State GOP has failed us miserable, says TRA leader.

Judd Matheny

State Rep. and Speaker Pro Tem Judd Matheny, District 47, addressed a standing room only crowd at the Tennessee Republican Assembly meeting this morning at the Shoney's on Thompson Ln. 

"He brings such incredible leadership ability to that position," commented Bobbie Patray, Chair of Tennessee Eagle Forum, on the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women Facebook page.

Back in August Matheny was making speeches hinting that he might try to unseat Representative Beth Harwell as Speaker. He has since abandoned that attempt.

The Tennessee Republican Assembly which claims to be the only real Republicans in the Party had billed the meeting as a "time to start the process of rebuilding the party in this state." 

Despite unprecedented growth in the Republican party in Tennessee, a Republican governor, two Republican Senators, seven of nine Tennessee U. S Representatives being Republican and Republican control of both houses of the legislature for the first time since reconstruction with walk-out proof super majorities, Glen Hughes, Chairman of the TRA said, "The GOP has failed us miserably both at the national and state levels." "The NFRA as a whole is working to fix this situation. We are charged with that task in Tennessee. Come stand with the TRA," he said in his promotion of this the first meeting since the election.

What? If the success of the Party in Tennessee can be called "failing us miserably," I would like to see what success looks like. I don't know who in their right mind would think we need to "rebuild" the party in Tennessee. The Party in Tennessee is in great shape.  However if TRA admitted Republican success they would have no reason to exist.

 "RINOs stay home you are not needed or welcome," said Hughes.

I do not consider my self a RINO (Republican in name only) and was once a member of TRA, however I did not attend the meeting.  Glen Hughes considers me a RINO and I doubt I would have been welcome.  I think Hughes thinks anyone who believes the world is not flat to be a RINO.

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Southeast Davidson County Conservatives’ Breakfast Meeting Nov. 17

Saturday, November 17th 

8:30 am - Breakfast & Social 

9:00-10:30 am - Meeting 

Shoney’s Bell Road @ Cane Ridge Rd. (I-24E) 

($5.00 minimum food/drink purchase, please) 

The Election is over. We had some positives and some disappointments, but regardless of what the Democrats are saying the Republican Party is ALIVE AND WELL. 2014 is just around the corner! Let’s Thank our Davidson County Candidates!!! 

Invited Guest Speakers 

Dr. Steve Dickerson,  State Senator-Elect State District 20

Ben Claybaker House Candidate, D.53 

Councilman Robert Duvall, State House Candidate,D.59

Representative Jim Gotto  District 60 

Charles Williamson State House Candidate, D.50

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We may have lost the war. The fundamental transformation is nearly complete.

Sometimes after one looses a legal battle or some business or personal conflict or an election, one may say "we lost the battle, but not the war." With the loss of the election of Mitt Romney on Tuesday, I am not sure that is an accurate thing to say. I feel that we may have lost the war.

When Obama ran four years ago he said his election would fundamentally transform America. It has. He didn’t do it all by himself however. The transformation had been a work in progress for a long time. A news and entertainment culture that elevates political correctness above the truth, a growing government that constantly expands the welfare state and fifty years of liberal indoctrination in higher education had laid the groundwork. There had been some temporary halts in the transformation along the way, such as the Reagan revolution and welfare reform, but they did not reverse the direction of our decline. America had already been softened up so Obama could deliver the final blow.

It is not that I do not think we have another election in four years. I do. I think we will still be a democracy four years from now. I do not think that President Obama will turn American into a Maoist or Hitlerian police state. The changes that will occur in the next four years will be subtle. However, in four years the nature of the people of America will be further changed. I fear that this election was the tipping point. I fear that in four years there may be no reversing course. The transformation may be complete.

We now have a $16 trillion dollar debt. I predict that in four more years it will be $20 trillion. Forty cents of every dollar the government spends is borrowed money. America is in denial. They don't want to believe that a day of reckoning will come. Like spoiled children, they don't want to hear, "We can't afford that."

We are inflating the currency at the rate of $40 billion dollars a month and have plans to do it indefinitely. We have not had major inflation because our interest on the debt paid to other countries and trade imbalances have been absorbing the excess dollars. Americans do not believe that there will ever come a time when the rest of the world does not want to own our debt. They don't believe that hyperinflation is a real possibility. By the time they see it, it will be too late to do anything about it.

We have had unemployment of about 8% for four years now. Americans are accepting that as the new normal. And it is, in much of the world. About half of the people of this nation are on some kind of public assistance. Americans are seeming to embrace this. In much of the world, a large safety net is the norm and living on some sort of government assistance and having lots of "free" stuff is expected.

