Talk:Bob Corker

Opposition to "Call Me" Ad

Hey- I think there should be mention in the Senate Race section about the "Call Me" ad which the RNC ran against Harold Ford, Jr. and which Corker opposed. Someone might consider copying a section from the Harold Ford Jr. wiki page which reads as follows:

"In October 2006, as polls indicated that Ford maintained a slight lead in the Senate race,[20] the Republican Party ran a television advertisement[21] where a white woman, played by Johanna Goldsmith, talks about meeting Ford, who was unmarried at the time, at "the Playboy party."[22] The ad was denounced by many people, including former Republican Senator and Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton, William Cohen, who called it “a very serious appeal to a racist sentiment.” Corker himself asked the Republican leadership to pull the ad, which it refused to do. Corker subsequently pulled ahead in the polls.[23]" —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thrubeingkhool (talk • contribs) 17:01, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

Illegal Alien accusation?

This was the edit comment when restoring the accusation regarding illegal aliens: "rv to restore information -- this was a notable POV expressed by prominent spokespeople, properly attributed to them and not stated as fact"

Not stated as fact? Last time I checked this was supposed to be an encyclopedia. Since when do facts not matter? Dubc0724 14:50, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. I'll repeat what I said at the Ford talk page in summary form: one's political opponent is probably not a reliable source for information relating to controversies. If they were, then Wikipedia would be, essentially, reproducing whatever politicians were saying in political attack advertisements. Obviously, this particular situation is a bit different, because Ford made the relevant statement in a debate, not an ad. But the same logic applies, I think--we still need a reliable source discussing the facts of the "controversy" before we can print it here. · j e r s y k o talk · 14:55, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

I just now noticed this deletion -- I haven't been paying close attention to this page.

Dubc0724, we are of course concerned about the facts. Here's the distinction I was drawing:

1. "Bob Corker hired illegal aliens."
2. "Ed Bryant charged that Bob Corker hired illegal aliens."

The first version is improper because it states the accusation as fact (accepting it as true). We shouldn't do that if there's a genuine dispute about it. If there's such a dispute, the NPOV policy means that we don't endorse either side. The second version, however, is quite proper. Instead of stating as fact that Corker did this, we state as fact that Bryant accused Corker of having done this. The latter point can't be seriously disputed. In instances of controversy, we fulfill NPOV by reporting (not adopting) the conflicting views, attributing each to a named prominent spokesperson.

That policy also answers jerseyko's criticism. In general, yes, we do reproduce what politicians say in attack ads. (If not, there's a WHOLE bunch of junk in the John Kerry and Bill Clinton articles that should come out.) When accusations of this type are made in a political campaign, it's a significant event. A politician who's not a fringe candidate is a prominent spokesperson for that opinion. We don't reproduce it in the sense of assuming it to be true, but we do reproduce it in the sense of reporting that the accusation was made. Furthermore, the text I wrote cited an independent source, The Tennesseean, although the link is now bad (that site apparently doesn't maintain story availability past a cutoff point). A quick search shows other independent news reports from the Chattanooga Times Free Press ([1]) and CQPolitics.com ([2]). This particular issue was particularly significant because, according to yet another independent source, Corker ran an ad accusing Ford of being soft on illegal immigration. JamesMLane t c 08:28, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Addition To Positions On Issues

The issues section also should include the following statement:

"Corker's campaign web site also includes a statement that he is in favor of the state's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage."

Senator box

Hey, I removed the info box, but now I've seen all the other candidates adding infoboxes to the winners. Can we get one that says "Senator-elect" in the main title box, and one that doesn't say "Junior Senator" as they won't be one until january, and being inaccurate for two months is too long.

Where Corker lives

Although it's a nice house with a historic past, where Bob Corker lives has no relevance to this article, and is certainly not important enough to be included in the first sentence. The content seems to have been added to provide internal links to article about the previous owners and an external link to a book about them. I think the sentence and reference should be removed, or the information moved to a more suitable part of the article with either a more suitable citation of where he lives (i.e. real estate listings or article) or a more convincing reason why Bob's house should be mentioned other than the fact that rich, influential people have lived there. Any other opinions? Flowanda 21:00, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

I think place of residence is relevant to Bob Corker / the article. It's also documented in a published book. Why it was posted isn't the issue. Qmax 21:39, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Where he lives is worth including, but not in the introduction. It could be moved to a more appropriate subsection. · j e r s y k o talk · 21:55, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Done. With the ref Qmax added, I think this works fine. Thoughts? · j e r s y k o talk · 21:59, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

