Exit Polls Analysis in Tennessee

Some reasons and trends in Tennessee voting:


"Tellingly, a 52 percent majority of those voting Tuesday in Tennessee where whites who described themselves as evangelical or “born again” Christians. And of these white evangelical voters, fully three-fourths (75 percent) voted for McCain. McCain drew just 36 percent support among the 48 percent of Tennessee voters who were not white evangelicals.

“It’s likely that ‘values’ in the context of Tennessee’s presidential election meant ‘white, evangelical Christian values,’” Blake said. In Edison Media Research’s national exit polling, white evangelicals made up a relatively smaller 23 percent of voters. But, as in Tennessee, about three-fourths of white evangelicals across the nation favored McCain.

“Change,” the key theme of Obama’s campaign, appeared to lack resonance with Tennessee voters, according to fellow MTSU pollster Dr. Jason Reineke.

"Other exit poll findings include:

• Obama won among Tennesseans age 18 to 29, but these represented only about 14 percent of those voting. McCain won among voters 30 and older.
• Obama won among African Americans, but McCain won among whites.
• Most Tennessee voters (61 percent) said they had made up their minds sometime before September.
• Obama won among those who disapprove of George W. Bush. McCain won among those who approve of Bush.
• McCain won among the state’s wealthier voters – those earning $50,000 or more. McCain and Obama basically tied among voters earning less.
• Most (72 percent) said the race of the candidates was not a factor for them. But among those who called it an important factor or the most important factor, most went for McCain.
• Obama won in urban areas. McCain won in the suburbs and in rural areas.


Pollsters Blake and Reineke are director and associate director, respectively, of the MTSU Poll, a twice-annual, scientifically valid public opinion poll of Tennessee adults. The most recent MTSU Poll was conducted in September 2008. See: http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

More info is available here.

Victory For All Americans

I haven't ever seen anything like that crowd at Grant Park in Chicago last night. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to celebrate not a candidate or political party or even a campaign, but to celebrate a victory for Americans who have a vision for a better future, a better nation and a better world.

Liveblogging The Election Returns

UPDATE 01: Just in case the night is more than you can handle, some advice on a variety of beverage recipes and Candidate Cocktails based on your candidate of choice here.

UPDATE 02: A flood of returns should start rolling in very soon - I'll post the local returns in Hamblen County, but also have results for the 1st District Congressional race too. The city of Morristown is considering a referendum for liquor by the drink, which almost passed in 2003, but I'd bet the referendum fails by a larger number this time around. County by county returns in Tennessee will be posted here at the state site as soon as they get the info.

UPDATE 03: Early voting results in Hamblen County: 12,666 votes cast in early votes
Liquor By The Drink - Yes: 2,733 No: 2,580
Sales Tax Increase - No 4,069 Yes 3,079
1st District Congress (D) Russell - 29% (R) Roe - 66%
Obama - 30.6% McCain - 68%

UPDATE 04: About 4 precincts reporting, with the local results
Liquor By The Drink -- Yes 3517 No 3235
Sales Tax -- No 4471 Yes 3328

Looks like the city may just get their long-sought-for LBTD sales, and the county is rejecting a sales tax increase. For national offices, the Republicans continue to dominate.

UPDATE 05: Final Hamblen County results:
LBTD passes with Yes 4525 No 4098
Sales tax increase defeated with No 8316 Yes 5556
John Litz (D) unopposed is re-elected
Roe 66%
Russell 30%
Obama 30%
McCain 68%

Looking at the national results, it looks like NC, FL, PA and OH are in Obama's corner. Results will take more time to settle out, but the Senator from Illinois may become the next president. Stay tuned for more info as soon as it is available.

UPDATE 06: A resounding win, much as expected, for Phil Roe (R) against Rob Russell (D), with Roe taking some 72% of the vote according to the AP. Overall, solid wins so far in the Congress for Democrats. As the pundits on MSNBC reported, the one region of the country with a solid Republican block in Congress is on the South. Sigh.

Conservatives On The Way Out

I tend to think the result of today's election will be the rejection of the howling lunacy masquerading as political debate which dominates the Republican/Conservative movement.

For well over a dozen-plus years, they have leapt forward to demonize anyone who might voice opposition to their ideas. Rather than debate any issue on merits, the Hate Machine rolls over anything in it's way.

Two recent examples -

-- The Freepers who see conspiracy in the death of Sen. Obama's grandmother

-- The Tennessee GOP spokesman Bill Hobbs, who lives far too close to racism.

I am optimistic that Americans will vote for a new direction in political discourse and in government, away from division, distraction, delusion and the dictates of a vocal minority.

