Mumpower's sweater

Jeff Woods at the Scene draws some comparisons between Al Gore and Jason Mumpower after their losses. Woods may be on to something about both of them growing beards. But the sweater was there before the Speaker election.

Take a look:

Williams upsets House Speaker race

Today in the State House of Representatives, Republican Kent Williams upset fellow Republican Jason Mumpower to win election as Speaker of the House. Williams signed a pledge in the Republican Party Caucus prior to the opening session that he would vote for a Republican for Speaker. He did. He voted for himself. That's all he needed with the house split between 50 Republicans and 49 Democrats.

I know Chris Sanders will want to add more to this since he was present during the proceedings. Boy, would I have liked to have been a fly on the wall.

UPDATE: The devil may be in the details:

Williams said that legislation Republicans have long sought to pass, including an anti-abortion constitutional amendment and more lenient gun bills, will make it to the House floor for votes under his tenure.

“I’m not going to stack committees against anything,” he said.

I worry about other conservatives bills like anti-GLTB measures on adoption and education will also make it to the House floor.

Mumpower cut his legislative teeth on opposition to taxes and gay foster parenting

An Associated Press profile of House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower shows his steady opposition to taxes. Thrown into the discussion of the lottery and taxes is his early opposition to gay foster parents, too. He sponsored the bill in 1997.

One of the first bills Mumpower sponsored after his election was a 1997 measure to prohibit gay couples from becoming foster parents. It didn't pass, and later incarnations of the bill with other Republican sponsors also have failed.

The piece follows up on the lottery and tax positions with quotations, but they don't come up with anything on foster parenting. So it's not clear where foster parenting and adoption fall in his list of priorities now.

Everybody's ready to control spending, not saying much about social issues

The Tennessean gave some op-ed space for what January holds when the 106th General Assembly of Tennessee convenes. House Republican leader Jason Mumpower is sending a clear signal that his party is prepared to assume leadership and control spending, but he is noticeably quiet on social issues. Hmmm.

We must live within our means and get spending under control. Increasing taxes on hard-working Tennesseans is not the answer. We need to cut wasteful spending, slow the growth of a ballooning government, and balance this budget just as any Tennessee family does their checkbook.

House Democratic leader Gary Odom is more specific on the budget while maintaining Mumpower's reticence on the culture war:

The most ominous challenge we face this year is the greatest revenue shortfall in our state's recent history. The state faces a budget crisis that could lead to a $600 million shortfall in projected revenue by the end of this fiscal year. This is on top of more than $500 million in anticipated revenue that was cut earlier this year. The budget shortfall will require the experience and knowledge of members of both parties working together to ensure that these challenges are addressed in a responsible manner.

Shaka Mitchel of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research would agree with Mumpower and Odom, but offers this warning just to be sure:

Similarly, squandering your political capital on abortion and illegal immigration resolutions that aren't really state issues and have no chance of becoming law would be an irresponsible use of the powers entrusted to you by voters.

All politicians would do well to remember that while the goal of campaigning is getting elected, the purpose of elected office itself is being a responsible steward of powers put in your care.

Finally, the changeover in Tennessee is an indication voters just want to be left alone. It has been said that most bad government results from too much government. Republicans at the national level found that to be true when they strayed from their principles and quickly became the minority party. Republicans at the state level should not forget that lesson.

The Tennessean offers basically the same advice urging restraint on social issues:

It would be a mistake to use newfound power to flex muscles over social issues like abortion and guns. A few lawmakers may be chomping at the bit to aggressively push such issues to the fore. The public will be better served if the legislature keeps sensible priorities and shows the best possible performance in managing the budget and working in ways all Tennesseans deserve.

Amen to that. I'm not holding by breath on that one, though.

Mumpower invites Vaughn and Yokely to Beale Street

Commenting on the voting records of TN House Democrats Nathan Vaughn (D-Kingsport) and Eddie Yokley (D-Greeneville), here's what House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower of Bristol said:

"They are better suited to be representing inner-city Memphis than the rural hills of East Tennessee," said Mumpower.

In other words, he's reminding voters that Rep. Vaughn is African-American and that Rep. Yokely votes as if he were, in Minority Leader Mumpower's view. Not only does he use racial coding in mentioning Memphis, he underlines it by saying "inner-city." His phrase "better suited" basically means that some people belong in some places but not others.

This nonsense is beneath any elected official, especially a party's leader in one of our houses of government who should have as his care the welfare of our entire State.

Quotation of the week

"When one of them is governor, they're welcome to make the determination about how you handle this..." --Governor Phil Bredesen referring to House Majority Leader Gary Odom and Minority Leader Jason Mumpower's calls for an independent investigation and the release of names in the THP background check scandal.

Disperse, there's nothing to see here.

More details, questions on the THP scandal

Early this morning, Mr. Kleinheider displayed his prophetic gifts in quipping that "This is Gonna Get Exciting If There Are Journalists On The List." It turns out he is right.

