Thursday, October 13, 2011
Politics With Praise for Rep. Curry Todd, Democratic Leader Undercuts His Party
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 8:57 AM
“I think he’s one of the best chairmen we have up there,” Turner said. “I’m not going to beat somebody up for making a mistake. I don’t think you’ll ever see him get in this situation again."
On full display here is the arrogant, clubby, circle-the-wagons attitude that so disgusts the public about elected officials. Todd is charged with weaving wasted around town in his SUV with a loaded pistol. That's exactly what he repeatedly promised the public and his colleagues in the legislature that no responsible handgun carry permit holder ever would do. In part on the basis of his word, the legislature has expanded gun rights in this state to laughable extremes.
His audacious hypocrisy alone obviously raises legitimate questions about whether he should remain in public office. In an online poll conducted by Channel 5, 80 percent thinks Todd ought to quit if he's convicted. That's in no way scientific, of course, but we imagine it's fairly indicative of the way the public actually feels. Yet Turner thinks Todd ought to keep his House leadership position. Can you say disconnect?
Turner undercut his own party chairman. Late yesterday, Chip Forrester issued a strong denunciation of Todd and demanded that House Speaker Beth Harwell either force Todd to quit or explain why she won't.
For the Democratic caucus chairman, the guy who's supposed to go to bat for his party in the House, Turner's public comments lately have been curious. He has been full of praise for Harwell and Gov. Bill Haslam, and the other day he declared weirdly out of the blue that he might run for mayor in four years. He seems more concerned at this point about not upsetting Republicans who are about to redraw district lines. Maybe he hopes that if he plays nice, they won't add too many Republicans to his Old Hickory district, and maybe they'll go easy on him in next year's elections. In '10, Turner only barely squeaked past an oddball unknown Republican who smashed buffalo turds for some reason in his YouTube ads.
Whatever his motivation, Turner now has handed Republicans all the political cover they need to try to sweep this little matter under the rug. Harwell has been, um, out of pocket since Todd's arrest. She went to Montana to take her daughter to visit a college, and no one seems to be able to communicate with her. In Montana, apparently, phones don't work. But if we ever get the chance to ask Harwell what she's going to do about Todd, you can bet the first thing she'll point out is that Turner wants him to stay.
Update: In a Tennessean online poll, 58 percent say Todd should resign from the legislature.
Comments (13)
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Did would get a degree in journalism? His articles sound more like a nutty left wing blog than real news. What is wrong with the Speaker being on a trip with her daughter to help her find a college? Is the world going to end before she gets back in town, and can properly sit down and deal with this issue? Would the author have her ignore her responsibilities to her child's future college education in order to deal with an issue that can wait till next week? The Legislature isn't even in session right now, so what is the rush?
Mike Turner is not undercutting his party. Most of these Dems have been good conservatives since Reconstruction. Jeff Woods knows this but goes right ahead with this dumb article as if Turner was some sort of crazy turncoat. He's one of the boys, Woods knows this. Also it illustrates pretty well Forrester can be ignored.
Not sure why it's necessary to bash Speaker Harwell in this article. I hardly think that being "out of pocket" for a valid reason like taking her daughter on college visits is worthy of this kind of attack. The inclusion of such unnecessary and childish partisan criticism undermines the content and quality of this "article." And I have no doubt that Speaker Harwell will respond responsibly and timely to address this issue.
Wow! To think this is the same Mike Turner who ripped his Republican opponent a new one less than a year ago for a youthful indiscretion involving a decades-old reckless driving charge from a 1988 traffic stop that was wrongly portrayed as a DUI? Who gave Turner license to say this? Turner is licensed, isn't he?
Tennessee01: *Ahem* Pith in the Wind IS a blog. Nutty, left-wing, what have you, a blog it is and shall remain. I also have heard that Would has a degree in journalism.
This surprises me coming from Turner, who was one of the most outspoken critics of the Republican majority last session.
Trust me, Turner will say anything to save his own ass. The content of the crap that spills from his piehole changes on a daily basis with the political winds. Jeff is dead on in his assessment - Turner is just trying to please Harwell, who is a major decision maker in how his district will be drawn. It doesn't matter to him if he undercuts his party or if Todd keeps a chairmanship he doesn't deserve. Turner is all about Turner.
Mike Turner, what the hell is the matter with you. The Lt. Governor takes the appropriate and reasonable position, and you do this? Have you lost your mind?
