Boehner is Hitler!

Leave it to our wacky 9th Congressional District Rep Steve Cohen to embarrass left Tennessee again:

“They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels," Cohen said. "You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That's the same kind of thing

Cohen has long history of saying outlandish things to further a meme. He's sort of like Alan Grayson without the girth and that s**teating grin. Just last week he announced locally that he was applying for conceal-carry permit due to the Tucson shooting (he already has a gun) and some crazy encounter in a local supermarket involving a constituent talking about Jesse Ventura. Both of these moves are almost surely an attempt to keep the hate narrative alive to take away from the GOP's legitimate debate about health care--the debate most of us never got. Good Lord, it's not like Memphis just suddenly became dangerous last week.

This is interesting:

Cohen made his comments late last night, but they have attracted no attention because his speech was made to a virtually empty House chamber with no reporters around to watch.

Well yeah, he didn't need any actual congressional members present because the point was to get ABC or the other mainstream alphabets to pick it up. And they did. So sorry to disagree Cap'n (giving kudos for coverage) but the theory here is quite likely similar to a lonely puppy tearing up the furniture for attention--any attention is better than none. Cohen must actually believe it'll work.

SHAMELESS HACK ATTACK 1/19/11

Cohen is just another actor in this Pelosi blitzkrieg offensive leveled against the new GOP sheriff in the House. Sheila Jackson Lee not only said repealing Obamacare was unconstitutional, she then appeared on Cavuto's show with a cheesy photo backdrop of a sick woman whom she said could die without Obamacare. Meanwhile smiley was on the Maddow show trying to explain that the reason the Dems got shellacked had nothing to do with health care.

Really, there's nothing new to see here. The Dems have long been the part of ends justify means and many have no problem going gutter if the situation calls for it. They know the media will help. So it will get worse. Boehner is starting off just fine though, taking a real low key attitude. He knows that responding in kind is just what they want. Paul Ryan knows how to respond in-kind, and has a few charts and props of his own.

Obama Disses Willie

Obama comes out for Steve Cohen in the 9th congressional race over four-time mayor Willie Herenton. Outrageous! But it's a win-win--he doesn't lose much endorsing a white liberal in a solid Dem district that would re-elect him without dead voters if the election were held next week. At the same time he gets to look non-racial after playing all the race politics of late. There's very little national damage.

Any local damage will be forgotten after the primary especially since Herenton is about half nuts (or acts like it) and Cohen has been available to his constituents while stoking the right fires. And how can Obama forget him when Cohen once compared him to Jesus?!

So in typical Memphis fashion the first black mayor is forced to attack the first black president to get elected. Guess we're becoming post-racial after all...

Corker on Fleming

Bob Corker was on Mike Fleming's afternoon radio program talking about his interview with the WaPo's E.J. Dionne, in which our junior Senator was quoted saying:

And Corker said voters did not believe the Republicans were "solving the major problems," notably guaranteeing Americans health coverage. "We just haven't been responsible," Corker said. "We deserve to be where we are. I hope we right ourselves."

Fleming asked about the health care quip (which made Corker sound like an Obama spokesman) to which the Senator replied he was taken out of context--he only mentioned health care as one of many 'issues' and never implied that everyone was guaranteed free health care.

Obviously I wasn't privy to the interview but having some familiarity with both men I'd venture a guess Mr. Dionne just might have mischaracterized Corker in his haste to back up his "brand on the run" premise. Corker did not blast individual Republicans in his WaPo or Fleming interviews, he blasted the RNC and other national groups for ramming divisive commercials down their candidates' throats. I agree, and feel this same tactic hurt Mississippian Greg Davis.

Side note--Dionne factually argued that McCain trails Obama by 7 points in national polling as if there was only one poll. Checking RCP we see the ABC poll he chose just happened to be tied for the highest margin of advantage for Barack with the average of all polls showing him leading by just over 3 points with Gallup even showing Mac ahead by 2. Nope, no liberal bias there.

Same as it ever was

Patrick Fitzgerald is in the spotlight again, although in a much less glamorous adventure this time. He's prosecuting alleged Chicagoland fixer Tony Rezko, whose trial started Monday, a trial that would be no interest to anyone outside Chicago if it weren't for his Barack Obama connection. The media is finally curious about it, although perhaps a day late and a dollar short after tonight's primary results. Meanwhile, bloggers have been doing a fine job helping to sort out this convolution:

It seems that Tony was in dire straits financially. He offered to sell a 10 X 150 foot parcel of the lot, valued at $40,500 dollars to Obama. His long time pal agreed, paying more twice the appraised value – $104,000. Obama claims it was to increase the size of his garden.