I dig. Thanks! Qmax 22:03, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Moving the sentence does help place it in context with the rest of his personal life. However, just saying something is relevant doesn't make it relevant; without compelling reasons why this information should be included, or the vailidity of the source, then the "why" will continue to be an issue for me. Being challenged to justify our edits is an integral part of our work as editors and not something to be brushed off, even on such a seemingly small issue as this. Flowanda 05:07, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Just questioning whether something is relevant doesn't make it not-relevant. We have a legit source (reviewed my numerous authorities), precedent (numerous other biographies list info on place of residence), and the lack of a violation of WP:BLP. Do you have a substantive argument from WP:BLP not to include the content? Qmax 12:45, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

There is precedent for discussing the homes of politicians or other notable people in Wikipedia articles (see John Edwards, for example). I tend to shy away from using other Wikipedia articles to support action in another article, however. Even discounting precedent, I'm not of aware of a policy or guideline that would encourage exclusion (Wiki is not an indiscriminate collection of information perhaps being the best argument, but this isn't indiscriminate as it is about the subject of the article's home). Aside from policy or guidelines, I think it should stay as a matter of editorial judgment. · j e r s y k o talk · 12:52, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Rootsweb sources and family members

If there's really a need to note the names of Corker's parents, there are better sources than user-generated Rootsweb, which doesn't meet WP:V or WP:RS. Jean Corker is only notable (per Wikikpedia policy) because of campaign ads/appearances, but I could find few still-live pages via a search: such as http://www.seymourherald.com/news/2006/may/08/9836/(probably a press release) and http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-151964551.html. Flowanda | Talk 23:07, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

NPOV

It is impossible for this statement to ever comply with Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy: "Corker is a practical person working across the aisle for bipartisan solutions." I don't care how many sources you cite after that sentence, it's pure puffery. Interwebs (talk) 03:05, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

No, Corker said he's a practical person [3], and "working across the aisle for bipartisan solutions" is his public image. Corker is a moderate Republican who often works more with the Democrats than with his own party. He often votes against the conservative Republican majority. Gfletcher (talk) 03:28, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

With respect, you're just repeating a more detailed version of the same sentence, which isn't an argument for why to include the information. Additionally, relying on Bob Corker's statement about . . . himself . . . causes so many problems with NPOV, I don't know where to start. Finally, may I ask if this is an alternate account for you? You seem to know what the manual of style is, an accomplished bit of knowledge for someone with about fifteen edits to two total articles. Interwebs (talk) 04:27, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Here is no reason his voting record or ideology should not be included. This article needs the critical comment. "Pure puffery" seems your delusions of grandeur. Gfletcher (talk) 05:42, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Reliable, unbiased accounts of his voting record or ideology should certainly be included. However, his own account of his "practical nature" and an unsourced, unspecific notion that he is "working across the aisle" isn't that. Interwebs (talk) 13:51, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

City High School

I removed the internal linking of Corker's high school to the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts because it's not the same school Corker attended, even though it's in the same physical location. Flowanda | Talk 00:06, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with File:Haroldcallme.png

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Biased

Canada "parastitic"

On Wednesday September 30th, 2009 Senator Corker described Canada as being "parasitic" due to that Country's low presciption drug prices. He stated that "Meaning that you set prices and unfortunately all the innovation, all the technological breakthroughs, just about, take place in our country ... you benefit from us and we pay for that and I resent that." which shows he his ignorance towards the contribution that Canada has made to the global medical community, including the discovery of insulin, the first identification of stem cells and the invention of the first artificial kidney machine.

This seems more of someones political opinion supported by a few facts than facts,"which shows he his ignorance towards the contribution that Canada has made to the global medical community, including the discovery of insulin, the first identification of stem cells and the invention of the first artificial kidney machine." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.15.191.119 (talk) 06:14, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

It depends on the difference in health care systems that US drug prices are higher than Canada. Corker's claim called the unfair trade comes from southern typical ignorance. --Thomp (talk) 16:11, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

Asking to remove biased quote

{{request edit}} Hi, I work on Bob Corker's campaign and I want to introduce myself here and ask for help making sure this article is neutral. While I have no intention of editing the article myself (nor does anyone else on the campaign), there are some problems with what is written here right now and I'd like to get help from volunteers to address these issues.

