Will Democrats Learn the Wrong Lesson from the TN-07 Election

by Rod Williams, Dec. 6, 2025 - In a race that drew nationwide attention, Republican Van Epps beat  Democrat Aftyn Behn by a slim margin in the special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. Both parties spent large amounts of money, and independent PACs also invested a substantial amount on their behalf. They each enlisted outside star power to support their campaigns. 

Pundits are still talking about the race and drawing conclusions. Some Democrats almost seem giddy. Despite losing, they are celebrating that the race was closer than many originally expected. Van Epps beat Behn by nearly 9 percentage points in a district Democrats have lost by more than 20 percentage points over the last several election cycles. In 2024, Rep. Mark Green, who retired from Congress this summer, creating the vacancy, was reelected by 21 percentage points. 

It is surprising to me that Behn came so close. While I voted for Van Epps, I have mixed views about whether I am pleased or alarmed that the election was so close.  If I view the election as a referendum on Donald Trump, then I am pleased. I can be pleased that Trump's authoritarianism and chaos are causing people such concern that they will even vote for a woke progressive socialist. 

If, instead of being pleased and seeing the election as a renunciation of Trumpism, I see that an extremist woke progressive socialist almost won an election in middle Tennessee, then I am alarmed. I am choosing the first position and taking the position that the election being close is a good sign that Trump's popularity is slipping. 

"Woke progressive" and "socialist" are terms loosely hurled at Democrats by Republicans, much the way "fascist" is hurled at Republicans by Democrats. Sometimes a person labeled a "woke progressive" is simply a liberal. In Atfyn Behn's case, I think it is an apt label. She has supported sex change operations for children, advocated defunding the police, denigrated motherhood, said men can birth babies, and uses the term "birthing people" instead of "mothers."  She also said she hates Nashville, the city she wants to represent, and she was endorsed by the Democratic Socialist Party. 

My friend Mark Rogers, an astute political observer and political practitioner, points out that the district was never as deep red as the 21-point victory by Green in 2024 indicates. Mark notes NBC's Steve Kornacki's insight when he said, "Of note, in the Dem-friendly 2018 midterm, GOP Senate nominee Marsha Blackburn won what is now TN-7 by 0.5 points over Democrat Phil Brededen. (The statewide margin was Blackburn +11)."

Mark Rogers says Phil Bredesen is the sort of pragmatic moderate that the extremists in both parties want to purge. "I know Phil Bredesen," says Mark, "and Aftyn Behn is no Phil Bredesen." 

I think I agree with Mark. If I take myself as by prime example, I was prepared to vote for a Democrat. I hold very few political views in common with Democrats, but I am concerned about the separation of powers and disappointed by how Republicans will not stand up to Trump on much of anything. Some things are so clear-cut that I am astounded that Republicans in Congress just allow Trump to act with impunity. A clear example is tariffs. The Constitution clearly says taxing power is a power of Congress, yet Congress has allowed Trump to set tariff rates. This is just one of many examples.  I think that if a Republican Congress will not stand up to Trump, then we need a Democrat Congress. Having said that, I could not bring myself to vote for someone as radical as Aftyn Behn. I explain this in more detail here.

I don't know how many people there are like me, who would have voted for a moderate Democrat but could not vote for a woke progressive Democrat. I suspect that there are quite a few people who could vote for someone like Phil Bredesen but not someone like AOC. I expect that Democrats are not going to see it that way. Performing fairly well with Aftyn Behn, I suspect Dems will think the Mandomi-Bernie-AOC brand of democrat will play well everywhere. I think Democrats will draw wrong conclusions and learn the wrong lessons.

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SCOTUS TO RECONSIDER BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

 …fist time since 1898

Ralph Bristol

by Ralph Bristol, Facebook, Dec. 6, 2025- The U.S Supreme Court has agreed to consider President Trump’s challenge to birthright citizenship. It will be the first time the court has taken up the question “head on” since 1898 in United States v. Wong Kim Ark.  Wong was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents who were lawful residents but barred from naturalization under the Chinese Exclusion Acts. The court ruled in Wong’s favor.

