Monday, February 9, 2009
Legislature / Politics / Woods Kent Williams: 'I Am Not a Yes Man'
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 5:56 AM
The latest: The party's resolution supposedly says Kent Williams is banned from ever running as a Republican and may not access funds from Republican organizations. Also, the GOP tells the news media that we can't call him a Republican anymore.
The state GOP is throwing a big media event this morning to kick House Speaker Kent Williams out of the party. OK, nobody's actually said yet that's what will happen. But it's a foregone conclusion. Party chair Robin Smith started denouncing Williams from the moment he made his corrupt bargain with the wicked Democrats, and she hasn't stopped calling him names yet.
Over the weekend, party flack Bill Hobbs sent an email informing reporters that the Tennessee College Republicans have announced their hatred of Williams. Williams himself once said he'd gladly leave the party. All the Republicans have to do is ask, he said. Now, he says he'd like to stay.
"I think most of the Republicans in the House want me to stay, it is just a handful that want me out. I think the party is reluctant to take the action and lose their majority in the House, but I think Robin Smith has been pushing it. It is a shame one person has so much power in the party. It is like a dictatorship."
More: "The party has used this to raise a lot of funds. I think we should be trying to beat Democrats instead of fellow Republicans. ... I am not a yes man. If you have to be a yes man to the party leaders, then maybe I don't belong. I am not anyone's puppet, not the Republicans and not Jimmy Naifeh and the Democrats. I am a yes man for the people of Carter County and now that I am speaker I am a yes man for the people of Tennessee. They are my boss."
Update: Sullivan County party chair urges anger management: "I was frustrated, I was mad, I was angry. I had a lot of emotional responses to what happened in Nashville that day. But the one thing we can't do is we can't let that distract us or bog us down. If we do then we're not going to achieve the goals we need to achieve in Sullivan County."
Comments (2)
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The TN GOP practically self destructs because the new speaker actually wants to play fair, in letting Democrats and Republicans have chairmanships of commitees. God, I love it! Anytime things don't go their way, watch out, they'll be hell to pay. Remember last year when a very restrictive anti-abortion measure was about to leave the commitee for certain passage? It put the life of the mother last, behind the fetuses rights. The Republican representive yanked it when an actual Democrat wanted to cosponsor it. They really don't believe in half of the crazy stuff they want passed. It's all about sucking up to the wingnut base!
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Posted by
randall pearson
on 02/09/2009 at 8:46 AM
