Ah, the power of public information! Voting in Memphis has created a fantastic internet resource: put in a name or address and find out how may times that person has voted and in what primaries for the last 12 years.

It’s only for Shelby County for now, but Fayette and Desoto Counties are promised soon.

Put in your favorite candidate or politician and find out how involved they really are!

The Grizzlies suffered its third consecutive four-game sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. The Grizzlies’ 12 consecutive playoff losses are an NBA record.

You know a candidate is going to be pro-gun when they hold a “Pop-a-Cap” fundraiser! From the email:

Austin Farley, (R) TN State Representative Candidate for District 97, will be holding his campaign kickoff/fundraiser on Sunday March 26, 2006 at Range USA. Go to www.rangeusa.com for directions and other information concerning the range. You don’t have to be a shooter to enjoy it either, just come for the fellowship! The fund-raiser will start at 1:30 PM and end at 5:00 PM, just in time for you to get to the evening service. The cost will be $30 per person and proceeds will benefit Austin’s campaign. Please contact him either by email or phone and he will give you any information that is not listed here. It will be a blast; featuring food, fun and shooting competitions that the whole family can enjoy!

For more information, you may contact Austin Farley:

901-604-7560
www.austinfarley.org
austin@austinfarley.org

The $30 covers target and ammo. I guess it’s BYOG (bring your own gun) so I wonder how much ammo I’ll get for my thirty bucks.

Every four years the political parties gather at their national conventions. In 2004 the Republicans came together to nominate George Dubya for the presidency. In 2008 they will do it again to nominate the next Republican presidential candidate. There is wall-to-wall coverage and everybody who’s anybody is there.

Every two years there are smaller, regional conventions. But this year is special: the Southern states and the Midwest states are combining so 26 states will be represented at the 2006 Southern Republican Leadership Conference held in Memphis.

About 2,000 attendees are expected. For comparisons sake, the largest SRLC to date was in Biloxi, Mississippi in ’98 and had a little more than 1,600 in attendance. The one two years ago was in Miami and only drew about 600.

The 2006 convention starts on Friday so it’s T minus 2 days and counting. Here’s what the LA Times has to say:

On Thursday, the Republican race will gain new prominence when more than 1,500 GOP activists gather in Memphis, Tenn., for three days of politicking and speeches. A highlight will be appearances by several of the party’s top presidential hopefuls, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, an early front-runner for the Republican nod.

There will also be a straw poll of delegates to the Southern and Midwestern Leadership Conference, which is likely to draw wide notice as a test of strength and a gauge of early voter sentiments — even if similar straw polls have proved meaningless in the past.

Note that the “meaningless” straw poll in ’98 picked George Dubya even though earlier events like this had him trailing significantly and even though he was not in attendance. But no matter how you slice it, this poll will be important for a few reasons.

First, McCain is campaigning hard and earnestly courting Bush donors. It is expected that he will have a strong showing in the straw poll after speaking at the conference (he is on the schedule). After all, he took a strong second at CPAC and he wasn’t even there. If he fails to impress the party faithful of half the states (including some of the reddest) then he’ll have to rethink his message.

Second, Giuliani isn’t even going to be there. If he does well in the poll, he may be encouraged to run (he took third at CPAC).

Third, this is Bill Frist’s home state and Tennesseans should be well represented. If Frist can’t show well here after speaking (he is also on the schedule, although for late Saturday afternoon, well after the poll begins) then he should also rethink some things. He was fifth at CPAC with a dismal 6%.

Fourth, what if Condi does well? She wasn’t even invited to speak but Americans for Rice will be manning a booth and may even be running commercials on Fox News in the Memphis market. She garnered 10% of the vote at the CPAC, taking fourth place well ahead of Frist. Not bad for a non-candidate.

Ah well, I’ll be posting things as time and resources allow. I’ll have my camera but I’ll need an electrical outlet because my laptop battery gives very limited life. Hopefully this won’t be a problem because I’ve received an email confirmation that I am a credentialed blogger for the convention. The blogger table is next to the media table and rumor has it that Sean Hannity will be there. Maybe I’ll be able to get a pic of him, too.

As of this date, confirmed speakers are:

• U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
• U.S. Senator George Allen (Va.)
• Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
• U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.)
• U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (Kan.)
• U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (Minn.)
• U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (Tenn.)
• U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
• Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
• Former U.S. Congressman Asa Hutchinson (Ark.)
• U.S. Senator Trent Lott (Miss.)
• U.S. Senator John McCain (Ariz.)
• Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
• U.S. Senator David Vitter (La.)

Technorati Tags: SRLC,
Southern Republican Leadership Conference,
Political Conventions,
Republican Politics,
Memphis,
Tennessee.

Today is the last day for getting the early registration price for the 2006 Southern Republican Leadership Conference. $150 today for the four day event but it goes up to $225.

See ya there.

Technorati Tags: SRLC,
Southern Republican Leadership Conference,
Political Conventions,
Memphis,
Tennessee.

Herenton (aka King Willie) has long been rumored to be dirty, but then again it seems that such rumors swirl around every politician.