The difference between Wong and today’s 250,000 children born annually is that their parents are not here lawfully, but most legal scholars are still betting against Trump, arguing that the 14th amendment does not require legal status, only that they are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S., as they clearly are. 

On the first day of his second term, Trump instructed government agencies to stop issuing citizenship documentation to children born to parents who were in the country illegally or visiting temporarily. 

A class-action suit filed by the ACLU challenged Trump’s executive order. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in that case, but before an appeals court could render a verdict on that ruling, Trump officials petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case.

The court has agreed to do so and will likely rule next June. 

Barbara v. Trump, et. al. is a class action lawsuit against Executive Order 14160.

Ralph Bristol is the former long-time morning talk radio host broadcasting on Supertalk 99.7 WTN. He was one of the less provocative and bombastic of conservative radio personalities, more thoughtful and grounded in conservative ideas. He left talk radio in 2018 and retired. He lives in Nashville. 

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Former Metro Human Relations Commission Deputy Director Indicted for Theft of Funds

Mark Eatherly

Press release, The Office of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Dec.5, 2025- An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has resulted in the indictment of Mark Eatherly, the former Deputy Executive Director of the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission (MHRC) in Nashville. The investigation began after Metro officials identified questionable financial transactions and reimbursements handled by Eatherly.

Investigators determined that Eatherly misappropriated at least $62,463.48 for his personal benefit. Eatherly directed Metro funds to organizations that he created and controlled, submitted ineligible reimbursement claims, and used public money to pay for personal expenses such as cell phone and internet bills; food delivery and rideshare services; and expenses for trips across the United States and Europe. Investigators also found that Eatherly transferred Metro funds through an external organization to disguise that he was the recipient of the money.

In addition to the misappropriation, Eatherly initiated unauthorized payments totaling $196,500 to support an initiative known as “Save the Morris.” The funds were intended to promote the preservation of the historic Morris Memorial Building in downtown Nashville. Eatherly directed three Metro payments totaling $101,500 to a private organization that he used to establish a “Donor Fund,” and he later transferred $67,500 from that account to a new fund at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. He also approved an additional $95,000 payment from MHRC to the same foundation. These funds were used to pay for event costs, performers, and public relations expenses related to the Save the Morris project. Metro’s Department of Law determined that MHRC had no authority to make these payments without Metro Council approval.

Mark Eatherly resigned from employment at MHRC effective July 3, 2025.

Based upon this investigation, on November 13, 2025, the Davidson County Grand Jury indicted Mark Scott Eatherly II on one count of theft over $60,000, one count of official misconduct, and one count of money laundering.

“This case demonstrates the importance of oversight, accountability, and separation of duties within government offices,” said Comptroller Mumpower. “No single employee should have unchecked control over financial decisions and approvals, especially when taxpayer dollars are at stake.”

To view the investigative report, go to tncot.cc/doireports. To view a map depicting Comptroller investigations, go to tncot.cc/mappinginvestigations

If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at 800.232.5454, or file a report online at: tncot.cc/fraud. Follow us on X/Twitter @TNCOT and Instagram @tncot

Related Links: Investigative Report and Associated Exhibit

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Lee Beaman draws fire during TVA board confirmation hearing

by Sam Stockard, Tennessee Outlook, December 4, 2025 - A key U.S. senator raised questions
Wednesday about whether former car dealership magnate Lee Beaman is fit to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors.

Lee Beaman

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, told the panel that Beaman’s qualification is that of a “Trump loyalist and 2020 election denier,” in reference to his support of President Donald Trump and claims that the presidential election of 2020 was stolen, a matter that has been debunked.

Whitehouse said Beaman signed a letter asking state lawmakers to appoint phony electors to overturn the election and noted he received a “Freedom Award” from Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, which supports the fossil-fuel industry. 

