Daily Dose for August 25, 2006

Daily Dose

Bredesen Condition Still Unknown -- There is still no diagnosis on what made Gov. Phil Bredesen ill, his wife, Andrea Conte, said Thursday afternoon. Conte held a press conference with reporters but did not take questions. She says doctors at the Mayo Clinic are still unsure what caused Bredesen's mysterious illness. Bredesen's Press Secretary Lydia Lenker said Bredesen "has not been diagnosed with lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever," two diseases most associated with tick bites. Bredesen's fever has spiked to 103 and 104 degrees. The governor's office has declined requests from The Associated Press for an interview or photograph of Bredesen while he was undergoing the tests at the clinic. The Governor has returned home to Nashville, but remains sick. More from the Chattanoogan, News Sentinel, Commercial Appeal, City Paper, and Tennessean.

More on Ford's Out of State Fundraising -- Harold Ford, Jr. has raised $2.2 million out of state, and Mr. Corker has raised $332,000 from non-Tennessee sources, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. The Chattanooga Times Free Press tackles the issue of Ford's out of state fundraising again, with some apologetics. Donna Brazile, a national Democratic strategist, said Rep. Ford’s out-of-state fundraisers show that he is a key national figure in the Democratic Party. Jennifer Duffy, editor for the Cook Political Report, said out-of-state fundraisers are commonplace because modern elections are expensive. She says anyone who doesn't come to DC to raise money isn't a competitive candidate.

Coop of Coopers -- U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper wants the world to know that he's most certainly not the one who was accused of three felonies by a federal grand jury in Chattanooga this week - that would be State Sen. Jerry Cooper. Cooper says he started getting calls when the other Cooper was indicted.

Corker Gets Subpoena in Enviro-Trial -- Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker on Thursday received a subpoena to allow attorneys to take his deposition in an environmental lawsuit, according to Hamilton County Chancery Court records. Corker is scheduled to testify at 9 a.m. on Oct. 18 in Chattanooga in the lawsuit which challenges changing an enviornmental easement for the development of a WalMart. Corker's CM Ben Mitchell called the lawsuit politically motivated, but both reps from Harold Ford, Jr.'s campaign and the state Democratic Party say they are not party to the lawsuit.

John Ford Still Living the High Life -- You remember when former State Sen. John Ford was in Memphis pleading his case for reduced child support payments? It turns out Ford applied for tags for a new, $80,000 Mercedes on the very day he filed court papers seeking a reduction in his court-ordered child support, with the argument he couldn't afford it. Then, about four weeks ago, Ford bought a $40,000 BMW, said government child support attorney Joe Little. All the while, Little told a Juvenile Court judge, Ford has missed child support payments month after month and hidden bank and tax documents that detail his true income. Ford's lawyer, Edward M. Bearman, blamed the lack of documentation on Ford's income available to the court on poor record keeping.

Posted by Adam Groves | Email This |