Debate: Expel Harder Next Time

Ed. Note: Fault Lines alumni Mario Machado and Christopher Seaton, who will apparently fight with each other over anything, agreed to debate the following topic: Resolved: Tennessee’s House of Representatives was right to expel the “Tennessee Three.” Chris will take the affirmative and Mario will take the negative. Chris’ argument is below.

If I’d like to believe one thing about the politicians in Nashville representing my home state, it’s that they’re naturally averse to using the deaths of schoolchildren for political gain. When others in the State House attempt it, a consequence of that behavior should be some form of discipline. That is why, despite the cries of “Racism” at the top of the unduly passionates’ lungs, I stand with Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and the Tennessee GOP’s attempts to expel Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson—the so called “Tennessee Three.”

My only critique is Tennessee’s Republican super majority didn’t try hard enough.

Let’s go back to the start of this controversy. On March 27 of this year, a transgender man opened fire at the Covenant Christian School in Nashville. The shooter took the lives of three children and three adults.

You won’t remember the names of the deceased, but you’ll remember those who attempted to profit off their passing. That would be Jones, Pearson and Johnson, who I’ll refer to as “The Justins and Jabba the Putz.” That’s because they led a mob of protesters a couple of days later into the State House and took over the floor of the chamber. Using a bullhorn, Jabba and the Justins were able to effectively shut down House business until cops restored order.

Do yourself a favor and watch the video shown during the “Tennessee Threes” respective hearings on their expulsions. This was not a peaceful protest. It was a mob demanding mob action and mob justice held back by some very ballsy Tennessee State Troopers.

The point isn’t to start splitting hairs over the definition of “insurrection” or recasting this as an incident of “good trouble,” as Nashville’s Justin Jones called the Three’s antics. This was the work of three politicians who would rather spend time at drag shows and dunking on Twitter than actually represent their constituents. That’s never befitting an elected official.

So my home state legislature decided to send a message: We will not tolerate House Members exploiting dead children for political gain. The Republican super majority moved to expel the Tennessee Three.

Our State House is full of well meaning but dumbass Republicans, and Gloria Johnson skated by one vote. The Justins were expelled, but returned when Nashville and Memphis city councils unanimously voted to send them back to the State House.

What should’ve been a message sent about fucking with the memories of the dead became the latest incident in which the national media got to say Tennessee Did A Racism. This little bit of fun and frivolity occurred when Jabba the Putz mobility scooted her bloated ass onto CNN and suggested the only reason she escaped expulsion was because she was a 60-year-old white woman.

Now the Justins are getting in trouble again on the House floor over personal attacks on colleagues during debates. Gloria is now reveling in her status as a rock star Retired Educator®* telling everyone who doesn’t agree with her on drag shows they’re racist and sexist.

This is what happens when you send politicians in to do the work of street fighters. Let’s fix this mess.

First, Tennessee needs to pass a law forbidding those expelled from office from ever holding public office again.

Second, vote to expel Jones, Pearson and Johnson again. And this time be dears and make sure you actually have the votes before the motions are made.

There’s one final person to expel. If you look at the voting records of the expulsion hearings, one Republican voted no on all three votes. His one vote was enough to let Jabba the Putz slither by and warble about racism.

Find that motherfucker and expel his ass too.

This is a message worth sending. We will not tolerate politicians who grandstand off the backs of the dead. Do it and you’re best advised to find work elsewhere. Tennesseans don’t want cosplay revolutionaries, they want people who will represent them.

Arguments regarding the expulsion disenfranchising voters or denying people representation are unfounded. Jones and Pearson were practically back in House chambers calling their colleagues racist and carting around replicas of children’s coffins within 48 hours. All I’m proposing is that if someone’s expelled, we make local legislators work a little harder at not sending us a vile grandstander to do the bidding of the public.

Screaming about this being a threat to democracy is completely unfounded when one considers this is a process provided for in the Tennessee Constitution as a means of disciplining members of the House and Senate, and that it was conducted in a completely democratic vote with all members who chose to participate doing so.

Frankly, the expulsion process should be used more often. We haven’t used it enough to distance our respectable elected officials from those who are casting votes for the Instagram and TikTok crowd.

When Tennessee moves to expel a representative again, they should make it stick.
Especially when it’s for grandstanding off the backs of the dead.