In our blog, read about the political and cultural issues affecting Tennesseans written from a conservative perspective. Commentaries are typically written by David Fowler, an attorney who served in the Tennessee state Senate for 12 years before joining FACT as President.
Is the Indictment of Glen Casada a ‘Severe Mercy’?
Aug 26, 2022 by David Fowler
The indictment of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada is painful to me because he has been a friend for two decades and was a legislative colleague. Were Glen not a public figure, I might say nothing, but he is not. For the following reasons, ...
Is Evangelicalism Afflicted with Its Own Form of Trump Derangement Syndrome?
Aug 19, 2022 by David Fowler
Even before Liz Cheney’s drubbing this week, former president Donald Trump’s continuing influence in the Republican party was clear. I have given much thought to why Trump seems to be such a clear dividing line in politics generally and e...
Will Christians Acquiesce to Heresy and Teach It to their Children?
Aug 11, 2022 by David Fowler
This week a prominent private school in Nashville for girls grades 5 through 12 announced a new gender policy: “Any student who identifies as a girl may apply to our school.” Given the prestige of the school, no one should treat ligh...
What to Make of Winning Candidates Who Have Lied and the PAC’s That Support Them
Aug 5, 2022 by David Fowler
Political campaigns have always been marked by what I will call “sharp practices,” but over the last four years, the degree of maliciousness and amount of flat out lying by people I once respected seems to have reached a new level. In rec...
What Bad Politicking Tells Us About the Politicians We Need
Jul 29, 2022 by David Fowler
I believe one state legislative primary is a microcosm of the dilemma voters face during Republican primaries and provides insight into what is most needed among those we elect. The one I have in mind is that between Senator Jack Johnson and Gary Hum...
Evaluating Candidates For The Most Influential Office In State Government
Jul 22, 2022 by David Fowler
The next attorney general for our state will soon be selected by the justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court. I would submit that it is the most influential position in state government. And only one person whose name is being bandied about that I th...
How to Evaluate ‘Insider’ vs. ‘Outsider’ Legislative Candidates
Jul 15, 2022 by David Fowler
Early voting for state legislative primaries (and county general elections) starts today. There are some Republican primaries in which the incumbent faces a challenger. Having been the out-of-nowhere challenger to a 26-year incumbent Repub...
Pro-lifers Need the Unvarnished Truth About the Dobbs Decision
Jul 8, 2022 by David Fowler
Conservatives applauded Justice Samuel Alito’s recent opinion in the Dobbs case holding that there was no “right to abortion” in the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause and reversing the holding in Roe v. ...
Don’t Overlook the Real Conversation Among the Justices in Dobbs
Jul 1, 2022 by David Fowler
The reversal of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court last Friday is certainly cause for rejoicing among those who are pro-life. And I do rejoice. But a profound conversation is lurking below the surface in the opinions of the vari...
How to Evaluate Republican Candidates for the State Legislature
Jun 24, 2022 by David Fowler
With campaign mailers now flooding my mailbox, I couldn’t help but think back twenty-eight years to my first political race. I was running for the Tennessee Senate in a Republican primary against a 26-year incumbent. I learned then that endorse...
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