GOP treachery in Tennessee
Something’s rotten in Tennessee. A Republican cut a backroom deal with 49 Democrats to secure the statehouse speakership. Chaos ensued. I’m surprised no shoes were thrown.
Blago would be impressed:
In an extraordinary move in the opening session of the state legislature this afternoon, Republican Kent Williams won speakership of the House, beating veteran Democrat Jimmy Naifeh and Republican leader Jason Mumpower, who was widely expected to get the post.
Shortly after, Williams voted for Democrat Lois DeBerry for speaker pro tem, the number two position, illustrating his willingness to power-share with Democrats who elected him to the speakership.
Williams, while a dark horse candidate, was not completely unexpected. There had been rumors weeks before that Williams, who had supported Naifeh as speaker in the past, might defect from the Republicans.
The election of Williams was what Democrats called the “nuclear option:” electing a Republican who was friendly to Democrats, creating coalitions between the parties. As recently as Monday, Mumpower had dismissed such talk, saying that Republicans were united.
Afterward, Naifeh acknowledged that the move was likely to anger Republicans, but said he thought Democrats and Republicans could continue to work together,” he said.
“Emotions are high right now, and I would hope that we would be able to have a good session,” Naifeh said.
As the vote took place, the House chamber at moments erupted into near bedlam, with spectators raining down boos, hisses and angry shouts, all of which was quickly quieted when Naifeh threatened to have unruly audience members removed from the chamber.
(link)
TCOTReport calls it “political skullduggery.”
Also known as: bipartisan corruption as usual.
***
Tennessee blogger Stacey Campfield has been tracking the shenanigans. Go here.
RedState wants you to send silly putty to Williams.
Back-stabbing knives would be more appropriate, I think.
See what others have said
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- NY GOP: We’re Not Dead Yet! « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
- GOP craziness in TN House today
- Visual illustration of the Kent Williams takeover
- Treachery in Tennessee « Right Minded Online
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I’m sure the local troll is happy.
Why, oh why, is the GOP determined to drive away their own voters?
No more capitulation with those damn dems.
GEEES!
After the election the news said the Republicans would control both house and senate in Tennessee. I guess they were half right.
Tennessee is a wierd state. We have a (D) governor and two (R) senators in D.C.
“continue to work together” is RINO-speak for doing whatever the democrats want.
This was shocking, disappointing and INFURIATING to those of us who were finally hopeful the stranglehold of dems/corruption had been broken. NOT SO…the dems approached this guy (in a District that went over 70% for MCCAIN!) right after the election to hatch this plot. This is the SAME TN dem party that THREW OUT a LEGALLY elected Rosalind Kurita because she DARED to vote with the Republicans on a few issues. They TOSSED OUT HER VALID ELECTION because they CAN..the People of TN really have NO voice at all!
I heard about this around 4pm when the local talking head came on. I knew the GOP control of both houses was too good to be true. There’s always some turncoat that has to screw it up for everyone.
Tennessee Dave, even though Bredesen is a Dem, he acts more like a Republican than the last Republican ever did. Sad fact, but true. Maybe we’ll get a conservative R as gov in 2010. There are already a few that have thrown their hat in the ring since Frist decided not to run (whew!).
Michelle sure despises Republicans.
Yep teachem2, Bredesen isn’t a raving liberal Dem and I can’t complain too much. He has been good to the National Guard. The most fault I’ve had with him was seeing him actually talking good about Obama, but he wasn’t over the top. I still couldn’t bring myself to vote for him in ‘06 tho.
I am missing something.
What are the rules for electing a Tenn House Speaker? Aren’t deals made all the time to elect a speaker? Democrat or Republican. Moreover, even following the links I was unable to determine how many people, total, sit in the Tenn House. And what was the actual vote? What was the split between parties? Small details but they are central to fully understanding this story, eventhough a Republican chose a Democrat to be second in charge, is that uncommon in Tenn Legislative history.
Too knee jerk.
Michelle despises RINO’s – as do we all.
What’s the point in calling yourself a Republican when all you do is cave to the democrats?
teachem2: I have family who used to work for the TNGOP in the 80s… Bredesen used to come to their office and drive them nuts! They thought he was crazy. So he left and became a Democrat. LOL.