Of course, Herenton hasn’t done himself any favors by his actions. He fired city employees because of budgetary issues but lavishly spent money for redecorating his offices and has hired a small army of body guards.

But the proof of dirty politics might come from the corruption trial of a mayor in another state. During testimony in the trial of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, Dewey Clark testified that he gave money to Herenton:

Clark, 45, who once worked as the Atlanta mayor’s personal assistant– and lived in his basement apartment for six years– testified he gave Herenton thousands of dollars in cash. …

[Defense atty. Jerry] Froelich: And how much do you allege you paid Mayor Herenton?

Clark: I gave a $1,000 contribution in my name. I gave Reginald French $1,000 to put in his name. I gave Reginald French $1,000 to put in his wife’s name. And I gave the mayor $9,000 cash in his office.

Atlanta Mayor Campbell is the subject of a seven-year federal investigation into city contracting and campaign fund-raising shenanigans. This testimony indicates that Memphis Mayor Herenton should also have been the subject of a federal probe (if indeed it turns out that there wasn’t a parallel investigation).

Herenton is scheduled to testify at Campbell’s trial later this month and is using that as an excuse not to answer questions from the press. But there is more than just Dewey Clark’s testimony; Herenton’s name pops up again and again in a series of transcripts from FBI wire taps. Fred Prewitt and Atlanta contractor Bert Timmerman are “known to be in the business of paying money to secure city contracts.” A local news station has some of the tapes and they appear to be damaging.

At this point everything is hearsay; no evidence that Herenton accepted a bribe has been presented. However, given the FBI wiretaps and the long investigation in Georgia, one would think (and hope) that the FBI spun off a team to probe Herenton’s alleged corruption. If so, Herenton’s testimony at Campbell’s trial will have to lay the foundation for his story at his own trial.

In the meantime, local radio personality and blogger Thaddeus Matthews continues his grass-roots effort to recall Herenton and wonders which will take down Herenton first: the voters or the FBI.

Perhaps someone should consider how to take away Herenton’s new “Legacy of Excellence” award. Aw, probably not. This is the city that reelected Ricky Peete to the city council as soon as he got out of the federal pen for a bribery conviction.

Technorati Tags: Memphis Politics,
Tennessee Politics,
Mayor Herenton,
Willie Herenton,
Mayor Campbell,
Bill Campbell,
Corruption.

After Democrat John Ford resigned in disgrace as a result of the FBI Tennessee Waltz sting operation, leaving his state senate seat up for grabs.

His sister, Ophelia Ford, decided to keep the seat in the family. Which makes sense, as the Ford machine has controlled politics in this neck of the woods for quite some time (although their star is fading somewhat).

Store owner Terry Roland decided to try and take the seat away from Democrats, becoming a first-time candidate for the GOP.

Thaddeus Matthews predicted a landslide win for Roland. Memphis Blue said it was looking “like the beginning of hte [sic] end of the Ford dynasty.”

I never believed it, taking Half-Bakered’s position that “the Fords are famous for last minute “miracle” saves.” Actually, I take the position that Democrats are famous for last minute miracle saves.

Indeed, the newscasts called the race for Roland with 98% of the precincts reporting. He was over 200 votes ahead.

Then the “miracle”: Ophilia Ford wins by 12 votes.

Roland has already said that he will meet with his legal team in the morning as they prepare to challenge the results. This is not surprising as an earlier Roland press release charged that voter fraud was already taking place during early voting (although Half-Bakered was suspicious of the document’s origin):

Early voting for the special election began August 26th at the Election Commission office. In the first 200 votes cast in Shelby County, five people voted with no record of ever having registered to vote. Additionally, some voted that public records list as convicted felons.

“While this may not be conclusive proof of illegal voting, it certainly warrants investigation. If this is any indication of a trend in the overall voting, it is very serious indeed,” said Darrin Kirkus, campaign coordinator for Terry Roland.

Team GOP reports:

A small but heavily democratic precinct with reportedly less than 100 votes cast today only turned in two of three vote counting cartridges when the polls closed. Police have been dispatched to retrieve the unsecured third cartridge. It appears to be business as usual in the land of the Fords.

Hopefully voter fraud can be proven in court. But I’ll not hold my breath. After all, this is the town that once found John Ford not guilty when he stood trial for shooting a pistol at a truck driver.

A prime example of why even criminals should keep up with local news:

A 17-year-old kid decided to break into some cars in Autozone Park, which is close to the historic Peabody Hotel — which is where the president is headed for his overnight stay before addressing Memphis about Social Security reform.

As one would expect, security was heightened:

Memphis police said the 17-year-old suspect is in custody for firing shots at officers across the street from the Peabody Hotel.

The youth was reportedly trying to break into cars around Auto Zone Park when a officer spotted him. Officers say he ran and fired shots.

Police caught up with the suspect near the intersection of Third and Monroe streets.

Memphis police reported the youth said he was stealing stereos from cars and was not aware the president was in the neighborhood.

No police officers were hit by gunfire, though some reportedly suffered minor bruises and scrapes in the pursuit of the suspect.

Extra police were on duty in the neighborhood of the hotel because of the president’s overnight stay.

