With the conclusion of this year’s legislative session it is time to dish out the Winners and Losers awards.

WINNERS

1. AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY - TENNESSEE. Continuing their winning run from the Special Session, AFP TN helped insure, no pun intended, that Insure Tennessee was dealt a second death blow in the first quarter of the year. The Governor is being egged on by the Tennessean to make a third try for the expansion of Obamacare this year with a second Special Session, but the Tennessean’s hysterical daily diatribes don’t seem to be moving many legislators towards embracing Obamacare. But AFP also chalked up wins in reducing the reach of the Hall Tax, providing vouchers to special needs kids for enhanced educational opportunities, and of course the repeal of Common Core (including stripping the Governor of appointing 100% of the review panel establishing new standards, which would have been a rubber stamp of the OLD standards), among other issues that drew their attention. As the beginning of primary season looms in just about 12 months, the impact of AFP is not likely to decline heading towards 2016.

2. FEDEX. While the State of Tennessee poor mouths the revenue stream available to fix potholes in roads and other infrastructure needs the Governor and Legislature had no problem providing a $20 million dollar a year (or more) tax break to Memphis-based FedEx. Hmmm, did the fact that FedEx CEO Fred Smith sits on the board of Pilot/Flying J have anything to do with the massive gift to the Governor’s business ally? Surely not. But when the Governor tries to raise gas taxes on Tennesseans who drive to work, soccer practice and the grocery store next year you can bet that legislators who voted to CUT fuel taxes for FedEx will be asked why they are working to RAISE fuel taxes on working Tennesseans who don’t happen to be part of the billionaire boys club.

3. INSURE TENNESSEE LOBBYISTS. The expansion of Obamacare scheme has been the gift that keeps on giving for the massive pack of lobbyists hired by hospitals, Chamber groups, and others who will reap massive financial rewards (and big bonuses if they follow the Erlanger model) from the billion dollar slush fund that Haslam has promised won’t cost Tennessee taxpayers “one dime”. Those clients have been willing to spend unlimited amounts of money on the same lobbying team that has produced embarrassing back to back losses. This is the kind of lobbying annuity that the “wine in grocery stores” group parlayed into years of profitable defeats. But even they couldn’t envision a gold mine like the Insure Tennessee campaign with millions being spent by the same folks pleading poverty keeps them from serving the uninsured, thus earning a bonus ranking for hypocrisy to boot. As long as they rake in the big bucks for their losing efforts you sure can’t rank them as losers!

4. HOUSE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS. Although only recently exposed publicly, and hopefully they really are kidding about the nudity thing, the growing group of House conservative legislators who have begun to organize their efforts have already had a huge impact on Capitol Hill, including the repeal of Common Core. The lasting impact of Billy Spivey’s “epiphany” that produced the deal that killed Common Core in the House with a 97-0 vote, despite the millions spent by SCORE and Tennesseans for Student Success to promote the Obamacore agenda, has still not been fully realized by the mainstream media. But those in the know recognize that there may be more examples of the conservatives acting like the majority they are in next year’s legislative session; much to the chagrin of the Establishment Republicans who will likely find their grip on power waning.

5. TENNESSEE BLACK CAUCUS. The Democratic Caucus in the House and Senate now has a majority of African Americans in both houses. Despite that fact, the Teachers’ union (TEA) has continued to give the overwhelming majority of their donations to Democrat candidates to WHITE Democrats, to the tune of about 87%. Why does being shut out of TEA money by Jim Wrye and his team make them winners? Because the likelihood that TEA will be forced to even out the money in the next twelve months leading up to the 2016 elections means it is “make it rain” time for the Black Caucus!! All together now: “SHOW ME THE MONEY!!”

TOMORROW: THE LOSERS.