Video: Clinton Accuses Griffin of “Ethical Problems”
The scuttlebutt this morning on the Elliott for Congress fundraiser with President Clinton was that the press would not be allowed in. But it turns out after the event Clinton made himself available to the reporters gathered on the sidewalk outside Cooper Grill in downtown Little Rock. And he had some tough words for State Sen. Joyce Elliott’s Republican opponent Tim Griffin.
Clinton began by admitting that the report that Sen. Blanche Lincoln is the most endangered incumbent this year “may be true.”
“It’s a tough state but I think that the real danger to America is the combination of anger and apathy and amnesia. What the voters need to decide is what do they want and who is most likely to give it to them in terms of action. People have a right to be mad; we are not out of this mess yet,” said Clinton.
He went on to make the case that the programs “from the last two years” have help prevent a worse economic downtown and that a vote for Republicans would be a step backwards saying “They (Republicans) just want to do what they did before.” While careful not to mention President Obama by name, he insisted that his economic stimulus programs have created jobs.
He pointed toward Sen. Lincoln’s role as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and State Sen. Joyce Elliott’s support of Gov. Mike Beebe’s economic proposals as reasons to support them over their Republican opponents.
Focusing on Elliott – Clinton said, “She has a record of actually doing things for people. She is the only one running who has a record of really doing things for people.”
He then turned his attention to her Republican opponent Tim Griffin.
“There is none of the kind of ethical problems and political abuse of power charges and all those other things that have come out against her opponent. And the main thing is he wants to join that group of people that will go back and do those things that got us in trouble in the first place. It’s not about blaming them for the past it is about what they want to do tomorrow,” said Clinton.
The Griffin for Congress Campaign did not respond to Clinton’s charges of “ethical problems” directly but they respond to his visit by turning attention back to the current President.
“If Joyce Elliott were asking to go to Congress to help President Clinton, some Arkansans might feel differently, but she would be going to help the Obama administration, and that’s why Arkansans are rejecting her campaign,” said Griffin Campaign Spokeman Ryan James.
Tribe/Suzy Wong’s gets state’s first bar license
Tribe and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, a restaurant-and-nightclub combo on Church Street in Nashville, was issued the state’s first limited service liquor license, Nashville lawyer Will Cheek says on his blog.
The legislature created the limited-service license earlier this year amid the debate over whether to let guns into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. Some bars complained that the requirement on their liquor license that they derive a significant portion of their income from food sales is impossible for them to meet because their customers just don’t want to eat. Not meeting the food-service requirement opened them to fines or the risk of losing their licenses.
Cheek describes the license as “the first time since before prohibition that the state has legitimately issued a liquor license to a bar.”
Arkansas Election Line Moves AR1 to “Leans Crawford”
Arkansas Election Line, a joint project of Roby Brock of Talk Business and Matt Campbell of Blue Hog Report, is making our second ratings change for the general election with the race for Arkansas’ first Congressional district race between Republican Rick Crawford and Democratic Chad Causey. Previously, we had this race as “Leans Causey” but today we are moving this one to “Leans Crawford.”
This is the first ratings change for AEL to flip from blue to red and is part of the overall shift we have seen in Arkansas develop over the past few months. Crawford is currently helped by a generic Republican advantage sweeping the country included his district. The most recent Talk Business poll showed Crawford with a 16-point advantage going into the last two months of the campaign.
In addition, Crawford has had fundraising success during a time when that has been difficult for some candidates. Sources confirm that Crawford has topped the $600k mark in total contributions and has well over half this amount still available to spend in the last eight weeks of the election.
One bright spot for Causey is that the poll revealed both candidates are largely undefined at stage of their campaigns. Although Crawford had very strong favorable numbers (+30), 45 percent of those polled had no opinion of either candidate. Due to this factor as well as the strong Democratic organization in the first district, we are currently keeping this race a lean but may revisit this at a later date.
UPDATE – In a key indication that our assement is correct, Chad Causey rolled out an ad today from the classic Democratic playbook – attacking Crawford for wanting to “privatize Social Security.’
His proof? A Facebook post where Crawford discusses his support for ten items including this one…
“End Generational Theft. As few believe America’s entitlement programs will be able to pay benefits to future generations, provide younger workers the choice of diverting payroll/Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts.”
