Subject: Roy Herron

• Republicans Worry Frist Lacks 'Fire in the Belly'

  For months, Bill First has been widely expected to run for governor in 2010. He raised tons of campaign cash for state legislative candidates and even dutifully served as the grand marshal of the Mule Day Parade in Columbia. What more evidence do you need of his interest?But now it's looking like he may disappoint. The latest thinking among Republican insiders is that the former senator just can't muster the all-important "fire in the belly" and probably will delay his political comeback. He say

  December 19, 2008

• Beavers, Stanley and Watson Tell Jobless to Fend for Themselves

  Republicans Mae Beavers, Bo Watson and Paul Stanley were the only senators bold enough to vote today against keeping the state's unemployment trust fund solvent. They object to accepting $140 million in federal stimulus money to expand benefits to some part-time employees. As you know, some members of the Party of No believe laid-off workers should fend for themselves. Before the vote, Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, said: "There are a bunch of folks in this state right now who are dependent on thi

  June 2, 2009

• Doug Horne's Really Stupid Idea

  Doug Horne is calling for the rapidly mushrooming number of Democrats thinking about running for governor to hold a meeting to anoint one of them as the party's nominee. So let me get this straight: Horne and Harold Ford Jr., Lincoln Davis, Roy Herron, Andy Berke, Kim McMillan, Matt Kisber, Mike McWherter, this rich dude named Ward Cammack, and who knows who else would all cram into a room and, after a little polite discussion, they'd emerge and announce some lucky someone as the consensus candi

  January 8, 2009

• Bill Gibbons: Our Chump Du Jour

  Here's the problem with Barack Obama's election. Now, all over the country every two-bit politician with an outsized ego (not a small number of people) is thinking, "Hey, only a year ago, people were saying, 'Barack who?' Lightning can strike for me too! By God, I'm running for something." And so we have Bill Haslam, Zach Wamp and Bill Gibbons running for governor 22 months before the election, and Marsha Blackburn, Ron Ramsey, Beth Harwell, Doug Horne, Harold Ford Jr., Lincoln Davis, Roy Herron

  January 9, 2009

• Lincoln Davis Says He Won't Run for Governor

  While Republican Bill Haslam was raking in an impressive $1.4 million today for his campaign for governor, Democrats lost  a potentially strong candidate of their own. Congressman Lincoln Davis represented, in fact, perhaps the Democrats' best shot at winning the office in 2010. But tonight, he said in a statement that he wouldn't run. As his only reason, he cited his appointment to the important House Appropriations Committee, calling it "an opportunity for the district I represent that I

  January 29, 2009

• Senate Dems Wonder What They Stand For

  Roy Herron: PR mastermindIt took state GOP flack Bill Hobbs all of eight seconds to snap out a press release mocking Senate Democrats over a pathetic strategy memo leaked to A.C. Kleinheider today. In the memo, a clueless Democratic caucus chair Roy Herron suggests two months into this year's session that his party might think about developing an "over-arching theme" and maybe even hold a press conference to convey that theme to reporters. What a novel idea! In his press release, Hobbs takes the

  March 10, 2009

• Evangelicals Gear Up to Stop 'Commonsense' Abortion Bill

  With the abortion debate headed to the House of Representatives soon, pro-life lawmakers are insisting they want to amend the state constitution to allow commonsense regulation of the procedure. But the Christian Right isn't hiding its true goal, and it's not exactly what reasonable people would call commonsense. To many, there's plenty of commonsense in legislation by Sen. Roy Herron and Rep. Mark Maddox, both rural West Tennessee Democrats. It would require informed consent and a 24-hour wait

  March 26, 2009

• Doug Horne's $10K Helps Keep Democratic Party Afloat

  The state Democratic Party took in $61,000 in March with Bill Freeman as treasurer, according to this week's Tennessee Journal. That sounds pretty strong, considering the state of the economy, until you know Doug Horne tossed in $10,000 of that. Freeman probably snagged the rest from a few big donors and then hit a brick wall, with everybody holding back for fear of pissing off the governor. At that point, he quit. More from the Journal on what's keeping chairman Chip Forrester busy these days a

