CAPITOL VIEW
By Pat Nolan, NEWSCHANNEL5 Political Analyst
December 1, 2023
THE END OF THE VIEW IS IN SIGHT; INSIDE POLITICS LOOKS AT THE LEGISLATURE’S GROWING TO- DO LIST FOR 2024; TWO LEGENDARY 1970s POLITICAL FIGURES HAVE PASSED; CONGRESS RETURNS TO OUST A MEMBER WHILE YET MORE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS LOOM AHEAD AND AID TO ISREAL AND UKRAINE REMAIN UNCERTAIN; TRANSIT COMES TO THE TOP OF MAYOR O’CONNELL’S AGENDA; THE GROWTH AT NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS FORCING MOVES TO PROTECT SAFETY; KEEP ON WALKING
THE END OF THE VIEW IS IN SIGHT
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday weekend!
After much thought and prayer, and after 21 years of writing this column almost every week, I have decided to end my Capitol View commentary, effective the end of the year. Actually, following my regular end of the year schedule, my last column will be on Friday December 15.
As I approach my 72nd birthday this month, I am continuing to ease back on my workload. This is not an easy decision for me, but I think this is the right time and the right decision.
I do hope to continue to host INSIDE POLITICS on NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS in 2024, assuming I receive a new contract to sign to continue my duties.
There will be more reflections to share in my two remaining columns. More than anything else, as we approach a presidential election year that may be the most perilous and climatic in recent American history, I am excited to continue to be a part of the NEWSCHANNEL 5 family, where, come March 3, 2024, I will have been employed for over 40 decades!
Thank you for reading my column over the past 20- plus years. It means a lot to me.
INSIDE POLITICS LOOKS AT THE LEGISLATURE’S GROWING TO- DO LIST FOR 2024
The 113th Tennessee General Assembly returns to Nashville on January 9 for its second-year regular session.
Already the lawmakers’ agenda is taking shape. Governor Bill Lee wants Tennessee’s controversial school voucher program extended statewide, and in a couple of years be available to every K-12 student in the state.
Many of the public safety and gun reform bills that didn’t pass or even get considered during a stormy special session earlier in 2023, are likely to come up again. But first, the federal courts have given the Legislature until January 31 to fix its redistricting plan for the State Senate because it violates the Tennessee Constitution.
To discuss all these matters and more, our guest on INSIDE POLITICS is Holly McCall, the editor of THE TENNESSEE LOOKOUT.
We welcome Holly back to the program!
Our discussion will air on the regular weekend schedule for INSIDE POLITICS on NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS.
Those times include:
7:00 p.m. Friday.
5:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
1:30 a.m. & 5:00 a.m. on Sunday.
THE PLUS is on Comcast Cable channel 250, Charter Cable channel 182 and on NEWSCHANNEL5’s over-the-air digital channel 5.2. We are also on DISH TV with the rest of the NEWSCHANNEL5 NETWORK.
One option for those who cannot see the show locally, or who are out of town, you can watch it live with streaming video on NEWSCHANNEL5.com. Just use your TiVo or DVR, if those live times don't work for you.
This week’s show and previous INSIDE POLITICS interviews are also posted on the NEWSCHANNEL5 website for your viewing under the NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS section. A link to the show is posted as well on the Facebook page of NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS. Each new show and link are posted early in the week after the program airs. I am also posting a link to the show each week on my Facebook page.
TWO LEGENDARY 1970s POLITICAL FIGURES HAVE PASSED
The nation and the world this week marked the passage of two major political figures who dominated the news headlines, in different ways, over 40 years ago in the 1970s.
Outside of Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosalynn Carter was perhaps the most politically active First Lady in American history during her husband Jimmy Carter’s presidency from 1977 to 1981. Their partnership, that included 77 years of marriage, also found her attending cabinet meetings, making policy travels on behalf of the White House and being one of her husband’s closest advisors. At the time, these were groundbreaking activities for women.
Much like her husband, their long post presidency careers to advocate for world peace, mental health services and providing affordable housing for thousands through Habitat for Humanity, made the Carters among the most highly esteemed former occupants of the White House as the decades have passed.
Her profound impact could be seen this week at the memorial service held in her honor in Atlanta where every living First Lady, Vice President Karmala Harris and every living President attended (except for former President Trump). Despite being under hospice care at age 99, former President Carter attended, traveling 130 miles from the couple’s home in Plains Georgia. Rosalynn Carter was 96.
Late on Thursday, word came that, at age 100, Henry Kissinger had died. The former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s, he was perhaps the most powerful person to serve in that post, at least during the post-WWII/ Cold War era . His actions to open relations with Communist China, his work to end the Vietnam War and in the Middle East still impact U.S. policies today, for both good and bad. In fact, even until his final days he was still consulted by world leaders and giving statements to the media about international relations.
BREAKING: Friday morning the death of another legendary woman was announced. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court passed away at the age of 93.
CONGRESS RETURNS TO OUST A MEMBER WHILE YET MORE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS LOOM AHEAD AND AID TO ISREAL AND UKRAINE REMAIN UNCERTAIN
In the history of the U.S. Congress, only 5 members of the House have been expelled.
