Friday, March 13, 2009
Politics / Woods Ode to Jimmy Naifeh
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 3:45 PM
"We are going to let those bills, let the people in the caucus vote their own convictions, on those bills. Gun bills will be done the same way. We don't have a particular caucus item. Most of our people will probably vote for most of the gun bills; There are some that have concerns about others, but that's an individual choice thing, that the people are going to make up their minds about."It's official now. There is no Democratic Party in this state. OK, there's still a party headquarters up the street. I just walked past it a few minutes ago on my way to the cave-like Legislative Plaza pressroom. I spied Chip Forrester through a window in the Freedom Center. He was sitting at his desk and laughing. He looked happy. There was a light mist in the air, giving Forrester an ephemeral quality. It was a wistful moment. And I thought, what the hell is he good for? As Pete Kotz observes elsewhere on this blog, Democrats can't even muster the courage to stick up for abused old ladies in nursing homes. There hasn't been a Tennessee Democratic Party for a long time. What we had instead was Jimmy Naifeh. Year after year, all by himself, he stopped the abortion resolution and the gun bills and much more wacky outrage. We didn't appreciate him. We took him for granted. But Republicans knew he was the one, and that's why they demonized him and finally succeeded in ending his reign. Now, the party's left with Gary Odom. Naifeh is like Louis XV who said, "Après moi, le déluge." Naifeh might have said it this way: "After me, it all goes in the shitter."
Comments (8)
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Whadda ya mean? The Tennessee Democrat Party is now run by pr gurus and political geniuses like Eugene Forrester, Julia Buckwild, Addison Pate, and Holly McTuesday. They can duck a tough question with the best of them.
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Hmmm... Perhaps Naifeh WAS Louis XIV (l'etat ce moi!).
It appears now that there have been a lot more than 50 votes for 2nd amendment rights in the legislature, but Naifeh cleverly prevented the bills from ever coming to a vote.
Your Naifeh nostalgia is quaint, but no one should mistake it for a respect for the will of the citizens of Tennessee.
I don't know, RedHat. I think if we took a poll, most people would be against outlawing abortion or guns in saloons or playgrounds.
The Democrats (and half of the Republicans, though they'll never admit it) are going to vote for these bills because they're scared. They're scared they'll draw an opponent if they don't.
Woods: I hate to break the news to you but we did take a poll.
Oversimplifying the issues you only weaken your position.
The is no bill outlawing abortion, the bills relating to guns have to do with licensed carry permits. We already have guns in saloons and at schools but they are illegal guns.
By the way, for those still interested, it was GA Hardaway who pulled the plug on Jimmy Naifeh.
