Butch Davis Says (Again) that He's Not Interested in Vols Job

During a conference call yesterday, Butch Davis once again said he's not interested in becoming Tennessee's next football coach, according to the Boston Herald:

"I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the University of Tennessee job," Davis said during the ACC teleconference.

"It’s a great job, but I have no interest in it," he said. "As I’ve said for the last couple of weeks, I love being here, my family loves being at Carolina. We’re building with the administration everything we can every single day to build a championship football program here."

Davis also said Tennessee had not contacted his agent.

Since this is Butch Davis we're talking about, there's probably a 30-minute expiration date on his latest vow. But the more interesting candidate might be Tommy Tubberville. Auburn's had the same offensive problems that have plagued Tennessee this year, and at least one SEC coach is privately telling friends that Tuberville will soon be fired.

Flyover Country: The Washington Post's Take on Our Cute Little City

Kellie Pickler does not meet the Washington Post's approval; she is likely weeping as we speak

Whenever a significant event occurs in flyover country, the East Coast Media Elite (TM) descends to inform the learned back home of the quaint ways of [INSERT NAME OF PRIMITIVE BURG]. Denver famously took a beating from the New York press during the Democratic Convention, referred to as a cow town with grain silos for skyscrapers, etc., etc.

But the Washington Post has been a bit more delicate with its reporting on tonight's CMA extravaganza. Writer J. Freedom du Lac -- whose parents were either hippies or he was named after a fishing village in northern Maine -- is only mildly dismissive of the Music City:

NASHVILLE - The first voice I heard upon arriving at the airport here yesterday was Kellie Pickler's.

The "American Idol" dingbat was singing "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" on a video screen at the CMT store, right around the corner from the guitar-themed Gibson Cafe and across the concourse from a display of Marty Stuart's black-and-white portraits of a bunch of old-time country stars, including Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner.

If you didn't know better, you might be inclined to think that the entire city of Nashville is a country-music souvenir shop/theme park. Only half of it is that way.

But that's about as bad as it gets. Like most music critics, he gushes over the old guys -- George Jones -- and laments new country. But he does seem to have a weird fetish about our airport, saying this about Jimmy Wayne:

As far as I know, he's the only Nashville star who can quote Fat Boys lyrics and talk about the joys of fat laces. That makes him alright in my book, even if his biggest hit sounds like something you'd hear in the waiting room at a dentist's office. Or, I guess, on your way through Nashville International Airport.

Yet Mr. J. Hippie Fishing Village ends up revealing more about himself than Nashville, noting that he's what we in the hinterlands refer to as a Huge Friggin' Pussy. Get a load of this:

The more interesting sighting there, though, was Miranda Lambert, in town from Texas for awards-show week. I was invited to a surprise birthday party for her but skipped it, even though I'm totally in the tank for her music, as the party was being held at a totally grungy, smoke-filled bar whose descriptions made it sound a lot like a redneck version of Jaxx. Didn't want to have to steam-clean the stench off later.

A music critic who's worried about his dry cleaning bills? The world is about to implode in 5, 4, 3...

Jon Gruden Says No to Tennessee -- and College Football

Vol fans can officially take Jon Gruden off their list of prospective Tennessee football coaches. According to ESPN, he's not interested:

"I've said it from the beginning, this is the only job I've really ever wanted," Gruden said, as quoted by the St. Petersburg Times. "As long as the Glazers will have me, I'll be here.

I've got a lot of respect for Tennessee. I grew up down there a little bit. My wife is from there. But this is where I want to be, and I can only make myself that clear."

Gruden has a contract with Tampa Bay that runs through the 2011 season. But he said that even if he wasn't under contract, college football isn't where his heart is.

"I've wanted to be in the NFL my whole life, and this is something I'm really excited to do," Gruden said. "This is where I want to be, and I'll leave it at that."

Nashville Learns from... the Most Ridiculed Plan in Cleveland?

