Tag Archives: Marsha Blackburn

Blackburn cools on SOPA

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U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has apparently had a change of heart regarding her formerly strong support for the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA for short.

From her Facebook page:

It’s clear that online piracy legislation in its current form is not workable. It’s time to scrap the bill and start over. I will continue to work with my colleagues to find the best possible solution to ensure the constitutionally guaranteed property rights of our nation’s innovators are protected.

(HT: TechDirt, via @thisisfun)

Politics isn’t pretty—is it?

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Two Israeli professors have concluded that members of the U.S. Congress deemed more attractive in scientific studies are more likely to be featured in television coverage than are their more plain colleagues.

Students found U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee’s 7th District the most attractive. A less scientific survey by Politics1.com a few years back also put Blackburn at the top, and likewise ranked former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth (Sandlin) of South Dakota among the “hottest” members of Congress.

Interestingly enough, South Dakota voters threw out Ms. Sandlin in 2010, only to replace her with U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem. Additionally, U.S. Senator John Thune is from South Dakota.

Images from the public domain.

Hat tip: Tennessee Citizen

SOPA stances shift alliances, create political targets

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RedState blogger (and Peach Pundit emeritus) Erick Erickson issued a call to arms against U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, whom he says he generally likes, over her co-sponsorship of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

I love Marsha Blackburn. She is a delightful lady and a solidly conservative member of Congress.

And I am pledging right now that I will do everything in my power to defeat her in her 2012 re-election bid.

Asked for comment on this development, Jack Arnold, an independent candidate who says he’s running against Blackburn, had this to say:

SOPA is a perfect example of lobbyist-written legislation being pushed through by members of Congress who don’t fully understand its ramifications in order to secure more money from groups with deep pockets to win the next election. I don’t want anyone shutting down the internet: not corporations OR the government. The internet carries the promise of bringing democracy back to our broken electoral system. Defending a return to democracy — in place of a cash driven special-interest system like we have now — should be something that transcends left or right and unites the citizenry.

Meanwhile, some members of the social news site Reddit have announced that they intend to “take down” U.S. Sen. Bob Corker over his SOPA support (along with his support of the NDAA and the USA PATRIOT Act). Michael Gideon wonders if they can:

Reddit members have already achieved a number of ‘hits’ this year, including the infamous Texas judge William Adams campaign. Can they bring down a popular and relatively safe politician like Bob Corker? And if they can, is this how democracy works now?

Here’s another quote from Erickson that illustrates his view of the bill.

The Act intends to stop online piracy. The way the Act goes about doing this is, in large part, allowing [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder to take control of the internet and shut down websites he does not like. It is a totalitarian response from a bipartisan coalition of Congresscritters most of whom admit they have no freaking idea how the internet even works.

The Tenn. eleven, two by two

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I have created a page that lists the whole congressional delegation for the 112th Congress, which begins in January. The information listed with each member will be enhanced to include, among other things, campaign finance disclosures, voting records, and full contact info. (Right now I have websites and social media addresses, so you can probably get there from here.) Your suggestions are welcome for what else would be useful information to include.

As I was putting the info together, I noticed that there were often two current or incoming members who shared a particular attribute. Here are a few of those pairings:

  • Two women. Congressman Marsha Blackburn (District 7) will no longer be the lone female, as she will be joined by Diane Black (District 6). Does anyone know if Sen. Black will also go by “Congressman”?
  • Two Democrats. In a sharp reversal of its former 5-4 majority in the U.S. House delegation, the Democratic Party now only boasts two members, one each from the largest urban centers in the state. (U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper, District 5; Steve Cohen, District 9)
  • Two musicians. I’m just looking at the House here, because of course U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is a fine pianist; but Cooper plays the banjo, and to-be freshman Stephen Fincher plays guitar and sings gospel.
  • Two “Steves.” The District 8 and District 9 neighbors are Fincher and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, respectively.
  • Two doctors. Dr. Phil Roe (District 1) will now be joined by Dr. Scott DesJarlais (District 4) in being able to answer “is there a doctor in the House?”
  • So close: two nurses. But it was not to be. Robin Smith, who narrowly lost the District 3 primary in August (and in winning would have been all but assured victory in the general) could have been paired with Black in this category.

There is also a trio: Black, Blackburn, and Cohen are all former state senators. (Black is still one, as of this writing.)

There is only one Lamar.

There is only one who was elected before 2002: U.S. Rep. John “Jimmy” Duncan, who was elected in 1988.