The World According to Oatney

Question of the Weekend

2009-11-21T01:48:00.001-05:00

This week's Nashville court decision about "guns in bars" leads to our question of the weekend for reader response and comment.

It Isn't Just Guns In "Bars"

2009-11-20T16:07:00.002-05:00

The press has never truly understood what 'guns in bars' was really all about:

Tennesseans have been left with the impression that this law was about letting people pack heat in Tootsie's. While the legislation certainly allowed for that (provided the owners of Tootie's didn't object), the purpose wasn't to insure that honky-tonk patrons could have big irons on their hips, but to insure that those who had concealed-carry permits had the benefit of personal protection if they needed it when taking their family out to dinner-a regular activity for many, if not most Tennesseans.

How Gibbons Helps GOP Gubernatorial Candidates

2009-11-19T23:31:00.002-05:00

Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons may not win the Republican nomination for Tennessee Governor, but he is keeping the campaign for the GOP nod competitive, instead of allowing one candidate to run away with it:

Despite Zach Wamp wishing that Ron Ramsey would find some reason to drop out (he admitted as much to Rob Huddleston and myself at the Statesman's Dinner this year when he told us that he thought Ramsey was going to have to "make some decisions" so that Bill Haslam could have a serious competitor), Ron Ramsey's campaign is still showing signs of astonishing resilience, and neither he nor Wamp appear to be going anywhere but the campaign trail. Bill Gibbons' seeming desire to fight on insures that Haslam can't "run away" with a victory, and that if he gets one next August, he will have had to work hard for it. None of the current Republican primary polls show Haslam winning in a blowout.

By e Bye State Fair

2009-11-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

The Tennessee State Fair is no more:

So what killed the Tennessee State Fair?

Regionalism is a huge part of the problem, of course. East Tennessee has the Tennessee Valley Fair as its popular regional agricultural exhibition, and people in this area would just as soon drive to Knoxville to a fair just as large or larger than the State Fair as they would drive all the way to Nashville for an exhibition of similar, or now lesser quality. West Tennessee also has the closer West Tennessee State Fair for people in that part of the State.

He's With Stupid

2009-11-17T16:43:00.002-05:00

Governor Phil Bredesen called this past legislative session's original Republican budget proposal "stupid," yet he is apparently in a dumb-down cycle:

During the last legislative session, the Governor delayed presenting a budget until federal stimulus money arrived. When that money did appear on the scene, it wasn't nearly as much as what some had projected, leading to cuts no one had foreseen, and "technical corrections." Instead of waiting until mid-June to pass the budget and adjourn, the General Assembly could have been out as early as the second week of May. This year, there will be little reason to delay the inevitable. And what will Phil Bredesen's final legacy be?

Governor Whatsisname

2009-11-16T13:31:00.003-05:00

Tennessee Democrats are grasping at straws over their party's nomination for Governor:

One has to feel for the Democrats, because they all know that legislative races notwithstanding, unless something changes drastically with the developing political dynamic in Tennessee the Democratic nominee will be beaten. Without some major political help, they will be badly beaten. This is not because the voters have predetermined the result, but because both the media and most political pundits have determined that the next Governor will be a Republican.

Sovereign King

2009-11-15T23:27:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite hymns-To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King.

The Speaker

2009-11-14T02:26:00.001-05:00

There has been much discussion this week about whether or not Speaker Kent Williams should be readmitted to the Republican Party, and the apparent divisions within Republican ranks in the Tennessee House, which leads to our question of the weekend for reader comments.

Corker Out On Williams

2009-11-13T16:53:00.002-05:00

At a time when other non-legislative officials are jockying to get their licks in about whether or not Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams should be re-enstated to the Republican Party, Bob Corker is staying out of it:

While it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a developing fissure in the Republican Party (how "major" it is is a matter of debate) over whether or not to readmit Kent Williams as a Republican after Williams joined in league with House Democrats to make himself Tennessee House Speaker, Corker is right to stay out of the whole matter.

Mumpower Political Suicide?

2009-11-12T16:20:00.005-05:00

If Jason Mumpower really wants to be Speaker of the House by 2011, he is not off to the best of starts in that regard:

For Jason Mumpower to try and get the members of the House Republican Caucus to sign on to a letter "reprimanding" Tennessee Right to Life for endorsing a candidate that the caucus didn't support is akin to Mumpower and Glen Casada trying to tell their constituency groups what to do (in Casada's defense, I do not believe that if he were Leader, he would be stupid enough to do anything like this of his own accord). Tennessee Right to Life does not care about the internal issues within the Republican Party, either. Those of us who are active or semi-active in the GOP who are also committed pro-lifers do care, but we have a vested interest since we are committed to party politics-Tennessee Right to Life is not, since it is a constituency organization, but is not affiliated officially with the Republican Party.

