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cindy devin's avatar

it will be a long shot. bill isn't going to want to get shut down twice. he accepted around $5 mil in outside money to shape the republican primaries to back his voucher plan - it paid off. he wants this bad as his legacy and indications are that sexton will push it through this time, even though most are not in favor. it's been a long time since the tn gop supermajority has represented its constituents. too bad tn doesn't allow ballot initiatives. they've got dissent locked down. congratulations kentucky and superhero andy beshear! thinking how great bill haslam was in comparison to lee. he understood the value of public education...

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Andy Spears's avatar

Agree - Lee is persistent - and losing on this two sessions in a row would be a huge setback for him in the eyes of his donors (and DeVos) - Lee likely wants a U.S. Senate seat - he also has succeeded in every other signature initiative (private roads being the latest) - he'll pull out all the stops on vouchers. That said, defending and supporting public schools may offer an opening for Dems in some areas.

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Rachel Baldes's avatar

One good thing is better than none, but I'm not looking forward to another DeVos.

And this is unrelated to education but I'm assuming that here in Louisville the LMPD/FOP will continue to drag their heels on the consent decree and our wretched mayor will let them and then in January the entire DOJ report situation will be abandoned permanently with zero accountability. Am I being too pessimistic?

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Andy Spears's avatar

I think you are exactly right about the DOJ situation and Louisville. I fear there will be a range of repercussions we have not fully anticipated - and the impact will last most of the rest of my lifetime.

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Rachel Baldes's avatar

Same. It's hard to decide if I'm more angry, worried, frustrated or disappointed. All the bad feelings pretty much.

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Glenn Munson's avatar

Give the Tennessee GOP second thoughts about vouchers? You must be kidding. They don’t care what the people want.

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Andy Spears's avatar

Oh, I have no illusions about William Lamberth or Jack Johnson or Bill Lee - just noting that actual voters are rejecting their signature idea - maybe a hint for the TNDP to focus on schools and be bold.

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