Why did Kurita vote to give the Republicans control of the state senate?

[Hippo_Tron]

I thought she was supposed to be the progressive alternative to Harold Ford. It would seem to me that with a Democratic House and a Democratic Governor we'd be better of getting some progressive things done with Wilder's coalition controlling the Senate rather than the GOP.

Anyone care to explain?

[NovaNardis]

1. She probably got a nice...

offer for a committee position or a promise to get pork for her district. Every politician has his/her price.

Or maybe you just thought wrong. There are conservative Democrats all around, and more likely than not they should be Republicans. Cartaglione almost gave control of the PA House back to John Perzel. Now we have to settle with Denny O'Brien rather than Bill DeWeese. (It was a political masterstroke, and you PAers out there should know what I'm talking about.)

[Hippo_Tron]

2. I was never really a Kurita supporter, I'm asking those who did

Before Ford got the nomination people on DU were talking extensively about how she was so much more progressive than Ford. I don't see giving the Senate to the GOP as being too progressive.

[SharonAnn]

3. Perhaps it was just time for a change. Wilder is the worst thing for Democrats

if we want to be Democrats. No kidding, he's awful, absolutely awful.

First, the Republicans had a majority and would've won anyway. Second, Kurita, and others who want to lead the Tennessee Democrats forward have been shut out of leadership positions for many years. The Tennessee Democratic "machine" is as conservative as anybody and I'm not too impressed with the ethics of some of them who have been protected by Wilder and his ilk for many, many years.

Kurita may be more progressive than Harold Ford, but she's not very progressive by some measures. Regardless, I like her a lot. She's a common sense, knowledgeable person and believes that government should improve the lives of citizens, not the pockets of legislators.

Since Wilder wouldn't go of his own accord, wouldn't even agree to step down in two years after the next election, he had to be taken down. If he was the best that we could put forward as Democrats, then we deserve to lose.

He's one of the most misogynistic legislators that I've ever heard speak. Woman have no right to choose, shouldn't have equal rights, etc.

Good riddance! Now we work on getting some decent Democrats in place for two years from now.

[Hippo_Tron]

4. I don't see the Republicans as being the lesser of two evils

I don't know that much about Wilder but I don't doubt what you are saying about him. However, I think that her vote is the one that put the GOP in power. The GOP has a majority but 2 or 3 Republicans like Wilder and so they vote with him and he organizes the Senate in a bipartisan fashion. Kurita tipped the balance back to the GOP.

Experience tells me that giving Republicans the gavel is a bad idea under almost any circumstances no matter how bad the Democrats are. Before 1994 we had a lot of horrible Democrats among our ranks in the US House of Representatives many of whom were quite corrupt. The Republicans took power and not only turned out to be more corrupt than the Democrats had been, but the American people suffered for 12 years because the committees and the leadership were controlled by right wing nut jobs.

Yea it's great that eventually we got our new majority that is lead by better people than we had in 1994. But I'm simply not sure that suffering through 12 years of Gingrich and DeLay was worth it.

I see this new Republican Senate President fighting tooth and nail against Governor Bredesen's agenda for no other reason than to create a platform from which he can run for Governor himself. At least Wilder had no ambitions for higher office.

[tnlefty]

5. I don't know. What I do know is that this was being discussed in a

small group during the last Dem Women's Club meeting that I attended.

Comments: That damned Wilder has been asked to step down for years.
Yes, because of his age and for the disgraceful comments he's made about women and his attitudes towards us that always seem to make the papers.
I heard that during the past 18 months, the strong suggestions intensified and it was stressed that he could step aside now and reference his age and let someone else be elected, but I guess he's just too damned stubborn!

Again, I don't know but there was a lot of hostility toward Wilder for not stepping aside.

I guess we'll see what happens?!!?

[SharonAnn]

6. Again, if Wilder was our leader, we deserved to lose. I don't like the

idea of the GOP having control but they are the majority in the state senate.

If we want to take back control, we'd better put up some decent candidates and work like H**l for them.

Wilder caused this problem himself. He refused to go, he's refused to be a real Democrat.

We don't need an atavistic throwback like Wilder. For Pete's sake, he's been in charge for 30+ years, the Senate majority leader is next in line to the Governor (God help us if he had ever had to fill in as Governor) and that became a worry this last year when Phil Bredesen was ill with an undiagnosed illness.

30+ years of Wilder and we have a Democratic Party in Tennessee that's still in the Dark Ages. Time to grow up!

[tnlefty]

7. Did you intend this as a reply to me or to post #4?

:shrug:

[NashVegas]

8. Something Else Kurita Is Siding with Repubs On

We have a handful of state officers - Attny General, Comptroller, etc., that are appointed. There is a Repub-led movement to change that to elected officials, and Kurita's with them on it.

Personally, I'm all for that.

[SharonAnn]

9. Me too. We have way too much cronyism and nepotism in this state.