To begin with something small: there's a quote from the Senator's primary opponent under the "2012 Senate Campaign" heading that I think should be removed. The quote is obviously intended to promote the other candidate's view, and doesn't provide any useful information. In the same paragraph, there's also an external link that goes to the opponent's campaign website, which seems inappropriate here. Can someone look at these and please remove them if you agree? Thanks in advance. Mark from tn (talk) 19:21, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! Tagged for now... I'll try to look in detail later. Editors: please jump in the meantime. Cheers! Woz2 (talk) 14:25, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

Done! Thanks! Woz2 (talk) 11:30, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Information to add to Mayor of Chattanooga

{{request edit}}

Hi, I introduced myself in the request above and explained that I would like to get help from volunteers here to improve the Senator's article. One issue I've seen with the article is that there's little to no information about his tenure as Mayor of Chattanooga, despite there being a heading of this name. The first sentence under the heading refers to a role he held prior to his mayorship, so I don't think this belongs here. That leaves just one sentence describing a four-year tenure.

With some help from an experienced "wikipedian", I've written a few paragraphs that can be added under this heading, replacing the current content (aside from the sentence about his appointment as Commissioner of Finance and Administration, which I think should be moved elsewhere). I'll paste this below, please can someone read it and move it under the "Mayor of Chattanooga" heading if that's ok? Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 11:41, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

New paragraphs:

Corker served as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001-2005. During his tenure in office he implemented a merit based bonus system for teachers. The system, established in 2002, awards teachers and principals bonuses for improving student performance at Chattanooga's lowest performing schools. Two years after its implementation a study published in The Tennessean showed that the percentage of third graders reading at or above grade level had increased from 53% to 74%.

In 2003 Corker started a program called ChattanoogaRESULTS, facilitating monthly meetings with public service department administrators to evaluate their performance and set goals for improvement. The program has been continued by succeeding mayor Ron Littlefield. Corker has credited the increased collaboration between departments for decreasing crime in Chattanooga. City data showed a nearly 26% decrease in crime and a 50.2% reduction in violent crimes between 2001 and 2004.

Modern extension of the Hunter Museum of American Art

Corker was also heavily involved in the development of the Enterprise South Industrial Park in Chattanooga, and later, as senator, worked with state and local officials to recruit Volkswagen to open a production facility at the site. Also during his tenure as mayor, Corker oversaw a $120 million dollar riverfront renovation project, including an expansion of the Hunter Museum, a renovation of the Creative Discovery Museum, an expansion of Chattanooga's River Walk, and the addition of a new salt water building to the Tennessee Aquarium.

---

Hi there, saw your post at WPConservatism. Please place quotes on the talk page from the nexis articles for verification as I don't have nexis. The Poovey story does attribute the Riverfront project to Corker, but not the rest of the amenities in your text. Did I miss something? – Lionel ^(talk) 02:57, 4 August 2012 (UTC)

Hello Lionel, it's great to see your response here, thanks for looking at this for me. I'll add the quotes from the Nexis articles below. About the list of amenities: these were all part of the overall riverfront renovation project that the Senator oversaw during his time as Mayor. They are all mentioned in the article as being part of the project and, as you mention, the article says that he "coordinated" the entire project. The main reason that the paragraph includes these details is that it is currently under the Mayor of Chattanooga heading and I didn't want to take it out without a good reason.

Here are the quotes you asked for:

• "But in Hamilton County (Chattanooga), is located, early studies show the program is having a positive impact. There, three organizations -- the Benwood Foundation, the Public Education Foundation and the Hamilton County Department of Education -- formed an alliance in 2000 that created the $7.5 million Benwood Initiative for staff at nine low-performing, urban, poor and largely minority schools. At these schools, only 12 percent of third-graders could read at or above their grade level. Teacher turnover was high, and the faculties were comprised of young, inexperienced and, in some cases, marginal teachers, according to the initiative's backers. The compensation for teachers includes home-buying assistance, a $5,000 retention bonus for performing teachers, a $5,000 recruitment bonus for teachers with high-performance records, $10,000 bonuses for principals at successful schools and bonuses of $1,000 to $2,000 for teachers at successful schools. Two years after the program's implementation, the average percentage of third-graders scoring proficient or advanced in reading jumped from 53 percent to 74 percent, the report states." (Ailene Torres, The Tennessean 2006)