Large Early Voting In Hamblen County

Today, for the first time ever, I had to wait in line to cast my ballot. Estimated turnout is going to easily pass the number of votes cast county-wide in the February primary which saw 40.8% of voters going to the polls.

The state has county by county totals here. Hamblen County started this day at just over 11,000 votes cast, and judging by the long line of 50 or so folks around noon today, the county may set a record turnout for the 2008 race. Local ballot issues are driving voters to the polls as well.

First is another attempt by the city to adopt a liquor-by-the-drink ordinance, which failed by around 200 votes a few years back. Hard-line opposition has been quite strong and I suspect the referendum will fail by an even larger margin this time. I would dearly love to be wrong about that.

The other ballot referendum is for county residents on approving or rejecting a .25% sales tax increase. The measure failed in February, and then was passed this summer in the city. I'd say this is going to be close, but since most residents who shop are paying extra when they shop locally anyway, it may just win this time around. However, it doesn't seem fair to me to place a proposed tax increase on the ballot again and again in the same year, putting more and more pressure on those who said No to change their vote to Yes. But it happens often in our area, so my best projection says it will pass this time around.

This county will send a big majority of votes to John McCain, without a doubt. Sen. Clinton took the primary here with over 68% of the vote and Obama earning 22%. Will the Clinton supporters close ranks and support Obama? Most likely, yes. But a large conservative base turnout among church-goers who are fighting the liquor-by-the-drink referendum will all go for McCain, and he'll take the county. McCain will carry the state, too, but outside of Tennessee there's mostly gains for Obama and losses for McCain. (Just my observations on national polls - your view will differ, I'm sure.)

Republicans in the county will also send a good chunk of votes to 1st Congressional District candidate Phil Roe - but I expect Democrat Rob Russell will gain sizable majorities in some larger counties. However, his victory among the smaller counties in the district is unlikely - 130 years of a solid Republican grip on that Congressional seat is nearly impossible to change. However, I think Russell has the best chance of any candidate in many decades in changing that long-running status. My projection is their race is too close to call. Russell has to win Washington and Sullivan counties and at least one other smaller county.

I did notice that all in line with me today were being quite friendly, and many spoke of how good it was to see a large turnout.

Also, I will be live-blogging the returns from Hamblen County and other east TN counties on Tuesday and updating often with results.

Synchronized Presidential Debating

TN Takes Spotlight in Plot to Assassinate Obama

I'm still learning and reading about the two men who were arrested and charged with federal crimes, including a plot to attack and kill schoolchildren and a plot to attack and kill presidential candidate Obama. While the allegations of the plot might seem too weird and half-crazed to ever succeed, these two gun-toting men wanted to shoot and decapitate fellow Americans, even children, expecting to die in the process of an act that qualifies as terrorism.

Oddly, only a few months ago, a lone gunman, deranged on hate, targeted children and "liberal Democrats" in the heart of Knoxville at the shooting at the Unitarian Universalist Church. Murderous rage fed by the constant barrage of talk radio's hateful accusations against our own countrymen, our neighbors and their children are the actions of the mentally unhinged, of course. Sad to see that Tennessee is the place where such events unfold.

The Tennessee Republican party issued an odd statement yesterday afternoon, saying they are victims of hate too, which prompted Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly blog to write:

"There's an odd tendency in some far-right circles for conservatives to feel like they're victims of some kind of persecution. The problem with this bizarre complex, though, is that a) it's absurd; and b) it leads to ridiculous comparisons like this one from the Tennessee Republican Party. The statement seems to argue, "Sure, white supremacists planned a killing spree, but everyone should feel sorry for us because we've been targeted, too."

The Tennessee GOP really sees a parallel between a crude piece of art, random vandalism, and a plot to kill more than a hundred children and a presidential candidate. In Robin Smith's eyes, there's some kind of equivalency between the three. This is pure madness.

This is, of course, the same Tennessee Republican Party that's been so extreme in its vile attacks against Obama that McCain and GOP lawmakers felt the need to condemn them.

We'll see if there's any pushback against Robin Smith's breathtaking press release."

Other observations I have made in the last year are likewise disturbing. As Senator Obama rose to prominence, I began to encounter many who I have long-considered friends, repeating much of the pure lies and vile hatred circulating in email lists and weird web-sites, which stand as blatant racist attacks. In recent weeks, I have overheard and been part of conversations where this madness seems to have taken deep root. It's sad to see how many have been prone to listen and to believe the nonsense, though it has surely been instructive to me, revealing much fear and loathing for non-white residents of the U.S. It's always been there, it's just more visible these days.