Rather than take a page from How to Win Friends and Influence People, Jason Mumpower is shooting himself in the foot at a time when he needs to be building support rather than dividing his base. Unless Mumpower gets his head out of the clouds and back down to political reality, he will be much less likely to be Speaker of the House in 2011-and not because he would lack a Republican majority.

Why We Are Free

2009-11-11T17:20:00.002-05:00

On this Veterans Day, don't forget why I am free to be writing to you in this way:

As of yet, I can't be locked away for being openly critical of the President, or of Governor Bredesen, or of our Members of Congress or the General Assembly. While I am well aware that there are many people both inside and outside of government who wish that I were locked away in a closet somewhere to be shut up, I am not because a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine took a bullet that paid for my right to speak out.

Most people are aware of the "tea party" protests around the country, and the President would love the partiers to go away. You don't have to because some boys at Lexington and Concord were so tired of a government that tried to shut them up that they opened fire on its soldiers and faced the wrath of what in those days was the most awesome power on earth so we could freely choose not to have the will of government imposed on us.

Prodigal Son?

2009-11-10T16:12:00.002-05:00

Despite what some may say, there is a way for Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams to get back into the Republican Party:

I will doubtless anger some when I say that our doors should never be permanently closed to anyone, including Kent Williams. However, for Williams to be let back into the party, he has to be sorry for what he did-ideally, he should apologize to the entire House Republican Caucus and to the party as a whole for his actions last January, and do so publicly. As part of the consequences of his actions, Kent Williams must be made to stand as an independent for at least one election cycle. If Williams survives, then he wants back in the GOP of his own accord after that, it ought then to be very seriously considered.

Going Where The Votes Are

2009-11-09T15:43:00.003-05:00

What was a major reason Knoxville Mayor and and gubernatorial candidiate Bill Haslam skipped out on a Knoxville conservative straw poll Thursday night and attended a fundraiser hosted by a Democrat instead?:

Since Tennessee has no party registration and our primaries are essentially open, Haslam may be trying to pull enough Democrats to vote in the Republican primary to impact an outcome which might go against him in a closed primary-he may see crossover Democrats as the key to his Republican primary victory.

Joy of Man's Desiring

2009-11-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

The Celtic Woman sing a beautiful version of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

Question of the Weekend: A foreshadowing?

2009-11-07T23:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a good week to be a Republican, and that leads to our question of the weekend.

This week's question of the weekend comes after a week of positive off-year election results for Republicans and a major gubernatorial straw poll in Knoxville.

Reagan Day

2009-11-06T15:44:00.003-05:00

Today I give a personal retrospective of last night's Tennessee Conservative Union Reagan Day Dinner:

The conversation was going so well that I didn't notice Rep. Frank Niceley trying to get my attention, but Nicole did. He stayed for a few minutes at our table and we talked shop. Jennifer Little took Frank and Nicole's picture and I commented that Frank looked much better than I did, to which Frank colorfully replied that I was full of it. The strange seating arrangements described herein also led to Stacey Campfield being seated at the same table with his State Senate Primary opponent, Ron Leadbetter, which must have made for interesting dinner talk.

The most glaring absence was that of the Mayor of Knoxville himself, whose excuse was that he was attending a fundraiser. While no one disparages Haslam of a fundraiser, he has known about the Reagan Day dinner for months but begged off of it, and his fundraiser in Sumner County would have been much easier to reschedule for a man whose personal funds along with collected campaign cash might rival the Sultan of Brunei. Haslam sent people and bought tables, but a conservative event in his own hometown was not good enough for him to be there and actively stump for himself. Bill Dunn is one of the few reputable conservatives openly supporting Haslam and gave a good speech and actually made a decent argument for the Mayor. When Dunn's speech was over, I wanted badly to put Dunn's name into nomination in place of Haslam.

University Waste

2009-11-05T13:43:00.003-05:00

The University of Tennessee knows no bounds when it comes to the wasting of our money:

In a time of deep recession-some would say (as I have in this space) that we are in a depression, the University of Tennessee has conducted itself as though it is immune from the impact of that depression and it is entitled to endless infusions of taxpayer dollars for projects which are not of immediate necessity. All the while, UT increases tuition on a semi-regular basis and now makes students pay for football games (and if I am not mistaken, students still must pay their student activities fee) while begging the State for more and more money.