I feel that now, many Americans want the government to support them on unemployment for three year stretches at a time, to provide them with free higher education, to give them food stamps and cell phones and birth control pills and free health care and pay their house payment when they are unemployed.

Once we have nationalized health care, you can be sure Americans will not want to give it up. If it is not working well, they will agitate for more generous spending and even more government regulation. They will not lobby for a return to what we had. Once someone becomes accustomed to a government benefit, they never want to lose it.

I feel that Americans are embracing economic egalitarianism. When many American see a successful person, they no longer say, isn't it great that we live in a country were such success is possible and I myself want to become successful or I hope my children become successful. No, they think that it is unfair that some people are successful. They think the reason they have less is because someone else has more.

They are also tired of the responsibility of carrying the torch or liberty. I understand the fatigue of two wars that have lasted a long time and I agree with those who say we should not have invaded Iraq. I still believe however, that the world is a dangerous place and we, as the only remaining super power, have an obligation to stay engaged and to keep Iran from getting the bomb, to check the spread of radical Islam, and to keep North Korea from becoming a threat to their neighbors. We cannot abrogate the responsibility that history has given us.

I fear that Americans are embracing communitarianism over individualism. They are tired of self-reliance. They want a government to take care of them. They want a government that is like a caring parent. Being an adult is hard. American’s are tired of responsibility and freedom. And, they no longer believe we are an exceptional nation. They want to live in a "normal" country like the rest of the industrialized world.

It was not so long ago that this was not so. There was a time when Americans thrilled to the words of a President who said, "America is a shining city on a hill." I think those days are over.

I do not think we lost this election because we didn't contribute enough money, or our candidate made terrible mistakes or we didn't work hard enough. We just did not have the ideas that appeal to the American people. The American people were presented with a choice and they chose.

In four years, I predict that we will still have the same two major parties. The Democrats will still be the liberal party and the Republicans will still be the conservative party. However, the political spectrum will have shifted so that the party of the right is where the middle once was and the party of the left is further left.

I have little hope that we can regain the ground we have lost. I hope I am wrong, but I fear the character of the American people has been changed forever.

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To fix the fairgrounds will take a lot of money says consultant.

I attended the presentation last night of the Phase I study by consultants studying the fairgrounds.  Phase I is the portion of the study that proposes keeping a fairgrounds.  Only about thirty people attended the event.

Several options were presented for keeping the fairgrounds, one being basically doing no more than a little repair to what is there, an option of upgrading the fair both with and without a racetrack and an option for moving the fairgrounds to an undermined site somewhere in the rural parts of the county, both with and without a fairgrounds.

The consultants said the fair site is much too small to have a really great state fair and expo center.  They said one feature we were lacking that is a part of most fairgrounds is an equestrian and animal feature for such things as horse shows and rodeos and the like. Our fair is one of the least attended of any state fair in the country and our exhibition space is poorly designed and is too small for what we need, if we are going to have an expo center.  Also, we have very, very few RV hookups, which we need, especially if we move into the area of having the equestrian feature. Only one other fairgrounds has a racetrack.  The racetrack is probably not suitable for NASCAR racing and it is doubtful we will get NASCAR back at the racetrack they implied.

To redevelop the site and keep the racetrack would cost about $150 million dollars they said. To read the Tennessean's report on the presentation, follow this link.

The next presentation will be the Phase II study which presents what could develop on the site if the fairgrounds is abandoned and the site turned into a mixed use development.

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Tonight: Consultants on Phase 1 of the Fairgrounds Master Plan will present highlights of their preliminary report

Don't forget tonight will be the meeting about Phase 1 of the Fairgrounds Master Plan from 6-7:30 pm at the Sonny West Conference Center in the Howard Office Building, 700 Second Avenue South. Phase 1, the “Fair and Events Analysis,” addresses potential fairgrounds and event uses for the Fairgrounds property. Please come out to review and be heard.

Details are on the Planning Department's Fairgrounds Master Plan page.

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Post-election meet to weep for the fate of humanity celebration

Thursday, November 8 at 5:30pm at MAFIAoZA'S 12South.  This is a special Liberty on the Rocks event.

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State House and State Senate now have a supermajority:

While I am disappointed at the reelection of President Obama and disappointed that our Davidson County candidates did not fair better, the one bright spot is that the State House and State Senate now have a super majorities

With a super majority, the Republicans can pass any bill they desire. Democrats cannot block any thing, nor can they keep the legislature from conducting  business by walking out.  The Republicans have quorum without the Democrats.

The challenge will be to keep the Party unified.  At one time when the Democrats were in the majority, the real division in the state legislature was an urban-rural split rather than a Democrat-Republican split. With leaders like Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell, I think Party unity can be maintained but it may prove difficult.

The best news of the night last night was the election of Dr. Steve Dickerson in Senate district 20.

