Tag: US Senate

Commentary: Congress Shirks Its Powers and Then Cries ‘Thief!’

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by Rachael Bovard   A bipartisan howling is coming from Congress about President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build the border wall. And while hypocrisy in Washington is always in the water, on the question of immigration, there is enough of it to make your hair curl. Both Republicans and Democrats alike have rushed to condemn Trump for taking unilateral action. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) called Trump’s actions an “abuse of his constitutional oath and an affront to the separation of powers.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it “a gross abuse of the power of the presidency.” Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he did not “believe declaring a national emergency is the right approach.” Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) called the move “unnecessary and unwise.” Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said the declaration was “not the preferred way to go.” It’s natural for the legislature to raise its hackles when the president subsumes some of its authority for himself. But what all of these statements fail to acknowledge is that the president is invoking authority that Congress slowly has been shirking and giving to the executive for years. Although they…

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Trump Says Senate Shouldn’t ‘Go Home’ Until His Executive Nominees Are Confirmed

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by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump called out Democrats for “slow walking” his executive nominees such as ambassadors in a tweet Sunday. “Democrats in the Senate are still slow walking hundreds of highly qualified people wanting to come into government,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Never been such an abuse in our country’s history. [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch [McConnell] should not let Senate go home until all are approved. We need our Ambassadors and all others NOW!” Democrats in the Senate are still slow walking hundreds of highly qualified people wanting to come into government. Never been such an abuse in our country’s history. Mitch should not let Senate go home until all are approved. We need our Ambassadors and all others NOW! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2019 More than 20 of Trump’s ambassador picks are still awaiting confirmation, according to the American Foreign Service Association’s list last updated on Jan. 25. Trump’s complaint comes days after Senate Republicans took steps to speed up their ability to approve the president’s nominees. The Senate Rules Committee, which is led by Republicans, approved limiting debate time for most nominees Wednesday, reported Politico. The measure is not final, however, as McConnell has not brought…

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Booker Focuses on Race Relations in Initial 2020 White House Swing

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Reuters   U.S. Senator Cory Booker made the nation’s complicated history with race relations and racial disparities a focal point at events in the key state of Iowa during his first 2020 presidential campaign swing over the weekend. Booker, 49, a former Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey, frequently discussed incarceration and employment disparities, while also telling his parents’ story of trying to buy a house in an unintegrated New Jersey suburb in the late 1960s with the help of a volunteer civil rights lawyer. Booker’s focus was an overture to the coalition of young, diverse voters that twice elected former Democratic President Barack Obama, while also differentiating his style from that of the first black U.S. president, who rarely discussed race during his campaign. Booker’s emphasis on his personal and mayoral past, as well as his work as a senator on criminal justice issues, may also set him apart in a crowded field of Democratic candidates aiming to take on Republican President Donald Trump in what could be an historic election. There are already four Democratic candidates vying to be the country’s first woman president, including U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, a former top prosecutor in the city of San…

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Georgia’s Failed Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Meets with Chuck Schumer as 2020 Senate Speculation Mounts

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by Jason Hopkins   Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams met with top Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss a potential run for the Senate in 2020. Abrams held talks Thursday with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The discussion comes as Abrams, considered the unofficial leader of Georgia Democrats, mulls her next political moves. The former state representative and romance novelist rocketed to fame during her 2018 gubernatorial bid against Republican Brian Kemp, the state’s former secretary of state. National Democrats had hoped Abrams would make history as the first black female to be elected governor of a U.S. state. However, Kemp ultimately emerged victorious in what was one of the closest elections in Georgia history. The contest also became one of the state’s ugliest campaigns in recent memory. Despite publicly admitting she wouldn’t receive enough votes to force an election runoff, Abrams refused to use the word “concession” because it, according to her, would denote a meaning of “right, true or proper.” She has continued to claim, without evidence, that Kemp used his secretary of state position to maliciously suppress voters and refuses to…

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Commentary: Mitch McConnell’s Complicity with Democrats

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by Rachel Bovard   The partial government shutdown is well into its second week. And given the mix of Democrat enthusiasm and complete Republican apathy, it looks like it may stay that way for a while. Ask any reporter or Capitol Hill staffer who has worked through previous government shutdowns, and we’ll all tell you the same thing about this one: it’s bizarre. Government shutdowns are generally characterized by a pervasive sense of urgency and frazzled, frantic negotiations. Beleaguered members tramp back and forth to the White House and hold daily press conferences, both chambers hold late-night sessions for votes and speeches, and, of course, everyone howls on cable news. But, minus a few exceptions on the cable news networks, hardly any of this has occurred. Instead, the clock chimed on the shutdown and Congress just went home. The Republican House, in a last-minute Hail Mary, passed a government funding bill that included the president’s requested $5 billion in wall funding. But upon receiving it, the Republican Senate collectively yawned and packed up for home on December 21. They didn’t come back until 4 p.m. on January 2. They weren’t alone. Newly minted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) decamped for Hawaii, for…

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Elizabeth Warren Ignites More 2020 Speculation With Twitter Name Change

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by Molly Prince   The name of Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign’s Twitter account changed Saturday night, reigniting speculation she has plans to launch a bid for the presidency in 2020. Renamed: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) campaign account"elizabethforma"=>"ewarren" — Elon Musk is dumb (@CongressChanges) December 30, 2018 @CongressChanges, a Twitter bot that monitors changes to lawmakers’ Twitter accounts, tweeted Warren re-named her account @ewarren. Prior to the change, the account was @elizabethforma, a nod to her home state of Massachusetts. Warren, who said in June she would not be running for president, seemingly flipped on her word and announced less than three months later she would take a “hard look” at launching a presidential campaign following the midterms. During an interview leading up to her November election, Warren refused to commit to serving her full term in the Senate if re-elected. The Massachusetts senator has also been quietly shopping for office space in the Boston area to headquarter her possible presidential campaign, according to a report earlier in December. The list of Democratic senators who are mulling over their own challenge to Trump in 2020 is continuing to grow. Following midterm elections, Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced they are considering a presidential…

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Judson Phillips Commentary: It is Time for a Conservative Convention in Tennessee

