Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Politics Lies, Damned Lies and the Haslam Administration
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 9:22 AM
That's funny because Haslam has been telling the media he thinks the public is split over whether he needed to haul peaceful protesters to jail to make Legislative Plaza safe for democracy.
"You know, this is one of those that there’s a lot of opinions on," Haslam said Monday. "I have a lot of people who thought that when we went in and tried to implement a curfew that we were wrong. I’ve had a whole lot of people say, 'I can’t believe that’s happening on that property. If I went and set up a tent there four weeks ago, would you have let me stay?' So there’s a lot of passionate feelings around it on both sides."
"A lot of people" think the governor was wrong, but "a whole lot of people" are backing him. That's been the message from Haslam. Maybe he just hasn't had time to check his inbox.
So now we can add another item to our little list of misleading statements or outright lies told by Haslam and his minions about Occupy Nashville. On the day the curfew was sprung on an unsuspecting public, a Haslam flack told reporters there would be no arrests that night. "Not tonight," spokeswoman Lola Potter said. At 3 a.m., the troopers swept in for the first time.
That's Lie No. 1. In trying to explain it away, the governor's spinmeisters have produced yet more BS. One of them helpfully pointed out to Pith that "technically" the arrests didn't really happen that same exact night since the clock passed midnight. We still can't believe someone actually said that.
Then after the second roundup of protesters, the Safety Department continued to insist in public statements and interviews with reporters that the curfew would be enforced. Whoops! Obviously, the state's lawyers had belated realized they were walking on unsound legal ground, and Haslam had canceled the crackdown. We guess the public didn't need to know.
But our favorite fib came from Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons. He justified the arrests by complaining that the state couldn't possibly find the time "to babysit protesters." Since then, reporters have learned troopers had plenty of time to go undercover to spy on the protesters. Reams of internal THP memos show round-the-clock status reports on the protesters’ doings.
About all this, we have two words for the governor: Credibility gap. As Nixon and LBJ discovered in a different protest era, that's a bad thing.
Comments (35)
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Everyone is backing Haslam. I know of know no one who thinks those idiots can roost on our plaza every night. Not only that, he is being rather even handed and has not kicked the squatters out as happened in NYC last night.
Also, it is about time the SCENE moved on, it seems this is becoming a lost cause, and I would guess only adds to Haslam's popularity.
A little rain and chill will speed things along. Bet Haslam figured that.
I don't back Haslam. My education colleagues don't back Haslam. Even some of my highly conservative Baptist friends don't back Haslam. Ergo, john, you are wrong.
"Everyone" doesn't back Haslam. That's ridiculous. Min doesn't, and I don't, and just about anyone who respects the First Amendment doesn't.
Now, I know everyone you listen to on talk radio agrees with you, john, but if you ever got out of your parents' basement, you might find that there are lots and lots of people who don't march in goostep with the radical right.
John, you are NOT the spokesperson for "Everyone." You're free to "move on" at any time. I applaud and encourage the Nashville Scene's continued coverage of Occupy Nashville and the illegal and unconstitutional aggression from our government officials and their dupe goon henchmen.
Just because people don't choose to bombard his inbox or spend their day commenting on various newspapers' websites doesn't mean there aren't people who back Haslam. We vote. The only way to settle this argument for sure is to see if he's re-elected.
While I normally do not side with RINO Bill Haslam, I definately side with him against the dirty and smelly commies who are squatting on public property! Tell it like it is Brother John! And you're right, I've listened to hours of Phil Valentine and Steve Gill, as well as national figures like Dr. Savage and El Rushbo and no one supports this, no one! It supports the theory possited by the FINFICALOM Foundation that most of these "protesters" are mental hospital patients being used by ACORN!
@volcat:
The Governor's election won't settle squat. People can have any number of motivations for their candidate of choice. Your statements and john's are lacking in fact.
angry white patriot, you crack me up!! your sources give you away.
The bottom line is taxpayer money is being spent to protect these losers and I do believe most people dont want their plaza turned into a giant urinal.As far as the comment of living in their parents basement Im sure that applies more to the morons in the plaza than anyone else at least when they arent camped out at the plaza...greg
Really, you know if sanitation at the Tennessee Legislative Plaza is such a legitimate concern, then Governor Haslam should consider using some of the state transportation tax revenue to construct and open a Tennessee Welcome Center at the state capitol (instead of building these log cabin welcome centers that perpetuate the unneeded stereotype that Tennesseans are just a bunch of shoeless, backwoods hillbillies)...
@Greg:
Occupy Nashville has two privately funded port-o-pots abutting the street. The OccNash folks' rules prohibit breaking the law on the War Memorial Plaza grounds. That includes public peeing/pooping.
Where were you to complain about some of the indigenous homeless folks' use of the grounds as a toilet PRIOR to the occupation?
Furthermore, if the state police did their job and enforced the law, instead of ignoring OccNash's requests to do so (instead of wasting tax $$ to spy on occupants), you would have no concerns about lawlessness on the plaza.
Your gripes are meritless.
in reference to john and angry white patriot.....a statement by Jesus of the Bible:
"lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do" yes, i mean you guys.
people propagandized by faux news are so obvious!!!
Is is possible in the state of Tennessee to recall members of the General Assembly, the Governor and others members of the Executive Branch?
Thank you.
@T-BONE:
SEE ALSO: USA in the early 21st century; NYC under Bloomberg administration; Tennessee General Assembly; Plutocracy
Of those 389 emails that didn't support Haslam I would suspect they all came from three or four individuals.
@gast:
Judging from your comment history, I wouldn't place much creedence in your suspicions.
"The OccNash folks' rules prohibit breaking the law on the War Memorial Plaza grounds."
You crack me up weird.