Support for higher education is extremely important. That support should not be wasted.

Carry Me Back...

2009-11-05T13:41:00.001-05:00

Adam Graham and myself devoted a special podcast to the fallout from the Virginia and New Jersey election results. You can hear that program here.

The Election Cycle of Our Discontent

2009-11-04T12:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday's races in Virginia and New Jersey revealed that Tennessee Republicans havew a wonderful opportunity in next year's elections-if we can capitalize on it:

Yesterday's gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey were nothing short of a whipping for Democrats, and the White House's attempt to downplay the results by saying that "the President isn't watching them" didn't play. The message out of both States from voters was "Yes We Can-give the White House a big black eye."

So how does all of this play for Tennessee in 2010? The Tennessee Republican Party has a historic opportunity to capitalize on what might be termed as the Season of Our Discontent.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginia

2009-11-04T12:48:00.001-05:00

A special results show discussing the results in the State elections in Virginia and New Jersey and the special Congressional election in New York 23 and the impact of these races on the White House and the national Democratic Party. Also, what this could mean for 2010 elections in Tennessee.

Listen to the results run-down HERE.

Another Case for Per Diem

2009-11-03T14:10:00.002-05:00

Today's Examiner column takes a second look at legislative per diem in Tennessee since Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Tom Humphrey has caused its ugly head to once again be reared:

In the very first column that I wrote for The Examiner, I dealt with the issue of per diem payments in the General Assembly, and took the unpopular position that it is perfectly fine for legislators to accept the payments and that the State should make them. No, Nashville legislators should not receive the payments, and that is a reform that the General Assembly can and should consider very carefully, letting Davidson County members explain why they should get per diem when they don't need a hotel room or apartment. However, per diem payments to legislators outside of Davidson County should be the normal procedure on the Hill, because failure to help pay legislators' expenses will further discourage the everyday Tennessean from running for office at a time when the opportunity to do so is already impossible for so many.

Campaign Finance

2009-11-02T14:42:00.002-05:00

In today's Examiner column, I explain the need for PACs-or more specifically, personal PACs-and why they help keep the political process in Tennessee open to more of the citizenry who might like to participate:

The reality, of course, is that our present campaign laws, intended to limit the influence of money in politics, only make the influence of cash even more deep and wide. The cost of running a political campaign has not decreased merely because laws have been made limiting campaign contributions. As the price of running for office has gone up in recent years as new media sources become increasingly wedded to the political process, what once was mostly a rich man's game would become entirely so and prevent people from more run-of-the-mill places and truly diverse backgrounds from entering public life.

Feast of All Saints

2009-11-01T22:48:00.003-05:00

Revelation 7:1-16:

After these things, I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that they should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them that were signed, an hundred forty-four thousand were signed, of every tribe of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah, were twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand signed:

Of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. After this I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: And they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and the ancients, and the four living creatures; and they fell down before the throne upon their faces, and adored God, Saying: Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the ancients answered, and said to me: These that are clothed in white robes, who are they? and whence came they? And I said to him: My Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they who are come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he, that sitteth on the throne, shall dwell over them.

They shall no more hunger nor thirst, neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Question of the Weekend

2009-10-31T23:30:00.000-04:00

This weekend's weekly Tennessee political question deals with local government bond issues:

Tennessee State Comptroller Justin P. Wilson is expected to release new rules next week that would tighten the present rules under which Tennessee municipalities and counties may issue bonds to finance new schools, roads, stadiums, and other projects. A collapse in the bond markets last year raised questions about risky bond issues by our State's local governments, which ultimately has led to new regulations from the Comptroller's office.

The Party's Good Servant

2009-10-29T23:39:00.001-04:00

The comments of Tennessee's Republican Chairman have triggered discussion about the very meaning of the pro-life movement in the GOP:

What should concern pro-life conservatives about Devaney's statement is not that he is saying that pro-abortionists can be Republicans, but the seeming nonchalance with which he appears to regard the pro-life position. Pro-life political action is reduced to a mere political position, a difference of opinion akin to tarriffs or environmental policy. What Devaney does not seem to understand is that this question of aborticide is not a matter of mere political opinion, but a matter of life or death. Either you believe that it is cold-blooded murder to take the life of an unborn child in the womb, or you do not-period. There is no middle ground on the matter and for that reason pro-life people within the Republican Party will not give an inch and will not give up the pro-life plank in the national platform.