So anybody other than Harwell?

[E4 No More]

http://www.wsmv.com/story/19273281/apnewsbreak-matheny-mulling-bid-for-house-speaker

I don't know much about this guy, but is anyone with an "R" by their name better than Harwell?

[Jonnin]

Well --- the parking lot bill is a no-winner. Both sides (property rights vs gun rights) have valid things to say. Maggart (gone, hooray) blocking the vote was crap, but the back and forth and who picked what side.... I advise you to throw the one bill out and then review the history of the candidate without it due to the no win situation.

Ms Harwell has an A rating with NRA and high ranks with other gun rights groups. If you discard the parkinglot bill, I was unable to find another instance of her being "anti-gun". Also, I am personally offended and aggravated with the religious morons, trying to make laws against religions is as bad as trying to ban guns. If your religion is to strap a bomb on and blow yourself up at the mall, that is already illegal and covered under a variety of laws. If you want to pray to the flying spaghetti monster 11 times a day while standing on your head, have at it.

[E4 No More]

You don't think Harwell, as well as Ramsey, had anything to do with Maggart blocking the vote? I think that they had everything to do with it, and Maggart was the sacrificial lamb for her troubles.

As far as the parking lot bill I think that it was intentionally positioned/worded the way it was to create an intense debate showing that it was too hot of a potato when it very well could have been simplified into a law prohibiting anyone other than a LEO with probable cause to search a vehicle. Hard to interject an employer's property rights into that one.

[Jonnin]

Maybe. They certainly were not fighting to get the vote done, but that is not the same thing. Shady? Yes, the whole thing was. But that comes down to the meat of your question, does it not?

Is any generic "R" better than a decade long A rating? Maybe, maybe not. I say no: if you want to vote them out, then do so, but be wary of the replacement, you could make it worse. If you just vote against her and take anyone that runs under the R umbrella, it very well could be a LOT worse --- people down here KNOW the RS are going to win and sometimes run as an R with only the most casual R viewpoints. Research the new person best you can and make a decision between them, based on how much you dislike the current one and how good the unknown one sounds....

[R_Bert]

I will be consistent with my comments following the secret vote. The leadership positions need to be changed, just like a diaper and for the same reason.

I am still dissapointed in all but 4 of the representatives (that being the four that I understand voted to pass the bill through to the floor). With as many co-sponsors as the bill had, several co-sponsors obviously caved to leadership demand.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Well --- the parking lot bill is a no-winner. Both sides (property rights vs gun rights) have valid things to say. Maggart (gone, hooray) blocking the vote was crap, but the back and forth and who picked what side.... I advise you to throw the one bill out and then review the history of the candidate without it due to the no win situation.

Ms Harwell has an A rating with NRA and high ranks with other gun rights groups. If you discard the parkinglot bill, I was unable to find another instance of her being "anti-gun". Also, I am personally offended and aggravated with the religious morons, trying to make laws against religions is as bad as trying to ban guns. If your religion is to strap a bomb on and blow yourself up at the mall, that is already illegal and covered under a variety of laws. If you want to pray to the flying spaghetti monster 11 times a day while standing on your head, have at it.

Making laws and identifying the enemy can be confusing, can't it? Making jabs at people who are religious, is a tad

unproductive, also.

Harwell may be okay, but I kinda liked Mattheny's interview excerpts. I'm confident one of the "R's" will bubble to the top.

[leroy]

You don't think Harwell, as well as Ramsey, had anything to do with Maggart blocking the vote? I think that they had everything to do with it, and Maggart was the sacrificial lamb for her troubles.

As far as the parking lot bill I think that it was intentionally positioned/worded the way it was to create an intense debate showing that it was too hot of a potato when it very well could have been simplified into a law prohibiting anyone other than a LEO with probable cause to search a vehicle. Hard to interject an employer's property rights into that one.

I think SW hit a homerun shot here!! I think he is exactly right. I, In fact, do believe that anybody is better than what you have now with regard to Harwell, Ramsey, and several other politicos. They need to be challenged in the primaries and beaten in their individual districts in order to be gotten rid of, with outside help, if necessary.

There is no doubt in my mind that these "Republicans" are carrying water for the large businesses that do not want the hastle of dealing with the "guns in the parking lot" thing. All these damned polititians need to be changed out regularly. They are popularly elected by the citizens of the state; and need to be voted out if found to be lacking. In my personal view; they are "bought and paid for" by the lobbysts and special interests. Dont let these people pee down your leg and tell you its raining. You are far better off with new people in these spots than you are with this current crop of trash.

leroy

[Guest HvyMtl]

Maggart took a page from the days of the Neifeh era of State politics, make sure the bills you do not want to have a vote on never get to the floor. Part of the reason I was glad to see Neifeh go. She deserved to get voted out for repeating the same actions. Anyone who does so, should be treated in a like manner.

