A thing about writing about Gov. Bill Lee — and let me be clear that I can’t decide if this is a good thing or a depressing thing — is that the man never changes. Two years ago, I wrote about how Gov. Lee was being deftly manipulated by the political equivalent of a pickup artist:
What’s worse is that you’re playing up how much Arnn is your friend. This jerk, who insults the public school teachers you ultimately oversee? Who insults the colleges you’re responsible for? Every chance he gets, he makes you look weak and ineffectual, and you lap it up because he says “someday” you might have what it takes to be president? This con isn’t even as sophisticated as talking River City into 76 trombones. This is a pickup artist negging you — telling you all the ways you're worthless because you aren’t going along with him — and you running after him being all Let me just show you how wrong you are because I’m going to go along with you with twice as much enthusiasm as warranted.
Gov. Bill Lee's education adviser said public school teachers come from 'the dumbest parts of dumbest colleges'
I could just about reprint that whole column, swapping out “Larry Arnn” for “Donald Trump,” and the point would still stand. Great for me. I could take a week off and no one would notice. But not great for the state, where Gov. Lee refuses to learn anything from the shit that happens to him.
So let’s laugh together at Bill Lee, who seems to have been beta-testing Project 2025 here in Tennessee, who chairs the Republican Governors Association, who recently traveled to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, and who just got sold out by Donald Trump. From The Tennessean:
"I went 10 for 10 on endorsements tonight in the Great State of Tennessee, including Bobby Harshbarger, running against a strong, long-term incumbent supported by RINO Governor Bill Lee. A Great Day for Tennessee — now on to a Complete and Total Victory in November. MAGA 2024," Trump posted on Truth Social following the election.
If I were not allowed to die until after I stopped laughing about this, I would live forever. Bill Lee, who tries so hard to be the most Republican Republican, just got booted from Trumpville. And why? That’s to me the funniest part. There is no good reason. In a healthy political party, two politicians could endorse equally sound candidates and it wouldn't have to result in one of them being expelled from the good graces of the other. But Bill Lee doesn’t head up a healthy political party. Which he surely must know by now. Yet here we are ... well, here we remain, with Lee being unable to see which way the political wind is blowing until he’s caught in bad weather.
The same day Lee signed two pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation, a sign featuring a swastika and hate speech appeared near Fort Negley
If we take for granted that being a RINO ("Republican in name only") means you are a secret Democrat, then this designation of Lee is confusing. Lee’s so far to the right that Nazis sent him a thank-you note. Women and trans people can’t get necessary medical care in our state because of Lee. He’s still sitting on a pile of corpses from COVID because of his response. His friend was killed in a school shooting, and he ultimately did nothing about gun control. Dude’s not a secret Democrat.
So what does Trump mean when he calls Lee a RINO? What is he if not a Republican? I think it’s that he’s a mark — a simp. Republicans, in Trump’s world, are tough and strong and do what it takes to achieve their goals, and they lead and they make their enemies sorry. People fall in line behind them. You can see the giant rhetorical trap this sets for Republicans. In order to reaffirm to Trump that he’s a great Republican, you have to kiss his ass. But if you kiss his ass, you’re weak and follow orders, and he seems to disdain that. So there really is nothing more Lee could do politically to prove his Republican bona fides. He’s done it all. And if that’s not good enough to keep him in Trump’s Republican world, it’s because Trump thinks he’s weak. And since there are no political consequences for Trump calling Lee weak, he’s right.
At this point, a Republican is only someone who can inflict political consequences on Trump if Trump crosses him. And Lee doesn’t have the guts to do that.
Gov. Lee: I have offered you a lot of advice over the years, none of which you’ve bothered to take, probably because you don’t read my column and you don’t know who I am. Fair. But please, take this advice. Trump is a bully. He responds to and respects only bullying. Arrange for a reporter to ask you as soon as possible about Trump calling you a RINO. Then you answer with a dick-measuring-contest invitation: “I would put my record as a conservative against anyone else’s, including President Trump’s.” Then laugh dismissively. Respond briefly with confident disdain and then move on quickly, making it clear it’s not worth your time to argue about.
Only two things can come of that. Either Trump ignores you, which is fine. (It makes it seem like a small matter you both almost instantly put behind you.) Or he starts to fight with you — in which case, you can just pull out a list of all the terrible things you’ve done to us. Oh, I’m sorry, I mean, your list of accomplishments. And then you ask him to show you where he’s done more for the cause.
