AirCongress » Tennessee

ST. PAUL — Earlier this year, former Sen. Fred Thompson had hoped he would be here to receive the Republican nomination as president. Instead, he took the stage tonight to sing the praises of his former Senate colleague and presidential rival, John McCain.

Thompson, R-Tenn., told “the remarkable story of John McCain” and said McCain “has been tested like no other presidential candidate in the history of this nation,” in part because of the punishment he endured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Here’s an excerpt of Thompson’s speech:

John McCain’s bones may have been broken but his spirit never was. Now, being a POW certainly doesn’t qualify anyone to be President. But it does reveal character.

This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders. Strength. Courage. Humility. Wisdom. Duty. Honor. It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, “Who is this man?” and “Can we trust this man with the Presidency?”

Categories: Tennessee, Politics, Fred Thompson, Republican Convention

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A group of conservative senators is about to embark on a rhetorical crusade in defense of the free market as the best solution for America’s healthcare system. Some of the participating senators outlined the effort in a visit to the Heritage Foundation.

The participating senators, all Republicans, are Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bob Corker of Tennessee, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mel Martinez of Florida, John Thune of South Dakota and David Vitter of Louisiana. Here are video clips of their appearance at Heritage:

Categories: Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Health, Bob Corker, Richard Burr, Jim DeMint, Mel Martinez, John Thune, David Vitter, Economy

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America is commemorating the birthday of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. today. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., marked the occasion last week with a speech on the House floor.

“Dr. King turned a mirror on America, and the reflection was not good. It was ugly,” Cohen said. “America was not the land of the free, but it was a land built by the enslaved.”

Two Democrats in the California Assembly also commemorated King last week with floor speeches:

Categories: Tennessee, Civil Rights, Steve Cohen

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Tennessee is one of the few states without an income tax, but that could leave residents of the Volunteer State at a disadvantage when they go to itemize their federal income-tax exemptions.

The reason is that the federal government has a permanent write-off for income taxes, but the corresponding deduction for state and local sales taxes to benefit states like Tennessee is only temporary and is set to expire at the end of this year. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., wants to change that. Today, he urged the Senate to pass his legislation to make the write-off for sales taxes permanent.

“Losing this deduction would cost Tennesseans nearly a quarter of a billion dollars right out of their pockets each year,” he said in a floor speech. “Extending the state and local sales-tax deduction is the fair thing to do. It is the right thing to do.”

Categories: Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, Taxes

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The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the campaign arm of House Republicans, has produced a series of videos that features GOP lawmakers making the case for putting them in charge of Congress again.

The last of the series, titled “Rediscovering Your Party,” went online Friday. “We’re returning to our roots of fiscal discipline, traditional values, reform, and defense and homeland security,” says Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana.

Other participants in the series were: Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri; Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio; NRCC Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma; Jeb Hensarling of Texas; Kevin McCarthy of California; Patrick McHenry of North Carolina; and Candice Miller of Michigan.

The earlier videos covered topics like: earmarks in spending bills; accountability and transparency for federal spending; opposition to the “fairness doctrine” that once required equal time for competing viewpoints on the airwaves; and the Republicans’ prospects for regaining the House majority in 2008.