Tennessee Statehood Day event page on Facebook
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Friday, May 31, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Statesmen's Dinner 2019, June 15th. Keynote speaker Senator Todd Young
- June 15, 2019 at 4:30pm – 8:30pm
-
Gaylord Opryland
2800 Opryland Dive
Presidential Ballroom
Nashville, TN 37214
United States
Google map and directions
$250.00 USD
-
Candice Dawkins
candice@tngop.org
TICKETS
$250.00 USD
· Purchase tickets
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Sunday, May 26, 2019
LGBTQ Victory Fund endorces six candidates for Metro Council.
Victory Fund, "the only national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people," has endorsed these candidate for Metro Council.
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WTF endorsed three candidate for Metro Council.
WTF, in this case, stands for the liberal group Women for Tennessee's Future. Why they only endorsed three candidates, I don't know. Anyone endorsed by WTF needs to be defeated. Below is the criteria WTF used to select candidates.
- The candidate must be a woman.
- The candidate must demonstrate a viable path to victory.
- The candidate must demonstrate support for the economic and political empowerment of women and the protection of women’s rights in all arenas.
- The candidate must demonstrate support of federal, state, or local efforts to safeguard health care access and reproductive justice.
I don't know if "women" means any person who identifies as women or real women but as far as I know, there are no transgendered "women" running.
WTF 2019 CURRENT ENDORSEMENTS
Sandra Sepulveda for Nashville Metro Council District 30
Zulfat Suara for Nashville Metro Council at-Large
Councilwoman Nancy VanReece for Nashville Metro Council District 8
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Look who the Central Labor Council endorsed in district council races.
Below is the list of district Metro Council candidates endorsed by the CLC in the upcoming Council races. Of those who got the endorsement, I only support Jonathan Hall, District 1; Larry Hagar, District 11; and Robert Nash in District 27. In the case of Robert Nash, he has no opponent.
An endorsement by the CLC is not reason enough not to support a candidate but is reason to look closely at the candidate with suspicion. I don't know that the candidates promised to support a tax increase or any other policy favored by labor in order to get this endorsement. If anyone has insight as to what candidates had to promise to get this endorsement, please publicly share the information.
In the interest of full disclosure, the first time I ran for Council I had the support of the teachers union (MNEA) and the Central Labor Council and I think another union. I was the most conservative member of the Council during the time I served. I did not get these endorsement any of the times I ran for reelection.
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Saturday, May 25, 2019
Best wishes for a meaningful Memorial Day.
Memorial Day is about more than the start of summer. Teach your children well. Pause to remember.
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DCDP's Mayoral Forum at the Historic Belcourt Theater
From Davidson County Democratic Party:
Mark
your calendars for the upcoming Davidson County Democratic Party
Mayoral Forum, 7:00 pm, Thursday, June 13th at the historic Belcourt
Theatre!
We
have invited the Democrats running for mayor and look forward to
hearing their visions for Nashville as well as their plans to address
the pressing issues facing our city.
Door will open at 6:45 and the forum will begin at 7. Admission is free.
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U.S. News ranks Tennessee as the top state for fiscal stability.
by Rod Williams - U. S. News and World reports that Tennessee is the number one state in the nation for fiscal responsibility. States were ranked for both short-term and long-term fiscal responsibility and then given an overall rating. Tennessee was ranked tops for long-term fiscal responsibility and seventh for short-term fiscal stability and given an overall rating of number one. Ranking below Tennessee for overall fiscal stability was Florida at number two, South Dakota at number three, North Carolina number four and Utah number five.
The worst states in overall ranking begins with Illinois, followed by New Jersey, Alaska, New Mexico, and Connecticut. California was the ninth worst.
The ranking of long-term fiscal stability included a state's ability to cover
long-term pension obligations and issue bonds at a reasonable cost
which is largely dependent on its credit rating. Moody's Investors Service was used for the credit rating component. The pension score was based on research by The Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Tennessee got a perfect score of "1" on both the credit rating and the pension liability factors.