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by Judson Phillips   The announcement by Senator Lamar Alexander, that he will not seek reelection in 2020, has thrown open the doors for conservatives to change the face of Tennessee politics. In 2019, the first installment of that change will happen. Marsha Blackburn will replace Bob Corker in the Senate.  That can only be described as a tremendous improvement. Bill Lee will replace Bill Haslam as governor. While the jury is still out on Governor-elect Lee, by default he has to be an improvement over Governor Haslam. Rumors have long swept Nashville about Governor Haslam’s interest in a Senate seat.  He would be a disaster for conservative and for Tennessee. He must be stopped. But how? The cards are stacked against conservatives.  Governor Haslam is a billionaire who can outspend almost any potential opponent.  In addition, Tennessee is not a run off state. Whoever wins the most votes, even if it is only a plurality, wins the races.  Conservatives well remember the 2006 election where conservatives Van Hillary and Ed Bryant fought it out with Bob Corker.  Corker won with the conservative base split. We cannot allow the conservative base to be split again. Conservatives must unite in a…

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Senator Lamar Alexander Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2020

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Lamar Alexander

Senator Lamar Alexander announced Monday he would not run for a fourth term in 2020. “I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate in 2020,” he wrote on Facebook. He added: The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years as Governor and Senator than anyone else from our state. I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege. I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have. I will continue to serve with that same spirit during the remaining two years of my term.   Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill pointed out, “Lamar just gave political consultants and media buyers an early Christmas gift as he just kick-started the 2020 campaign for his open Senate seat.” He continued: It is surprising that he has made this announcement so early rather than waiting another year. Every indication was that he was planning to run for reelection based upon his recent increase in public appearances, commissioning and releasing a poll by his longterm…

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Newt Gingrich Says the Booming Economy and Personal Safety Will Keep GOP in Hunt for the House

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Newt Gingrich

by Nick Givas   Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the booming economy and a strong desire for personal safety will keep the House in play for Republicans come Tuesday. “Well look, I think the number one thing that’s relevant to the vote tomorrow is the economy,” Gingrich said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom Monday. “And I think in a lot of districts, that’s propping up Republicans who might be in trouble on other issues.” Gingrich said the American people are taking notice of higher wages and more jobs, but said it will still be difficult for Republicans to retain control of both houses. [RELATED: Newt Gingrich Doubles Down On Red Wave Prediction] “The people look at it and they go, ‘there really are more jobs. Wages really are going up. The future really looks dramatically better.’ And so there’s a bias that’s, I think, actually held the Republicans up in both House and Senate races where they might have been in much more trouble,” he continued. “Off years are hard … We got to be a majority for the first time in 40 years in Bill Clinton’s first off-year election. So I understand how tough it is to be the…

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Beto Campaign Sued for Allegedly Sending Unsolicited Text Messages

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By Molly Prince   A lawsuit was filed against Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign Friday alleging the Texas senatorial hopeful sent constituents text messages despite not receiving permission to do so. Sameer Syeed, a resident of Collins County, filed the class action lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas Court, arguing the Beto for Texas campaign violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, reported The Star-Telegram. The lawsuit alleges that Syeed received numerous unsolicited text messages from Beto for Texas and was unable to stop the automated messages despite both replying to the messages and reaching out to the listed phone number, only to get an error message or dial tone, according to The Star-Telegram. The suit further insists the campaign pay at last $500 per text message to the lawsuit’s plaintiffs. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act bans the use of “automated telephone equipment to send texts or calls to a person’s cellphone without their permission except for emergency purposes,” according to The Star-Telegram. This is not the first time O’Rourke’s campaign has faced backlash for claims of inappropriate use of text messages. The campaign came under fire in September for allegedly sending a text message to voters asking for “volunteers to help transport…

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Newt Gingrich Endorses Marsha Blackburn for U.S. Senate

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Former Republican Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich endorsed Republican Marsha Blackburn for the U.S. Senate Thursday, calling her “the only conservative in the race.” “The choice is clear. I’ve known Marsha for years, I’ve worked with her in the Congress. She is hardworking. She is smart, and she is a solid conservative with courage,” Gingrich said in a YouTube video that accompanied the endorsement. “She will stand up and fight for the values of Tennessee. She will represent the conservative cause, and she’ll do what’s right for America. So, don’t be fooled by any of these ads or any of these claims about being a ‘moderate democrat.’ There are no moderate democrats.” Gingrich, of course, was referring to Phil Bredesen, who is running against Blackburn for the seat that current Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker will soon vacate. Bredesen describes himself as a moderate Democrat. “You either give power to radicals like Chuck Schumer or you are with Mitch McConnell and the conservatives,” Gingrich said. Gingrich reminded viewers that Bredesen donated $33,000 to elect Hillary Clinton president and wrote a book saying Obamacare didn’t go far enough and the country needs a government-run health system. “I knew Bredesen when he…

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Blackburn and Lee Campaign in Williamson County as Early Voting Period Begins

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As early voting kicked into gear on Wednesday, Republican Senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn and Republican Gubernatorial nominee Bill Lee urged a hometown Williamson County crowd of over 200 voters to head to the polls. The midday rally in Franklin featured local officials and candidates, yard signs, bumper stickers and food from Chick-fil-a. After being introduced by State Senator Jack Johnson, Lee mentioned that a young man earlier in the day had told him that he “just cast his vote” to elect him Governor. “It really struck me,” Lee said, “that the young man and thousands just like him are pushing a button next to my name and entrusting me with their future and the future of our state. I don’t want to let him down. I don’t want to let down the kids in the inner city that I have worked with or in the farming communities where I have spent time. I recognize the responsibility that they are placing on me and I will do my very best to show that that trust in me is deserved.” Lee went on to point out that Blackburn has been his Congressman as the has served Williamson County and the rest of…

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Senate Candidate Marsha Blackburn Says Voters Care More About Results Than ‘The Story Of Their Day’

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by Nick Givas   Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn said voters are more concerned with long-term solutions and judicial appointments than with flavor-of-the-moment news stories. She was responding to a question about singer Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Blackburn’s Democratic opponent on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday and how it will impact voters. “What we know is that Tennesseans care about the story of their life — not the story of their day, and really what they are focusing on is our positive message,” Blackburn said. “It is getting through, and that is what is going to carry people to the polls.” Swift came out with an Instagram post Oct. 7 endorsing Democrat Phil Bredesen over Blackburn, citing concerns over LGBT rights and racism. Blackburn said her platform of installing solid constitutional judges and limiting government regulation will win her the election and claimed Bredesen has a cloud of sexual harassment scandals hanging over his past cabinet. “They like this message of less regulation, economic growth. Good constitutional judges,” Blackburn continued. “And they’re remembering and finding out some of the things about Phil Bredesen — The sexual harassment scandals that plagued his administration with some of his cabinet. He had two tracks. One for friends of…