• "U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who was mayor of Chattanooga when the Enterprise South site was first developed at the location of the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant, was on hand for Tuesday's announcement, and played a key role in wooing Volkswagen officials. ... Corker's personal efforts to snag Volkswagen included hosting company officials in his Chattanooga home on June 20, which the senator said seemed to be the defining point in the efforts to lure the facility." (G. Chambers Williams III, The Tennessean 2008)

Thanks again for helping with this. I hope this gives you the information you need to move the paragraphs into the article. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 22:11, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

CNN doesn't mention the "Benwood Initiative", and Torres doesn't mention Corker. We need a source to establish that Corker started "Benwood."– Sir Lionel, EG^(talk) 06:35, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

Hello again Lionel, the "Benwood Initiative" became the name used for the program later on, which is why the CNN piece does not use this name. The Senator's incentive plan was a major part of the initiative that led to schools' improved grades. This report explains in detail: Elena Silva (April 2008). The Benwood Plan: A lesson in Comprehensive Teacher Reform (PDF) (Report). Education Sector. Retrieved 14 August 2012. {{cite report}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Here is a key quote:

• "Register also credits the financial incentives plan, launched by then-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, with changing the community's attitude toward these poorer, central city schools. Corker, who is now a U.S. senator, established the Community Education Alliance, an advisory group of a dozen local business leaders. The group created the high-profile array of incentives for Benwood teachers, including mortgage loans, a tuition-free master's degree, and, most notably, pay bonuses of up to $5,000 for teachers who demonstrated student gains. Mayoral attention helped to precipitate change"

The report establishes the Senator's link to the Benwood Initiative, so I think if this is added to the first paragraph it will provide the verification needed. Will that work for you? Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 14:56, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

That will do it! And I have no objection to you adding it to the article. Good work! – Sir Lionel, EG^(talk) 06:00, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Changes made. Silverseren^C 03:34, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

Early life and family section request

Hi and thanks everyone for the recent help improving the Mayor of Chattanooga section and correcting Sen. Corker's marriage date. I have another request for the Early Life and Family section that I would like to help with. In the current article the paragraph focusing on details of the Senator's business background is underdeveloped and has only one reference with a link that does not work. There's also no background to his decision to be involved in his local community, which I think is important to mention here.

I have prepared some new text that I wish to suggest can replace the second and third paragraph under the "Early Life and Family" heading. I've pasted the new paragraphs below. Again, I won't be editing Sen. Corker's article because of my conflict of interest, so can someone read this and move it for me if it's alright? Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 20:47, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

New paragraphs:

During his twenties Corker participated in a mission trip to Haiti, which he credits with inspiring him to become more active in his home community. Following his return, Corker helped found the Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, a nonprofit organization that has provided low-interest home loans and home maintenance education to thousands of Tennesseans since its creation in 1986.

In an interview with Esquire, Corker said that he started working when he was 13, collecting trash and bagging ice. Later he worked at Western Auto and as a construction laborer. After graduation from the University of Tennessee, he then worked for four years as a construction superintendent. During this time he saved up $8,000, which he used to start a construction company, Bencor, in 1978. The company's first large contract was with Krystal restaurants, building drive-through windows. The construction company became successful, growing at 80 percent per year, according to Corker, and by the mid-1980s carried out projects in 18 states. He sold the company in 1990. In 1999, Corker acquired two of the largest real estate companies in Chattanooga: Osborne Building Corporation and Stone Fort Land Company. In 2006 he sold the properties and assets that had formed these companies to Chattanooga businessman Henry Luken.

In recognition of his business success, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga named him to their “Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame.” Corker has said that he believes his business background has been valuable in his political career and that experience "gives [him] unique insights and allows [him] to weigh in, in valuable ways". As of 2008, Corker's assets were estimated at $19.19 million.

Done. Note that when there are or might be multiple reflist templates on a page, each needs to use some parameter, it doesn't matter what, to avoid citations being mixed between the two (or more) lists. DES ^(talk) 05:29, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Thank you DES, I am learning as I go along. I will try to fix this the next time. And it's good to have your help with this. I am working on more suggestions, and I hope you'll be open to considering them. Mark from tn (talk) 15:30, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

It is an obscure point, and almost never comes up in actual articles. I just observed that the refs displayed were wrong, and had to do some searching to find out the fix.

