TENNESSEE: GOP tries to move past divisive legislative primaries; Dems see disarray

NASHVILLE – Tennessee's Republican establishment is striving to move past last week's sometimes bitter legislative primary and its potential impact on officeholder leadership. The aim now for fall campaigns: Slimming even more the ranks of the minority party Democrats.

The prospects look fairly bright for Republicans on both fronts, despite the losses of seven incumbent House members Thursday.

The defeat of those veterans — and close calls for a couple of others — are seen by some as an indication of growing division within the state's majority party and as, possibly, a threat to House Speaker Beth Harwell remaining in her position.

State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney, however, says that's not likely. And he sees the GOP goal of a achieving a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate as "attainable," given the party's advantages through redistricting, fundraising superiority and voter distaste for President Obama.

Democrats say they can overcome their acknowledged disadvantages in money and redrawn district lines to make 2012 the start of a Democratic rebuilding process.

State Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester does not predict that Democrats can even hold their own Nov. 6. But he says that because of voter unhappiness with parts of the Republican legislative agenda, "young, energetic" Democratic candidates in key districts and a "new path forward" strategy can make 2012 a turnaround year for his party.

Forrester finds encouragement in last week's GOP primary outcome, which he said "shows a Republican party clearly in disarray." The chairman said he was "astonished" at the defeat of House Republican Caucus Chairman Debra Maggart — "the governor's candidate and Beth Harwell's candidate" — as well as some other GOP incumbent upsets.

"The party is clearly moving to the right," he said. "We don't hear the Republicans calling out their fringe, extremist candidates."

I think Tennessee has always been conservative but the problem has been with the “I was born a Democrat and I will die a Democrat” generation that voted Democrat regardless of how vile they are. They are conservative Democrats that typically are pro-life and religious. Some of them are starting to cross lines and vote their morals rather than party since they have come to realize, with BO, how vile liberal Democrats really are. Some are not though but I expect they will eventually. A man I work with was talking about how the pastor at his Southern Baptist Church preached one morning on our obligations to vote out the Democrats and their anti-God policies. He was mad because politics was being discussed in church. The thing that really bothered him was when the pastor said that, in this day and time, a Christian can’t be a Christian and a Democrat. :-) I asked him if he was pro-life and he said yes. I asked him if he believed in limited government and he said yes. I asked him his beliefs in other Conservative policies and he answered yes to all of them. I told him he was a Conservative. He said he was born a Democrat and that’s how he votes. [sigh]

He’s still not there yet but a lot are.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.