Posts

SAVE THE DATE – U.S. SENATE DEBATE! (Oct. 16th)

SAVE THE DATE: U.S. SENATE RACE DEBATE!

October 16th in Franklin, at city hall, we have invited both Gloria Johnson and Marsha Blackburn to participate in a debate. Gloria has accepted. No response from Marsha yet.

Ok y’all, after months of pounding the table to try to get another outlet to hold a U.S. senate race debate with or without Marsha Blackburn, we have decided to do it ourselves.

We invited Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson to participate in a debate at City Hall in Franklin, TN on October 16th at 530PM CST.

Gloria has confirmed she will be there.
Marsha has yet to respond.

If Marsha is a no-show, there will be an empty podium in her place – just like they did in Georgia when Perdue refused to debate Ossoff.

We were hoping other outlets would step up and do this, but since nobody else is going to, we will.

There are around 150 seats inside the room give or take, plus an overflow hallway. It will be accommodated on a first come first served basis.

It will also be STREAMED LIVE on all our social media feeds, so if you can’t be there in person definitely plan on being there online.

And please share the announcement posts so as many people as possible know this is happening: On Twitter, On Facebook, On Instagram, On TikTok, On Threads

We are not charging for tickets or making any money here, but there are a few costs associated with it so if you feel like Chipping in a few bucks to support what we do in general, as always we appreciate it! Make it MONTHLY and get a Holler hat!  (or on SQUARE) 

See you October 16th in Franklin!

The Holler
BUYING OR SELLING A HOME IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE? HOLLER AT REALTOR ELISA PARKER! SERVING MIDDLE TN FOR 20+ YEARS… SUPPORT US BY SUPPORTING HER! 

LOOKING FOR AN ATTORNEY? HOLLER AT ABBY RUBENFELD.   FAMILY LAW, CIVIL RIGHTS, EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, PERSONAL INJURY, WILLS,  DUI… ABBY STRONGLY BELIEVES EVERYONE SHOULD BE PROTECTED REGARDLESS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.  SHE ROCKS.

Interested in sponsoring? Email:[email protected]

DONATE

TN Media Must Make Marsha Debate

 

MAKE MARSHA DEBATE

The Tennessean says Blackburn hasn’t responded, but Georgia shows there’s precedent for holding the debate with an empty podium


We have said it before, and we’ll say it again: We deserve to see Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson debate. Marsha debated Bredesen, she should debate Gloria. No excuses.

And when we say debate, we mean DEBATE. Not back to back interviews where Marsha talks, then Gloria talks. That’s the coward’s way out, and it’s the one Governor Lee took when Dr. Martin was running against him.

By offering that option the Tennessean helped Lee hide. Gloria should NOT accept the Tennessean offering to interview them one after the other.

David Plazas writes in the TENNESSEAN that “Gloria expressed interest in debates, Blackburn has not responded to multiple requests.”

They shouldn’t ask Marsha, they should tell her. Hold the debates, and let her know they will have an empty podium there if she ducks it.

Reminder: Georgia did it. When Perdue ran from Ossoff, Georgia media had an empty podium there as a monument to his cowardice.

There is precedent for having an empty podium when Marsha Blackburn refuses to debate Gloria, and we should have the same courage shown by our media here.

Debates should not be optional for any office, let alone one as important as the United States Senate. We have asked all the outlets what they are planning to do, and you can help us also by using this link to reach out and let us know if they respond.

We will continue to keep up the pressure. Please join us.

And Chip in a few bucks to keep us going if you can – make it MONTHLY and get a Holler hat!  (or on SQUARE) 

The Holler

MARSHA BLACKBURNED ON SNL

MARSHA BLACKBURNED ON SNL

In case you missed it, our own Senator Marsha Blackburn was BLACKBURNED on SNL by the hilarious Cecily Strong after her gross mistreatment of Ketanji Brown Jackson during the Supreme Court nominee hearings last week. 

“Are you jerkin’ my perm… If you don’t know what a woman is, how are you gonna take their rights away?” 🤣🤣🔥🔥

Give Cecily Strong & SNL all the awards for this Senator Marsha Blackburn impersonation… she really captured her essence. Our hope is that they please make this recurring.