Last week, city officials from Nashville traveled to the shores of Lake Erie to study the most incompetently run town in America. That would be Cleveland, Ohio.

They arrived to examine the city's new rapid bus line, which consists of little more than a rebuilt street with dedicated bus lanes, a lot of expensive cement, and some newly planted trees. Total cost: $200 million.

Among Cleveland residents, it's the most ridiculed project in town -- and this is a city with a lot to ridicule. It's literally just a slightly faster bus line, running 100 blocks or so from downtown to the city's east side. And at a pricetag of $200 mil -- which mostly came from the feds -- it's largely viewed as the latest, greatest monument to government waste.

Nashvillians were likely drawn by Cleveland's claims of instant prosperity. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is estimating the project will generate $4 billion in economic activity, according to this report by Nate Rau in The City Paper. Others have claimed it will create 7,000 new jobs. How a simple bus line will do all this has yet to be explained.

Worse, it probably wouldn't work in Nashville. A line from downtown to the West End might be the most plausible option. But the Cleveland project runs through roughly 50 blocks of abandoned ghetto, making construction easier and less disruptive. And it still managed to kill many a business. In the prosperous West End, elongated construction would be a death sentence to businesses and make traffic a nightmare for years to come. And at the end of the day, all we'd have for our troubles and our $200 million is a slightly faster bus line.

Race, Bad Candidates & Muslim Obama: How Republicans Won Tennessee

On his blog Camp4U, conservative Stacey Campfield offers his take on why Republicans were able to command control of the Tennessee legislature. He believes the race card backfired, Democrats put up a roster of bad candidates, and some people still believe Obama is Muslim -- if not the Anti-Christ. A few excerpts:

If anything it was weak Democrat turnout/ Democrat crossovers against their own candidate (some probably due to race) rather then an extra strong "Racist Republican" turnout. People are sick of the race card. They don't see it anymore. The more they use it the less it works and Democrats have used it ad nauseum, to the point people are starting to get mad instead of intimidated whenever it is dropped. They want real issues and ideas not excuses. Some black people are even getting sick of hearing the excuse so keep it up! ...

Obamas liberalism? Yes, in some part, but I got a lot of feedback on the religious issue as well. More then I would have thought. The Muslim factor as well as many people perception that he was the Antichrist was mentioned repeatedly. The blind worship and screaming adoration reminded many of early Hitler films. I also heard many people say how they did not think he was qualified to run based on his questionable place of birth...

Democrat candidates? I must say most weren't that good. Most had some skeletons as far as terrible credit histories with bankruptcy, fraud, criminal background, disastrous personal lives that were already well known around town without Republican putting out anything on them. If they had been in office, they had a history of raising unpopular taxes and if they talked conservative most people just did not believe them. They were vague on what they wanted to do or how specifically they were going to do it. I guess part of that can be laid at the foot of Gray Sasser and the Democrat party for terrible candidate recruitment and lack of message. To their credit I thought the Democrats had better media presentation. It was more creative and slicker in many ways. We used similar attacks but with weaker results. They won the media award.

Where's Your $2 Trillion? The Feds Refuse to Say

Remember when Congress and the president pushed through that $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street? Remember how they told us over and over that they would safeguard your money? That everything would be "transparent"? That we'd likely get much of it back, maybe even make a profit?

Sadly, it seems they're not so eager to talk to us now. Writes the Bloomberg news service today: "The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral."

That's right, the Fed has already kicked over $2 trillion of your money, and they refuse to say who got it, what they put as collateral, or any other details of deals. Could it be one last round of sweetheart deals for friends of the administration? Remember, these are the guys who wanted to pay over-market rates to buy back the worthless home mortgages purchased by Wall Street. So Bloomberg is suing the government to open up its books. Writes the press agency:

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn't require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in return.

``The collateral is not being adequately disclosed, and that's a big problem,'' said Dan Fuss, vice chairman of Boston- based Loomis Sayles & Co., where he co-manages $17 billion in bonds. ``In a liquid market, this wouldn't matter, but we're not. The market is very nervous and very thin.''

