Welcome to Capitol Hill

Erik Schelzig, Joel Ebert

Description

Although Tennessee has a rich history of political scandals dating back to the founding of the state, the last fifty years have been a confusing, confounding, and sometimes ludicrous period of ne’er-do-welling. Welcome to Capitol Hill is a guide to the state’s modern history of corruption. From Governor Ray Blanton’s pardon scandals to the FBI investigation that started with now lieutenant governor Randy McNally wearing a wire in the late 1980s to the sexual misconduct that plagues Tennessee politics, this book chronicles it all.

Veteran political reporters Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig draw from interviews, archival documents, and never-before-seen federal investigative files to provide readers with a handy resource about the wrongdoings of our elected officials.
From its early days to its modern era, Tennessee has been home to its own infamous miscreants: a duly elected governor who to this day stands out for his transgressions; an almost-governor with deep political connections whose loose banking practices led to a historic collapse; a host of corrupt officials who engaged in a wide-ranging gambling scheme at a time when betting was illegal; a prominent lawmaker who flouted ethical norms and took bribes from undercover agents posing as lobbyists; a serial sexual harasser who joined rare company after his colleagues’ rebuke; and a haughty legislative leader whose pursuit of pure power led to his downfall.
 
While they weren’t the first to face public fervor, federal charges, or falls from grace, history instructs they won’t be the last. Tales of corruption and government officials in Tennessee are as old as the state itself.
 
 
Foreword by Governor Bill Haslam
Cast of Characters
Introduction
Chapter One: From “Miracle Man” to “Pardon Me Ray”
Chapter Two: The Butcher Collapse
Chapter Three: Operation Rocky Top
Chapter Four: John Ford and the Tennessee Waltz
Chapter Five: Representative Pants Candy
Chapter Six: Casada’s Crash Landing
Chapter Seven: Trouble with Campaign Cash
Epilogue: The Same Old Song
Appendix: Tennessee Lawmakers Behaving Badly
Notes
Resources

Sujets

• American Government
• Political Science
• Glen Casada
• Brian Kelsey
• Robin Smith
• Tennessee House of Representatives
• State
• Politics
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Vanderbilt University Press
• Date de parution: 15 août 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780826505866
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 19 Mo

Extrait

Welcome to Capitol Hill
Welcome to Capitol Hill
50 YEARS OF SCANDAL IN TENNESSEE POLITICS

Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig
Vanderbilt University Press
Nashville, Tennessee
Copyright 2023 by Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig
Published 2023 by Vanderbilt University Press
All rights reserved
First printing 2023
Photographs not otherwise credited are by Erik Schelzig.
Cover images: Gov. Ray Blanton (Bob Ray, Nashville Banner , image courtesy of Nashville Public Library, Special Collections); Tom Hensley (Dean Dixon, Nashville Banner , image courtesy of Nashville Public Library, Special Collections); Marie Ragghianti ( Nashville Banner , image courtesy of Nashville Public Library, Special Collections); Jake Butcher (Owen Cartwright, Nashville Banner , image courtesy of Nashville Public Library, Special Collections); John Ford (Larry McCormack, Nashville Banner , image courtesy of Nashville Public Library, Special Collections); Glen Casada (Erik Schelzig)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ebert, Joel, 1984 - author. | Schelzig, Erik, 1975 - author.
Title: Welcome to Capitol Hill : 50 years of scandal in Tennessee politics / Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig.
Description: Nashville, Tennessee : Vanderbilt University Press, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references
Identifiers: LCCN 2023008559 (print) | LCCN 2023008560 (ebook) | ISBN 9780826505859 (paperback) | ISBN 9780826505866 (epub) | ISBN 9780826505873 (adobe pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Political corruption -- Tennessee. | Politics and government -- Tennessee --History.
Classification: LCC JK5245 .E24 2023 (print) | LCC JK5245 (ebook) | DDC 364.1/32309768--dc23/eng/20230501
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023008559
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023008560
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Governor Bill Haslam
Cast of Characters
Introduction
ONE: From “Miracle Man” to “Pardon Me Ray”
TWO: The Butcher Collapse
THREE: Operation Rocky Top
FOUR: John Ford and the Tennessee Waltz
FIVE: Representative Pants Candy
SIX: Casada’s Crash Landing
SEVEN: Trouble with Campaign Cash
EPILOGUE: The Same Old Song
Appendix. Tennessee Lawmakers Behaving Badly
Notes
Resources
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE IDEA FOR THIS book emerged when Joel was working on a retrospective of the Rocky Top public corruption probe of the late 1980s. In searching for contemporary sources, it soon became clear that details of the scandal were quickly being lost to the march of time. Retirements of longtime statehouse reporters and the thinning of the Capitol press corps had led to an overall loss of institutional memory that we hope to combat by committing these events to print.
Our reporting has been informed by scores of interviews, public records, digitized newspaper records, and our own recollections from covering some of the more recent events as reporters. But we’ve also benefited from the osmotic effect of hearing firsthand accounts of major news events from longtime statehouse reporters like Rick Locker of the Memphis Commercial Appeal , Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News-Sentinel , and Andy Sher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press .
We leaned on our friend Dave Boucher, a fellow former political reporter for the Tennessean who had a major hand in breaking news about then state representative Jeremy Durham, for writing large portions of the chapter on the ousted lawmaker’s troubles. Former political blogger and current “flack” Adam Kleinheider, former Nashville Banner managing editor Tony Kessler, and Dave Eiznhamer provided invaluable feedback on early drafts of the book.
When we came up with the idea for the book—a first for both of us—we didn’t know what to expect. But with boundless enthusiasm for the project, Betsy Phillips at Vanderbilt University Press helped us navigate through this complex but ultimately very rewarding process.
Finally, we’d like to extend our eternal thanks for the feedback, patience, and support of our spouses, Elaina and Tricia.
FOREWORD
GOVERNOR BILL HASLAM
IT MIGHT SEEM STRANGE TO YOU that a former politician is writing the foreword for a book written by two journalists who used to cover that politician. To be honest, it seems a little strange to me, too. The relationship between journalists and politicians is rarely a mutual admiration society. Erik Schelzig and Joel Ebert had a job to do in covering Tennessee state government for their publications. Stories about problems are typically more interesting than stories about things that are working well. The state of Tennessee has about forty thousand employees and a budget of around $40 billion per year. It was my job to help lead the state of Tennessee in the best way I could. So, often their job was to write about how I was performing my job. It would be fair to say that we didn’t always agree on how they were doing their jobs of critiquing how I was doing my job!
But this book had an interest to me for several reasons. First, I love history. I have always been fascinated by our ability to look back and trace the journey that led us to this point. We have to know the people, decisions, and events that have led us to where we are today. Today’s elected officials did not just get dropped into their positions in the opening act of today’s challenges. Democracy is like a long relay race with one set of elected officials handing the baton to the next. And just like in a track meet, sometimes you get the baton in an advantageous position, and sometimes you don’t. I love Tennessee and I am immensely proud of our state. I loved having the chance to lead the state that has been my home for my entire life. However, just like every other state, we have some not-so-great moments in our past. It is important that we know and remember those events as well as our good times.
Second, there is nothing like a book about things that have gone wrong to remind us how important it is to elect the right people. Our political world has become incredibly polarized and partisan. We are tempted to only look at an election through the lens of which candidate agrees with our views. But, having served fifteen years as a mayor and governor, I am more convinced than ever that we have to elect people of competence and character, and not just focus on whether or not they agree with everything we believe politically. At its heart, good government is about solving problems—and we all know that we have plenty of problems that need to be addressed by today’s leaders. It really does matter who we elect.
Leading in the public square has never been easy, but I honestly think that today’s public square might be the most difficult environment that we have seen. Social media and cable news have made for a bitter atmosphere. Too many people just want to make a point rather than making a difference. Yet the issues are only becoming more complex. We will make a bad mistake if we don’t pay full attention to the character of our leaders. This book is filled with good examples of what happens when we make bad choices.
Finally, while I might not have always liked everything that Erik and Joel wrote as journalists covering state government, I always knew how important it is to make certain that we have good journalists covering government, particularly state and local government. The rise of social media and cable television has changed the ways that all of us consume news. Because we have so many options, we now have the ability to choose the news that we want to see. No matter where we are on the political spectrum, there is social media commentary and a cable news channel that will fit our preference. One of the unfortunate byproducts of this is that, increasingly, people primarily look to national sources for their news.
When I first ran for Knoxville mayor in 2003, and when I ran for governor in 2010, most people still read their local newspaper and watched local television news. Today, more and more people get their news through social media or cable TV. This means that fewer and fewer people know what is happening in city councils, school board meetings, and state legislatures. So many decisions that impact our daily lives are made on the state and local level, but fewer of us are paying attention to those decisions. This is bad for our communities, our states, and our country.
Many of the scandals covered in this book were first unearthed by journalists from those local newspapers and TV stations. Maybe this book can be a reminder of how important it is for all of us to stay involved, not just in the national debate, but also in what is happening in our own backyard. Scandals can have a lot of results. I hope this book can be a reminder that good government matters and that good government starts with politicians who are more concerned about the people they serve than serving their own political ends.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
David Alexander,
state representative
Lamar Alexander,
governor
James Allen,
Blanton administration aide
Charles Anderson,
US attorney
Joe Armstrong,
state representative
Victor Ashe,
state senator
Ben Atchley,
state representative
Tom Atwood,
WKRN-TV reporter
Howard Baker Jr.,
US senator
Jackson Baker,
Memphis Flyer reporter
Scott Bascue,
Johnson Controls staffer
Dewey Batson,
murderer
Mae Beavers,
state senator
Charles Benson,
Blanton aide
Lark in Bibbs,
murderer
Marsha Blackburn, state senator,
congresswoman, US senator
Ray Blanton,
governor
William Blount,
US senator
Kathryn Bowers,
state representative
Phil Bredesen,
governor
Rob Briley,
state representative
Bill Brock,
US senator
Bailey Brown,
federal judge
Gordon Browning,
governor
Amanda Bunning,
American Conservative Union
Tommy Burks,
state senator
Tommy Burnett,
state representative
C. H. Butcher Jr.,
businessman
Jake Butcher,
gubernatorial candidate, businessman
Dav