I was real disappointed that Representative Jim Gotto was not reelected and that candidates for house seats, Charles Williamson, Robert Duvall and Ben Claybaker were unsuccessful.  I was really expecting Duvall. to win.  His State House district included the area that is his Council District and I felt real good about his campaign. I was less sure of Williamson ,but thought he would win and while I was even less sure of Claybaker, I thought he had a good shot.

The fact is, Davidson County is still a Democratic island in a Republican sea.  We are making inroads and things are changing but it is slow going. Our candidates worked hard and the Party and volunteers worked hard. I don't think anyone can be faulted for not tying hard enough. In Davidson County the President had long coat tails. Unfortunately there are still a lot of yellow dog Democrats in this County and they vote the top of the ticket down for the Party.

In addition to Steve Dickerson, newly elected State Senators include Frank  Niceley, District 8; Todd Gardehnire, District 10; Janice Bowling, District 16; Ferrell Haile, District 18; Dr. Mark Green, District 22; John Stevens, District 24; and, Dr. Joey Hensley, District 28. The Senate will be 26-7 Republican majority.  For the State Senate vote results, follow this link.

It looks like the State House will be 70-29 Republican-Democrat.  For State House Vote results, follow this  link.

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Bo Mitchell Accosts Newspaper Publisher Candidate Attempts to Block Newspaper Delivery

Nashville, Tennessee (Nov. 5, 2012)  --- Bo Mitchell, city councilman and candidate for Tennessee’s State House of Representatives in District 50, attempted to physically block the delivery of a local newspaper in the Bellevue area today because he was not happy with the contents.

“He screamed at us, shook the paper at us and called it ‘trash’,” says Larry Crim, publisher of The Nashvillian. “Apparently, Bo Mitchell doesn’t understand freedom of the press. This newspaper was fine with him when he placed an ad in it, but now that there is a news item on his opponent, he’s threatening my staff and me.”

At issue is an article published about a letter that is circulating in District 50. The newspaper reports in the subject article that Mitchell's opponent, Williamson, has stated that the letter "is already forgery and mail fraud. If the money for this letter is traced to my opponent or anyone acting on his behalf, it’s also a clear violation of campaign finance law."

According to Crim, Mitchell was "extremely upset about this coverage of his opponent's claims and tried to physically block the newspaper containing this allegation from his opponent from being circulated in Bellevue and other areas."

The letter, signed by one “Glenda R. Williams” contains negative accusations about Mitchell’s opponent, Charles Williamson. The negative campaign piece is very similar to comments made in direct mail pieces by the Mitchell campaign against Charles Williamson. The state election commission has been unable to verify that anyone named Glenda R Williams is registered to vote in District 50.

“We contacted Mr. Mitchell when we received the press release and gave him 40 hours to comment,” Crim says. “We received no response. When someone hides from the media, you have to wonder if the accusations might be true.”

Crim says that Mitchell attempted to block the way with his truck as Crim attempted to deliver newspapers to homes in Mitchell’s Bellevue neighborhood, and threatened the newspaper man.

“He said, ‘Go ahead and keep circulating these and see if it doesn’t cause trouble for you,’” Crim notes.

The Nashvillian, which was launched in 2010, is a free, non-partisan newspaper, covering stories of general interest with a focus on political news and information. The current issue includes a business story on an area wholesaler, a column on environmentalism, and several stories on local candidates both Republican and Democrat.

“The incident of course concerns our newspaper, free press, and my own circulation of information concerning my federal candidacy and that of others when you have a public official threatening or attempting to block a newspaper containing these items from being freely circulated,” Larry Crim says.

 

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Pre-Election Thoughts on Politics and Friendship

by Richard Upchruch

Richard Upchurch

We say we're frustrated by gridlock in Washington but do we do what we can to avoid a similar gridlock in our conversations about public issues with friends, relatives and fellow-citizens? And what to we mean, anyway, by "gridlock"?

Some have said that gridlock is often entirely appropriate, in Washington and similarly in our personal connections----sometimes very close personal connections---- accurately reflecting a reality of deep and unresolved differences. In other words, moving on sometimes is not possible or appropriate, something more needs to happen before we're ready to move on.