Please, Vols, Don't Hire Butch Davis

I lived in Cleveland when Butch Davis was coach of the Browns. "Disaster" would be a polite word to describe his reign.

He was out-coached on the field, a horrible judge of talent in the draft, and he had a penchant for scheming against the front office that made you think of Dick Cheney, only with better hair. When he "resigned," the real story leaked out: Butch's players hated him. He was a duplicitous leader who said one thing and did another, a sneaky man who'd lost all trust from his charges. Had he not left at midseason, he likely would have faced a player revolt.

A lot of good college coaches don't do well in the pros -- think Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino, even Nick Saban. Some are too autocratic to deal with grown men. And some just aren't skilled enough technically. What makes them good is recruiting, fundraising, navigating boosters and administrators, so they have an advantage before they ever take the field.

Davis is doing quite well at North Carolina, but you have to wonder how long it will last. Like all coaches, he has an ego the size of Germany. The difference is he also has a history of not playing well with others.

It's one thing to find quick success in the ACC. It's another doing it the SEC, where he'll face superior coaching and schools with better recruiting grounds. And when things go bad, Davis' history suggests they'll go very bad.

WTF: Gun Sales Soar Following Obama Win

Pretty much every state Obama won has a vibrant hunting culture

The Associated Press is reporting today that gun sales have soared following Barack Obama's presidential win Tuesday. It seems that people from Virginia to Utah are worried that the Democratic lock on Congress will produce a new round of gun restrictions, prompting record sales across the country.

This may be sound logic if you're in the market for a new assault rifle, or you're worried about reversals in concealed weapons laws. But isn't it a little paranoid to worry about your shotgun collection?

Democrats may eventually get around to tackling assault rifles, since they're only useful in firefights with the cops. (If you need an assault rifle to hunt, it's a safe bet that you really suck at hunting, and should probably take up scrap booking instead.) And it's hard to see Obama trying to overrule state concealed handgun laws, since he'll need to spend that political capital on more pressing issues like wars and economics.

But the weirdest thing is the rush to buy hunting rifles. If you look at the map of Obama's victory, he locked up the entire Northeast and Midwest. Aside from the tiny congested states with scant open space -- think Connecticut and New Jersey -- almost all have a hunting cultures that rivals the South's.

Do people really believe that even liberal legislators in Maine or Minnesota would vote to restrict hunting weaponry, knowing the blow back they'd face at home?

A Republican Plot to Bury Sarah Palin?

We already knew that Sarah Palin isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this report from Fox indicates she's scary dumb -- like not even knowing that Africa is a continent dumb.

Maybe it's just the blame game that takes place when any campaign loses. But the fact that it's airing on Fox -- the propaganda arm of the GOP -- makes it all the weirder. For a network that rarely strays from Republican talking points, it seems like the party hierarchy has turned on its sweetheart.

Is this simply a plot by McCain staffers to cast the blame? Or is there now a concerted effort by Republicans to bury her now, before she buries them again in 2012?

Gannett CEO Craig Dubow Takes One for the Team (Kind Of)

Craig Dubow, taking slightly more responsibility than the leading brand

Gannett, owner of The Tennessean and the nation's largest newspaper company, has long been considered the industry's Dark Knight. It had a reputation for lower wages, second-tier journalism, and a name for putting costs before quality. It was also the leader in pushing profit margins toward 30 percent, even while advertisers and readers were fleeing in legions.

It was, quite naturally, a business plan that couldn't sustain itself. Which is why the company is now hemorrhaging, seemingly stuck in a cycle of laying off thousands of workers at a time.

But at least CEO Craig Dubow is stepping up -- sort of. Earlier this week, he announced he was taking a $200,000 cut off his base salary of $1.2 million. Okay, so it's not like he'll miss it. His total compensation is $7.5 million, meaning he won't be forced to drink rail whiskey anytime soon.