But that's a sad revelation. As Newscoma writes in West TN, just a few miles from Bells, TN, "Hate is a scary thing."

It is of little surprise that the Senator decided not to campaign in Tennessee. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he may have even been warned the risks of attack were to high here and not to visit at all.

Ashley Todd Busted In A UT Vols Sweatshirt

Those poor UT sports fans. Here in the midst of their season of losses, yet another national political scandal arrives to pour salt on their wounds. The apparent liar, one of a long line of Blame A Black Guy Crimes, Ashley Todd, was a campaign 'volunteer' and has the bright orange clothes to prove it.

Ashley was a member of a group called 50 College Republicans campaigning for Sen. John McCain and whipped up a rabid fury in the Conservative base by claiming she was attacked by a big scary black guy who carved a B on her face (um, it's backwards) 'cause scary imaginary guy was a supporter for Sen. Barack Obama. (Why not an "O"?? It won't show up backwards even when self-inflicted.)

And when police arrested her for faking a police report, what is she wearing? A nice bright UT orange shirt (image via AP):



Ouch!!

And on a weekend when the poor ol' vols got slammed by their rival Alabama 29-3.

She and her College Republican pals promo their presidential hopes (and schemes?) on a site called Life in The Field.

More details on that site and more on Todd here.

And who sent this hoax story high on the hit parade of liars charts - why the GOP's nominees, McCain and Palin, who both personally called the woman to console her. Even Fox News reported that if the story was a hoax, then the McCain campaign was officially over.

Still waiting on that report.

Politics Past and Present

In politics stupidity is not a handicap.
Napoleon I. Bonaparte

Politics, noun. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.
Ambrose Bierce

The one thing that would have made this presidential election a bit more sensible would be if the public and the press had paid the current constant critical attention to the last 8 years. Pretty much all that needs fixing now was tattered right before our eyes.

Destroying America To Save It

A nation divided into a maze of minor and major annoyances - or worse, along purely angry and arbitrary imaginings - has emerged as the current snake-oil and cure-all the hucksters of the Republican party are selling to us all. (It's an old GOP trick, really. Just refer to the "dirty tricks" of the Nixon campaign led by folks like Donald Segretti ... who was, believe it or not, a campaign co-chair for John McCain in Orange County in the 2000 campaign.)

By no means do I suggest that the Democrat Party somehow stands like a lone stalwart paladin on a sun-drenched hill. But I'm consistently seeing examples that there's something akin to a heinous desire that an America tattered and torn by divisions is the preference of the Republican party should they lose to Senator Obama.

The slow-bubbling poisonous brew has long been cooking. Careers are made by these chefs who endlessly season their pot-stirring with the chant "the other side hates you, hates your families, hates America." The bellow their thunders across radio and television via the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Laura Inghram, G. Gordon Liddy, and on and on. Their anti-two party system philosophy begets simple slogans, such as those of the best-selling books of Ann Coulter - "Slander", "Treason", "Godless" -- all dire warnings (often plagarized and larded with pure fiction) that non-Republicans have distorted the entire history of the nation, eviscerated your belief systems, and secretly plot to educate the nation into some kind of hive of marxist-socialist drones.

She tends these days to temper her hatred with a dismissive comment that she's just "an entertainer, I'm only joking, folks!" Which is yet another lie of course - as she told Human Events in 2007:

"Christianity fuels everything I write. Being a Christian means that I am called upon to do battle against lies, injustice, cruelty, hypocrisy—you know, all the virtues in the church of liberalism.

"Church of Liberalism" is a phrase and a concept which she invented with a dual purpose: to make money and instill the notion of a holy war she wants to take place in America. As with all the other talking heads mentioned above, they are faithful followers in the Church of Consumerism: they're only in it for the money and the power money provides. They are anti-science and pro-superstition.

As this current presidential race has shown, fomenting fear and hatred within America and for elected officials remain the only tools many Republicans can wield.

V.P. candidate Sarah Palin this week told a rally of supporters in North Carolina:

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."


Her words reveal a blatant, elitist snobbery. As writer/comedian Sarah Vowell said on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this week - the East Coast, with cities like Manhattan and Washington, D.C. were seen as properly American cities by the terrorists of Al Queda on Sept. 11th.

Is it any wonder her supporters make death threats against Senator Obama? Her message is clear - good Americans must defeat bad Americans by any and all means necessary.

Other Republicans are pushing this propaganda too, like McCain campaign adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer, who says that “real Virginia” does not include Northern Virginia:

"I certainly agree that Northern Virginia has gone more Democratic. … But the rest of the state — real Virginia if you will — I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message."

