Infernal Pastimes of a Sunspot Mind

Gov. Bill Haslam:

We will review the entire Supreme Court’s opinion to fully understand its impact on the State of Tennessee. From initial reports, it appears the individual mandate has been ruled Constitutional and has been upheld. My primary issues with ObamaCare are that it takes away the flexibility for states to encourage healthy behavior, will cost Tennessee hundreds of millions of dollars, and does nothing to solve the crisis of the cost of health care in America. What was unanticipated is the section of the opinion that says states cannot be forced to expand their Medicaid program. This particular portion of the ruling is significant, but it is premature to know the exact ramifications. Now it is up to Tennesseans and Americans to turn their attention to the November election. By electing Mitt Romney, we can be sure that the entire law will be repealed.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey:

It is intensely disappointing that this court failed to recognize what constitutionalists and conservatives know deep in their hearts: A federal government which can coerce its people to buy a product is a government unrestrained and out of control. Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen called Obamacare the ‘mother of all unfunded mandates’ and stated it will cost Tennesseans 1.1 billion dollars in the next few years. However, the fight does not end here. The court may have made its decision today but the people have yet to speak. When they do, Mitt Romney will be elected president and I will do all I can to aid him as he fulfills his solemn promise to repeal this insidious law.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann:

The Supreme Court made the wrong decision today. The Constitution places specific limits on the government, and the court unfortunately did not recognize those limits in allowing Obamacare to stand. While the Supreme Court may consider the individual mandate a tax, the Obama administration repeatedly claimed that this was not a tax when they tried to pass Obamacare. Like many conservatives, I believe the individual mandate cannot be justified as a tax. Not only does Obamacare force Americans to buy insurance whether they want it or not, but it also forces Americans to subsidize birth control even if it violates their faith. Additionally, the law creates IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This board is anything but advisory. It has the power to control Medicare payments, and its decisions carry the full force of law. The results of Obamacare are clear: Higher healthcare costs, hundreds of billions in tax increases, top down government control of healthcare, and a continuation of our massive deficits. Now, it is time for Congressional Republicans to demonstrate our commitment to smaller government, and continue the fight to repeal Obamacare. Our healthcare, our nation’s finances, and our national character demand nothing less.

U.S. House 3rd District candidate Bill Taylor (D):

That the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act this morning is “a victory for the common man,” said Bill Taylor, Democratic candidate for Congress in the 3rd District. “The ACA was created to stop the unfair advantage that insurance companies have gained over people’s ability to afford healthcare. “Our country currently ranks 37th in the world in terms of quality of healthcare. This decision will help us move forward in creating a system of affordable, quality care that is available to everyone.” Taylor noted that there is “still work to be done to make the healthcare system more efficient and workable. As an expert in healthcare, I can help to move this process forward in Congress in a leadership way.”

U.S. House 3rd District candidate Weston Wamp (R):

@Public_Interest Busy going door to door. The ruling is disappointing, but shows the need for people in Congress who understand Constitution

— Weston Wamp (@westonwamp) June 28, 2012

More will be posted as they become available.

More at Post Politics. Still more at Chattanoogan.com.

Original Article

U.S Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s office sent the following:

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann made the following statement after the Supreme Court upheld part of Arizona’s S.B 1070 law, while striking down other provisions.

“The Supreme Court decision today underscores the need for the federal government to step up and enforce our nation’s laws. The very fact that Arizona saw the need for S.B. 1070 is the result of the Obama Administration’s failure to secure our border. While the Supreme Court did strike down parts of the law, they upheld the law’s core provision. The State of Arizona has to live with the consequences of illegal immigration daily, so I am not surprised that they saw the need for this action. It is my hope that the Obama Administration will finally step up and start enforcing federal immigration law,” Fleischmann said.

Passed in response to the Obama administration’s lax enforcement of federal immigration law, S.B. 1070 allows Arizona law enforcement to ask about immigration status during a lawful stop if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that a person is here illegally. Although the Supreme Court struck down some provisions, this part of the law was upheld.

The Hamilton County Democratic Party issued a statement as well:

Today’s Supreme Court decision striking down most of the provisions of
Arizona’s anti-immigrant SB 1070 is also a civil rights victory for the growing
Hamilton County Latino population, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman
Paul Smith said today—and a warning to far-right Tennessee legislators not to
attempt to pass similar legislation.

“The President and the administration won their case when they argued
immigration matters come strictly under federal jurisdiction,” Smith said. “We
agree with reports that conclude this ruling is ‘likely to have widespread
implications for other states that have or are considering similar laws.’”

