Posted on 04/23/2007 7:36:09 AM PDT by SmithL
"I like you, but this is getting kind of old," said Rep. Mike Turner, D-Nashville, complaining that Campfield "can't pass a bill on your own" and has taken to improper floor interference with other legislators' bills "all the dadgum time."
It was the latest example of escalating hostility between the combative Knoxville legislator, who presents himself as something of an underdog activist, and "good-old-boy" Democratic powerbrokers in the state House.
"They don't like to talk about ideas. I do," Campfield said in an interview.
"A lot of the time, they try to intimidate. I think that a lot of legislators get beaten down. They get to the point that they don't want to bring up anything big, just small nibbling-around-the-margins stuff," he said.
"I don't get afraid of them. I'm not backing down."
Other Democratic lawmakers are less polite than Turner when talking about the Republican who has drawn national attention for creative conservative ideas - for example, a bill requiring that death certificates be issued for aborted fetuses or declaring the Black Caucus racist for its refusal to admit whites.
"Stacey Campfield is a fool. You quote me on that, please," said House State and Local Government Committee Chairman Ulysses Jones, D-Memphis.
"Grandstanding! That's all Campfield ever does," said House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh earlier this year.
After Thursday's floor session, Naifeh said, "I think even his own (Republican) caucus is getting tired of the antics he and (Rep. Brian) Kelsey seem to enjoy."
Asked about Naifeh's remark, House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower said: "I would say it's accurate to say some people occasionally get frustrated with him. Stacey certainly has some unique ideas sometimes.
"But nobody agrees 100 percent of the time, and our caucus is as united as it's ever been," Mumpower said. "He's my friend. He is an intelligent person and a valuable member of our caucus."
Campfield and Kelsey, R-Germantown, recently have established a reputation for coming up with floor measures they try to attach as House floor amendments to other legislators' bills.
Last Monday, Kelsey brought an amendment to prohibit receptions where legislators get free food and beverages. After that was defeated, Campfield followed with a proposal to banish free alcohol at the receptions.
Naifeh immediately declared Campfield's amendment dead because no member had made a seconding motion, though some Republicans, including Knoxville's Rep. Bill Dunn, say they were seeking recognition to make the motion.
"I don't think that's fair treatment," said Dunn. "Obviously, the Democrats don't like him. They control the place. They control the rules. They may have put Stacey on the blacklist, but he's going to keep doing what he thinks is best."
In the last legislative session, Campfield failed to win approval of a single bill that he sponsored. He was criticized as ineffective by opponents in last year's campaigns but won re-election by solid margins over a Republican primary challenger and a Democrat in November.
In the current session, Campfield introduced 50 bills. A review of legislative records indicates none has been approved and at least 16 are dead, mostly killed in Democratic-controlled subcommittees.
"I'd say about 75 percent (of his bills) fail because they're bad ideas," said House Health and Human Resources Chairman Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville. "The other 25 percent - well, believe it or not, relationships down here in this Legislature make a difference.
"If you've got a relationship with someone, people try to find a way to support a bill you have," Armstrong said. "It can go the other way, too, and Stacey happens to be a person that a lot of people choose not to help."
"He's been aggravating a lot of members. He's big on divisiveness," said Armstrong. "Somebody should send him to the Ben Atchley school of politics."
Atchley, a former Senate Republican leader from Knoxville, backed Campfield's opponent in last year's GOP primary. He recently launched a bipartisan institute with Democrat Tommy Schumpert, a former Knox County executive.
Asked about Armstrong's assessment, Campfield invoked the name of another former senator, Democrat John Ford, who is on trial in Memphis on bribery charges.
"John Ford would say, 'I'm the deal-maker. I can get things done,' " said Campfield. "That's not the kind of person I want to be. But I know Joe had good relations with John Ford."
Campfield said he has voted regularly for Democratic-sponsored bills and does not consider himself overtly partisan.
"Call me partisan? Well, I'm not the one down there killing bills that are popular with the people, just not popular with (Democrats)," he said.
Campfield, 38, was raised in upstate New York, not far from where Gov. Phil Bredesen was reared, and said he moved to Knoxville, home of his maternal grandparents, when he was 25.
He makes a living by buying, renovating, selling and renting houses. Currently, Campfield said he owns eight houses.
In Thursday's floor session, Campfield acknowledged his position as a landlord in proposing a floor amendment to a bill that would allow public-housing authorities to evict tenants involved in drugs or violence without the normally required waiting period. His amendment would have let private landlords do the same thing.
Naifeh later described the Campfield amendment as "completely self-serving." Campfield said it simply made sense.
The proposal was defeated in a party-line vote: Republicans for, Democrats against.
Campfield, in turn, contends that Naifeh's abrupt dealing with his proposed ban on alcohol can be tied to the Jack Daniels distillery serving as a sponsor at an annual "Coon Supper" gathering the speaker hosts in his hometown of Covington. This year's Coon Supper took place Thursday.
While the landlord amendment related to his profession, Campfield says most of his legislative proposals come from reading or listening and then thinking.
He was the first Tennessee legislator to launch a blog, and he often uses it to post critical commentary on legislative doings. He is an avid and regular reader of other blogs that often give him an idea for legislation, Campfield said.
While none of those ideas has been transformed into law so far, Campfield said he is optimistic about ultimate success. He compared his crusading to the 18th-century efforts of William Wilberforce to convince England's Parliament to abolish slavery.
"They tried to intimidate him, ridiculed him," Campfield said. "That shows that, if you just keep trying, sooner or later it'll happen."
Politics as usual...
I assumed a Coon Supper was like a potluck, only the meat had to be all raccoon.
Perhaps I’m wrong. ;)
LOL! You are right! I just think that it is ironic that a Democrat would use that term in West Tenn.
It is VERY odd that a presumably sensitive individual would countenance the use of such a term.
(But I’m glad you clarified. Now I feel better.)
Which also leads me to ask what raccoon meat tastes like.
Or perhaps I should ask how much it tastes like chicken, since that’s the response one always gets when questioning re weird meats.
The adjective that comes to mind is “gamey.”
Well, okay, that’s not the first adjective that came to mind. It is, however, the first printable one.
This is nothing but a hatchet job. This newspaper failed to mention that rodent Boss Hogg Naifeh usually doesn’t ALLOW Republican bills a vote on the floor ! Naifeh goes out of his way to ensure Republicans are disenfranchised and “ineffective” (Again, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good Republican sliming). I see even Mushmouth Mumpower, the RINO legislative leader got in a dig. That guy has got to go. I’m tired of seeing our GOP legislative leaders wearing a short-leash attached to Naifeh’s hand.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.