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Williams has shown GOP that he cannot be trusted
In rebuking a false friend, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche observed, “I’m not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
So it is with Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams, who, after a cynical betrayal of his colleagues earlier this year, now says he wants to be reinstated into the Republican Party before the next legislative session begins in January.
After signing a public pledge that he would support the nominee of his party late last year, Williams, then a Republican from Carter County, broke that promise in exchange for the top House slot long occupied by Democrat Jimmy Naifeh. For his willingness to knife the members of his party in the back, Williams was elected speaker courtesy of all 49 House Democratic votes — and his own.
Not surprisingly, Williams was subsequently stripped of his Republican credentials by an understandably outraged state Republican Party.
Of his desire to regain a place in the Tennessee GOP, Williams told the Associated Press at a fundraiser for his new political action committee that “I just want to know where I stand.”
The irony of that statement, of course, is that Rep. Williams stands where he has chosen to place himself.
Whether the state Republican executive committee votes to allow Rep. Williams back into the party — something it could do as early as Dec. 5 — it’s impossible to imagine that the Elizabethton restaurateur will ever be trusted again. Nor should he be.
Williams forfeited others’ presumption of his honesty and good will last January.
It should not be forgotten that no one forced Rep. Williams to sign a pledge that he would support his party’s nominee — then widely understood to be Rep. Jason Mumpower of Bristol — for speaker. Williams did that of his own free will. To publicly make that pledge, only to break it for his own personal aggrandizement, was, and remains, a dishonorable act for which Williams has never apologized.
Indeed, it is Williams who unaccountably continues to affect an air of victimhood for being shunned by the colleagues he betrayed.
His conduct reminds of the story about the boy who murdered his parents, then threw himself on the mercy of the court as an orphan.
Rep. Williams has already bartered away the trust once placed in him when he cynically plotted to advance his personal political standing at the expense of his colleagues and the Republican constituents who elected him.
It’s exceedingly clear that the only allegiance Kent Williams has is to himself.
Some Tennessee Republicans may be inclined to forgive or ignore Rep. Williams’ duplicity in the past in exchange for his vote in a closely divided House. But they need to know that by doing so they are not merely excusing bad behavior, but elevating expediency over experience.
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This was an excellent piece that I think was meant to focus on the fact that a man who pledged to do one thing then turned around and stabbed his cohorts in the back which was a decidedly devious act. Now he wants to be brought back into the fold so to speak by these same people that he deceived. Whether he started out as Republican or Democrat does not matter, he ended up as a liar.
Yes Oliver. The demwits should pursue him. The dishonorable man will fit in perfectly on their side of the aisle.
Hey Frost
I serve the U.S.
I am a centrist nationalist. I do not draw vote lines and stick to them no matter what happens. I vote for the right person to do the proper job needed at the right time. I agree that Democrats and Republicans are both corrupt.
However the Republicans have just had a decade to run us into the ground and soil the name of our America on the world wide stage. The Democrats are just getting rolling and I may very say the same rhetorics of them in 2019.
I stand firm in my resolve that I would die for this country and not the men who run it for I am
the Partisan Ranger
@ Partisan Ranger
You act as if the democrats care about the white middle class... come on, if you aren't black, mexican, illegal alien or terrorist, the democrats don't care about you.
face the facts, both parties SUCK! neither party cares about the middle working class. both parties are plagued with corruption and controlled by lobbyists and special interests groups.
I can't believe the republicans allowed such a person in their party to start with.
Yup, and Mumpower is still crying because he was out maneuvered and lost the election as Speaker to a better qualified and better man than himself. The democrats did what was necessary to keep Mumpower in his place. Williams didn't sell out his party. He did the only thing he could to hopefully save his party from the reign of Mumpower.
Republicans serve the rich white majority. If you are a poor or even middle income East Tennesseean and you are a republican you need to reevaluate your political beliefs.
Republicans rattle the war saber and send poor young men to die in wars for their own profits. "Big profits". Probably put money into the stocks of the body bag company and cross their fingers for the big one.
Republicans are racist. "We aint taking no orders from no black president ,We aint letting no Mexicans invade our country" Anybody remember 2008 when Republicans were showing up at election rallies with plush monkeys and calling them "little Hussain".
Republicans are sore sore losers. They lose the election and will not serve their country any longer. They hide ther discontent of losing behind false concerns over big government spending. Come on! You can spend billions of dollars fighting unjust wars and driving the country into financial ruin as long as it suits you. Then you hate the very existence of America helping poor people get Health care.
The GOP is corrupt and antiquated with old ideologies of status quo. The ranks are filled warmongers,Hatemongers,Totaltitarians and radicalists.
They stab each other and us in the back and then turn around for a handshake and a pardon.
What Mumpower stooge wrote this piece?
Well, one thing Williams did and that every Tennessean should be proud of is he prevented Mumpower from becoming speaker. That was a move which has benefited all of us. Somebody needed to put Mumpower in his place. Williams did that. For that he should be applauded.
Breaking a "pledge" is the equivalent of murdering one's parents? In what universe does that make sense?
Were there no other analogies available?
Maybe the Dems should pursue him to become a member of their party?
Wait, does that mean that the other side CAN be trusted?
Surely you cannot be serious. As far as I can tell, a politician is a politician is a politician. They may stand on different sides of the aisle and views, but they all wear the same suits. You can't trust any of them... that's why they have their own health care and insurance and we are left with sky rocketing costs, bad roads, lousy infrastructure, sending jobs overseas, foreign governments buying up US businesses and buildings while these politicians have mansions in several states, get months vacations at our expense while pretending to help and care about us.
Sorry guy, the joke is on you if you believe you can really trust anyone in political office.
Politicians are corrupt and cut throat. Nero was emporer because his mother slept with the right power players. Later Nero had his mother murderd by his praetorians. Once you are a bad seed it is too late. And once you sell yourself to the masses for postions of power you are a bad seed.
Better to sever the beast than be its breakfast with a grin on your face - the PartisanRanger
The GOP is in charge now, so move over Mr Williams. He wants to smooth things over because he has no one (Democrats) to back him up now. I was taught early in life to pick your sides carefully. Mr williams gambled and lost. Boo Hoo. He gets what he deserves.
The irony really is this: did Mr. Williams actually acvance his own political standing? Judging from the tone of your excellent piece, I think not.