Consider the layers of stupidity:

• Breaking into cars for stereos while 17. Getting caught will put a mark on your record, but probably no jail time unless you are already on parole.
• Shooting at police while fleeing escalates the matters considerably. You are doing time, moron.
• Shooting a gun at LEO while the president is not only in town, but near by. You are going down, bucko!

Mike at Half-Bakered has a journalistic-quality post* on The Tennessee Senate 2006 Race (crossposted at BlogCritics). An insightful and thorough look at Tennessee politics that has ramifications far outside our state.

I am very pleased to read Mike’s analysis because he thinks Ed Bryant has a pretty good chance, a congressman that gave up his seat to run for the senate two years ago when Fred Thompson stepped down to return to acting. In what I consider one of Rove’s more horrendous mistakes, the White House spurned the solidly-conservative Bryant and backed middle-of-the-road Alexander. (Another horrendous mistake was backing Specter over Toomey in Pennsylvania, but that’s another story.) The only good that came out of that farce was that Marsha Blackburn took Bryant’s place in congress, maintaining a true conservative in that seat.

Ed Bryant will be speaking to the Defenders of Freedom this Thursday in mid-town Memphis (so there’s no excuse for Mike not to be there <g>):

This is a rare opportunity to speak to the man who stands an excellent chance at being the next Tennessee senator. I don’t know how many people will show but the meeting I went to in January only had a couple of dozen people, so there is little doubt you will get to speak to the man if you wish. Sieze the opportunity.

* I know “Journalistic-quality post” isn’t much of a compliment , but it was all I could come up with at the moment.

Democrat Roscoe Dixon has been the state senator for District 33 for a couple of decades. But in January he resigned his post in mid-term to become an assistant administrative aide to Shelby County Mayor A. C. Wharton.

That, of course, leaves the seat open until a special election can be held.

The Shelby County Commission got to pick an interim replacement until a special election can be held. Commission chair Michael Hooks pushed for Sidney Chism. Why? Because Chism is a long-time Democrat operative and party faithful. Hooks knows that Chism will dutifully serve until the election without running, allowing Hooks to step in and win himself.

Hooks considered having himself appointe to the interim position but had he done so he would have been prevented from raising campaign funds to cover his run for the seat (government officials are forbidden to raise money while the legislature is in session). With a party loyalist acting as a placeholder Hooks has the advantage over many of his Democrat rivals who also want the seat, current representatives Henri Brooks, Kathryn Bowers, and Joe Towns: he can raise money but they can’t.

But Hooks has a little problem in his quest for a seat in the senate: he missed the filing deadline for financial disclosure statements. One would think that he, a career politician familiar with these well-documented procedures, would abandon his quest and return to his commissioner work with grace. One would think wrong: he is suing the state and the Shelby County Election Commission to keep his name on the ballot.

Hooks is basing his suit on the fact that others (including himself) have missed filing deadlines in the past and still had their paperwork accepted.

Drew Rawlins, Director of Tennessee’s Registry of Election Finance, says regardless of what Bailey and Bolton got away with in previous elections, the state will still hold Hooks to the standard.

“We have taken the position that (candidates) are ineligible if they do not file by the qualifying deadline,” says Rawlins. “Mr. Hooks’ position is he can file his reports by some arbitrary deadline.”

This, of course, is the same Michael Hooks that was arrested for drug paraphernalia in 2001. Somehow the two pots of boiling water and plate with traces of cocaine were swept under the rug — oh wait, that’s because county chief deputy Don Wright said not to do a search of the apartment and adjacent office. Wright was, after all, top assistant to Sheriff A.C. Gilless, who ran an incredibly corrupt department.

But wait, there’s more: Hooks’ residence is listed as 2143 S. Parkway East in Midtown, which is outside of District 33. In December he changed his voter registration to his godmother’s house on Hays Road which is in District 33. This isn’t illegal, of course. State law (as intrepreted by the state supreme court) says that the person must live in the district by election day.

One thing Hooks won’t have to worry about is Democrat State Rep. Joe Towns Jr. running for the senate seat. Towns tried to run but withdrew after being ruled ineligible. It turns out that he failed to file not one, but two campaign finance reports last year and has an outstanding fine of $10,000. [One wonders if a state representative is qualified to help run a state if he can't keep his campaign finances in order.]

The primary election will be held on Thursday, March 24. The general election will be held on Tuesday, May 10.
As an aside, why would Roscoe Dixon resign from the state senate to become a mayorial aide? Why would a career politician take a step down? Truthfully I don’t know, but I suspect it has something to do with the struggle for power in the county and Dixon is betting on Memphis mayor Herenton to win. One of the other players in our saga, new senate appointee Chism, has long been allied with Memphis mayor Herenton in a bid to take over the power base in Shelby County, wresting control from the Ford-Farris coalition which has controlled politics here for decades.

I’m hoping commenters will voice some opinions and expand my knowledge in this area.

BTW, Dixon has actually been working for the mayor since last September and drawing a six-figure salary. By delaying his resignation until January he has been collecting a paycheck from both the county and the state, bilking the taxpayers.