Bill --

Good question. I've been considering that for the last couple of days. I did give myself a "CYA" loophole--"barring an unforeseen scandal of cosmic proportions"--so I think the question is just how much of a scandal this will be (in terms of Bredesen's connection to it, that is; it's already a huge scandal without him). Right now, he may just get some shrapnel, but time will tell.

But, let's remember, there's shrapnel everywhere. I mean, it's not like the Senate Republicans did squat about Ford while he was in the Senate. It's quite convenient for them now to talk about how they "had the votes" to kick him out after he's already gone left and is no longer any kind of threat. (Same goes for the Senate Democrats too.) My initial feeling is that the gravity of the crimes of the TW4 (or TW5) will actually serve to insulate others from political punishment, because nothing the others have done was as bad (from what we know so far).

But we'll see.

Shrapnel everywhere indeed - but only Phil is the only wounded politico who is governor running for re-election with shrapnel from the Ford case.

Bredesen can't run on having fixed TennCare, he can't run away from dumping a quarer-million old/sick/poor/disabled people off the healthcare rolls (some of whom will die because he did), and if it appears to folks that the Bredesen administration's ethics are a tad lax, it's going to hurt.

Roger, I would take issue with the assertion that Senate Republicans did nothing to John Ford. The ethics committee, led by Republican Leader Ron Ramsey, initiated an AG's investigation into the matter which came back with some damning evidence. It's my understanding that Republicans went to the Democrats and told them what was about to happen, impeachment. Word got back to Ford and then he decided to resign. You're a lawyer so you would know better than I, but wouldn't impeachment be pretty bad for Ford in a criminal trial. True, Ford made it look like he left on his own accord and his ludicrous statements about his reasons for resigning undergird that image. But the fact of the matter is that John Ford would be a State Senator today if Ramsey hadn't started that investigation. It's a tough to sell, in light of that, to say that Senate Republicans didn't do anything to Ford.

GOP still needs a candidate though. Can't beat somebody with nobody.

Bill --

But the Republicans still need a candidate. Can't beat someone with no one.

Matt --

Point taken. I'm more concerned, though, with the viewpoint of the public at large, especially in the context of Bredesen's culpability, if any. I think, were I in the Bredesen camp and this became a problem, that I would apologize for anything untoward but not-so-gently point out that nobody else really did anything either. The fact of the matter is that the Senate Ethics Committee, which has more Rs than Ds, didn't really do much about a guy who is the poster child for legislative ethics reform. Now, this may well be because its hands were tied, but it's still an easy rhetorical point to make from the Bredesen camp and puts the Rs on the defensive.

Now, were I the Rs, I would respond that the senator with the most culpability in this matter (besides the ones who got put in the clink) is Democrat John Wilder, who ultimately allowed this crap to go on. That will work, I think. Wilder is at this point a much easier target than Bredesen. Were I a GOP strategist, I would make that the main objective.

Can Bredesen be impeached for lying during the State of the State or other times he addressed legislators? (I honestly don't know)
I'd appreciate it if someone could fill me in on this, because, definitive proof will be made public within the next two weeks.
Thanks,
Sharon

Sharon -

Article V of the Tennessee Constitution covers impeachment. Unlike with the Federal Constitution, there are few substantial grounds laid out for impeachment in Tennessee (although one could argue that "high crimes and misdemeanors" isn't exactly a blueprint, either). So, yes, in theory, Bredesen could be impeached for just about anything.

However, this is a moot point. No way does a majority of the House impeach Bredesen, and 2/3 of the Senate during the trial is way too much to ask of a GOP majority that couldn't even elect one of its own Lt. Gov.

Bredesen is going to have to lose his re-election bid if he is going to vacate the Governor's Mansion.

Cheers,

Rob

If you can wade through the Faulknerian run-ons, it looks like JJH comes close to agreeing with Matthew White. In a letter begging HFJ to not run for the U.S. Senate, Hooker has this to say about the governor's race, ". . . the Democrats are going to have their hands full in re-electing Governor Bredesen."

Hi Rob,
Thank you so much for the information. In editing my documentary on TennCare, I wasn't sure if I could say what I will be showing could get him impeached.
I can't go into it at this time, but I have indisuptable evidence of Bredesen being less that honest about certain issues regarding TennCare. I am still trying to decide whether to make the documents public before the documentary is released, or release them at the same time. FYI...I'll be giving some bloggers a head start on the documents.
It's going to get very interesting!
Thanks again for your help.
Sharon