According to WSMV, "The department won't release the names of those individuals on the list, but[Patrol Colonel Mike] Walker said it included two journalists and one country music personality." The list doesn't include elected officials, though. [Update: I originally said it doesn't include candidates. Actually, that possibility hasn't been ruled out.]

Meanwhile, Republican House candidate A.J. McCall, who is running against Democrat Stratton Bone, came forward and told Clint Brewer that his records from the early 90s were provided to House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower and Rep. Clen Casada.

Other than timing, the incidents may not be related since McCall notes that "the records of his arrests, though expunged, have been used against him repeatedly in the last year in political activity. McCall said numerous automated 'robo' calls and at least one negative 'push' poll conducted in the 46th District have brought up the two DUI charges to voters." McCall admits that he doesn't know who conducted the robo calls or the push poll. And Mumpower has also said that a direct link between the incidents has not been established.

But given the timing, Mumpower's hunch is justified until it is established who is pushing the information about McCall. So far, there is no indication that the public will soon know who is on the list. That means that questions will linger and flare up through November. In themselves, these invasive background checks are scandalous. But they are detrimental in their effects as well. With so little coverage of legislative races, this may be the only issue that stands out. And that will have the unfortunate effect of drowning out the policy differences among candidates.

There is no word yet on whether we will see independent investigations of these events.

Mumpower joins Odom in call for investigation, reveals mysterious incident

House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower has joined Majority Leader Gary Odom in calling for an "outside investigation" into the background checks conducted by a member of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

In the piece written by the Tennessean's Brad Schrade, Mumpower also reveals a chilling incident that happened a few weeks ago:

Mumpower said his concerns are compounded by a mysterious incident a month and a half ago at his legislative office at the Capitol complex.

The Bristol Republican said an envelope appeared overnight in his locked office containing photocopies of THP arrest records involving a Republican candidate for state House. The arrest had happened years ago, and did not result in a conviction.
Mumpower would not identify the candidate, but said the episode smelled of political dirty tricks.

“Intimidation is the only thing I can think of,” Mumpower said, who said THP officers who work at the Capitol have keys to the legislative offices, as do cleaning personnel and some staff members.

Toward the end of the piece, the word "fake" shows up again in reference to the disciplinary action against the trooper in question, along with a reminder that the administration still hasn't answered some of the lingering questions around the ticket fixing incident from a few years ago:

When the ticket-fixing became public, the patrol leadership at the time concocted a fake punishment for Shirley, The Tennessean later reported. Why Shirley was given a break has never fully been answered by the Bredesen administration.

This scandal is extremely discouraging. Coming on the heels of one of the more partisan legislative sessions, it will no doubt fan the flames. Leaders of both parties know what is at stake and are to be commended for calling for a thorough, independent, and public investigation. The other bright spot is some tenacious reporting by the Tennessean. Their staff cuts and other issues are bound to be a distraction these days, but don't count them out yet.

Battle for TN House District 2

Rep. Nathan Vaughn (D-Kingsport) has kicked off his reelection bid. He will face Republican Tony Shipley in the general election. The article mentions House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower's interest in picking up the seat. Both candidates hope to run issues oriented campaigns. But what exactly will the issues be?

Doesn't Vaughn disrupt a challenge from the Right by being so pro-life/anti-choice himself? Republicans will argue that Vaughn may vote for abortion restrictions but that he helps elect a pro-choice/pro-abortion leadership. That argument will convince the die-hard activists, but how do you explain that in a simple way to the average voter, when most voters don't closely follow state legislative races to begin with?

Vaughn has two other advantages. He indicates that Governor Bredesen will campaign and raise money for him again. He also had more money than Shipley at the end of the first quarter--$56,300 to Shipley's $13,900. While we don't have the second quarter figures yet, I think the totals are telling. Vaughn has not been able to raise money from January through May because the Legislature was in session and he still has a huge lead over Shipley. Will the dollars match Republican talk of targeting this race?

Another question mark is the pocketbook issue. If gas prices continue to rise and the economy is still in the tank when the election rolls around, Vaughn may benefit from higher negatives for Republicans nationally, even in a GOP stronghold like East Tennessee.

Birth certificate bill a security issue, fantasizes Mumpower

Apparently Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) is taking the war on terror to the transgender community of Tennessee. The House Minority leader told the Nashville Scene that his opposition to the birth certificate change bills in the Legislature as originally presented stems from security issues.

GOP division over House District 31

Andy Sherr reports that Rep. Richard Floyd (R-Chattanooga) is supporting former Rep. Jim Vincent for a House seat. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/13/floyd-vincent-house-district-31/

Floyd's nod to Vincent puts him at odds with the House Republican leadership who are backing Rep. Jim Cobb (R-Spring City) in the race. Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) and Rep. Glen Casada (R-College Grove) are among those who wrote to the Chattanooga Times Free Press in support of Cobb.

With all the members of the General Assembly retiring and with contested primaries, we should look for huge changes in the 106th session.