Pay Attention to Tennessee

Part 1: Red State, Blue City

The 2024 Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee. This unremarkable event is noteworthy because Milwaukee was the GOP’s second choice after Nashville, the capital of country music, bachelorette parties, and the demonization of drag queens.

In August 2022 Nashville voted 22-10 not to approve a contract for the 2024 GOP Convention. This angered the GOP Governor and legislative leaders, who accused Nashville’s Metro Council of “incompetence” and bad faith, sending “a clear message that they are not interested in national conventions and the revenue such events yield. They do not wish to serve as ambassadors for our state.”

As I write these lines, the Tennessee Legislature is voting to expel three (3) members who participated in a gun control protest following the March 29, 2023 Covenant School Shooting which killed six (6) people.