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Today, Ford showed up at Corker's press conference. The press conference was meant to employ the only campaign strategy Corker has left, attack Ford's family. The Ford family definitely has problems. They may be the only real reason Harold Ford isn't far ahead in the polls, and as long as Harold's younger brother Jake continues to spectacularly and publicly torpedo his own campaign for the 9th district seat ( LINK, LINK, LINK), the family business will remain in the spotlight.  

Thers are his words, not mine. They guy is a lawyer. Unless he's just crazy, there's no way in hell he's going to make a prepared statement like this without first vetting it and making sure it is accurate.

Ah Don Sundquist... The man who decimated Tennessee's health care system, raised sales taxes to nearly 10%, and left a huge mess for the Democratic governor to clean up...

WHO BETTER TO HEAD UP AN ADVISORY PANEL ON MEDICAID???

So I have tried to participate in the credit card "boycott" (for lack of a better  term) that people have been promoting. This is the one where you take their envelope and mail them a letter telling them why you won't be applying for their stinkin' card. I've sent a few envelopes back. But I don't get too many as it is, so I've only sent a few.

So there isn't much we can do. I called my Senator (Frist, what a waste of time). Now that it is passing, I have a protest idea.

Why don't we all cancel our accounts and cut up all our credit cards and send them to Bush. Be sure when you call to inform your card company why they are losing you as a customer.

There isn't much we can do but try to make a statement. I know Bush won't give a rats ass, but I bet if enough people cancel their cards the companies will.

The president, who has emphasized his desire to build an "ownership society," sketched a vision for the nation's health system radically different from today's employer-based, government-supported system.

In Bush's formulation, individuals, not their employers, would pay for health care, thus giving them an incentive to keep spending low. The government would help out with tax breaks allowing people to save money for medical expenses by using tax-free Health Savings Accounts.

Even if you HAVE health care, you are going to lose it. Good luck with that alternative medicine!

Williamson county is lovely, but it is where all the filthy rich people live. They went for Bu$h last time. It's not their kids dying in Iraq, and they got their tax cuts, so they most likely will go for Bu$h again. There may be a few poor souls voting for Kerry that have been nearly run down by the spoiled rich kids in their new pickup trucks in the square on Saturday night (if you've been there you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!), but they won't be the majority.

But if you remember Gore only lost TN by 80k votes (East TN), anything can happen. Apparently moveon.org agrees, as they have started running ads here. These are the first national political ads I've seen this whole election cycle.

There are nearly 400 thousand new voter registrations as of October 18th. I don't have the exact number, but that is way up from the last election year. I think it's safe to say the majority of those are Democrats or disgusted Republicans intending to vote for Kerry. Registration on college campuses is WAY up. The "youth vote" will be a huge factor.

Hostility is still rampant. People are constantly having their yard signs stolen and destroyed. Wearing a Kerry button or t-shirt out in public is sure to get you heckled. But I think Bush's taking TN for granted could be his downfall here. We are lucky, we've had NO presidential tv ads. So wouldn't it be great if they just looked the other way while TN went to Kerry? EDIT: I forgot to mention how the Memphis paper, The Commercial Appeal, endorsed Kerry. This is usually a really Repuglican paper. It's quite something for them to endorse Kerry.

As people are making follow up calls to those registered during the Women for KerryEdwards Voter Registration initiative, I have just received a disturbing report.  Apparently an unidentified someone called and told a newly registered voter to be sure to vote on November 3rd. 

This dirty trick was used by the republicans during the 2000 election.  We must be vigilant, make our follow up calls, and make sure those we registered KNOW when they can vote, and KNOW not to pay any attention to phone calls from anyone other than the Women for KerryEdwards volunteers.

While not a surprise, this is a scary tactic that we must counter with ACCURATE information.  I will also be asking the newspaper to address this issue...of course we can't depend on that.  This makes the Women for KerryEdwards Follow Up calls even more critical...we must get the word out and make sure we counter this misinformation at every opportunity.

With this development, it only emphasizes how much we REALLY NEED people to step up and volunteer to work at the polls Tuesday, November 2nd.  We need to have EVERY precinct staffed outside.  We need volunteers holding signs outside the polling places, offering assistance to anyone denied their right to vote. 

http://www.sbgi.net/business/television.shtml   

I urge everyone to contact these companies and inform them of your distaste for Sinclair's decision to mandate all their stations broadcast a hour-long film, "Stolen Honor", which slams John Kerry's distinguished military service, and his courageous efforts to bring the war to an end upon his return. The website of the film is here:

http://www.stolenhonor.com/

With the exception of the NFL, I have not included ads for television shows that are aired on Sinclair stations as the producers of these shows rarely have any leverage over these matters. The NFL is listed because it is a corporation more than a TV show.

The reason it made me cry is that I couldn't believe the irresponsibility. I couldn't believe that Bush and his people would allow these children to be endangered. My point of reference is this: I am a substitute teacher and I also live in a county that gets it's share of severe weather, including tornados. The Bush administration says they were trying to "project calm". This is garbage. Common sense says that if the country is under a terrorist attack, the president is a likely target. However farfetched that may be, he should have left the building immediately. In my case, when I hear the tornado siren go off, it means that there is a tornado SOMEWHERE in the county. It could be twenty miles away. But we still move all the kids into the hallway. It isn't worth the risk in "guessing" how far away the tornado is, and the likelihood that it will hit us. Calmly and without delay we move into the hallway. Anything less could cost me my job.

The arrogance of Bush and his disregard for these kids is appalling. It should cost him his job.