Monday, November 24, 2008
Hannan / Sports Vanderbilt-Tennessee Game Predictably Bad, Also Just Plain Predictable
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Let's say you didn't spend your Saturday afternoon watching Tennessee play Vanderbilt. Let's say instead you did something silly, like raked leaves. Or volunteered at a soup kitchen.
Whatever. Point is, after you came inside and removed your coat and switched on the TV you saw a stat flash along that little ticker at the bottom of the screen: Tennessee had 21 passing yards. Total. For the game. OK quick, what's your first thought?
Gotta be something like "Gee, how badly did the Commodores beat them," right? After all, the only Division I teams that win with anemic passing lines like that are Power-I disciple academies like Navy and Air Force. Ahhhhh, but not this year!
Not with Vandy ranked 118th and Tennessee ranked 117th (bragging rights!) in total offense. Not with the execrable Jonathan Crompton behind center. And don't just take my word for it. Observe the following online convo between Every Day Should Be Saturday's Orson Swindle and some prescient Tennessee fan named Holly:
12:13:47 PM Holly: Oh, Jesus, they put Crompton back in
12:13:51 PM Holly: timestamp this
12:13:59 PM Holly: let's see how long before something horrible happens
12:14:00 PM Swindle: You can't be nervous
12:14:03 PM Holly: No.
12:14:07 PM Swindle: (3:14)
12:14:09 PM Holly: Well, we're up by 10
12:14:11 PM Holly: so I can
12:14:13 PM Holly: but I'm not.
12:14:35 PM Swindle: You have powers
12:14:37 PM Holly: Fumble!
12:14:39 PM Holly: I AM NOT KIDDING
12:14:44 PM Swindle: That was under a minute
12:14:47 PM Holly: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
12:14:53 PM Holly: this is science at this point, right?
12:15:10 PM Swindle: Yes. I am comfortable saying this is correlation.
Tennessee QB-ineptitude is now about as watch-settingly accurate as the sun dial. That couldn't bode well for the future.
Crazy Crap / Politics / Woods Wilder Says Weird Stuff
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 12:01 PM
In retirement, John Wilder is as nutty as ever. The Tennessee Journal points to an interview in which the Wacky One blames Bill Frist for losing his position as Senate speaker two years ago.
"I believe he got some senators to vote against John Wilder," Wilder tells the Union City Daily Messenger. "I know he did. Sure did. I gave it 44 years of my life, the best part of my life. I always wanted to do God's will. I didn't know what it was, but I really believe He wanted me to be there more than he wanted me to teach Sunday School class or something."
Wilder also accuses state and federal prosecutors of offering bribes and setting "traps" to nail Ray Blanton, John Ford and Jerry Cooper. But Wilder says he himself was too slippery.
"I believe he got some senators to vote against John Wilder," Wilder tells the Union City Daily Messenger. "I know he did. Sure did. I gave it 44 years of my life, the best part of my life. I always wanted to do God's will. I didn't know what it was, but I really believe He wanted me to be there more than he wanted me to teach Sunday School class or something."
Wilder also accuses state and federal prosecutors of offering bribes and setting "traps" to nail Ray Blanton, John Ford and Jerry Cooper. But Wilder says he himself was too slippery.
Does Wilder foresee Ford ever returning to public office?"If I was him, I wouldn't want to get back into public life," he said.
Why not?
"Because I wouldn't want to go to jail," he said.
He pauses a moment.
"They set little traps for me, but I didn't get in them," he said.
Does that mean "they" set a trap for John Ford?
"I know they set a trap for him. Now, that's a crime. When a district attorney puts money in somebody's pocket to put them in jail, and they're innocent, that's a crime. But nobody knows that to be a crime. And that's what you get for being in public life," he said.
And that's what happened to John Ford?
"That's what happened to all of them, that I know anything about. I'm saying it happened to (former Gov.) Ray Blanton, too. It goes way back."
He tells of the time his son, David, was offered $500,000 "to get me in jail."
He identifies "they" as the FBI and TBI.
