On Thursday, two of the three state representatives who helped lead an insurrection in Tennessee were expelled from the body. That came after a mob stormed the state’s capitol building, whipped up and supported by the three Democrats in question. In the end, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were kicked out while another Democrat, Gloria Johnson, survived by a small handful of votes.
Unfortunately, Johnson is already showing how incredibly dumb it is for any Republican to ever show mercy to any Democrat in a situation like this. Instead of being thankful she got to keep her job, Johnson went to the press and claimed that the only reason she wasn’t booted is because of racism. Jones and Pearson are black men while she’s a white woman.
This was an incredibly predictable outcome the moment the vote to expel Johnson failed, and the GOP representatives who saved Johnson, including a man named Jody Barrett, have a lot of explaining to do.
Almost every single other Republican in the chamber did the right thing in voting to expel all of the Democrats involved. Only Barrett and a few others, who I can only assume aren’t very bright, decided to hand the left the racism talking point that they so desperately wanted. Everyone should be asking why.
What were promised to flip their votes when it came to Johnson? What was their reasoning? Ostensibly, the differentiation between the three Democrats in question is that Johnson reportedly apologized, but clearly, she didn’t mean it given what she’s saying to the press now.
Really, how incredibly stupid do you have to be to fall for a faux apology from a far-left Democrat who just used a mob to shut down the state legislature? Clearly, Johnson was just saying what she had to say to gain sympathy, and even then, only a small number of Republicans were vapid enough to get played. It should have been zero Republicans, though.
So don’t misunderstand this article as another broad critique of Republican failure, though there’s plenty to write on that as well. In this case, everyone but that group actually did the right thing in voting to expel all three of the Democrats. They are the ones who inexplicably walked the rest of their colleagues right into the only trap the left had at their disposal, which is to claim that the expulsions are about racism. It’s an inexcusable blunder, and they need to be asked exactly what went down here.
With all that said, those spineless Republicans should be given a do-over. Given Johnson’s latest comments and the obvious reality that she has no real remorse, another motion to expel her should be brought forth. Republicans should then join hands and ensure she is booted this time.
It is 2023. Any member of the GOP who doesn’t know what time it is, and the Republicans who let Johnson off the hook clearly don’t, shouldn’t be holding office. Democrats play for keeps. There is no room for collegiality in politics anymore. The squishes need to start talking immediately, and Republicans should move to finish the deal on Johnson.