I am always willing to look at drafts and suggestions if I have time. I advise using {{edit request}} so it can atract the attention of other editors as well. Note that minor sourced factual corrections or additions can generally be made directly by editors with COI. Things like correcting a date, or, on a company article, the location of the office or the name of the CEO, for which it is easy to supply a reliable source. (though even then a note on the talk page explaining the situation is a good idea in my view.) DES ^(talk) 16:16, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Proposed revision of Sale of protected wetlands

{{request edit|R}}

Hi again, as I mentioned above I've been working on more suggestions to help improve this article and have a request for the Sale of protected wetlands section. This subject is listed in the article as a controversy but I'd like to ensure that it is an accurate representation of events. In that way, I think the new text I've prepared is an improvement over the current version.

This revision improves the existing section by introducing a new source and correcting invalid links from existing sources. Where possible I have linked to an online version of the article. If no online version was available I provided a link to Nexis. I have also included more information detailing the timeline of events and better explaining Senator Corker's limited involvement in this event. Lastly, I am requesting the removal of an opinion quote since it represents the view of just one person and does not provide encyclopedic information to this article.

I'll paste my proposed revision below. I hope someone will be able to review and implement this change for me, if it's ok. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 14:50, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

New version:

===Sale of protected wetlands===

Corker speaks at the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce breakfast in 2010.

In 2003, Osborne Enterprises, an affiliate of the real estate company Corker Group, sold protected wetlands near South Chickamauga Creek in Chattanooga to Wal-Mart for $4.6 million. In July 2003 environmental educator Sandy Kurtz filed a restraining order to stop the construction of the Wal-Mart. After briefly being upheld, the lawsuit was dismissed on July 15, 2003. The Wal-Mart opened in May 2004.

Attorney Joe Prochaska, who represented Kurtz, served from 1992 to 1997 as a member of the Davidson County Democratic Party’s executive committee. Prochaska accused Corker of selling the land shortly after the construction easement was approved. However, public records show that the land was approved for development by the city prior to Corker becoming mayor in April 2001. As part of the development plans, the Corps of Engineers approved the filling in of 2.5 acres of the wetlands, to widen an access road, in exchange for the creation of an additional 11 acres of new wetlands in a nearby area. Public records show no involvement of Corker in the approval process.

In 2006, during Corker's United States Senate campaign against Democrat Harold Ford Jr., a second lawsuit was filed by Kurtz, again represented by Prochaska, and the Tennessee Environmental Council. The lawsuit accused Wal-Mart of encroaching onto an adjacent protected nature area that was also held by a company owned by Corker. The suit alleged that Corker did not fully disclose his interest in the property where the Wal-Mart was built or in the adjacent nature area at the time the deal was made. The Corker campaign countered that an article published on March 5, 2003 in the Chattanooga Times Free Press publicly identified Corker's ownership interest in the land, through Osborne Enterprises, and that as mayor, a trust barred Corker from being involved in issues like these that affected his business.

On October 13, 2006, lawyers involved in the case announced a settlement agreement. Details of the settlement were not announced, but court records indicate that a portion of the settlement involved a 45-day option for the Tennessee Environmental Council to purchase over 13 acres (53,000 m²) of the land in dispute that the Council hopes to dedicate for public use.

I am so, so sorry that this has sat for so long. I'm taking personal responsibility for its implementation and have implemented it already. The rewrite sounds perfectly fine, the only possible neutrality quibble being on the sentence, "However, public records show that the land was approved for development by the city prior to Corker becoming mayor in April 2001", but that seems to be held up by the reference in question. Silverseren^C 04:49, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Senate campaigns - two requests

Hi, I have two requests that I'm presenting together because they address two of the "Senate Campaign" sections of this article. The first request is fairly simple. I have prepared language to replace the first paragraph of the 1994 Senate campaign section. I have rewritten this section to replace a dead link and to provide details about events following Senator Corker's loss in the primary. Below is the language I suggest:

Corker first ran for the United States Senate in 1994, finishing second in the Republican primary to eventual winner Bill Frist. During the primary campaign, Frist's campaign manager labeled Corker "pond scum" in an attack. Despite the tough rhetoric, Corker arrived in Nashville the morning after the primary to offer the Frist campaign his assistance. He went on to campaign for Frist in the general election.