  April 6, 2009

• Herron Joins Clueless Democratic Field

  What is it about a political campaign that Tennessee Democrats can't understand? Zach Wamp, Bill Haslam, Ron Ramsey and Bill Gibbons all have declared they are running for governor as Republicans. They proudly put out statements selling themselves to the public. Now, they're crisscrossing the state talking to any reporters who'll listen. Democrats hide from reporters. Eventually, if they're backed into a corner, they might admit they're running. It's like they're confessing to a crime. Kim McM

  April 8, 2009

• Ramsey, Herron, McMillan, Kisber All Voted for Law Allowing Risky Bond Deals

  Before Two-Face and the Joker, er, I mean Robin Smith and Bill Hobbs, get too carried away attacking Gov. Phil Bredesen as the rotting fish in our own little financial scandal, they probably should take a look at the record here. The law authorizing local governments to enter into these risky bond deals with the approval of the Comptroller's office zipped through the legislature in 1999, and prominent leaders of both parties voted for it. They include Ron Ramsey, Jason Mumpower, Marsha Blackbur

  April 9, 2009

• Junior Won't Run for Governor

  Hah! Bowing to the wishes of the awesomely influential Pith in the Wind, Harold Ford Jr. has announced he's not running for governor. We didn't ask him not to run but just to make up his freakin' mind. Thank, you, Junior. Ford was typically condescending in his announcement, deigning to reveal to the Democrats just how they should run this race. His thoughtful advice: Talk about stuff that matters. No kidding? And of course, Junior still cares deeply for Tennessee and he'd really, really like t

  April 13, 2009

• Gubernatorial candidates launch The Clueless Offensive

  January 15, 2009

• Insiders bet Bill Frist won't run for governor

  December 25, 2008

• Keeping the Faith

  Jesus is just all right with Tennessee Democrats, too

  August 11, 2005

• Politics of Personal Intrusion

  We hate to say it, but state Sen. Jeff Miller got his.

  April 21, 2005

• Penny-Ante Politics

  The party of the poor sticks it to the poor

  June 14, 2001

• The Turkey Awards

  Who says politics doesn't have its rewards?

  November 23, 2000

• Love/Hate Mail

  He Gets It

  June 1, 2000

• List

  May 4, 2000

• Taxing Times

  How talk radio hijacked state government

  November 25, 1999

• WTF? Senate Democrats Reject Ophelia Ford as Caucus Chair

  So Senate Democrats elected a new caucus chair today, choosing Lowe Finney over none other than Ophelia Ford, who had been campaigning for the job. Pith in the Wind is stunned by this development. How could Democrats resist choosing this exalted princess of the Ford family dynasty who's best known to date for falling off a bar stool in a Nashville hotel? What better senator to lead Democrats through these troubled times? Pith demands a recount. Here is Ophelia's irresistible email solicitation

  April 30, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Lawmakers Promoting Secrecy in Government and Other Big Surprises

  Lawmakers are sponsoring more than a dozen bills to shut off public information or meetings ... Teabagger Ben Cunningham criticizes two Bredesen commissioners for flying at taxpayer expense to Florida to speak at the Tennessee Economic Development Council's spring conference. "It's just ridiculous on so many levels," he says. ... Rock mining legislation falls short, critics say. ... The Commercial Appeal favors keeping the Tennessee Plan: Nothing against West Virginia or Mississippi or any of

  May 4, 2009

• McMillan Takes Bold Stand for Ethics (Especially as Applied to Her Rivals in Governor's Race)

  In an email to supporters (there must be someone out there somewhere), Kim McMillan has just taken a courageous stand against changing the law so Jim Kyle and Roy Herron can raise money for their gubernatorial campaigns during next year's legislative session. Her email: The 2010 elections will cover many issues, but I want to start talking with Tennesseans about ethics in state government. This year, lawmakers have taken a personal interest in loosening ethics laws covering elections in Tennes

  May 28, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Republicans Balk at Bredesen's New Taxes and Other Budget Spats

