Newscoma

Go to their snazzy new website and see what the college is up to.

If you want to submit a question, here’s how you do it:

The Commission on Presidential Debates has partnered with MySpace to create a new Web site, www.MyDebates.org, to enhance the educational value of the televised debates and to engage viewers throughout the general election period. The Web site will become available in the days leading up to the first Presidential debate on September 26. You will be able to track the positions of the candidates on issues of interest to you, submit questions to candidates throughout the campaign and submit questions for possible inclusion in the October 7, Town Hall Presidential Debate.

By the way, that’s my birthday. Send presents or money.

Do you think the candidates will get stranded due to Nashville’s gas crisis?

The photo was taken on Saturday in Dickson.

Every day that the presidential campaigns stumble along, it becomes clearer to me that we’re not likely to hear/see substantive debate on national issues. The internet may become THE place where positions and details see daylight and, as long as the mainstream media continues to binge on sound bites, that isn’t likely to change.

I missed this last week but he is so right. Keep following his blog as Belmont prepares for a visit from the candidates.

I met Alvin Hill at the Barack Obama Headquarters on Rosa L. Parks Blvd. in Nashville on Saturday.

Imagine my surprise to see this story in the Tennessean this evening.

The phones are always ringing, but that’s a good thing,” said Alvin Hill, 51, of Nashville, a first-time campaign volunteer.

With just over six weeks to go before the presidential election, the storefront headquarters across from the Farmers Market on Rosa L. Parks Boulevard serves as a kind of a volunteer war room for Democrats, who are using the space to muster support for Obama as well as candidates in congressional and state races.

There’s a contradictory element in this presidential election season in Tennessee: The Democrats have a presidential candidate who, by most estimates, is not expected to win here, and yet is widely seen as fueling a surge of new voters and volunteers such as those at the Democrat’s Victory ‘08 headquarters.

The headquarters itself is, in a manner of speaking, a symbol of that contradiction. Until this week, the state party footed the entire bill for the space, with the Obama campaign chipping in only last week to pay for staff. Barack Obama has not been in Tennessee since last year, and a planned fundraiser with Vice President Al Gore as host never materialized.

He was enthusiastic and showed me around the headquarters. A small area at the front of the HQ’s was filled with toys and desks were scattered around the space. It was late in the day, just about an hour before the blogger meetup last night at the Saucer. Mr. Hill took me to the back of HQ’s and showed me a picture that he liked of Obama and Biden. His shirt was filled with various Barack Obama buttons.

I liked the way he laughed.

There were handmade signs in the space as indicated in the story, but it was Hill, whose joy and enthusiasm had me smiling the entire time we were in there.

“If you had only been in here and hour ago, we had yard signs,” he said proudly. “Unfortunately, we ran out.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” I said.

He laughed and said it was good.

It’s people like Hill that mark, for me at least, the exuberance and good parts of this election year.

I put my cynicism hat aside last night because of this lovely man. I planned on writing about Mr. Hill anyway, but to see him acknowledged in today’s paper just proves that I wasn’t the only one he made an impression on

And, that my friend, is of the good.

I’m too old to be driving to Nashville and back to Hoots in a 24 hour period.

Just saying.

Although, if you blog, I really suggest that you head to some blogger meetups or organize them, no matter where you are.

You will find that they are magical.

Oh, and I’m holding these glasses of Wage’s hostage so some of all of you guys will come to Hoots and go out w/ Mabel and me on a pub crawl.

Squirrel Queen and I will be coming to Nashville for the All Skate Blogger Bash at the Flying Saucer.

We honestly talked about not attending due to the Great Gas Panic Of Ought Eight, but then we thought, what the hell.

I want to see you guys and other than a private party back last month, I haven’t seen some folks and I’m looking forward to meeting new peeps too. Everyone is invited. Don’t be shy, come out and say Howdy. And what happens at a bloggers’ event, stays at a bloggers’ event other than the pictures.

For us, it’s a little different as we don’t live in Nashville. Accommodations have to be found, cash has to be discussed but, you know, it’s worth it. We have such a vibrant blogging community, not to come would be hard to do. We bloggers are in this together.