The short-term score looked at how well a state meets its immediate financial obligations and if it had sufficient access to capital to cover short-term liabilities.
It matters who governs.
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Central Labor Council endorses Rep. John Ray Clemmons for Nashville mayor and seven candidates for Council at large
One good reason not to vote for Rep. John Ray Clemmons for mayor is that the Central Labor Council endorses Rep. John Ray Clemmons for Nashville mayor..
In a strategically stupid move, the Central Labor Council endorsed seven candidates for the five Council at-large positions. The Council endorsed Burkley Allen, Fabian Bedne, Sharon Hurt, Gicola Lane, Bob Mendes, Gary Moore and Zulfat Suara.
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Thursday, May 23, 2019
SEIU local union calls for a property tax increase.
The local SEIU union says, Nashville’s budget is broken because taxes are too low and they are calling for a tax increase. To read their pro tax increase appeal follow this link.
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John Cooper for Mayor events
JOHN COOPER 4 MAYOR VOLUNTEER EVENT
Location: 2501 McGavock Pk #300, Nashville, TN 37214
Date: Saturday, June 1 Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm |
COFFEE WITH COOPER AT PHAT BITES
Location: 2730 Lebanon Pike Nashville TN 37214
Date and Time: Thursday, June 6
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am
Date and Time: Thursday, June 6
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am
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Freddie O'Connell Likely to Challenge Residency of Surprise District 19 Opponent
 |
| Joshua Parant |
Rod's Comment: I do not see how living on a month-to-month lease makes one not a legitimate resident of a district. I am supporting Joshua Parant in this race.
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Pastor Howard Jones has announced his candidacy for Metro Council-At-Large.
 |
| Howard Jones |
Jones has been active in the Metropolitan Nashville Community all of his adult life. He has served as the senior pastor of Fairfield for 30 years and has worked in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System for approximately 30 years as well. Jones also served as a Metropolitan Nashville Juvenile Court Probation Officer prior to joining MNPS. (continue reading)
Rod's Comment: I will be posting press releases and links to news stories about various candidates for mayor and Metro Council. This is to assist the public in being informed. Posting of a press release or news link does not indicate an endorsement of the candidate.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Liberal Speak translation guide update.
by Rod Williams, 5-21-2019 - It has only been five months since I updated. Can you believe that five months ago "woke," to most people, meant to wake from literal slumber? The current liberal definition but not in wide use; now it is everywhere. New liberal-speak enters the vocabulary quicker than I can keep up.
Intended for use when listening to NPR, mainstream media, academics and liberal politicians. These terms may also be encountered when talking to any liberal.
Liberal Speak
|
Translation
|
woke
|
To become aware that America is a racist, fascist, evil country, as if awakening from slumber. To become aware of the evils of America and capitalism and see the light of the glory of socialism.
|
mansplaining
|
The explanation of something by a man to a women. This term is used to dismiss what is being explained as condescending. This is a device used by liberal women to avoid logic.
|
cultural appropriation
|
To appreciate the influence of a culture other than your own and to adopt elements of that culture. A white young women wearing a dress cut in the Oriental fashion is an example. Celebrating Cinco de mayo and not being of Hispanic origin is cultural appropriation. It is hard to know what is and what is not. I don't think eating pizza is cultural appropriation.
|
victim-blaming
|
A recognition that bad outcomes may not have occurred if one had exercised prudence, caution, responsibility or wisdom.
|
As in "slut-shaming." an
expression of disapproval, verbal or by body language or facial
expression that you disapprove of someone else's morals, values,
grooming, or looks. It is failure to hide your judgement of another.
| |
Dead-naming
|
Referring
to a male who decides he is a female by his real legal birth name he
used before he adopted his new made up feminine name.
|
immigrant
|
Illegal alien
|
tax expenditures
|
Any of your money you get to keep. The mortgage interest deduction on your home is a "tax expenditure."
