The Plank In Your Eye...
As everyone knows, present Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh slammed Republican candidate for State Treasurer Ira Brody, saying that Brody is attempting to buy his way into the Treasurer's office, and that he has given over $80,000 to Republican candidates in an attempt to do this. Of course, these allegations are rich coming from the likes of Naifeh, who made giving favors and position to political donors an art form during his time in the House Chair. Hence, the Speaker has pointed to the splinter in the eye of the House Republican Caucus while failing to take out the plank in his own eye.While judging others but failing to judge himself, the Speaker not only shows his true colors, but that he is a shrewd political operator, for he knows that many of us object to Ira Brody in part for the very reason that he appears to be purchasing his way into public life, rather than earning it as a Tennessean in the community who seeks election to office. The idea of Ira Brody as Treasurer creates a massive conflict of interest for the Republican Party in the Legislature at a time when such a conflict is completely unneeded.
Most everyone knows that I strongly support Vance Cheek, Jr. for Treasurer because he has actually run for public office in Tennessee, served in office, has balanced a budget without raising taxes, and he's running for Treasurer to serve for the right reasons. This issue goes so much deeper than my support for Vance Cheek, however.
In a field of qualified Tennessee candidates, what will it say about our new majority if that majority just coincidentally happens to choose the one who gave the most money? I thought we were supposed to bring change, and govern differently from Naifeh, not receive indictments in the press from Naifeh over practices which he himself is guilty of. That isn't change, it is more of the same.
As for Vance Cheek, there are those who are attempting to derail his bid for Treasurer based on a semi-anonymous letter from people whose existance is unverifiable, concerning a Letter to the Editor that cannot anywhere be found, about a personal well-wish in The Jackson Sun in deference to a friend that was miraculously transformed into a political endorsement that never happened.
Will money, lies, rumor, and innuendo govern our caucus' choices for Constitutional offices, or will principles, clear thinking and common sense? Obviously, I'd like my favorite candidate to win, but I know Vance would be pleased-and I certainly would-to know that the people chosen for these offices were picked because they were representative of the wishes of the people of Tennessee, not because they gave the most money or spread malicious rumors.
If we let money and lies choose for us, our party is no different than the regime we replaced.
Labels: Republican Party, Tennessee politics
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 6:35 AM
2 Comments:
Vance Cheek?
Give me a break. You want a mule deer to stand around and look pretty in the state house or do you want someone with a brain do take the reigns and make things happen for TN. Why are you all so afraid of change? We need to change to get out of this hell hole we are in.
I don't know what "many of us" you speak of that object to Ira Brody. I find him to be a true patriot, a dedicated public servant and a person of great integrity. Perhaps you should get to know the man before passing snide judgments. So, he raised money for his party? That is only one of dozens of ways Brody has supported the republican party for the past 20 years.
David,
You need to take a deep breath and relax ...
What you're experiencing is the inevitable collision of reality with idealism (or delusion, it kind'a depends).
What I'm experiencing is pure, joyful Schadenfreude!
Conservative ideology has failed America and watching it do it's work in Tenessee is going to be something else.
I'm going to get a popcorn maker -- this is special!
SteveMule
Post a Comment
<< Home