November 18, 2002

What Good is Winning ... if You Give Away the Victory?

Surrendering after a victory and consorting with the enemy to keep you under his thumb makes no sense. Sadly, however, that's what some Republicans in the Tennessee legislature appear ready to do.

Pro-income tax legislators had their lunch eaten in the November elections. 15 of the 45 who voted for the income tax aren't coming back. One died, one killed himself, five didn't run. One ran for state Senate and got beat. Seven were defeated in the primaries or the general election. Democrat House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh barely won re-election in his solidy Democrat district. Several candidates he endorsed got beat. And the incoming crop of 21 freshman legislators is, as a group, much more conservative and anti-income tax than the legislators they replaced.

And the GOP picked up three seats in the state House, moving them to within 5 of gaining the majority.

So what is the Republican "leader" in the House about to do? Lead a few Republicans to support the pro-income tax Naifeh as speaker, instead of helping Rep. Frank Buck, a good conservative anti-income tax Democrat, defeat Naifeh.

Here's Tom Humphrey in the Sunday Knoxville News-Sentinel: "If the 45 House Republicans were united, they would need to peel off only five Democrats for the 50-member majority needed to elect a new speaker. But the Republicans are not united. Indeed, House Republican Leader Steve McDaniel has declared he will support Naifeh's re-election. At the same time, McDaniel says he is appealing to Naifeh to reverse his long-standing policy of naming only Democrats to committee chairmanships. Unlike past years, Naifeh is declining to rule out the possibility.

Yeah. So he'll promise to appoint some Republicans to some committees, get re-elected speaker, and then renege - just like he reneged on various "promises" made to various legislators during the income tax fight.

You remember Naifeh's lies to other legislators during the climactic days of the Tennessee income tax battle, don't you? Here's what happened.

EXCERPT: No matter - the press barely had time to report on Sundquist's proposal (which he announced with all the emotional fervor of a limp dish rag) than the legislature yawned and ignored him. Last night, Jimmy Soprano made one last stab to keep his income tax alive by lying to Rep. Frank Buck - Naifeh promised to bring the income tax up for a vote but instead adjourned the House after realizing he didn't have the votes. But by Wednesday afternoon, Naifeh - his credibility in tatters - was reduced to admitting his income tax plan was dead. And Gov. Sundquist, according to Channel 4 news, was forced to promise he wouldn't pursue "tax reform" again for the rest of his term.

Why would McDaniel back Naifeh? McDaniel favors the income tax. Loudly.

The good news is, McDaniel is being challenged for the GOP leadership role by Rep. Bobby Wood of Chattanooga, who says he would be very supportive of Buck for speaker and, says Humphrey, "suspects most other Republicans would, too."