“When the ask comes to raise customers’ rates by backing away from clean energy, it’s a safe bet whose back he’ll have,” Whitehouse said.

In addition, Beaman is a landlord for several Republican members of Congress at a Capitol Hill rowhome, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Whitehouse said, along with U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee. Critics have questioned whether the arrangements meet disclosure and ethics requirements.

The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics found wrongdoing in an Ogles campaign finance report, with Beaman serving as treasurer at the time, and planned to subpoena the congressman to testify. But that has been stalled since Johnson took over the speakership, Whitehouse said.

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee introduced Beaman at the committee hearing, with Blackburn touting his “decades of experience in business leadership, community service and organizational governance,” as well as leadership in the beverage industry for 35 years in Tennessee and Georgia, according to a knoxnews article. Work in those TVA service areas gives Beaman “first-hand familiarity with the communities, the people, the economic conditions and the operations needs of this region,” Blackburn said.

The full Senate will take a final vote on the nominations of Beaman and four other men to fill TVA posts that became vacant after Trump fired Biden appointees, leaving the board unable to reach a quorum for decisions.

Asked Wednesday about his views on the importance of nuclear energy to TVA’s future, Beaman said, “I think nuclear power generation is the future of power in the United States and probably around the world,” according to the Knoxnews report.

Similarly to the other four nominees, Beaman told the committee he opposes privatizing the federally-owned utility, saying, “TVA is more uniquely, appropriately operated as a government entity.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, called for the committee to reject Beaman’s nomination, saying he has no experience in the energy and utilities industries, in addition to lacking “sound judgment” and independence. Instead, most of his career has been in automotive sales, beverage distribution, real estate holdings and political fundraising, Cohen said.

“Nothing in Mr. Beaman’s record reflects the expertise necessary to provide informed oversight of such a complex public utility,” Cohen said in a statement.

The congressman also said Beaman acknowledged he was encouraged to pursue the TVA seat because of the “ongoing race for energy to feed AI-driven demand for data centers.” Cohen said Beaman holds equity stakes in businesses depending on AI integration, including energy-intensive computing, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest.

Beaman is a member of the Belmont University Board of Trustees, returning to the post after a leave of absence related to a divorce and accusations of sordid behavior by his ex-wife.

He did not return a call requesting comment on the Senate hearing.

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Senate ACA Proposal Would Add $300 Billion to Deficits

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Dec. 5, 2025- Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus introduced a bill yesterday to temporarily extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year and make other changes to the ACA exchanges. We
preliminarily estimate this bill would add nearly $300 billion to deficits as written or nearly $550 billion if the enhanced subsidies are made permanent. 

The bill would extend the enhanced subsidies in full with no further income limits for three years – from 2026 to 2028. It would also permanently repeal provisions in the 2025 reconciliation law that eliminated subsidies for certain groups enrolling during special enrollment periods, required full repayments of overpayments of the advanced subsidies, and required enrollees to affirmatively verify their eligibility for subsidies and reconcile those subsidies on their taxes. Finally, the bill would nullify portions of a 2025 regulation loosening limits on the actuarial value of exchange plans and changing the methodology of calculating the subsidies. 

The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: 

With the national debt as large as the economy and interest payments costing $1 trillion annually, it is absurd to suggest adding hundreds of billions more to the debt.  

Any extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies should be enacted in the context of a bill to reform the subsidies, lower health care costs, and reduce overall deficits. At an absolute minimum, any extension should be fully paid for without games or gimmicks. 

The new Senate bill is far worse than even a debt-financed extension – it borrows even more to expand the underlying ACA subsidies and remove recently-enacted program integrity measures. This is a bad idea made worse.  

Even assuming the extension only goes three years, we estimate this bill would add $300 billion to deficits. If the temporary subsidies are made permanent, we could be talking well over half a trillion dollars more in borrowing over the next decade.  

