Roy Exum
The National Review, by its own definition, is "America's most widely read and influential magazine and website for conservative news, commentary, and opinion." On Tuesday, in an online article written by David French, the headline read, “Tennessee Voters Have a Chance to Oust a Disaster of a Congressman” and the article’s signature line was, “Cleaning Scott DesJarlais out of Congress would be an act of public hygiene.”
Of course, today the voters of Tennessee’s fourth congressional district will go to the polls from up near Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Shelbyville, almost to Chattanooga, and every hamlet in between to choose between DesJarlais – running for a fourth term – and an upstart Vanderbilt-trained lawyer, Grant Starrett.
It’s no secret I have absolutely no respect for DesJarlais, especially after his up-close shenanigans with the contemptible “Big Lick” faction of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, but the National Review’s French claims the voters in Tennessee’s Fourth District are now “represented by arguably the worst man in Congress.”
French writes, “In office DesJarlais has combined opportunism with ineffectiveness. His scandal-ridden past makes him skittish on pro-life issues … and he goes where the political winds blow. When the Tea Party was in fashion, he proclaimed himself to be one of the most conservative members of Congress. Earlier this year, however, he was one of the first Congressmen on the Trump train. Conservative? Trumpulist? He’s what he needs to be to survive.”
French claims to know Starrett. “I met him when he worked with Mitt Romney in 2012 and again when he was a conservative activist at Vanderbilt Law School. He’s conservative, intelligent, has far more political experience than most people twice his age and – critically – he’s a person of energy and integrity. Conservative (leaders) …have lined up to argue Starrett would be a vast improvement over DesJarlais.”
The writer claims DesJarlais’ past … “a past he worked hard to conceal from the public – redefined sordid.” The writer also pointed out DesJarlais “is taking advantage of America’s increasing callousness to scandal and immunity to shame. In other words, DesJarlais owes a great debt to Bill and Hillary Clinton for his seat.”
Oh my mercy! The National Review article was relentless.
So what about Starrett, who has outspent DesJarlais three-to-one in the campaign? “He is young and he’s not from Tennessee (he grew up in California). DesJarlais has done his best to paint him as out of touch – a rich kid trying to buy a Congressional seat,” French wrote.
“Starrett, for his part, has responded by knocking on thousands of doors (he claimed his team has knocked on more than 100,000 doors in the district), meeting families at countless ‘house parties’ and focusing on the nation’s ‘moral, fiscal, and constitutional crisis.’”
In the article, French contends there are tens of thousands in Tennessee “who haven’t had multiple affairs, pressed women into having abortions, or committed medical-ethics violations. DesJarlais is not the district's best representative. He’s not even a decent representative. He adds nothing to the district except trouble. He’s an object of scorn and mockery from coast to coast.”
Whew! The way French has it figured is that whoever wins today’s primary, the victor will waltz in the November election. “Barring an extraordinary turns of events, the Democratic nominee is likely to lose to either DesJarlais or Starrett by 20 points. So voters have, in theory, the luxury of choosing the best available Republican to represent their interests, not the most electable.”
He writes, “Inertia and incumbency are not sufficient reasons to keep a man in Congress,” and that the voters “deserve to be represented by a politician with the ability to lead, a person who can, free from a cloud of hypocrisy, face down the president of Planned Parenthood. The voters can do better. They have a better choice. Cleaning Scott DesJarlais out of Congress would be an act of public hygiene. On August 4, please vote, and please send Mr. Starrett to Washington.”
My thoughts to the very word.
royexum@aol.com