You’d think with millions of dollars in corporate special interest dollars flooding into the Republican party’s bank accounts, they could spare a few hundred bucks for someone to check the “facts” before they blast voters with negative mail pieces…but you’d be wrong.
Across the state, Republicans have been falsely attacking Democrats as big spenders, tax raisers, or bestest buddies with President Barack Obama (because he’s apparently been secretly spending a lot of time in rural East Tennessee).
In one piece, the Republicans tried to attack former State Rep. Jim Hackworth as a someone who voted to “raise taxes on small businesses”. As ridiculous as the charge was in relation to the legislation referenced, the cherry on top was that the vote they cited was taken in May of 2002 – nearly 7 months before Jim Hackworth was elected for the first time! Yes, Republicans are so convinced that Jim Hackworth is bad for the district, that the most potent attack against him was a vote that he never even made.
Out in Green County, the Republicans have been working furiously to keep Rep. David Hawk – yes, that David Hawk – in office. He’s running up against former State Rep. Eddie Yokley who represented a different district but has been recently drawn into the new 5. Both Hawk and Yokley were in office at the same time, and as such, voted on some of the same bills. The problem? Republicans have taken to attacking Eddie Yokley for the same legislation that David Hawk voted for! One great example was a piece that said Eddie Yokley was voting to protect “illegal immigrants,” when in fact, ,the bill they cited (SB3430) was passed by 96 other Representatives, including Rep. Hawk.
It just shows to go, when Republicans are out of ideas, they will do anything and everything they can to hold onto power, truth be damned.
