Tennessee politicos react to upheaval

Nashville Mayor John Cooper walks by the Metro Courthouse damaged during weekend protests on May 31, 2020 (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Here’s how some elected officials reacted to statewide protests that included clashes with police, vandalism, and fires.
Violence and vandalism that occurred this weekend tears at the fabric of our community and stands in stark contrast to effective, peaceful protests that are foundational to our country.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 31, 2020
Looting and burning the courthouse by a few dishonors the peaceful protest of thousands against racial discrimination and police brutality. @GovBillLee and @JohnCooper4Nash are right to call on the National Guard to restore order and allow Nashville to heal and rebuild.
— Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) May 31, 2020
My heart breaks after seeing initially peaceful protests turn violent.
Protestors who are peacefully exercising their first amendment right should be allowed to be heard.@CDAustinGarrett @ChiefDavidRoddy @ChattanoogaPD @hcsotn have shown incredible leadership.
— Chuck Fleischmann (@RepChuck) May 31, 2020
America will not standby as Antifa and other terrorists burn our cities. The law is coming.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 1, 2020
Thank you @GovBillLee and our brave men and women in the National Guard for stepping up to deal with Nashville’s crisis.
We cannot have lawlessness, looting, and rioting. We must stand against Antifa and all violence.— Dr. Manny For Senate (@DrMannySenate) May 31, 2020
We must come together once again, as we have in the aftermath of the deadly storms & in the wake of COVID. Together, we can share love and denounce racism. Together, with God’s strength, we can overcome anything.
— Bill Hagerty (@BillHagertyTN) May 31, 2020
3 hours of scrubbing, Dove, a brush, encouraging honks, volunteers bringing water and food and some good conversations- I left your Tennessee State Capitol a little better than it was. Thanks to @TNHighwayPatrol for allowing me to clean this historic marker. pic.twitter.com/JqZJLKja3E
— Jason Powell (@JasonLPowell) May 31, 2020
What is happening in Nashville is a descent into madness. This is not who we are. The outside agitators responsible for this mayhem should cease, desist and leave our state. The police are not perfect. Those who transgress against our citizens should be brought to justice. https://t.co/JwjL8oqPdz
— Randy McNally (@ltgovmcnally) May 31, 2020
What began as a peaceful and effective protest has turned into organized lawless destruction by a group of individuals with complete disregard for personal property and the safety of others.
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) May 31, 2020
I’m tired of everyone blaming this group or that group for the riots. Why don’t we blame the dirtbag throwing the brick or the fire bomb.
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) May 31, 2020
We’ve been taught of America’s greatness, but that’s not been true for everyone. African Americans, for the most part, have not shared in America’s greatness, nor its progress, even as their labor has helped build our nation. That has to change. #BlackLivesMatter #Memphis pic.twitter.com/BLmFdUqH5o
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) June 1, 2020
I thought Americans and their political leaders loved violent rioting. They were super encouraging of it in Hong Kong as I recall from speeches and tweets. Hong Kong protesters/rioters were burning out high rent zip code areas of the city with innocent shop owners property destroyed.
Our past experience with widespread looting and rioting happened in Watts or Harlem and I always wondered how it would have been viewed had it happened on 5th Ave or Rodeo Drive. Seems we don’t like it one bit inspite of our encouragement of it in place (NIMBY) such as Hong Kong.
And the winners are the statements from Marsha, Chairman Manny, and Tim Burchett. A clear condemnation of lawlessness without any dilution by mawkish sanctimony in a clumsy attempt to give something to everyone.
I suggest you go to you tube and search for Anarchy USA and watch it
It is the responsibility of state and local leaders to ensure that adequate law enforcement resources, including the National Guard where necessary, are deployed on the streets to reestablish law and order. We saw this finally happen in Minneapolis last night, and it worked. – AG Barr
I also suggest you go to you tube and search for ‘How President Reagan dealt with the Berkeley protesters in 1969’
Mayor Cooper has spent weeks telling everyone to social distance and avoid large gatherings. On Saturday he participated and encouraged others to participate in a large demonstration. It appears there is no social distancing is required if it is part of the leftist agenda. I have heard no questions from the media. Everyone in the world knew how this peaceful demonstration would end, and yet it appeared the mayor and chief of police were not prepared. It is hard to believe the metro council would give this mayor a 32 percent tax increase and reward incompetence.
Indeed, Sharon Hurt leader of the Metro Council Minority Caucus asked the Mayor not to attend the demonstration as well as other members of the Caucus. But of course, she was asking a liberal officeholder not to virtue signal which is like asking a siamese cat not to meow. The only question I have is why in heaven’s name would a conservative want to live in a liberal ghetto like Davidson County, Tennessee.
In this week’s episode of “Donald Trump and Conservatives Are Not Responsible For Anything”: watch the exciting action as they blame that double duo from the past in a special return blame-someone-else engagement, yes, it’s Antifa and BLM! Watch as once again conservatives clutch their hankies and moan about “those people”. Watch as once again as there is plenty of exciting finger pointing with simple solutions to complicated problems. Watch as once again as we see the amazing card trick hocus pocus of “America is great again” as we have double digit unemployment, cede our global leadership to China, and collapse the economy for everyone but millionaires! Yes, watch it all folks, in all its blame casting glory. Special teaser for next week: you might just see someone who needs to be “locked up” as the special guest! Tune in nightly.
There many be some in the middle who could be persuaded that your points are valid and yet the Dems have chosen perhaps THE most inarticulate person to make the case. Of all the times in election history to pick a befuddled, gaffe machine…..this is the worst. You could have had a potential win but once again hapless Dems will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Congrats you folks have handed Trump another 4 years.
Cute Paul, but I’m afraid no exercise in creative writing can hide the fact that there are some people who are temperamentally and/or ideologically incapable of living in a democratic society governed by the rule of law. When officials and stockholders of the grievance industry like yourself are successful in electing your ideological bedfellows who are ever so reluctant to punish the anti-social elements with whom they sympathize, this element naturally does what comes naturally and becomes more brazen in their anti-social behavior.
What is curious to me is not how you and I will react to all of this Paul. Our responses could be written by anyone who knows that you are a true believing leftist and I am a table pounding conservative. Rather, I wonder how much of this mayhem can the “moderates”/”centrists” take before this country is radically transformed into some impoverished dystopia? How much longer will they contribute to the decline and fall of this country by only sometime voting for well-meaning but inept liberals?
Paul, your post doesn’t add very well on the accuracy meter, but I will give your candidate a very reasonable chance to win the White House. Biden was the most moderate of your candidates and seems to rank high on like ability. He has good appeal to minorities and will win a lot of votes in the industrial Midwest. I give the Democrats credit for getting behind their candidate.
You will notice that the worst problems are those in cities run by leftist, who by the way, were put into office by the very organizations and people behind the rioting in the streets.
It is a pincers movement with pressure from above and pressure from below with a law-abiding citizen caught in between wondering what’s going on.
Wells and Carmack are stories of the civil war….