It's a version of the Streisand Effect: after Tennessee's House managed to remove two of the three obstreperous State Representatives who spoke out of turn on the floor of that chamber (and with their own bullhorn) in support of gun control, the former members are working the Sunday morning news-discussion show circuit -- and if they're at all personable and telegenic, they'll become regulars.
Look, they acted out and had some kind of penalty coming over their behavior. This is not especially uncommon in the state legislatures of this country, especially the 49 with bicameral legislatures modeled on the Federal government and particularly among the more numerous and often younger members of the "lower house." It doesn't happen every month or even every year, but it happens and is usually dealt with routinely -- a fine, a motion of censure, a stern-talking to by the presiding member or by ranking members of their own party.. It's a blip in the news, if that.
When the majority party tries to kick out three members affiliated with the minority party, spares the blond woman and removes the two much-darker men? That's not a blip. It's a headline.
If they'd all received a routine rebuke, this would have been just one more bit of noise in this country's long and very noisy debate about firearms. The (heated) conversation continues, unsettled and unsettling, with enormous emotion on all sides; with muddled and muddy statistics; with a lot of glib, easy answers and a poor understanding of the practicalities of applying them; without resolution and with a lot of shouting and performative behavior. One more act of protest sinks quickly in the ongoing uproar.
Unless the reaction to it calls attention to it. In 39 states, one party controls the legislature and the Governor's office. At least a dozen have effective one-party legislative supermajorities and operate unchecked by anything except the courts and their own consciences and judgement. Yes, Tennessee is among them. With one-party dominance in government, citizens rely on must rely the prudence and maturity of those they have voted into the Executive and legislature more than the traditional checks and balances as augmented by tension between political parties.
Overreach provokes reaction -- sometimes even against a commanding majority of elected office-holders. It has happened in a few states on the contentious, emotionally-fraught issue of abortion. It's been known to put Illinois Governors in jail. When egregious, it can bring down governments. Outcomes can be unexpected and often are orthogonal. I wonder what's inside the box this time?
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
5 comments:
Just removing them from their committee posts makes a major impact on their sense of self-importance and ability to deliver pork to the home district, without all the drama.
As I understand it, in TN the local County Commissioners appoint an interim to fill the seat until a special election can be held. Nothing to keep these individuals from being appointed to fill the vacancies. (Not in TN and not an expert on TN politics, but this one of the most amusing prospects for "what's next")
It's the political equivalent of one party stocking up on oily rags next to the other party's collection of Civil War era explosives. And both sides are replacing the fuses with coins in the fuse box while taking the relief valve off the boiler.
If only they had done the boomer thing and slapped them on the wrist they would have promised not to bring official business to a halt again, except when convenient for their cause. The two martyrs for leftism can run for Congress now with national recognition, which is a year off and would have happened anyway. The white lady apparently apologized, unlike the other two. The next bullhorn blowhards should be expelled apology or not, then that crap won't happen again.
Frederick: so, you also support prosecuting the citizens who brought official business to a standstill in Congress on 6 January 2021, right?
The Tennessee House's response was disproportionate, an action previously only used against member guilty of actual criminal or unethical conduct -- and it doesn't matter what their party affiliation or the particular issue motivating their conduct. "That crap" is a bit over the line for member of the lower house of a legislature, but it merited correction, not expulsion. I think we can quite expect it to happen again, given the attention the reaction to it has attracted.
The GOP has become enamored of the exercise of raw power and it will either be their undoing, or the undoing of our system of government.
Joe in PNG: while the temptation to apply bothsiderism is strong here, one party's just doing the usual juvenile BS and the other party is crudely throwing elbows. While neither is desirable, one is markedly worse -- and has not had the effect they seem to have believed it would.
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