes Establishment Candidate in Alabama GOP Senate Runoff Win

Tennessee Star Staff

Grassroots conservative champion Judge Roy Moore crushed establishment candidate Senator Luther Strange (R-AL) in Tuesday’s Alabama U.S. Senate runoff election by a whopping 54 percent to 45 percent margin, with 95 percent of all precincts reporting. The 9 point victory came for Moore despite being outspent by his opponent and his opponent’s allies by at least 6 to 1, as well as President Trump’s inexplicable endorsement of Strange and his trip to Huntsville, Alabama on Friday to host a well-attended and boisterous rally with Strange in which he doubled-down in his support for the former Alabama Attorney General. Tellingly, Strange only won four counties in the state–two in the Birmingham area (Shelby and Jefferson),  one that comprised the metropolitan Huntsville area (Madison), and Sumter County on the border with Mississippi. President Trump promised at the rally that he would support Moore if he won and campaign for him vigorously to secure a victory for Republicans in the December 12 general election against Democratic nominee Doug Jones. True to his word, Trump congratulated Moore on his victory Tuesday evening: Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy,…

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Commentary: Corker Retirement Sends Shockwaves Through Tennessee Political Landscape

Tennessee Star Staff

U.S. Senator Bob Corker’s announcement Tuesday that he will not seek a third term next year has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of Tennessee. With an open Governor’s race, at least two open U.S. House seats, and the likelihood of two dozen State House and Senate seats being open, spending in next year’s GOP Primary election season was already expected to approach $70 million. Now, that number may approach $80 million! The impact of the Corker announcement has already fueled speculation about who might run for his seat, and what impact that the decisions of potential Senate candidates could have on other races. Here is a quick rundown of some names already in the mix of discussion. 1. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R- TN-07). Marsha might not clear the field, but with over $3 million in her federal congressional account and strong con-servative credentials and name recognition courtesy of her many appearances on cable news networks, she would certainly give others pause if she gets into the race quickly. (If she hesitates, does Diane Black jump from the Governor’s race and with her personal funding advantage block Marsha from entering? That seems unlikely, unless Marsha hesitates for a while. Even…

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Andy Ogles Announces Challenge to Bob Corker for U. S. Senate

Christina Botteri

  Long time conservative activist Andy Ogles announced Thursday he is launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Senator Bob Corker (R-TN). “In less than a year the Republican primary will give us an opportunity to make choices that will impact future generations of Tennesseans,” Ogles said in a statement. “Conservative leadership means more than making promises, it means keeping them.” Andy Ogles is perhaps best known at the leader of the Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a position he’s held since 2013. During his tenure as the state director, the grassroots army defeated Obamacare expansion twice, led the fight against Common Core and prevented multiple attempts to inflict so-called “Washington DC values” on Tennesseans. The volunteer organization worked to hold politicians accountable for bad votes, regardless of party affiliation. Unlike Senator Corker, who has repeatedly put himself at odds against President Trump and his policy goals, Ogles is aligning himself closely to the president’s ‘Drain the Swap’ message. “Over the past several months it has become increasingly clear that too many of our elected officials in Washington are failing our country, failing to fulfill their promises, and failing our future,” Ogles said. “Sadly, Republicans who promised to…

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REPORT: Senator Bob Corker Considering Retirement

Admin

  Senator Bob Corker is considering retirement, according to a CNN report breaking this morning: Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the influential chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee who was once considered for a spot in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, is weighing whether to call it quits next year. Corker told CNN last week that he has not made a decision about his future, and appeared to confirm Trump’s tweet that he asked the President for political advice about whether to run for reelection. “As far as what am I going to do in the future, I’m still contemplating the future,” Corker said in an interview. “It’s a tremendous privilege to do what I do, and to weigh in on the big issues. … But I have not decided what I’m going to do in the future.” The junior Senator has been oddly quiet about any 2018 re-election run as possible candidates consider challenging him in the August primary, and investigations into some too-good-to-be-true stock trades develop. CNN continues: A source familiar with Corker’s thinking said the Republican is legitimately torn about whether to remain in the body another six years or to return to his roots in the business sector.…

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Senate Committee Launches New Clinton Corruption Investigation

Tennessee Star Staff

Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has launched a new investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s effort to thwart a Bangladesh government corruption probe of Muhammad Yunus, a Clinton Foundation donor and close friend of the Clintons. The Iowa Republican’s effort is the first new official inquiry of Clinton since her unexpected…

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