A Striking Contrast In Nashville

In recent weeks, the confidence of the people of Tennessee in their legislature has been shaken to its core. The result of a growing scandal that has seen both Republicans and Democrats caught up in both ethical and legal improprieties, the suspicion with which many in the Volunteer State currently look upon their elected leaders is hardly undeserved.

The ethical deficit that has obviously been in the making for years has only further confirmed a truth that this writer has stated often before – including in this space: That scandals in their past, and present, is the one sure thing that both parties have in common. What often sets the parties apart, however, is how they respond to such scandals and the resultant skepticism of the people they aspire to serve. This current set of problems is a good example of that truth.

Following the revelation of the “Tennessee Waltz” operation conducted by the FBI, which saw the arrest of three Democrats and one Republican currently serving in the General Assembly, the State Republican Party called upon that lone Republican Representative to resign his seat – a move he has refused to make. For their part, the Democrats to date have made no similar requests of their members caught up in the sting operation, choosing rather to merely accuse the GOP of playing politics with the scandal.

Different people may have different opinions as to which party’s response to the issue is correct. But one thing is evident. Only one party’s leadership gives any indication that it is particularly concerned about having the confidence of the people it claims to serve. Agree with the call on the part of Tennessee GOP Chairman Bob Davis for Representative Chris Newton to resign before the charges against him are proven or not, one can at least take note of the fact that Mr. Davis recognizes that the people need to be able to feel fairly certain that their elected leaders are free of such suspicion.

By way of contrast, it is interesting to see how the party that has been in power in the House since Reconstruction has no similar concerns. As if this appearance wasn’t maddening enough before, comments made by Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh indicate that such concern for the confidence of the people is not coming anytime soon.

Following the recent revelation that Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry took two hundred dollars in cash from an undercover FBI agent posing as a lobbyist while on a gambling trip to Tunica, Mississippi – a trip on which she was accompanied by indicted Senator Kathryn Bowers – Speaker Naifeh expressed his confidence in her, and gave no indication that she would lose her position as his second-in-command.

Of course, in view of the fact that no calls for resignations from the General Assembly have been made by the Democrat leadership upon its members thus far, this particular decision on the part of the Speaker may not be so notable. What does astound, however, is his decision, as noted in this morning’s Tennesseean, to leave her in her post as co-chair of the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Ethics.

In view of the fact that she is certain to be one of the subjects of the committee’s investigations, one would think that a leader concerned about the people’s belief in his good-faith efforts to clean up the current mess in Nashville would see fit to replace Ms. DeBerry for this particular position due to the obvious conflict of interest. But it seems that Mr. Naifeh has confidence either in the hope that the people will continue to vote for his party’s dominance no matter how angry they get, or in the hope that the people’s attention span will expire soon, and he and his colleagues can get back to “business as usual.”

And such hopes may not be totally unfounded. After all, the problems that have resulted in the current debacle have been present for years, as the people continued to give control of the legislative branch, year in and year out, to Mr. Naifeh’s party, it seems, no matter what.

Maybe such unquestioned – on the part of the voters – dominance for so long has dulled their senses to the need to at least give the appearance of caring what those voters think about their character. But the circumstances that have allowed this problem to grow for years before the present distress manifested itself, and the lackadaisical response on the part of the state’s Democrat leaders, do not shed a favorable light on those who will have to convince an angry electorate to return them to power in a little over fifteen months. Maybe the people of Tennessee should see Speaker Naifeh’s refusal to replace Ms. DeBerry on the Ethics Committee as a good indication that he needs to be replaced in the Speaker’s Chair.