I watched the House vote for the Speaker… I was utterly shocked, but looking back I don’t know why. Naifeh has run the TN House like a personal fiefdom for 19 years–killing bills in committee, not recognizing members on the floor, etc. (I interned at the General Assembly a few years ago. I loved it.) Odom’s speech about bi-partisanship was laughable; it kills me how committed the Dems are to bi-partisanship when they’re in the minority.
Yesterday’s vote was extremely disappointing and under-handed. There really aren’t words to describe how devastating it was to watch that. Naifeh is still Speaker… he just has a nice little puppet to play with now.
Williams won’t be a Republican for long–just like the former Senator Williams…
As far as the “rules,” from what I remember, it’s just a voice vote on the first day of the new legislative session, which lasts for two years. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us may be more specific.
There are 99 members of the TN House–50 Republican, 49 Democrat. The vote was 50 for Williams, 49 for Mumpower. All of the Republicans voted for Mumpower except for Williams. He and the Democrats all voted for him.
*Bill Grant: Michelle doesn’t despise Republicans, just those that behave like liberal, unprincipled Democrats.
*Tennessee strongly rejected the oncoming socialism that PEBO is about to curse us with, so the Democrats made a deal with this devil to retain power; This Williams guy is a dead man walking, figuratively speaking, of course.
*The Tennessee Republicans will stay above the fray and expand their majorities in 2010.
*Tennessee Dave: In truth, Tennessee has 2 RINO senators and a milqtoast governor; But at least we have Marsha Blackburn.
Republicans and Democrats agreed to elect a moderate Republican instead of a right wing partisan. Is that so bad?
Just for punctuation…check out Williams website; let the pix on the right roll for a bit…and then marvel at his embrace by RINO John McCain. Birds of a feather…
In the The Inferno, Dante reserved the last circle of Hell for those who had betrayed trusts, and they were frozen in place to watch the perpetual gnawing of the three great traitors. Hope there’s room for all the RINO’s.
Correction lgm. Democrats and Republican, singular. But kinda funny in any case.
Would love to see the GOP on public access TV having a Republican roundtable show taking calls from the public or in-studio audience so they get anl unfiltered unbuffeted ear to what the grass roots are REALLY thinking!
James Greenidge
Queens NY
James – the problem with that is that the democrats would flood the lines with seminar callers. I don’t know if you could even get an honest studio audience.
On January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 pm, JHSII said:
Despise yourself,(get in line) you are helping to elect democrats.
And once again Bill Grant projects. Nothing new here.
This isn’t any surprise – in fact, it’s beginning to look like another Democrat national strategy. They just did the same thing here in Texas, resulting in the election of Strauss. Looks like even when they’re in the majority the Republicans can’t manage to control a legislature. Not only that, but in Texas it takes a 2/3rds majority to bring legislation to the floor of the state Senate – and the Dems have enough votes to prevent anything even going to the floor for debate that they don’t like.
The more I see of Bill Grant, the less I think he’s actually a Republican.
Tennessee isn’t alone in this. Texas has a new Republican Speaker who garnered the post by getting the endorsement of a gang of 64 ABC (Anybody But Craddick, the previous speaker) Democrats.
He may have an (R) by his name, but Speaker Straus is in the post because 64 Democrats and some upset RINO’s put him there.
Guess you see what you want to see Tex.
Frankly Bill how will making us angrier make us want to vote Republican, shouldn’t they do stuff for us to get us to love them?
Ain’t no such beast as a “Moderate Republican.” That’s just a misnomer for “Politically-Deceitful Democrat.”
Actually, all Democrats are politically-deceitful.
All the same, disabuse yourselves of the idea that Moderate ever belongs next to the name Republican.
There sure as hell aren’t any “Moderate Democrats.” Not these days, anyway.
What’s making you angary Rumba; someone with a 100% conservative voting record being a closet “RINO”? The whole Daddy Yankee affair? Not being able to “spit” on McCain? Etc, etc…
You were saying something about trechery?
Is there any other kind?
The Tenessee upset with Williams appears to have been done to favor the democrat agenda far more than the Republican base (or else why would the democrats have gone along with it?)-despite a past voting record that indicates favortism toward the conservative causes. Remember Bill ALL these people are first and foremost politicians who seek power and some are more principled than others in how they get it….this is true regardless of party.