Date Name (Party-State) Charge
1893 William N. Roach (D-ND) Embezzlement
1906 Joseph R. Burton (R-KS) Corruption
1907 Reed Smoot (R-UT) Mormonism
1919 Robert M. La Follette (R-WI) Disloyalty
Today (Friday), New York Republican Representative George Santos joined that list after more than two-thirds of the House members present vote to expel him.
Twice before this ouster effort had failed. With Congress usually not in session on Friday there remained a question about achieving the required two-thirds majority. But the bi-partisan sponsors of the move to expel thought they had more than enough to expel Santos and they were right.
Congress does remain uncertain over what to do about two more looming deadliness for government shutdowns early in 2024 (in January and February) as well as critical aid for allies Ukraine and Israel in their wars against Russia and Hamas.
Meanwhile Nashville Republican Congressman Andy Ogles, somewhat like George Santos, continues to have problems with his campaign fundraising and disclosures. And NEWSCHANNEL5’s Chief Investigative Reporter Phil Williams is still persistent in asking the tough questions even as the Congressman continues not to answer.
Stay tuned. Phil will not drop the story.
TRANSIT COMES TO THE TOP OF MAYOR O’CONNELL’S AGENDA
Even before Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell took the oath of office in late August, he had already appointed transition committees on how Nashville should “move, grow, and work” over the next four years.
Those groups presented their recommendations right before Thanksgiving, and holding another transit referendum, to be held during the November 2024 presidential election, has emerged as the first top task for the new administration.
The last transit vote, held during a special election in May 2018, was soundly rejected by voters (64%-36%). The rejection of the $9 billion plan seemed to come in many ways, because of its massive price tag and the heavy reliance on building new light rail connections. The scandal involving then Mayor Megan Barry that emerged during the campaign and led to her resignation, no doubt added to the opposition.
The first job for Mayor O’Connell is to come up for a new transit plan for voters to approve. It is believed the Mayor, long a transit advocate, will lean more on lower cost enhanced bus rapid transit and much less on light rail. In fact, the only rail project even being mentioned in the new plan is a link to connect the Airport to downtown.
The Mayor will also need to come up with a plan for voters to approve to finance the transit improvements. The failed 2018 plan would have relied on a number of taxes, including a half cent hike in the local sales tax, a hotel-motel room tax increase, even a tax on rental cars. A dedicated revenue source for transit will be perhaps the most critical feature of the plan, as Nashville is among the very few American cities that hasn’t approved such a revenue stream.
Obviously, the local sales tax increase seems likely to be a part of the financing the new plan, while the financing of the new domed Titans stadium makes another room tax increase less likely. It is interesting to note, local media coverage has focused very little on the financing of the dedicated transit revenue and more on the referendum being held with the presidential election next year. That vote always sees the largest voter turnout and given the importance of the transit issue, it is quite proper they should be held together.
But November 2024 is now less than a year away. The O’Connell administration has much to do to put this plan together then build the community voter support it will need for approval.
Here is a deeper dive from THE NASHVILLE BANNER.
THE GROWTH AT NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS FORCING MOVES TO PROTECT SAFETY
If you have driven to the Nashville Airport (BNA) in recent weeks, or seen the TV news coverage during the recent Thanksgiving holiday weekend, where the facility set another record for handling passengers, you know the growth and the traffic there is nuts!
It has also been borderline dangerous.
While so far fortunately, no one has been hurt, when traffic is so backed up getting to the terminal, that departing passengers are grabbing their rolling luggage, leaving their rides and WALKING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND THE EXIT RAMP to the airport to catch their flights. Something is not right!
BNA officials may have added to the problem by moving the free parking cell phone pickup lot off the airport campus, and placing it 3 miles away on Murfreesboro Road. This move was done due to construction in the area. But the result has been folks aren’t going to the new cell lot to wait to pick up passengers, they are going round and round the airport’s loop road around the terminal, waiting for their pickups., but creating at times, near gridlock conditions that back out onto the intestate.
The Airport has a long- term solution. But it will be 2027 before the next relocation of nearby Donelson Pike and a longer and wider loop road is ready.
Faced with rising complaints BNA is now offering more short term parking for free, but it’s free for a short period of time. With a potentially even bigger and longer Christmas traffic rush just a couple of weeks, some airport users are skeptical.
KEEP ON WALKING
This Nashville AXIOS article caught my eye this week.
A significant number of people in Nashville and across the country are deciding to cut back on walking.
That’s not a good idea.
While I spent much of life as a non-exerciser, non-walkin5-type person, after my stroke in June 2012 that began to change as I went to work out at the YMCA.
Then in 2020 when the pandemic closed the gyms, I desperately started walking around the block across the street from my home.
Now I do over 5 miles and 10,000-12,000 steps, five days a week (Sunday-Thursday). It works to keep my weight and my blood sugar in check while my energy level is up!
Checking my apps, I have done over 56,000 steps this week and over 25 miles. My yearly numbers through the month of November are almost 2.8 million steps and over 1.357 miles walked.
If I can do it, anybody can.
Keep on walking! It is the best exercise you can find.