"They offered that money, but he didn't take it," Wilder said. "They did the same thing with (state Sen.) Jerry Cooper (of McMinnville). They were after Wilder instead of Jerry Cooper in that deal. ... It's just part of being in politics. It's the price you pay.
"They never got me. They worked on it a long time, but they never got me. I was the prime target of the whole durn thing.
"I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm a Jeffersonian."
It's reassuring to know Wilder, 87, who has finally had his pilot's license yanked, still plans to fly his beloved "Jaybird," a Twin Comanche PA-39. "I'll just get somebody to ride in the right seat if I need to go somewhere. Fly on down the road," he said.
Silverman Memo to the Titans: You Got Your Butts Kicked--Now Shut Up and Play Better
Posted by Jack Silverman on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Apparently Albert Haynesworth and Keith Bulluck don't know when to leave well enough alone. The New York Daily News gleefully featured some post-game comments by the two Titans that, frankly, are laughable in light of Sunday's game.
Sportswriters lust for the opportunity to start a story with a jab like this--"After they had been stunningly manhandled in almost every facet of the game, the Titans' two defensive leaders said it's clear who the best team in the AFC is." Fortunately for Daily News writer Ohm Youngmisuk (yes, we spelled it correctly), Haynesworth and Bulluck provided him with the journalistic equivalent of first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Among Bulluck's highlights: "I'm not going to sit here and keep complimenting them at all.... Not to discredit them (but) I don't think that team is better than us."
Asked who the best team in the AFC is, Haynesworth responded, "I think we are. We just didn't have a good game."
The comments might have been excusable in a 21-17 loss. But 34-13?
Our advice: Keep your mouth shut and settle the issue the next time the teams meet.
Sportswriters lust for the opportunity to start a story with a jab like this--"After they had been stunningly manhandled in almost every facet of the game, the Titans' two defensive leaders said it's clear who the best team in the AFC is." Fortunately for Daily News writer Ohm Youngmisuk (yes, we spelled it correctly), Haynesworth and Bulluck provided him with the journalistic equivalent of first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Among Bulluck's highlights: "I'm not going to sit here and keep complimenting them at all.... Not to discredit them (but) I don't think that team is better than us."
Asked who the best team in the AFC is, Haynesworth responded, "I think we are. We just didn't have a good game."
The comments might have been excusable in a 21-17 loss. But 34-13?
Our advice: Keep your mouth shut and settle the issue the next time the teams meet.
House Democrats Pick a Loser
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 9:13 AM
Bloggers are interpreting Gary Odom's two-vote victory in the Democrats' House leadership election as a defeat for the governor. Well certainly, as Phil Bredesen might say.
But it's not good for the Democratic Party either or anyone who hoped Democrats might do something smart for a change. In picking Odom, they went with the guy who drove House Democrats off the cliff in the first place. How smart is that?
The first display of this new stupidity will come at the start of the next session when the administration tries again to close the loophole that's letting extremely wealthy developers escape $45 million in state taxes every year. Odom helped keep open that loophole last session, then raked in campaign cash from the developers who benefited--including our hometown hero Jack May, the filthy rich dude who is trying to despoil Bells Bend.
Barring the unforeseen, Odom will put House Democrats on the side of fat cats this session too, even though the state obviously could use tax money from rich people who aren't paying their fair share. That'll be one great way to show voters there's really not much reason to put Democrats back in control of the House.
But it's not good for the Democratic Party either or anyone who hoped Democrats might do something smart for a change. In picking Odom, they went with the guy who drove House Democrats off the cliff in the first place. How smart is that?
The first display of this new stupidity will come at the start of the next session when the administration tries again to close the loophole that's letting extremely wealthy developers escape $45 million in state taxes every year. Odom helped keep open that loophole last session, then raked in campaign cash from the developers who benefited--including our hometown hero Jack May, the filthy rich dude who is trying to despoil Bells Bend.
