POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
Wamp, Davis support veterans nursing home
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, RTenn., and U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., joined with other Tennessee members of the U.S. House this week to urge federal Veterans Administration funding to construct a nursing home in Clarksville, Tenn. “Montgomery County is in need of a nursing home to meet the growing demand for veteran services in Tennessee,” Rep. Wamp said in a statement. “Local and state governments already have met all of the matching requirements to move this project forward.” Republican Reps. Marsha Blackburn, John Duncan and Phil Roe also said they support building the nursing home, as well as Democratic Rep. John Tanner. According to a news release, the Veterans Administration plans to fund projects through No. 68 on their priority list. The Clarksville home is listed at No. 70. ALEXANDER SLAMS OBAMA ON CLIMATE In two news releases this week, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., complained that President Barack Obama was off the mark on energy policy and climate change legislation. “I’m one of those senators who believes climate change is a problem,” Sen. Alexander said in a statement. “I believe humans are contributing to it. I think it’s time for us to stop emitting so much carbon into the air, but I’d like for us to do that in a low-cost, sensible way that permits us to keep jobs in this country and not in a high-cost way that causes us to drive American companies overseas looking for cheap energy.” Sen. Alexander also repeated his call for 100 nuclear power plants to be built in the next 20 years. Mr. Obama gave a speech Tuesday in New York regarding climate change in which he called for reduced carbon emissions. TOO MUCH FIBER? Chattanooga’s fiber-optic telephone system at the city’s Outdoor Center proved to be a bit too high-tech for a remote radio broadcast Friday. Conservative radio talk show host Steve Gill, whose Nashville-based radio show is broadcast on nearly 50 stations across the country, was in Chattanooga on Friday to talk with local officials about everything from the fight over the Tennessee River to the city’s downtown turnaround. But the equipment used to make the connections back to the Nashville station that handles the broadcast needed an older analog phone set. When the fiber-optic, digital phones from EPB Telecom used by the city didn’t work, Mr. Gill ended up interviewing Mayor Ron Littlefield on a cell phone. But after an hour of the originally scheduled threehour show, Mr. Gill decided not to continue the remote from Chattanooga on Friday. Steve Gill’s Tennessee-oriented radio show will broadcast today from UTC. CORKER TAKES TOP COMMITTEE SPOT U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, RTenn., was named this week as the top Republican on the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Sen. Corker takes the place of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, RFla., who retired. “It is clear that as more and more baby boomers reach retirement, the issues affecting older Americans have broad implications for our country,” Sen. Corker said in a statement. The committee chairman is Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis. TWITTER UPDATES Twitter is an online social networking tool many politicians use to send updates to supporters. Here’s what some local and state officials and candidates were saying this week. Former Tennessee Republican Party Chairwoman Robin Smith, GOP congressional candidate, Sunday: “‘War on Terror’ over; CIA agents hiring lawyers vs. collecting intelligence to protect America. Serious leadership needed.” Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble, GOP congressional candidate, Tuesday: “Robin Smith’s assertion on Twitter that Obama has abandoned the war on terror is wrong. The evidence out of NY confirms opposite.” Rep. Wamp, gubernatorial candidate, Wednesday: “Michael W. Smith event in Belle Meade next week another step to raising ‘enough money’ to win GOP nomination. ‘Smitty’ is a good friend.” U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., gubernatorial candidate, Thursday: “The waters are subsiding. Now comes mudout, the process of digging out of the flood. God bless the victims and those who are helping them.” Compiled by staff writers Matt Wilson and Dave Flessner E-mail Matt Wilson at mwilson@timesfreepress.com E-mail Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com Zach Wamp
