When “Punishing Your Enemies” Turns Into A Complete Farce

Learning lessons from the Tennessee state legislature’s expulsions

Tennessee Republicans have shown that fighting back against the left is not simply a matter of will. Sometimes, tough action matters less than savvy maneuvers.

Last week, the Tennessee state House expelled two Democrats for disrupting a legislative session. The move was justified. For over two years, Democrats pretended January 6 was the worst attack on America since 9/11 and that any intrusion into a legislative body is an attack on democracy. The Tennessee House Democrats violated that standard by helping gun control protesters invade the state capitol. By the left's own standard, the perpetrators deserved to be punished.

Tennessee Republicans wanted the expulsions to send a message: If you disrupt a legislative session, you will pay the price. The move was meant to quell protests that have turned the state capitol into a circus following the Covenant School shooting.

But the expulsions had the opposite effect, encouraging more aggressive protests and turning the expelled representatives into international darlings. Republicans even failed to remove the white lawmaker who helped the protests, giving the Left a “southern racist” angle to spin. Moreover, it appears that both of the black men will soon return to the legislature. One was immediately reinstated by the Nashville city council entrusted to pick a replacement. That lawmaker promptly led a protest to the capitol after his reinstatement.

https://twitter.com/harryjsisson/status/1645548120191926272

The expulsions completely failed to achieve their objective. So was this an effective way to punish Republicans’ enemies? Not at all.

Leftists want to turn the Covenant School shooting into a reason for gun control. Initially the shooting put the left on the backfoot after Republicans and conservatives pointed out the most important fact of the event: a transgender mass shooter intentionally targeted a Christian school. The shooter’s weapon of choice isn’t the driving issue here. The intent motivating the violence matters far more.

The tragedy should bolster Tennessee’s fight against gender ideology. This massacre is a predictable consequence of brainwashing citizens in this pernicious mindset. Instead, it's being used to ban guns and highlight southern "racism."

The Tennessee GOP's tough move helped this pivot. It changed the conversation. Since the expulsions Republicans and conservatives have spent political capital (unsuccessfully) defending the removals instead of accumulating public goodwill on the trans issue. The expulsions were a gift to the Left. Democrats can now focus on gun control and how bigoted white Republicans expelled courageous black lawmakers. The main topic is GOP “authoritarianism,” not gender ideology–and that's good for Democrats.

The expulsions also failed in their more direct goal of bringing an end to the protests. The resulting media coverage told state Democrats that they should disrupt the legislature and provoke a response, as it will turn them into media icons. It made the legislature look weak, especially when the expellees came right back just a few days later. It’s terrible optics to have your power flex overridden in such a short timespan.

Furthermore, the Tennessee GOP appeared to capitulate to the gun control protesters. Gov. Bill Lee says he will sign an executive order to strengthen background checks for gun purchases and push for red flag laws. (Red flag laws are strongly opposed by gun rights groups.) This is using state power to appease their enemies, not punish them. The governor probably wouldn’t have done this if the legislature had waited to punish the disruptive Democrats until the circus died down. Lee’s announcement reinforces the failure of the expulsions.

This is not an argument for fleeing from hard battles. We need Republicans to be gutsy so they can achieve serious results. The Tennessee state legislature has proven that before. It recently passed bills to restrict drag shows and transgender “treatment” for minors in spite of the backlash. Those measures accomplished something substantial and were clear victories for the Right. They were worth the risk because they serve a larger purpose.

But the expulsions don’t serve a larger purpose. They don’t weaken the Democrats. They don’t hold Democrats to their own standards. They don’t move a policy goal further. They certainly don’t quell the protests. They were just about House decorum. That is an important issue for lawmakers, but it’s not important in the grand scheme of things. The party squandered a lot of its finite capital in this minor squabble. The battle was a clear loss for Republicans.

Republicans will always face a disadvantage in these fights. Many conservative pundits who want Republicans to "wield state power" to "punish their enemies" forget that fact. The media and other institutions will be ready to turn the Right into the villains and the Left into noble heroes. This requires a different tactical approach to political battle than the left takes.

Sometimes the correct move is to attack, other times the best move is to ignore. 

This situation called for something more along the lines of “ignore.” The Democrats’ protest was a distraction from the real issue of the Covenant School shooting. Republicans should’ve allowed the spectacle to fade away and the cameras to depart before punishing the lawmakers. The focus of the Tennessee conservatives should have remained on the trans issue. They shouldn’t have allowed themselves to be baited into the distraction.

One battle that will need boldness and fortitude from Republicans is Texas possibly taking immigration law into its own hands. The state legislature there is considering bills that would empower the state to guard the border and deport illegals. This would be a powerful move in the right direction. It will also invite the same circus to Austin that Nashville is currently witnessing. We’ll probably see Democratic legislators do ridiculous hijinks there. But the focus should remain on passing the bill, enforcing it, and fighting for it in federal court. It’s better to advance your cause than to try (and fail) to punish your enemies. Hopefully, Texas learns something from Tennessee.

We want Republican lawmakers to advance strong legislation and not capitulate in the face of tremendous pressure. But gutsy actions must achieve success. Wannabe tough action that completely fails just makes you look like a loser.