While other extension proposals at least give lip service to reducing fraud and abuse in the ACA exchanges, this bill would actually make it worse. Given the recent Government Accountability Office investigation showing how easy it is to defraud these exchanges, it’s hard to see the case for repealing program integrity measures. 

After a pointless government shutdown over this issue, it is beyond disappointing that this is the preferred solution to such an important issue. With health care costs rising and deficits approaching $2 trillion a year, we need to be putting in place smart solutions to slow the growth of our borrowing and lower health care costs. This bill would do neither.  

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For more information on the issue of ACA subsidies, see Understanding the ACA Subsidy Discussion.

 

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OLD NEWS BRINGS NEW OUTRAGE

Ralph Bristol

 …and distracts from the important story

by Ralph Bristol, Facebook, Dec. 5, 2025-  Most of the major media have recently reported the 3-year-old story of the Minnesota’s welfare fraud, funded by Covid relief and involving Minnesota’s expansive Somali population. 

• (NYT) Over the last five years, law enforcement officials say, fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided. Federal prosecutors say that 59 people have been convicted in those schemes so far, and that more than $1 billion in taxpayers’ money has been stolen in three plots they are investigating. That is more than Minnesota spends annually to run its Department of Corrections. (The first charges were filed three years ago.)

When Trump and Biden threw more than $5 trillion into the population to help them cope with Covid and the government order to shut down most businesses for months at a time, it should come as no surprise that fraud is going to run rampant. $1 billion may be more than Minnesota spends on the DOC in a year, but it’s .0002 of the $5 trillion wasted by the very fact of the bipartisan Covid relief.  And, it’s also a very tiny percentage of the fraud inspired by the Covid relief spending.

• (WSJ) Some 86 individuals have been charged with defrauding Medicaid and the Federal Child Nutrition Program in Minnesota—yes, literally stealing lunch money from kids. “No one was doing anything about the red flags,” one defendant’s attorney told the New York Times. “It was like someone was stealing money from the cookie jar and they kept refilling it.”

• (CBS) Three years ago, federal prosecutors in Minnesota filed the first charges in what they described as the "largest pandemic fraud in the United States." The $250 million scheme — which now includes upward of 75 defendants — revolved around a nonprofit group called Feeding Our Future that partnered with the Minnesota Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute meals to children. 

Yes, this is a very old story – recently revived by President Trump as part of his campaign against refugees, illegal immigrants and Democrats. On Tuesday, the president called immigrants from Somalia "garbage," and claimed they "destroyed Minnesota" and "contribute nothing."

• (CBS) Most of the people charged in the Feeding Our Future case are of Somali descent, though Bock, the group's founder and the scheme's alleged "mastermind," is White. Prosecutors in the alleged autism services fraud scheme said the defendant "approached parents in the Somali community to recruit their children." The named fraud defendants appear to represent a small percentage of Minnesota's Somali American community, which is among the largest in the nation.  A particular focus of Mr. Trump's ire is Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. as a teenager. He has also lashed out at Walz, whom he referred to last week using a slur for people with intellectual disabilities.

Now, can we go back to discussing the kind of thing that inspires this kind of fraud – runaway government spending by both parties?  Until we stop that, focusing on the fraud it births instead of the seed of the fraud only inspires more fraud.

Large businesses can assume a “shrinkage” rate of about 1.5%.  Shrinkage is a nice word for employee theft and other forms of internal dishonesty.  It is reasonable to expect at least that much fraud in the consumption and distribution of government handouts. I would be very surprised if $1 billion is more than one-tenth of one percent of the fraud that the outrageous spending on Covid-19 inspired. 

Focusing on this one incident in Minnesota may serve a few political purposes, but nothing more. And, it distracts all the major media, Congress and the president from the much bigger, more important story, which – of course – is part of the plan by those in charge. 

So, once again – to refocus you – it’s the spending, stupid!