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SCOTUS Clears the Way For Voter ID Requirement In Key Senate Race

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by Kevin Daley   The U.S. Supreme Court will allow a North Dakota law requiring voters to produce government ID with a current residential street address when casting ballots to take effect. The decision, which came Tuesday and drew a brief dissent, will effect one November’s most critical Senate races. A group of American Indians challenged the residential street address requirement, arguing that it imposes “impossible and severe burdens on the franchise for Native American voters,” as many live on reservations or otherwise lack ordinary street addresses. A federal judge agreed and prohibited the law. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted that order, so the plaintiffs appealed to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to restore the injunction. North Dakota argues that the law protects the integrity of the ballot box and improves the administration of elections — the state’s filing at the high court notes there were over 800 different ballots used in the state during the 2016 election cycle, which are assigned on the basis of address. The Supreme Court’s Tuesday order allowed the law to take effect for the general election. As is typical of orders of this nature, neither the vote count nor the reasoning was disclosed. Justice…

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Letter to the Editor: The Way to Lower Healthcare Costs Is to Support and Elect Candidates Who Will Apply Free Market Principles

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Dear Tennessee Star, During the U.S. Senate debate I was glad to see Congressman Marsha Blackburn speak out against single payer healthcare. Being in the healthcare industry professionally since 1980 and now as a health consultant focused on health care legislation and helping companies and individuals navigate health care costs, pricing and affordability and keeping legislators informed from the provider perspective of the hindrances to care as a result of government intrusion – I know that single payer health care has disastrous implications. Obamacare has taken us in the wrong direction since 2010 – limiting access to plans, skyrocketing double digit cost increases each year, a diminishing individual marketplace, disappearing insurance plans and greatly reducing provider choice – it has been in direct contradiction to the two promises given to the American Healthcare consumer – If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, and it will reduce the costs to consumers. It is unfortunate that many mainstream Democrats are taking a bad idea and setting the stage to make matters much worse. Now many Democrats support Senator Bernie Sanders’ proposal to nationalize our health care system via single payer – also known as “Medicare for All.” In reality,…

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Commentary: Make Thursday A National Day Of Prayer For Brett Kavanaugh And Family

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Brett Kavanaugh, Mike Pence

by George Rasley   Throughout the ordeal of his confirmation millions of Americans have been praying for Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his family. President Trump made the point that prayer was a necessary element of the battle to confirm Judge Kavanaugh in a September 25 tweet: The Democrats are playing a high level CON GAME in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. It is called the politics of destruction. Behind the scene the Dems are laughing. Pray for Brett Kavanaugh and his family! The Democrats are playing a high level CON GAME in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. It is called the politics of destruction. Behind the scene the Dems are laughing. Pray for Brett Kavanaugh and his family! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2018 And it was not just the President who has been urging prayer for Judge Kavanaugh and his family. Political Commentator and Analyst @RyanAFournier tweeted to his over 500,000 Twitter followers: It takes a lot for a grown man, with a long & successful career in the judicial system, to choke up after every single word while in-front of millions on national TV. We need to continue to pray…

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ACLU Launches Million Dollar Ad Campaign Likening Kavanaugh To Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton

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by Hanna Bogorowski   The ACLU took another step against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh Monday after it launched a million dollar advertisement campaign opposing his nomination and likening the judge to convicted sexual predator Bill Cosby. The campaign targets a handful of Republican senators, including Sens. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The ACLU took the nontraditional step of opposing Kavanaugh’s nomination on Saturday, a move the supposedly non-partisan organization called “rare.” “In this instance, the national board held an extraordinary meeting, and has chosen to make an exception” to its policy of not supporting or opposing candidates for political offices or judicial office. The organization took this opposition one step further Monday when it announced it spent over $1 million in television advertisements urging said Republican senators to vote against Kavanaugh. “We’ve seen this before, denials from powerful men,” the ad begins, showing images of famous men accused of sexual assault, including disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and former President Bill Clinton. “America is watching,” it warns. NEW: When we said we're going to use the full force of the ACLU…

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Commentary: The Reason For The Public Torture Of Brett Kavanaugh

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Brett Kavanaugh

by George Rasley   As we know from The Lives of the Saints and the Bible, in ancient Rome and Persia those who refused to worship the gods recognized by the pagan elite, such as Christians and Jews, were executed publicly by having wild animals tear them apart before baying crowds in the arena. In more modern, but less enlightened times, those who refused to hew to the scripture dictated by the elite were hanged, drawn and quartered in public; they were dragged to the place of execution through the public streets, drawn-up a gibbet, cut down, their head and genitals cut-off, their heart excised and burnt, and their body divided into four parts. That was the sentence originally passed upon St. Thomas More by Henry VIII, but the king mercifully commuted it to simply chopping off More’s head. The point of this ritualized torture was of course to cow the observers into obeisance and numb potential opponents with fear, but it was also intended to dehumanize the victim to make him and his beliefs less likely to appeal to others and spread. Today’s radical Left has a similar, and perhaps even more painful, method of public torture and execution – it…

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Tennessee Star Report Gets Exclusive Insights Into North Dakota Senate Race from Chris Berg

Julie Carr

On Monday’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 duo talked with Fargo, North Dakota’s Valley News LIVE news anchor and host of Point of View Chris Berg, about Lindsey Graham eating his power breakfast and whether or not Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) will be able to walk the ‘tight rope’ and please her constituents by voting to confirm President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. “So we are releasing a brand new poll today at six o’clock which will show you, I don’t want to give away and get ahead of our news department obviously and, let’s put it this way, if she does not vote (Heitkamp), assuming that there’s no major revelations here out of this extended FBI investigation so, assuming there’s no new information with that, if she does not vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh she will be voting for her own retirement,” Berg said. [NOTE: Later on Monday, Valley News Live and Strategic Resources Associates released the poll that shows Republican Kevin Cramer leads Heitkamp by 10 points, 51 percent to 41 percent, in…

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Jeff Webb on The Tennessee Star Report: Bredesen’s Claim He Won’t Vote for Schumer as Leader of Democrats in Senate ‘Almost a Laughable Political Stunt”

