When A Kangaroo Goes Rogue: TN Republicans React To Vote That Makes Them Look Bad
On March 30th three Tennessee Democratic law makers supported protesters advocating gun control after the horrific mass shooting at a Tennessee church run elementary school. They stood at the podium without approval from House Chair. They said some words, and after the Speaker gaveled the session adjourned they chanted and two of them used a bullhorn.
In less than a week the Republican supermajority dominated (75 of 99 seats in the House) voted to expel two of three. They voted to expel the two young black men (Justin Jones and Justin Pearson), but not the white woman who joined them (Gloria Johnson). For Ms. Johnson just enough Republicans flipped votes to prevent the 2/3s majority needed to expel by one vote.
So, some of these Republicans met to air out how horrible it was that this vote along racial lines made them look racist. It should be noted that notwithstanding their supposed mortification at looking like racists, they passed a bill this week allowing state officials to refuse to solemnize interracial marriages.
The group included Representative Barrett, who was among those who flipped to vote against expelling Johnson. Along the way those attacking Barrett declared that “we’re at war for our republic,” and “You got to do what’s right, even if you think it’s wrong.” That one last sums up today’s GQP in a nutshell, and puts the “nut” in nutshell.
How do we know this? Because the Tennessee Holler got an audio tape of the discussion. It’s amazing to listen to, and though almost ten minutes long I highly recommend it for it’s remarkable insight into GQP mentality.
What I find most compelling in the audio was their insistence that the “jurors” in this case have their mind made up before hearing the evidence and that they disregard the evidence put before them in the process they created to hear and present evidence. Their entire argument is that the hearing was a sham, a mere formality to walk though, rather than an actual hearing and deliberation of the evidence. Thus, the notion that someone might have actually been persuaded by the deliberations is viewed by them as a betrayal.
Representative Barrett is correct. The charges were copy and pasted for all of three of those charged and most the charges against Representative Gloria Johnson were simply lies. Johnson’s attorney exposed them as lies in the hearing. To vote for that resolution was to vote for those lies. It really is as simple as that. To define voting for lies as “right” (in any sense of the word) is simply an abomination, but it is yet another testament of how the Republican Party is willing to accept lies to advance their objectives.
My Black’s Law Dictionary defines “Kangaroo Court” as one where “the result is a foregone conclusion because of the bias of court or other tribunal.” This audio tape is of a group of kangaroos angry that one other kangaroo went rogue and did not stick with the foregone conclusion. That rogue kangaroo actually listened to the evidence and applied it to the charges. Bad kangaroo, bad.