MSNBC host Kevin Corke gave Pfotenhauer a chance to revise her answer, telling her: “Nancy, I’m going to give you a chance to climb back off that ledge — Did you say ‘real Virginia’?”

But Pfotenhauer didn’t budge, and instead dug a deeper hole.

"Real Virginia, I take to be, this part of the state that’s more Southern in nature, if you will."

Sen. McCain's brother recently called sections of Virginia "Communist country".

Echoing the paranoid delusions of Senator Joe McCarthy, a Minnesota Congressman Michele Bachmann announced this week that an investigation needs to be held in congress itself to root out the anti-Americans who hold office there right now. I half-expected her to wave a piece of paper at the camera, a la McCarthy, and proclaim "I have a list right here of Communists in the Congress!"

Rep. Bachmann, often echoing talking points she hears via Limbaugh, claimed recently that wildlife and caribou in Alaska find warmth by huddling near oil pipelines, "The pipeline has now become a meeting ground and “coffee klatch” for the caribou."

Again, no science, no fact, nothing but superstition and catchy phrases meant to garner momentary mention on the news, fuel the ravings of lie-filled emails, and insure that many Americans eye each other with violent distrust. Just wink at 'em, youbetcha, but never doubt them Democrats are dangerous.

If a wounded animal can be capable of wanton destruction, the waning Conservative Republican may seek to wreak the same kind of damage on us all.

The Myths of Voter Fraud

It appears very little in the way of actual facts or consistent information is needed to whip up a frantic panic on behalf of talking heads and GOP pundits who wail about voting fraud. (Of course, many of these same fervent faithful are repeating such myths while demanding Sen. Obama is a terrorist and treasonous Destroyer of Worlds.) (NOTE: R. Neal has more on this sad tactic.)

So some facts (sure to be ignored by the anxiety-ridden voter):

Via ProjectVote. org:

• Voter fraud is extremely rare. At the federal level, records show that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002 and 2005, an average of eight people a year. The available state-level evidence of voter fraud, culled from interviews, reviews of newspaper coverage and court proceedings, while not definitive, is also negligible.
• The lack of evidence of voter fraud is not because of a failure to codify it. It is not as if the states have failed to detail the ways voters could corrupt elections. There are hundreds of examples drawn from state election codes and constitutions that illustrate the precision with which the states have criminalized voter and election fraud. I f we use the same standards for judging voter fraud crime rates as we do for other crimes, we must conclude that the lack of evidence of arrests, indictments or convictions for any of the practices defined as voter fraud means very little fraud is being committed.
• Most voter fraud allegations turn out to be something other than fraud. A review of news stories over a recent two year period found that reports of voter fraud were most often limited to local races and individual acts and fell into three categories: unsubstantiated or false claims by the loser of a close race, mischief and administrative or voter error.

Via Salon:

"On Sept. 10, the 240,000 Wisconsin voters who had registered by mail since 2006 found their voting status up in the air as the state's attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen -- a McCain campaign co-chair -- sued the state’s Government Accountability Board. In Michigan that same week, Macomb County GOP party chairman James Carabelli told a reporter that he would use publicly available lists of foreclosed home addresses to “make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses.” In early October, the Montana Republican Party challenged the eligibility of 6,000 voters in university towns and heavily Native American counties."

"But Minnite says that the latest Republican uproar over ACORN is part of "a far broader effort to corrode public confidence in the electoral process." Minnite is a co-author of the forthcoming book “Keeping Down the Black Vote: Race and the Demobilization of American Voters" and a research fellow at Demos, a public policy think tank based in New York. She predicts that as Nov. 4 approaches, Republican allegations about voter fraud are certain to continue. Minnite spoke with Salon by phone recently from her office in Manhattan.

Do you believe that voter fraud poses a threat to the validity of American elections?

No. No threat.

The statistics bear me out. From 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once. That’s 26 criminal voters -- voters who vote twice, impersonate other people, vote without being a resident -- the voters that Republicans warn about. Meanwhile thousands of people are getting turned away at the polls.

Political parties and corrupt election officials, on the other hand, do seem to present a potential problem. We should be a great deal more worried about who has access to the ballots. In terms of illegal aliens voting and people voting twice -- the popular images of voter fraud -- no I don’t think that there is any risk at all.

How did you come to this conclusion?

It is very difficult to find information on voter fraud. I’m quite fluent with political science data sets, but the more I would look, the less I would find. There was simply no information.

