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Nashville, Tennessee

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Nashville Scene - Pith in the Wind

The Nashville Scene News Blog

Why Does the GOP Hate Mothers?

Posted May 09, 2008 at 03:56:46 PM by Liz Garrigan

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Only in Washington. For those who weren't aware, three of Tennessee's U.S. House members voted against motherhood this week—including one member with ovaries, Rep. Marsha Blackburn. (John Duncan and Zach Wamp cast the other two votes.) From the Washington Post's Dana Milbank today on this staggering floor vote:


On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

Just in time for Mother's Day. Asses.

Category: Congress, Garrigan, Politics
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In Fairness to Corker

Posted April 21, 2008 at 10:40:00 AM by Liz Garrigan

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Below, Bruce Barry makes a good point, but in fairness to Sen. Bob Corker, who was at the Scene Friday explaining the extraordinarily complex cap-and-trade bill, it's clear that he's interested in arguing the merits of the legislation and in understanding the nature of global warming—but doesn't feel obliged to mire himself in the stuff of competing scientific theories.

For over an hour, Corker—who has traveled to Greenland, met with academics and scientists and is on an informal statewide media tour explaining this monumental bill (whose goals he seems to favor but whose particular execution he opposes)—demonstrated an impressive mastery of this potential public policy and of the nature of carbon emissions. And for what it's worth, he made it clear to us that he believes humans do contribute to climate change. Here's what he told us:

I’m not here to actually debate the science. There’s still people who debate like heck the whole issue of whether the world is warming naturally, which there’s no question that through centuries the earth warms and cools. By the way, no better example than Greenland. I mean, why was Greenland called Greenland? The Vikings went there about 1,000 years ago, and people were growing potatoes there. And they said, 'Hey, come on over here; it’s warm, you can grow stuff here.' Now, it’s an ice cap, obviously. But the point is, the earth does naturally warm and cool. Nobody debates that. What people do debate is whether man is contributing to the warming. I’m not going to debate that. I believe it is occurring, though I can’t tell how acute it is....

BB, you would be pleased to know that Corker traveled to Greenland with, among others, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom Corker made a special point of noting is one of his best Senate buds. "I love Bernie Sanders. Bernie is a socialist, and that’s not a description; that’s a noun. I love him. He is the only socialist in the Senate."

Category: Congress, Garrigan, Politics
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Congressman Blackburn

Posted April 16, 2008 at 11:49:57 AM by Jeff Woods

Marsha Blackburn is ticking off some feminists for preferring the title "congressman." She signs her official correspondence that way, and it appears on her website. “I think that is significant,” Latifa Lyles of the National Organization for Women tells Politico. “We don’t have to pretend we’re not women in order to be leaders in this country."

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Here's why Blackburn says she decided to use the title:

While out campaigning at a coffee shop in west Tennessee, a constituent asked Blackburn, “Little lady, what qualifies you to run for the United States House of Representatives?”

She quickly ticked off her time as a choir director and Girl Scouts cookie mom. “I kind of teased with him for a couple of minutes but went ahead and had a friendly conversation,” said Blackburn.

As Blackburn worked her way around the room, the constituent motioned for her to come back: “Little lady, if you win this thing, what we gonna call you — congresslady? Congressgirl?”

“Sir, congressman will be just fine,” replied Blackburn. And the rest is, well, congressional record.

Category: Congress, Crazy Crap, Politics, Woods
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Lamar: 'Listen to the General'

Posted April 08, 2008 at 03:07:57 PM by Jeff Woods

Sen. Lamar Alexander is singing from the Republican choir book on the war again today as the Senate holds hearings on the future of the Iraq occupation. Excerpts from Alexander's remarks to the Senate, in which he takes a swipe at Hillary Clinton:

Today General Petraeus comes to the U.S. Senate, and I suggest that we listen to the general.

When he reported to the Senate last September, senators were unwilling to listen. One even said that she – in order to believe the reports from Iraq – required a willing suspension of disbelief. Let us remember what has happened since then.

I can remember last August visiting with General Petraeus in Baghdad. I handed him a paper that said it is time for a new strategy in Iraq. I had been urging President Bush and the Senate to adopt the Iraq Study Group recommendations, and in my view, what General Petraeus has done since that time is to adopt those recommendations with Petraeus amendments.

We are shifting the mission from combat to support, province by province. We are acknowledging that there is a long-term presence for the U.S. in Iraq, but, as General Petraeus said, steadily diminishing. We are acknowledging that it is important to step up diplomatic and political efforts.

So instead of suspending our disbelief, let us listen to General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, acknowledging the progress that they are making and helping them make more progress on the diplomatic and political front.

Category: Congress, Woods
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