Expulsion vote could come back to haunt Tennessee GOP
Officially, Tennessee’s Republican party is defending the vote by its lawmakers to oust two Democrats from the state house of representatives after they staged a noisy protest in favor of gun control legislation. Here’s their statement from Thursday, when the expulsion occurred:
pic.twitter.com/rO5QNTRMYN
— TN House Republicans (@tnhousegop) April 7, 2023″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/tnhousegop/status/1644175765859180544″,”id”:”1644175765859180544″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”958d508a-7cb2-44ac-b05a-ff79ad45fdb5″}}”>
And yet, there are signs from within the party that the banishment wasn’t the best idea, despite the fact that Tennessee is an overwhelmingly red state.
“If my job, along with other members of the RNC, is to protect the brand of the Republican Party, this didn’t help,” Oscar Brock, a Republican National Committeeman from Tennessee, told the New York Times. “You’ve energized young voters against us. Worse than squandering support, you’ve made enemies where we didn’t need them.”
He continued:
Even in Tennessee, we have swing districts in the State House and Senate and if you’ve angered tens of thousands of students and presumably their parents, you could theoretically expose yourself to a united front.”
The GOP is already reeling nationally as it feels the consequences of its enthusiastic support for the supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade. Last week, a conservative candidate lost the race for a crucial Wisconsin supreme court seat, which could set the stage for Democrats to undo the swing state’s gerrymandered legislative maps and its abortion ban.
As for the two Black Democrats ousted from the Tennessee House last week, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, they seem set to be reappointed to their seats by the local councils in their constituencies.
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In its appeal, the justice department said the ruling by Matthew Kacsmaryk, a conservative judge appointed by Donald Trump and seated in Amarillo, Texas, “upended decades of reliance by blocking FDA’s approval of mifepristone and depriving patients of access to this safe and effective treatment, based on the court’s own misguided assessment of the drug’s safety.”
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The department called the ruling, which is to go into effect Friday and could mean mifepristone is taken off pharmacy shelves nationwide, “extraordinary and unprecedented.” If the fifth circuit court of appeals does not grant the stay, the justice department may decide to appeal to the supreme court, NBC reports.
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Joe Biden has released a statement of condolence following the mass shooting that left five people dead in Louisville, Kentucky, while attacking Republicans for passing what he called “dangerous bills” that make gun violence worse.
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“How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities? It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now,” Biden said.
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Here’s his statement in full:
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n
Once again, our nation is in mourning after a senseless act of gun violence. Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in the tragic shooting in Louisville, and for the survivors who will carry grief and trauma for the rest of their lives. We are grateful to the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officers who quickly and courageously stepped into the line of fire to save others.
How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities? It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now. A strong majority of Americans want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms. Instead, from Florida to North Carolina to the U.S. House of Representatives, we’ve watched Republican officials double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe. It’s unconscionable, it’s reckless, and too many Americans are paying with their lives.n
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America’s gun violence epidemic continues, with five people killed in a mass shooting at a bank building in Louisville, Kentucky this morning. Meanwhile, Tennessee Republicans have managed to oust from the state House of Representatives two Black Democratic lawmakers who staged a noisy protest in favor of gun control after a mass shooting in Nashville – but local officials may reappoint them back to their seats, with one being voted on as soon as today.
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Here’s what else has happened today so far:
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Joe Biden will run for re-election, but plans to make a formal announcement in the future, he said in a surprising, offhand remark at the annual White House Easter egg roll.
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Donald Trump is suing to stop his former vice-president Mike Pence from talking to a grand jury investigating the January 6 insurrection.
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Nancy Mace, a Republican lawmaker in the US House of Representatives, says the Biden administration should ignore a conservative federal judge’s ruling suspending the certification of one of the drugs used in medication abortion.
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Five people have been killed in a mass shooting at a bank building in downtown Louisville, the city’s police department confirms:
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The lone shooter is deceased
— LMPD (@LMPD) April 10, 2023
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Total deceased is 5. At least 6 more were transported to UL hospital.
— LMPD (@LMPD) April 10, 2023
n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/LMPD/status/1645436161937092609″,”id”:”1645436161937092609″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”7c493d5e-44e8-48b4-b6e2-d78f55af1e9b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
CNN reports that Joe Biden has been informed of the shooting:
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President Biden has been informed of the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, a White House official tells @JDiamond1. https://t.co/6c5f15mvq1
— Priscilla Alvarez (@priscialva) April 10, 2023
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Follow the Guardian’s story for the latest:
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Joe Biden confirmed today that he will stand for a second term in the White House, but will make a former announcement later on.
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The comment came in an interview with television personality Al Roker during today’s Easter Egg Roll at the White House. After some banter between the two men about whether Biden would be hosting the annual tradition beyond 2024, Roker pressed the president to clarify his intentions.
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“I’m planning on running, Al, but we’re not ready to announce it yet,” the president said.
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You can watch the clip below:
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NEW: TODAY’s @alroker asks President Biden about his possible Presidential run in 2024. pic.twitter.com/3OELi0yJmK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 10, 2023
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Officially, Tennessee’s Republican party is defending the vote by its lawmakers to oust two Democrats from the state house of representatives after they staged a noisy protest in favor of gun control legislation. Here’s their statement from Thursday, when the expulsion occurred:
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pic.twitter.com/rO5QNTRMYN
— TN House Republicans (@tnhousegop) April 7, 2023
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And yet, there are signs from within the party that the banishment wasn’t the best idea, despite the fact that Tennessee is an overwhelmingly red state.
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“If my job, along with other members of the RNC, is to protect the brand of the Republican Party, this didn’t help,” Oscar Brock, a Republican National Committeeman from Tennessee, told the New York Times. “You’ve energized young voters against us. Worse than squandering support, you’ve made enemies where we didn’t need them.”
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He continued:
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n
Even in Tennessee, we have swing districts in the State House and Senate and if you’ve angered tens of thousands of students and presumably their parents, you could theoretically expose yourself to a united front.”
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The GOP is already reeling nationally as it feels the consequences of its enthusiastic support for the supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade. Last week, a conservative candidate lost the race for a crucial Wisconsin supreme court seat, which could set the stage for Democrats to undo the swing state’s gerrymandered legislative maps and its abortion ban.
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As for the two Black Democrats ousted from the Tennessee House last week, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, they seem set to be reappointed to their seats by the local councils in their constituencies.
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Good morning, US politics blog readers. Republicans in Tennessee last week removed two Black Democratic lawmakers who staged a noisy protest in favor of gun regulations on the floor of the state house of representatives, but they may not be gone for long. The Associated Press reports that Nashville’s metro council will today vote to send one of the now-former lawmakers right back to his seat, while the Shelby county commission could do the same for the other legislator on Wednesday. We’ll then see what the state GOP thinks of this.
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Here’s what else is happening today:
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