Julie Carr

On Wednesdays’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 – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy chatted with Varsity Brands President and CEO Jeff Webb about the current Senate race in Tennessee and what it means for the recent tax cuts and regulation rollback.  They went on to discuss how, if Phil Bredesen was elected that would effect Tennessee and the country at large. During the interview, Webb said that Bredesen’s claim that, if elected to the U.S. Senate, he won’t vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer as the leader of the Democrats in the Senate is “almost a laughable political stunt.” Steve Gill: Jeff good to have you with us. Jeff Webb: Thanks Steve good to talk to you. Michael Patrick Leahy: Good morning Jeff, Mike Leahy here. Gill: In honor of Varsity Brands I told Michael earlier that’s why I’m wearing the cheerleader outfit, the UT cheerleader outfit. Just in honor of you. Leahy: Orange and white pom poms it’s a site that can’t be unseen. (Laughter) Leahy: So, Jeff we talked to you last night,…

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Next Step: Democrats Pledge To Investigate Kavanaugh, Float Impeachment If He’s Confirmed

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by Peter Hasson   Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh might keep facing political attacks from the left if he is confirmed to the nation’s highest court. Kavanaugh faced an onslaught of attacks from Democrats and liberal activists even before Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of drunkenly trying to force himself on her while the two were in high school. Kavanaugh denied Ford’s accusation once again in an emotional testimony Thursday. Brian Fallon, former press secretary on Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, predicted Kavanaugh “will not serve for life” if confirmed to the Supreme Court. Fallon leads Demand Justice, a Democratic dark money group dedicated to opposing Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and previously called for Kavanaugh to be impeached from his current position on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. “If Senate GOP ignores Dr. Blasey Ford and tries to muscle an attempted rapist onto the Supreme Court: 1. They will pay dearly this November. 2. Senators up in 2020 (Collins, Gardner et al) will feel intense heat for next two years. 3. Kavanaugh will not serve for life,” Fallon predicted. If Senate GOP ignores Dr. Blasey Ford and tries to muscle an attempted rapist onto the Supreme Court:1. They will pay dearly this November.2. Senators up in…

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Senator Bob Corker Announces He Will Vote to Confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

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Late Thurday, after a long and often emotional day of testimony at the Senate Confirmation Hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) announced he will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. “I plan to vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” Corker wrote simply. In his statement – released as an attachment to his tweet – the swing Senator elaborated: I believe those who come forward with allegation of sexual assault deserve to be heard. That is why I was one of the first members of the Senate to call on the judiciary committee to delay the original vote on the nomination so that both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh could provide additional information. I know if took courage for Dr. Ford to appear before the committee today. I also very strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh, like all Americans, deserves the presumption of innocence and that it was equally as important for him to have the opportunity to address the charges and defend himself. While both individuals provided compelling, nothing that has been presented corroborates the allegation. There is no question that Judge Kavanaugh is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and is a different political…

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Commentary: With Kavanaugh, the Democrats’ Second Verse Is the Same as the First – a Whole Lot Louder and a Whole Lot Worse

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by Jeffery Rendall   If one is great two (or more) is even better. You had to figure if there was at least one hardened and ambitious looney leftist willing to beclown herself in front of the whole country (by accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of a crime no one contemporaneously heard of nor recalls) there’d certainly be another liberal wackjob out there somewhere lying in wait to repeat the feat. Such was the case over the weekend as Kavanaugh now has two accusers claiming he was a sex-obsessed slimeball in his pre-marriage and family days. Caitlin Yilek of the Washington Examiner reported, “At least four Democratic senators have reportedly been given information about a new allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that dates back to when the judge was a freshman at Yale University. “Deborah Ramirez alleges Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a college party, put his penis in her face, and forced her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away, according to a report Sunday evening published by the New Yorker. “The report said Ramirez was initially hesitant to share the story with the publication because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident.” Like with Blasey…

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Senator Bob Corker Calls New Kavanaugh Accusations ‘Thin;’ Process Feels ‘More Like A Circus’

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Bob Corker

by Henry Rodgers   Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker called the second allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “thin” Tuesday — saying he thinks the process feels “more like a circus.” The comment comes in light of Deborah Ramirez’s accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the mid-1980s, alleging he exposed himself and thrust his penis in her face. “I read the New Yorker article, it was pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it. This is really kind of getting carried away … it’s feeling more like a circus,” Corker told CNN. “But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.” The comments come as Corker has not said he would definitely vote for the confirmation of Kavanaugh, saying Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman who accused Kavanaugh of high school-era sexual assault, should be heard. Corker told The Daily Caller News Foundation on Sept. 18, however, that he believes it will be “quite something” if Ford decides she did not want to testify, saying, “I would assume the committee would then move on, as they should.” Kavanaugh has continued to deny all allegations, saying Monday night on Fox News that he is not going anywhere. “I’m not…

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Texas Sheriff Says Democratic Senate Candidate Beto O’Rourke Needs A ‘History Lesson’ About His Party’s Jim Crow Laws

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Beto O'Rourke

by Nick Givas   A Texas sheriff said Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke needs a history lesson, after his comments about law enforcement being the new Jim Crow. “First of all, it doesn’t surprise me, you know. Anybody who’s been arrested as many times as Robert O’Rourke’s been arrested may have some ill will towards the police,” Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree said on “Fox & Friends” Friday. “His rhetoric is divisive. It’s insulting and most of all it’s dangerous,” he added. O’Rourke is running for Senate against GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the upcoming November midterms and made racial accusations about law enforcement, in a Wednesday speech at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. “That system of suspending somebody solely based on the color of their skin, searching that person solely based on the color of their skin, stopping that person solely based on the color of their skin, shooting that person solely based on the color of their skin, throwing the book at that person and letting them rot behind bars solely based on the color of their skin is why some have called this — I think it is an apt description — the new Jim Crow,” O’Rourke said. Murphree said: “There’s been a…

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Senate Judiciary Twitter Account Drops Fact Bombs On Democrats