Still, it's a lot better than most of his colleagues in the executive class, who've driven their companies to ruin only to expect continued bonuses for... driving their companies to ruin. And he certainly possesses a greater sense of sacrifice than James L. Shaub II, CEO of SouthEastWaffles.

He oversees 113 Waffle House restaurants in four states, including Tennessee. He also drove said chain to bankruptcy, but still believed he was entitled to a $20,000-a-month salary, apparently the going rate for really sucking at your job. A U.S. Bankruptcy Court didn't agree, a rejected the package last week.

Megan Barry Discovers the Difficulty of Going Green

Everybody says they're green -- until they have to raise a hand to make it happen. That's when even the smallest proposals run into obstacles.

Metro Councilwoman Megan Barry is discovering this with the rather modest proposal she's co-sponsoring to green up new housing developments. It would require subdivisions to include a certain number of trees in their plans, along the lines of 12 per acre.

In the realm of environmental initiatives, this is as pain-free as it gets. Developers simply have to buy a few dozen young trees -- at maybe 5 bucks a pop when bought in bulk -- in exchange for bulldozing virgin land. Nashville gets the benefits of going greener, while developers get to brag about how they're helping the environment.

The proverbial win-win, eh?

But the Home Builders Association is refusing to follow the script, claiming Barry's deal will create "unnecessary regulation that adds another layer of bureaucracy." (The preceding line was stolen from every objection to every new business regulation since 1981.)

The Metro Council will hold hearings tonight at 6 p.m.

In related news, the Mayor's Green Ribbon Committee is holding public meetings to get input on how to make Nashville “the greenest city in the Southeast.” You'll find a list of sites and dates after the jump.

Darcy Hordichuk: The NHL's 7th Best Fighter for the Buck

Hordichuk in action against famed sociopath Chris Simon

Leave it to Forbes, king of financial lists, to come up with this rather weird assessment: Former Predator Darcy Hordichuk is the NHL's seventh best fighter per dollar

The rankings are based on fights won compared to salary. It's not exactly the most scientific survey, so we'll let Forbes explain:

To determine the best fighters for the buck, we compared player fighting stats since the start of the 2006-07 season to their pay last year. Since a game's momentum usually swings to the team whose player prevails in a fight, we awarded a bonus for each win and subtracted points for each loss, as determined by fan voting at hockeyfights.com, an online Mecca for pugilism at the rink.

Hordichuk, now with the Vancouver Canucks, finished 7th. Jordin Tootoo, hero to short people everywhere, finished 13th.

Tennessee Democrats Have Only Themselves to Blame

Maybe it's good that Phillip Pinion is retiring

The Delusional Quote of the Day Award goes to departing state Rep. Phillip Pinion, who had this to say about the ass-whupping his party took at the hands of Republicans yesterday:

“The top of the ticket lost it for Tennessee. We lost strong Democratic districts basically due to a lack of support from the national Democratic Party. The state party put up a good fight, but without national help they were hamstrung.”

Seriously?

Forget for a moment that Barack Obama produced the largest Democratic margins since LBJ, pulling in previously unwinnable states like Virginia, Indiana, Colorado and Nevada. Though it’s too close to call this morning, he may also bring home North Carolina.

Let’s also forget that Phil Bredesen warned Obama against campaigning here, saying all was lost. And that the good governor rather condescendingly lectured Obama on courting the Wal-Mart vote.

While we’re at it, let’s also blow off the fact that Tennessee Dems failed to recruit a decent challenger to Lamar Alexander. In North Carolina, their party knocked off Senator Elizabeth Dole. In New Hampshire, they took down Senator John Sununu. And in Georgia, Senator Saxby Chambliss may be forced into a run-off (though it’s too early to tell).

Politico: Things to Watch for in Tonight's Election

If Obama loses Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, he's done.

