Newscoma

Well, it was Monday mania in the Tennessee GOP and Democratic Parties yesterday. A spiraling and dizzying display in the battle between Robin Smith and Kent Williams with a war of words. Reports of Gary Odom and Williams eating. Eating, you know, FOOD!! I tell you at a fancy Italian restaurant. Stop the presses. Apparently they have broken bread together before, nudge, nudge, hint, hint. Then, Phil Bredesen DIDN’T address the state’s budget crisis in his State of Delirium address last night.

In Tennessee politics (and with the stimulus) we go back into history to when then Pres. Harry Truman said “If you can’t convince them, confuse them.” If you have had enough political speech, here is a picture of something that made me laugh out loud yesterday about cats.

Jobs are being lost but we are watching Robin Smith. If she runs for office as been speculated, she got another day of free commercials. Williams, whom I don’t know other than what I’ve read since the latest episode of As The World Turns started in Nashville later this month, seems so over his head it’s almost sad. I said almost. Jimmy Naifeh, who has some where around 1,239 years in office (that’s if you measure it in dog years) is still running the show and if you don’t believe that, I have some oceanfront property for you on Hoots Sound.

Ahh, Tennessee politics, you wear me out.

Here’s the deal:

Tennesseans are losing jobs by the day. We are out of money in this state and our friends/neighbors are looking at layoffs. Education is a priority and always will be. Economic partnerships need to be cultivated to ensure jobs in the future. We have a TVA spill that is going to impact the financial pocketbooks of all Tennesseans not to mention that Harriman is a cesspool right now where people are losing their livelihoods.

But nnnooooo, I learned yesterday that Williams is a minion of the devil and had lunch with whom I assume was the devil according to Smith.

The highlight, for me at least, was the Chip Forrester talked about rural inclusion in the party with guidance and training around the state. If he reads this blog, which I doubt he does, I refer him to my Gray Sasser rant and what happened to the good folks in northwest Tennessee before the presidential election. This isn’t criticism of Mr. Forrester but the former administration of the TNDP, just a reminder that we’ve been talking about this for a long time.

And, I’ve been getting emails from the party. This is of the good.I do recommend that the TNDP twitter join it’s followers so it’s less of just updating the thread that those of us who are listening are allowed to respond.

So, what’s today in Tennessee politics? Goat sacrifice? Lunch at Rose Pepper? An anatomy of Thelma Harper’s love of hats?

Let’s start talking issues campers. Too much is at stake for all of these games.

More commentary regarding the Chip In fundraiser from Dork Nation and WLPN.

So much happened in Tennessee politics yesterday in the opening hours of the 106th General Assembly that it’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around it all. I watched a lot of it streaming and Twitter went wild.

Who knew that yesterday was going to be insane. Not I.

It was political drama at it’s best. I think that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi need to come down to Nashville and see how it’s done. Jimmy Naifeh and Gary Odom got their political strategy on when it came to getting Jason Mumpower, who had been designated the golden child and next speaker, out in the cold.

You can always catch Adam’s coverage at Post Politics and he was all over it yesterday. It just goes to show that we need that sort of aggregated blog where someone is continually feeding information. Excellent.

Once I started seeing the fireworks at PP, I headed to the website and watched this latest version of “Days of our Lives” in real time. I didn’t see any Republicans heads exploding but I did see a flurry of activity. The stream is great, however, I wish they’d had a camera on Rep. Stacy Campfield. Better yet, I wish they had a camera on Gary Odom, who gloats for fun on any given day. I wonder if there was a light coming out of his head. I will pay higher taxes for this option in the future.

I have a few random thoughts about the events of the day.

1. Around the blogosphere, it’s being said that Kent Williams pledged to vote for a republican and it appears he did.
2. Michael Silence is right in this post, you know.
3. As is Aunt B. here. The progressive movement amongst elected democrats isn’t going to change in the least. Why? There really isn’t much of a progressive movement going on in Nashville. However, it was a bit of fun to watch for political junkies.However, this is a Blue Dog state which doesn’t always jibe with progressives. It is what it is.
4. I honestly don’t understand Robin Smith’s statement on Kent Williams. I mean I understand she called him a lying scumbag, I get that, and I will give her props for saying exactly what she wanted to. However, it was a bit strong. The PR tactics of Smith and Hobbs always gobsmacks me.
5. Williams had to leave the General Assembly with highway patrolmen? Was he in danger? Was Mumpower going to rip his face off? Was this honestly necessary? Were the GOP, who were highly pissed, holding torches and sticks? I refer back to Smith’s message at #4. Oh wait, there is this from The Tennessean:
   

   “The level of vitriol from Republican was palpable. After Williams left the chamber during a recess, Mike Weaver, the husband of freshman House member Terri Lynn Weaver, hissed “Judas” at Williams as he made his way down the hallway.”

6. So. Beale. Just go there.
7. I honestly would have loved to be a fly on the wall in Jimmy Naifeh’s office after the session yesterday.
8. I honestly would have loved to be a fly on the wall in Jason Mumpower’s office after the session yesterday.
9. Wonkette line of the day: The point is, Harry Reid could never do this. Snap!

I would like to remind everyone, after yesterday’s soap opera, that Williams is still a Republican. He may not have been the anointed Jason Mumpower, but the GOP still has the leadership in the house.

Photo Credit

UPDATED to add Ben Cunningham’s video wrap-up