Tennessee House Democrats are accusing Republicans of trying to intimidate lobbyists and lobbying groups into a posture of not giving to Democrats. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner has said that Republican Leadership is engaging in "arm twisting" which is "something we would never do" according to a report filed yesterday by Knoxville News-Sentinel legislative columnist Tom Humphrey.
Your Examiner can't speak to what happened at this meeting because he was not present there, but the self-righteous faux indignation of the Democrats is certainly laughable.House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) knows enough about electoral politics to know that the electorate often has short memories, so he may be hoping that voters do not remember that when his party controlled the House-something they did for nearly a century and a half until 2008-strong-arming lobbyists to insure that they didn't give too much money to Republicans wasn't just something that happened, it was common practice.
Tennessee House Republicans, on the cusp of expanding their majority in the House to allow for the electing of officers of their choosing, do seem to have been trying to encourage lobbyists to give to Republicans. This was far less obvious and politically forceful, of course, that the Democrats used to tell lobbyists and their firms that it was in their interest to give to the majority party to remain in the good graces of their Leadership. Mike Turner, who is one of the most politically astute figures in the General Assembly, says Democrats contact lobbyists to "tell them to be fair."
In the words of John Stossel: Mike Turner, give me a break!
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