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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Enemy Within

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 14th, 2009 at 08:34 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

In November, Tennessee voters finally threw the Democrats out of power in the State House, or so they thought.

The GOP won a 50-49 majority. Representative Jason Mumpower of Bristol, TN was set to take charge. Mumpower, who had been a Republican leader in the minority, had the backing of the entire caucus, both verbally and in writing.

But power is sometimes too tempting — especially for weak men who could never obtain it through hard work and acquiring the respect and good will of others. The Democrats found such a man — a Gollum like creature — in Kent Williams of Elizabethton.

Joining 49 Democrats, Williams, who claims he only promised to vote for a Republican for Speaker and not for Mumpower, voted for himself. Then he put a Democrat in as Speaker Pro Tempore.

Outgoing Democrat Speaker of the Tennessee House, Jimmy Naifeh, stood by Williams as Williams presided, whispering in Williams’ ear telling him what to do.

The Tennessee GOP has started proceedings to throw Williams out of the party.

Good. Payback should be a bitch for Kent Williams. We have 188 activists in the Tennessee RedState Army. Let’s grow the list and make Williams’ life miserable for the next two years.

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  • Jaded

    is there calls we can make in support of this measure? this is an abomination I saw this yesterday from a link on twitter and I thought “how does this keep working out like this” what in the hell is wrong with the choices WE are given? what a traitor!

  • Jaded

    is there calls we can make in support of this measure? this is an abomination I saw this yesterday from a link on twitter and I thought “how does this keep working out like this” what in the hell is wrong with the choices WE are given? what a traitor!

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    I’ve contacted the TN GOP to see what we can do.

  • Jaded

    donations for that effort and I believe WE here should get behind that effort. We damn well have got to take a stand to show the rest of the idiots that you better stop calling yourself a Republican if you are NOT!

    The R behind the name is NOT acceptable anymore RECORDS and HOW you vote will be used against you in your forthcoming election and NOT just the last 1 for Congresscritters and 2 for Senators YOUR entire record because WE are in an interesting position for the first time in a while and that is the minority and WE can go lower it doesn’t matter at this moment!

    WE will be suffering for 4 years anyway so lets have a CLEANING! at the county, state and federal level you are either with US or against US but you CANNOT be with the democrats!

  • mbecker908

    They should keep his worthless, smarmy ass IN the Party and do everything possible to make him utterly miserable. Until he can be recalled.

  • Kenny Solomon

    Bloody tool.

    Let’s send the gent a nice set of parting gifts………..

    First, we ship a beautifully wrapped box of ‘adult novelties’ with his name engraved on each one.

    We’ll follow that up with an official looking bronze plaque honoring Mr. Williams as the newest member to the Tennessee Democrat Party.

    But for the real zinger, somebody get hold of Governor Palin and tell her there’s a new species of huntable creature in the woods of Tennessee….. The RINOsophogus Rearorificeness and there’s absolutely no bag limit.

    ;)

    Did I go to far?

    Didn’t think so.

  • Amy Miller

    …in the sorority house.

    Seriously…something like this happened in my sorority.

    Why am I not surprised.

    And no, Kenny, you didn’t go too far :-D

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    Tennessee does not have recalls for state legislators.

    http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/LocalRecall.htm

    Self-protection at its best.

  • Jaded

    hopefully something right? anything? this cannot just stand…can it?

    Is it possible that they can really make him totally miserable? does the GOP have D support to deny him bills? NOSY aren’t I :-)

  • http://hillbillypolitics.com Steph C

    If we throw him out that gives the Dems the majority after all. I’ve had enough of Dem majority to last a lifetime because they do nothing but screw up everything. It’s not just the spending because we get too much of that with either party but the meddling, oh, the meddling.

    I believe a better plan is make his life miserable from inside the party as a perfect example of what not to do shouted far and wide as a betrayal of not just the Republican party but those who elected him to office.

  • baseketball

    I think I’m on record as one of the most anti-kicking-RINO’s-out-of-the-party people here, but frankly, if they aren’t even going to stick with us on procedural votes (the votes that we really need them on), the door is over there.

  • Praying

    Well, I did. It won’t do any good, but it made me feel better. I was not rude, but quite candid – I told him I think he is a disappointment to the people of the great state of Tennessee, and a disgrace to the Republican party. Geez, was this guy taking lessons from Al Franken, or what? We finally get a GOP majority – I’ve got to hand it to the rest of the House GOP – they are willing to stand on principle (not easy to do these days) and kick him out of the party. They might as well, he’s not going to do any of our guys any good – he acts like a democrat, might as well be a democrat. What we don’t need is any more RINOs around this country – they nearly killed the party already. I’m ready, I’m willing – give me my marching orders and I will follow through.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    I ‘m not a fan of recalls in general but recalling the Speaker was the way toward fixing this. It was harder in California because here there were two RiNOs. We recalled one, and the other lost the Speaker’s chair after the former Speaker Willie Brown ditched to be Mayor of SF.

    Tennessee only has one RiNO to squash. That should make it easier.

  • mbecker908

    “kicking RINOs out of the Party”, we advocate keeping them far, far away from any sort of leadership or policy positions.

  • bs

    We can just harass the guy until everyone in the country knows what a pitiful tool he is. Someone can post the “Kent Williams Weekly Doofus Alert”

  • roxer

    I’m from Elizabethton. Live in Charlotte now, but geez, I never would have guessed that would happen. Since the plant shut down, more folks have been a little more accepting to the handouts…

  • baseketball
  • Jaded

    anyone else want to vote in this poll to see if baseketball is correct!

  • bs

    Most of us have been pretty clear on the “no moderates in leadership” position. We don’t need to be giving everyone in the GOP a litmus test on everything, but the leadership needs to undergo a lot more scrutiny and be consistent with “3-legged” conservatism. This is by no means unanimous, but it’s been a pretty widely accepted principle here in RS-land.

  • mbecker908

    those who published “boot the bastards” comments (no diaries that I recall), those comments tended toward “fire-for-effect” arty more than the real specifics of limiting party membership. But, you have to know the posters to appreciate that.

    The only “real” toss ‘em commentary was related to the late Senator Lincoln Chafee. And on him, I think there’s no disagreement.

  • Steve W

    I don’t care what politically correct mumbo jumbo you come up with for Republicans who vote, act, think, speak and write like Democrats – I’m glad they think they’re on our side BUT I DO NOT want them anywhere near Republican leadership or policy-making positions.

    Two election cycles of spineless squishy moderate republicans is quite enough thank you.

  • HappyBunny

    And, in the spirit of being respectful of you as a person,

    YOU SUCK!

    Have a nice day.

  • $peciallist

    Each year, the Great GOP Fairy rises out of the bumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere.

    Tonight the Great GOP Fairy will rise out of the bumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings sound leadership for all the Republicans of the world.

  • Martin Knight

    We’ve allowed, and even actively excused our elected officials wandering off the reservation on so many issues (fiscal, national security, social, civic, law and order, etc.), this doesn’t strike me as anything worth getting all hot and bothered over.