Nashville Refused to Host GOP Convention as Against Their ‘Values’: GOP Gets Cold-Blooded Revenge

Ah, now we might have the actual explanation for the story I did earlier today on the Tennessee state legislature renaming a good portion of “John Lewis Way” to “President Donald Trump Blvd” in Nashville. The genesis is that Nashville is a very cool city, with an impossible-to-match music history (Only New Orleans can compete), a modern high-tech industry, the Harvard of the South in Vanderbilt, and the modern look with the NFL’s Titans and the NHL’s Predators. All of which adds up to a city, ergo, mostly liberal, especially for Tennessee.

So when the GOP came calling to put their national convention in Nashville, the city of Nashville said, “Nah, we’ve got a bit of a values clash. Please find somewhere else,” that did not go over well with the Tennessee legislature, which – like all respectable red state legislatures, is gerrymandered AF to be red as blood. Ironically, the legislature is after blood now that the city has turned it down. From The AP:

The latest statehouse backlash stems back to last summer when Nashville’s metro council spiked a plan to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to the city. Progressive leaders argued that hosting the massive Republican gathering would go against the city’s values. Others expressed hesitation toward tying up so many city resources — particularly for an event that residents largely wouldn’t attend.

Lawmakers have been swift in filing bills that offer retribution. Legislation has been introduced that would slash Nashville’s 40-member city council in half. A separate bill would give the state control of the governing board for the city’s airport, stadiums, and other landmarks, while another proposal would remove Nashville’s ability to charge the tax that funds its convention center.

And yes, the article states that the legislature has already moved on changing John Lewis Way to Trump Blvd.

This is more than a little frightening. Nashville is considered a small blue oasis in a sea of red Tennessee (Along with Knoxville), and – of course, it is. I listed all the reasons above. For the state to come in and practically hijack anything that required some state money is quasi-constitutional, and no doubt, some of this will be ruled unconstitutional, whether under Tennessee’s Constitution or the federal Constitution.

But the utter punitive nature, the cold-blooded revenge, the “we will decide for you, you must heed big red…” is terrifying because now try to imagine it in just about any other context. It doesn’t need to be a party convention. What if Boise decides to hold a gay pride convention downtown, but the Idaho legislature doesn’t like it? What if Madison, Wisconsin, says it will welcome the Democratic national convention but not the Republican?

This is the new authoritarianism of the Trump MAGA GOP. If you can punish someone, you not only should, but you must. And if you have any remaining questions as to “How red” Tennessee is at its core? They’re willing to give up over a billion in federal education money to avoid those pesky constitutional things having to do with race and all…

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton [photo] appeared here earlier this week when he proposed refusing $1.8 billion in federal education funds so that the state would be freed from anti-discrimination oversight and could further its Christian indoctrination goals in public schools.

Republican lawmakers have introduced a string of proposals that local officials warn would drastically upend Music City. https://t.co/Ai7ZwfXB2i

— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) February 10, 2023

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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, SUBSTACK: MUCH LEFT ADO