July 15, 2006

Trust Is the Issue As Pro-Income Tax Rochelle Seeks Return to State Senate

The Sunday Tennessean has a long look at the race for the state Senate District 17 seat, which features the state's leading advocate for a state income tax trying to regain his Senate seat from one of the state's leading opponents of a state income tax. Yes, that's right, it's Bob "I knew I was going to lose so I turned tail and ran" Rochelle" against state Sen. Mae Beavers - if Rochelle can win his primary by snowing enough voters in the district into believing he really is against the income tax now.

But should voters trust him? To answer that, you have to consider Rochelle's history. He's lied to voters about this issue before.

As Roger Abramson reminds us, "Rochelle also said he opposed an income tax during his 1998 campaign too, right before he went and pushed for the income tax."

But you don't have to wonder if you can trust Sen. Beavers, especially on the tax issue. Reporter Trent Seibert's description of Sen. Beavers' anti-tax views is perfect:

If she discovered a tax increase in human form walking on the street, she'd club it to death with a 2-by-4.

"We had enough surplus this year, we could have given everyone a permanent tax break," said Beavers, who fought to reduce the sales tax on food.

Challenger Democrat Bob Rochelle, 60, a lawyer, was a 20-year veteran of the state Senate. He led the charge for a very unpopular state income tax - so unpopular that thousands traveled to the state Capitol to protest it - before he dropped out of the race that Beavers won in 2002.

About Rochelle, Seibert says, "He is revered at the legislature as a renowned dealmaker and debater."

But voters in the 17th district ought to read what Abramson had to say recently about Rochelle:

That Savvy Bob
When he was in the legislature, and especially during the income tax debate, all we ever heard about was what a master of the legislative process he was, like he was the second coming of Robert himself. Give a bill to Bob Rochelle, went the refrain, and he'll get it through.

Whatever. He wasn't a legislative mastermind. Basically, he was just a bully. He had a talent for pushing people around and he was a member of the majority party. Those two things together can make you pretty successful in the legislative context. That's all well and good and fair, but it doesn't make you some sort of Machiavellian genius.

In fact, I would argue that having him behind the Senate push for the income tax actually hurt that cause, because the pushiness that served him so well within the walls of the Senate backfired on him when the issue came under the public microscope. He came across to regular voters like a petulant jackass, and, believe it or not, people aren't usually enthusiastic about giving petulant jackasses tax money to play with.

By the way, the Saturday Tennessean had a much briefer look at the state House District 59 race. Well, it's about the two Democrats in the race. The Republican candidate is mentioned, but readers are given no information about him, not even campaign contact information.