by Susan Bond, MCDP 2nd Vice Chair

According to a staffer in the Jackson Office, Congressman Stephen Fincher is too busy to do traditional Town Hall meetings this August.  From what little I’ve been able to find on the internet, he’s been busy speaking to agri-business conventions and visiting “The Holy Land,” but I’m sure it’s for the good of all his constituents here in the 8^th district.  His websites and the newsletters I’ve signed up for don’t hint at any scheduled public events.  Not a hint.

“He has been holding Tele-Town Hall meetings,” the staffer said.

“Really?” I asked.  “Are they publicized?”

“No, he makes a list and invites people.  He just had one for senior citizens.”

“How do I get on one of those lists? Is he doing one for educators?”

“I really don’t know,” she mused. “But, I’m sure you could send him an email and let him know you’re interested.”

I wanted to be sure I was getting the information straight, so I asked “Is he doing anything that’s open to the general public?”

“Not this summer.  He’s just too busy.”

According to the staffer, he’s talked to 17,000 people in the three Tele-Town Halls.  According to recent census data, there are roughly 600,000 folks in District 8 and Fincher has talked to about 35% of them.  If we assume that only 300,000 of them are voters, that means he’s talked to about 70% of the voting population in District 8.  How did he miss me?

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that he was in Israel recently “meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . . . “ and major political groups.

I sure am disappointed that he’s not coming to Jackson, since it’s the biggest population center in the district.  It couldn’t be that his FEC violations and his receipt of farm subsidy money might make some folks in West Tennessee peeved.  If I had his track record, I wouldn’t want to see any voters face-to-face either, as evidenced in this article.

Feel free to email him here.

Or call him here: 202-225-7414 or 731-423-4848

As the 2011-13 term of the The Madison County Democratic Party met for its 3rd time on Thursday, August 11th, it became clear that we are really getting in gear and picking up steam as we roll toward the 2012 elections.   Let me fill you in on some of the highlights.

New Treasurer

We have one change in our slate of officers for the 2011-2013 term.  The elected Treasurer, Laura Johnson, regretfully announced her resignation at the meeting on August 11th.   Unfortunately, she has found that there is a scheduling conflict between her duties with us and her duties as Treasurer and those charged to her as Secretary of for the Southwest District Lay Dept. of the CME Church.  Her resignation was effective on August 11, 2011.

The Executive Committee voted on and approved Drew Baker as the new Treasurer.  Drew will assume his duties immediately upon transfer of records and will officially join the other officers at the next meeting, scheduled for September 8, 2011.  Welcome Drew as our new Treasurer.

Fundraising

We have some exciting plans for fundraising events.  Announcements and details are coming soon.  So stay tuned.   Get ready for fun and entertainment!

Early 2012, you can expect a special day to honor one of Tennessee’s favorite Democratic governors.

Election 2012

With the Republican primary starting to build momentum 15 months before the November 2012 Presidential Election, we are also working diligently on plans for voter registration and keeping pace with the Obama for America 2012 efforts.

Voter registration is a special focus with the new Voter Registration Law taking effect on January 1, 2012.  This law, as you may know, requires all registered voters to present a photo ID showing the voters name and signature to eligible to vote.  The law applies for both early voters and those voting on Election Day.  For more info on voter registration and Election 2012, download the ELECTION 2012 Information document here.

You can see how Tennessee compares with the nation on voter registration laws at the National Council of State Legislatures site.

Join Us

Visit the next meeting of the MCDP Executive Committee on September 8, 2011 to keep up with how we are working to grow the Democratic party and build momentum for the upcoming election in 2012.

by Susan Bond, MCDP 2nd Vice Chair

Snuffle, snuffle, snort, snort.

Is that the sound of Stephen Fincher chowing down at the pig trough?

According to a recent article in The Tennessean, Fincher, our US Representative for the 8^th congressional district, is enjoying his own personal feast at the pork-fest.

While Fincher was publicly condemning farm subsidies to charm the daylights out of his GOP cohorts in Washington, he was silently taking $3.2 million in federal farm subsidies from 1995 to 2009 and $87,738 in 2010.

Go ahead and write a letter to the editor of the Jackson Sun.  Here’s their link to the Jackson editor: http://orig.jacksonsun.com/about_us/form_editor.shtml .

State Senator Lowe Finney (27^th District) spoke with the Madison County Democratic Party on July 14 at our monthly executive committee meeting.  He said he was glad to be in an all-Democrat context so he could speak freely, and he did speak freely.

Sen. Finney reflected on the recent Tennessee Legislature session and characterized it as devastating for almost every vulnerable group in Tennessee.  “The good news,” he said, “Is that the legislature is not  currently in session.”  He said that if you were poor or working class, or a union member, or a teacher, or a racial minority, or an immigrant, or a student, or gay, or elderly, the GOP-controlled legislature had passed laws that were to your disadvantage.  “And,” Finney continued, “Ron Ramsey promises that this is just the beginning!”(Read more about it here.)

