Posted on 02/09/2009 8:33:09 PM PST by Scott Martin
Tennessee Republicans ousted the new House speaker from their party Monday, giving up their first chance in 150 years to control the entire Legislature, instead choosing to punish him for banding with Democrats to win his seat.
Kent Williams was the first Republican speaker in the state in 40 years. But party loyalists were angered that he snapped up the top position by joining all 49 Democrats in January to beat GOP nominee and House Republican Jason Mumpower by one vote.
The decision Monday to banish him resulted in the loss of a 50-49 House majority the Republicans had for just a month. They control the Senate 19-14.
State GOP Chairwoman Robin Smith brushed aside questions about losing control, saying the decision to oust Williams was driven by principles and rules.
"You can call it 49-49, Williams," said Smith, who acted after the party's top leaders last week approved a resolution to oust the speaker.
"The politically expedient thing to do would be to overlook whatever he's done," Smith said. "If we claim to stand for something, and we continue to look the other way when people behave in such a manner, it really negates all that we stand for."
The move means Williams won't be able to run for re-election as a Republican in 2010 in his heavily GOP district. He says he's disappointed but has no intention of joining the Democratic Party and that the decision shows the state GOP has "just hit rock bottom."
"Hopefully we will have some changes in our Tennessee GOP, maybe we will have someone more level-headed, someone who doesn't rule by hate," said the two-term lawmaker from Elizabethton, who indicated if he does run again, it'll be as an independent...
(Excerpt) Read more at onenewsnow.com ...
Exactly. Nicely done!
I hope Arlen Specter and the Rino twins from Maine read this article.
I hope Steele is taking notes. I can almost predict that the Tenn GOP will have control of house in the next election.
They always pull out the hate card when you call them on their misdeeds. Good riddance you foolish little man, who needed Jimmy Naifeh to prop you up while you stabbed your party in the back.
IF Republicans are showing principle here, it’s about 14 years too late, and about $8 trillion short. Principle would have been nice following the 1994 massacre, and before all the bailouts.
Words to judge RINO's by.
They did the right thing. Too bad the national party doesn’t understand that you have to stick to your principles, reward your friends, and punish your enemies—especially the enemies and traitors within your own party—or else you will lose all your moorings and drift into oblivion.
There’s chatter going around, even by the Gov. himself,
that Bredesen may be up for a post in the obama administration.
Could then maybe get a GOP Gov. and GOP control of the house too.
Now if we can do that in Texas
From your lips to Gods ears. I hope from the bottom of my heart that Obama takes our liberal idiot governor off our hands.
Looks like we have the same story here in Texas.
That was a good loss.
>>>>>>>>> “Hopefully we will have some changes in our Tennessee GOP, maybe we will have someone more level-headed, someone who doesn’t rule by hate,” <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
RULE BY HATE ?!?
Good thing they threw him out.
He banded against them with all 49 democrats...
And he has the nerve to say ‘they rule by hate’?
Sometimes, occasionally, every now and then...something gives me a touch of hope. Good going, Tennessee.
Yes, it is. Someone finally standing up.
Good.
Let’s hope it catches on.... finally.
This story is disingenuous. Republicans did not have control of the House from the moment of the vote in the organizational session. Traitor Kent GAVE the Democrats control with his treachery. His party affiliation with us disappeared when he was elected with his own vote as the candidate of the DEMOCRAT party for Speaker. He stole it from the people that said loud and clear "we want a REPUBLICAN majority in both bodies." Even if we didn't kick him out, it wouldn't change the fact that our majority in the House is only on paper, the Democrats still control it and Traitor Kent is the meatpuppet of the former Democrat Speaker, Boss Hogg Naifeh.
Perhaps they are the ones who saw Steele clear out the RNC. He fired everyone left over from the 2008 debacle.
yitbos
Kicking Specter and the maine communist twins out was my first thought. But, then I thought Michael Steele might have a butt kicking fundraiser where we could give them a swift kick in return for a RNC contribution. I bet we could fund the RNC and pay off the national debt with this idea.
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