Per the usual, Tom Humphrey gets all the best quotes! From Humphrey:

“I don’t trust Republicans,” said Rep. Henry Fincher, D-Cookeville, during a stormy meeting of the House Democratic Caucus. “My heart says it’s not right to deal with them.”

“I say we kick their ass and be done with it,” Fincher said. “If we give into them now, we’ll be giving in to them the rest of the session and the next one.”

You’re heart says it’s not right? What the heck?! Democrats don’t trust Republicans? You mean the Tennessee Democrats? The party you can trust–you know the party of indicted Senator Ward Crutchfield, currently on trial Senator Jerry Cooper, convicted former Senator John Ford, indicted former Senator Kathryn Bowers, thug and dictator Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, indicted former Sen. Roscoe Dixon, admitted recipient and then “returner” of bribes Rep. Lois Deberry….

You mean Democrats you can trust?

Please, be real.

And this from the king of telling-it-like-it is, Rep. Frank Nicely:

Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, called the bill amounted to “raising taxes for social engineering” and was also unnecessary because the state is enjoying a revenue surplus.

“If you vote for a tax increase with a billion dollar surplus, you’re a tax-and-spend liberal – I don’t care which side of the aisle you’re on,” said Niceley.

Amen, brother! And this interesting failed amendment from Rep. Campfield:

Republican amendments ranged from one by Rep. Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, that would earmark funds raised from the cigarette tax to lowering the current sales tax on groceries to one by Rep. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, to declare that all money from the tax must be spent on education.

If Bredesen is passing a tax increase for education, as every news outlet across the state has reported, why not accept an amendment that actually requires it to go for education?