Governor Backstabber
WAR MEMORIAL BUILDING, CAPITOL HILL, NASHVILLE-There is entirely too much to tell about my trip to the Capitol in one post-that will actually involve a couple of days worth of posting. I will begin, however, with this juicy tidbit from this morning's hearing of the House Agricultural Committee.Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) was approached by Governor Phil Bredesen, who came to meet with him to beg support for his proposed tobacco tax increase. Dunn explained to His Honor that he has no personal objection to the idea of a sin-tax, but he does have a problem with anyone being asked to pay more taxes for anything when we have a half-a-billion dollar surplus. If the Governor wants to increase education funding, should he not first look to that surplus money? Dunn also raised concerns about increasing funds when we have seen so few results for the previous increases the legislature has authorized since the early 90's.
Dunn thought his meeting with the Governor was a private meeting, but the Backstabber goes to Knoxville and meets with the editorial board of the Knoxville News-Sentinel and tells them that Dunn and the other GOP members on the Ag Committee are in the pocket of the tobacco lobby. The KNS then prints this as if this were so in support of Bredesen.
Bredesen told this to the KNS for no other reason than to try and influence the media with information that is either blatantly overblown or is outright false. Dunn said "I do not appreciate the Governor telling the media that we don't make our own decisions." Dunn said he thought their meeting was meant as a one-one-one conversation.
Labels: Tennessee politics
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 12:54 PM
6 Comments:
I'm struggling to find in that KNS article where Bredesen told them that Dunn and others were in the pocket of the tobacco lobby...seems as though they just printed the donation figures.
Facts == backstabbing
Oatney:
Can you post a link to the story or editorial where the Governor said the GOP members of the Ag Committee are in the pocket of the tobacco lobby? The story at the link above is by Erik Shelzig, an AP reporter who is not on the KNS ed board, I don't think. But what a coup if he is!
I fully expect to see Bredesen as a carnival attraction one day. "He crawls on his belly like a rep-tile."
Anon;
You are quite right that the story was not written by a member of the ed board-the curious thing is that it was written after Bredesen (or Bredesen's people) got in touch with the KNS ed board. I do not think that is coincidence.
"In the pocket of the tobacco lobby" would include the majority of the Democratic Caucus using the Bredesen definition.
Mr. Oatney,
To whom do you credit the quote that Gov. Bredesen said Rep. Dunn was in the pocket of the tobacco lobbyists?
B. Robertson
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