Not only did Marsha get roasted for her line of questioning asking KBJ to define “woman” and asking Jackson if she had a “hidden agenda” to incorporate CRT into our legal system… she also completely blew it by mixing up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Ok which one of y’all did this? 🤣

It was cathartic to see Marsha’s antics get the national humiliation they deserve. Marsha continues to be an embarrassment to our state as she does all she can to pander to her (easily fooled) base.

As always, we thank you for follering. Please consider chipping in monthly if you’re not yet doing so, even if it’s just a few bucks – the monthly support truly keeps us going. 

The Holler

BUYING OR SELLING A HOME IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE? HOLLER AT REALTOR ELISA PARKER! SERVING MIDDLE TN FOR 20+ YEARS…
SUPPORT US BY SUPPORTING HER!
CLICK HERE:


Interested in sponsoring? Message us or email: [email protected]

TODAY’S HOLLER:

WATCH: “LET’S JUST MAKE ALL THE MEALS FREE.” An John Ray Clemmons bill to make meals free in Tennessee’s public schools so kids don’t have to try to learn on empty stomachs moves on – despite opposition from John D Ragan (as always🙄)

SPARKS OPEN RACISM😳Republican Rep. Mike Sparks (SMYRNA) baselessly says “RURAL” kids behave better than “INNER CITY” kids – causing Parkinson to react (understandably) — As a Follerer reminds us,  Rep. Sparks should remember his own son b4 baselessly trashing the behavior of “INNER CITY” kids vs. “RURAL” kids. 👇🏽🧐  he fired a gun at beer truck, got his 2nd DUI.

Reminder: Sparks won’t admit the civil war was fought over slavery🧐 
🚨ATTENTION WILLIAMSON COUNTY: Do NOT give disgraced speaker Casada a six-figure county clerk job. Be better than this.
(Also: We fixed his list of “accomplishments” for you👇🏽)

FLASHBACK — CASADA: “IF I WAS RAPED, I WOULD MOVE.” #CancelCasada Confronted by the Holler’s Justin Kanew about supporting a child sex abuser, Disgraced former speaker Glen Casada showed why his caucus made him the shortest serving TN speaker… 😳 Now he wants a $100K+ Williamson County clerk gig?

One other thing to remember as we revisit this conversation — he says Byrd’s victims “CAME INTO MY OFFICE AND SPOKE” — They did not. We’re in touch with them. It’s an outright, stone cold lie.

cc: WILLIAMSON COUNTY #CancelCasada 👇🏽

WILLIAMSON COUNTY — Dems are having an event to introduce local candidates on April 11th at the Admin Complex 👇🏽

TN ED REPORT: “If Governor Lee actually wants to improve student achievement, he’d make a significant investment in teacher salaries… but the real driving force is pro-charter pro-privatization lobbyists….” TLDR: This funding overhaul won’t help our kids. It will only help lobbyists and the companies they represent.


A THREAD on Gov. Lee’s privatization/VOUCHERIZATION of our public education system this week… call your reps…

TN PUBLIC ED: “Perhaps this year’s greatest threat to legislator incumbency is Gov. Lee’s new K-12 funding bill TISA… developed by ALEC, the school privatizing think tank. Do they work for out of state millionaires & billionaires or TN kids?” 🧐 💰

CLEMMONS: “TISA (Gov. Bill Lee’s funding overhaul and privatization) and adding $1 BILLION are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES… we should be putting at least that in anyway.” CLEMMONS on Lee using $1 Billion to hold our kids hostage to push his privatization/charter schools agenda.

👂LISTEN: “(The FBI) wanted to get MLK to Memphis where daddy & them could handle it.” On the anniversary of MLK’s murder, an MLK TAPES clip — The son of the head of the Dixie Mafia says the FBI & Memphis police engaged his family to assassinate MLK.