People were also uncooperative. Starting in late 2000 -- under state open-election laws -- I sent letters to all the attorneys general and secretaries of state in the U.S. asking them for statistics on voter fraud and those sorts of election crimes. Pennsylvania said they wouldn’t respond to me because I wasn’t a citizen [of the state]. I got the same from Virginia and Oklahoma. The attorney general of Michigan wanted me to pay $1,400 for the information because "it was going to take this many hours and this outrageous copying fee." I started to realize why there were no studies on the incidence of voter fraud, no criminal justice statistics. I also sent Freedom of Information requests to the Department of Justice. That became a two-year deal of delay and obstruction as well.

Under the “Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the Department of Justice’s Voting Section is legally bound to stop “voting practices and procedures ... that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group.” Do you think the Bush administration's Justice Department has fulfilled this mission?

Threatening localities for not taking enough names off voter rolls in reaction to nothing and based on no evidence of fraud -- while increasing the possibility of disenfranchisement -- suggests a department more interested in furthering a political agenda than following that legal outline.

Let’s talk about the Ballot Access and Voting Integrity initiative that was started under Ashcroft in 2002. It was advertised as a program that would combat voter fraud and voter suppression equally. But if you look at the program, it actually was geared almost entirely toward voter fraud. They wanted to see if they could bring cases against individual voters. The [federal] government has spent a lot of money pursuing this over the years and convicted almost no one. Then we hear all this propaganda about how much voter fraud there is.

At the very least the Department of Justice has had its priorities backward. There are thousands of people having trouble casting ballots and the federal government has decided to go after poor people in Milwaukee and Florida to create the impression that there is voter fraud. The U.S. attorney firing scandal made it hard for anyone to claim that the Bush Justice Department wasn’t politicizing voter fraud."

The Real Maverick Family Shuns McCain

The current descendants of the Maverick family of Texas say Sen. John McCain may be many things, but he is no Maverick.

The word was coined in honor of Samuel Augustus Maverick, who was a heroic figure in Texas history and who allegedly did not brand the cattle he owned, allowing them to roam at will (whether from disinterest in ranching or as a method of claiming all cattle without brands were his is a matter of some debate).

And the Maverick family have been Democrats throughout U.S. history, and today's descendants are quoted in the press shaming the McCain for President campaign and his self-declaration of being a "maverick":

"I’m outraged McCain could claim to be not running with the herd,” Robin Lloyd says. “He has voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time.”

Chris Lloyd, a retired publisher, agrees. “I’ve watched with increasing dismay as they appropriate ‘maverick.’ It’s offensive to me. That word only applies to people who break the mold or stand out from the crowd.”

"The Lloyd siblings’ perspective might seem tame compared with that of Bebe Fenstermaker, a second cousin who lives with her two sisters on the original Maverick ranch 25 miles northwest of San Antonio. She tends “old-time Texas longhorns,” some of them with bloodlines that reach back to the pioneering bovines.

“They’re not mavericks,” Fenstermaker says of the McCain-Palin ticket. “They’re Republicans. They’re already branded. They’re all robbers and rustlers.”

Another family member echoes the sentiment:

"What has McCain done to call himself maverick? I want to know why he calls himself a maverick," Mrs. Maverick asked. "Because he talks to Democrats? In that case, everyone's a maverick."

And it doesn't stop at McCain. His partner on the "Maverick Squared" ticket gets the same treatment from the family. In fact, Mrs. Maverick was ready with a knock-knock joke:
Knock, knock?
Who's there?
Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin who?
Exactly. "

The NYTimes story about the unhappy Maverick family is here. Their reports notes:

"Sam Maverick’s grandson, Fontaine Maury Maverick, was a two-term congressman and a mayor of San Antonio who lost his mayoral re-election bid when conservatives labeled him a Communist. He served in the Roosevelt administration on the Smaller War Plants Corporation and is best known for another coinage. He came up with the term “gobbledygook” in frustration at the convoluted language of bureaucrats.

This Maverick’s son, Maury Jr., was a firebrand civil libertarian and lawyer who defended draft resisters, atheists and others scorned by society. He served in the Texas Legislature during the McCarthy era and wrote fiery columns for The San Antonio Express-News. His final column, published on Feb. 2, 2003, just after he died at 82, was an attack on the coming war in Iraq.

Terrellita Maverick, sister of Maury Jr., is a member emeritus of the board of the San Antonio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas."

The story of the Maverick family - from the arrival in the U.S. to their role in politics for generations is truly fascinating. And it seems not only the Maverick family, but much of Texas is mighty upset with how their legend has become misused:

"As a Texan, I have to admit that it makes my blood boil to see the term “Original Maverick” so misused and abused in the current political season."

More Texas reaction here, and here.

