Lamar has been up to his knees in questionable deeds from his term as governor on including taking donations from a former Dem oppenant who was the head of the Butcher Banking Empire in Tennessee for starters. Source here TN US SENATE: Clement, Alexander trade accusations about roles in Butcher bank failures
The Butcher Brothers were using shell companies they or friends created to shuttle bad loans. Loans also tied into such ill conceived projects as EXPO 82 or the 1982 Worlds Fair. By the time the fair was over the Feds were raiding United American Bank Ran by Jake and Southern Industrial Banking Corp {ran by CH Butcher Jr}. Hard working persons lost all they had in Southern Industrial as it was a Savings and Loan operation.
I will say this much most of the scandals about Alexander were in the papers here years ago. His being chosen by Bush for the GOP senate nod was a political favor. He was by no means the best man for the job.
The evidence you present is spotty at best. And even if so, that doesn't make him a RINO.
He was the best man for the job in terms of experience, and in terms of how easily he won the seat. Since then, he's had a solid voting record. I'm not going to get into some kind of personality debate as to if he's an effective manager or tactition or whatever, but I think it's a bit naive to think that a former 2 term Governor wasn't a better bet when you are trying to win back control of the senate then a Congressman who hadn't won a statewide office.
And if anybody has a legitimate reason to be upset with him in the Senate since his election, I haven't heard it.