References

This is done, though I removed the word "tough", as it seemed a little POV. Silverseren^C 06:21, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

My second request deals with the 2006 Senate campaign section. My concern here is the final paragraph of this section, which goes into great detail about a television ad run on Senator Corker's behalf. This section describes scenes from the commercial and includes a link to the video on YouTube, which I feel is inappropriate. I believe my proposed revision summarizes the events in a more succinct and encyclopedic manner. Here is what I suggest:

In October 2006, the Republican National Committee ran a television advertisement on behalf of Corker that was met with criticism from both parties for appealing to negative racial stereotypes. Corker immediately called on the Republican National Committee to pull the ad, describing it as "tacky" and "over the top." He went on to win the election by three percentage points becoming the only new Republican senator in the 110th Congress.

The first bill Corker introduced in 2007 was legislation to amend campaign finance laws so that candidates could legally approve of all ads run on their behalf by a political party.

References

Thank you in advance for reviewing these two requests. I hope that an editor will be able to help make these improvements. As always, I'll be watching this page if you have any questions. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 23:31, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

The strong appeal to racism in the "Playboy party" ad was the subject of major national attention, and was criticized even by some of Corker's fellow Republicans. Your proposed edit constitutes a blatant whitewash of a shameful incident. (Full disclosure: I'm a progressive anti-racist white boy from West Tennessee.) --Orange Mike | Talk 13:37, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Hi OrangeMike, when writing the revision of this paragraph about the ad, I was cautious not to remove its mention, which I would agree would be whitewashing. My concern was to make sure that events were dealt with fairly. Now the section goes into a lot of detail about the ad and the way it is written makes it seem like the ad was approved by Sen. Corker. If you look at how this is dealt with in the article about this campaign, you'll see that it's been covered in detail but that it makes clear Sen. Corker condemned the ad and it wasn't run by him.

Because this is a biographical article about Sen. Corker I don't think that so much information is needed about this one event during the campaign. This is especially because the ad wasn't run by the Senator but the RNC and he did immediately call for it to be canceled. So, this wasn't something he did, but that was done on his behalf, without his signing off on it. My revision includes the critical information: that the ad was run on his behalf by the RNC, that it appealed to negative racial stereotypes and that it was met with criticism. If more is needed, I think that begins to make this section biased. Mark from tn (talk) 15:05, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

You may or may not know the answer, but I'm curious whether the ad actually stopped running after Corker condemned it, or if it continued to run through the election. MastCell ^Talk 18:11, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

Do you have an answer to the question, Mark? Silverseren^C 02:56, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Mark: for most folks outside Tennessee, that ad, and the scurrilous nature of that ad, is the thing Corker is best known for. Now, I'm not the Ford family's biggest fans, but just wimping out and saying "a nasty ad he didn't approve of was run by somebody else" with no details strikes me as rather disingenuous, given that it did run, it did get talked about, and it did help him achieve a public office of high trust. I will admit: it was racist crap like that which caused me to leave my native Tennessee many years ago, so perhaps I'm oversensitive here (and I concede that possibility). --Orange Mike | Talk 12:48, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

Sorry for the small delay, MastCell. The answer to your question is that it aired for 5 days before the RNC pulled it, despite Mr. Corker's public statements asking that it be withdrawn, and it continued to appear on local Chattanooga TV for a short while after that point. The RNC's decision to air the ad was made without input from Mr. Corker, and kept running it in opposition to his wishes. This can be verified in reliable sources, such as MSNBC and CBS News. Following the campaign, Sen. Corker introduced legislation to make party ads more accountable to candidates, which I think is also relevant.

Because it did play a role in the campaign, I do not wish to "sweep it under the rug" or pretend it didn't happen, I only want to make sure it's given proper weight, and written with less sensationalism. The subject is already well covered in the article about the 2006 campaign. And including the Cohen denunciation in the current version but not mentioning Mr. Corker's own criticism of the ad is misleading. I respect Orange Mike's concerns, but I am confident what I have proposed is closer to Wikipedia's objective standards than the current section. Thoughts? Mark from tn (talk) 15:12, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

I have left a reminder for Orangemike and MastCell about this section and i've also asked DESiegel to offer an opinion, so I can get a consensus here. Silverseren^C 03:10, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

I have completed the first part of the request, because there didn't seem to be any concerns about that. Still waiting on replies from other editors that were involved above. Silverseren^C 06:21, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

Blind trust - small addition

Thank you Silverseren for helping with the wetlands request. I have one small request for the Blind trust section of this article. I am not looking to revise any of the text currently in this section, but would like to suggest adding the following sentence to the start of the section.

