At his Nashville rally Bloomberg prioritized defeating Trump, appealed to moderates, and was confronted by a #MedicareForAll supporter & TN-5 candidate Justin Jones, who quoted MLK saying white moderates are a threat to civil rights.
Patriots braved the cold at rallies across TN on the eve of an historic vote to #DefendOurDemocracy.
This is about country, not party. Nobody is above the law. That’s what makes America Great. ??
Dr. Kevin Baron is the Assistant Professor of American Politics at Austin Peay University in Clarksville. He initially posted this as a TWITTER THREAD.
I wrote to my Senators about impeachment, discussing my concerns about the lack of seriousness with which they seem to be taking it, and their endless stream of partisan nonsense.
Here’s the response I got from Senator Marsha Blackburn:
It raises additional concerns.
First off let me begin by noting I’ve spent nearly the past decade studying and researching executive/presidential power, and feel like I know a thing or two about it.
Second, impeachment is nothing like charging an individual with a crime and in continuing this claim Marsha just adds to the confusion over the inherently political process that impeachment actually is.
Aside from the Constitution, we can look to the Federalist Papers – 65 and 66, and in particular Hamilton’s writings on the presidency – to understand Trump’s actions easily meet the supposed “high bar” to which she refers. Courting foreign interference into domestic electoral politics is exactly the kind of thing the Framers were concerned about. For Hamilton, impeachment was Congress’ ultimate check on the executive, just as the president has veto power as a check over Congress.
Next, Marsha claims the House is not and has not been following “due process” – again, impeachment is political, not legal, so there is no due process in the same sense as in our legal/judicial system, as the process is established by existing rules and precedent, and by any rules that a majority of the House agrees to – just as in the Senate for the trial, whereby the Senate will have to have a majority vote to change or create new rules.
Last, Blackburn’s “concern” over the process of the House is not justified in reality. If she were even paying attention to a modest amount of coverage she would see the process unfolding exactly as the House has determined, but the bigger issue is that if Blackburn were truly concerned and cared about the Constitution she would be preparing to take the entire process, especially her role in the Senate, seriously – which from where I’m sitting does not seem to be happening. It also raises concerns as to why she would block election security bills and other efforts to protect elections in the US and ensure voting rights for all Tennesseans.
While I appreciate the fact that her office responded to my comments, I really don’t expect that she’ll be keeping my comments in her thoughts during this process.
“How is rejecting $1 BILLION/year in Medicaid Expansion funds helping TN’s rural communities?”
TN is #1 in MEDICAL BANKRUPTCIES & HOSPITAL CLOSURES. Maternal mortality of a 3rd world country.
Gov. Lee says a BLOCK GRANT means MORE?, but facts disagree.
Below is our interview with Tammy Hatcher, who runs Maury County’s Confederate Christmas Ball, which Natalie Allison of The Tennessean tweeted about earlier today:
Very normal holiday festivity, because nothing screams Christmas like the Confederacy https://t.co/nhznCnIlVW pic.twitter.com/DxT15bWGoT
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) December 6, 2019
It turns out it is in fact a real thing, taking place tomorrow night in Columbia.
“Step back in time and fill your dance card as you swirl the floor to authentic Reels, Promenades and Waltzes popular during the 1860s. On site dance instruction provided by dance master Mark Orman, period music provided by the 52 Tennessee Band. Light refreshments will be served.
Period dress is a must for participants and optional for spectators. Tickets go on sale October 1st. 2019.
Advanced tickets 30.00 and 35.00 at the door. Spectator tickets (non period dress) 25.00. For tickets and costume rental contact Tammy Hatcher at 931-698-3876 mailing address 4595 Old Sowell Mill Pike Columbia Tennessee 38401.”
We went ahead and called Tammy Hatcher. Here’s what she had to say.
HOLLER: How long has the Confederate Ball been running?
TAMMY: This is our 23rd year.
HOLLER: And how many people generally attend?