Barring the unforeseen, Odom will put House Democrats on the side of fat cats this session too, even though the state obviously could use tax money from rich people who aren't paying their fair share. That'll be one great way to show voters there's really not much reason to put Democrats back in control of the House.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Barry / Congress / Politics Friday Afternoon Electoral Parlor Game: You Make the Call!
Posted by Bruce Barry on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 12:31 PM
With Minnesota's U.S. Senate race recount now in its third day, the kind folks at Minnesota Public Radio have put up an interactive guide to challenged ballots that invites you to play election judge with some actual ballot challenge examples. No hanging chads, but lots of stray marks (and at least one lizard).
It's worth noting that Minnesota, unlike Tennessee, has a system of voting that makes it possible for this to be a hand recount of every single ballot cast in the race. It isn't quick and it isn't easy (see MPR's senate recount FAQ for details), but when all is said and done voters can be satisfied that every vote was counted, and that in an agonizingly close race the election was done right. Maybe we should take a stab at that democracy thing here.
Politics / Woods Thompson Drops RNC Bid
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 10:36 AM
Surprise. Surprise. Republicans trying to look all fresh and new and appealing after their Election Day drubbing have decided that Fred Thompson probably isn't their most attractive public face. So according to his little buddy Scooter Clippard, Thompson is returning to acting and dropping his bid to chair the Republican National Committee.
It hasn't been an especially uplifting year for ol' Fred. He sucked several million dollars out of the pockets of Tennessee Republicans for a pathetically lame presidential campaign. Now, there's this new indignity.
But don't despair. There's still hope that another home state boy, Chip Saltsman, could become national party chair. He's billing himself as the guy who knows how to broaden the party's base. We're guessing he learned how to do that by managing Mike Huckebee's campaign to become president of all White Married Christian Nutjobs.
Politics / Woods Is Odom the Right Choice for House Democrats?
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 5:46 AM
Worried Democrats across the state are watching what happens this weekend in Nashville, where the party’s state House caucus will elect a new leader. Many say the caucus ought to think twice before choosing Gary Odom. Didn't he help lead Democrats to their dismal state of irrelevancy? So how should he know what to do now?
In making excuses for losing the legislature, Democrats point to racism, and that's the only way to explain how John Kerry in 2004 did so much better than Barack Obama in 2008 in many places in Tennessee. John McCain’s larger margins put Republicans over the top in a number of legislative races. There’s no disputing that.
The problem with this analysis, true as it may be, is this: In blaming factors out of their control, Democrats are getting no closer to finding a way back to respectability. For that, they ought to follow the wise Aunt B’s advice: "Democrats, look in the mirror!"
That’s right, we’re talking about the Culture of Sleaze that Jimmy Naifeh, Odom and all the rest of the Democrats’ legislative leaders were guilty of tolerating at the Capitol. Under their watch, Democrats have taken bribes, driven blind drunk, smashed up their cars, fallen off bar stools and generally acted out for years. All the while, they were special-interest slot machines, doing the bidding of big business in return for campaign cash. Republicans may have ridden into power on McCain’s coattails, but you also could argue that voters were ready for change in Nashville.
It took them years but Republicans finally may have succeeded in making Naifeh radioactive to voters, and he certainly helped by failing to control the crazy shenanigans that attracted headlines year after year.
There’s bound to be some truth to what state GOP flack Bill Hobbs tells Pith:
The Obama campaign beat the drum for change for two years, and the Democrats have been running the legislature almost uninterrupted for 140 years. … What people began to realize is that Jimmy Naifeh was running the state House in service to the special interests with which he was allied. He wasn’t running it in the best interests of the majority of Tennesseans, so they voted for change.Odom enjoys a following of rogues who are fond of the Culture of Sleaze. The point here is that House Democrats need change too, not to mention hope, and Odom won't bring either. Action Andy Sher updates the Odom-Fitzhugh fight.
Congress / Kotz / Politics Will Obama’s Win Mean Big Gains for Nashville’s Unions?
Posted by Pete Kotz on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 5:37 AM
It was one of the least talked about issues of the election. It also may be one of the most transformative. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce considered it so dangerous it spent $30 million at the end of the campaign to stop Barack Obama. But within the next year, it will likely be coming to a workplace near you.
