Dems won the battle but may have lost the war.

The following is an editorial from the left leaning liberal Jackson Sun newspaper. They get it. Judy Barker doesn't.

 

When you are elected with some Obion County Republican support, your first official act shouldn't be a stick in the eye of the majority party.

 

Judy, remember the old adage, What goes around, comes around.  When you place the State of Tennessee in the control of a man whose word means nothing, you jeopardise ALL citizens.

 

I'm sure your thug friend, Jimmy Naifeh, will reward you for voting for a trator to his own party.
 

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Tennessee House Democrats have won the battle for House Speaker on Tuesday, but they might have lost the legislative cooperation war in the process. By sabotaging plans to make heir-apparent Jason Mumpower the new speaker, replacing Jimmy Naifeh, they have undermined whatever fragile trust existed between the parties and may have ultimately derailed their agenda.

Democrats nominated Kent Williams, an Elizabethton Republican, as speaker to oppose Mumpower. Then, they banded together to support him. When Williams voted for himself, it gave him the votes needed to become the new speaker. Then, Lois Deberry, a Memphis Democrat, was re-elected as speaker pro-tem.

Clearly, Democrats pulled a fast one on the unsuspecting GOP majority. But while they may have gotten what they wanted in the short term - someone of their choice as speaker and favorable committee assignments - they likely have hurt themselves in the long run.

By sabotaging Republican plans, they have destroyed the already tenuous trust that existed between the parties. How does that help them when they have a legislative issue they care about and need Republican help to advance? It doesn't. How does it help manage the serious financial problems facing the state that need bipartisan cooperation? It doesn't.

Tennessee is facing a deficit of at least $800 million. Serious cuts have already been made, with more possibly on the way. Considering that the legislature's one responsibility each year is to balance and pass the budget, it will be a lot harder to do that when the parties don't trust each other.

With their political sleight of hand, Democrats have created hard feelings and opened the door to political get-backs. One thing they can count on is that the Republicans will retaliate somehow, somewhere. And so it goes, a tit-for-tat battle that didn't have to be.

The real losers in all this are the people of Tennessee who aren't being served by the partisan bickering and political gamesmanship. But then, the people were the furthest thing from the Democrats' mind in their rush to goad the Republicans. And it will be the people who will be hurt as this political drama plays itself out during the legislative year.