In deciding Arizona v. U.S. (11-182), the Court struck down provisions including:

•Authorizing police to arrest immigrants without warrant where “probable cause”
exists that they committed any public offense making them removable from the
country.

•Making it a state crime for “unauthorized immigrants” to fail to carry registration
papers and other government identification.

•Forbidding those not authorized for employment in the United States to apply,
solicit or perform work. That would include immigrants standing in a parking lot
who “gesture or nod” their willingness to be employed. (Source: www.cnn.com)

The 2010 U.S. Census shows that Hamilton County had, at the time of the
census, 14,993 residents of Hispanic origin. And although the ongoing economic
downturn has caused some immigrants to return to their countries of origin,
many more have stayed. Of those that are undocumented workers, Smith noted,
a frequent right-wing criticism is that they “take” from federal, state and local
programs. “But a national 2011 study by the Institute for Taxation and Economic
Policy showed that in 2010, undocumented immigrants paid a total of $11.2
billion dollars in taxes. Of that, $8.4 billion was in state taxes and $1.6 billion was
in property taxes. These people are, in fact, contributing a great deal.”

Importantly, the Court’s decision helps defend the rights of all people in
the country legally to be protected from illegal search and seizures, said
Smith. “While we wish the entire law had been declared unconstitutional, we
believe this is a victory. The Democratic Party stands squarely behind the rights
of all citizens, no matter the color of their skin.”

Original Article

Here are some additional thoughts, beyond the Nooga.com story, on Saturday’s Tea Party debate among three of the GOP candidates running for the U.S. House 3rd District seat.

Who won the debate?

Like the last one, it was pretty much a draw between U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and Weston Wamp. Each was able to articulate a rhetorical starting point and defend it, even if each was light on real substance. Ron Bhalla gets points for earnestness and civic responsibility, but struggles to broaden the scope of his narrative much beyond his idea to have every one of his constituents vote on every bill that comes before the House.

The most “TV friendly” exchange came after Wamp reminded the audience of Fleischmann’s seeming waffle on last year’s debt ceiling debate, and his private meeting with Speaker John Boehner followed by a public change of heart. “I’m sorry, Weston, I didn’t know you were in that room,” Fleischmann retorted, and then went on to describe the content of the meeting, including the fact that cigarettes were smoked (by Boehner, not by himself).

Wamp used that tidbit to levy the old “smoke-filled room” cliché later in the discussion, as he sought to portray Fleischmann as servile to the party establishment’s Washington-insider mechanisms.

A weaker attack came when Wamp used his submitted question to ask Fleischmann to confirm that he stood by sworn deposition in the Winslow v. Saltsman/Fleischmann lawsuit, namely, that he had not fully previewed all campaign ads in the 2010 cycle. Fleischmann essentially responded [paraphrased], “Of course I stand by sworn statements; that’s why they are made under oath. Moving on, then?”

The legal battle stemming from a bitter primary election two years ago makes a great workout gym for strengthening journalism skills, but Wamp risks throwing away valuable voter engagement if he pursues this line further. Reporters and politics junkies eat it up, but the average person “jes’ don’t care.”

Who won the poll?

A poll was handed out after the debate, and the slips of paper were collected along with donations to defray event expenses. Actual vote counts were not provided, but the Tea Party group published percentages on its Facebook page. These numbers demonstrate Wamp’s ability to draw a friendly crowd, at the very least:

1. Weston Wamp: 57%
2. Chuck Fleischmann: 26%
3. Other / Undecided: 13%
4. Ron Bhalla: 4%

Who asked the best question?

It wasn’t clear whether all of the questions were submitted by Tea Party members (except those submitted by candidates), or if the moderators brought some of their own, but Brian Joyce’s question to Wamp about why he criticized Fleischmann a month ago for not securing funding for the Chickamauga Dam lock infrastructure project, and then this past week criticized him for not holding the line tight enough on spending, was the best one.

Honorable mention goes to Gregg Juster for the question addressed to the milk jug.

Who will win the primary?

Congressional incumbents are very difficult to defeat. That said, perhaps the best chance one would have is during an incumbent’s freshman term, and in a party primary (unless the district is more evenly balanced).

It is no secret that many Republicans in Hamilton County were displeased with Fleischmann’s win over Robin Smith in 2010. What has never been clear, ever since Smith herself declined a rematch, is how many of the formerly disgruntled have patched things over and are willing to at least tepidly support Fleischmann.

Obviously Wamp has tapped into some new money as well as drawn a lot of his father’s friends to his side; but how much of that will translate to actual votes on primary day is not easy to predict. Turnout among Wamp’s younger admirers may be key here.