TAMMY: Anywhere from 150… I have had 200.
HOLLER: And what kind of events happen there? What is the program?
TAMMY: It’s basically a historic dance. We have a band that plays period music of the time and we dance. We just dance and have a good time. We do serve finger foods. That’s basically what we do.
HOLLER: What’s your background? Are you born and raised in Tennessee?
TAMMY: I am, yes. Born and raised in Columbia. I’ve always been into history.
HOLLER: And how do people dress at the Ball?
TAMMY: They dress in 1860’s period clothes. Spectators are welcome also. They cannot dance. We reserve the dance for period costumed participants.
HOLLER: Is there an acknowledgment of the racial aspect of it?
TAMMY: No. I have black folks that come. It’s not racially divided in any way. And no – we don’t do speeches, we don’t talk about anything, we dance. That’s all we do.
Tammy then asked about the Tennessee Holler.
TAMMY: Do y’all take… I don’t know how to say this without sounding ugly – there are a lot of people who don’t like people that do what we do. Are y’all on board with that train?
HOLLER: What train is that?
TAMMY: The one that’s trying to cover up our history, tear down our monuments… a lot of people like to advocate for certain kinds of things, and I don’t have any tolerance for those kinds of people. I don’t oppose to anybody knowing what we do. We’ve done it for years. We get together, we dance, and we have a good time. It’s not political. It’s not racial. It’s not anybody trying to segregate or… you know, be ugly to any one group of people.
HOLLER: Seems like what they would say probably is if it’s a celebration of the Confederacy that tends to rub people the wrong way.
TAMMY: It is a celebration of our history. We dance, and we have a good time. That is all we do. It is a Christmas celebration. We just picked the year 1860… but just because I have the word “confederate” in it, I don’t want anybody trying to stir up shit. Because the word “confederate” should not offend anybody. And it does offend a lot of people. But it shouldn’t. It’s ridiculous.
HOLLER: But sometimes the person who gets offended can’t control what offends them, right?
TAMMY: Well that’s true. And that’s what’s wrong with our society today. People can’t seem to control themselves. Just because they’re offended they think everybody else should be offended, and everything should be changed because they’re offended. People need to get over being offended. My goodness. I’ve lived 60 years and I can’t tell you the things that offend me and have offended me during my life – but I don’t try to change people because I’m offended… anybody that wants to come, we are a family-friendly event. We have young people come. Up from children to 15-16 year-old teenagers. No alcohol. Very hospitable. Nothing for anybody to be offended by in my opinion.
Eagle-eyed Nashvillians, including Tennessean reporter Natalie Allison, have spotted Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney and consigliere to President Trump and chief Ukrainian arm twister, in Nashville. We’re pretty confident he ain’t here for the hot chicken.
Rumors have swirled: Is he here for visits with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, another notorious Trump defender and smearer of actual patriots?
Allison reported Monday that Giuliani denied being in Tennessee to see local lawyer Jay Sekulow, another Trump attorney.
But, a local attorney well connected in government circles and a reliable Holler source has proposed a theory.
As first reported by Reuters Monday, federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records belonging to Giuliani and his consulting firm. The subpoena doesn’t accuse Giuliani of wrongdoing but does specify the work is part of an investigation of money laundering, wire fraud, campaign finance violations, obstruction of justice, making false statements, and and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As a result, it would have been far better to contact a professional forensic accountant who might be familiar with the basic legal framework for fraud investigations. Anyway, looking at these reports, it would be natural for anyone to assume that he is in the city to meet a criminal defense attorney (if interested, you might want to visit for more information). Nonetheless, this visit could surely do Giuliani a world of good right about now).
Which brings us to our theory: Richard W. Westling, an attorney in Epstein Becker & Green’s Nashville and Washington, DC offices, was added as an integral part of Trump associate Paul Manafort’s defense team in 2018. Prior to that, Westling, who counts both tax law and — Shock! Government and internal investigations — among his expertise, was on the defense team for U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous. Porteous, of Louisiana, was impeached and removed from the bench for perjury in signing false financial disclosure forms under oath.