I believe Harwell and Haslam, both, had Maggart's ear as to what, when, and if, legislation came to a vote. Something which should be blasted for copying Neifeh, and, worse, damaging the legislative process. Not to mention separation of powers.

Would I vote for Harwell? No. Haslam? No. These are the problem, not the solution. I wait to see if any good candidates dare to challenge them.

[jtmaze]

The simplest thing to do would be to declare that a persons privately owned vehicle there property and not subject to search without a warrant.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[1gewehr]

When Harwell was elected Speaker, I knew that for Republicans it would be 'business as usual'. She is not a conservative. She is in it for the power and wants to be Governor after Haslam. As Speaker, she has been the primary person who decides what does, or does not , go to the floor for a vote. She has worked diligently behind the scenes to suppress efforts to pass a state constitutional amendment against an income tax.

As for the 'property rights' argument against the Safe Commute Act, it's a red herring. When you park you car in a shopping mall parking lot, does that give the mall the right to search your car on a whim? If not, then why does that give them the right to dictate what legal objects you can have inside it? Can they dictate a 'no bibles' rule? How about a rule saying 'no political books or fliers'? But, it's somehow OK for them to dictate that you can't keep your legal firearm in that same vehicle? How does THAT make any sense?

Harwell blew it. She supported a bunch of her fellow RINOs, and now wants to pretend to be conservative. Sorry, but there is too much evidence of her duplicity to allow that. Bye, bye, Beth!

[JayC]

Well --- the parking lot bill is a no-winner. Both sides (property rights vs gun rights) have valid things to say. Maggart (gone, hooray) blocking the vote was crap, but the back and forth and who picked what side.... I advise you to throw the one bill out and then review the history of the candidate without it due to the no win situation.

Ms Harwell has an A rating with NRA and high ranks with other gun rights groups. If you discard the parkinglot bill, I was unable to find another instance of her being "anti-gun". Also, I am personally offended and aggravated with the religious morons, trying to make laws against religions is as bad as trying to ban guns. If your religion is to strap a bomb on and blow yourself up at the mall, that is already illegal and covered under a variety of laws. If you want to pray to the flying spaghetti monster 11 times a day while standing on your head, have at it.

You're not looking very hard then.... she fought guns in restaurant bill, fought guns in parks bill, fought the parking lot bill... She prevented constitutional carry from coming up for a vote...

She also introduce and passed legislation that requires anybody with an ex parte protection order to turn all of their weapons over to the government. Even if the person in question has never been charged with a crime.

Just remember that Harry Reid had a B rating from the NRA at one point not too long ago...

Beth Harwell is a RINO, and is blocking a lot of pro-constitutional reforms from coming to the floor.... including repealing a number of bad firearm laws.

[E4 No More]

When you park you car in a shopping mall parking lot, does that give the mall the right to search your car on a whim?

It appears that according to some on this forum that is exactly what it means. They seem pathologically inable to diferentiate between private property where there's expectation of privacy, (their home, for instance), and private property that they open for business to the general public. There is no way they'd get away with demanding that a customer allow them to search their car, but it's ok to search an employee's car? I consider that hypocrisy at the core.

But as to the topic, we know Harwell doesn't deserve her "A" rating from the NRA. When push came to shove she showed us where her loyalties lie. Anyone challenging her with a "R" by there name deserves a run at it before her, IMHO.

[JayC]

The simplest thing to do would be to declare that a persons privately owned vehicle there property and not subject to search without a warrant.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

The better solution would be to include a persons vehicle in the same legal exception as a persons home... thus solving the problem for everywhere.

[E4 No More]

My representative is Mike Sparks. He's demostrated himself to be a useless piece of crap in his present position. He NEVER responds to any emails, so expressing my displeasure of Harwell to him would fall on deaf ears I'm afraid. I would LOVE to see someone run against him so that I can vote for them.

[Jonnin]

Fair enough, I only did a quick search on her, and did not see the other offenses. With those on her record "anyone else" looks like a more reasonable answer after all. As noted I did not look hard at all, my recommendation was simply to review her record with the one bill ignored.