  With the session entering its frantic, final days, Republicans are balking at the governor's $2 million sales tax on cable TV boxes and $6 million in higher business phone taxes.They're not too happy about the tax on the Predators and the Grizzlies, either. Plus, Senate Republicans are trying to cancel or delay $130 million in capital projects, including a new UTC library, and they're against bonding out $350 million in bridge replacement projects. The state workers union, meanwhile, pressures l

  June 8, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Fighting Words from Chip Forrester and Other Developments

  Republicans demand deeper state budget cuts. Democrat Mike Turner: "As long as we don't take (from) the rich, they don't care." ... Education Secretary Arne Duncan chides state lawmakers for failing to expand charter schools: "What I hear coming through loud and clear in Tennessee is children's parents desperately seeking those options and it's being denied. And it doesn't make sense to me." ... Speaker Kent Williams urges Republicans to stick together to resurrect the bill. ... Animal lovers co

  June 9, 2009

• Roy Herron: A Bold and Decisive Leader

  Sen. Roy Herron is giving new meaning to the term flip-flopper.News flash for Roy Herron: Voting like a Republican in the Senate might have worked nicely for you so far in your little political career, but it will cause you trouble in a statewide Democratic primary. This week, Herron has been forced to phone liberal bloggers Ilissa Gold and Sean Braisted to try to explain what the hell he was thinking when he voted for the Republican resolution urging Congress to reject the pro-union Employee Fr

  June 10, 2009

• Governor Calls GOP Budget 'Stupid' and Democrats Bash It As Job Killer

  Gov. Phil Bredesen bluntly disparaged the Senate Republican budget proposal as "stupid" at a breakfast meeting with legislative leaders today, and Senate Democrats then trooped en masse into the press room here to heap more scorn on it. "The governor's characterization is very fair," Sen. Lowe Finney said. "I heard him say that," Sen. Jim Kyle said. "I agree with the governor." "This is putting politics above people," Kyle said. "This is putting politics above jobs for people. We're going to

  June 11, 2009

• Who Hates Republicans More? Kyle and Herron Debate the Question

  Democrats were treated to a sneak preview of their governor's campaign today, with Jim Kyle and Roy Herron jostling for TV time and delivering fiery little speeches at a media event to crow over state budget triumphs. On this one, we give the point to Herron in a close contest. Kyle stuck to budget stuff and rambled a little. Herron really threw out the red meat, basically tarring Republicans as racist retrogrades. To top it off, those bastards insulted Al Gore! Here are excerpts from the two se

  June 18, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Legislature Leaves, Delirious Citizens Party All Night

  One of many rural Tennessee celebrations sparked by news of the legislature's adjournment.Lobbyists and staffers erupt into wild cheers as the legislature finally goes home. The last day is highlighted by the surprise failure in the Senate of legislation delaying installation of voting machines capable of producing paper trails to verify voting results. Also, lawmakers vote to enhance sentences for gun crimes. And in yet another big surprise, the bill to roll back ethics laws by letting Ron Rams

  June 19, 2009

• What? Democrats Trash Democrats on the Democratic Party Blog

  A picture posted on the Tennessee Democratic Party blog. This confirms Pith's suspicion that Tennessee Democrats are a bunch of commie rats.The Tennessee Democratic Party is engaged in an interesting experiment in democracy. The party has started a blog, and they're a little loosey goosey on posting privileges. Type in a phone number and email address, and you're good to go. Does anyone else think this might create problems for Democrats? Already, we have a blogger named Captain Kong who wonders

  June 23, 2009

• Is Ward Cammack on the Ropes as a Candidate for Governor?

