Republicans Make Tennessee History and Hate It

The Republicans in the state's House of Representatives made history today and they are furious.

For the first time, all the Democrat members of the House of a Republican to be the Speaker of the House -- it just wasn't the Republican the GOP leaders had planned on and bragged about for the last few months. Republican Kent Williams of Carter County got the powerful post which the entire GOP (other than Williams) had planned for Jason Mumpower to get.

Also seems for the first time that Highway Patrol officers had to be summoned to surround and protect the newly elected speaker from his angry GOP colleagues.

Did Williams seek out the job? Or did Democrats seek out Williams?

Other than bloggers, pundits and the news media - few Tennesseans know or care one bit about the battle for control of the House chairman.

Longtime speaker, Democrat Jimmy Naifeh, just showed the entire GOP he knows more than they do about how to exert control over all events in the House, even appointing his replacement. I also find it most curious that the Republican leaders were totally unable to muster the support of a single Democrat to vote for their agenda. And Democrats rallied around one Republican to shatter the dreams of Mumpower and the entire state GOP.

NOTE: You can track the hijinks, the anger and the aftermath through a vast amount of posts from Post Politics. Also, readers respond at KnoxViews too.