Ginger said on Twitter a few minutes ago:

We are NOT canceling the blogger event tonight. How did that rumor get started? If you can make it great! If not, totally understood.

I did some checking and there is gas around the Nashville area. My local gas dude expert helped me track where I could fill up.

It’s going to be fine.

And on a final note, this is a place where politics are put aside, drama is left at the door and you can put a face with the written words you read from your blogger buddies everyday.

I encourage everyone to show up. I’m looking forward to meeting you. AND, if you are out of town, Priceline has some good deals on some rooms. That’s how we got ours. I’m staying at a Marriot affiliate for $60. You can’t beat that.

And there’s beer.

Bring it.

And if any of us out-of-towners get stranded, Chris Wage’s closet can hold gas refugees.

I didn’t think I could make it. I can’t make it to BarCamp due to a prior commitment, so Squirrel Queen and I decided this morning to clear our schedule Saturday night to do this in Nashville:

Why? To celebrate our awesome blogging community and to welcome some really incredible guest out-of-state bloggers to our fine city, including John from Buddha on the Road and the beautiful Nancy, aka Marie Millard.*

This party is an all-skate: Bloggers, Blog Commenters, Blog Lurkers, Significant Others of the aforementioned, co-workers, friends and neighbors of said significant others, and anyone who happens to be driving through Nashville are all welcome.

In order to get a head count, I have sent out an Evite via e-mail. If you did not receive one, that is because I do not have your e-mail address. If you would like to get on the invitation list, simply send me an e-mail at GingerSnapsTN at Gmail dot com.

If you didn’t get an evite, it’s like Ginger said, she doesn’t have your email. I’ll only be in for the night, but I was so sad about BarCamp that we decided that we needed a blogger fix.

Don’t be shy.

Everyone is invited. It will be held at the Flying Saucer on Saturday night at 6 p.m. This is a good way to finally meet the people that you interact with in the blogging world, make new friends, put faces to those words you read.

I’m looking at all of you all around the state.

Bring it.

I love you. I do but sometimes folks have to practice tough love with the things they care about.
You guys, well, I thought you knew better but you don’t, and what I’m talking about is that I think you need to come to Hooterville and talk to some of the people I’ve been talking to the past few days. Go to all of the Hootervilles, not just mine.

You are blowing it, in my opinion, when it comes to rural voters and in many ways, you are disenfranchising younger voters here.This isn’t good, Nashville leaders.

There is a world outside of Nashville.

And, I mean this, you guys act like there isn’t sometimes and that’s a damn shame. You have young people here that want to be involved in the political process, are talking to me, and yes I work at a newspaper, that they are constantly not getting their needs met. But, with that said, the GOP is doing dandy here. New building, an air of excitement, recruiting new members, selling McCain buttons enthusiastically and creating new partnerships by reaching across the aisle to a large degree.
Heck, I’m a liberal and I’ve had a great time with the local GOP. They are rocking it.
Earlier this week, I talked to several people in their 20s and 30s who lean to the left who do not feel comfortable with the college democrats due to their age and in the local democratic party because there tends to be too much established fellowship. This isn’t your fault and I’m not blaming you but a little updated training might help from your end. They wanted to put up signs, they wanted buttons, they wanted a rally.
But, and this is just dang unforgivable, is that between 20,000 and 30,000 people were here for the Tennessee Soybean Festival and other than a handful of kids from the college running a voter registration drive, the democrats were invisible. Thousands and thousands of college kids were at the Corey Smith outdoor free concert where there were dozens of vendors when you could have come and made a huge splash and, umm …
You get my drift?
You missed a huge opportunity. Rural communities want to be involved. Engage them and pay attention.
Several years ago, I went to several meetings at the local party and was one of those young voters who felt left out. I wanted inspiring conversations, events to feel excited about. As I recall, I went to one meeting with now Sen. Lowe Finney. I can’t speak for him but I can say that I didn’t get my needs met. After a while, I gave up.
This is the county that has Ned McWherter and his legacy. But there are other counties just like mine that need leadership from the state office. I set up a website for these young voters yesterday. Have you not sent out instructions to rural communities who need your guidance about online networking, talking points and utilizing social communication sites like Twitter or Friendfeed? I’m just asking because I know I haven’t seen them but you might have. Are you talking to established rural party leadership about how to recruit young people.