  Ward CammackSo Mark Brown quit the Democratic gubernatorial campaign of the unknown rich Republican, er, we mean newly converted Democrat named Ward Cammack, and we're all naturally wondering why. But the normally loquacious Brown is silent, apparently determined to leave graciously. We hate it when that happens. All he'll say is, "It was time for me to go another direction." What bullshit! So in desperation and single-minded pursuit of the truth, we have turned to our stable of smug anonymous i

  June 23, 2009

• Recalling the Tennessee legislature's freak show of 2009

  June 25, 2009

• Hell Freezes Over... And the legislature decides to protect us from crazed gun nuts

  June 18, 2009

• Herron and McWherter Each Report Raising $650,000

  Roy Herron says he's raised $650,000 for his gubernatorial campaign in 30 days. He didn't say whether that includes the $282,000 that's sitting in his Senate campaign account. Still, it sets the bar for Mike McWherter, who unlike Herron could raise money during the legislative session. McWherter needs to top Herron's haul to show, as many observers believe, that he's the strongest Democrat in the race. Herron says: "Old-fashioned hard work, brand new ideas and wonderful friends have been the ke

  July 14, 2009

• With First Official Act as Candidate for Governor, Roy Herron Tries to Trick Reporters

  We have learned two things about Roy Herron from the way he handled this week's campaign financial disclosure, his first official act as a candidate for governor: (1) He's a sneaky little devil who doesn't mind misleading the public and (2) He's got a rat in Mike McWherter's campaign. Regarding the latter point, how else would Herron know for a fact that McWherter was about to announce raising $650,000 for his campaign? Herron's spy nailed it and tipped Herron, leading the senator to announc

  July 16, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Business PACs Empty Pockets for Ramsey and Other Big Surprises

  Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey collects $170,000 in campaign cash linked to trade groups, businesses and other special interests. Spokesman Brad Todd calls it "no surprise that people who advocate pro-growth policies would support him." Ramsey also fluffed up his fundraising total by tossing in $120,000 from his Senate campaign account. Todd says any suggestion the campaign was trying to pump up his fundraising to look stronger than Zach Wamp is "not true." ... McWherter campaign manager Kim Sasser Hayden

  July 17, 2009

• What the Democratic Money Means

  With a bit of creative accounting in his first campaign financial disclosure, Roy Herron succeeded in preventing Mike McWherter from claiming the frontrunner mantle in the Democratic governor's race. That's according to Pat Nolan, who also says Kim McMillan raised "barely enough" to stay in the race. Why is this important? Well, so far, this Democratic race has not had a clear frontrunner. If Mike McWherter, the son of the former Governor Ned McWherter, had been able to use these financial disc

  July 20, 2009

• The sorriest candidates money can buy are headed our way for governor in 2010

  July 23, 2009

• Along with McMillan, Herron and Kyle Supported State Income Taxes Too

  Ward Cammack: the Democratic nominee by default. In privately dissing Kim McMillan, Democrats always name her vote for the Sundquist state income tax as a particularly troublesome aspect of her pathetic little candidacy for governor. But two of her Democratic rivals--Roy Herron and Jim Kyle--also have supported the income tax in the past. Kyle actually sponsored an income tax bill with John Wilder in 2002. It would have levied a flat-rate 6 percent state income tax and repealed the then-6

  July 24, 2009

• The Coming Budget Crisis: Candidates for Governor Are Clueless

  ​State government is twirling down the toilet. Everyone knows it. The economy knocked a billion-dollar hole in the tax base, an unprecedented revenue loss, and that money isn't coming back because we're so heavily reliant on the regressive and inelastic sales tax. Once the federal stimulus money disappears in 2011, the governor at that time will be forced to take a hatchet to state services, namely health care, prisons and education. Dr. Stan Chervin, an economist and analyst at the Tennes

  August 10, 2009

• Republicans Demand Apology from Lots of Democrats for 'Brownshirts' Remark

  ​Republicans are again demanding an apology from Madison County Democratic Party chair T. Robert Hill, or from just about anybody else in the Democratic Party for that matter. John Tanner, Jim Kyle, Roy Herron, and Mike McWherter are all "noticeably silent," says an outraged state GOP chair Chris Devaney. Of course, Devaney doesn't really care whether anybody apologizes for Hill, who called Young Republicans "brownshirts" for organizing town brawls on health care reform. Devaney thinks th

  August 13, 2009

• Herron Says He's Against Banning Gay Adoption Too

  ​It took Roy Herron three days, but he finally has responded to Pith's request for his position on gay adoption: "The fundamental question is this: what's best for the children? I don't yet see evidence that the Bredesen administration's policy is doing wrong by Tennessee's children. I'm told that not enough married couples are adopting special needs children. Those children don't need more laws making adoption harder and condemning them to being shuffled from foster home to foster home.