|
kinetic military operations
|
War
|
Arsenal of Weapons
|
Gun Collection
|
Disadvantaged
|
Poor
|
Economically challenged
|
Poor
|
Delicate Wetlands
|
Swamps
|
The Underclass
|
Poor
|
Cruelty-Free Materials
|
Synthetic Fiber
|
Heavily Armed
|
Well-protected
|
Narrow-minded
|
Righteous
|
Judgmental
|
Knows right and wrong
|
Your Fair Share
|
More Coerced Theft or your income
|
Commonsense Gun Control
|
Gun Confiscation Plot
|
Illegal Hazardous Explosives
|
Fireworks or Stump Removal
|
Product of conception
|
Unborn Baby
|
Nonviable Tissue Mass
|
Unborn Baby
|
Equal Access to Opportunity
|
Socialism
|
Equal Access to Opportunity
|
Preferential treatment
|
Equal Access to Opportunity
|
Reverse Discrimination
|
Multicultural Community
|
High Crime Area
|
Fairness or Social Progress
|
Marxism
|
Upper Class or "The Rich"
|
Successful People
|
Progressive, Change
|
Big Government Scheme
|
Homeless or Disadvantaged
|
Bums or Welfare Leeches
|
Sniper Rifle
|
Scoped Deer Rifle
|
Investment For the Future
|
Higher Taxes
|
Healthcare Reform
|
Socialized Medicine
|
Extremist, Judgmental, or Hater
|
Conservative
|
Truants
|
Homeschoolers
|
Victim or Oppressed
|
Criminal or Lazy Good-For-Nothing
|
Religious Zealot
|
Church-going, God fearing
|
Fair Trade Coffee
|
Overpriced Yuppie Coffee
|
Bible-thumpers
|
Christians
|
Exploiters or "The Rich"
|
Employers or Land Owners
|
The Gun Lobby
|
NRA Members
|
Assault Weapon
|
Semi-Auto (Grandpa's M1 Carbine)
|
Fiscal Stimulus
|
New Taxes and Higher Taxes
|
Revenue enhancement
|
New Taxes and Higher Taxes
|
Investment for the future
|
New Taxes and Higher Taxes
|
Same Sex Marriage
|
Legalized Perversion
|
Mandated Eco-Friendly Lighting
|
Chinese Mercury-Laden Light Bulbs
|
Green Energy
|
Overpriced electricity produced from unreliable solar panels or wind mills
|
Diverse or Lifestyle Choice
|
Sinful and Perverted
|
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Monday, May 20, 2019
What To Expect In Nashville’s Election
By Tony Gonzalez, Nashville Public Radio - There are 111 candidates who have qualified for Nashville’s citywide
election in August, which includes the races for mayor, vice mayor and
the 40-member Metro Council.
But that’s actually fewer people
running for local office than in recent years — and the ballot could
still shrink a bit more, as candidates have until noon Thursday to
withdraw their names.
Here are a few observations following the candidate qualifying deadline: (continue reading)
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Saturday, May 18, 2019
This is the final candidates list of those eligible to run for mayor, vice mayor or Metro council.
by Rod Williams, 5-18-2019
- The qualifying deadline has come and gone. This is the final list of those who have qualified to run for mayor, vice mayor, or metro council. If there were some names that were on previous list and not on this list that means the person picked up a qualifying petition but did not turn it in, or, they turned it in and it did not contain twenty-five good names and the petition was not verified. All of these names on this list may not appear on the ballot; a candidate may withdraw his name up until
noon May 23rd.
There are no districts where no
one has picked up a petition
but there are several where only one person has picked up a petition. Unfortunately, there are several incumbents who I would like to see replaced who will be running without opposition.