Westling’s bio on Epstein’s website says: “Clients call upon Mr. Westling when facing complex compliance challenges, government investigations, high-profile enforcement actions, or the prospect of severe criminal, civil, or administrative actions.” (Boldface is ours.)
We left a message with Westling’s office to ask if he’s representing Giuliani, but at publication time, had not heard back.
CULT OF TRUMP author Steven Hassan talks about how Trump is like other cult leaders, how to talk to believers, and more. Interview and CLIPS below!
LISTEN to the interview on our podcast over on iTunes.
FULL INTERVIEW: THE CULT OF TRUMP with Steven Hassan
CLIP: HOW TO REACH BELIEVERS
“Sarah Silverman treated David Weissman with respect, asked him questions… get people to think.” – Steven Hassan stresses the importance of being kind and listening in our attempts to reach believers. #CultOfTrump
CLIP: THE STEREOTYPICAL PROFILE OF DESTRUCTIVE CULT LEADERS
Cult of Trump author Steven Hassan explains how Trump, L. Ron Hubbard, etc. are peas in a pod.
As the House votes to proceed with an impeachment inquiry against President Trump – a vote Republicans have been asking them to take to make it official (you’re welcome!) – and we move closer to an actual impeachment vote, the rhetoric among House Republicans is starting to grow more sinister, to the point where congressman Mark Green has just gone so far as to express support for “Declaring War On Dems”, tweeting a link to an article that says as much with a simple phrase: “What he said.”
To be clear, Republicans are not engaging on the merits of the situation. The article he links to in the tweet does nothing to undercut any of the arguments for impeaching the president or address what he has done.
They don’t want to talk about the fact that Trump’s own Ukraine expert Lt. Col. Vindman told congress he reported Trump’s conduct to his superiors twice and tried unsuccessfully to fix the doctored transcript of Trump’s “perfect” call, which was then hidden away. (translation: the cover-up)
They don’t want to talk about Trump’s own ambassador Bill Taylor confirming the “crazy” quid pro quo.
They don’t want to talk about Morrison, another of Trump’s own top national security officials, confirming the quid pro quo just yesterday.
They don’t want to talk about Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s associates – who were working with him on this Ukraine conspiracy, and who were on Trump’s own legal team – being charged with serious campaign finance crimes, and being linked to a Russian mob-tied oligarch Dmytro Firtash, who is close with Putin, and who himself is wanted for crimes.
Whenever Paul Manafort is in the news for all of his crimes I think of this clip.
“Trump has no financial relationships with any Russian oligarchs?”
Paul Manafort: *mumbles into oblivion*pic.twitter.com/6fy7ioG0vY
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) June 5, 2018
Yes, Trump shared a legal team with a Russian oligarch linked to the mafia, and Putin.
The list goes on.
The truth is clear. The president did bring the force of the United States government to bear on an ally under duress, withholding key military aid and other necessary help against Putin’s aggressions to pressure them to investigate his chief political rival Joe Biden.
A quid pro quo if ever there was one.
But instead of standing up to all of that and doing – or at least SAYING – what’s right, as many other prominent Republicans are (not enough though), Green is instead joining the fight against those who are standing up to defend this country.
To be clear, the “declaration of war” article Mark Green links to makes no arguments on the merits. It’s a diatribe of whining and complaining about a situation they don’t like, because Republicans don’t want to answer the key question: “Is it right for a president to pressure a foreign government to investigate political opponents and get involved with our elections?”
Time after time, Republicans have been left looking silly as they try to dodge this very simple, very obvious question.
Instead they attack the process – “behind closed doors!” “We need a vote!” “They’re not letting us in!” – and now that all of those things have been addressed, with the inquiry moving into the public view, a vote having been held, and the revelation that Mark Green, who is fundraising off of being kept out of the hearings, WAS ALLOWED IN THE HEARINGS, because he was on the committee… they’re ratcheting up the rhetoric.
