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Daily Dose for July 15, 2008
A Created Controversy
A Created Controversy -- Late last week, A.C. Kleinheider at the Post Politics blog released an email sent from TN GOP Chair Robin Smith to Gov. Phil Bredesen, defending herself against accusations that her tactics as TN GOP Chair might be considered racist, even though she previously served on the State's Human Rights Commission. Now it has been revealed that it was actually the TN Democratic Party that leaked the correspondence after obtaining it in a public records request for the email. Now Republicans are unclear about how their Democratic counterparts learned of the letter. The KNS reports that Dem Press Sec. Wade Munday requested the letter after "hearing rumors that it existed around Legislative Plaza." But the Democratic Party's open records request for the email showed that they had advance knowledge of when it was sent. TN GOP Spokesman Bill Hobbs on his blog, accuses Bill Mason, Director of Community Affairs for Bredesen with leaking the letter to the press and the Democratic Party before an open records request was sent. More here.
Harold Ford Warned John on TennCare -- The prosecution rested its case in former State Sen. John Ford's trial yesterday after playing a tape in which former Congressman Harold Ford, Sr. warns his brother John that he should stop making money off TennCare contractors. That call was recorded on a federal wiretap after the Commercial Appeal reported that Ford had received huge amounts of undisclosed consulting fees from TennCare contractors, which he didn't report. More here.
Senate Looking Good for GOP -- The City Paper reports that the State Senate is still looking good for Republican retention, despite a national mood hostile to the GOP. Republican state Senate candidates have fund-raising advantages in four of the five races in swing districts. Those seats include two incumbents in State Sen. Diane Black and Jim Tracy and an open seat formerly belonging to Dem Tommy Kilby in which the Republican Ken Yager leads. The GOP also holds the advantage for Independent Sen. Mike Williams' seat, where Mike Faulk holds the lead. Dems lead in the effort to replace former Lt. Gov. John Wilder. Democrat Randy Camp leads Rep. Delores Gresham in that races' fundraising hunt.
Corker Said Congressional Action Required for Offshore Drilling -- Sen. Bob Corker said it will take Congressional action to authorize drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Corker: "Lifting the executive ban won’t produce one drop of oil on its own, but the president’s actions are an important first step in a two-step process to produce more energy here in the U.S., lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and lower prices at the pump." Corker advocated Congress pass the Gas Price Reduction Act that frees up domestic oil production in the U.S.
