By Tom Humphrey, News-Sentinel Nashville bureau
April 7, 2002
Legislatorland is losing some of the most colorful and capable characters remaining in a landscape that had already grown rather bleak.
For capable, House Finance Committee Chairman Matt Kisber and Rep. Gene Caldwell, who chaired the TennCare Oversight Committee, provide fine examples.
Kisber knows every bit of budget backwater in the state, having waded through it repeatedly - and changed the channels - during the past 20 years. Caldwell, a retired pediatrician who is the only physician serving in Legislatorland, brought both a warm heart and keen insight to the tangled TennCare web.
Both cited family considerations as the primary reason for making an exit, but both acknowledge considerable frustration with the budget bickering that has made stalemate the status quo.
For colorful, House Commerce Committee Chairman Shelby Rhinehart and House Calendar Committee Chairman Pete Phillips would be hard to top. Both were gifted in baloney spreading - to the point of making it an entertaining art form.
Rhinehart, the most senior citizen of Legislatorland and something of a legend, has spent 36 years in office. He once killed a bill by declaring, in a thundering speech, that it would violate the 33rd amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Only after the bill was dead did his thunderstruck colleagues realize that there is no 33rd amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
But he operated best in backroom deal-cutting and parliamentary maneuvering. In all things, he had the extraordinary knack of leaving opponents laughing after losing - adapting the demeanor of a wily but lovable rogue.
Phillips, a country-talking lawyer, has been around almost as long as Rhinehart and could best anyone in the realm of bombastic, animated oratory - usually in defense of "the little man" - who stood to suffer from some proposed legislative act.
The colorful had expressed some frustration, too, of late. Rhinehart said in announcing his decision to quit last week that he had "loved every minute of it."
But recall that Shelby of the silver hair once was proposed as the Legislature's designated representative to a "liar's contest" - only to have the idea squashed when the sponsor explained that the contest was "for amateurs only." And that he declared not so long ago that the current legislative session "is the most dastardly I've ever seen."
In other words, it may be suspected that Rhinehart was just being a gentlemen in his parting remarks, now that he's decided to leave that underground bunker known as Legislative Plaza.
In all, 12 state representatives and two senators are fleeing the legislative scene. Four are seeking other elective office; the rest are just returning to life outside of Legislatorland.
In 2000, the last election year, only four representatives and two senators chose not to seek re-election. Three ran for higher offices. (It's debatable these days whether there are lower offices.)
Another House member, Rep. Mike Williams, D-Franklin, quit to become a lobbyist in 2001 after winning re-election.
Some of the quitting crowd this year may well come by a way to return to the political arena without the necessity of suffering as legislator.
All of the dearly departing, after all, like politics and public service. If not, they would never have sought the office. It's just that, after being in Legislatorland for a while, they've learned there is surely a better place to be.
(There's been much speculation, for example, that if Democrat Phil Bredesen wins the gubernatorial election, he could pick Kisber as finance commissioner, the departing House Agriculture Chairman Ken Givens, D-Rogersville, as agriculture commissioner or the exiting Rep. Ronnie Cole, D-Dyersburg, as transportation commissioner.)
Despite the surge in numbers of those fleeing Legislatorland, last week's candidate qualifying proved that there are far more folks eager to get in. Not only are they swarming to run for the open seats, but there are challengers to most of the stubborn incumbents who remain.
I suppose we should be thankful they don't know any better. And hope that at least a few are capable or colorful.
Tom Humphrey, chief of the News-Sentinel's Nashville bureau, may be reached at 615-242-7782 or humphrey@edge.net
I listened to ED Bryant kick off his campaign in Memphis. He kept to Reagan's plan of not bad-mouthing a fellow republican. He did say there were differences in the two canidates, that Lamar is a moderate who had not held elective office in 20 years and he Ed Bryant is the true conservative with the only voting record to prove it. The local NRA chair for Shelby CO will be backing Ed Bryant as the better pro-second Amendment supporter, same as he is backing Van Hilleary as the better canidate.
GO ED GO! GO VAN GO!
But with the bad taste of taxquist in all mouths and Van with not much money and Henry thrown in, expect a dem gov! If Alexander wins the primary expect folks like me to leave that one blank in the voting booth in November and we will have a dem in the senate!
Oh and I forgot to add Ted Welch playing behind the scenes for Alexander asking people not to contribute to other canidates, but throw all their cash behind plaid shirt Alexander!