  October 12, 2009

• That Sound You Hear Is Roy Herron Scratching Me Off His Christmas Card List

  At 1 p.m. Central Time, Andy Seré, the regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, sent the entire Washington press corps (and beyond) an email, the contents of which was this post by Kleinheider. At 1:02 p.m. two different people forwarded it to me. About that same time, I cringed hard enough to hurt my left eye. (Contents of the email after the jump.)

  December 2, 2009

• Morning Roundup: The Smell of Money, Politics, Music and New Carpet

  ​Today's the day that Mayor Karl Dean will finally unveil a financing package for the proposed new convention center. It happens at 5 pm at a special joint meeting of two Metro Council committees. But will it include a hotel, and if it doesn't will the numbers work? ... The Metro Sports Authority could act today to make the name change from Sommet Center back to Nashville Arena official. ... A black former TSU police officer sues the university charging retaliation in connection with a white

  December 3, 2009

• Morning Roundup: Is Music City Center a Done Deal?

  In the story that pretty much everyone will be discussing this morning, The City Paper's Joey Garrison reports that the proposed Music City Center has all the votes it needs to pass through Metro Council, based on interviews with principals on both sides. Garrison doesn't say that's a good thing or a bad thing, just the way it is. Will this redouble the efforts of convention-center opponents leading up to the Jan. 19 vote, or shut them down? ... Is Republican hatchet man Andy Seré trying to co

  December 14, 2009

• Roy Herron and the Gay Adoption Issue

  ​It was supposed to be a winning news day for Roy Herron. He raised $425,000 for his bid for Congress--no small feat for a campaign that began only a month ago. But the Associated Press ruined it all for Herron by reciting unchallenged the latest of many insinuations by GOP cheap-shot artist Andy Sere that Herron is somehow tainted because he's against banning gay adoption in Tennessee, among other terribly liberal positions. The NRCC has criticized Herron for opposing proposals to ban gay ad

  January 4, 2010

• Gay-Baiting Republican Flack Spends Long, Hot Weekend with the Boys

  A picture from the notorious party​It was inevitable, wasn't it? It turns out that Andy Seré, the child flack for the National Republican Campaign Committee who's making an ass of himself with his repeated sophomoric insinuations that Roy Herron is somehow less than manly, has been behaving in a very fey way himself. A gay blog is publicizing Facebook pictures of half-naked men from a party Seré is listed as having attended. Says the blogger (adopting Seré's own modus operandi): Let

  January 5, 2010

• Republicans Delay Voter Confidence Act

  ​Tennessee Senate Republicans kicked off the new session in a partisan way today, ramming through legislation to postpone an obvious good-government election reform that once enjoyed broad support from both political parties. Republicans beat back a slew of Democratic amendments, and the Senate voted 22-10 to delay implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act until the 2012 elections. Senators said they wanted to relieve county election officials of an unfunded funding mandate. W

  January 12, 2010

• GOP Beware: Herron Hires Yard Ape

  Roy Herron, under constant attack by Republicans, has hired himself a yard ape to go to war. Our old friend Carol Andrews, onetime press secretary for Harold Ford, has joined Herron's congressional campaign and already the candidate's nemesis, the very buff GOP flack Andy Seré, is in her face: Today comes news that liberal career politician Roy Herron has hired a former advisor to ex-TN Senate candidate/possible NY Senate candidate Harold Ford. That makes perfect sense. Just as Ford is running

  January 14, 2010

• Tennessee Democrats' New Battle Cry: We're Not Necessarily Pathetic!

  Roy Herron: He doesn't necessarily mean it.​Roy Herron gave what's being billed as a rousing pep talk to Tennessee Democrats over the weekend. OK, he admitted, "it's been a tough week." A tea partier took the seat of the late liberal lion of the Senate, and the Supreme Court decided to let corporate America hammer Democrats with campaign ads. But stay brave, Herron said: "The experts are not always right," Herron reminded the state party leaders. "Those who are preaching to you the gloom

  January 25, 2010