Commentary
Legislative takeover looks like fascism
What do you call it when a group of legislators pass legislation that is designed to intentionally make a place worse? As far as I know, there isn’t a specific term for this, but it could be described as “malicious legislation” or “destructive legislation.” The idea that a group of legislators would intentionally create laws […]
Stockard on the Stump: Embattled Warner weary of getting hammered
State Rep. Todd Warner hadn’t even been sworn into office when federal agents raided his home and office. More than two years later, he hasn’t been charged with any crimes, but he’s still feeling the pain, some of which could stem from guilt by association. “It’s terrible that I keep getting attacked by members of […]
Let’s get this party started
John Cooper’s choice to forgo a second term as Nashville’s mayor is among the better things that have happened in this city in quite a while. At his 2019 inauguration he declared that “what our fellow citizens want from us is very clear: a focus on neighborhoods, a Nashville where tourism benefits residents, not the […]
Drag queen bill sets the goal posts on obscenity around only LGBTQ folks
In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was asked for his definition of obscenity during arguments in Jacobellis v. Ohio, the case in which a movie theater owner was charged with obscenity for showing a French film depicting the story of a woman who committed adultery. Potter famously said: “I know it when I […]
Stockard on the Stump: Black lawmakers push Sherrell sanctions for lynching statement
The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators wants state Rep. Paul Sherrell to be punished for saying the state should return to “hanging from a tree” as a form of capital punishment. “The Republican Caucus should be ashamed and outraged. The silence of his members is deafening,” Black Caucus Chairman Sam McKenzie says. A half-baked […]
The angry grandmother: When Tennessee’s lawmakers act worse than toddlers
Have you ever dealt with a grandchild who throws a tantrum when things do not go their way? If they don’t get their favorite food, if it rains during the time scheduled for the playground, or if they have to share their toys? We all have a way of cajoling young ones to be a […]
Stockard on the Stump: Fomentation is my name, discord is my game
Once upon a time in a galaxy not so far away, lawmakers frequently asked the state attorney general for legal opinions. It was a critical part of the job, so with that in mind, I thought I’d follow suit in regard to a kerfuffle in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee this week. The inquiry came […]
When Republican moderates run to the right, voters end up with extremists
An old country saying states that when you lie down with pigs, you’re going to get up with mud on you. Or, if you are a moderate Tennessee Republican who lies down with the far right wing of your party, you’re going to get up with a loss. Recently, media reports have shone a spotlight […]
The state of healthcare in Tennessee: not good
It is becoming increasingly hard to be a healthcare provider in Tennessee. From the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence, the opioid epidemic, dismal maternal mortality rates, a mental health crisis, rural hospital closures and the failure to accept Medicaid expansion, there are so many ways Tennessee leaders have failed — and continue to fail — their […]