Of the developments reflected on this list, I am most pleased to see that in District 16, Tony Tenpenny is running. He previously served in the council representing this district. He is a good conservative and was a big supporter of the fairgrounds. Not only would I like to see Tony Tenpenny back in the council, but I especially want to see Genny Welsch defeated. Genny Welsch is a left-wing activist
and a founding
member of the low-power
left-wing radio station Radio Free Nashville. Welsch is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal cause of the moment. I will be making a financial contribution to Tony's campaign.
In the race for council-at-large, we still have fifteen candidates
running for the five seats. I plan on voting for Steve Glover only. One
may vote for up to five candidates but to do so weakens the influence
of your vote. You may think of it like this; voting for only one
candidate is almost the equivalent of casting five votes for that
candidate. There are some other candidates who are not bad, a couple are even good, but if
conservatives split their vote and chose five candidates, no conservatives will win
an at-large seat.
You will notice that in addition to circling in red those I would like
to see elected, I have struck through the names of people I would especially like
to see defeated. In District 5, Pam Murray is running. She was formerly a
member of the Council. She does not need to be reelected. I don't
have a preferred candidate in the race but know I would like to see Pam
Murray defeated.
In District 7 there are nine candidates and I know nothing about any of
them. In District 8, I do not know Danny Williams but would like to see
Nancy VanReese replaced. I look forward to leaning more about Williams. In District 19, a previous person who had picked up a petition is not on this list but a new person picked up a petition and got qualified in the last week. I don't know Joshua Parant but know I would like to see Freddie O'Connell replaced. I hope to learn more about Parant.
In District 30, I do not know Ruben Ford. I know Sherry Jones. She was a
member of the Council in the 80's and then served several terms in the
state legislature. She is very liberal. I do not want to see her regain a
council seat. Sandra Sepulveda is
Hispanic and she is running an identity politics campaign saying vote
for me because I am Hispanic. I would not like a candidate whose
message was vote for me because I am white any more than I like a
candidates whose message is vote for me because I am gay, or female, or
Black or Hispanic. I would not want to see Sepulveda elected. I am
supporting Lydia Hubbell. She is a solid conservative.
Below is the list of those who are now eligible to
run for the office of mayor, vice mayor, at-large and district council
seats. Circled are the names of those I would
vote for if these were the only choices and I knew only what I know
today, the elections were today and I could vote in that contest. My
selections are still preliminary but are getting more firm by the day. I may change my mind, if I learn more about the candidates and find a candidate I did not select is a better candidate. In districts where I have not selected anyone, I may be picking a preferred candidate as the campaigns take shape.
If you are a candidate running for office, please send me your press releases. Email me at Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com.
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Nashville's homeless population on the decline.
by Rod Williams 5-17-2019 - I don't know why and those serving the homeless community do not
speculate as to why, but Nashville's homeless population is on the
decline and this is good news. Nationwide it is estimated that 0.17% of
the population is homeless. This however, is an improvement over
previous years except for the last two years which showed a minuscule uptick. Homelessness is down nationwide from 2007. It has been decreasing
for about ten years but is now leveling out. The fact
that we have the lowest unemployment rate in fifty years no doubt contributes to less homelessness nationwide but state polices raising the minimum wage probably counteract the positive impact of the improved economy.
While
homelessness is down in Nashville and much of the nation, there are
places were it is drastically up and of chronic proportions. California
which has the highest poverty rate in the nation
has
a severe homeless problem, particularly in the bay area. You have
probably seen the videos or news reports showing block after block of
sidewalks turned into tent camping sites. Human excrement, rampant drug
use, and the crowding of people into close quarters in unsanitary
conditions leads to increased health risk. A contributing factor to the
California homeless crisis is that California destroyed their housing
market through over regulation. It is estimated that local fees on on
home construction adds an additional 6% to 18% to the cost of a
home. The recently enacted California rule mandating solar panels on
nearly all
new home construction adds about $10,000 to the cost of a home (link).
A statewide minimum wage of $12 an hour, the status of California as a
sanctuary state for illegal immigrants and various other liberal
policies no doubt contributes to the growth of homelessness in the
state.
