Thursday, June 07, 2007
Rep. Mike Turner throws a hissy
Democrats in the State House were outraged when Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) proposed an amendment to add an additional penny to Gov. Bredesen's cigarette tax increase, which would have paid bonuses to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. After Democrats turned back the amendment, Rep. Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) said the whole ordeal was the “lowest attempt at political grandstanding" he'd ever seen. And then Turner added, “This is low life.”
Oh, really?!
It would take a body two weeks - working night and day - to sift through all of the low-down, despicable legislative tricks instigated by House Democrats during Speaker Jimmy Naifeh's tenure. Indeed, Rep. Hawk's supposed "political grandstanding" is small potatoes compared to the tomfoolery Democrats have pulled at the expense of their Republican counterparts. (It's one of the reasons the GOP still finds itself in the minority in the State House.)
This ain't the first time I've had a bone to pick with ol' Mike Turner. Five months ago he was bitchin' 'bout the GOP's "partisanship." (I hesitate to say "bitchin'," but there ain't no other way to describe what Turner does when he gets wound up.) This was my response:
State Representative Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) is peeved because a majority of the Republicans in the General Assembly abstained from voting for the re-election of the state comptroller and state treasurer. In an interview with the Nashville City Paper, Turner took issue with his Republican colleagues with this quip:
“[W]hat they basically said is 'we're not going to vote for a Democrat.' That doesn't say much for bipartisanship.”
If Turner's so concerned about "bipartisanship," perhaps he should schedule a sit-down with his boss, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. Naifeh hasn't a bipartisan bone in his body; and it's a bit disingenuous for Turner to castigate Republicans for being partisan when one considers how Naifeh's treated the GOP over the years. For Example:
Naifeh has steadfastly refused to appoint Republicans as officers of committees that have any policy-making authority. (In a 1996 interview Naifeh pettily name-checked Newt Gingrich as his inspiration for the way in which he chose committee chairs, as if the administrative procedures of the U.S. House have any relevance on Nashville's Capitol Hill.) Naifeh routinely instructs subcommittee chairs to kill Republican bills, and he allows Republican bills with widespread popular support to be heavily amended in order for Democrats to claim credit. Finally, Republicans - especially Republicans who are critical of Naifeh or Democrats in general - are assigned offices in the War Memorial Building, which is uncomfortably stuffy in the summer, damp and drafty in the winter, and features drinking fountains that squirt water a dog wouldn't drink.
Before Rep. Turner alerts Republicans about the partisan splinters in their eyes, he needs to point out the fact that Jimmy Naifeh has a partisan log the size of the Washington Monument in his eye. So there.
Oh, really?!
It would take a body two weeks - working night and day - to sift through all of the low-down, despicable legislative tricks instigated by House Democrats during Speaker Jimmy Naifeh's tenure. Indeed, Rep. Hawk's supposed "political grandstanding" is small potatoes compared to the tomfoolery Democrats have pulled at the expense of their Republican counterparts. (It's one of the reasons the GOP still finds itself in the minority in the State House.)
This ain't the first time I've had a bone to pick with ol' Mike Turner. Five months ago he was bitchin' 'bout the GOP's "partisanship." (I hesitate to say "bitchin'," but there ain't no other way to describe what Turner does when he gets wound up.) This was my response:
State Representative Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) is peeved because a majority of the Republicans in the General Assembly abstained from voting for the re-election of the state comptroller and state treasurer. In an interview with the Nashville City Paper, Turner took issue with his Republican colleagues with this quip:
“[W]hat they basically said is 'we're not going to vote for a Democrat.' That doesn't say much for bipartisanship.”
If Turner's so concerned about "bipartisanship," perhaps he should schedule a sit-down with his boss, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. Naifeh hasn't a bipartisan bone in his body; and it's a bit disingenuous for Turner to castigate Republicans for being partisan when one considers how Naifeh's treated the GOP over the years. For Example:
Naifeh has steadfastly refused to appoint Republicans as officers of committees that have any policy-making authority. (In a 1996 interview Naifeh pettily name-checked Newt Gingrich as his inspiration for the way in which he chose committee chairs, as if the administrative procedures of the U.S. House have any relevance on Nashville's Capitol Hill.) Naifeh routinely instructs subcommittee chairs to kill Republican bills, and he allows Republican bills with widespread popular support to be heavily amended in order for Democrats to claim credit. Finally, Republicans - especially Republicans who are critical of Naifeh or Democrats in general - are assigned offices in the War Memorial Building, which is uncomfortably stuffy in the summer, damp and drafty in the winter, and features drinking fountains that squirt water a dog wouldn't drink.
Before Rep. Turner alerts Republicans about the partisan splinters in their eyes, he needs to point out the fact that Jimmy Naifeh has a partisan log the size of the Washington Monument in his eye. So there.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, June 07, 2007 
