TN State Senate: Kurita Stabs Democrats in the Back

(Bumped. – promoted by James L.)

Do you remember Rosalind Kurita, a Tennessee State Senator from Clarksville?  Back in 2005, she challenged Harold Ford, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Sen. Bill Frist before dropping out due to anemic fundraising.  I seem to recall that one of the arguments in favor of her candidacy in a few pockets of the netroots was that she was somehow a more “progressive” choice than Ford.  Here’s that “progressivism” in action:

John Wilder’s three decades as lieutenant governor came to an end today – as did Democrats’ 140-year leadership over the Tennessee state Senate.

A last-minute switch by a Democratic senator from Clarksville allowed Wilder to be bested by his Republican rival, state Sen. Majority Leader Ron Ramsey.

An auctioneer from Blountville, Ramsey was elected Senate speaker and lieutenant governor around 12:45 p.m. today in an 18-15 vote.

Wilder had held the post since the early 1970s – but Ramsey defeated him after state Sen. Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville defected from her fellow Democrats and voted with the Republicans for Ramsey. (emphasis added)

The Senate exploded with applause at the last-minute switch.

To clarify the situation, in Tennessee, the Speaker of the Senate also serves as the state’s Lt. Governor.  While the Republicans have enjoyed a 17-16 majority in the TN Senate since 2004, Democrat John Wilder, an 85 year-old living legend, has been able to retain his job as Speaker by relying on the votes of several Republican members.  With those votes gone as a result of a Republican crackdown, and with Sen. Kurita ready and willing to stab her party in the back, Republicans have just claimed control of the State Senate for the first time in 140 years.

With that kind of party loyalty, thank goodness that she wasn’t the one to get a crack at a Senate seat last year.

UPDATE: In the comments below, Knox Dem JJ puts to rest the idea that Kurita’s defection was merely a moot vote:

Kurita’s vote did indeed matter, it’s that simple. Even though the vote was 18-15, she voted ahead of Republican Sen. Williams who broke ranks with Senate Republicans two years ago to help elect Sen. Wilder as Speaker of the Senate/Lt. Governor. When she voted ahead of Williams this year he realized even if he voted for Wilder again, Republican Sen. Ramsey would be elected so when his vote came up he voted to appease his party even though they have vowed to primary him. Sen. Speaker Wilder had said that Williams had told him face to face that he would support him again but with Kurita’s vote going republican William’s vote became moot.

(Hat-tip to Chris Bowers and MyDD’s Breaking Blue)

22 thoughts on “TN State Senate: Kurita Stabs Democrats in the Back”

  1. Party loyalty:

    Harold Ford in 2006 —

    Voted with the GOP on the Military Commissions Act (S 3930)
    Voted with the GOP on electronic surveillance (HR 5825)
    Voted with the GOP on immigration (HR 6095)
    Voted with the GOP on the estate tax and tax relief for the rich (HR 5970)
    Voted with the GOP on “protecting” the Pledge of Allegiance (HR 2389)
    Voted with the GOP on “fetus farming” (S 3504)
    Voted with the GOP on the gay marriage amendment (HJ Res 88)
    Voted with the GOP on abolishing the estate tax (HR 5638)
    Voted with the GOP on abolition of net neutrality (HR 5252)

    For what it’s worth, I seem to recall an extensive post on MyDD (termed “Politburo politics” vis-a-vis Senate elections) on this very subject.  Kurita was discussed by Schumer himself (after which her primary candidacy was spiked)…

    http://www.mydd.com/…

    “Let me tell you one other thing we did. We are no longer letting Democrats get in a circle and shoot each other. I was just in Tennessee with Harry and with (…) and we have a primary and I stood up there Harold Ford is running and he can become the first African-American elected in the south to the Senate since reconstruction which would be a great thing for America. There is this young woman whose… not so young… but a nice woman running against him but everyone says she is going to attack him.”

    “…(unintelligible) we are going to intervene if anyone one democrat attacks another, we’re doing that in states where there are primaries. We can’t afford to do it anymore. This always happens in the primaries, we would throw up the cards and see where they landed. No more, we are finding the best candidate in every one of the seats where a Republican is vulnerable.”

    And the gang at MyDD also openly dissed Harold Ford for his disloyalty to the party:

    http://nate_pdx.mydd…

    And now let’s go to the opposite extreme, to Harold Ford of the Connecticut for Ford party, who is throwing Kerry under the bus.  Now before I get the ‘circular firing squad line’, let me point out that Harold Ford is explicitly running against the Democratic Party, and so a blog post against him from a liberal Democrat like me (if it does anything at all) can only help him.  Since he thinks that the Democratic Party and its base are poisonous, he can use me to triangulate and prove that he is anti-government, anti-gay, pro-life, and pro-war. 

    So, which is it, huh?  Ford or Kurita?  Or maybe the folks in Tennessee should have been allowed to decide?

    Are you in TN, James?  I’ll guess no — you probably wouldn’t be a big fan of Lt. Gov. Wilder’s governance style.

  3. Is it a District winnable by a Democrat who will not vote for a Gop speaker, a Progressive Dem? Is it such a Republican District that only Kurita-d can win?

  6. As the above commenter noted Wilder still loses a straight party line vote.  Does anyone in TN have any insight into why Kurita voted against the Dem?  Is this just an FOD to the TNDP as someone above suggested or is it personal to Wilder or somethingelse?  Just seems strange since her vote was not even needed.

  7. Kurita’s vote did indeed matter, it’s that simple. Even though the vote was 18-15, she voted ahead of Republican Sen. Williams who broke ranks with Senate Republicans two years ago to help elect Sen. Wilder as Speaker of the Senate/Lt. Governor. When she voted ahead of Williams this year he realized even if he voted for Wilder again, Republican Sen. Ramsey would be elected so when his vote came up he voted to appease his party even though they have vowed to primary him. Sen. Speaker Wilder had said that Williams had told him face to face that he would support him again but with Kurita’s vote going republican William’s vote became moot.

    There is speculation that she negotiated a Committee Chair by voting with republicans. We will find out in a day or two–not sure when Committee Chairs will be announced.

    I am a Proud Democrat living in Knoxville, TN. I enjoy reading blogs because I’m interested in politics in all states. I will give my opinion in other states and I enjoy hearing other people’s thoughts on TN politics.

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