" Deep differences" can refer to various adversarial situations., but it seems that sometimes people who are able to communicate verbally but come from different cultures are in fact able not only to remain friends but to continue to have friendly conversations about issues; whereas sometimes people in organizations of various kinds, from the same or very similar backgrounds, become preoccupied with disputes---and sometimes to the extent that unity cannot be preserved and a split occurs. This reality is, obviously a part of peoples' lives----religious, political and personal. I've thought some about this, and what I've come up with, so far, is this:

There may in some times and places be a justification for prophetic or heroic defiance, and for rejection of further dialogue or debate, but American National Politics at the beginnings of the 21st Century, in my estimation, is not one of them. Even when we think that, among the indeterminate layers of rhetoric, conviction, commitment, strategy and tactics that constitute politics there may be some predisposition or some agenda not fully or not at all articulated, I'd have to say, if only as a reply to the fanatic, again: There may be some times and places where there is justification for unyielding or prophetic or heroic defiance and rejection of debate and of compromise in both public and the private spheres-----but in my estimation the Unites States, at the beginnings of the 21st Century, is not any such time or place.

My thoughts: 

by Rod Williams



I think of Richard Upchurch as a very wise man.  Richard can disagree with a person without becoming a disagreeable person. He can articulate a position and argue a point of view yet never seems to get angry or make others angry. I wish I was more like that. 

Unfortunately, there have been strained relationships in my family over politics. We are not estranged and we can share holiday meals and events without conflict, but if together for any length of time it becomes stressful. It is stressful monitoring your conversation and stressful to be on guard all of the time to not take offense or give offense. When one feels as passionately as I feel about what is at stake and those on the left feel equally as passionate, it is difficult to maintain feeling of affection and a close bond.   

When I feel that if you vote Democratic you are destroying what made America an exceptional nation and you are weakening essential American leadership in the world and you are dooming us to insolvency, I can’t feel good about you.  When you feel that by my voting Republican I am denying you healthcare and you may die if Obama is not reelected, you cannot feel good about me. What is at stake is important; it is not “just politics.”  I don't know how married couples who feel strongly about politics and hold differing views, maintain their marriage.  

While I can enjoy short visits or activity with family, I would not want to go on vacation with them.  If we are engaged in activity I can enjoy their company. I can enjoy hiking or I can enjoy going to a concert or going out partying, but to sit around together with nothing to do is not fun. I am not a sports fan, so I can't talk about the safe topic of sports and one can only talk about the weather for so long. Any serious conversations can lead to controversy.  Add a little libation to the mix and one  may fail to monitor one’s comments as closely and the likelihood of conflict escalates. 

There is not much that is of interest that does not in some way touch on politics.  Even parlor games reveal opinions which can be dangerous. I don't want to hear something clever that Bill Mahers said and they don't want to hear the clever thing Rush Limbaugh recently said.  Our points of view are so different that there are few safe topics. We think differently. Our observations are different.

Part of the problem, I think, is that at most of my family get-to-gathers, I am the lone conservative in a room full of liberals. One on one with family members or in smaller groups they are not nearly as likely to voice liberal opinions as when there is a big extended family and me. When in a large family group I feel like what an atheist in church must feel like.

I really don't know that close relationship are possible with those who do not share your essential values and when you feel that so much is at stake. Unfortunately, I think the best I can hope for is short pleasant get-to-gathers where I am on guard and we avoid talking about anything remotely political.  I will do my best to avoid arguments. I think that is as about as good as it can get.
 

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Nashville GOP makes ove 50,000 calls

From the store front office of the Nashville GOP, over 50,000 phone calls have been made!  Calls were on behalf of local candidates and to other states on behalf of Romney-Ryan, primarily to the battleground state of Ohio.

Win or loose, the Nashville GOP made a great effort, not only making a massive number of phone calls, but organizing and training poll watchers, recruiting volunteers for the various candidates to do door-to-door campaigning, distributing campaign materials, advising and assisting candidates in numerous ways, and keeping the GOP base of activist informed and motivated, fed and entertained with debate watch parties and movie nights and more.

Kathleen Starnes, Chairman of the Nashville GOP deserves a special "congratulations" for being such an effective leader. All of the other party leaders and the volunteers who pitched in and helped also deserve a congratulations and "Thank You."

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Get Out The Vote Rally With Haslam, Harwell

NASHVILLE, TN – Governor Bill Haslam and Speaker Beth Harwell will join middle Tennessee State Legislative candidates for a "Get Out The Vote" rally TODAY at 4:30pm. This event is open to the public and the media.

WHAT: "Get Out The Vote" Rally with Governor Bill Haslam, Speaker Beth Harwell and state legislative candidates

 

WHEN: Monday, November 5^th 4:30pm

WHERE: Ben Claybaker for State Representative Headquarters- 6901 Lenox Village Drive, Suite 106, Nashville

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Final quick thoughts before the election

Original Chinese Proverb:

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

2012 Democrat White House Revision:

Give a man a welfare check, a free cell phone with unlimited free minutes, cash for his clunker,

food stamps, section 8 housing, free contraceptives, Medicaid, ninety-nine weeks of unemployment,

free meds, and he will vote Democratic the rest of his life; even after he's deceased.

 

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