The Mayfield candidacy is the most interesting. He and his team seem to be betting on pure name recognition, although one suspects that broadcast advertising will show up at some point. You may be thinking that name recognition is a bad strategy for a primary, when only activists show up, and you’d be mostly right.

What you may not have considered is a quiet insurgency among said activists to support Mayfield as the anti-incumbent who has life experience (Wamp’s deficit), even if he’s light on policy specifics. There’s no evidence that such a thing exists; but it could really change the game.

How this vote will split, and who will benefit from that, is not something that can be determined with much certainty right now. Even Bhalla’s weaker effort gets to be a factor with this many variables in play.

Expect another update around the time early voting begins, unless something major happens before then.

Original Article

With just 30 days left before early voting starts, the campaigns are unleashing their sundry barrages of information. Soon, the average citizen will have little choice but to notice that there are races being run. Here is a very brief rundown of what’s happening in the Third District.

Weston Wamp had a team out putting up signs over the weekend. Scottie Mayfield is releasing position papers. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann announced the support of three state representatives whose districts lie within the Third Congressional District: Reps. Kelly Keisling, Dennis Powers, and John Ragan, of the 38th, 36th, and 33rd Districts, respectively.

In addition, Fleischmann and Wamp are releasing television and radio ads. The others will likely follow suit.

Most of the state’s other congressional races are relatively quiet, with the notable exception of the Sixth District, where Lou Ann Zelenik is again challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Diane Black for the Republican nod. More on that later.

Original Article

The three GOP candidates with the most resources in the Third District primary were on-hand Friday at the annual Anderson County Reagan Day Dinner. Nooga.com was there:

The dinner was the first event held in Oak Ridge during the current election season to find all three of the race’s most serious candidates in the same room, discussing their campaigns with local influential party members. The northern part of the district, which includes the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, played a pivotal role in Fleischmann’s thin victory over Robin Smith in the 2010 primary election.

Here’s a telling quote about the importance this part of the district enjoys:

Terry Mullins, CEO of Oak Ridge Tool and Engineering [said,] “We want to reward people for treating us good. If you come to Oak Ridge and treat people good, we stay behind you. Just ask Zach Wamp.”

Original Article

Original Article

As expected, Athens businessman Scottie Mayfield will run in the Republican primary, WRCB-TV anchor Callie Starnes alerted this afternoon on Twitter.

I will be covering the Hamilton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner tonight, and hope to get a statement from Mayfield and from his GOP primary opponents, including U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann.

More to come. Pass the ice cream; this is gonna be a hot one.

Original Article

With redistricting all but finished (caveat: lawsuits could be filed) and the official start to the August primary election season just over a week away, it’s time to check-in on recent happenings around the state. Some congressional districts have been rather dormant, like those in the northeastern corner of the state, while others are heading for a tempestuous election year.

District 3

The 3rd District race got a shake-up this week when Scottie Mayfield, president of the eponymous Athens, Tenn. dairy company, announced that he is seriously considering (and, if you ask me, with an emphasis on “seriously”) jumping into the race as a Republican. I take an initial look at the potential impacts in my latest Nooga.com column.

Meanwhile, incumbent U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann showed the first signs of being a candidate for re-election this week by naming Tom Decosimo as campaign treasurer. (Fleischmann’s typical response to inquiries about the race to date, save a professed enjoyment of ice cream sandwiches, has been that he is focused on doing his job serving the people of the district.)

Weston Wamp has generally been quiet of late in the local news media, ever since he gave the Pulse interview. But he was the subject of a feature in venerable Beltway publication The Hill, so there’s that.

Democrats in Hamilton County (the largest in the district) got to meet the two candidates who are vying for the chance to take on the Republican nominee in November. Dr. Mary Headrick and Bill Taylor both focused on the idea that Congress is “broken” and needs to be restocked with individuals who would truly represent their districts.

[caption id=”attachment_2385” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”L-R: Democratic candidates Rick Wilson, Mitzi Yates, Bill Taylor, Mary Headrick. Taylor and Headrick are running for Congress. Contributed photo.”][/caption]

With all this attention on Fleischmann, Wamp, and Mayfield, the other GOP candidates—Ron Bhalla and Jean Howard-Hill—are struggling to maintain their profiles.

And finally, a few fourth quarter fundraising numbers are out ahead of the reporting deadline. Here are the two leading GOP candidates’ cash-on-hand totals:

1. Fleischmann: $617,323
2. Wamp: $285,141

Though there is an obvious gap between the frontrunner and the challenger, the two men raised roughly equal amounts during the quarter. Much more information is available on these two campaign finance releases in Chris Carroll’s Times Free Press article.