One thing that I would suggest contributes to a
decline in homelessness is that Nashville has not allowed the
development of large homeless camps. If you recall, early in the
administration of Megan Barry, the Fort Negley site had developed into a
large homeless encampment. The city gave people amble time to move and
adequate warning then moved in and forcibly removed them. There has also
been other sites that were turning into homeless communities that the
city has cleaned up. If we did not prevent them from doing so, I don't
doubt that Centennial Park or Riverfront Park would be a vast homeless
encampment.
Whatever the combination of factors that
has let to a decrease in homeless, we are doing something right. To make
sure we continue on the right tract, we need to ensure the nation
continues on a path of economic growth and low unemployment and
Nashville needs to look at what San Fransisco is doing and not do it.
The above was modified to reflect more accurate data resulting from additional research on 5-19-2019. Rod Williams
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Friday, May 17, 2019
Sen Blackburn Discusses Immigration with Jon Scott on Fox News
This morning I spoke to Jon Scott on Fox News about this week's big immigration news.
For Tennesseans, immigration is issue number one. President Trump and the Republicans in the Senate announced plans this week to secure our borders and keep our citizens safe. We are going to tighten restrictions around asylum seekers. Soon, I plan to introduce legislation that works to extend an information-sharing provision between DHS and HHS so that we are certain about knowing the identities of criminal human traffickers so we can stop them from harming children going through the system.
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The candidates list of those running for Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Metro Council
Here is the link to the candidates list of those running for Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Metro Council. The election will be August 1, 2019. If a name previously appeared on a list of those who picked up petitions but the name does not appear on this list, then the person did not turn in their petition or the petition failed to be certified because of an insufficient number of valid signatures. Check back for more information.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Charlie Cardwell, RIP
Charlie Cardwell was good man. He served several high level positions in
Metro government and there was never a whiff of scandal. He was a
gentleman. He would not mislead you. When I served in the Council and
he was in the administration, he was a good advocate for the
administrations proposals, but never tried to get you to trade you vote
or make an inappropriate deal. If he told you something you could count
on it being the truth. RIP
Metro Trustee Charlie Cardwell dead at 83 after heart complications
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Tennessee Charter School Center celebrates successful legislative session during National Charter School Week.
From Tennessee Charter School Center:
Dear Friends,
Happy
National Charter School Week! Each year, this special celebration is a
time for everyone in the public charter movement—leaders, teachers,
students, parents, and advocates—to come together to showcase our
schools and students. As a kick-off for this week, we wanted to share
the results of our work “on the Hill” during this legislative session.
During the 2019 Legislative Session we:
-
Doubled the Charter School Facilities Fund bringing the total to $24 million over the past three years;
-
Established a statewide Charter School Commission;
-
Established the State Board of Education as a formal accountability body for charter school authorizers;
-
Fixed the default closure law;
-
Blocked 100% of negative legislation for the 4th consecutive year
We
couldn’t have done this without you. Now for National Charter Schools
Week, we want to celebrate your successes! Follow us on Facebook and
Twitter (@tncharters) as we share highlights from the center, our
charter schools and a special announcement to close out the week! Help
us out by sharing our posts, and letting us know what positive impacts
public charter schools are having in your community.
We also invite you to check out our 2019 Annual Impact Report highlighting the successes of the 2017-2018 school year, and to sign up for our monthly eNewsletter to keep up with what's happening inside charters.
Thanks for a great session.
Sincerely,
We also invite you to check out our 2019 Annual Impact Report highlighting the successes of the 2017-2018 school year, and to sign up for our monthly eNewsletter to keep up with what's happening inside charters.
Thanks for a great session.