Declaring war.
One would think Mark Green would be extra careful about how he speaks about matters of “war”, considering he’ll be the first to tell you he’s an army doctor who spent the night with Saddam, and made sure to write a book about it. (So far he won’t release his un-redacted discharge papers, and has taken to calling constituents who ask him about his rumored less-than-honorable-discharge liars, but that’s a story for a different day).
The truth is, many Democrats didn’t want to take this step. Impeaching a president is not to be done lightly, even if Republicans did do it to Clinton for a FAR more trivial issue.
But at a certain point, when you have a con man in the White House using the constitution like toilet paper and the Oval Office like an ATM Machine, with scores of his allies and Russian mafia-linked henchmen behind bars and charged with crimes, somebody has to stand up for what’s right.
Or else, as Pelosi says, what do we have left? If they don’t impeach, it says everything Trump is doing is ok. And it isn’t.
Somebody has to put country first. Clearly, the Mark Greens of the world will not, as he admitted with his George Washington quote yesterday, which made it clear Green has no problem putting the president before the country.
“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable.” -George Washington
We need to stick together, though we are the minority, because fighting for @realDonaldTrump today is fighting for our Nation tomorrow.
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) October 31, 2019
Last we checked, the oath Green and everyone he serves with took was to protect this country and the constitution from all enemies, foreign AND domestic, not to protect a president who puts himself above all else.
But perhaps Green can relate to that sentiment?
The bottom line is this: As Democrats, many prominent Republicans, and highly decorated ex-military members of Trump’s own cabinet are doing their patriotic duty, standing up for what’s right in the face of tremendous pressure and at great risk to themselves and their families, instead of joining them, Rep. Mark Green is joining the effort to”declare war” on them.
He may think he’s declaring war on Democrats, but the truth is by “declaring war” on those who stand up to this president and the damage he’s doing to our nation, Mark Green is not declaring war on Democrats – he’s declaring war on law and order, the constitution, and real American values.
Justin Kanew is the co-founder of the Holler
(Kiran Sreepada is running against Green in 2020)
Yesterday a total of THREE election security bills introduced by Democrats were blocked by our own Marsha Blackburn, including one that would require campaigns to report foreign interference in our elections to the FBI.
It’s not the first time she has done this. Apparently Marsha is the Republican go-to when it comes to blocking bills to enable more foreign interference in our elections, which should not be a partisan issue.
From THE HILL:
Election security has become a point of contention during the Trump era. House Democrats have passed several election-related bills, including a sweeping ethics and election reform measure, but they’ve hit a wall in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tried to pass legislation that would require campaign officials to report contacts with foreign nationals who are trying to make donations or coordinate with the campaign to the Federal Election Commission, which would notify the FBI.
“The alarm bells are going off and what are we doing? We’re running out of time to do something about it,” Warner said from the Senate floor.
Obviously Democrats are in the middle of an impeachment inquiry focused on Trump asking Ukraine to investigate former Biden and his son and holding up aid to pressure them, which Trump’s own people have admitted he did.
Intelligence agencies have also said the Russians are still doing it, and will do it again.
Marsha clearly doesn’t care as long as it helps her team, no matter what it does to the very fabric of our Democracy.
It’s worth remembering that we just recently learned that the NRA was a key point of focus for the Russians, and that multiple people associated with the NRA were actually Russian agents using the group to gain access to conservative power players… and that the point of entry for them was actually right here in Tennessee, through associates of Blackburn.
When we say “Moscow Marsha”, we’re not just being cute.
Marsha’s quote about blocking efforts to protect our elections is especially delicious.
“You know, it’s not a good sign if you’re doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
As a reminder, the house voted over 50 times to repeal Obamacare while Marsha was there.
If you think Marsha is damaging our country with her behavior, HOLLER at her HERE.
Watch Trump supporters march at the Capitol, where they were met by counter-protestors and had a heated exchange.