ZWF: Tennessee Republicans cross the line
Zander's Weekend Facts #61: Sunday, April 9, 2023
In an already bad week for Republicans in Tennessee, they somehow found a way to make things much much worse.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a breakdown of the latest happenings in the Tennesee legislature, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 100 features a celebration of 100 episodes of facts. Plus, Zander takes a look at several of the major topics at the forefront of America right now. Go download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, April 9, 2023:
Democratic lawmakers expelled in Tennessee
What a time it’s been in the state of Tennessee these last few days.
Back on Monday, March 27, when six people, including three children, were killed in a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Many around the state, rightfully, had had enough.
Thousands descended on the state capitol in Nashville to make their voices heard, urging lawmakers to pass common-sense gun reforms.
Despite the protests, Republicans, who hold the majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly along with the governor’s office, made clear that no such legislation would be proposed. In fact, Republicans in the state House advanced a bill through committee that would allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom, the exact opposite of what advocates were clamoring for.
On Thursday, March 30, the protesters made their way into the state capitol, with some in the galleries above the House floor. At one point, three Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Justin Jones, Rep. Gloria Johnson, and Rep. Justin Pearson, made their way to the lectern on the House floor, leading protesters in the gallery in several chants with a bullhorn.
The actions broke the House’s rules on proper decorum. Republicans decried the protests, with the state House Speaker Cameron Sexton saying on a talk radio show “It was an insurrection.”
Unlike the actual insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, however, no one broke into the Tennessee State Capitol, nothing was damaged, everyone who entered the building went through security, and no one was injured or died.
Of the actions taken by the three Democratic representatives, Sexton said that the actions were “unacceptable” and broke “several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor.”
In the days after, protests only grew, albeit outside of the Capitol building. On the other end of the spectrum, Republicans decided to take action against the three lawmakers, now given the moniker of the “Tennessee Three.”
The Republicans determined they would not censure them, or remove them from their committees, but that they would remove them from the legislature entirely. Expulsion.
Maybe, a little harsh. Especially considering only two lawmakers have been expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly since reconstruction, one being convicted on bribery charges, and the other being found of harassing fellow politicians and interns.
However, because Republicans hold not just a majority, but a super-majority in the state House, it was their call.
So on Thursday, the House voted on the expulsion of three lawmakers. Two were expelled, while one survived.
The two that were expelled, Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, just so happen to be black men, while Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was not expelled by only one vote, just so happens to be a white woman. While some Republicans argued that because they did not see any incitement of the crowd from Johnson and that is why they voted not to expel, Rep. Johnson herself had another view.
When asked why there was a difference in outcomes in the votes, she responded, “I'll answer your question; it might have to do with the color of our skin.”
If any outcome could have been worse than expelling your political opponents after breaking a decorum rule, it might have been only expelling the two black men and saving the white woman.
So now, less than two weeks after a mass shooting inside of a school happens just miles from the State Capitol, Tennesee lawmakers decide that instead of passing legislation that would prevent that incident from happening again, they should start removing members of the opposite party.
Mind you, the only reason Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly have the super-majority of votes is not based on merit, but instead because of manipulation.
Republicans currently hold 75 of the 99 seats in the House of Representatives, almost 76% of the seats. Yet, in the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump received just 60% of the vote. In the state Senate, Republicans claim 27 of the 33 seats, a whopping 82% of the chamber.
What led to this misrepresentation? Gerrymandered maps. Maps which last year were named in a lawsuit by the Tennessee Democratic Party, which accused Republicans who drew the maps of violating the state constitution.
Ultimately, the two Reps. who were expelled might not be gone for long. The state constitution requires the local legislative body in the district where the member was expelled to appoint an interim successor before a special election can be held. And all signs point to the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County and the Shelby County Board of Commissioners reappointing Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, respectively, to their seats.
Republicans haven’t backed down, however. Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon said in an interview that Republicans are already threatening retaliation if the former Reps. are reappointed, saying, “We are also being threatened by the state to take away funding, needed funding to run our schools, to run our municipalities.”
Whatever Republicans have hoped to get out of all of this clearly hasn’t gone to plan. The expulsions haven’t made just national news, but the “Tennessee Three” are now known internationally.
The expulsions have been condemned far and wide, with former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden making their thoughts known.
The moves made by Tennessee Republicans can easily be described in one word, undemocratic. And amazingly, it happened in the same week where in Wisconsin, liberal Janet Protasiewicz won the race to fill a state Supreme Court seat by ten points, giving liberals the majority. In response, Republicans are already considering impeaching her, for the sole crime of not being ideologically aligned with those Republicans.
NBC News - A liberal just won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Republicans are already talking about impeaching her.
As political commentator Charlie Sykes noted on MSNBC this week, “The stupidity, it burns.”
https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1644296208343597064
For more information on this week’s top story, take a look at this article from CBS News - What to know about the "Tennessee Three": Why were two of the Democratic lawmakers expelled, and what happens now?