MLK was assassinated 54 years ago today. At the Lorraine Motel. If you’re not listening to THE MLK TAPES you should be. It makes a compelling case that the FBI & Memphis police engaged the “Dixie Mafia” to do it. (The King family does not believe it was James Earl Ray)

Important MLK 50 piece: “The TN Housing Development Authority steers affordable housing into segregated, poor neighborhoods… Of 20 largest states, only TN & FLA don’t reward building in middle-class areas… board has just 1 Black member…”

🙃 a sure sign of a healthy party is when you won’t tell people why they should vote for you until AFTER the election

ICYMI: “Tennessee (Republicans) trying to find a loophole to ban same-sex marriage even if it legalizes child brides” 🎯 nails the framing of this TN GOP outrageousness (bonus points 🏆 for including our videos)

NO CODE OF ETHICS: Of course Republicans are “skeptical” of a SCOTUS code of ethics — it’s a slippery slope… Next people might expect THEM to start behaving ethically. 😳

MASON UPDATE: Majority Black city MASON, TN is now suing comptroller Jason Mumpower for trying to take over their finances (and erase them from the map) right as a Ford plant moves in 4 miles away, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional.

WATCH: Does the NCAA not regulate sports? THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE STATE REACHING IN.” 🏳️‍⚧️ Senator Akbari opposes Hensley’s anti-trans athlete bill, as they prove yet again that The GOP = The Government Overreach Party.

🏳️‍⚧️ WATCH“WHO ARE YOUR MAJOR FUNDERS?” – On the anti-trans athlete bill REP. ANDREW FARMER shields far-right ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM from REP.MIKE STEWART’s Q about anti-public school groups funding them (Kochs, etc..) and their history of arguing to criminalize homosexuality😳 (per The Southern Poverty Law Center)

PSA…

“INFLATION” IS PRICE GOUGING: Any articles about “inflation” that fail to mention skyrocketing corporate profits are running cover for corporate greed…. They aren’t raising prices because they have to. They’re doing it because they can.

😳WATCH: “The richest county in TN generates💰off its own employees?” WILLIAMSON COUNTY charges tuition to kids of (underpaid) teachers who live outside the county. Ugly. EMAIL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: [email protected]

THIS WEEK: House Dems pass a bill legalizing marijuana — all 7 Tennessee Republicans voted NO. GOP = Government Overreach Party

REP. COHEN“The war on drugs failed… marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.” – Cohen rose to support the #MOREAct which would legalize marijuana at the federal level. It passed the House despite All 7 REPUBLICAN reps opposing it.

HIGH TIMES: “TN Legalization Bill Goes Up In Smoke… bill from TN Dems Rep. Bob Freeman & Senator Campbell always had an uphill climb in Tennessee’s Republican-dominated legislature… Gov. Lee has said he is against legalizing pot.” While other states are moving forward, we’re moving backwards.

Reminder: Republicans hate weed… until they can go make a lot of money off of it.

Not only are state Republicans in Tennessee not letting us move forward on marijuana, this session they killed a bill from Republican Bruce Griffey just to put a question on the ballot to ASK Tennesseans if they support medical marijuana. (SPOILER: BECAUSE OVER 80% DO)

WATCH: “WHO COULD BE AGAINST THAT?!” Republicans kill REPUBLICAN State Senator Niceley’s bill regulating Delta-8/Hemp products as Briggs’ ban passes threatening thousands of jobs MOVING US BACKWARDS. Republicans (Rose, White, Gardenhire, Lundberg, Bell, Stevens, Briggs) advanced a ban on Delta 8 and similar hemp-derived products (SB1904) – threatening a $100 million industry and thousands of TN jobs.(powerful booze & pharma lobby, eh?)

SENATOR AKBARI: “This will give a teacher a LICENSE TO BULLY… it is wrong on so many levels.” 🏳️‍⚧️ Akbari opposed the cruel anti-trans pronouns bill, passed in committee by Republicans.

🔥 WATCH – A BIG WIN FOR AMAZON (AND ALL) WORKERS: “THINGS HAVE CHANGED… this is an example of the power people have… they’re gonna have to negotiate with their workers now.” 💪🏽 #UnionStrong #AmazonUnion A win for ALL workers.

Worth remembering LEAKED NOTES from a Bezos-attended meeting showed they planned to smear Chris Smalls, leader of the unionization movement, as “not smart or articulate” 😲😳 that ain’t a dogwhistle, that’s a bullhorn.  #AmazonUnion #UnionStrong

And as AMAZON UNION gets a huge win in NY, here in Tennessee Republicans are getting ready to enshrine anti-union “Right to Work” (aka Right to Exploit) in our state constitution.

