Al Gore, the former vice president who served with Bill Clinton and unsuccessfully ran for the presidency, joined those expressing outrage this week at the actions of Republicans in the Tennessee state House.
There, the GOP majority voted on Thursday to expel two Democratic members of the chamber who’d expressed support for protests against gun violence and demanding action from lawmakers. The two, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, had — with a third Democratic member, Gloria Johnson — gathered in the front of the legislative chamber with a megaphone to support the protesters who’d assembled nearby. Johnson, who is a white woman, was up for potential expulsion on Thursday, but the vote against her failed. Pearson and Jones are both Black men. All three had been accused of so-called dishonor for their actions, which simply constituted a peaceful protest.
“Today’s GOP-led vote in the TN House disenfranchised nearly 150,000 voters whose representatives rightfully pushed to reform TN’s insanely dangerous gun laws after the horrific mass murder at The Covenant School last week,” Gore said, referencing the constituents who’d been represented by Pearson and Jones but whose representation in the state House is now in limbo. “What a historically sad day for democracy in Tennessee.”
New action is now needed to fill the legislative seats that Republicans have made temporarily vacant, and there actually aren’t restrictions on Pearson and Jones returning to their positions, either through action by local administrative bodies in their home areas in naming interim legislators or eventually winning the special elections that’ll be held. Mayor John Cooper, who leads Nashville, spoke on Twitter in support of Jones: “The people of [Justin Jones] and [Justin Pearson]’s districts were disenfranchised today. I’m proud that Metro Council is meeting Monday to fill the vacancy left in Nashville by today’s vote, & I believe they’ll send [Jones] right back to continue serving his constituents.” The city government of Nashville and the governance of Davidson County, in which Nashville is situated, are consolidated, and Cooper is technically mayor of both. The council he referenced is an administrative body serving both.
Today's GOP-led vote in the TN House disenfranchised nearly 150,000 voters whose representatives rightfully pushed to reform TN’s insanely dangerous gun laws after the horrific mass murder at The Covenant School last week. What a historically sad day for democracy in Tennessee.
— Al Gore (@algore) April 7, 2023
The people of @brotherjones_ and @Justinjpearson’s districts were disenfranchised today. I’m proud that Metro Council is meeting Monday to fill the vacancy left in Nashville by today’s vote, & I believe they’ll send @brotherjones_ right back to continue serving his constituents.
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) April 7, 2023
Image: World Economic Forum/Creative Commons
