Would You Like Cheese With That Whine?
The Democrats are already
whining about redistricting:
This new district map essentially does the reverse, and insures that
cities, which are losing population, are not overrepresented in the next
General Assembly, hence the real source of the Democrats' concern.
There was very little in the way of complaint from Democrats about
under-representation of rural Tennessee and East Tennessee back when
they drew the districts and drew them to manufacture Democratic
majorities that were padded at best and an outright fabrication of
reality at worst. Now that it is time to administer the medication to
the patient-Tennessee's electoral system-that Democrats made sick with
years of neglect and taking their majorities for granted, Tennessee
Democrats do not want to take their medicine. As they know very well
from experience, the party that runs the General Assembly calls the tune
in Tennessee-see how we felt all those years?
Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Local politics, Tennessee politics
If Tennessee wants a say in the Republican nominating process, South Carolina
had better save the day:
Contrary to popular belief, the Republican nomination is far from
decided in reality. After South Carolina, the series of States which
vote on what this year will be Super Tuesday, March 6th, will all have
their delegate counts decided on a proportional basis, most by
congressional district. That means that if candidates were to campaign
well, they could still challenge Mitt Romney for the Republican
nomination. The practical reality is that if Tennesseans want a real say
in who will be the Republican nominee, it would appear that South
Carolina is going to have to be the contest where someone defeats Mitt
Romney, because at some point, money becomes a factor for those
candidates who would otherwise have a chance to be nominated.
Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Local politics, Presidential Election, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
Just Make Sure You Do the Business
Talk of early adjournment of the Tennessee General Assembly
is a very good thing:
The Tennessee General Assembly convenes its second session today and gets underway in a matter of minutes as this column is being written. Indeed, by the time we go to press, session will almost certainly be underway in both Houses. Just as the General Assembly gets underway today, there is already talk of when the session will end, with the leadership of both Houses eager to get on with business and get out of Nashville as quickly as possible. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey hinted during today's Senate session in an exchange with Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle (D-Memphis) as this column is being written that he was hoping for adjournment as soon as late April.
Labels: Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, Political correctness, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
The New Congressional Order
East Tennessee will soon have a
new Congressional configuration:
With the Tennessee General Assembly set to open tomorrow, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey releasing the likely Tennessee Congressional District map late last week, the the proposal set to become finalized early in the new session of the General Assembly. One thing that doesn't change is the compsition of the First Congressional District, in which this writer lives. Congressman Phil Roe's (R-Johnson City) will remain virtually the same, including taking in the 3rd civil district of Jefferson County (White Pine Precinct). The remaining 2/3rds of Jefferson County, however, won't be in the 3rd Congressional District represented by Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-Chattanooga) any longer, but will join Grainger, Claibourne, and part of Campbell Counties in a refomed 2nd Congressional District anchored in Knox County and represented by Tennessee's senior Member of Congress, John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Knoxville).
Labels: Congress, Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