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by Tim Pearce   The Senate Judiciary Committee struck back at Democrats Thursday for suggesting Republicans are stifling further investigation into Brett Kavanaugh after he was accused of committing sexual assault in high school. California researcher Christine Blasey Ford alleged Kavanaugh and one of his friends, Mark Judge, attempted to forcibly take her clothes off while all three were drunk at a party in high school. Ford is calling for an FBI investigation into the incident before she will agree to testify to her charges in front of the Judiciary committee. Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse alleged that GOP members of the committee are misdirecting Americans about the committee’s activity relating to an investigation into Kavanaugh. The GOP is “wants to hang Dr. Ford out there on her testimony alone without any benefit of corroborating evidence.” The reality is that there is no investigative plan, and the #Republicans don’t want one, because they want to hang Dr. Ford out there on her testimony alone without any benefit of corroborating evidence. — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) September 20, 2018 The Senate Judiciary Twitter account fired back in a string of tweets directed at Whitehouse over the allegations, restating the steps the Republican members of the committee…

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Commentary: A Nod Is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse as GOP Establishment Throws the Midterms to Democrats

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US Senate

by Bill Wilson   The old saying that “a nod is as good as a wink in a blind horse” came rushing to mind as I read an article at TheHill.com by Morgan Gstalter about an RNC internal poll.  It seems the Republican National Committee (RNC) spent money to find out that “Trump voters” are not really into the midterm elections and that a number of GOPers could well lose because the Trump voters stay home or are “complacent.” This self-evident truth is followed by what may be the most self-serving, liberal-Republican nonsense that has been published in a very long time.  According to the article, the RNC study “states that the Republican Party should focus its messaging around Social Security and Medicare.  ‘The challenge for GOP candidates is that most voters believe that the GOP wants to cut back on these programs in order to provide tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy’ the study states.” Now if you are a liberal or a closet Democrat that may make sense.  But for anyone actually talking to voters and looking at real data, it is about as far off as you can get.  Nobody believes the GOP is going to cut Social…

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EXCLUSIVE: Soros-Backed Activists Slip Cash To Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters Before Arrests

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by Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson   Left-wing groups funded by George Soros and other major Democratic donors hand out cash to protesters arrested for disrupting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, the activists revealed Monday night. A coalition of left-wing activist organizations including Women’s March, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and Housing Works have scheduled the near-constant disruptions at the Kavanaugh hearings as part of an organized effort to derail the confirmation process in a series of meetings since he was first nominated. The cash from the donor-funded groups goes toward the protesters’ post-and-forfeit payments — a small cash sum paid to resolve low-level misdemeanor crimes and avoid jail time. Those are just some of the details representatives from the three groups revealed in a Monday night conference call planning their next two anti-Kavanaugh protests, one on Thursday and one next Monday. The Daily Caller News Foundation received a tip with the dial-in code for Monday’s conference call and was present on the call in its entirety. One reporter, who asked questions, revealed his name during the introductions portion of the meeting. Protesters only need a government-issued ID and “your cash for the post-and-forfeit,” CPD national field organizer Darius…

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Trump Gets Behind Senate Bill That Would End Gag Orders Against Pharmacists Sharing Money-Saving Information

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by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump got behind a bill ending pharmacist gag clauses the Senate is set to vote on Monday afternoon. “Americans deserve to know the lowest drug price at their pharmacy, but ‘gag clauses’ prevent your pharmacist from telling you!” Trump tweeted Monday afternoon about the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act. “I support legislation that will remove gag clauses and urge the Senate to act.” Americans deserve to know the lowest drug price at their pharmacy, but “gag clauses” prevent your pharmacist from telling you! I support legislation that will remove gag clauses and urge the Senate to act. #AmericanPatientsFirst — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2018 He accompanied the message with the hashtag “#AmericanPatientsFirst.” Currently, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers use the gag clauses to “forbid pharmacists from proactively telling consumers if their prescription would cost less if they paid for it out-of-pocket rather than using their insurance plan,” according to a press release from Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, one of the bill’s authors. The bill would lead to “a slight decrease in federal revenues,” according to the Congressional Budget Office, but that could be offset by another provision in the bill, reported Politico. Collins’s bill also targets…

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Commentary: A High-Tech Lynching Redux

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by CHQ Staff   We’ve seen this despicable Democrat tactic play out before. A Republican president nominates a person universally said to be the nicest guy in the world, with a resume chock full of good works, and stellar intellectual and legal credentials to sit on the Supreme Court. The  nominee is days away from his confirmation vote. Suddenly, a liberal female university professor, with a tenuous decades-old connection to the nominee, steps forward out of nowhere to tell a “he said – she said story” and accuse the nominee of sexual misconduct. Democrats, who have known of the allegations for months, but did not share them with the Committee Chairman or the FBI during the investigatory phase of the nomination demand that, “due to the seriousness of the allegation” the vote on the nomination should be postponed, or perhaps the nomination should be withdrawn. In 1991 it was Judge Clarence Thomas who was subjected to this high-tech lynching, today it is Judge Brett Kavanaugh. An email from Taylor Foy, Communications Director for the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, summed-up the Democrat’s disgusting attempt at character assassination this way: It’s disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35…

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Schumer, Feinstein Call For Delay On Kavanaugh, As GOP Gives Conflicting Signals

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Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer

by Kevin Daley   Senate Democratic leadership urged Republicans to delay further action on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, after The Washington Post revealed the identity of a once-anonymous woman accusing the nominee of sexual assault when they were in high school. The accuser, a researcher named Christine Blasey Ford affiliated with Stanford and Palo Alto University, provided additional details about the alleged assault to The Post, the first time she has spoken publicly about her accusations. The report notwithstanding, key Republican lawmakers appeared ready to proceed, though at least one GOP senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee said he was open to further input from Ford. By Ford’s telling, Kavanaugh allegedly held her down on a bed and groped her at a house party at some point in the early 1980s. The alleged encounter ended when a third person, Mark Judge, intervened by jumping on top of them. At the time of the alleged incident, Kavanaugh was 17 and Ford was 15. For his part, Kavanaugh adamantly denies the charge. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” the judge said in a statement provided…

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Senator Lamar Alexander’s Poll Numbers Reflect Troubles Ahead in 2020 Re-Election Effort

