Parliamentary Derring-Do in Tennessee
The Tennessee had a 50-49 majority in the state House of Representatives until the Democrats got clever:
AMAZING! Acting in a clandestine pact, the 49 Democrats in Tennessee’s House shocked Nashville just one hour ago by nominating and then voting en masse for Kent Williams (a moderate Republican from Elizabethton in Carter County) for Speaker to lead the 99-member chamber. The official Republican nominee, Jason Mumpower (a wingnut from Bristol in Sullivan County) was left speechless, clutching the family bible that he had brought in preparation for taking the Speaker’s oath of office.
This is HUGE! The R’s had promised bans on gay adoption and fostering, new concealed weapons laws, new constitutional limits on abortion, new anti-immigrant legislation, and mandating the teaching of “intelligent design” in public schools. Because the Tennessee House operates under a strict committee system and the Speaker appoints all committee chairs, though, it is unclear whether Republicans will be able to get any of these measures to the floor of the House. In addition, the re-election prospects for the long-serving and widely-respected Comptroller and Treasurer (both Democrats) is now much more promising; the General Assembly votes for these constitutional offices tomorrow.
Interesting development. I sometimes wonder why you don’t see more efforts to run this kind of gambit in closely-divided US legislative bodies.
47 Responses to “Parliamentary Derring-Do in Tennessee”
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January 14th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Since 2004 it’s occurred in Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and now Texas. I’m not sure how many closely divided legislatures there are but that seems pretty common.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:24 am
The Tennessee had a majority. Is that a tribe name the Tennessee?
January 14th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Is that a tribe name the Tennessee?
It is an iron law of the internets that any psot criticizing someone’s spelling or grammar will contain a spelling or grammar error.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
“The official Republican nominee, Jason Mumpower (a wingnut from Bristol in Sullivan County) was left speechless, clutching the family bible that he had brought in preparation for taking the Speaker’s oath of office.”
Is there a photo of this? I need to see that.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
“I sometimes wonder why you don’t see more efforts to run this kind of gambit in closely-divided US legislative bodies.”
Just a couple days ago we were whining that government isn’t representative enough, and now, “Go subversive tactics to push the minority’s will!”
January 14th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Skullduggery! That’s how you play politics, son: blackjacks and dark alleys. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch, either. What a piece of theatre!
January 14th, 2009 at 10:45 am
“Go subversive tactics to push the minority’s will!”
But it was the majority’s will that was served. 49 Democrats + 1 Republican formed a majority. It’s not that the minority engaged in some kind of maneuvering to thwart a faction that had a majority of the votes. It’s that the Democrats got a majority vote on a resolution by bringing a Republican over to their side.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:47 am
“Go subversive tactics to push the minority’s will!”
It sounds like the moderate Republican they voted in actually agrees with the Democrats on many issues, so the center of the chamber (and thus the majority) is better represented this way than by voting in a wingnut further to the right.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Didn’t willie Brown do this back in the 1980’s in California?
January 14th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Thanks Tyro, you beat me to it!
January 14th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Something similar happened a week ago in Texas: 72 Democrats and 16 Republicans</a voted to oust the iron-fist GOP Speaker of the House and replace him with a more moderate Republican.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Oops. You get the point.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Willie Brown did this in the CA Assembly back in the mid-1990s. He was the original Slick Willie.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Same thing was threatened in New York Senate, with three Hispanic Democrats threatening to support continued Republican rule in that chamber. One did not hear cheers from the Democratic camp about that one. Anyway, the defectors got bought off, in true NY style.
I do not think that the populace as a whole likes this stuff, and that doesn’t change much depending on whose ox has been gored.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:01 am
A big WOW to the Tennessee Democrats and Republican Kent Williams. Playing by the rules, playing the numbers and allowing Williams to stick to his pledge to vote for a Republican Speaker. This maneuver was brilliant, bold, elegant and ruthless. Politics at its finest. Draft the person who thought this up and make them head of the DNC.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Strangely, the Tennessee Republicans seem intent on pushing Williams out of the party rather than making the best of their nevertheless-increased power in the chamber.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I think the important part is that the moderate republican was then kicked out of the caucus, thus leaving the Democrats in charge.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:09 am
This is an improvement over the North Carolina gambit of 2002, where Democratic Rep. Jim Black bribed a Republican legislator to switch parties (making Black the co-speaker of the House). Black is presently in a prison cell contemplating the error of his ways…
The amazing thing to me is how our system (maybe any dual-party system?) is rigged to give us 50-49 margins so much of the time. More advanced methods of gerrymandering have something to do with it, but not everything.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:15 am
It doesn’t happen in Washington because politicians in Washington have to prove their partisan loyalty to get their seats and are in most cases more likely to loose a primary then a general. Moreover in state level politics there really are a lot more RINOs and DINOs. This is both because people vote along partisan lines and because the positions are in low enough demand and are given low enough attention that a liberal can win a Republican primary.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Actually, while the three erstwhile defectors initially got bought off, the rest of the Democrats ultimately forced their leader (Malcolm Smith) to reneg, and the three were told to go fuck themselves. In the end, they fell into line.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:17 am
@David In NY
Just for the record, only two of the so-called “Gang of Three” in New York were Hispanic. Carl Kruger was the third.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:18 am
“The R’s had promised bans on gay adoption and fostering, new concealed weapons laws, new constitutional limits on abortion, new anti-immigrant legislation, and mandating the teaching of “intelligent design” in public schools.”
What the fuck is wrong with Tennessee, anyway? These guys seem determined to be as out of step with the rest of America as possible.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I do not think that the populace as a whole likes this stuff, and that doesn’t change much depending on whose ox has been gored.