Ralph Bristol is the former long-time morning talk radio host broadcasting on Supertalk 99.7 WTN. He was one of the less provocative and bombastic of conservative radio personalities, more thoughtful and grounded in conservative ideas. He left talk radio in 2018 and retired. He lives in Nashville. 

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A Different Democrat Could Have Made TN-07 Election a Closer Race.

Mark Rogers

by Mark Rogers, reposted from Facebook, Dec. 3, 2025-  Matt Van Epps wins the special election for the TN-07 Congressional District. This race will be dissected for months as we head into the 2026 cycle. A few thoughts so far:

1) Matt was the calmest and least radical-sounding candidate in the Republican primary and he won handily. He easily won early voting before Trump's endorsement came through. I believe his approach inoculated him from the dissatisfaction of some Republicans over the state and national situations.

2) The endorsement by Trump prevented most far-right voters from staying home after their candidates were defeated. 

3) Aftyn Behn ran excellent campaigns in the primary and the general, but the 'progressive' edge that helped her win in the first round hurt her in the second. 

4) I think Behn should have directly addressed her comments about Nashville, bachelorettes, police, and  (especially) country music early in the general election and put them behind her.  

5) If the Democrats in Tennessee think their future is going to be in following Behn and the two Justins, they are, I suspect, badly wrong. The Democrats dominated Tennessee for well over 150 years by balancing economic populism with Southern values. Embracing the AOC-Bernie-Kamala axis of Walmart Socialism and the cultural values of Hollywood won't win over Tennessee voters.

Mark Rogers has served in government, the non-profit sector, and politics. He is well known as a successful campaign manager and political consultant. He lives in Nashville

Rod's Comment:
I think Mark has hit the nail on the head. I was going to write something similar, but could not have said it better. As much as I am concerned about Trump's presidency and our march toward authoritarianism, and as much as I would like to see a Congress that would stand up to Trump, I could not bring myself to vote for Aftyn Behn. Had the candidate been Bo Mitchell or any moderate Democrat, I would have voted for the Democratic candidate. 

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Well, This is Embarrassing. Moms Legislator of the Year Convicted of Distributing Child Sex Porn.

Rep. RJ May

by Rod Williams, Nov. 31, 2025- There is a scandal involving Moms for Liberty. Actually, the scandal only indirectly involves Moms for Liberty but is embarrassing. This is the AI-generated summary of the scandal:

The 2023 Moms for Liberty "Legislator of the Year" was former South Carolina state Rep. RJ May (R-West Columbia). He was recently in the news for pleading guilty to federal charges related to distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

Key Details

Award: May received the 2023 "Legislator of the Year" award from the South Carolina chapter of Moms for Liberty for his work in "defending parental rights".

Arrest and Charges: In June 2025, May was indicted on 10 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material.

Guilty Plea: In September 2025, May pleaded guilty to five federal counts of distributing CSAM, with the other five counts dropped as part of a plea bargain.

Controversy: The news of his crimes led to widespread criticism, noting the hypocrisy of a "family values" politician who frequently attacked the LGBTQ+ community for allegedly "harming" children being the one involved in sex crimes.

Current Status: May resigned from his seat and is currently in custody pending sentencing in January 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to 20 years on each count. 

Moms for Liberty is a conservative parents' rights group that the Southern Poverty Law Center has categorized as an extremist group. They are known for their efforts to ban books and influence school board elections. 

To make it worse, apparently, May was under investigation for distributing child porn for over a year before he got the Moms award, and the South Carolina chapter knew he was under investigation. (link) 

I have mixed views of Moms for Liberty. I would like for parents to have more influence in schools, and I think normalization of diviancy and gender dysphoria should not occur in public schools. There are some books that I think should be removed from school library bookshelves. However, I don't want what is stocked in school libraries to be decided by the most engaged who show up at School Board Meetings. Since a library cannot stock every book published, it is not "banning" to choose to stock one book over another.  

