I meant to say something about this the other day but couldn't find the time.  One of our local state representatives from Knoxville has made a national name for himself by going after the Black Legislative Caucus in Nashville.  Now Mr. Campfield being very white, very conservative Republican and not too smart not only tried to create some sort of controversy about the Black Legislative Caucus' bylaws and finances, he pushed the envelope and became flabbergasted that he couldn't become a member and then felt the need to remark that the KKK was a more inclusive group then the Tennessee Black Legislative Caucus.    When I read it I thought that there probably wasn't anything preventing Campfield from founding a KKK caucus but I digress. 

I bring up Rep. Campfield because he typifies something I hate about politics nowadays which is the childish perpetual bomb-throwing politician less interested in representing his district or state and more interested in clownish stunts meant to prove some broader political point.  For example, while we were home in Minnesota last summer, the state legislature was deadlocked with Gov. Pawlenty on a budget and the state faced a government shut-down.  Now there were all manner of negotiations happening but for some reason Republicans in the House and Senate felt that it would be much more effective to go after the Democratic Senate Majority leader and did so by placing a small futon outside his office where a revolving cast of Republican politicians slept, ate and stood watch 24/7.  For the life of me I couldn't quite see what they were trying to accomplish nor did most Minnesotans and of course the state government shut down during the 4th of July weekend.  Mission accomplished, I guess?  

Frankly I hate it when either party resorts to stunts reminiscent of campus radical pranks from the 60's, but I must ask:  do the RNC or College Republican have seminars on this kind of thing?  I know everybody got a kick out of them when Newt Gingrich was leading the party into the majority but when do you turn it off and actually govern?