The list is long among those lining up to run for Jim Bryson’s Senate seat, should he run for governor. From anonymous (some more than others) sources, these are some of the individuals who have expressed interest in running.

Chip Throckmorton, Mayor of Oak Hill, BGA grad, and who has spent a significant amount of time growing up in Williamson County, and who also would be a well-financed candidate.

Jack Johnson, who works for Pinnacle Bank and has previously run for Metro Council At-Large in 2003.

Jeff Ford of Brentwood, who is one of two District 6 county commissioners in Williamson County.

Paul Pratt, who is well-established in Franklin and whose family business happens to be the largest insurance company in the city.

I also have confirmation on good information that Doug Grindstaff, Chairman of the Williamson County Republican Party, was on his way to pick up a petition to run this morning. Doug was also Bush ‘04 Chairman for Williamson County, and has been the CEO of Genesco, Proctor & Gamble Canada, and Proctor & Gamble Cellulose.

And there are some rumors and rumblings that State Representative Glen Casada has interest in the seat. I haven’t been able to get too much confirmation on that.

And get ready to laugh at this one…former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman Randy Button intends to run on the Democratic side. And yes, pigs will fly through the Franklin square before that starts to matter.

UPDATED for some content. I still cannot confirm whether or not Representative Casada is in or not.

TeamAntiCorker, led by one of the more committed Van Hilleary Kool-Aid drinkers, unleashes a can of irrational disdain here. In fact, they have a new website to spread (mis)information - out of context and not grounded in the real world, of course. I have a mind to let them enjoy their perceived self-righteousness. Then again, maybe not.

I’m not sure they could fear Bob Corker more.

Good.

UPDATE And I just checked that new site thoroughly. It’s like, way mature. I’m glad we have so many neurons firing on that side of the debate.

The Republican response to campaign finance reform has been less than stellar. This link, which ends up at Byron York’s column in National Review on the subject is worth checking out. The editor’s note says enough

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Capitol Hill today, there is increasing momentum for a move that would crack down on 527 groups, those big, unregulated organizations — like the George Soros-funded America Coming Together — that were allowed to accept unlimited contributions in the 2004 presidential campaign. But this time, unlike the debate over the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance-reform bill, it is Republicans who favor more government regulation of the political system. In the current issue of National Review, Byron York examines a GOP flip-flop on what once was a matter of principle.

Well, yeah - this is a problem. George Soros was a bit annoying and was an awful big gorilla, but his efforts turned out to be politically impotent. There is some sentiment that in future elections we may be less fortunate. At the center of our distress lies a particularly troublesome senator from Arizona

For Republicans, the choice might seem easy; Pence-Wynn is a clear move away from the steadily increasing regulation of political expression. Yet many in the GOP — actually, most in the GOP — are instead leaning in McCain’s direction. And the reason is not any principled belief in campaign-finance reform, but rather the fear that Democrats will use 527s to beat the hell out of Republicans in 2006 and 2008. GOP House aides who follow the situation believe that most House Republicans would vote for limits on 527s. And a key Senate aide says that a very large number — perhaps all — of the Senate’s Republicans would support limits, and do it for nakedly political reasons. “Republican members believe that 527s are a bad thing, gnawing away at the vitals of our majority, and that what McCain supports means their elimination,” the aide says. “No doubt the bad guys will just find another section of the tax code to abuse for anonymous giving and deadly attacks against Republicans, but for now, since Republicans don’t like them, and McCain is scared to death about what they could do against him come primary time in ’08, there’s a marriage of convenience underway.”

Convenience absence principle and substance breeds bad policy. Pence-Wynn is a step in the right direction

But it is in the House that another GOP plan has emerged, one cosponsored by the solid conservative Indiana Republican Mike Pence and the equally solid liberal Maryland Democrat Albert Wynn. Pence and Wynn would impose some new restrictions on 527s, mostly along the lines of requiring them to report contributions quickly and openly. But they would not impose any limits on contributions. And they would go a step farther: In a bid to restore influence to the traditional parties, they would repeal the limits on the total amount of money any donor can give in a two-year political cycle. Current law allows individuals to give $2,100 to a candidate in any given year, or $4,200 per cycle. It also caps individual contributions to a party committee at $26,700 per year. Those restrictions are well known. What is less well known is that the law also limits the total amount of all contributions any one person may give. That limit is indexed for inflation, and right now stands at $101,400 — a combination of $40,000 for federal candidates and $61,400 for party committees.

What Pence and Wynn would do is remove that aggregate limit without touching the individual limits. So, under their plan, if a donor this year wanted to give the maximum $2,100 to all 231 Republican members of the House and all 15 Republicans up for reelection in the Senate, he would be free to do so. If he wanted to give the maximum allowed to each of the party committees, he would be able to do that as well. No individual giving limit would be broken, but the person’s aggregate contribution would be much higher than allowed in the past.