I’d rather know what is actually going on in real time, than find out my assumptions were way off about a politician’s views years later when it is too late to do anything about it, so I don’t believe Michelle Malkin and other bloggers PJTV etc. are necessarily doing more harm than good for conservatism.
That part Bill I’m not getting at all…(and no i’m not being a smart-ass)
In the world outside of politics I can usually spot when someone is selling me out (treachery) in personal/business affairs by their apparent behavior and other evidence, and when I have no other facts available to disprove it, I will jolly well make conclusions about it as it happens and make decisions as I see fit (in which case the ball is in my court).
I see what you type. At best, you’re a McCainiac RINO.
LGM, what if your quote went this way?
Then I would approve…the plain fact your party would never allow it…Zell Miller knew that once he backed Bush on the War on Terror that his party would do to him what they’ve done to Joe Lieberman, and he reisgned-should I not expect the same from my side of the baisle?
“Why, oh why, is the GOP determined to drive away their own voters?”
Because, like the Dems, they figure they have us no matter what. Running McLame was proof of that. And imagine the amount of cooperating with each other both parties would do to make sure a new third party was never able to get off the ground.
Another case of a cheap politician lusting for power, what a disgrace.
Reminds of Clay’s “Corrupt Bargain”, back in the 1820s.
Which is entirely why so much of us are disenchanted. We expect the pursuit of power for the sake of holding power from Democrats; they’re socialists, it’s what they do. When a Republican displays raw lust for power, it’s distasteful.
We’re not little partisan sheep who don’t care what a Republican stands for, as long as “our team” gets to hang the banner in the locker room. Most of us aren’t, anyway.
And one must ask of teh troll, if criticizing Republicans is OK when your hero Landslide McCain does it, why is it so very, very wrong when Michelle Malkin or anyone else does it?
There was one on TV at 7pm the same night. One of the local tv channels has a second channel on cable where they conduct a nightly call-in show (topics vary). The guests were two of the local political reporters who were in the gallery at the time. They reported the “boos” and “hisses”. People were shocked and very angry. The calls ranged from disbelief, disappointment to outright rage.
This new Speaker is nothing but a puppet. The dems lost the election but they refuse to give up power. The Republicans got “snookered” because they had all their members sign a pledge that merely said they would vote “Republican”…so this guy did. All the dems voted for him, he voted for himself (keeping the pledge) and so he is Speaker.
Morning Bill: being a jerk again are you? Is it a genetic quirk or a family tradition? Both?
Republican is synonymous with loser and it’s time to look elsewhere for people to champion the conservative cause. Too many Hatches, Grahams and McCains are rotting the GOP.
That was fun.
Socky:
Yes, I was wondering about that too.
According to Bill’s standards McCain supported Obama because McCain criticized other Republicans…LMAO
Similar thing happened up here in Pa a couple years ago.
But we have Arlen Specter and John Murtha.
We really are bigotted dumb rednecks.
love2rumba.
There is a difference between tough love and constant, petty, mother-in-lawish blubbering, contemptuous bewailing that passes for a critique of all things GOP here. If the effort was to promote conservative principals having people walk away in disgust from the party that has historically promoted them while the party that is promoting a
liberalleftist ideology is well funded, has people who are extremely motivated and couldn’t be more thoroughly in charge is a bit counterproductive.How did we determine this? We just don’t know. Is any cooperation capitulation? Is it either be only complete and total opposition of everything or they are a RINO and therefore we should abandon them? Pretty much it. Right?
Ill wait for the details to come out from a credible source before I start bragging about how I held the entire party responsible for what may or may not have been done on a local level in someone else’s state.
Nothing like getting your information from someone who carries a self-serving grudge against a particular political party in order to make informed decisions. Keith Olbermann loathes the GOP as well.
