Cooper: Weary of selective political scolding

Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini speaks at the Tennessee Democratic Party's annual Jackson Day fundraiser in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, October 23, 2015.
Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini speaks at the Tennessee Democratic Party's annual Jackson Day fundraiser in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, October 23, 2015.

The problem with pointing your finger is there are always three fingers pointing back at you.

On Monday, Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini demanded not only the resignation of Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham but also those of House Speaker Beth Harwell, Republican House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick of Chattanooga and GOP House Caucus Chairman Glen Casada of Franklin.

photo Chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party Mary Mancini

She vented her fury over the case of Durham, a Williamson County legislator whose repeated instances of inappropriate behavior - though no formal charges have been filed against him - have resulted in calls from even some in his party for him to resign from the legislature.

Mancini made no such requests when a member of her party, state Rep. Joe Armstrong, was charged last June with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, tax evasion and lying on tax forms.

Indeed, the Knoxville legislator, a 28-year veteran of the body and a past president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, is still serving in the General Assembly in Nashville and recently had his trial delayed for a second time.

Armstrong's crime, according to published accounts, was hiding profits from the IRS in an unethical buy-low, sell-high cigarette stamp scheme.

The legislator, according to U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley, didn't want voters to learn he was using his position to line his pockets.

However, Armstrong is innocent until proven guilty. Durham is certainly troubled (with, among other things, allegations of sexual harassment), paranoid (blaming his problems on the media) and probably should resign for his own good, but, at least for now, doesn't have to say he's innocent until proven guilty.

Mancini, though, also wanted to take down Harwell, McCormick and Casada for letting the Durham problem linger and for creating a toxic atmosphere for women at the state Capitol.

By all rights, the three Republican legislators have done nothing to exacerbate the situation and, in fact, have done what they could to find the truth.

Since June, while remaining silent about Armstrong, Mancini found time to issue news releases saying happy birthday to President Obama, to slam Republican presidential primary opponents when they visited the state 15 months before the November presidential election, and to rip Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for marketing the state internationally.

Her selective communiques neither move the party nor the state forward and only remind voters exactly what they dislike about politics.

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