Abuse of Power: The Bush-Palin Connection

There is a notable link between the Governor of Alaska and the Bush Administration - a core belief that if you hold the power, anything you do is justified and legal. Here are two elected officials who will strip someone of their job based on a personal vendetta.

As the national news is over-loaded on financial chaos, the illegal acts and scandals of Bush/Palin are likely to be lost. A scathing indictment of the unethical if not illegal acts of the Department of Justice over firing staffers for political cause arrived but was trumped by the Bailout Scandal.

"Investigators from both the department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility found that political pressure did indeed drive the dismissal action against at least three of the nine federal prosecutors abruptly fired. At the time, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted the individuals were all dismissed for inadequate performance, or failure to implement the President's law enforcement agenda.

But it appears the longtime pal and adviser to President Bush was lying through his teeth. Turns out the real reason some of the top federal lawyers were removed from the job, according to the Justice Department report, was that either the U.S. attorneys had the audacity to prosecute Republicans or because they failed to aggressively prosecute Democrats.

The impartial administration of justice in this nation, its very credibility, was nearly destroyed by the tyrannical ambitions of a few. (more here)

Now let's take a look at the just-issued report on Gov. Palin's similar 'abuse of power':

"This is, at bottom, a story about the rule of law, and the rules governing the exercise of political power. If you accept those rules, then you think that people should be hired or fired based on their job performance, not on whether or not you personally have it in for them. If they do something that actually merits firing, then they should be fired; if not, not.

If you don't accept the rule of law, you might think that taking political power allows you to take any kind of vengeance you want on anyone who crosses you. This includes not just your ex-brother-in-law, but perfectly good Public Safety Commissioners who do not do your bidding.

Not accepting those rules is wrong in its own right. The state has enormous power, and one of the things that keeps it in check is that public officials are expected not to use it to advance personal vendettas. Sarah and Todd Palin obviously disagree. This fact alone should disqualify them from high office.

Twins of this mindset share a contempt for the law and a dangerous lust for using power to pursue petty desires. Truth for these twins is whatever they decide at the moment and woe to any who challenge their delusions.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Facts

An interesting paradox regarding beliefs - facts don't apply.

"Cognitive dissonance won't help people make rational decisions, but it also suggests that there's little point in arguing with someone who holds an opposing belief. Could this response be why, despite being repeatedly refuted in the media, the percentage of Americans who believe Sen. Obama to be a Muslim continues to grow?

More on how Ideology trumps facts in this report.

Proof of the above thesis can be found among the wound-up fandom at a typical rally for Palin-McCain: (hat tip to Kleinheider)

I Know How To Do It

In an interview for a new job, you want to project confidence and exhibit your skills, and just land the job and figure out the details later. I suppose it is an endearing kind of ambitious flaw.

There were a few comments by Sen. McCain in the debate in Nashville that made me think of those interview moments, and perhaps that he was claiming far more than he could ever deliver.

Like this comment about Osama bin Laden:

"I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him. I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it."

Uh, sir, we have been seeking that man for six-plus years, don't you think you'd better clue the rest of us in here? And here's another suggestion for you if you'd like to win: launch you plan NOW and capture or kill the terrorist and I "betcha" you'd be elected in a landslide.

1st District Debate In Review

Five candidates for congressional representative in the 1st District fielded questions in a Q and A forum last night in Greeneville, a forum which you can listen to here at The Detour online radio station. The candidates are: Joel Goodman, independent, T.K. Owens, independent, James W. Reeves, independent, Dr. Phil Roe, Republican and Rob Russell, Democrat.

The main questions focused on the current economic crisis, job creation and economic development and the nation's energy policies. On that issue alone, they all spoke of the need to seek alternatives, with several candidates promoting the development of a 'green economy' based on alternative fuel sources which are available in East Tennessee, such as switchgrass, soybeans and bio-diesel.

The crowd was rather small, according to reports, and it's doubtful that any sizable portion of the 1st District will ever hear any of the comments and views of the candidates, which is a sad state of affairs. Still, after listening and making notes on what was said, I've tried to offer a sample of their comments. The forum lasted about 117 minutes, and I hope you'll give it a listen.

I've got some details below on the questions and answers, but first, this morning I received an email from Democrat candidate Rob Russell about one of the questions from the forum, asking whether or not the candidates would support overturning Roe v. Wade. Rob writes:

"His stated position and supporting examples are, at best, contradictory; at worst, they indicate a stance based more on political expediency than his experiences as a physician.

Dr. Roe was asked whether, if elected, he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. He answered yes, saying that he was "pro-life."