The federal filing deadline for Year-End 2011 is January 31.

As a teaser for the 4th and 8th District roundups (on their way): the Third is shaping up to be the most interesting congressional race in the state by far. In 2010 we had competition with other open seats that changed party hands, but things will be somewhat quieter in those districts this time around. There could be surprises, though. Stay tuned.

Original Article

Through a spokesperson, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann commented Wednesday on the announcement by Mayfield Dairy president Scottie Mayfield that the Athens businessman is strongly considering running in the 2012 Third District GOP primary.

Fleischmann says that he enjoys Mayfield’s ice cream, especially the ice cream sandwiches, and that he will wait with everyone else to see what happens over the next two to three weeks.

(Full disclosure: I don’t always eat chip dips, but when I do, I prefer Mayfield French Onion Dip. Not a political endorsement. Not a sponsored statement.)

Original Article

Politico reports on a New York Times study that found four members of the freshman congressional class of 2011 cast a vote at every available opportunity in their first year in the House. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, who represents Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District, is among them.

The study found that four true freshmen posted perfect voting records: Republicans Sandy Adams Florida, Justin Amash of Michigan, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee and Steve Womack of Arkansas. Republican Steve Chabot of Ohio, who had previously served in the House, also posted a perfect attendance record, as did Rep. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), who served only part of the year after winning a special election in New York.

Overall, the study found, this year’s freshman class outperformed any other on attendance in the past twenty or so years.

Original Article

From U.S. Rep. Diane Black:

Wishing You a Merry Christmas…
Even if I’m not supposed to

It seems like every year during the holidays, we get reminded of how political correctness has run amok in this country.  Recently we had our own example of this in the House of Representatives, when the House Franking Commission sent out a memo to offices regarding holiday greetings.

According to the people at the Franking Commission, Members of Congress cannot wish constituents “Merry Christmas” in any official mailing.  In fact, no mention of a specific holiday is allowed.  When I heard this, I was outraged.  The Franking Commission exists to ensure that resources used in each Representative’s office—from letters to emails and official communications—are used for informing constituents of important matters and that Members are not using taxpayer dollars for political purposes.  It is not their job to police the greetings that Members use in their correspondence or to enforce political correctness.  How is wishing constituents a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” a political message that is banned, while “have a happy new year” is permitted?

Americans are not simply celebrating “winter” this December.  Rather, we are celebrating significant moments in two religions that have fundamentally shaped our nation.  Recently, I joined Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) in sending a bipartisan letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) along with House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-PA) asking them to revise these unnecessary rules.

And going beyond the Franking Commission fight, I am cosponsoring H.Res. 489, legislation that reaffirms the significance of Christmas symbols and traditions—protecting your ability to display your beliefs and holiday spirit this season through publicly displays like Christmas trees and nativity scenes while strongly disapproving of any attempt to ban references to Christmas in the public sphere.

Faith and religion has shaped our great country and I believe should be celebrated and freely expressed.  President John Adams said it best, “Statesmen may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.”  The House of Representatives must set an example for the rest of the nation that everyone should be allowed to express their feelings when it comes to the holiday season without fear of having to be politically correct.

And with that, allow me to wish you all from the bottom of my heart a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a blessed New Year!

From U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann:

“I want to wish everyone in East Tennessee a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I am glad to be home in Tennessee to celebrate with my family. In my first year in office I have learned what goes on in Washington is often a distraction when compared to what really matters in this great nation of ours. It is being around the table with your family and celebrating the birth of Christ that truly matters. There will always be time for politics, but let’s celebrate this time together and remember the true reason for the season,” Fleischmann said.

From 3rd District candidate Dr. Jean Howard-Hill:

From my family and heart to yours,

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May the JOY of CHRISTMAS flow in each heart, and may the LIGHT of my LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST bring UNDERSTANDING, LOVE, PEACE, and JOY to the world!

Lady “J” and Daughter, LaShunda

Original Article

The Tennessean’s Elizabeth Bewley reports that Tennessee’s congressional freshmen have kept a tight budget as compared with their colleagues. In particular, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais had spent less than half of his budget by the end of the third quarter.

Republican Reps. Diane Black of Gallatin, Stephen Fincher of Frog Jump, Scott DesJarlais of Jasper and Chuck Fleischmann of Ooltewah have spent a smaller portion of their annual office budgets than their more senior colleagues, according to a Gannett Washington Bureau analysis of records from the first three quarters of the year.

The one area cited in the article in which the four freshmen outspent most of their delegation colleagues is printing and postage.

What do you think? Is this frugal approach cutting the mustard?

(You kind of need to remember this to get the full effect here.)

Original Article