Finney spent a good part of his time lamenting the legislation that requires photo IDs for voter registration.  He pointed out that many of our rural West Tennessee citizens don’t even have Departments of Motor Vehicles in their counties, so they would have to take the better part of a day to drive to an adjacent county in order to get new IDs made.  He said that one of our senior legislators had a drivers’ license, but that it didn’t have a photo on it; one of our own Tennessee statesmen would have to get a photo ID in order to vote.  Here’s a blog post by our Memphian blogger pal Steve Ross on the topic.

Finney’s comments about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (SB0049) were instructive as he pointed out that the bill sponsored by Rep. Stacey Campfield (18^th district) took an odd turn.  The bill was amended at the last minute to mandate that classroom discussions refer only to “natural reproductive science.”  Wait a minute; did the Tennessee Legislature just mandate K-12 sex ed. classes? Here’s a blog post on the issue:  Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Ignites National Controversy

We were glad to have Senator Finney with us and we hope to see him as often as possible.

When I became Chair several months ago, I publically stated that I wanted to partner with the Tennessee Equality Project and the NAACP to promote equality in Madison County so I am honored that I was asked to welcome you here today.

Democrats have a long and proud history of defending Civil Rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, Democrats have fought to end discrimination in all forms—including discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability. We believe in the essential American ideal that no one should be constrained by the circumstances of their birth, and that each of us should have the opportunity to make of our lives what we will.

If you are interested in working towards protecting and expanding the rights of LGBT, African American  and working people, I hope you will speak with me or  Susan Bond at the voter registration table and sign up to work with us. If you have not heard, voting rights inTennessee are under attack so it is critical you are aware of the new laws.

If you would like more information on what we are doing, please sign up for our mailing list or join our Facebook page. Also, I hope you will consider joining us this afternoon at 4:30 pm at the Rebuild the Dream planning meeting.  Angela Jones is going to go into more detail on the movement that is sweeping the nation. 

In closing, I want to applaud President Obama for repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and working toward the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and that  I look forward to the day when LGBT couples can marry in the state of  Tennessee.

by Susan Bond

It’s so exciting to be part of building progressive coalitions in Jackson and Madison County!

Recently I met with the Tennessee Equality Project – Madison County as they planned their big First Annual West Tennessee Family Fest.

Our meeting came just hours before the New York state legislature passed the Marriage Equality Bill with a vote of 33-29.

I am sure you all remember former Tennessee Senate candidate, Harold Ford, Jr. It makes me wish he would come back home to Tennessee and evangelize about his recent conversion to Marriage Equality.

Here is a video Ford did to support the cause of marriage equality in New York: http://bit.ly/jIOU1Q .

Here at Kick Ass, we support our TEP friends and will not only attend the big Family Fest, but will do a voter registration event as well.

The Tennessee Equality Project’s 1st Annual West Tennessee Family Fest will be held on Saturday, July 23 at Conger Park, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Burgers, hot dogs, and drinks will be provided. Activities include line dancing, a silent auction, and a cake walk.

There will be live music from Carol Plunk of Nashville and local favorite Seraplane!   The featured speaker is Jenny Ford, TEP’s tireless lobbyist in Nashville.

For more information, contact Chairman Drew Baker at (731) 501-0497 or visit their Facebook page http://on.fb.me/koRxn3.

Related articles

• Harold Ford Jr. Records Video in Support of NY Marriage Equality (towleroad.com)
• New York Senate Passes Marriage Equality (queeroakland.com)

by Cody Goodman, MCDP Young Democrats Director

Governor Bill Haslam has said he would like to see fewer bills filed in the Tennessee General Assembly next year.  Specifically, Haslam would like to see 700 fewer bills of the approximately 2200 filed during this year’s assembly that adjourned May 21.  The governor says he would like to see fewer bills because Republicans are “the party of smaller government.”  His reasoning for fewer bills is interesting, to say the least, considering many of the bills he signed into law this year increased the size of state government.  For this reason it is evident to me that, as Republicans are overreaching to please a fringe element of the electorate at the expense of hard-working, ordinary Tennesseans, Haslam is getting a little nervous.  Republicans have put Haslam on shaky ground.

One of those bills from this session that you’ve probably heard a lot about is the new law requiring a photo ID to vote in Tennessee.  Not only does this law signed by the governor mirror a poll tax of years gone by, it will increase the size of government.  It will increase the amount of time and money voters will now have to spend to cut through all the bureaucratic red tape Tennessee Republicans have created just to exercise their right to vote.  Additionally, it has been estimated that implementation of the law could potentially cost the state upwards of 25 million dollars.