He then went on to say how he'd "been with mothers when they've been ill, and [made] the decision … I've made those life and death decisions, and very few people have had to deal with that as I have."

First, I would like to ask Dr. Roe how he defines abortion?

By virtue of his profession Dr. Roe has surely been in many situations where forms of abortion such as D&E (dilation and evacuation) or D&C (dilation and curettage) were performed. Why they were performed is immaterial: these procedures are by definition forms of abortion – they end the life of the fetus – and thus are procedures that could be prohibited by law if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Second, I would like to ask Dr. Roe if he's comfortable with the state making his "life and death decisions" for him?

There would be no decision to make if Roe v. Wade were overturned and the right to criminalize abortion was given back to the states. The state would set the guidelines for "life and death decisions," not Dr. Roe and his patients. Dr. Roe must certainly be aware of this fact.

I do not doubt for a second that Dr. Roe is as "dedicated to preserving life" as he says he is. His experience in situations where making "life and death" decisions is a necessity has most certainly brought him insight into aspects of morality and ethics that most of us would find difficult to comprehend. And I'm sure that he is heartbroken whenever a malady or circumstance requiring the termination of a pregnancy strikes a mother.

I'm merely asking whether his position on Roe v. Wade is what he really believes – because, as I see it, over-turning it could severely limit his ability to make decisions regarding the health and welfare of his patients – or if it is merely a case of saying what he thinks voters in this district want to hear?

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FROM THE FORUM -- Some Comments I Noted:

Why Are You Seeking Office:
Russell - I decided to run because after looking at the field of candidates, I saw no one looked like me - works full time, has to pay close attention to paying the bills, raising a family, I'm one of you.

Roe - I'm a Korean vet, mayor of Johnson City, Johnson City has a revenue surplus now, and I look forward to serving you.

On Oil Exploration in ANWAR
Goodman - we don't need it at this point, and current leadership in Washington has a lack of attention to our needs.

Roe - energy is a national security issue, more supply at home means less foreign dependence.

Russell - it's a symbolic issue which can be a distraction, we have 3% of the worlds' oil but use 25%, a policy that looks to alternatives which brings jobs to ET, drilling in ANWAR won't help East Tennessee.

Candidates Respond to Individual Questions

on Voter IDs
Owens - -we need a fed standard, and a state standard;
Goodman -- better methods;
Reeves -- it's a state issue;
Roe -- a state issue;
Russell -- some ID laws provide too many hurdles for voters, need a fed standard

on Privatizing Social Security
Reeves -- Social Security privatization - won't work now, no new programs, cut more spending; Goodman -- we need less reliance on SS;
Roe -- SS is a solemn promise, i intend to keep it and Congress must stop raiding fund but it does need some privatization;
Russell -- preserve the program and make it work

views on the Current Economic Conditions
Roe - bad home loans were made, to fix it (cut out of recording);
Goodman - it's the federal reserve's fault;
Owens - i don't see a crisis, bailout is a sham;
Reeves - foxes are in charge of the henhouse, need a 'moral capitalism';
Russell - the walls of separation in finance were broken, stronger oversight needed, along with modern rules and regulations.

on Warrantless Wiretapping
Russell-- leadership in Washington has turned into Big Brother, we need to protect rights to privacy;
Goodman -- the majority must want it as they've re-elected those who support these policies; Owens - that's been the president's call, we've been profiling, and we can't do much to change it; Reeves - government not been helpful, those who forfeit liberty for safety deserve neither;
Roe -- absolutely oppose warrantless wiretaps

on Jobs and Economic Development in East TN
Goodman -- I've been promoting bio-fuel projects in E.T. using soy and other products for sustainable energy;
Reeves -- review trade agreements like NAFTA
Roe --balance the budget, keep taxes low and businesses and growth will help
Russell -- the job of a representative is to advocate for the best interest of this area; I will promote a green economy in this area, like switchgrass, bio-diesel; also we need a stronger education system.

on Affordable Healthcare
Goodman -- reduce cost of medical procedures, drug availabilities, reform litigation;
Owens -- set a cap on medical costs; remove stigma of homeopathic medicine;
Reeves -- costs are far too high;
Roe -- future problems of costs and medical professionals will be a challenge;
Russell -- we have an unfair system of access, and we should fully fund SCHIP.

on Support For Nuclear Power
Goodman -- depends on what process we use to provide it and handle waste;
Owens - we need to maintain current projects, renewable fuels make more sense,
Reeves -- yes but not in my backyard, most common response;
Roe - no real way to say yes or no to it, I say yes, can be safe, as other countries do;
Russell -- yes

On Plans for Phasing Out Finite Energy Resources
Russell - we need a new, publicly reviewed energy policy, address options of alternative and renewable resources, tax breaks for green development;
Roe - conservation of fossil fuels, use hybrids, seek alternative sources;
Reeves - technology can offer the best help, stop now shipping money overseas;
Goodman - stop seeking oil overseas.