For the record, the jab at religion ties in because the original posted article had several remarks on that subject. I stand by it: laws that enforce religion and/or morality are as bad as gun control. And quasi-off topic so I will leave it at that.

Lately it seems like we need list of the few "good guys" to keep rather than who to replace.... it would be easier to keep track of...

[GKar]

Harwell's sudden close-knit ties with Ramsey are enough to set off the warning bells in my head...along with her "no" votes against overturning Bredesens vetoes of the restaurant bill. She and McCormick both need to be releveed of leadership roles and relegated to the broom closets...anyone notice McCormick's late-in-the-game attemtp to pull Maggarts' buns outta the fire by suddenly announcing that he was actually responsible for the failed Safe Commute bill (the disingenuity of which was quickly apparent, as the esteemed Governor also made the same claim at vurtually the same time)?

[Worriedman]

The wagons are getting circled on the Hill. With Maggart's ouster, the ruling junta is positioning Glen Casada to run for Maggart's forced vacated seat as Caucus Chair. (Remember he voted against putting the "Parking Lot Bill" to a floor vote from his position on Calendar and Rules). He is now a fervent devote of Harwell, and will be an obedient lackey.

Matheny is the best man on the Hill, he is a true Conservative that is willing to bet his political career against not doing the right thing as a Conservative. His ascension to the Speaker's role is the full extension of the Rogers/Maggart race, and unless we can make this happen, the political and monetary capital expended will be for naught.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Worriedman

[Worriedman]

Of import, one has to remember Ms. Harwell's stance on another topic of import from the days of yore, a State Income Tax, per her own words:

Candidates in three legislative districts agreed last night that state sales tax on food should be removed or reduced, but they differed on how the state could afford that move. ...Only Beth [Harwell]. a Republican in the 56th District, mentioned the possibility of a state income tax to replace the revenue the state would lose if sales tax on food were removed.-Nashville Banner, 7/25/86

"Tennessee should broaden its tax base, [Harwell] said, and stop relying primarily on sales and property taxes for revenue."-The Tennessean, 10/22/90

"It's really a lot better than what I'd expected," said Republican Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville as she strode out of a meeting with Sundquist on his plan.-Commercial Appeal, 10/27/99

"I have always tried to stay flexible enough that if it has support, then I certainly would be able to support it."-Beth Harwell via The Tennessean, 2/8/02

[Worriedman]

Well --- the parking lot bill is a no-winner. Both sides (property rights vs gun rights) have valid things to say. Maggart (gone, hooray) blocking the vote was crap, but the back and forth and who picked what side.... I advise you to throw the one bill out and then review the history of the candidate without it due to the no win situation.

Ms Harwell has an A rating with NRA and high ranks with other gun rights groups. If you discard the parkinglot bill, I was unable to find another instance of her being "anti-gun". Also, I am personally offended and aggravated with the religious morons, trying to make laws against religions is as bad as trying to ban guns. If your religion is to strap a bomb on and blow yourself up at the mall, that is already illegal and covered under a variety of laws. If you want to pray to the flying spaghetti monster 11 times a day while standing on your head, have at it.

Harwell has nothing of the sort as far as a ranking with the NRA. In the last 6 votes related to firearms issues in the General Assembly, she has voted against the interest of firearms owners every time. She is a shill for Haslam and his ties to "Big Business", and stands with Haslam and Alexander in their anti-gun position.

[Moped]

Frankly, all of them need to go. I am ashamed that Haslem came from Knoxville. Though I do have to stand with Jonin on the religious and moral legislation that seems to pervade the Conservative movement.

[Jonnin]

Harwell has nothing of the sort as far as a ranking with the NRA. In the last 6 votes related to firearms issues in the General Assembly, she has voted against the interest of firearms owners every time. She is a shill for Haslam and his ties to "Big Business", and stands with Haslam and Alexander in their anti-gun position.

The last rating I saw was too old to include those votes but showed a 10+ year list of A's. The actual NRA site is so poor, though, I found it elsewhere, could be wrong. I could not get the NRA site to cough up a rating to save my life.

[1gewehr]

NRA has not yet come out with candidate ratings for 2012. Looking at past NRA ratings, this is what I found for Beth Harwell:

2010 - B

2008 - A

2006 - A

2004 - A

2002 - A

For Harwell to claim she has always gotten an 'A' rating from NRA is obviously incorrect. I doubt she will get an 'A' rating this year as well. Chris Cox has been watching the TN state legislature very closely lately. I don't think that Harwell will be the only one getting surprised by a lower rating.