By Victor Ashe
knoxnews.com-Congressman Tim Burchett is no longer the likable, down-to-earth, funny person he was as state senator and county mayor. He has become Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s best teammate. He seldom asks folks in East Tennessee how he should vote.
Burchett voted Oct. 3 with seven other Republicans to oust U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. The other 210 Republicans voted to keep McCarthy, but Burchett joined all the Democrats and leapt into the unknown. It brought the House to a total stop while wars are raging in the Middle East and Ukraine.
There also could be a government shutdown in late November that will leave border guards and military service members without pay.
What has changed?
Not only did Burchett ally himself with the narcissistic nihilist Gaetz, but he has now isolated himself from almost all 435 members of Congress who want nothing to do with him.
The 200-plus Democrats are not his friends and the other 210 Republicans who backed McCarthy view him as unreliable, inconsistent and someone to avoid.
He cannot get co-sponsors on legislation. Our district now has a congressman whose effectiveness has been neutered by both parties.
What Tim Burchett's vote to oust McCarthy as speaker could mean for his political future
In terms of accomplishing anything, our district is no longer adequately represented. His ability to pass legislation is limited or nonexistent.
Burchett tried to make amends, even offering to be expelled from the House GOP caucus or censured if it would unite the party around Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as speaker.
How ridiculous that was. The damage has been done. He already abandoned 95% of the House GOP when he voted to oust McCarthy, and many didn't even believe the sincerity of the offer, seeing it as a ploy to put one of their preferred people into the speaker's role.
If you read Burchett's emails raising campaign funds, they are often ugly, mean and personal attacks on President Joe Biden, members of Biden's Cabinet and other leading Democrats.
I consider them embarrassing in their tone. I often disagree with Biden, but I do not respond with personal attacks on him like former president Donald Trump and Burchett do.
Burchett never did this in the legislature or as mayor. He was not that type of person. He disagreed with former school Superintendent Jim McIntyre while being agreeable. He engaged in civil discourse.
No longer!
He was even one of only 40 House members to vote against the anti-Asian discrimination legislation, which more than 340 members supported. That is a huge majority of both parties. We have a significant Asian American community here, and important economic and national security ties to many Asian nations.
He has declined to meet personally with Ukrainians who live in our area even as their country stands up to aggression so America and NATO do not have to put their militaries in harm's way. He has never visited Ukraine.
While he says he supports Israel, his vote to oust McCarthy made it impossible for three weeks to pass aid for Israel until Mike Johnson was elected speaker.
Knoxville’s Jewish community backs Ukraine but Burchett does not. His views give encouragement to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Sen. Marsha Blackburn calls evil.
Burchett wants to burn it all down
It appears Burchett would rather shut down the Congress than accomplish anything constructive. How did ousting McCarthy help our nation?
Burchett has been adopted and co-opted by the Matt Gaetzes of this world. He obviously never considered what the consequences of his vote would be, and now he cannot undo or repair the damage.
Not one GOP congressman from Tennessee joined him in removing McCarthy – not even the conservative firebrand Andy Ogles.
Many wonder what has happened to Tim, including me.
One suspects that Jimmy Matlock, who lost to Burchett in the 2018 Republican primary, would not have made the same mistakes if he had been elected.