Marc Ambinder (Free subscription) | yesterday
The 2010 midterms are just around the corner (sort of). Here's what's happening: Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D) announced he will challenge Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC); a Mason Dixon poll shows Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) tied with GOP challenger Joe Heck; Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne (D) is considering a run against Sen. David Vitter (R-LA); state Sen. Roy Herron has emerged as the leading...
Marc Ambinder (Free subscription) | yesterday
Imagine, if you will, that in a secret subbasement of the White House, in a padlocked room surrounded by an impenetrable steel barrier, David Axelrod is putting the finishing touches on a machine that would generate a proton-driven plasma wakefield, pushing the country months into the future; we'd come out of our collective flash forward right before the November 2010 election. I don't think Axelrod...
Underdog (Free subscription) | 12/05/2009
John Tanner Will not Seek Re-election in Tennessee District#8 by Don Jones...12/05/09 After over twenty years in Congress, John Tanner will not seek re-election to our Tennessee District#8-Congressional seat ! I have purposely waited until the smoke and mirrors have cleared. Overall, Cong. Tanner did a descent job ! He did`nt always vote the way, I thought he should have. But as he told me once, I...
Orlando Sentinel (Free subscription) | 12/05/2009
Ruling is blow to rival Harry Shorstein, who is seeking a U.S. attorney appointment More than 16 months after losing re-election over a controversial grand jury report, former State Attorney John Tanner has discredited his legal nemesis, Harry Shorstein, by winning the release of previously-secret court documents today.
Newscoma (Free subscription) | 12/04/2009
Tennessee politics can be a very interesting thing. This year we have seen the Jason Mumpower/Kent Williams hootenanny, a crowded race for governor on both sides of the spectrum (I’m not talking about that one) and this week’s hokey pokey with the announcement of John Tanner citing he wasn’t going to run for another term, [...]
A trainwreck in Maxwell (Free subscription) | 12/04/2009
Politico has an idea that those Blue Dogs retiring from D.C. might probably be a good thing. See we the Republicans will probably gain seats in the 2010 elections- BUT those Dems don't have to worry about getting re-elected again, do they? Tennessee Rep. John Tanner’s decision to step down at the end of his term has Democrats worried that a trickle of retirements will turn into a flood. Democrats...
Liberadio(!) (Free subscription) | 12/04/2009
So this has been quite a week for politics in Tennessee. First, news broke that long-serving West Tennessee congressman John Tanner would not seek re-election in 2010. Almost immediately after that announcement, state senator Roy Herron, who had been doing quite well seeking the Democratic gubernatorial primary nod, announced that he would instead seek the [...]
Bill Baar's West Side (Free subscription) | 12/04/2009
Take away quote from today’s blogger conference call with House Chief Deputy Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA_ and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) in response to a question about Blue Dog Democrats retiring rather than face steep uphill campaigns next year: The nutty left is destroying the sane center of the Democratic Party. Look no further than Lisa Madigan’s...
Tony Phyrillas (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
With political observers predicting a bloodbath for Congressional Democrats in 2010, will incumbents bail out rather than face angry voters? From POLITICO: Tennessee Rep. John Tanner's decision to step down at the end of his term has Democrats worried that a trickle of retirements will turn into a flood. Democrats won their majority in 2006 — and built on it in 2008 — in large part by running...
CQ (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
If Republicans wanted the retirement decision of Democratic Rep. John Tanner to send shock waves through the opposition party, it wasn’t immediately apparent.
CQ (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
While they rarely targeted the seat during his 11 terms, Democratic Rep. John Tanner’s retirement now gives Republicans a juicy opportunity in Tennessee, prompting CQ Politics to change the rating of the 8th district race from to Tossup.
OpenSecrets.org (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) makes the second member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition in the last two weeks to announce that he'll be retiring at the end of his term, leaving the Blue Dogs to find new members of their pack.
United Conservatives of Virginia (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
Washington Examiner Political Digest Chris Stirewalt - Obama delivers a cynical speech to a cynical nation The biggest casualty in Tuesday night's speech was Obama's credibility. Even his detractors were taken aback that he would be so calculating, even on matters of life and death. Michael Barone - Are Democrats exiting the sinking ship? Part 2 The Hotline reports that Congressman John Tanner of the...
Marc Ambinder (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
The 2010 midterms are just around the corner (sort of). Here's what's happening: Prominent Blue Dog Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) will retire at the end of his term, giving Republicans a chance for a pickup; former McCain organizer Lang Sias will announce his challenge to sophomore Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) tomorrow; former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman (D) is running a TV ad in the race for President...
Zandar Versus The Stupid (Free subscription) | 12/02/2009
Long-time Blue Dog Dem John Tanner of Tennessee will join Kansas Blue Dog Dennis Moore in retiring from the House. While Tanner ran unopposed in his last two re-election victories, John McCain won the district by 13 points in last year's presidential contest. But 14 of the 20 state lawmakers in the district are Democrats. The district is located in the northwest portion of Tennessee and includes Jackson....
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