3 CLEAR CHARTS that show unions and the middle class go hand in hand — the win today is a win for ALL workers. #UnionStrong #AmazonUnion

WATCH: “KIDS’ LIVES ARE AT STAKE.” Rep. Farmer and the TN GOP ust killed a Gloria Johnson bill to limit outrageous caseloads at TN Dept of Children’s Services – even as kids are dying. (Meanwhile, $500 million for a stadium? Fascinating what we can and *can’t* afford😳)

WATCH: “TN leads 🇺🇸 in shootings involving unsecured weapons and kids.” Republicans kill Rep Gloria Johnson’s Child Access Prevention bill… but pass Sexton’s bill to let guns in parks and lower the carrying age (OF ALL GUNS) to 18. 😳 (TN has 5 of the 65 deadliest cities)

ICYMI: The House also just passed a bill to cap insulin at $35/month 232-193 (12 Republicans joined the Dems) AGAIN: EVERY Tennessee Republican REP VOTED AGAINST IT. 😳

JUST SAYING…

UPDATE: A Dem enters the TN-5 race for congress to fill Cooper’s seat — State Senator Heidi Campbell —- She’ll face off with whoever emerges from a very crowded GOP primary🎪

SOME GOOD NEWS: THE “SUE THY NEIGHBOR” ABORTION BAN & BOUNTY BILL HAS DIED (for now) Keep hollering, y’all! It works. 🤜🏽 👊🏾

Please consider CHIPPING IN MONTHLY to help us grow… make it $10 and we’ll send you a holler hat! (note your address on PayPal and which color you want when you chip in) 
Now on CASH APP: $TNHoller

AND SUPPORT THE TN EQUALITY PROJECT:

FACT-CHECK: MARSHA BLACKBURN

Someone had to fact-check Marsha’s latest senate floor ramblings. We volunteer. 

Hypocrite “Moscow Marsha” AGAIN Blocks Election Security Bills, Paving Way for More Foreign Interference

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.

SPIN MARSHA SPIN: “Border Deal A Win For Trump, Dreamers Should Blame Dems”

Republicans and Democrats in congress struck a border security deal this week which gave President Trump far less than he wanted for his wall.

The deal pledges $1.375 billion for border enhancements like steel-slatted barriers and other “existing technologies”, and $1.7 billion for additional security measures and humanitarian aid. The proposed new “barriers” would account for just 55 miles, which is a far cry from the more than 200 miles the White House sought.

Of the deal, Trump said:

“I can’t say I’m thrilled.”

From the Democrats perspective, they averted a shutdown, agreed to additional border funding which they all support anyway, and didn’t have to go along with an end to end wall which they collectively oppose, and which even some Republicans have said would be a waste of money.

Needless to say, the far right, led by Awful Ann Coulter, isn’t happy about the deal, and has been vocal about calling Trump out for backing down on the shutdown in the first place.


Meanwhile here in Tennessee, ever the good soldier, Marsha Blackburn is putting on a brave face and telling Fox News this is actually a victory for Republicans and encouraging them to thank President in particular, who she rarely has a harsh word for.

In the interview with Fox News Marsha even goes so far as to blame Democrats for the fact that the fate of the Dreamers is still in limbo, even though Trump is the one who threw their status into jeopardy, and the Republicans are obviously the ones still holding them hostage.

Here’s what Marsha told Fox New yesterday, when asked about the deal:

“I’ve got to tell ya, I think it is a loss for the Democrats. Because the president and Republicans had offered to solve the issue around the Dreamers. And I hope that everyone listening to you who has a Dreamer in their family or a Dreamer that is close to them realizes through their obstinance of not coming to the table, Nancy Pelosi not making good on her word to negotiate, that is not a part of what is taking place at this point in time.”

So does that mean we can count Marsha as a vote for a clean Dream Act?

Democrats would pass a clean Dream Act tomorrow. Republicans would not. Marsha blaming Democrats for the situation the Dreamers are in is the hostage-taker blaming the negotiator for not meeting all of their ransom demands.

The onslaught of insults to the intelligence of her viewing audience is endless. Holler at Marsha HERE to let her know you see right through her.