Let the TN Election Season begin!

State Sen. Eric Stewart declares bid for Congress
1:15 AM, Nov. 18, 2011

State Sen. Eric Stewart announced Thursday that he is running for the 4th Congressional District, taking on first-term incumbent Rep. Scott DesJarlais.

Stewart, a Democrat who has represented the 14th Senate district since 2009, said there is widespread dissatisfaction with DesJarlais, a Republican physician with no prior political experience who pulled off a surprising win last November over Democratic Rep. Lincoln Davis.“I actually think across this district there’s some buyer’s remorse about who they sent up there to serve them,” Stewart said. “They’re pretty disgusted with what’s been going on up in D.C. on both sides of the aisle.”

Stewart, who won’t run again for his Senate seat, is entering the race even though state lawmakers are still redesigning the 4th District. It currently stretches from Lawrence County on the Alabama border to Campbell County on the Kentucky border. Stewart currently represents seven counties within the 4th Congressional District, and his home of Franklin County borders DesJarlais’ home of Marion County.

“I feel pretty confident that Franklin County will remain in the 4th District, as well as most of my state Senate seat,” Stewart said.

DesJarlais has not yet set up a campaign organization, an adviser said. The congressman said in a statement that he is focused on efforts in Congress to reduce the nation’s $15 trillion debt.“My focus is on the upcoming supercommittee recommendation and how to best reduce our national debt,” DesJarlais said in a statement. “There will be a time to focus on the campaign, but it isn’t now.”

Dirty politics

A very good article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal about the politics of regulation. Of course, it gives credit to our TN-07 congressman.

Make your own poll results!

Not sure which Tennesseans are saying don't tax the rich, but Marsha seems to think they exist.

Blackburn provides us her overly simplistic thoughts on the economy

We Can Create More Jobs With Less
Marsha Blackburn

Everyone in Washington is focused on ways to get our economy back on track. Unfortunately, President Obama and the Democrats are focused on all the wrong things. Ask any small business owner what they want the government to do to help them create jobs and they will tell you - we just need them to get out of the way.

That's why I will continue to focus on less - less regulations, less taxes, less litigation. These are the things that will help small business owners. And, after all, they are the ones who create the vast majority of new jobs in America.

President Obama has been in office for nearly three years, yet he still refuses to accept any responsibility for the economic mess we continue to be in. Now he is pushing for a new "jobs" bill. But it is just a rehashed stimulus. The others didn't work and this one won't either. Most of us in Congress recognize that there is no single bill or single stroke of the pen that is going to fix the economy.

It has to be a long-term focused project by everyone working together. Washington must find a way to give hard-working taxpayers a fighting chance. The President keeps saying just do the math, so let me suggest this equation: (-regulation)+(-taxation)+(-litigation)=(+innovation)+(+job creation)

It's time for the President and Democrats to recognize that if we are truly going to get this economy growing again, we have to start by eliminating the excessive regulations that are creating so much uncertainty for businesses. To truly create stability, the President should declare a one year moratorium on the creation of new regulations.

We also cannot raise taxes on anyone in the midst of such a huge economic crisis. Instead, we need a flatter, fairer, simpler tax system that would allow individuals and businesses to keep more of their money.

It's also time for Congress to pass serious tort reform legislation to put an end to all the frivolous lawsuits that place such a burden on our small business owners. And finally, Washington needs to stop the out of control wasteful spending.
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I'm guessing some people weren't required to take Macroeconomics 101 in college.

Who wants to go?!!

$250 for a book seems reasonable.

Don't buy at Beaman

From today's Tennessean...

Presidential hopeful Rick Perry comes to town, raises cash
Posted on September 29, 2011 by Michael Cass

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, one of the front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination, spent time in Tennessee this week, including a fund raiser in Nashville on Wednesday.

Lee Beaman, CEO of Beaman Automotive, hosted the 90-minute fund raiser, which was closed to the press, at his Oak Hill home. Beaman said “probably over 200″ people attended, including Gov. Bill Haslam and House Speaker Beth Harwell, though he said they attended for reasons of political courtesy and not necessarily endorsement.

Beaman said he’s donated to several candidates, but he thinks Perry, who made a 15-to-20-minute speech inside a big tent set up in the yard, is the one to beat.

“I think he can win the Republican nomination and the general election, and I think he has the best chance to do both of those,” he said.


Beaman said he didn’t know how much money the Perry campaign raised at the event. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the campaign’s leader in Tennessee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment; a Ramsey spokesman later said he would try to get a number.

Ramsey tweeted from the fund raiser, “Having a great time at Lee Beaman’s listening to Gov. Perry talk about how he’ll bring us out of the Obama Recession.” That remark quickly drew several retorts, like this one from

@Litzz11:

“@RonRamsey Right, you mean the “Obama Recession” that Bush started & the GOP has refused to do anything about until they win in 2012?”

Perry also visited Memphis before he came to Nashville and was in Knoxville, where he did speak to reporters, Thursday morning.

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I knew Beaman donated to the GOP, but not at this level! I guess this explains why the only magazines they have in their waiting room are Newsmax.

Tard.

BLACKBURN TO HOST GIBSON GUITAR CEO FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
Washington, Sep 7 -

Congressman Marsha Blackburn issued the following statement today announcing that Gibson Guitar CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, will be her special guest for President Barack Obama’s address to the Joint Session of Congress on Thursday night.

“Gibson Guitar is at the heart of this jobs debate, and is an example of exactly why President Obama has it wrong when it comes to getting our economy back on track. Maybe if the President spent more time finding real solutions to empowering small business owners and less time hindering businesses like Gibson, we'd see more new jobs being created.

“Small businesses under the leadership of executives like Henry are the key to getting our nation’s economic engine running again. While the President is busy delivering speeches, small business leaders like Henry are busy trying to deliver results. The best thing President Obama could do is seek their advice, then get out of the way. Big government doesn’t create jobs, small businesses like Gibson Guitar do.”

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In case you didn't read about this, Gibson was raided because they're importing illegal rain forest wood for guitars. Once again, Blackburn twists the facts.

Bout right.

*Gasp*

The GOP doesn't value a woman's opinion. Not even is that woman is Marsha Blackburn!

Finally! A vote I can agree with!

H.AMDT.735 (A012) Amends: H.R.2584
Sponsor: Rep Dicks, Norman D. [WA-6] (offered 7/26/2011)

AMENDMENT PURPOSE: An amendment to strike the proviso relating to funding limitations in the Endangered Species Act.

STATUS:
7/26/2011 8:15pm: Amendment (A012) offered by Mr. Dicks. (consideration: CR H5550-5552, H5553-5561; text: CR H5550)

7/27/2011 1:44pm: On agreeing to the Dicks amendment (A012) Agreed to by recorded vote: 224 - 202 (Roll no. 652). (consideration: CR H5601)

Votes from Tennessee's delegation...

Black - No
Blackburn - Aye
Cohen - Aye
Cooper - Aye
DesJarlais - No
Duncan - No
Fincher - No
Fleischmann - No
Roe - No

Could it be that Congressman Blackburn is OK with protecting endangered species??!!! There might be a soul in there, folks!