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« A Non-Blogging Day | Main | Ford Quits » May 28, 2005Wilder Waltzes Around The Issue
Sen. Wilder, I suspect most Tennesseans don't agree with you. I suspect most Tennesseans understand that if Sen. John Ford, Sen. Ward Crutchfield, Sen. Kathryn Bowers and Rep. Chris Newton would take bribes from undercover agents in exchange for pushing a specific piece of legislation, they would take them from people who were not undercover agents in exchange for pushing a specific piece of legislation. Just because it's captured on video by the FBI doesn't make it not a bribe and a crime to accept it. You can read the indictments of the four legislators, along with ex-state Sen. Roscoe Dixon, Chattanooga school board member and lobbyist Charles Love and Memphis political operative Barry Myers here. For more on Wilder's inane statement quoted in today's Tennessean, see Matt White, who absolutely shreds it and questions whether Wilder ought to still be leading the state Senate. White to Wilder: "If you gave a damn about the Senate you'd fix the problems instead of circling the wagons, acting like you're some kind of victim." And Rob Huddleston says Wilder's statement "shows he is lacking moral fiber." They're both right.
Sen Ford, you should resign. And if you don't, the Senate Ethics Committee should recommend you be ousted from the Senate, and the full Senate should concur. But with Wilder playing the victim card and indicted former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon playing the race card, I have my doubts that will happen. But being caught on tape taking bribes and threatening to kill people might, finally, be enough to get Ford. If so, that will be a great day for the Senate, the legislature and the people of Tennessee. Posted in Tennessee Waltz
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Bill: In my opinion, all indicted legislators need to step down. If Chris Newton, a long-time friend, does not step down he should be asked to leave the Republican party. However, I hope people support him on the personal level, he needs to look inside himself and examine the events that have led him to potentially tarnish the reputation of the entire legislature and shatter public confidence in state government. He needs to surround himself with people who will tell him the truth, and not whisper in his ear that he is some type of a "victim." I hope as he reflects on his immediate next steps he begins by resigning his position. If he is innocent, then the citizens will be able to decide his past effectiveness and re-elect him to this or another post so he can continue to earn his principal living off state and local government. If he is guilty, I hope he is punished to the fullest extent of the law. John Wilder did the state a great disservice by not echoing similiar sentiment toward his colleagues. Maybe the Lt. Governor should call A.C. Wharton for advice before he prays next time? Posted by: JC Bowman at May 28, 2005 10:29 AMLet's see if I've got this straight. John Ford has lost multiple paternity suits, been sued for sexual harassment, threatened a state trooper when caught speeding, been caught funneling campaign money to his daughter's wedding, and is under investigation for receiving vast sums of money from a company doing business with the State of Tennessee. And all of this happened before the current FBI case. Yet voters in his district have returned him to office time and again. Do they not care if they have ethical lawmakers? Is it irrelevant to them that this man in a criminal, and abuses power in multiple ways? I don't get it. I don't want to think people in Memphis that keep on electing him are that clueless or amoral. Yet that seems the inescapable conclusion. If anyone can help me understand this, I would genuinely appreciate it. And I'm not being the slightest bit sarcastic when I say that. I really want to know. Posted by: Billy Hollis at May 28, 2005 10:59 AMChris Clem issued this statement saying there may be enough evidence to demand resignations or impeachment, he also had a nice rebuttal to John Wilder. It is at http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_67569.asp. I agree with the position, but I think stressing less about partisanship and more about personal ethics. The Chattanoogan reported that Rep. Clem said, "Democrats from Memphis to Chattanooga are screaming unfair. Democrats in Memphis are already claiming this is a conspiracy to hurt Harold Ford Jr.'s run for the United States Senate. We are hearing Democrat leaders in Nashville such as Lt. Gov. John Wilder attack the FBI and TBI sting for being "wrong!" Now, we are seeing Democrats in Chattanooga complaining that Republicans were not caught up in this corruption. (Well, one Republican was involved who attended Democrat caucus meetings, sponsored Democrat legislation and was widely known as Democrats' right hand man). Posted by: JC Bowman at May 28, 2005 01:37 PMThanks to those Republican Senators who allowed Wilder to return to the leadership post in the Senate!! You've done your party proud. Wilder has seen his better days. It's time to toss him out with those two or three turncoats that allowed him the leadership slot again. Posted by: Ronj at May 28, 2005 11:07 PMPost a comment
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State Sen. John Wilder thinks its not bad to take a bribe if the bribe is being offered by someone for the purpose of testing whether or not you are corrupt. That and more legislators' reaction to the arrest of four of their colleagues for taking bribes 