Would You Have Voted For The Bailout?
Goodman - nothing but crooks in DC, who even understands it? no approval;
Owens - no; failed to help americans, gave money to those who manipulate market;
Reeves - no;
Roe - it's a serious crisis, I have no idea how I would have voted, I don't know what was in the 400-plus pages;
Russell - it is a gamble that may not pay off, it's a worldwide crisis, and we have critical issues to take care of such as the infrastructure improvements needed, America should be priority not Wall Street.

Do You Support 'Basic' Rights for Same Sex Couples
Russell - yes. do unto others;
Roe - marriage is between one man and one woman, but I oppose discrimination based on sexual behavior;
Reeves - federal government's job is not to force beliefs on others;
Owens - ??;
Goodman - it is not American to be a theocracy.

Should Roe v Wade Be Overturned

Russell - no, it should stand;
Roe - i think it should be overturned, i am pro-life, i've made those life and death decisions, so i'd vote yes;
Reeves - yes, it should be a state issue;
Owens - its a state issue;
Goodman - i have ex-girlfriends and a sis who had abortions, it is a woman's choice not the governments.

UPDATE: Local newspapers report on the Forum:

Hank Hayes' Coverage in the Times-News

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9008473

Corey Shoun in the JC Press

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=65206

Tom Yancey in the Greeneville Sun

http://greenevillesun.com/story/298450

Listen To 1st District Debate

The online radio station in east Tennessee, The Detour, has announced they will have the debate between candidates for the 1st District Congressional seat being held right now available later this evening. Their website reports:

"We will be recording and making available for public download the Russell vs. Roe debate of the 1st TN District U.S. House sometime this evening. We would like to broadcast it live, but will probably be unable to do that due to internet restrictions.

As soon as they have a link, I'll post it in this notice.

UPDATE: The Detour has the live recording here.

Belmont Says Alcohol OK For Debate

Belmont University has had a ban on alcoholic drinks on campus since the 1950s, but the arrival of the press and the pressures of campaigning have apparently altered their previous stance on no-drinking-allowed.

I think there's an older rule in play too - drink with your eyes closed and that way you will not see anyone tossing back some libations and no one will see you doing the same.

1st District Debate on Tuesday

Before the presidential debate on Tuesday at Belmont, the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville will host an equally historic debate for the 1st Congressional District in Tennessee between Democrat candidate Rob Russell, Republican Candidate Phil Roe and several Independent candidates. The debate is set to begin at 7 p.m.

(NOTE: The most recent info I have indicates that so far only Russell and Roe have confirmed their attendance at the debate.)

WETS-FM's Wayne Winkler is moderator for the debate, which is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

This year's campaign also marks the first time in more than 4 decades an incumbent is not on the ballot seeking re-election.

Also noteworthy, the complete absence of local media reporting on the plans for this event and for few stories on the candidates seeking election and the congressional race in general, which earns them a big fat F on their grade cards when it comes to covering local politics.

Vote Palin or Go To Hell

The writers for comedy shows across the nation are in heaven as the current political season has made their jobs incredibly easy. All they need to do is quote the players verbatim to strike comedy gold. Unfortunately, this farce has real consequences as it muffles and denigrates reality.

This status is not a new-born trend. Both The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert have been honestly assessing the America we all live in. That isn't a statement of national pride.

And the recent arrival of the clownish distraction of Gov. Sarah Palin has hurled the decades-old standard "Saturday Night Live" skits into prominence again. Tina Fey is the modern Chevy Chase, who expertly satirized the inability of then-president Gerald Ford to stand or walk. Like Ford, Palin is the most-ripe, lowest apple on the lowest branch, so easy to knock off that the lightest breeze will send it tumbling. SNL's parody last night had me both howling with laughter and stunned our political scene is on the same level as an ancient vaudeville routine.

Palin is stoking the fires of farce so high and so hard one can hardly keep up with it, and her supporters are helping out with furious abandon and "starbursts" of pubescent joy.

Here she is yesterday, misquoting a line she read on a Starbucks coffee cup and warning folks that if you don't support her, you'll go to Capital-H Hell:



Maybe she is serious - after all, she has high praise for Pastor Thomas Muthee, a "Witch Hunter" who came to America to exorcise demons and cast protective prayers over her.

Who's writing this American Comedy anyway??