One of Haslam’s perceived strengths during the 2010 election came from his experience in business.  His managerial credentials (or lack thereof… but that’s another story) and “small government” philosophy helped to make him the chief executive of our state.  That said, Haslam signed into law the job-cutting, intrusive, BIG government House Bill 600.  HB 600 prohibits local governments from passing anti-discrimination ordinances and overturned a Nashville ordinance that bans workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.  FedEx, Nissan, Alcoa, Comcast, AT&T and other companies strongly disagreed with Tennessee Republican’s pro-discrimination stance and forced the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce to reverse its position and oppose the bill.  Municipalities wanting to update their anti-discrimination laws and attract job-creating, modern businesses to their communities also disagreed with the Republican’s pro-discrimination and “state government knows best” policies.  Flip-flopping on his pro-business, small government stance, Haslam signed the bill on May 23.

To Democrats, this is indeed a dark cloud over our state, but I see a glimmer of hope breaking through.  With photo ID requirements and no ballot box paper trails, Republicans have made it harder for Democrats to vote, but that won’t stop us.  The Republican Party has overreached.  They have unapologetically filed bill after bill making Tennessee a laughing stock, and there is no end in sight.  And this has led to a 20% drop in approval of the Republican-led GA, and Haslam and Harwell are running scared.

This is the opportunity for Democrats to show that we are the only party capable of governing this state.  Don’t allow empty promises of “smaller government” and magical job creating RVs to take root in the Tennessee political dynamic and gloss over the destruction that this flood of bills is unleashing.  While men and women across the state are hurting for jobs, Republican legislators are contriving to undo all of the work that Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Democrats have done to attract business and provide quality jobs for Tennesseans.  It is time to demonstrate that Democrats have, can, and will be the party that creates jobs.

And we must also continue to hold true to our values.  Democrats will fight for free and fair elections, not a poll tax.  Democrats will fight for anti-discrimination laws, not pro-discrimination laws.  Democrats will fight for the collective bargaining rights of our children’s teachers, not take those and our kids’ Hope scholarships away from them.  Our message is clear, the Democratic Party is the party of the people.  At any time, our number one priority is to fight for a better life for Tennessee’s people, not its special interests.  Let’s expose the Republican Party for what it is, and let’s keep Haslam running scared.

“The Wing of Icarus”

The title above is in quotes because it was taken from Drew Westen’s inspired post in The Huffington Post, The Three Wings of the Republican Party posted June 20, 2011.  It was an in-depth piece that started out as a discourse on the GOP’s candidate selections and their approach to partisan politics.  However, it veered smoothly into a mild, almost self-flagellation of our own Democratic party’s slide into support of conservative principles.

The tone of the piece started to change when Westen began explaining  the third wing of the Republican Party, the Democrats.  He very aptly dubbed it the “The Wing of Icarus”.   It is really sad, but almost unavoidable, that Democrats have practically become parrots of the Republicans on many issues, such as our economic situation, today.   Just as Westen stated, there is nothing more important to the American people today than jobs and having enough income to support themselves and their families.   The only budget deficit they are really concerned about is their own.

However, Democrats are being gagged when Republicans tie  their arguments about national budget deficits in with putting Americans back to work.  They do it so ingenuously that Democrats cannot rebut without attacking its own weak spot.   By remaining silent, the voting public hears no opposition, it becomes the consensus, and polls reflect the voiced viewpoint, .

Democrats — A Permanent Wing of the Republican Party?

It is a sad day when the Democrats can be considered a wing of the Republican party.  But it shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us.  Least of all to the growing number of Independents among us.  It is the best argument I have seen for the need for a third political party in this country.   We need a party that is not competing for corporate money for its very existence.   Just as Westen stated, the only difference between the Dems and the GOP where that is concerned is the Dems are conflicted about it.

Until the Progressives in the Democratic party become more vocal in the ballot box, the press, and the polls, we can rightly claim our fame as “The Wing of Icarus.”  We have flown too close to the  heat of right-wing traditionalism.  Now our own wings of enlightenment and tolerance have been singed beyond recognition.

Yvonne Thompson, Laura Johnson, Chip Forrester, Susan Banks, Harrell Carter, Laura Bond

Well, we had the first meeting of the new 2011-2012 Madison County Executive Committee with the newly elected officers.  We we were so fortunate to have the space for our meeting dated by Mike McWherter.   It was held at the Budweiser Central Distributors, located at 361 Hwy 45 Bypass in Jackson.

Mr. McWherter also provided us with plenty of beverages for our pre-meeting reception, which was an opportunity for the Committee members, visitors, and guests to meet and mingle with the officers.

We had a good turnout, with representation from nearly every district. Everyone enjoyed the beverages from Mr. McWherter and the other refreshments donated by various committee members.

The meeting started on time at 7 p.m. and all business on the agenda was discussed.

The minutes are available for download here, if you would like to keep abreast of all that is happening.

All subsequent Executive Committee meetings will be held on the 2nd Thursday of every month.  We expect the location to be the same. If not,  it will be confirmed and all will be notified prior to each meeting.