Tomorrow, 11/17, Occupy demonstrations are planned nation and worldwide to honor 2 months of the Occupy Wall St (OWS) encampment, even though it has been removed in the last few days. Watch to see what develops, here and elsewhere. I would estimate that 98% or more of the Occupiers are committed to nonviolence, and have endorsed this popular pledge (although provocateurs can effect the outcome of a march):
Pledge of Nonviolence
We are an open, participatory, democratic, horizontal, peaceful, and nonviolent movement.
We are not a leaderless movement, we are a movement of leaders.
As a nonviolent movement, we have agreed to refrain from violence against any person, from carrying weapons, and from destruction of property.
We reject violence, including property destruction, because we recognize that it undermines popular support and discourages the broadest possible participation among the 99%.
We believe nonviolence promotes unity, strength of message, and an environment in which everyone’s voice might be heard.
We affirm that it is the personal responsibility of every individual participant in our movement to promote and maintain nonviolent discipline and to intervene to prevent violent action by anyone in our movement.
Ahh, Weird... first, I feel as thought I speak for most. I admit to some hyperbole but Haslam was elected by a huge maajority. I know he is rich and all that, but you need to get used to itt.
As for you. have you spent a night down at the Plaza? If you have, good. But the true test cometh. Are you staying tonight or perhaps some other cold and stormy night (:-)) as the SCENE writer of the great American novel begins.
I don't consider arresting members of the Press to be popular with anyone.
If you support gestapo like actions like that, then I'd say your just not American.
First we need to here from the Weird and see if he has trucked off to the Plaza to spend the night.
Arresting members of the press popular? If they were bothering me and got themselves arrestied you are damn right , Skippy, it would be popular with me.
I was not aware that the press deserved a pass, Ricky. Should they not be subject to any law you are?
@john: "A little rain and chill will speed things along. Bet Haslam figured that." That certainly would have been the smart play -- let Mother Nature erode the protesters' resolve without police or government interference. Haslam could even have sent out some coffee or something and looked like a secure and benevolent ruler, safe in the knowledge that bitter cold and damp would likely do his work for him.
So what does he do? Signs off on clumsy, heavy-handed, blatantly unconstitutional raids that were perhaps the only thing he could have done to turn the tide in the protesters' favor. Doesn't he have somebody in his pocket to advise against precisely this kind of tactical blunder?
Of course, it's already lasted much longer than anyone ever expected ...
From the AP story Woods links to above:
"The documents [public records] also include cost estimates for cleaning the plaza following the protest. One company on Oct. 31 said it would cost more than $46,000 to clean and refinish the surface, while another estimated it to be about $18,000 to pressure wash and treat the areas...."
@john
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but ad hominem attacks (like how and where I spend my time fighting for change) don't do shit.
This is not an endurance contest, and the fundamental issues of the Occupy movement will not change, regardless of the physical space occupied, and despite your rants. The concerns of the 99% are not going away any time soon.
Gast, I'm looking for any excuse to avoid cleaning the house before the relatives get here. I am going to have to dust, though. Probably tonight.
Weird, I said nothing bad about you. I simply speculated about your whereabouts. Hardly an "ad hominem" attack.
As for Mr Pink's suggestion the governor is heavy handed and so on, well, this OWS is a little new for any politician. The polls show 65% of Americans are not amused by all of this so it probably does not matter what Haslam did.
No one is in favor of a Dr Zhivago like Cossack-like clearing of the Plaza; I remember that scene. Even the SCENE can't make it look like that, try is it may.
Haslam tried to crap all over the Occupy Nashville protestors' First Amendment rights and fell flat on his face. Even my jaded friends who have said, "what's the point? this will change nothing.." came around once the curfew arrests were made. Nobody I've talked to supports the Governor's actions. Nobody.
The talk about having to resurface the plaza is ridiculous. There's ONE stone in the corner of the camp that is loose and needs to be fixed but the plaza in general is in fine shape and needs no such resurfacing.
The state has lied and deceived and exaggerated and harassed and they've done all of this on OUR dime. I, for one, am furious.
I have spent the night @ the People's Plaza and I was one of the 400 to e-mail Haslam (highly doubt it was same few people.) I hold my Constitutional Freedom more valuable than the cost of pressure washing the Plaza though that is a cheap parlor trick to incite controversy. The Plaza should be the incubator of Citizenship and Democracy. When property is more highly prized than humanity, freedom and civilization I am alarmed. Actually a well known and accepted moral ethical framework developed by Lawrence Kohlberg @ Harvard would place Haslam's reasoning @ Pre-Conventional...the lowest level of moral ethical development. Actually I voted for Haslam, just because neither was a good choice...I won't be making that mistake again.
While no dancing flower I suggest with a Tn population of at least 5-6
million or more the 390 disapproving E-mails (oh the effort) to the Governor is
certainly no big deal! Both nationally and Statewide it's this camping on the
"People's Plaza" is the real rub of a huge majority of The People versus the
still undefined protected protest(ers) !
"While no dancing flower I suggest with a Tn population of at least 5-6
million or more the 390 disapproving E-mails (oh the effort) to the Governor is
certainly no big deal!"
Absolutely NeverFear! 390 emails, LOL! No one reads emails! Libtards don't even know how to protest! Conservatives on the other hand, we went down to legislative plaza on our lunch breaks or took vacation time off (because we actually work for a living) and honked our horns when we didn't like it that RINO Sundquist was trying to push through an income tax! Several years later, in the same spirit, I went down and drove around the capital for 25 straight days honking when Bredesen was governor one time! I was so mad because he was secretly trying to implement an income tax! Well, it worked because we never got an income tax!
It the OWS "protesters" were smart (which they're not) they would drive around honking their horns! Of course, they don't have cars so that would be impossible! LOL!