It'll be interesting to see if Fitzgerald's old cheerleaders on the left will be joining the team this time, especially with Barack's many references to "Scooter Libby justice" on the campaign trail.

Land, influence, politicians--hey this brings to mind a deal right here in Memphis involving current Mayor W.W. Herenton! The local paper explains

The land deal involved a one-third-acre lot where Herenton built a $236,000 two-story home. In 2005, Herenton sold the then-vacant lot in Banneker Estates for $50,000 to Moon. Months later, Moon quit-claimed the still-vacant property back to the mayor for just $10, according to deeds filed with Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood's office. Herenton has since built the home on the lot.

No shocker--deals like this happen in every corner of America every day and usually involve some kind of quid pro quo when politicians are involved. But is it possible to paint oneself as a new breed of politician and still have friends like Tony Rezko in the background? Is it judgmental to even ask? Had the media asked more questions earlier would Barack be where he is today?

Hard to say. Hillary had Mr. Hsu and the Chinatown dishwashers so maybe one shady land deal in comparison wasn't going to matter. Again, the only context here is Barack's vision of changing the tone in DC, the resulting response which made his wife proud of the electorate for the first time. Hmm, maybe God will sort everything out.

John Ford justice

Former Tennessee state senator John Ford, uncle of US Senate candidate and former Fox News contributor Harold Ford, Jr, is still not in prison.

He was sentenced on August 27, 2007 to 5 1/2 years in prison for his role in the Tennessee Waltz sting operation, and faces other charges in Nashville. He received a postponement on November 27th, 2007, keeping him out of the pokey until his wife serves a full one year term for drunk driving after being released from the same jail in September 2007 for the same charge.

There are certainly mitigating circumstances involving Ford's children but most people sentenced to prison have mitigating circumstances. Besides, listen to Mrs Ford herself on the issue:

She says she's greatful the children will be with their father for the holidays, but she says it's convenient for him now to want to be with them.

"I think I have the right to be out also to try and raise my children. I always have," said Mitchell Ford.

Recently Barack Obama visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church and talked about injustice, eloquently saying the following:

We have a deficit in this country when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for others

The question is, did Ford get "Scooter Libby Justice" or "Jena justice"?

MORE 2/23/08

One might ask the same question about Congressman Jefferson. Obama would probably answer by insisting the issue isn't necessarily about race but about class, yet using his chosen examples in a black church doesn't really help to make the distinction.

MORE 2/29/08

Epilogue?

Group hug in Nashville

Apparently the Tennessee House held a group therapy session yesterday. Embattled Democrat Rob Briley, the guy who got drunk last fall and led police on a high-speed chase around the outskirts of Nashville, then when captured sang the tune "springtime for Hilter in Germany" in the back of the squad car (suggesting the officers were part of Bush's coming police state), owned up to his problem in front of his peers Thursday.

Now, there's nothing wrong with forgiveness. There's nothing wrong with being thankful for a process known as diversion that wiped the evading arrest charge off the map and allowed Mr. Briley to remain a publicly-paid politician when most Tennesseans would have had a felony rap. Hopefully the man will mend his ways, we are all sinners, after all.

But wow, some of our elected Reps are apparently bigger sinners than we knew:

Moore noted that Briley "shined a little light to all of us that every one of us in this room have our own little demons that we deal with."

Moore added, "Some of us are alcoholics. Some of us are thieves. Some of us are adulterers. Truth of the matter is we reflect society."

After the House let out, Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, called Briley courageous. "He earned a lot of respect today. He's got a lot of issues in his life, but the reality of it is that all of us have issues in our lives. The press has not caught up with all of us yet."

Curtiss said he thought some of Moore's language was too strong. "I would never say there were thieves in there," Curtiss said.

"I don't think there are any criminals in here," Curtiss said. "But we're a cross-section of society. There are people in there that drink, people in there that beat their wives, people in there unfaithful to their wives. No question in my mind about that."

Well, that's comforting, eh? Since they're all admitted sinners does that mean they'll soon pass a law giving all Tennessee residents the same heartfelt lenience the next time one of us gets drunk, evades police and calls them fascists? Not a chanc...hey wait, maybe if we pretend to be illegals?!