An interesting piece from Politico on things to watch for tonight:

FIRST ROUND KNOCKOUT. Eastern Indiana reports at 6 p.m., with polling places in the western part of the state closing an hour later. The networks often start reporting results at 6 — and battleground Indiana should provide an immediate read on the night. Obama and McCain are deadlocked in the polls here — and no Democrat has carried the state since ’64 — so an Obama win would spell trouble for McCain. But a big McCain win here could cast immediate doubt on feel-good Obama polling elsewhere.

FRAUD ALERT. The Hoosier State will also provide an indication of whether the GOP claims of potential voter fraud are hype or a serious threat. Lake County, home of Gary and East Chicago, bungled the count during the May 6 primary, and good-government experts say a slowdown today or widespread allegations of shenanigans could augur serious problems around the country. Other counties with potential problems, according to experts: Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland); Palm Beach County, Fla., yet again; Denver; Richmond, Va.

SIGN MCCAIN IS FEELING THE HEAT. He loses Pennsylvania, (where he trails by 4 points to 14 points) after camping out in the Keystone State for much of the week. A key metric for McCain: Obama’s advantage coming out of Philadelphia. If it’s much more than the 412,000-vote edge enjoyed by John F. Kerry in 2004, McCain’s headed for a loss. (Closing time: 8 p.m.)

SIGN MCCAIN IS IN HOT WATER. If Obama wins any one of the following states: Ohio (7:30 p.m.), Virginia (7 p.m.), North Carolina (7:30 p.m.) or Florida (8 p.m.).

SIGN MCCAIN IS COOKED. If Obama wins two of them.

SIGN MCCAIN IS TOTALLY TOAST. He loses Georgia (7 p.m.), where he once enjoyed a 20-plus-point lead.

OBAMAPOCALYPSE. Obama is more or less finished if he loses Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida — with the stat wizards at FiveThirtyEight.com giving him only a 9.76 percent chance of victory if he loses the battleground trifecta.

Health Care Reform May Not Be Good for Nashville’s Insurers

The Tennessean ran a rather sunny story on Sunday about the resilience of Nashville’s economy. According to Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ron Samuels, Middle Tennessee is somewhat weather resistant to crisis.

The story points to our relatively stable housing, absence of industrial jobs, and a boatload of colleges, the last of which seems to be the one recurring motif in prosperous cities from Austin to Boston.

What the story doesn’t mention is our reliance on the health care industry. It’s easy to amass profits when insurers can jack rates 10-20 percent every year, while simultaneously slashing medicines or treatments deemed too expensive to cover. But no matter who wins the presidency today, they’re going to come gunning for health care reform.

Yeah, I hear you: We haven’t taken a serious shot at this since Clinton’s first term. And if Obama wins, there’s a good chance Democrats will weenie out, because that’s what they do. If McCain wins, we’ll likely stay the course, since there’s just too much campaign money coming in from Big Health.

But with the cost of health care strangling businesses and crushing consumer spending – it more than eats any raise you receive every year – something’s gotta give. And any real reform will have to take a bite from health insurers.

Is a GM Bailout Just Throwing Good Money After Bad?

The problem with bailing out Wall Street is that it sets a precedent for every poorly-managed company to come hat in hand. And when it comes to bad management, you'll find no better benchmark than GM.

Reuters reports today that company is requesting an additional $10 billion from taxpayers in anticipation of its merger with Chrysler. This comes on top of the $25 billion the government has already pledged in low-interest loans. Ford, naturally, wants a similar welfare package.

Governors from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware and South Dakota have joined GM's lobbying campaign, as has the Business Roundtable, a group of the country's most powerful CEOs. So far, the Bush administration has refused.

At the risk of cursing my soul for eternity, I'm inclined to agree with Bush.

No doubt GM's collapse would be catastrophic. Though such stats are always exaggerated to make a point, the Chrysler merger alone is expected to kill upwards of 140,000 jobs when suppliers are included. And as The Tennessean writes today, GM's troubles are already delivering a beating to local dealerships.