What Zander’s been reading this past week
The J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. has served as the headquarters of the FBI since 1974. However, the building is falling apart (literally) resulting in both the states of Maryland and Virginia fighting for the agency’s new digs. Among the lawmakers of the two states, the race for the headquarters hasn’t exactly been cordial.
Check out this week’s featured article on Slate - Inside the Cattiest Fight in D.C. - (Link for article on Apple News)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Trump Arrest: Former President Donald Trump voluntarily surrendered and attended his arraignment hearing in New York on Tuesday. Trump was previously indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on 34 felony counts relating to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty and has also attacked both the prosecutor and judge in the case outside of the courtroom. As the discovery process in the case has begun, the next in-person court date is not scheduled to be held until December 4.
Finland/NATO: Finland became the 31st member of the Nato security alliance last week. Finland’s inclusion into the body essentially doubles the border that Nato shares with Russia. Finland began the approval process of joining Nato after last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine. The alliance has been steadfast in its disapproval of Russia’s actions, sending Ukraine billions of dollars in aid. Sweden is also currently under the approval process, but its membership has not been approved by Hungary or Turkey.
Wisconsin Supreme Court: Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewic won the race to fill an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week. Protasiewic, who was favored by Democrats in the election, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who also lost in a bid for the state’s highest court in 2020. The result gives liberals a 4-3 majority on the court for the first time in 15 years. In the near future, the court could decide on cases involving abortion rights, and legislative maps, and could come into play if the 2024 election results are disputed in the state like they were in 2020.
North Carolina Legislature: Tricia Cotham, a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, switched party affiliations last week from Democrat to Republican. The party flip gives Republicans 72 seats in the 120-seat body, enough for a veto-proof majority. The veto-proof majority could allow Republicans in the General Assembly to bypass Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and pass abortion restrictions and GOP-favored legislative maps, among other legislative priorities.
Clarence Thomas: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose several luxury trips that were paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, according to reporting from ProPublica. The report states that Thomas accepted the trips nearly every year for around two decades from businessman Harlan Crowe. Experts say that a failure to disclose the trips, which include private jet rides, yacht vacations, and stays at Crow’s private resort, could violate a federal law that requires federal lawmakers and officials to disclose most gifts. In response, Justice Thomas claimed in a statement that he was advised earlier in his tenure that “personal hospitality with close personal friends… was not reportable.”
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the ZF Sporting Club:
The Masters: The third round of the Masters golf tournament is set to resume this morning after weather suspended play yesterday. Brooks Koepka is currently at the top of the leaderboard at -13, with Jon Rahm at -9 and Sam Bennett at -6 rounding out the top three. Bennett, an amateur, had the best 36-hole score at the Masters for an amateur since Ken Venturi in 1956. Tiger Woods, who made the cut at +3, has made the cut at 23 consecutive Masters tournaments he’s played in, tying the all-time record. Third round coverage resumes at 8:30 am et this morning, with final round coverage beginning at 2:00 pm et today on CBS.
NBA Season Ending: The NBA’s regular season wraps up today with all 15 teams in action. The top seeds in each conference have already been clinched with the Milwaukee Bucks taking honors in the east and the Denver Nuggets in the west. While all 20 spots in the postseason have been clinched, the Western Conference teams that will play in the Play-In tournament will be decided today, with the Clippers, Warriors, Lakers, and Pelicans fighting for two automatic spots to the first round of the Playoffs. This week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast will preview the NBA Playoffs, tune in this Wednesday!
College Basketball Championships: UConn took down San Diego State 76-59 on Monday night to win the program’s fifth men’s basketball national championship. The Huskies became the first team in the modern era of the NCAA Tournament to win every tournament game by 13+ points. On the women’s side, LSU beat Iowa 102-85 to win the program’s first women’s basketball national championship. The Tigers’ win was the most watched NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game ever, bringing in 9.9 million viewers.
Connor McDavid: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid became just the sixth player in NHL history to score 150 points in a single season on Saturday. The last player to do so was Mario Lemieux in 1996. Phil Esposito, Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls, and Steve Yzerman were also able to achieve the rare feat. McDavid’s Oilers are currently second in the Western Conference with 105 points, as the regular season is set to conclude on Thursday.
WWE/Endeavor: WWE and Endeavor have agreed to a deal that will merge the UFC and WWE into a new company. The new company, set to be run by Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel and WWE’s Vince McMahon, is valued at over $21 billion with Endeavor owning a 51% majority of the company. The deal was announced just after WWE’s Wrestlemania 39 took place in Los Angeles. WWE’s media rights deals with Fox and NBC are set to expire later this year, while UFC’s deal with ESPN doesn’t expire until 2025.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, April 16, 2023.
