Way To Go, Speaker Sexton
Last week, Cameron Sexton, speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, removed Democrats from their committee and subcommittee assignments following another display of mayhem and disruption as the General Assembly met in special session to redistrict the state’s congressional districts. The state capitol descended into chaos with Democrats making as much noise and being as obnoxious as possible, blasting air horns and whistles in an attempt to create an atmosphere of anarchy.
Sexton wrote in a letter to Karen Camper, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, that members of her caucus had attempted to “disrupt the democratic and legislative processes and create disorder on the House floor.” Sexton’s letter detailed Democrats locking arms in the well of the House while blocking the aisles of the House floor. Sexton wrote that the Democrats had been “instigating and encouraging disruptions of the legislative process in coordination with paid protesters and attendees in the gallery, including the distribution of earplugs to a member of your caucus.”
Speaker Sexton also cited the Democrats for their lack of respect for “fellow members” who were attempting to speak on pending legislation, as well as using “prohibited props and noisemakers on the House floor.”
Heated, frequently intemperate, and harsh speeches are nothing new in any legislative body. The Democrats preferred demonstration on the floor over debate and discussion. Justin Pearson has been trying to parlay his “Tennessee Three” fame into a congressional seat by challenging the lone Democrat left in the Tennessee delegation. That seat has long been held by Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented the Black majority district for some years. Cohen has routinely dispatched every challenger – both Black and White – every two years to retain his seat in Congress. The only way to get to Cohen’s left is to become a Marxist, which just about suits Justin Pearson.
The twenty-something Pearson had been challenging Congressman Cohen inside the Democratic primary when the legislature redistricted the existing 9th Congressional seat. Seeing his only opportunity to go to Congress go up in smoke, Pearson promptly pitched a hissy fit.
Following the redistricting, candidates for Congress must refile to run in the newly drawn districts. The new 9th district takes in roughly a third of Shelby County and runs into Williamson County, a GOP bastion and home to Senator Marsha Blackburn and Governor Bill Lee. The new district has urban, suburban and rural areas, which reflects the voters of Tennessee.
Pearson, who happens to be sitting atop a big pile of cash which came pouring into his campaign coffers after the national publicity he received as one of the “Tennessee Three”, now bellows about “billionaires and the political status quo.” It seems highly unlikely Pearson would have ever received an invitation to the White House as the ultimate outsider when its occupant, Biden, was the consummate Washington insider for the last half of a century. Pearson is all mouth and immediately tried to play the race card as the redistricting commenced. Pearson declared the new redistricting “immoral and wrong.” Interestingly, 20 years ago, the Democratic majority in the legislature carved up the congressional districts, dividing Shelby County into three parts, and the new 9th Congressional District looks eerily like it did when redrawn by Democrats. Preacher Pearson didn’t condemn that, nor did he condemn the steal in Virginia, which sought to disenfranchise millions of Virginia Republicans.
Pearson’s likely opponent for Congress, State Senator Brent Taylor, denounced him for “race-baiting.” Pearson invoked every image he possibly could, comparing the redistricting to lynchings, slavery and institutional racism.
Justin Pearson, like so many in politics today, is a performance artist who is unlikely to do a thing for Memphis. Even those who disagree with virtually everything Congressman Steve Cohen believes, and I am one of them, have to confess he has delivered for the people who elected him. Still, we seem to be in a time that values performative skills more than actual job performance. Justin Pearson is one of the better performance artists the Democrat-Socialists have in their stable right now.
Brent Taylor immediately replied to Pearson’s rant on X. “Justin Pearson delivered nothing for his district in the state House and will lose his bid for Congress,” Taylor wrote. “‘Pretend Pearson’ wants to drag Tennessee to the Left with his identity politics and socialist agenda, but I won’t back down.”
Primary Turnout Abysmal
It is a very sad fact of life that so few people participated in the recent primary elections to nominate candidates for some of the most important local offices in our community. Knox Countians selected nominees in both primaries for offices like county mayor, sheriff, the court clerks, the county clerk, and register of deeds, as well as seats on the Knox County Commission and Board of Education. Fewer than 16% of eligible voters bothered to vote. It underscores the wisdom of the state legislature moving the primary elections to August when voters choose their state officials. Nobody should be pleased with the absence of the great majority of voters.