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Lamar Alexander

As the 2018 election swings into full fury some are already looking ahead to the 2020 elections that will feature not only a Presidential cycle but also a likely reelection bid by Republican Senator Lamar Alexander. A new Tennessee Star poll of likely 2018 general election voters indicates that troubled waters like ahead for Alexander. 31.8% of the voters surveyed indicated they had a “favorable” view of Senator Lamar Alexander while 40.8% had an “unfavorable” view. 27.4% were “unsure or didn’t know” which is a remarkably high number for a political figure who has been a fixture in Tennessee politics for four decades. Alexander has not yet announced that he is running for reelection in 2020 when his current term ends, but he is expected to seek another six year term. Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill says that Alexander’s low approval figures can be traced to several factors. “First, his colleague Senator Bob Corker regularly attacks President Trump; Corker’s behavior is splashing back on Lamar despite the fact that he’s actually been very supportive of the President and isn’t launching the kinds of cheap shots that Corker constantly spews out. Not calling our Corker and standing more clearly with…

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Wisconsin GOP Senate Hopes Rely on Underdog Leah Vukmir

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Leah Vukmir, Tammy Baldwin

Leah Vukmir is used to being the underdog. Few gave the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Wisconsin much of a chance of defeating her better-funded primary challenger last month, but she prevailed thanks largely to support from the party establishment. Now Vukmir faces another opponent with deeper pockets – Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin – in one of the most expensive Senate races in the country. The contest could determine control of the Senate and will be closely watched as an indicator of whether Wisconsin might return to its traditional status as a Democratic state during the 2020 presidential election. Vukmir is taking a big risk by tying herself to President Donald Trump, who won Wisconsin by less than 23,000 votes in 2016, and Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who faces a tough re-election contest in November. “I don’t think any of that intimidates her,” said former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, Vukmir’s mentor when she was first elected to the Assembly in 2002. “She is the underdog, but she likes that position.” Vukmir, 60, is the daughter of Greek immigrants, a lifelong resident of the Milwaukee area and a registered nurse. Until the Senate campaign, she worked as a nursing instructor.…

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Kavanaugh Supreme Court Confirmation Vote Puts Red State Democrats in a Bind

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by Robert Romano   Nine Senate Democrats are standing for reelection this year in states President Donald Trump carried in 2016: Jon Tester on Montana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bill Nelson of Florida. And they could be facing the vote of their political lives when it comes to the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, of those nine, Tester, Heitkamp, Nelson, Donnelly, Manchin and McCaskill have not said they will support or oppose Kavanaugh. They’ve been very quiet. For good reason. The political left in the U.S. is having an apoplectic fit that less than two years into President Donald Trump first term of office, he has had not one but two Supreme Court picks. More than any other decision, who a president puts on the Supreme Court is often one of his most enduring legacies, as the appointments often last decades. To them, Kavanaugh, a constitutionalist who promises to interpret the law as written represents everything they oppose—a firm, consistent, predictable rule of law within the boundaries set by the…

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Commentary: Will the Democrats’ Sad Shaming of Kavanaugh Ignite a Fury in the GOP Grassroots?

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by Jeffery Rendall   With the confirmation hearings for Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh now concluded talk slowly returns to the hot topic of the hour, the 2018 midterm elections. But first let’s digest the big glob of goopy phlegm America was forced to swallow last week, served up by shameless Democrats on a mission. In the course of shredding a good man’s reputation the ravenous pack of minority party wolves revealed they weren’t the least bit interested in learning about Kavanaugh’s judicial philosophies, logical reasoning, legal opinions or thought processes. Democrats spared nothing in savaging the Supreme Court as an institution while verbally disrobing and flogging the nominee before a horrified audience – which included his wife and young daughters. It was a sickening spectacle worthy of bad cinema fiction. If Hollywood produced a film with actors impersonating senators doing the dirty work it wouldn’t have been any more insulting and melodramatic for Kavanaugh himself. One wonders what motivates a respectable person like the judge (or Neil Gorsuch last year) to agree to a guaranteed scourging at the hands of swine in business dress who see it as their sole mission to create histrionics and assault a man’s character. The…

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Commentary: With His Return to the Senate, Does Arizona’s Jon Kyl Bring with Him Another Chance to Repeal Obamacare?

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Jon Kyl

by Robert Romano   Former Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has been appointed by Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey to replace the late John McCain. With the new appointment comes a new opportunity for Republicans to complete one of their key 2016 campaign promises: To repeal and replace Obamacare before the 2018 midterms. In 2017, despite promising to do so if elected and working for months on end, Congressional Republicans failed to pass legislation that would do away with the 2010 health care law signed into law by former President Barack Obama. One piece of legislation to repeal key elements of the law failed by one vote in the Senate, the so-called “skinny” repeal. One of the missing votes was McCain’s whose rejection came as a shock to many observers. Other legislation by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) failed later in Sept. 2017 with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and again, McCain, opposed. Since that time, Republicans lost the Alabama Senate seat, trimming their majority to a slim 51 to 49. If there were any vote to repeal and replace Obamacare on budget reconciliation, Republicans could only afford to lose one senator. Senator Kyl could be a different story…

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As Kavanaugh Hearings Loom, One Minnesota Senate Democrat Regrets Abolishing Filibuster

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by Kevin Daley   Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday that her party should not have invoked the so-called nuclear option and abolished the legislative filibuster for judicial nominees. The remarks come just before Judge Brett Kavanaugh will appear for confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republican lawmakers expect Kavanaugh will be confirmed if he acquits himself well at the hearings. “I would’ve liked to see 60 votes, no matter what the judge is,” Klobuchar told NBC. “I don’t think we should’ve made that change, when we look back at it. But it happened because we were so frustrated, because President Obama wasn’t able to get his nominees.” But Klobuchar added that neither party is likely to reimpose the filibuster over judicial nominations, since doing so would cede a huge tactical advantage. “I don’t think anyone’s going to want to hamstring themselves,” she said. Democrats changed Senate rules in 2013 after a protracted Republican filibuster blocked three Obama nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the court on which Kavanaugh sits. All three nominees, Judges Nina Pillard, Patricia Millett, and Robert Wilkins, were later confirmed. The GOP followed suit in 2017 when Democrats successfully filibustered Justice Neil Gorsuch’s…

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McCain From the Grave: Trump Receives Media Criticism for Flag Flying Protocol and Building the Wall