Daddy Yankee was a lame, completely irrelevant McCain campaign endorsement which Michelle Malkin dutifully trumped up from meaningless into yet another excuse to pillory McCain/Palin in another unfair attack on the campaign a few weeks before the election. (Because it is “conservative” to help elect Obama.) The “Not being able to “spit” on McCain” is that in addition to the personal attacks on him, his service, his POW status, his wife and his family one of your fellow posters lamented that wasn’t able to spit on McCain. (Without a word of condemnation from the super patriotic, classy “conservatives” here.) Spitting on veterans is beneath Kos…
From the spitting thread: “When we were supposed to be raising money, she trashed us. When we were supposed to be circling the wagons, she trashed us. When we were supposed to be helping to get out the vote, she trashed us. In the face of a well motivated, well financed and well run ultra leftist campaign that promised and will do their best to permanently alter this country in to another quasi socialist european state, she trashed us. She worked to demotivate conservatives and Republicans, alienate independents and undecideds and seize on every unfair, irrelevant or nonfactual detail to bury the only hope of defeating the VERY THINGS you say that you are against.]”
Treachery Rumba?
I hope so. Although you have disagreed with me (or my presentation) I can see that you examine things for yourself and I appreciate that.
On January 15th, 2009 at 2:19 am, txvet2 said:
As I recall you were one of those who thought Obama would be great for the country… we had to go through Jimmy Carter to get to Reagan…. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that wishing catastrophe for the country is treason Tex? You got your way Little Joe, but if a Reagan does emerge from this self-inflicted wound you can bet he will be labeled a RINO here.
And now for the peanut gallery:
Best learn English kiddo, Or else Michelle will have your ass deported.
You never answered my question from here sock-puppety…
I would ask you the same but since you don’t know who your father was it is something else that is beyond your comprehension.
Once again, you try for the sweet, sweet approval of your peer group and you beclown yourself by not having anything to say.
Bill,
In case you haven’t noticed both parties are promoting a leftist ideology. The only difference between the two is one wants to do it at 55mph while the other wants the pedal to the floor.
On January 15th, 2009 at 5:38 pm, Solo said:
Not quite true. How did the Constitution party do by the way? I never checked, did you get more votes than Cynthia McKinney? Guess we wont learn the “REAL” truth about 9/11 and the Mossad…
Bill certainly is long-winded in his trolling today.
Yet it’s not false, either.
Not as well as I would’ve liked. I’m sure you feel the same way about McClandslide.
We’ll get the “REAL” truth around the same time Obummer tosses you in a reeducation camp.
On January 15th, 2009 at 6:56 pm, Solo said:
So we work on solutions that help rather than make the situation worse.
I am angry that otherwise sentient human beings allowed the perfect to be the enemy of the
goodbarely workable but best last chance.So fire doesn’t melt steel… Gotcha.
See you there, Ill be the one saying I told you so.
ROTFLOL, Bill takes a quote from himself as a statement from Solo!!
For the past twenty+ years I’ve voted the lote and watched so-called conservatives work on “solutions”. And yes, they’ve made things a lot worse.
Barely workable best last chance? That’s being generous…very generous.
btw:
I wasn’t looking for perfect, Bill. Just a conservative. I’ve yet to see a perfect candidate.
Only if it’s hot enough.
lol
You can’t possibly believe that.
You never get sick of embarrassing yourself, do you? A quote within a quote is… Forget it, you are an idiot.
Bill projects again.
Bill was the first to say “Guess we wont learn the “REAL” truth about 9/11 and the Mossad…”, not Socky.
And then Bill makes another favorable comparison between me and Ronald Reagan. Thanks again, Bill.
So the natural solution is to elect Obama.
So effectively help to elect the most liberal senator in congress.
So 9/11 WAS a conspiracy…. By whom? (This explains a lot, by the way.)
No, I think the erosion will be more subtle than re-education camps. I believe that we have given free reign to those who do it in the education process so there will be no need for the “re” part. They are just going to steal what I have earned and try to take the rights that I have fought for and have been passed down to me by better people than the both of us away.
And no, I wont wind up in a camp, I am too well armed to betaken away and too mean to get along in any gulag. But if you wind up in one remember ‘ol Bill told you that you have effectively helped yourself into the position you are in. (As you talk about controlled demolitions on the instructions of the Illuminati.)
On January 15th, 2009 at 8:41 pm, JHSII said:
You are an idiot.
You are an idiot.
You are a liar.
Still no proof from Bill that I’ve lied.