Gray, we had 4.4 percent of our registered voters vote here in August.

I don’t know about other rural counties but don’t you think you need to reach out to these places that feel that voting is a waste of time because they aren’t being engaged. Yes, McCain will take Tennessee but I’m talking long-term here, not just one race. And, quite frankly, the GOP is getting it done in rural areas in Tennessee.
One young voter called the TNDP on Tuesday and was somewhat dismissed. She was devastated. I put out a call about needing some help to the Memphis Bloggers who were Johnny on the Spot and a call out to Twitter, with many people responding from Nashville.
I had to think about it. It’s more than just this race, it’s the future of this party when it comes to rural young voters who want participating. And it’s about guiding people into a new generation.

If this race is about change, you have people who want change and are willing to work for it, give them a hand. Remember, one of them called you so they are reaching out. I realize it’s a county in the middle of nowhere but voices are of value everywhere.
Guide them.
I contacted my local representatives.

We, and I say we because I’m not just griping are taking action to encourage young voters here and we, are going to try to help some of these kids. Rep. Mark Maddox and I are on it, but you have to help too. We are putting our money where our mouth is.
Politics in this state is not just in Nashville. We are not just a bunch of rednecks who need to be dismissed. One of your rising stars in the state senate started here. He was the same young man who went to that meeting with me so many years ago.
So please, help out the little guys because each vote counts in every election.
We aren’t asking you to do it, we are just asking you to be involved with everyone and not the select few.
Keep up the good work but expand it. That’s all I’m asking. I know this area, trust me on this one. I trust you will take this constructive criticism as it was meant. Not as a slam, but as an opportunity for growth.

Tough love is hard. If I pissed you off, well, too bad.
Love hurts.

Respectfully,
Newscoma

I want to go to Blogher.

I don’t know if I will be able to, but I want to.

My pal, Ivy, is speaking there. She announced it last night on Twitter.

Feeling a bit land-locked in Hoots today, forgive me.

That is all.

Here is an example of  journalist, Cara Kumari, trying to get a message out to folks.

Do I think this is a good idea?

Yes. Yes I do.

Usually, I try to use this blog to get news out.   Right now, I want to use it to collect news.  The Department of Safety is supposed to be contacting the 182 people whose records were accessed by Trooper Ronnie Shirley.  That list is supposed to include state employees, journalists and a country star.

Read the rest here.

I’m doing some cleaning and thought I’d share some photos with you from 2007.

First out, I need to apologize ahead of time. Gov. Ned McWherter was looking at the back of my T-shirt. Completely innocent.

Meeting Left Wing Cracker the first time.

In Memphis

And a lovely surprise. A picture I found of my friend Stewart Byars that I didn’t know I had.

May 2007

And, umm, just go here to see CeeElCee being talked about in San Francisco.

So it’s Vice-President Tuesday or is it? Well, at least that’s what MSM is pontificating about today.

I only have a couple of random observations about the next step in the road to the White House. I think whoever is placed on the ticket for both candidates is going to be key in rural America.

Of course, I’m just talking about my rural America but I do think it’s key.

Joe Biden is relatively well-liked and respected by some of the Dems over here but so is Hillary Clinton. I think Biden has more of the edge. I hear more people around here talking about having Clinton fatigue, but I don’t really think she is on the short list at this point but that’s just me. I’ve been wrong before.

I mention Clinton Fatigue but I think it’s more about having election fatigue in general. This race has been going on for what seems like forever. With two years of campaigning, at this point I believe everyone is pretty sure of whom they are going to vote for anyway.

But those undecided will be watching the VP choices.

Sharon has a poll for you to go and add your two cents to the pot regarding whom Barack Obama is going to choose.

Think of it as voting early and often.