Sounds good to me - anything that weakens McCain-Feingold sounds good to me.

Time is getting close as far as filing deadlines go here in Tennessee. Rumors still abound that State Senator Jim Bryson will announce his candidacy for governor at any moment. If he does, he will have to give up his Senate seat (District 23). Already I’m getting phone calls from individuals ready to run. There’s a heavyweight waiting in the wings, whose support structure will be nearly unbeatable.

If Bryson announces, I’ll have the rundown here.

The Tennessean has an editorial today demanding that all new voting devices have a paper trail to ensure accuracy. I’m still trying to figure out why the “paper trail” is so embraced. It was precisely the failure to function of a “paper based” system that almost let Gore steal the presidency in Florida in 2000. The editorial board cites a problem in Texas this month, where an electronic voting system created by Hart InterCivic allegedly resulted in inaccurate results - “100,000 votes were lost of 150,000 cast”, says The Tennessean. This is supposed to bolster the case for paper ballots.

Well, not exactly.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a story on that March 7th primary election here. Apparently “a computer programming error counted some votes multiple times and boosted the final tally in both primaries by as much as 100,000 votes.” There were no votes “lost”, as our local paper of record has asserted. In short, the program added prior votes together. And apparently the problem was easily fixed. Each candidate was able to obtain hour-by-hour and precinct-by-precinct tallies with no problem. Every candidate in the story feels the results are correct.

In short, there was an addition error (a notably human-like error), which was quickly fixed. I sometimes wonder whether the editors actually investigate the sources they cite. I simply Googled “texas election lost votes” and up came the above-story, first on the list. Then I read it. The whole process took about 90 seconds.

But beside the editorial board’s shoddy research, this infatuation with paper still puzzles me. The real issue is security, not accuracy. Electronic results, which have been backed-up multiple times, are certainly more reliable than mechanic ballot boxes and pulp, where individual votes can be physically misplaced and easily and surreptitiously created. Elections were stolen for years in Tennessee with paper. Typically, you just add more of it. If electronic voting is so easy to manipulate, as many pro-pulp forces insinuate, then adding paper to the mix doesn’t really add any security. Remember Karen Bennett, who locally ran against Rob Briley for State House in 2002, ended up having one ballot box lost for days, and eventually found unattended in a warehouse where it never should have been. Mistakes happen anyway. Anyone can manipulate mechanics and paper. Not everyone can manipulate electronic voting records. Plus, as The Tennessean thoroughly proves through its misrepresentation, the failures of electronic voting are grossly overstated.

Further, I’m not sure how this idea is any better

Voter Verifiable Paper Ballots, or VVPB, instead of touch-screen machines. These electronic machines allow the voter to manually mark a ballot that is then read by an optical scanner.

Yes, and we should give rides to the polls only with horses and buggies. How many potential errors or security problems can you count with this one? I don’t have enough bandwidth to do it. Actually, this is the worst idea of them all, as it creates a seemingly certifiable result with a process ripe for abuse and mistake.

Speaking of mistake, make no mistake - I want accurate vote results. Also remember, we will never reach perfection. But a lot of time and energy is being wasted demanding a “paper trail”, which would do nothing to ensure accuracy. The paper trail represents whatever the electronic voting device receives as votes. As long as the electronic voting device is multiply backed-up, we should be fine with the result. I’ll happily change my mind if someone can make a good argument that paper adds integrity and security to the process. But right now, the arguments for it seem rather weak.

I have followed the TennCare saga from the outskirts. I and others believed at the time that Bredesen made the initial cuts from the rolls, many of them would be back. And you know, that’s exactly what happened. I am puzzled by blogs such as this one who are so ready to believe the good intentions of our governor and slam Republicans in the Assembly.

Stand by him if you want, but you’re a sucker for doing so.

(actually written by Nathan)

Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Entrepreneurship. There were many good submissions this week, but alas, time and space are of the essence (two categories good entrepreneurs ought to be all-to-familiar with). Without further ado…

Jeffrey Strain, who began writing personal finance advice for ex-pats in Japan, has posted on the hobby-to-business growth of his wife’s Hello Kitty! enterprise

I really didn’t want to get into more detail about the entire Hello Kitty business because, let’s face it, it forces me to reveal that I know more about Hello Kitty than is healthy for any grown man to know (how many men do you know that can name all the members of Hello Kitty’s family, when she was born or how to tell her apart from her twin sister Mimmy?) Furthermore, all my ads here are going to start being for Hello Kitty related websites & items and that really will be depressing.