Shortly after taking office as mayor, Corker voluntarily placed his Hamilton County real estate holdings and businesses into a blind trust to avoid "even the perception of any conflict". Corker stated that the visibility of his properties and public knowledge of his ownership in them served as another check on his actions as mayor.

References

I have used a link from Nexis in this reference, because I was unable to find a free version online. Below is the text from the article that I believe supports this addition:

• "The 48-year-old mayor-elect has pledged to put his extensive Hamilton County property holdings in a blind trust by this summer. The move is similar to what another developer-turned-politician, Mayor Jon Kinsey, did four years ago. By putting their business portfolios in a trust controlled by another party, Mr. Kinsey and Mr. Corker each maintain they avoid potential conflicts of interest between their business and political actions. "Beyond the issue of conflict of interest directly, you have to be concerned about even the perception of any conflict," Mr. Corker said. … Mr. Corker said he will have the blind trust created to oversee all of his Hamilton County properties and businesses within 90 days of taking office as mayor on April 16." (Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press 2001)

As usual I'll be watching this talk page, though I hope an editor will be able to make this quick addition for me. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 23:37, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

Did the blind trust sell the properties? If not, how does the trust alleviate the conflict of interest? —Cupco 20:55, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Hi Cupco, because the company's assets were put into a trust, it was the trustee of the trust who handled the details of these transactions.

So, in this case, Sen. Corker's trust handled the sale of the properties and all the details of that transaction. Sen. Corker was not involved in the details of the transactions. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 17:15, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

Glad to hear they were sold. I'm skeptical of blind trusts which hold anything but index funds. —Cupco 13:20, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

 Added —Cupco 13:25, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Thank you Cupco for helping with this request. If you would not mind, could you help with my other request on this page regarding the Senate campaign sections? Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 15:07, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

I feel like I don't have the personal context to evaluate that, given Orange Mike and Mastcell's comments above. I hope you can answer Mastcell's question and see how it goes from there. —Cupco 20:25, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

New request for tenure section: moving information about health care

Hi again, given that the conversation about my requested changes to the Senate campaign section has stalled, I'd like to move on to a less contentious request for now.

I have a small organizational request for the Tenure section of this article. I would like to request that the information in this section regarding health care policy be moved to its own subsection in the Political positions section. I think that moving this information would help organize this article and make it easier to navigate.

I feel that the following existing information would be better suited in a new "Health care policy" subsection, following the existing "Foreign policy" section.

On September 30, 2009 Corker opposed the health-care reform amendment that would legally allow Americans to buy cheaper Canadian drugs.

Corker opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

In late February 2010, Corker took a decidedly less bipartisan turn when he became the sole senator to back retiring Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky in filibustering a 30-day extension of expiring unemployment and COBRA benefits.

References

I would appreciate it if an editor could review this request and make this change for me. To clarify, I am not requesting any changes to this text, simply that it be moved to a new subsection. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 21:48, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Done. Sorry for the wait. Silverseren^C 03:49, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Not a problem about the wait and I am thankful for your help. I have another reorganization request that I have been working on, I'll make that request here also, if you're able to help with that too. Thank you again. Mark from tn (talk) 16:35, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Additions to Fiscal policy section

{{request edit}}

Similar to my last request, I have another request to move some of the existing Tenure section to the Political positions section to group related information together. However, with this request I would also like to introduce new information to the Fiscal policy section, in addition to the text I suggest moving.

My recommendation is to remove the following paragraph from the tenure section, and incorporate this information into the Fiscal policy subsection. I have revised this information, as opposed to requesting a simple move, because several of the links are dead and the section contains errors. For example the first date mentioned in this section is incorrect.

On May 20, 2010, despite his initial role as the key Republican negotiator on financial regulatory reform, Corker voted against the Senate Financial Regulations Bill that if passed would increase scrutiny of financial derivatives traded by major U.S. banks and financial institutions. Senator Corker does not believe that the government should regulate markets more carefully, but rather that they should be regulated by current laws already on the books. Senator Corker supports the view of many conservatives that the Glass Steagall Act should not be reimplemented. Senator Corker has been a vocal opponent of financial regulations passed by the Senate in 2010. He also opposes limits to credit card fees imposed by banks on merchant transactions. The main critique of financial reform offered by Corker on June 10, 2010 at the joint House and Senate conference on Financial Regulation was that it would hurt industry and jobs if passed. Corker offered no evidence for his contention that regulating derivatives would impose constraints on the financial recovery of the United States.