I will be exploring this topic further in coming days.
House could have 57 GOP districts
Updated at 10:55 a.m. to correct headline
GOP committeeman John Ryder tells the Commercial Appeal that Tennessee could have as many as 57 GOP-majority districts after redistricting, in an interview after Tuesday’s no-media lunch with the Davidson County Republican Party.
Ryder also said Nashville’s suburbs are the most likely communities to pick up seats in the 99-member House of Representatives.
Flashback Video: Beebe – “I Stand Squarely With Barack Obama.”
I honestly did not know this video existed until someone sent it to me today but apparently Gov. Beebe’s views on President Obama have changed quite a bit since his election in 2008.
In the video above taken during the 2008 election cycle at a rally in North Little Rock, Gov. Beebe thanks President Obama for “caring enough about what is in the best interest of (Arkansas)” to campaign on his behalf at the state capital in 2006. Beebe goes on to say that he is “happy to return the favor and speak up for Barack Obama” before the crowd burst into chants of “Obama! Obama! Obama!”
“So there wasn’t any equivocation – anybody that asks me questions, I told you where I stand. I told you a couple weeks ago. I told you a month before that. And I will tell you again, I stand squarely with Barack Obama,” said Beebe in his 2008 campaign speech on his behalf.
But his tone definitely changed today when asked about Obama by reporters as I posted earlier.
Different times.
Flashback Video: Beebe – “I Stand Squarely With Barack Obama.”
I honestly did not know this video existed until someone sent it to me today but apparently Gov. Beebe’s views on President Obama have changed quite a bit since his election in 2008.
In the video above taken during the 2008 election cycle at a rally in North Little Rock, Gov. Beebe thanks President Obama for “caring enough about what is in the best interest of (Arkansas)” to campaign on his behalf at the state capital in 2006. Beebe goes on to say that he is “happy to return the favor and speak up for Barack Obama” before the crowd burst into chants of “Obama! Obama! Obama!”
“So there wasn’t any equivocation – anybody that asks me questions, I told you where I stand. I told you a couple weeks ago. I told you a month before that. And I will tell you again, I stand squarely with Barack Obama,” said Beebe in his 2008 campaign speech on his behalf.
But his tone definitely changed today when asked about Obama by reporters as I posted earlier.
Different times.
Bill Frist to host Nashville fundraiser for Haslam
Former Senate Majority Bill Frist will host a fundraiser in Nashville for Bill Haslam, according to a presser from the Knoxville mayor.
The event is part of a series of fundraisers around the state with Republican bigwigs that includes an event in Memphis co-hosted by FedEx founder Fred Smith and one in East Tennessee hosted by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey. The Chattanooga event will be hosted by Sen. Bob Corker, with Lamar Alexander in attendance. (No mention of any other prominent Republican guests from that fair city.)
The complete presser follows:
HASLAM ANNOUNCES REGIONAL FUNDRAISERS AND EVENT LEADERSHIP
Events Highlight Growing Momentum for Knoxville Mayor
NASHVILLE – Republican gubernatorial candidate and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam’s campaign announced an impressive calendar of regional fundraisers and event leadership for the General Election.
The events and leadership show the tremendous confidence in Bill Haslam, his experience and his ability to lead our state as our next Governor. Tennesseans from across the state are coalescing behind him as the best prepared to take on this state’s challenges, make it the No. 1 location in the Southeast for jobs and capitalize on its unique opportunities.
The events are:
- September 16 in Memphis: hosted by Barbara and Pitt Hyde, Dina and Brad Martin, Amy and Bill Rhodes, and Diane and Fred Smith
- September 21 in Jackson: hosted by Alice and Carl Kirkland, Jimmy Wallace and Gary Taylor
- September 22 in Parsons: hosted by Janet and Jim Ayers and Fran and Scooter Clippard
- September 24 in Chattanooga: hosted by Elizabeth and Sen. Bob Corker with Honey and Sen. Lamar Alexander in attendance
- September 27 in Limestone: hosted by Sandy and Jim Powell and Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey
- September 28 in Knoxville: hosted by Cindi and Pete DeBusk
- October 4 in Nashville: hosted by Karyn and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and chaired by Steve Smith.