And another positive comparison between me and Ronald Reagan.
Thanks again, Bill.
A land speed record for contradicting yourself.
No contradiction from me.
Then again, if you were more interested in reading what I actually posted than trolling, you would have known that.
An obvious lie.
It’s still up there for all to see but no, I am not interested.
Another false claim from Bill that I lied.
At least he admits that he’s not interested in reading what I actually posted. Hmmm…that does explain why he keeps claiming that I lied.
So where is the “positive comparison between me and Ronald Reagan”?
Because you are a bandwidth wasting moron.
No, I have shown where you have repeatedly. People should know that you can’t be trusted to tell the truth.
Bill has yet to show where I’ve lied even once. Of course repeatedly calling me a liar when he can’t even show one lie makes Bill the liar, but that’s another story.
We’ve been down this road before and I did no such thing. Believe what the RNC wants you to believe. I really don’t care.
Get your sarcasm meter checked.
Osama and his radical friends conspired to hijack jumbo jets and fly them into the twin towers and the pentagon. Better?
That has been happening for years…have you been living under a rock or something?
Again, been happening for years.
If you have fought for this country, thank you for your service.
That’s something we have in common. It’s a start I guess.
On January 15th, 2009 at 9:42 pm, JHSII said:
Tilt your head back:
I guess you don’t know what the truth is.
Still no evidence that I’ve lied. Just another false claim by Bill – which is actually another lie by him.
On January 15th, 2009 at 9:45 pm, Solo said:
Indeed.
Not really a rebuttal.
Who are these “radical friends”?
So the solution is the baby goes out with the bath water and we reinvent the wheel (To mix metaphors)… Sorry, We don’t have time to reinvent the wheel.
…and we’re Mammals, you forgot Mammals. (You are, right?)
On January 15th, 2009 at 9:49 pm, JHSII said:
Your ability to see only what you want to see and demand the same from others, (along with your ability to waste all day on the internet) really spells out liberal charity case.
I’m not the one who only sees what I want to see. Bill, you yourself admitted that:
Not being interested in what you write is different from not seeing it, you needy bandwidth wasting, abuse craving freak, so no, I “admitted” no such thing.
However you just admitted that “I’m not the one who only sees what I want to see.” Well done, you beclown yourself again. Any more lectures about Benedict Arnold while we are at it?
I never admitted what you claim I admitted. Of course you would know that if you had actually read what I posted.
On January 15th, 2009 at 10:11 pm, JHSII said:
I quoted you, liar.
Bill Grant: SDS victim.
You should try reading what I actually post.
I quoted you, liar.
No lie by me. Bill should try actually reading things. If he did then he would discover that what I said wasn’t what he claimed it was.
However you just admitted that “I’m not the one who only sees what I want to see.”
Remember that? You see, I already wrote that… It seems that you can’t respond to the reality of the situation, just make up your own alternate reality. It is boring as hell at this point.
Again Bill reads what he wants to read out of what I posted. He does have a point though – it gets pretty boring when he keeps doing that.
I quoted you, liar.
“[this] is your equivalent of “I’m rubber you’re glue”; Infantile, lame and done because you crave approval.”
Still no evidence that I’ve lied.
If Bill had actually read what I posted than it said nothing about me reading only what I wanted to read. So Bill has to twist it into that because it gives him another excuse to call me a liar.
Of course, one of ther easons Bill keeps calling me a liar is because it allows him to avoid discussing real issues.
Liar. that’s # 3 tonight.
“If Bill had actually read what I posted than it said nothing about me reading only what I wanted to read.”
See/read? Nope, you can’t squirm out of it like Bill Clinton:
Is what you wrote.
Well no, the reason is that you have lied, repeatedly here. You have a bad character and can’t be believed.
Will there be anything else?
True, but I’m tired, getting old, and in need of a beer.
I’m not your enemy, Bill. My guess is we’re trying to get to the same place… we just can’t agree on the direction or the method of transportation.
have a good night
And here we have yet another case where Bill edits something I posted and sets it in as a quote.
More lies by Bill.
The usual.
Let it go, jhs. we’re all Michelle Malkin and friends.
Fair enough.
You too.
Thanks.
Kent Williams: Now on the endangered species list – any RINO in the GOP