References

I would also like to request revising the Fiscal policy section as shown below. I have highlighted my additions and changes in yellow. I have retained most existing information and sources, but have rewritten portions of text to improve readability. I have also found replacement sources for dead links and sources that didn't support existing information. Since this section is longer, I've put it into a collapsible box:

Fiscal policy section

Corker supports making the 2001 tax cut and the 2003 tax cut permanent. He has shown interest in replacing the federal progressive income tax with a flat tax.

Corker is a proponent of fiscal reform, and has said Congress needs to "embrace tax reform that eliminates loopholes, permanently lowers individual and corporate rates and broadens the base". In 2010, Corker held nearly 50 discussions on America’s debt crisis throughout Tennessee leading up to his proposal of the Commitment to American Prosperity Act in January 2011. The proposed CAP act, if passed, would reduce the federal spending cap over a ten year period to 20.6 percent of GDP, the average for the previous four decades.

He was an original co-sponsor of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act and is a supporter of the Balanced Budget Amendment. He was also an early leader against earmarks, supporting an amendment in 2008 that would have created a one year ban on earmarks. Corker again supported a moratorium on earmarks in 2011.

Corker opposed John McCain's 2008 campaign proposal to suspend the 18-cents-per-gallon federal gasoline tax, used to finance state highway projects, calling it "pandering extraordinaire".

He chose to endorse the initial $350 billion of the Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008 and opposed releasing an additional $350 billion in 2009. Corker had advocated for a provision within the TARP legislation that would require the funds to be released in two installments, which would allow for better assessment of the programs success.

In March 2010, Corker voted against a measure to extend unemployment benefits that added $10 billion to the federal deficit. He did however support an alternative amendment that would have paid for the extension of benefits.

On July 15, 2010, although he was a key Republican negotiator on financial regulatory reform, Corker voted against the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. Corker said that the legislation would be a “net negative for the American people" and that over time it would result in capital becoming increasingly less available and more expensive. The main critique of financial reform offered by Corker on June 10, 2010 at the joint House and Senate conference on Financial Regulation was that it would hurt industry and jobs if passed. He explained that the bill would limit the ability for companies to seek capital to create jobs.

In 2011, Corker voted in favor of the Republican alternative budget proposed by Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a proposal that would eliminate health care provided through the Medicare program and instead provide seniors with subsidies for part of the cost of obtaining private medical insurance. Current Medicare recipients and seniors 55 and older would not be affected by these changes. In August 2012, Corker expressed his support for a similar bipartisan proposal from Ryan and Representative Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

References

Thank you for reviewing this request and please let me know if you have any questions about what I have prepared. Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 16:37, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I am unfortunately going to be occupied for the next week or two (see my user page) and won't have time to focus on organizing a group to get consensus for changes. If you could see about contacting some other people (maybe those that responded above) to give an opinion here, it would be a lot faster than waiting for me to have the time to help. Silverseren^C 05:10, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the response Silverseren. I'm going to post requests on WikiProject Tennessee and U.S. Congress. Mark from tn (talk) 19:44, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Are we ditching the "generational theft" statement? Other than that, I see no problem with the proposed changes. Bms4880 (talk) 21:25, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi Bms4880, you are correct, my version does remove the "generational theft" comment as it was not supported by the source provided. While the phrase can be verified, I think that this phrase should be removed because "generational theft" is only a small portion of the original longer quote from Senator Corker. The way it is used here in the article without any context has obscured the actual meaning of the quote. You can read this quote in its entirety in this ABC news article. Even with additional context the quote doesn't appear to merit inclusion in an encyclopedic article. Do you think you would be willing to make the change? Thanks. Mark from tn (talk) 00:19, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Remove sections

I don't believe the "Republican Main Street Partnership" and "Missing Papers" sections rise to the level of "Controversies" or are even significant enough to warrant mention in the article. Any objections to removing them?CFredkin (talk) 18:20, 11 October 2013 (UTC)

• I have no objections. Bms4880 (talk) 20:21, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

External links modified

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Secretary of State

Trump is apparently considering him for SofS. Sources here and here and here. There are more.104.163.158.152 (talk) 07:14, 25 November 2016 (UTC)