We won’t hold it against him, too much. In light of the monster success of Ebay, the prospect of turning one’s hobby into a business empire isn’t all that far-fetched (never was, really). But it takes time and dedication - in other words, how much do you really enjoy your hobby?

Pamela Slim warns against the paralyzing potential of fear, and how to manage fear to lessen your risk and expectedly, to maximize the reward

Fear is simply nature’s way of telling us that there is some risk involved in a situation. Here is how to face it head on so that you work with it, not against it:

1. Examine the truth in the fear.

…

2. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

…

3. Develop a strong safety net.

If I had to pick one to focus and work on, I’d have to pick #2. Click through for some excellent analysis.

And over at Small Biz Survival, we get a list anyone can use - how to delegate without hiring anyone. Online service providers and interns are where I concentrate in my practice. Each model is different, though - the list is worth a look.

From Canada (the Carnival is truly international), Centrerion offers some handy tips to keep tax preparation as un-obtrusive as possible, which is particularly important in Canada. Oh, and in California…

Professor Bainbridge notes the best and worst state tax regimes for business expansion. California has improved since last year, but still falls into the lowest quintile. Plus, Meathead gets a dose.

That’s the carnival for this week! Be sure to check out About’s page on Entrepreneurs for next week’s location, and some good info during the week.

More props to my law school alma mater…this time out of the Nashville blogosphere.

Law and economics - it’s the wave of the future. And GMUSL is at the forefront.

During the first debate of the 2004 presidential election, President Bush reminded us several times that being the leader of the United States is “hard work”. I never really appreciated the concept of hard work until Catherine was born two months ago. So, I decided to compare my typical day to that of President Bush to find out who really has the tougher job. Here are some of my discoveries:

Attending to Needs

My Life
When Catherine cries at 1:42am, I must get out of bed, walk to the nursery and tend to her needs (which usually consist of a feeding and then staring at me with wide eyes and wondering for the next hour why I’m telling her it’s time to go back to sleep). I finally get back to bed at 3:21am. (This being my example from just last night … I’m really tired today.)

President Bush’s Life
When an unauthorized aircraft flies towards D.C. and alarms start screaming in the appropriate national security offices, President Bush is allowed to peacefully continue on his bike ride, oblivious to the ruckus.

Getting Assistance

My Life
Nathan doesn’t have breasts, let alone ones that produce milk. So, help with feeding is out. I am home alone with Catherine all day, every day. Our families live eight and twelve hours away. She is primarily my responsibility 24/7.

President Bush’s Life
He has Dick Cheney.

Fixing Messes

My Life
When Catherine gets a big smile on her face that is followed by an explosive sound in her diaper, I need to make sure that her backside and her clothing get cleaned up and that she looks beautiful for others to see.

President Bush’s Life
He has Scott McClellan. (Well, OK, he’s not really good at explaining away messes. Instead, he just says, “I believe I’ve already answered your question” when he really hasn’t.)

Play Time

My Life
I repeatedly push down on the head of a plastic zebra to make little beads spin around in his stomach.

President Bush’s Life
He plays golf and clears brush.

I think the conclusion is obvious … moms have more “hard work” than President Bush!

I love Catherine more than anything in the galaxy (world is too limiting) and I know that I have the best job ever, but I think that President Bush needs to ease up a bit when he starts whining about how hard the whole “leader of the free world” gig supposedly is every day.

Cap Weinberger was a giant. The Secretary of Defense during Reagan’s all-out assault on communism is no longer with us.

A great generation of men who did not waiver in the face of the greatest evil the world has ever seen is now slowly passing. We’re all worse for it. It is our job to maintain the example and ensure it lives on.

This one is funny, and since I was the one involved, I’m going to retell it. I was in Wilson County last week representing a civil client on a suspended driver’s license. I got involved after the judge had given her multiple opportunities to resolve some outstanding fines. The judge went down the docket

Judge: Jackie Smith

Me: No judge, she doesn’t - that’s why I’m here.

It was funnier if you were there, probably. At least Judge Tatum and the bailiff laughed.

Local lawyer David Gold pleaded guily to charges of witness tampering last year. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals denied his motion to withdraw his plea.

It was a long shot. As an attorney, and one who practiced criminal law, it is terribly unlikely he was “coerced” into entering the plea. The TCCA didn’t buy it, and I doubt the Tennessee Supreme Court will, either.

Lesson to the wise - when you plead guilty to a felony, it may just be forever.

Tomorrow MooreThoughts will be hosting the Carnival of Entrepreneurship for the first time. My family background and current (and forever) status as self-employed lend us especially well to the topic. It’s the first carnival of many we will be hosting, and I think it is particularly fitting.

