I just did perhaps my personally lengthiest post on the ethics issue in Tennessee over at BillHobbs.com. I have largely not addressed the issue on MooreThoughts as it seems there is more than enough blog coverage as it stands.

It also worth noting that most individuals watching the legislative Democrats like hawks are from the major newspapers in the state or are politically astute bloggers, with a marked concentration in Middle Tennessee. I have spoken with reliable Republican office holders, field reps, volunteers, etc., across the state, and contrary to the hopes of many (including me), it does not appear that most corners of the state give a spit in the bucket about the ethics issues affecting the legislature.

I am afraid that if Republican candidates outside the Nashville media market focus too much of their campaign on the ethical deficiencies of the Democrats, we will lose our immediate opportunity to take back the government. Ethics is an important issue that needs to be addressed, but it’s not something we can run on statewide and expect to win back the General Assembly. At least not now. If the Democrats continue to act like a bunch of noncompliant children, merely content to wipe the counter than scrub, that could change. I’m not sure it will.

Of course, contrary to some current talk, the best ethics proposal right now is not going to come out of any joint committee. Real ethics reform will happen when Republicans control both the state house and senate. There’s more than one way to make Jimmy Naifeh’s wife unemployable.