Julie Carr

On Monday’s Gill Report – broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was dismayed by the media’s ability to say anything as a reason to criticize president Trump in the time of John McCain’s death. Apparently, following flag flying protocol just wasn’t enough. Gill went on to talk about Senator McCain’s passing and his true feelings he expressed during a 2010 campaign message where he was more than enthusiastic about “building the wall”. However, only when it served his re-election. Gill continued: John McCain’s passing has been met with a lot of disputes within the Republican party not the least at which has been a furor over the flag over the white house flying at half-mast for two days. Well lowering the flag for two days when a member of the Congress or top leader in government dies is the protocol set forth in the US code. You lower the flag for two days and then it goes back up to full staff. Which is exactly what the White House did. It wasn’t an attack on John McCain, it wasn’t a way to diminish his value they followed the rules, the protocol…

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One Nation Airs Ad Urging Alexander and Blackburn to Make the Trump Tax Cuts Permanent

Tennessee Star Staff
One Nation Ad

One Nation, a 501 (c) (4) public policy organization, has launched a $1.2 million ad buy in Tennessee focused on tax reform. The ads are currently running statewide on a combination of broadcast and cable television, radio and digital. The ad, entitled “Tax Cuts,” discusses the positive impact that the recently passed tax reform legislation is having on small businesses and Tennessee’s unemployment rate. It highlights U.S. Rep Marsha Blackburn and Senator Lamar Alexander’s initial vote to cut taxes and urges them to make the tax cuts permanent. “Tennessee is experiencing record low unemployment thanks to Marsha Blackburn and Lamar Alexander’s vote in favor of tax reform,” said One Nation President and CEO Steven Law. “We encourage Blackburn and Alexander to keep fighting for Tennessee taxpayers by voting to make the tax cuts permanent.” Law is former Chief of Staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Transcript of ad “Tax Cuts”: ANNOUNCER: “Small business, the backbone of America’s economy. Nobody knows that better than Representative Marsha Blackburn and Senator Lamar Alexander. Blackburn and Alexander cut taxes for small businesses. Now Tennessee’s unemployment rate is at a record low. BLACKBURN: “The economic growth that you are seeing in Tennessee is…

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John McCain Has Died

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John McCain

by Robert Donachie   Sen. John McCain of Arizona passed away at his home in Arizona on Saturday evening, putting an end to a nearly six-decade-long career in public service. The 81-year-old senator ultimately succumbed to a battle with a highly malignant form of brain cancer, known as glioblastoma. Fewer than 5 percent of patients live beyond five years of the diagnosis, with a median survival rate of only 18 months. The same form of cancer claimed the lives of former Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Beau Biden, the late son of former Vice President Joe Biden. McCain started treatment shortly after his diagnosis in July 2017, splitting his time between Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland and the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Despite undergoing aggressive rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, the senator managed to fulfill his day-to-day obligations in the Senate until December, providing a loud and prominent voice during both the health care and tax reform debates in 2017. Early Life The son and grandson of decorated U.S. Navy admirals, John Sidney McCain III was born Aug. 29, 1936 at the Coco Solo Naval Station in Panama. His father’s career forced the family to move frequently throughout his childhood, but…

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Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Supports Left Wing Democrats Like Fellow Harvard-Educated New Yorker Phil Bredesen

Anthony Accardi
Phil Bredesen, Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook has set itself up as the final arbiter of what is news and what is not, what is real and what is fake, a virtual referee with the power to promote certain articles while sending others down the memory hole, never to be seen by the reading public. But it is only the providers of conservative news who are unhappy with Facebook’s new extreme vetting process, launched in reaction to accusations that its site was used by the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential elections. Facebook removed three Tennessee Star articles Thursday morning that were critical of former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Democrat nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in this November’s election, from The Tennessee Star Facebook page. By early Thursday afternoon, all three of those articles mysteriously reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page, along with four other articles that had also been removed early Thursday. All told, seven Tennessee Star articles that were posted on The Tennessee Star Facebook page shortly after midnight Thursday morning magically reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page 12 hours later, at about 12:45 p.m. central time Thursday. One can only surmise that it took that amount of time for Facebook fact-checkers to pore over the stories with a fine-toothed comb, looking…

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Commentary: It’s Up To Conservatives To Nationalize The 2018 Midterm Election

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by Richard Viguerie   For many years I’ve been telling the GOP establishment that Republicans never win a big election unless they nationalize the election – that means drawing a clear contrast with the Democrats and giving the voters “a tune they can whistle” on big conservative themes. The Republican Establishment has studiously ignored that advice and the defeats of Jerry Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney, as well as the 1998 and 2006 congressional elections are proof that running a content-free campaign and refusing to nationalize the election is a losing strategy for Republicans, especially in a midterm election year like 2018. According to Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll, Democrats continue to lead Republicans on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot, but after two weeks of a tightening race, Democrats have expanded their lead. Rasmussen’s latest telephone and online survey found that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters would choose the Democratic candidate if the elections for Congress were held today. Forty-one percent (41%) would opt for the Republican. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. As I see it, 2018 will likely be another Republican wipeout, like 2006, unless…

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RNC Breaks Yet Another Fundraising Record In July

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Rhonna McDaniel

by Hanna Bogorowski   The Republican National Committee (RNC) raised a record-breaking $14.2 million in July, the most the organization has ever raised for that month in a non-presidential year, bringing its cycle total to $227.2 million. The RNC reports having $41.9 million cash on-hand and zero dollars in debt. “We’ve used our unprecedented grassroots support to build the biggest field program we’ve ever had to defend our House and Senate majorities,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a press release to CBS News. “History might be against us, but we’re making sure every voter knows we’re the party of results. All the Democrats have is resistance,” she added. Not only is the fundraising haul substantial in itself, but the press release also notes it raised record-breaking funds despite transferring $4 million to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and another $4 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in July for GOP candidates. July’s fundraising numbers are more than the RNC raised in the month of July in 2010 and 2014 combined. According to its last filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) at the end of June, the RNC also had a 5-to-1 cash on-hand advantage compared to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Accounting for…

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The Same Successful Reforms From the ‘VA Accountability Act’ Could Apply to Rest of Government if MERIT Act Passes

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Barry Loudermilk, David Perdue

By Natalia Castro   Labor Day – coming up on September 3rd – presents a pivotal opportunity for Members of Congress. As members of the House return from recess and just eight weeks before midterms, representatives can show their support for American workers by passing bipartisan civil service reform. In the first year of this Congress, passing bipartisan Veterans Affairs legislation did not just rally public support; it improved the agency significantly. Passing the MERIT Act can do the same for the rest of the federal workforce, setting Congress on a strong trajectory for the second half of Trump’s first term. The VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act passed with such overwhelming support it only required a voice vote in the Senate. In the House, it passed 368-55. Following the passage of this legislation, which provides management with expedited removal processes for poor performing employees, firings within the agency rose by 26 percent. This VA reform represented a bipartisan achievement that was praised across the aisle. Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester helped push the bill alongside Florida Republican Marco Rubio. At the time, Tester explained, “This bill will crack down on bad employees who jeopardize veterans’ health care while also protecting the hardworking folks…

