Not so Special Interests
Besides being the only at-large candidate for Metro Council who's decrying the "illegal immigrant invasion," Jim Boyd—who's featured in this week's Scene—is also raising the loudest ruckus about special-interest dollars going to local candidates. He's not accepting any such contributions and, at his website, he charts whether other at-large candidates are taking PAC money. These contributions are not quite the payoffs that, say, some U.S. senators get from defense contractors or the pharmaceutical industry. In many cases, it's more like a show of support from a local constituency.
At-large candidate Megan Barry, for instance, has accepted a $2,000 contribution from Nashville firefighters and she's not the least bit shy about it. "I'm proud that people doing such important work for our community trusted me with their endorsement," says Barry.
After the jump, read an excerpt from my interview with Jim Boyd about his stance on how PACs and special interest groups have "bought off" the Metro Council.
Boyd says:
When (our city's forebears) envisioned Nashville government...they had so many councilmen so that the PACs and special interest groups wouldn't be able to buy them all off. That worked for a long time but unfortunately it's getting to where (all the Metro Council members) are getting bought off. The people that I'm going up against are a little afraid to talk about this, but how do you know as a voter that if your councilman makes a decision that they aren't paying back a PAC or special interest with that vote? If we went back to the way that they set up Metro Council where there's no PACs or special-interest money behind the councilmen, then you know that they're going to listen to you, the voter.... I don't take PAC or special-interest money.
Comments
Thanks, P.J.
Posted 07/12/2007 at 03:51:58 PMPosting the rest of our interview... well, that's a fair play.
"In many cases, it's more like a show of support from a local constituency." - That's your opinion, P.J. and I respect your opinion.
My opinion? True, honest political support is registered in votes, not in groups, dollars and payoffs. Endorsements are fine, but when they have a hook attached with some cash as the bait, I'll not bite, thank you. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." (Thanks, John L.)
Let me reemphasize one line in your post:
"...how do you know as a voter that if your councilman makes a decision that they aren't paying back a PAC or special interest with that vote?"
To me, for a politician to brag about how much PAC or special interest money they've made ** is just like a Las Vegas call girl bragging about how many johns she's laid. ** It is the ultimate corruption of our American political process.
If we are going to clean up our American government (instead of just bitching about it), we've got to start somewhere... right?
Let's start here.
Let's start now.
Jim Boyd
Candidate
Metro Council at Large
www.votejimboyd.com
Anyone that can get under the skin of both the Tennessean and the Scene gets my vote just on general principle.
Posted 07/12/2007 at 10:34:32 PMThanks for the support, Jay.
Posted 07/13/2007 at 07:53:31 AMDo you know of a tune 'Against the Wind' by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band? Sometimes, with all the heat I'm drawing, I feel like that's me and our campaign. Your support and support by other Americans sometimes gives me the feeling that I'm not running against a hurricane!
Jim
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** Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Against the Wind Lyrics **
Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin'
Against the wind
The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worryied about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again
Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter sgainst the wind
Well those drifter's days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm older now but still runnin' against the wind
Well I'm older now and still runnin'
Against the wind
Against the wind
Against the wind
Still runnin'
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm still runnin'
I'm still runnin' against the wind
Still runnin'
Runnin' against the wind
Runnin' against the wind
See the young man run
Watch the young man run
Watch the young man runnin'
He'll be runnin' against the wind
Let the cowboys ride
Let the cowboys ride
They'll be ridin' against the wind
Against the wind ...
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
Posted 07/13/2007 at 01:05:03 PMI began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again
Ah, so you do have some empathy for the human beings coming to America just wanting a better way of life?
Sure, anonymous poster. I have LOADS of empathy for the human beings coming to America just wanting a better way of life... And I'll even support their efforts when they do what my ancestors, my aunt and my wife did... IMMIGRATE LEGALLY!
Posted 07/13/2007 at 02:13:23 PMThe 'just wanting a better life' argument to justify breaking our laws is sooo tired. It doesn't wash now, just like it didn't wash when that argument was tried at the first of this debate. If you got busted for robbing a bank, anonymous poster, do you think you'd be let off the hook if you made the argument "I just wanted a better way of life." I think not.
Identify your real identity, anonymous poster, and we'll continue this dialogue if you like. If you don't want to reveal who you are, then I have no more time for you.
Jim Boyd
Candidate
Metro Council at Large
www.votejimboyd.com
Yes, anonymous poster. Take a cue from Boyd. Don't be afraid to put your name (and your good ol' boy nativist aggression) out here for all to see.
Posted 07/13/2007 at 04:37:48 PMAnonymous writing has a long, rich history in our country, including Constitutional protections. It doesn't appear that it's been around as long as illegal immigration (just ask the Native Americans) but a part of history nonetheless.
Posted 07/13/2007 at 05:39:11 PMIn 1787-1788 a series of articles under the pseudonym Ґublius' [i] appeared in a number of State newspapers, primarily those of New York. The articles presented arguments in favour of the ratification of the U.S. constitution and were subsequently published together as the now famous Ҧederalist papers.' Subsequently, the federalist papers were attributed to Alexander Hamilton, James Madison or John Jay. [ii]
Publius wrote at a time of heated political debate about the content and ratification of the U.S. constitution, a time in which a veritable cast of characters were writing pseudonymously: ҂rutus', ҃ato', ҃entinel', Ҋohn DeWhitt' and the ҆ederal Farmer' ֠to name a few and who are known as the anti-federalists [iii] ֠wrote against ratification, with Brutus, in particular, engaging in critical debate with Publius.
***
The U.S. Supreme Court case, McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission [iv], is often cited as supporting the Ҳight to' anonymous speech, based on the guarantees of the First Amendment. McIntyre uses the example of Publius and other pseudonyms as supporting an Ҩonorable' tradition of pseudonymous speech. "
Oh, btw, check out WFMI. Great investment!
Posted 07/13/2007 at 05:52:52 PMNash Pub said:
Oh, btw, check out WFMI. Great investment!
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Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:WFMI)
Jul 13 2008 price: Price: 40.50
May 16 2008 price: Price: 29.12
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Nas Pub, your ideas on not mustering the courage to stand behind your words is about as valuable as your stock advice.
Posted 05/17/2008 at 08:52:30 AMJim Boyd- Wonder if that was not actual stock advice but a joke reference to the story surrounding this article, which is about both WFMI and blogging anonymously, and was from the week of this posting?
Whole Foods CEO sorry for anonymous Web posts
Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:30pm EDT
By Nichola Groom
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The chief executive of Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) apologized to shareholders on Tuesday for anonymously posting comments about his company on the Internet as the organic and natural foods grocer said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had launched a probe into the matter.
News of the SEC probe comes a week after court documents filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission revealed that Whole Foods Chief Executive John Mackey posted messages on a Yahoo! chat forum under an alias for years.
Posted 05/17/2008 at 02:12:18 PM