August 21, 2005

Defending Hargett

Matt White, who formerly worked for Tennessee House Minority Leader Tre Hargett, has written a very good piece about Hargett's decision to leave the legislature and take a job as a lobbyist for Pfizer - and about the way the media and some Democrats have reacted to it. White dismembers the hypocrisy of state Rep. Ulysses Jones:

And speaking of Tennessee Waltz, several of the editorials/articles above quoted Ulysses Jones' assertion that Hargett is a hypocrite for taking a lobbying job after he supposedly supported a prohibition on the practice. ULYSSES JONES? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Surely, this isn't the same Ulysses Jones that chairs the committee that killed the revolving door bill. Surely, this isn't the Ulysses Jones that regularly makes a mockery of any kind of ethics legislation that comes before his inner sanctum. Surely to goodness, this isn't the Ulysses Jones that was offered a bribe, then failed to report it and then topped it off by accepting a campaign contribution in cash from the same people that offered him the bribe. Oh my stars, it sure is the same Ulysses Jones. So, I ask you again, would a revolving door bill be more beneficial than a law requiring the disclosure to the proper authorities of an attempted bribe and the abolition of cash contributions for campaigns? Try and get that bill through State and Local Government Committee. The Chairman will run you out of the room.