Tennessee question, why did Kurita vote with the GOP to organize the Senate?

[Hippo_Tron]

I thought Kurita was supposed to be the progressive alternative to Harold Ford in the US Senate primary. Why did she vote with the Republicans to get rid of Wilder and let the GOP have the Senate?

Can anyone explain this?

[ShaneGR]

1. Because Kurita was never a progressive....

Not even close. Some of the more aggressive progressives simply made that up because the bottom line was they didn't like Ford's moderate stances.

[SharonAnn]

2. And Wilder is far from a Progressive. He's conservative, mysogynistic, racist, etc.

He's sort of our Strom Thurmond of 50 years ago.

As disappointed as I am that we couldn't get a good Democrat Senate leader (and lt. Governor), Wilder wasn't it.

I think that if we don't hold the majority in the Senate (and we don't), and the best we can offer is Wilder, then we deserve to lose.

Kurita is Tennessee. Her district includes Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne(?). She's progressive on social issues and economic issues. She's a decent person.

In her place, I would've had a hard time voting for Wilder. I honestly don't think I could've done it because he's so awful.

What we need to do is to get a majority in the State Senate and run a decent person for Senate Leader.