‘An Easter miracle’: Justin Jones return to TN House treated as a ‘resurrection’ by MSNBC

Justin Jones, the Democratic state representative expelled for hijacking the Tennessee legislature last week, was reinstated and sworn in on Monday after the Nashville Metro Council voted unanimously to reinstate Jones after suspending its rules to allow for an immediate vote and forego a monthlong nomination period.

Returning to the floor like a conquering hero, Jones serves as the latest reminder that there are few if any consequences in America for the left when it comes to breaking rules — the dirty little secret here is that Jones remains a backbencher in the state House, which is composed of 73 Republicans and 26 Democrats.

“I want to welcome democracy back to the people’s house,” Jones said in a speech on the House floor. “I want to thank you all, not for what you did, but for awakening the people of this state, particularly the young people. Thank you for reminding us that the struggle for justice is fought and won in every generation.”

On MSNBC, his return on the day after Easter was literally treated as a second coming.

Mark Thompson, a civil rights activist, was at a rally outside the legislature where Jones signed the required documentation to return and he described the moment as a “resurrection.”

“The word is right. It’s jubilant. Last week they sent these two gentlemen home, but it’s Easter weekend. So they’ve been resurrected. They’re back in their seats. And whatever the Republicans here were up to has been thwarted for now,” Thompson said.

MSNBC guest host Melissa Murray chimed in to continue the resurrection theme, saying “This is an Easter miracle of sorts, the resurrection of the political careers of these two men, or what will be two men if Memphis does the same thing.”

The other Democrat expelled for commandeering the legislature, Justin Pearson, is also expected to get his seat back as well in what proves to be an unforced error on the part of the Republican Party for not seeing this play out as it did and for handing Democrats the opportunity to make the expulsions about race when they voted NOT to expel a third Democrat, who was a white woman — Jones and Pearson are black.

“We’re seeing history now in real-time,” Thompson said as Jones signed the documents. “It’s jubilant—an incredible feeling right here.”

“It truly is a multiracial coalition,” Murray said, sounding like a true believer. “There are people of every age, every ethnic group this is truly a multiracial democracy in action.”

“It certainly is and that’s because gun violence touches everyone, and what the Republicans didn’t expect was this type of reaction, this type of backlash. You could not get a flight into Nashville today,” Thompson said. “The masses were coming here. As a result, I think the Republicans came to their senses, they couldn’t block them out. They just couldn’t do it because people were going to converge on Nashville. We were on the verge of literally another Million Man March in Nashville so this is big and as Representative [Harold] Love said to us earlier, they appeal to the speaker’s sensibilities and saying to him, ‘You don’t want this smoke. This is bigger than you can imagine.’”

Hand-gifted, courtesy of an outplayed GOP.

Tom Tillison

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