But providing more welfare to GM should at least come with the slight possibility of getting it back some day. That dog doesn't only suck at hunting; it never even leaves the porch.

Thirty-five years after the first oil crisis, GM remains remains wedded to the low-mileage, high sticker price sale. When I turn on the TV, I don't see commercials for inexpensive cars that get 30-some miles-per-gallon. I see the fabulous new Cadillac Escalade hybred, which boasts of 20 miles-per-gallon in the city -- as if that's an achievement -- and a $40,000+ price tag. (See ad above.)

So this is GM's plan for profitability? Convince broke people in the middle of a depression that they need a $40,000 truck that gets shitty mileage?

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that no amount of money could stop morons like this from going under.

Is Anybody Buying the Whole "Socialism" Slur?

One of the weirdest things about this election season is the rebirth of "socialism" as a means to slur your enemy. Not only is it archaic and criminally unimaginative, but it's wholly disingenuous, since applies to pretty much every politician in America.

Think about it: Damn near everything federal, state and local governments do can be construed as socialist to varying degrees. The Wall Street bailout? Socialism. Public funding for LP Field? Socialism. Incentives to relocate Nissan? Socialism. Taxing oil production in Alaska? Socialism.

Maybe I'm naive, but I can't believe people are dumb enough to buy a recycled slur from the 1950s, especially when their own candidates are just as guilty as their enemies. Is this just politicians yammering, or are there actually people out there falling for this?

Good News on English-First -- If It's True

A poll commissioned by The Tennessean indicates that if the English-First referendum was held today, the measure would be narrowly defeated by a 47-46 point margin.

That's good news for Nashville, since the measure would do little to change the way Metro government does business, other than announcing to the outside world, "We really don't like Mexicans very much." It also comes as something of a surprise, since most political rail jockeys seem to believe referendum will be overwhelmingly approved.

But, alas, the poll may be statistically irrelevant. The Michigan pollster commissioned by the paper only surveyed 200 people, and the margin of error is an elevated 6 percent. Moreover, the election doesn't occur until January 22 (and may cost as much as $500,000 in the middle of a depression).

So while this is a nice piece of news, it's certainly way too early to break out the shots.

We're No. 1: Finally, the Titans Get Respect

Only the boys in powder blue can save us from non-stop discussion concerning what Terrell Owens whined about this week.

They had to reach 7-0 to do it, but the Titans are finally getting some respect. In Yahoo's NFL power rankings this week, the Titans are No. 1.

This, my friends, is not just good for Tennessee, but good for the country. Maybe ESPN and the network pregame shows will finally stop talking about the Giants and what Terrell Owens whined about recently, and start talking about the manliest team in the land.

As Yahoo's Michael Silver writes: "Go ahead and start printing those cheesy 'AFC South Champions' T-shirts."

Will the Election Rekindle the South’s Bad Old Reputation?

Are people going to think we've all turned George Wallace again?

Blogger Sean Braisted raises some interesting – and damning – stats about white voters in the coming election.

Whitey, of course, has been moving Republican for more than two decades now. But the prospect of an Obama blowout is changing that, at least for this year. The Democrat owns a comfortable lead among whites in both East and West, and is tied with McCain in the Midwest. The South, however, is an entirely different story. Braisted points to a Washington Post report showing Obama getting hammered among Southern whites by a 2-1 margin, the worst Democratic beating since George McGovern.

Just because Southerners are voting McCain doesn’t mean they’re necessarily racist. Conservatives, after all, can’t be expected to cotton up to one the Senate’s most liberal members. But if the election proves to be a landslide, and the South still treats Obama like the new McGovern, the rest of the country will take a closer look at the numbers. And when they see a black guy getting crushed by what they consider to be a weak candidate, they’re bound to view us as three-toothed Nazis. And that ain’t good.

The South’s economic rise is directly related to its ability shed its backward image. Do you think the next Nissan will move here if execs think they’re relocating to a modernized version of Klan country?