“These events showcase the strong statewide support for Bill Haslam and his vision to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for jobs,” said Kim Kaegi, Campaign Finance Director. “With only five weeks until early voting starts, these events should put the campaign in a great position.”
“Crissy and I are incredibly grateful to all of the Tennesseans from each of our great state’s 95 counties who have already been so generous to us, but I promised we’ll keep working and we’re doing that,” Haslam said. “I’m humbled by the people that have stepped forward to host for us, and we truly appreciate their efforts as we work toward the start ofearly voting on Oct. 13 and Election Day Nov. 2.”
Mayor Haslam is the two-term Republican Mayor of Knoxville, reelected in 2007 with 87 percent of the vote. A hardworking public servant, Haslam led Knoxville to become one of the top ten metropolitan areas for business and expansion, while reducing the city’s debt, tripling the rainy day fund, reducing the number of city employees to the lowest amount in 15 years and bringing property taxes to the lowest rate in 50 years. An executive leader with a proven record of success, he helped grow his family’s small business from 800 employees into one of Tennessee’s largest companies with 14,000 employees.
For more information on Bill Haslam, please visit www.BillHaslam.com.
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GOP group looks forward to 2011
Updated 9/8 with Story’s story and a working website link
How confident are Republicans that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam will win in November? One group is already putting him on its brochure for an event with Karl Rove in April.
Conservatives on the Move, a organization that lists Fabian Story as its executive director and its address as a Nashville P.O. box, gives Haslam equal billing to Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey on a flyer for an event on April 9, 2011, at the Marriott Cool Springs.*
* Date and location subject to change, says a footnote.
The inside of the brochure says Conservatives on the Move “is a grassroots political and social movement designed to educate today’s American as to the meaning and the message of conservatism.” What does that mean? The brochure mentions outreach to civic groups and a “specialized educational curriculum” on American history, economics and the Constitution that will “help ensure the stability of our republic one mind at a time.”
The organization also speaks of its Internet presence, though the website on the brochure, www.conservativesonthemove.org, does not appear to exist. A quick search of the Registry of Election Finance and the Federal Election Commission also turned up nothing.
Update: Story contacted us after reading this post to say that Conservatives on the Move has applied for nonpartisan 501 ( c ) 3 status and was not endorsing or taking a guess on the outcome of the November election with its prominent placement of Haslam on the brochure’s cover. The group just likes his fiscal stances, he says.
Story also said that, despite what’s written on the brochure, the website’s address is conservativesonthemove.org, without the “www.”
GOP group looks forward to 2011
How confident are Republicans that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam will win in November? One group is already putting him on its brochure for an event with Karl Rove in April.
Conservatives on the Move, a organization that lists Fabian Story as its executive director and its address as a Nashville P.O. box, gives Haslam equal billing to Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey on a flyer for an event on April 9, 2011, at the Marriott Cool Springs.*
* Date and location subject to change, says a footnote.
The inside of the brochure says Conservatives on the Move “is a grassroots political and social movement designed to educate today’s American as to the meaning and the message of conservatism.” What does that mean? The brochure mentions outreach to civic groups and a “specialized educational curriculum” on American history, economics and the Constitution that will “help ensure the stability of our republic one mind at a time.”
The organization also speaks of its Internet presence, though the website on the brochure does not appear to exist. A quick search of the Registry of Election Finance and the Federal Election Commission also turned up nothing.
Phil Bredesen signs up for Facebook
Gov. Phil Bredesen seems to be well on his way to the civilian life, at least if this profile on the Book of Faces is any indication.
The popular governor set up the profile recently, says a spokeswoman, and it is strictly for his personal use. Evidence, perhaps, is in the number of friends Bredesen has, only 131 at the time of writing, or roughly the number that an incoming Vandy freshman can expect to pickup in the first five minutes of orientation.
Further evidence that this is Bredesen’s personal happy space (now thrust into the public domain) can be found in Bredesen’s choice of profile photo. This is no pol in a blue suit, or even Bredesen in his Green Vest of Comfort. Bredesen said a couple of weeks ago that he looks forward to taking a few months off once his term ends. Could he be dreaming of those sun-kissed days already?
For the record, here’s Phil Bredesen’s official Facebook page. Note the yellow power tie and statesman-like columns.