Check back in the morning for some quality links.

Or more accurately, the RealSpeak Rules of Debate. Mark Rose has the list.

Representative Campfield has the scoop here.

Metro Nashville Councilman Eric Crafton has begun an effort to further investigate the shadows that surround the operation of the Metropolitan Nashville School System. From today’s Nashville City Paper

Crafton said he is having difficulty obtaining factual answers from the school board on several matters including low graduation rates.

“It’s not a happy picture so they just don’t reply. We all first need to agree we have a problem,” he said.

Pam Garrett, Metro School Board chair, said the board has many concerned groups around the table wanting to talk about the school system.

“We are happy to have a dialogue if it complies with the level of responsibility and accountability that is needed,” she said.

Kathy Nevill, vice chair of the school board, said she resents anybody making blanket statements about the public school system without having factual data.

“I’d like for them to specifically state where they are coming from,” Nevill said. “We have made a whole lot of progress in our schools and I want to see actual figures of what is going wrong.”

Pam Garrett couldn’t lead her way out of a wet lunch sack. First off, what exactly is “the level of responsibility and accountability” that is needed? The lack of responsibility and accountability is precisely the problem. There is no incentive to improve or improvise in the public school system. Therein lies the root of failure. Despite assertions to the contrary, the schools are not doing well. The graduation rate as Crafton notes is simply pathetic.

Nevill, who is predictably consumed with her own self-importance, and who apparently thinks she’s the David Manning of the MNPS, implies that there is some ulterior agenda. Apparently, Ms. Nevill is of the opinion that simple transparency constitutes an ulterior agenda. Her statement is symptomatic of some rather misplaced arrogance. The people’s representatives want to know all the facts there are to know, and she has the audacity to flip up her nose and ask “why?”, as if it’s none of Councilman Crafton’s business as to how the schools operate.

It’s all his business. It’s all our business. The school board should disclose whatever is requested of it.

AC Kleinheider has made the big time. Or, selling out as he calls it - being a conservative, “selling out” usually means making money for something you created that is now of value. AC has done just that (I just hope it doesn’t all go to his head).

So, I wonder if AC gets to sit across from Brittney and blog all day? There are worse jobs.

Nathan stirred up quite the debate with his posting of a link to Congressman Ford’s UT campaign director. For those who don’t bother to read Nathan’s side of the blog because you find my writing infinitely superior and more entertaining (I kid because I love), the link showed the young woman in a revealing outfit and competing as a “college hottie”. Since I was dragged into the debate over whether or not the photograph is a relevant issue to the campaign (see comment #56 on Nathan’s post), I thought I would share my thoughts on the matter and defend my clothed honor.

1. To the person who wrote comment #56, which contained a fake website with an address that advertisted me naked, way to lend absolutely no legitimacy to any real points you may have wanted to contribute to the debate. I think you are pathetic. Besides, the photographer promised that he destroyed all of those proofs the same time he shredded his pictures of Dr. Laura. So, I call your bluff, sucka!

2. Is the picture legitimate fodder for the opposition? Absolutely. Is this fair? Perhaps not. But, those involved in political campaigns (from the candidate to the volunteers) must expect that every aspect of their lives will be open for review. It is then up to the voters to determine whether or not these life choices matter in their ballot selections. I was very active in politics in college, and I had friends who would not drink at parties or participate in other questionable behavior because they were afraid that their future political careers could be harmed. Of course, our current and immediate past president have proven that “youthful indiscretions” are no impediment for those desiring world leader status.

3. Do I care that the coed heading Ford’s UT efforts posed for photographs wearing very little clothing? Nope. She’s very attractive and an adult who can make her own decisions! Go for it! If she wants to be taken seriously in politics, I would have recommended against it. I’m not going to vote for Ford, but that decision has nothing to do with a college woman showing off her body.

4. Do I find the humor in these photos considering Ford’s love for the ladies? You bet! And, I think that amusing connection was the main point of Nathan’s post (although like a priceless painting by Van Gogh, everyone can have their own interpretation of the meaning behind Nathan’s writing). Also, I do agree with some who have stated that there is a segment of conservative voters who will not vote for Ford because of his association with this photograph, as silly as that may be.

There, I feel better now.

Rob Huddleston was there, and has more info. More specifically, he debunks the TeamAntiCorker nonsense that thousands (they make it seem like thousands) of tables were bought to pad the straw poll.

Rob’s a Bryant supporter, so I can forgive him for his criticisms on Corker. Besides that, he does have some interesting observations for anyone who follows the Tennessee political dynamic. Go have a look.

UPDATE My point is proven. Van just sent out an email touting his straw poll win in Murfreesboro, where he “lives”. Funny, isn’t it?