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Gravis Poll Says Lee Leading Dean by 11; Blackburn Over Bredesen by 4

Steve Gill
Phil Bredesen, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Lee, Karl Dean

A new post-primary poll conducted by Gravis Marketing shows the Tennessee Republican candidates for Governor and Senate leading their Democratic Party opponents. The poll of likely November voters indicates that Bill Lee has an 11 point margin over Karl Dean, with 9% uncertain, in the Governor’s race. In the Senate battle to fill the seat of retiring Senator Bob Corker, Marsha Blackburn leads Phil Bredesen by a 48-44 margin with 8% uncertain. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GRAVITAS_Tennessee-August-12-2018-v2.pdf”] The poll surveyed surveyed 620 likely voters between Aug. 9 and 11. Polls by Gravis Marketing have not always been considered among the most reliable in political circles. In fact, they have been identified as the worst polling company in America by some. Based upon the relatively low approval numbers for President Donald Trump in this poll, 54% approval in a state he carried with over 60% of the vote, and 79% approval among Tennessee Republicans when other state and national polls have shown him with approval ratings in the mid to high 80s among his party, the Gravis Poll may be showing less support for the Republican candidates than they actually have. Nevertheless, there are some interesting tidbits within the data. Both Blackburn and Lee…

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Trump Tax Cuts At Risk: Democrats Conspire to Repeal While Record Low Unemployment Surges

Julie Carr
Steve Gill

Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill discussed on Monday’s edition of The Gill Report – broadcast on Knoxville’s 92.3 FM WETR – how Democrats are conspiring to repeal the Trump tax cuts while record low unemployment among Hispanic and African-Americans surge and the federal government rakes in a record amount of individual tax revenue for 2018. “You know we’ve been hearing from the left ever since the Trump tax cuts were passed by the Republican House and Senate with no help at all from the Democrats,” Gill began.  “Democrats – including Democrats like Phil Bredesen who is running for the US Senate – declaring that they were mere crumbs; that they would only help the wealthy and that most Americans wouldn’t see the benefits.” He added: Now keep in mind that the tax cuts for most Americans haven’t gone into effect yet. They haven’t even gone into effect, because they will go fully into effect next year. The tax cuts have been cut for the income earned this year but the benefits the tax payers will see is when they file their tax returns next April 15th. And yet your already seeing companies give bigger bonuses your seeing pay raises you’re…

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Commentary: Left Working Furiously to Bury Feinstein Chinese Spy Story

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Dianne Feinstein

The revelation that California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office manager was a Chinese spy has generated a huge backlash, but not against the liberal Senator.

Instead of prompting a deeper media or government probe of the former Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence the experience of our friend Ben Weingarten suggests that there is a concerted effort to stifle the story and marginalize anyone who digs into it.

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Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Hearings to Begin September 4

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Brett Kavanaugh

by Fred Lucas   The confirmation hearings for federal appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to become the next Supreme Court justice will begin on Sept. 4 and last three to four days, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Friday. Grassley’s announcement comes as Senate Democrats sought to further stall the hearings, demanding more documents on Kavanaugh’s service in President George W. Bush’s White House and as a lawyer on independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s investigation of President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. “As I said after his nomination, Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most respected jurists in the country and one of the most qualified nominees ever to be considered by the Senate for a seat on our highest court,” said Grassley in a statement. Kavanaugh has served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006. President Donald Trump nominated him July 9 to fill the vacancy of the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Grassley continued: My team has already reviewed every page of the over 4,800 pages of judicial opinions Judge Kavanaugh wrote, over 6,400 pages of opinions he joined, more than 125,000 pages of records produced…

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All Signs Suggest Russell Lowe Is Feinstein’s Former Staffer Who’s Accused Of Being A Chinese Spy

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Dianne Feinstein

by Peter Hasson    – It was reported that Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein employed a Chinese spy.  – Her longtime staffer, Russell Lowe, fits the description of the reported spy.  – Feinstein’s office refused to comment on whether Lowe was the spy. All the details of a former, longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein staffer who’s accused of relaying information to Chinese intelligence services while working for the California Democrat point to Russell Lowe, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation has determined. Lowe worked for 20 years in Feinstein’s San Francisco office, where he was a staff liaison to the Asian-American community before leaving approximately five years ago. All those details match up with the descriptions of the Chinese spy Feinstein reportedly employed. “Chinese intelligence once recruited a staff member at a California office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, and the source reported back to China about local politics,” Politico Magazine reported on July 27, describing the staffer as “a liaison to the local Chinese community” who was secretly “reporting back” to Chinese intelligence services. Since then, more details have emerged about the alleged spy, including that he worked for Feinstein for 20 years, “attended Chinese consulate functions for the senator” and was fired five years…

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Bredesen Makes His Case for Republican Votes in New Ad Featuring Favorable Republican Comments

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Scottie Hughes, Phil Bredesen

A new sixty second digital ad from the Phil Bredesen campaign is targeting Republican votes by promoting carefully selective clips of Republicans saying good things about his time as Governor. The ad features comments from former Trump surrogate and conservative commentator Scottie Hughes, Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), frequent Trump critic Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), lobbyist and former Hendersonville State Representative Debra Maggart (R-Hendersonville), and lobbyist Bill Phillips (who served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor under Democrat Mayor of Nashville, Bill Purcell). Phil Bredesen ad “Republicans” transcript: Scottie Hughes: “Folks do not realize this, a lot of Trump supporters are also Phil Bredesen supporters. And we have two Republican Governors who fought for an income tax and fought for a gas tax but you never saw a tax being fought for by Phil Bredesen.” Bob Corker: “Phil Bredesen is a friend of mine. I mean, OK. I have worked with him for 23 years. We worked together to bring the Titans to our state. When I became a Senator and he was Governor we worked to bring Volkswagen to our state. He was a very good Mayor; very good Governor; very good business person.” Chuck Fleischmann: “He had…

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