This morning’s Nashville City Paper features a story entitled “Ramsey to Williams: Don’t be a Patsy.”
The gist is that Ramsey wants Williams’ vote for Majority Leader. Has to have it, as there aren’t any Democrats willing to jump ship for Ramsey. On the other hand, Williams has voted in the past for Lt. Governor Wilder — a Democrat, but one who ran the Senate more fairly than any other. Odd as Wilder may be, one does have to appreciate that he organized that body with committee control shared by members of both parties.
Sen. Ron Ramsey probably knows Sen. Mike Williams better than I do, having worked with him in the upper house of the State Legislature for several years now. But I do know Mike well enough to know that saying stupid things — calling childish names, even — is absolutely not the right way to persuade him to your point of view.
I fully understand the Senate Republicans’ desire for a Republican speaker; I understand the desire of many (of both parties, or no particular party at all for that matter) to have a Lt. Governor in whom there is a higher level of confidence in his, shall we say, mental faculties. That said, I also think that a better tactic for electing a Republican speaker might be to back one who is seen as less sharply partisan than Ramsey. Not necessarily any different in their views on issues, but one whose tactics are more gentle.
Mike Williams is not a “liberal” Republican, but he’s definitely his own man, representing his own constituents. Threatening him or calling him silly names is very likely to drive him straight to the decision that Ramsey doesn’t want.
An alternate choice would be nice.
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While I agree with the majority of your points, I have to express my strong disagreement with your unsupported conclusion that the Speaker Pro Tem is “his own man” and that he is “representing his own constituents”.
One who is his “own man” votes his conscience. He doesn’t make his vote contingent on his own reward, like Speaker Pro Tem, and who knows what else. Call Tim Burchett his “own man”. He got nothing [but hell from the GOP]for his vote for Wilder.
How do you suppose he can serve 16 years with Wilder and 14 years with Ramsey and still be undecided as to which of the two is “best for Tennessee”?
In so far as representing his constituents, I find it interesting that the Senator has been conspicuously absent from his district and his constitutents since the November election – “hiding out” out of state last week according to Tennessean columnist Larry Daugherty.
I’m looking hard for any constituent, just one, who has received a return on phone calls, faxes, e-mails, or knocks on the Senator’s door.
His constituents are trying to tell him what they want him to do. He’s not listening. He knows already what they want. That’s why he’s been an absentee Senator for much of the last two years – preferring to spend time in Nashville or out-of-state rather than the 4th Senate District.
“Own man”: I think not. “Owned man” is more like it.