Sincerely,
Dr. Maya M. Bugg
President & CEO, Tennessee Charter School Center
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Sunday, May 12, 2019
Ten more people pick up qualifying petitiions.
by Rod Williams, 5-11-2019 - Since last week, ten more people have picked up qualifying
petitions and time is running short. There are no districts where no one has picked up a petition
but there are several where only one person has picked up a petition. Several incumbents who I would like to see defeated have no opposition.
There is still time to run. One may pick up a qualifying petition up until the
deadline for turning in qualifying petitions which is noon May 16th. It
only takes the name of 25 voters to qualify. One can get that many
names in one evening, if you also purchase a voter registration list so
you are only knocking on the doors of registered voters. Almost anyone
will sign a qualifying petition if you explain they are simply signing
to allow your name to be on the ballot.
If you are at all interested in running, get qualified. If you then
find that someone else who you could support is running or someone else
is too formidable for you to beat is running, you could simply not turn
in the petition. Once a qualifying petition is submitted and the
petition is approved, then a candidate may withdraw his name up until
noon May 23rd. Please, if you know someone who lives in one of those
districts with a liberal council member and no challenger or only one
candidate and know the person to be liberal, please run yourself or
encourage someone to run. At this point, a sensible liberal who is
concerned about Metro's debt, which is the highest per capita in the
nation, would be an improvement over some of the progressive candidates
who are running.
In the race for council-at-large, there are now fifteen candidates
running for the five seats. I plan on voting for Steve Glover only. One
may vote for up to five candidates but to do so weakens the influence
of your vote. You may think of it like this; voting for only one
candidate is almost the equivalent of casting five votes for that
candidate. There are some other candidates who are not bad, but if conservatives split there vote and chose five, no conservatives will win an at-large seat.
You will notice that in addition to circling in red those I would like to see elected, I have struck through the names of people I would like to see defeated. In District 5 Pam Murray is running. She was formerly a member of the Council. She does not need to be reelected. I don't have a preferred candidate in the race but know I would like to see Pam Murray defeated.
In District 7 there are nine candidates and I know nothing about any of them. In District 8 I do not know Danny Williams but would like to see Nancy VanReese replaced.
In District 16, I am supporting Paul King and I know nothing about him but anyone would be better than Genny Welsch. She is left-wing activist and a founding
member of the low-power
left-wing radio station Radio Free Nashville. Welsch is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal cause of the moment.
In District 19, I do not know Nick Johnson but know I would like to see Freddie O'Connell replaced.
Notice that in District 23 the incumbent council member,
Mina Johnson, has picked up a qualifying petition. While I did not see a
statement from her that she was not running, people had told me she was
not seeking reelection. That was either wrong information or she
changed her mind. A good candidate, Thom Druffel is seeking that seat.
In District 30 I do not know Ruben Ford. I know Sherry Jones. She was a member of the Council in the 80's and then served several terms in the state legislature. She is very liberal. I do not want to see her regain a council seat. I have learned something about Sandra Sepulveda. She is Hispanic and she is running an identity politics campaign saying vote for me because I am Hispanic. I would not like a candidate whose message was vote for me because I am white any more than I like a candidates whose message is vote for me because I am gay, or female, or Black or Hispanic. I would not want to see Sepulveda elected. I am supporting Lydia Hubbell.
Below is the list of those who have picked up qualifying petitions to
run for the office of mayor, vice mayor, at-large and district council
seats as of Friday, May 10. The names highlighted in yellow are people who have appointed a campaign treasure but have not yet picked up a petition. Circled are the names of those I would
vote for if these were the only choices and I knew only what I know
today, the elections were today and I could vote in that contest. My
selections are preliminary. I may be changing my mind, depending on
who else gets in the race or as I learn more about the candidates.
If you are a candidate running for office, please send me your press releases. Email me at Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com.
Top Stories
The Tennessean says Casada not worthy of being speaker.
 |
| Glen Casada |
I continue to stand with Casada. Maybe Casada did show poor judgment in hiring Cothren. However, Cothren claims he had turned his life around and was changed man from the time when he was using cocaine. Maybe Casada was wrong to give Cothren an important post. Maybe Cothren did not deserve another chance. In any event, Cothren was the author of the offensive emails, not Casada. And, Corthren has since been fired. Technically, he resigned but usually that means the boss asked for the resignation which I would assume is what happened.
