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Probably a moderate, although I haven’t gauged a lot of their votes. TN Democrats think she is the anti-Christ, so unhinged over her SINGLE vote. Her vote would not have been necessary had the unreliable RINO Mike Williams from East TN not been threatening to vote for Wilder again (as he had, along with another Republican that had departed the Senate 2 years before).

To explain in short about Wilder, he was a highly unusual figure, basically a Conservative Democrat (occasionally not). He had maintained power through a party coalition and essentially ran the body for a long time in a non-partisan fashion (almost without equal in any other state), and he’d campaign for any incumbent member, if you requested it. The Dems were going to dump him in the ‘80s for liberals, but that’s when he began forging his coalition with Republicans and also started giving them chairmanships, even when they were well in the minority — he didn’t have to do that. A lot of Republicans respected him for that, including this one.

When the Republicans won a majority following the 2004 elections, the first time they achieved that via a regular election (excluding a brief majority they had in the ‘90s via party switches, but returned to narrow Dem majorities after the following election), the overwhelming opinion was that it was time they get control of the body and elect a Speaker (Lt Governor). A minority opinion of the party, even one I held momentarily, was that we allow Wilder one last two year term and he step down voluntarily so he could be undefeated (my argument was, he played fair with us, and we allow him to preserve his dignity and retire as such, out of respect). All the Dems voted to reelect him in the organizing session of 2005 along with 2 Republicans. Although Ron Ramsey was the majority leader, he had no power to organize the body, that falls entirely to the Speaker.

Rather than play fair, Wilder, who was beginning to show rapid onset of senility, fraility, and feebleness at the age of 84 (and looking like he was in his 90s) started being manipulated by the Dems, and he essentially gave most of the chairmanships to Democrats, despite the fact we were the majority party. Bad show. It got worse...

Between 2005-06, as more and more legislative investigations occurred, over 1/3rd of the Democrat Senate caucus was either under suspicion for criminal misconduct, under indictment, on trial, or in prison. The Republicans at one point had a several seat majority (I think 18-13). One Democrat was so angry at the corruption, he switched to the GOP (hence the 18th seat... they had started out the session with an 17-16 margin). Wilder was simply unprepared to deal with the disaster, he was, in a word, incompetent. A feeble 84/85 year old should not be having to deal with that. It got scarier...

In the summer of 2006, Gov. Bredesen had some health scare and had stayed out of the public eye for a month or so, even as he was campaigning for reelection. The liberal newspapers started to worry if Bredesen died or resigned, it would put the 85-year old Wilder in the Governor’s chair. It reached the point where we said, he’s got to go.

After the ‘06 election, the Dems scored some modest gains in the Senate, (Bredesen won every county in the state) but not enough to win a majority. It was back to 17-16 again, with that party-switcher being the lone casualty, and he only lost by an extremely small number. We were in a bind again. The RINO from East TN was happy to vote for a growing-more-incompetent by the day Wilder (who would then be nearly 88 at the end of the next term), so that was 17 votes for Wilder, 16 for Ramsey at the opening session... but then a problem occurred. The Dems caucused in private and thought they should go ahead and dump Wilder for another choice, but Wilder miraculously prevailed. I believe Kurita, in caucus, had voted to dump Wilder for the obvious reason of fitness.

But when they convened the Jan 2007 organizing session, we expected another nightmare, then when they started the roll call and got to Kurita, she said one word: “Ramsey.” Pandemonium ensued (I believe more than a few Dems mouthed a WTF ?). The treacherous RINO from East TN, Williams, who had been made Speaker Pro Tem in the prior session, now had no leverage. When they got to him, he mumbled “Ramsey.” That was 18 for Ramsey, 15 for Wilder (I believe that is the correct total) and Wilder was deposed after 36 years. The Dems crucified her for her vote, but she put the people of TN ahead ahead of the Democrat party. She inferred the GOP was the choice of the voting majority and they should have the right to organize (I don’t know whether she openly declared what every single person, except Wilder, knew, he was totally unfit to lead the body).

Kurita was rewarded with the position held by Williams, that of Speaker Pro Tempore.

Even before this happened, I had been watching Kurita, and by the time of the U.S. Senate race being vacated by Frist, I was convinced if this lady got the Dem nod, she would win the general election. She declared at one point, but the Dems forced her out for Junior Ford and she couldn’t raise any money. It was stupid on their part. She projected a moderate image, and could’ve likely attracted a crossover Republican vote (especially from GOP women).

The Dems have been vilifying/crucifying her ever since, despite the fact she did them an enormous favor, ridding them of the senile Wilder, who declared he wasn’t running again for another 4-year term this year, and giving them the opportunity to have a younger and less senile Dem to put up for the office next January. A few months after the organizing session, the apostate Williams announced he was becoming a (Jeffords) “Independent.”

Williams is running for reelection this year as one, and the Republicans are hoping to knock him out (the Dems are giving support to him, since he will vote with them to organize). As it stands, the Republicans more than likely will add from 1 to 4 seats (all Dems retiring) in November (Obama is no longer here, so the Dems are facing a McCain landslide). We’ll get Wilder’s seat, which is Republican leaning. If we get Williams’s seat, that’s two. If Kurita somehow manages to get on the ballot as one or as an Independent (who will no doubt vote with the GOP to organize), that’s 3. 1 vulnerable Dem retiring on the Cumberland plateau, that’s 4. There could even be a 5th seat. It’s unlikely we’ll lose a single seat (I will be shocked if we do). All we need is a single seat gain from where we are now (currently it is 16R-16D-1I) and we reelect Ramsey as Speaker. 4 or 5 seats, and it will be a 20/21R to 13/12D. We get control of redistricting for 2012 (and ALL the lines are Dem gerrymandered), and we could shrink them to single digits. The Dems still hold a lot of rural seats in West TN in Conservative areas (ones that have north of the KY state line in a similar-type area, have already gone GOP), and we could eliminate all of those, leaving just urban Dems, all Black and maybe 1 or 2 Whites, for a 26-7 majority. You can see why the Dems are terrified.

The House, however, is another ball of wax, even if we win a majority this year, which is possible (since the early ‘90s, the GOP receives a majority of votes, but a minority of seats), there are more than a few Williams apostates in the GOP caucus that won’t vote GOP to organize. Some of those cretins were renominated this year from East TN (a BIG problem).