Chuck Fleischmann’s expensive and mostly impersonal effort last year to succeed the retiring Zach Wamp in Congress promised a lot. The winning Chuck for Congress campaign touted the candidate’s knowledge, experience and willingness to work hard for Tennessee’s 3rd District. The implication, of course, was that Chuck would be man of action in Congress. Not so. Fleischmann the Republican congressman doesn’t quite match the portrait proffered by Fleischmann the candidate.
The rookie representative has kept a low profile since assuming office in January. He’s quietly voted a strict and conservative party line, but he’s shown little initiative. He clearly prefers to react to events and issues rather than originate or promote them. That’s certainly not what he promised district voters.
He promised to act decisively and quickly for the district. Yet he waited until last Tuesday to introduce his first piece of legislation – a bill to roll back what he calls an unfunded mandate on Tennessee counties to update highway signs. Even that was barely original.
Fleischmann joined Scott DesJarlais, a fellow Republican and first-term Tennessee 4th District representative, to sponsor the House bill, which matches legislation introduced by Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker in the Senate. The bill, incidentally, also was the first introduced by DesJarlais.
Fleischmann, to his credit, does his duty chores. According to a group that tracks such things, Fleischmann has not missed a single roll call – almost 500 – since taking office. That’s commendable, but akin to receiving an attendance award in school. It’s what an elected official does with his or her vote rather than the casting of it that is important.