I am still standing with Casada because I have seen no evidence that indicates he has done anything deserving of him losing his post. Maybe Casada misled radio host Phil Valentine by implying he did not know if the offensive emails were actually from Cothren when apparently he should have known. If that is true, I am disappointing but don't think that is reason enough for him to lose his position as speaker. I am also supporting Casada because I hate to see a rush to judgement and a mob mentality take down a good man. Also, Casada has proven an effective leader in getting the governor's agenda though and running an effective legislative session. One thing I really like about Casada is that he has stopped Nashville from becoming the San Francisco of the South. He has stopped Nashville from enacting several pieces of progressive legislation or modified Nashville's progressive initiatives. He has stopped Nashville from becoming a sanctuary city, he stopped Nashville from adopting inclusionary zoning, he stopped Nashville from putting additional requirements favored by gay activist on businesses located in Nashville, and he curtailed the power of the newly created police oversight board to issue subpoenas.
Until something concrete is presented to show Casada did something wrong, House Republicans should stick with him and not let The Tennessean and politically correct enemies drive him from office.
Top Stories
Friday, May 10, 2019
I'm not piling on with a call for Casada to step down.
by Rod Williams - Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has joined the chorus of those calling on Glen Casada to resign. Other prominent Republicans who have done so include Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, speaker pro tempore; Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby; David Hawk, R-Greeneville; House Majority Whip Rick Tillis, R-Lewisburg; Sam Whitson, R-Franklin; and Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain.
Many others, while not specifically calling on Casada to resign his leadership post have described the situation as "very troubling," or said it needs to be resolved quickly or said they were "disappointed." I also am disappointed and find it troubling and hope it is resolved soon.
I am not so upset that he had a "white noise" devise in his office. White noise is to protect your self from being eavesdropped upon. It is prudent. The charge that he eavesdropped on others does not appear to suggest he bugged their offices but that he listened in to conversations taking place in committee rooms equipped with equipment for transmitting committee meeting audio. Listening in to a conversation when those talking do not know your are listening may not be a gentlemanly thing to do, assuming it is true, but if one is having a conversation in a public place equipped with listening devices one should not have an expectation of privacy.
I don't have an opinion on the allegation of texting messages considered misogynist or sexually explicit. I haven't read anything that seems that bad. In one message he referred to his assistant Cothren as a "wolf" who "girls aren't safe" around. I guess I'm not "woke" yet, but that just does not seem that bad to me. I have not seen the content of the texts that have been called racist. I
don't really know how bad it gets. The offended texts are referenced a
lot but, I don't know what they actually say. I am certainly not going to take
the media's or Casada's critics word for it that they were really, really bad. I think we need to take a deep breath and see the evidence and see if anything else comes out. He did accept the resignation of his assistant. That may be all of the corrective action that is needed.
We just came off of a tremendously successful legislative session and Casada rightly gets much of the credit. Unless there is more to come, we shouldn't throw Casada to the wolves. Apparently, Casada did deceive radio host Phil Valentine in claiming he did not know the validity of the text when it appears he in fact did. However, at the time, he may not have known the source. He probably texts a lot
and may have not recalled the offensive text. He needs to explain. If he intentionally deceived, he needs to apologize.
What is bad is that Casada did not act as if everything he ever said could someday become public. Public figures in today's environment should never do or say anything they do not want to see on the 6 o'clock news. It is not safe to think out loud or let your hair down or engage in light banter if it can be retold, recorded or released. Public figures need to be on guard all the time. So, at this point, I am disappointed with some of what has come to light but I an not piling on with a call for Casada to step down. I may reach that point but I need to actually know what the offending text said and the context in which it was said.
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