Tennessee State House Democrats Pull Off Speaker Coup

From Indecision 2008…

This week, the Tennessee State House elected its first Republican Speaker of the House in 40 years, and they could not have done it without the support of every Democrat in the body and only one Republican:

Acting in a clandestine pact, the 49 Democrats in

Tennessee’s House shocked Nashville just one hour ago by nominating and

then voting en masse for Kent Williams (a moderate Republican from

Elizabethton in Carter County) for Speaker to lead the 99-member

chamber. The official Republican nominee, Jason Mumpower (a wingnut

from Bristol in Sullivan County) was left speechless, clutching the

family bible that he had brought in preparation for taking the

Speaker’s oath of office.

This really is amazing. Just a jaw-dropping and cleverly executed

upset that no one saw coming. It's the kind of thing only ever happens

in movies, so Tennesseans would probably by wise to keep a look out for

Cloverfields.

(via Balloon Juice who has video)