GOP candidates, including two from Shelby, will fill top state slots (TN-1st Since Reconstruction)

Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | 1-15-2009 | Richard Locker

[yongin]

Good news. THe TN GOP finally has some statewide office holders. Ironically, TN was the one of the first Dixie states to be voting for GOP candidates. It took so long to make progress on the legislative level.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Actually, TN was the only Southern (Confederacy) state that always had at least 1 (usually 2) Republican members in Congress from the 1860s to date (and a consistent presence in the legislature, though mostly solidly in East TN with only a handful elected outside of it from Reconstruction to the 1960s). Most other former Confederate states only occasionally had one, and others only had Republicans (such as Louisiana) since the 1970s. In 1969, TN became the first Southern state since NC in the 1890s to elect a GOP House Speaker (with a 49R-49D-1I membership). They probably would’ve reclaimed the chamber again by 1976, but Watergate was devastating in our state, reducing our Congressional majority (or near majorities in the TN House) to just about a third. So this has been delayed by 40 years.

[Impy]

“I’m voting for John Morgan for comptroller,” said Rep. Kent Williams.

He said he’d back the rat that that but Mumpower for Speaker. LIAR!!

Obviously doing it to appear like he’s still (ever was) a Republican.

“We had just 1 Democrat (one actually elected as one) who voted for Hargett for Sec of State (I don’t know why).”

I wonder why. They should work on him.

[Impy]

Anyway YES!!! That’s change I can believe in. LOOOOOOOOONG time coming.

Now you just need to elected anther state rep or 2 or 5 in 2010 along with a Non-Wamp, Non-Halsam, GOP Governor, redistrict the rats to under 40% of seats (or less I think you said they could really stick it too them) and you’re set.

[Impy]

Yes I know no veto for the guv, still it would funny in you had Lincoln Davis as guv and in effect a GOP Prime Minister.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Well, getting them elected is the proverbial “easy part.” Now we shall see if they are able to actually do a good job. There’s no training or recent precedent for a Republican for these offices since nobody in 140 years of our party has held them.

[Coldwater Creek]

Crime!

[Ev Reeman]

It’s good and heartening to see that parts of the country are not giving up on conservatives and republicans. I truly believe conservativism - true conservatism - is the salvation of our country whne it is practiced in the way that is true to its beliefs, principles and values.

[WOSG]

“Well, we don’t have an income tax (unconstitutional, although there is a dubious Halls Tax, which is a de facto one), our sales tax is rather high (nearly 10% - and on everything). This state is becoming more Conservative/GOP, went against the mass-insanity of the national election (where the False Messiah was reviled nearly as much as McGovern was in ‘72 by the voters).”

Good for you. It sounds like Texas up until recent years, in which we trended the other way.

[WOSG]

“Well, we don’t have an income tax (unconstitutional, although there is a dubious Halls Tax, which is a de facto one), our sales tax is rather high (nearly 10% - and on everything). This state is becoming more Conservative/GOP, went against the mass-insanity of the national election (where the False Messiah was reviled nearly as much as McGovern was in ‘72 by the voters).”

Good for you. It sounds like Texas up until recent years, in which we trended the other way.

[St. Louis Conservative]

What exactly are these positions? Who elected these positions, and when? I’m sorry if I sound ignorant (I am).

[fieldmarshaldj]

OK, I’ll give you the rundown. Tennessee is very unusual for its byzantine way with which its statewide offices are elected. We the voters only elect one office statewide and the rest are chosen by different manners as follows:

Governor: Popular Election Every 4 Years

Lieutenant Governor (also known as Speaker of the Senate): Elected by the Senate at Organizational Session Every 2 Years

Secretary of State: Elected by Joint Session of the Legislature at the Organizational Session in January every 2 years

Comptroller: Elected same as Sec of State & Treasurer

Treasurer: Elected same as Sec of State & Comptroller

Attorney General: Elected by the State Supreme Court

Adjutant General: Statewide Office Appointed by Governor

The manner with which these offices were chosen usually assured near-total Democrat dominance. In Jan 2003, when our current Dem Governor assumed office, only the Adjutant General appointed by his GOP successor was retained and the only Republican in statewide office. In 2007, the GOP elected a GOP Senate Speaker/Lt Governor for the first time since the late 1860s (not a typo), and he was reelected on Tuesday (while a RINO puppet Speaker was elected by the Democrat minority in the House that same day). Yesterday, the joint session of the legislature met (where the GOP has a majority of 69-63) and elected those 3 other offices, flipping all 3 to Republicans (again, none of which had Republicans in them since either the 1860s or 1870s).

As of now, 5 of 7 statewide officeholders are Republican, which again, is the first time since about 1868 (not a typo) that we have a majority of them. Because the manner with which the Attorney General is chosen, by the Supreme Court (which is also not chosen by the people, but by an elite liberal trial lawyers group that forwards their preferred choices to the Governor, usually always liberal Democrats, and if the Governor doesn’t choose them, the trial lawyers can install them), so until we can move to having the Justices directly elected on partisan ballots (as they once used to be), it will be nearly impossible to get a Republican Attorney General.

[cyberslave]

Too bad you don't have a lot more electoral votes.

Perhaps that will change after 2010 census for the 2012 election. We need to get a whole lot more electoral votes in Red and Purple states, and hopefully loose a lot more in Blue states.

We could swing California if they had proportional electoral voting like Maine does. Then the winner in the Congressional District gets the electoral vote instead of winner take all. I thought there was an attempt to bring this about, but I guess something happened. Anybody know what the status is on that front?

Let's hope there is an election in 2012, and a country to hold an election in.

Tennessee State Flag

Hopefully, the conservatives will rise again...just as the South has.