That being said, I have seen the list of books they try to remove, and it is not porn we are talking about. If I had a teen reading The Kite Runner or Where the Crawdads Sing, I would not be alarmed. I would be pleased he is reading.

I attended one Moms meeting in Brentwood a few years ago, and they had blown-up pages of books they found offensive on display. One was a frontier adventure story, featuring Indians on the warpath and raiding settlers. Moms objected because it contained violence, such as scalping. I would have loved that book as a kid. I recall that when I was in about the sixth grade, I read a series of books about American heroes, such as Davy Crockett and Kit Carson and Daniel Boone. I loved them. They contained violent conflict and people died. I don't think schools should shield children from the harsh realities of history. 

Another book Moms wanted to ban was the story of Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to attend a formerly whites-only school. It is a true story and children should not be shielded from it.

I don't doubt there are some woke teachers pushing their ideology onto kids and molding them into good little liberals with a brain full of mush and a load of White guilt. I don't think school classrooms should fly the Pride rainbow flag and teach that Heather Has Two Mommies. Some of the books Moms have exposed and opposed are age-inappropriate, in my view. I want engaged parents pushing back against that.  However, I think Mom's for Liberty goes too far. To be fair, I do not have children or grandchildren in public schools so I don't know how bad this woke indoctrination is, but I try to stay informed.  However, I don't quite trust Moms to tell me how bad it is. From what I do know about them, they seem a little too prudish, alarmist, dogmatic and excitable for my taste. 

On the other hand, when the Southern Poverty Law Center calls Moms for Liberty a hate group, it makes me want to send them a donation. The SPLC tends to label pro-life, pro-normalcy, Christian groups as hate groups.  It you are not a woke progressive, SPLC wants you to sit down and shut up and will label you a hate group if you don't keep quiet. You do know that the Southern Poverty Law Center has also been labeled a hate group, don't you? Yes. I just labeled it as such.

Back to the issue at hand. This scandal of the SC legislature of the year being a pervert is not the first scandal associated with Moms. Back in 2023, the Florida Republican Party State Chairman, Christian Ziegler, who has been accused of raping a woman who claimed to have been involved in a long-term threesome relationship with Christian Ziegler and his wife Bridget Ziegler, was removed as Chair of the Florida Republican Party. Bridget Ziegler is the co-founder of Moms for Liberty. 

I don't know what to make of this. Is it an aberration or is it statistically significant that a number of activists for morality are themselves deeply flawed? I remember the televangelist scandals of a few decades ago. I was living a more spiritual life at that time and was involved in my faith and regularly attending church. Some of the TV preachers exposed as immoral, I had no respect for and never had confidence in, such as Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. Jimmy Swaggart, on the other hand, I really believed was sincere and good, some might say "godly," man. I hated to learn that he was a frequent customer of prostitutes. And then of course we had the worldwide scandal of the Catholic priests who were pedophiles. I keep thinking of other examples. This could go on for a while. 

When those who are prudish and sanctimonious are exposed as libertines or perverts, part of me wants to say, "See! You are a bunch of hypocrites." The other part of me feels sad. 

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For more on Mon's for Liberty, see below:

• The Disgruntled Republican in Nashville: Moms for Liberty's complaint about age-appropriateness and context of material taught to 2nd graders dismissed without a hearing.
• The Disgruntled Republican in Nashville: Republicans, Rape, Moms for Liberty, and Threesomes

 

 

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AOC Set to Campaign for TN-7 Democrat Aftyn Behn

by Rod Williams, Dec. 1, 2025 - Aftyn Behn the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, is set to hold a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) virtual rally tonight featuring special guests U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14). The event is hosted on Zoom tonight and will be held from 7 to 8:30 pm. 

I went to Behn's website and could not find any additional information about the event. She has a "News and Press Campaign Updates feature." but this event is not mentioned. I don't know how one goes about signing up for the event, not that I would.

The elections is tomorrow, Dec. 2nd. 

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