I’m not so sure. Surely some people figure that a 50-49 legislature ought to be operating at the center. IMO this is a much-needed rebuke to the ghost of Karl Rove — the school of politics that says, let me take my 1% electoral margin and crank out 100% more conservative policies.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Thanks for the corrections about the NY Senate, phil and Burton. I forgot Kruger and frankly lost interest before it was finally settled (remember objections to the buy-off and then … it’s all a fog).
January 14th, 2009 at 11:41 am
If I am remembering right about the Pennsylvania situation, the democrats won one more house seat than the republicans. The republicans convinced one democrat to switch to the republican party. And then the democrats put all of their votes behind a moderate republican and so grabbed the committee seats back.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:43 am
As tow hy it doesn’t happen more, because most politicians know they are dead for greater office if they sing up on such a a plan. Few politicians believe they aren’t destined for greater things.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Happens in Westminster systems all the time. Nothing new or novel about this at all; good to see Americans finally catching up.
I am not too sure about this. When I was in Nashville the people seemed superbly charming and friendly; in fact, Tennessee was probably one of my favourite parts of the South. And I am someone who loves the South.
Didn’t seem like the sort of folks that would vote into hardline wing-nuts at all.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I am not too sure about this. When I was in Nashville the people seemed superbly charming and friendly;
When I was in New York, everyone loved Barack Obama and recounted their great experiences volunteering for John Kerry in 2004. American’s didn’t seem like the sort of folks who would vote for George W. Bush or John McCain at all.
Also, I might add that there’s nothing to stop someone from being charming and friendly from having completely delusional, extremist political views. In an earlier thread we were discussion how Bush, despite his rather unhinged beliefs and policy advocacy, nevertheless appears “charming” to certain people who encounter him.
Seriously, Myles, we’re beginning to think you’re a parody because no one could write as ignorantly as you do.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I could be wrong, but I think that this happened repeatedly in California mid 90s. The funny twist was that the Republican party kept using the recall mechanism to challenge moderate Republicans that “defected.” I think it occured two or three times in a row perhaps?
Here is a NYTimes story I quickly pulled up: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEFDC143EF931A2575AC0A963958260
January 14th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
“When I was in Nashville the people seemed superbly charming and friendly”
And how many rural, small-town parts of Tennessee did you visit? Ever ask them about their views on intelligent design or abortion? Care to take a gander at what a statewide poll of such issues among Republicans would look like?
We Southerners are indeed charming, friendly, and sweet. And most are wingnut neocons who think Hannity and Limbaugh are the only fair people in the media. It’s not mutually exclusive.
January 14th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
WWTVsNS
What
Would
TV’s
Nelson
Say?
January 14th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
“When I was in Nashville the people seemed superbly charming and friendly; in fact, Tennessee was probably one of my favourite parts of the South. And I am someone who loves the South.”
Trust me. The “south” I grew up in hates pretentious dipshits like you.
You are either some persona created for the purpose of trolling this blog, or you’re sixteen years old. Either way. just shut up, already.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Miley wins Upper Class Twit of the Year, and it’s only January 14th.
Eastern Tennessee outside Knoxville, ‘course, was one of those bits of American where, until recently, Southern hospitality didn’t extend to those of a darker hue after sundown.
And Tennessee is also the state that will send Congressman [sic] Marsha Blackburn, leading contender for Dumbest Member of Congress, back to the House at every election until she chooses to retire.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
until recently
Translation; in the past, not in the present. I have never actually been to Knoxville, however.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
“Translation; in the past, not in the present.”
Yes, Stephen. They don’t actually beat up black people now simply for walking around after dark like they did in the recent past. Congratulations. Now when they stop referring to them as niggers, that’ll be another small step of progress. About 47 more and there won’t be enough support for intelligent design.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
It is not the least bit unusual for some of the nicest, most polite people you meet anywhere to be hard-core right-wing haters. As long as you are White, don’t talk politics, and mind your social class, you don’t get to see the fangs and claws. This is an on-going cultural trend in the US and has been since Reagan’s day.
Two other contributing factors . .
First, the people you meet on the street may or not be active politically or voters. Right wing political extremists vote, rally, and watch political talk shows in far larger numbers than moderates and the politically indifferent.
Second, far, far too many Americans, at some gut level, see politics as a TV show, and support people who put on a good show for them. I expect virtually no one you know would hire a doctor, lawyer, or plumber as ignorant, bullying, and generally foolish as George W. Bush, David Vitter, or James Inofe, but people of that ilk form a major part of elected bodies all over this country.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Not to pile on, but, oh, let’s pile on. Let’s see; roughly half of the state (plus a little) voted Republican and roughly half the state (minus a little) voted Democratic. The Republican leadership then decided to govern in a way that was to the far right of the Republican party, which, apparently, not everyone with the (R) behind their name was (hence the 50-person vote). Add in the fact that the economy continues to worsen and, presumably, even some of those on the far right will think their elected representatives have better shit to do than re-fight the culture wars…I doubt that many ordinary Tennesseans are going to get upset.
And no one put a gun to those Republicans’ heads and make them kick their newly elected leader out of the caucus, thus sacrificing any loyalty from him they may have had.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
On the one hand, it’s probably not a great idea to have Williams running the TN House. He doesn’t have much experience in government, and he hasn’t shown himself, to my knowledge, to be particularly bright. And if that just means that the old, Democratic leadership will be pulling his strings, that’s still relatively scummy.
On the other, if it means that the Republicans have a harder time doing some of the crazy stuff they were talking about doing, that’s all towards the good.
(On the other, other hand, Tennessee Democrats are not necessarily particularly liberal, so they might still do a lot of the crazy stuff in question.)
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