It’s called the card check system, and it may prove to be the rebirth of the American union movement, dramatically changing the way organizing drives are conducted.
Under current rules, union elections are held like conventional ones, via secret ballot. But card check allows unions to sign up members over weeks or months. Once they’ve signed 51 percent of an organizing unit—say, the janitors of an office cleaning company—the union is official. It may not sound like much of a change, but union leaders believe it will finally even the field for labor, which has been getting its ass kicked for more than 30 years running.
The problem with the current system is one of intimidation, says Doug Collier, president of the Service Employees International Union-Local 205 in Nashville. Since the Reagan era, non-unionized companies have forced their employees into group and one-on-one meetings, where the company warns them of the catastrophes of organized labor.
“Ninety-percent of workers under the current system are required to make mandatory meetings with employers,” Collier says. There they will listen to “threats of closing down the facility, moving to Mexico, having to take tests to see if their going to be a member of the union.” He’s also seen instances where companies were “following people home, surveilling employees to see if they’re talking to union organizers.”
Politics Run On Guns: Obama Asks Potential Appointees About Gun Ownership, NRA Pissed
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 5:27 AM
Precautionary measures
Not to fan the flames of gun control hysteria that seem to have driven some Nashvillians into fits of assault rifle purchasing, but this just in from Politico: One teensy-weensy little question on the job app for Obama administration appointees asks about gun ownership. But in politics, nothing is ever teensy-weensy. The NRA is predictably throwing a shit-fit. One Republican senator is talking about legislation to prevent discrimination based on gun ownership. Wow. That got outta hand fast.
Obama's transition team says the question exists solely to ensure appointees are within the letter of the law. Here's the question:
“Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”Honestly, that is sort of a fishy question. I scoff at jobs that demand pee tests, much less a job that asks whether anyone in my immediate family owns a gun. Seems like a bit of a blunder. Some folks in rural states are already stockpiling weapons for another round of Clinton-esque policy. Why a question that obviously stokes those fears was added to the application is beyond me. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said perhaps it was Cheney's itchy trigger finger that prompted the weird addition. After all, it might be wise to know if any prospective appointee has ever, say, shot a hunting partner. For a new president trying to avoid bad publicity, that's something he might wish to know.
Hannan / Hicks From the Sticks Is Clarksville Trying to Steal 1,800 Homes and Businesses?
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 5:01 AM
Clarksville mayor Johnny Piper, on one of the rare occasions he's without his varsity letter jacket.
Clarksville, Tennessee's fifth-largest city, home to Jimi Hendrix and Austin Peay University is now in big, big trouble.
At issue is hilariously villainous sounding(*) Mayor Johnny Piper's redevelopment plan. In May, Piper and all but one of Clarksville's council passed a bill that effectively blighted two square miles of downtown that includes 1,800 homes and businesses.
The mostly black, mostly elderly, mostly low income families who live there already don't want to be forced out (weird, right?) to make way for private development. Neither do they want their homes classified as blighted because everyone knows that's Step One in the Candyland-style board game that eventually leads to the "End" box, otherwise known as eminent domain.
(FYI: Step Two is when they offer you a quarter of what your house is worth as "compensation." Why? Because it's blighted, duh!)
Last night, members of the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Housing and Urban Development held a fact-finding meeting in Tennessee's Top Spot! (emphasis theirs) to determine what role, if any, they could play in helping to bring about a resolution. It remains to be seen just what HUD or the DOJ can do about any of this; the level of discourse has gotten so bad that one councilperson even sued a citizen for slander, and a bunch of suits aren't going to be able to solve those kinds of petty disputes.
One thing's for sure, Clarksville: You better hope we don't have to call your parents.
*We're not trying to imply the Mayor is evil. But if you were writing a John Hughes-esque '80's high school dramedy and had to come up with a name for the uppity jock who finally gets his comeuppance in the third act, you could do worse than Johnny Piper.
