News · Press Release

“The Constitution is Clear”: Conservative Republican Blasts Ogles for Bending the Knee, Abandoning Local Law Enforcement

“As a conservative and a federalist, I kindly remind Ogles that the State of Tennessee is fully capable of handling its own affairs without federal intervention.”
Bipartisanship is alive and well in Tennessee when it comes to being sick and tired of vulnerable GOP Congressman Andy Ogles, who recently faced large protests and disagreement on both sides of the aisle at a town hall event over his vote to pass the Big, Ugly Law and throw millions of Americans off of their health care.

Now, Ogles is facing even more blowback. In a new piece for The Tennessean, conservative columnist Cameron Smith is torching Ogles for calling for a federal takeover of the city of Nashville, the community he was ostensibly elected to protect and defend.

Speaking as a “conservative and a federalist,” Smith takes Ogles to task for “asking [Trump] to engage in conduct that runs afoul of the Constitution.”

Read the column for yourself:
  • There are two kinds of Republicans in Washington these days: those who are sworn to support the Constitution and those who prioritize allegiance to another politician. US Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) seems to be particularly confused as to which camp he belongs.
  • “We don’t just need the National Guard in Memphis, send them to Nashville,” Ogles recently posted. “Comrade O’Connell is using the city as an outpost for international gangs to set up shop in our neighborhoods.”
  • As a conservative and a federalist, I kindly remind Ogles that the State of Tennessee is fully capable of handling its own affairs without federal intervention. If we don’t like how our state and local leaders are handling crime, we vote them out or live with the consequences.
  • During a recent interview on the Matt Murphy Show, Ogles said he hasn’t called Gov. Bill Lee to ask him to activate the National Guard. So, to be clear, instead of working within the proper constitutional framework, he’s broadcasting a message to the president and asking him to engage in conduct that runs afoul of the Constitution. When pressed on the issue by Murphy, Ogles generically stated that we need to come up with solutions that “respect the Constitution” without explaining how his call for the National Guard would do that.
The Constitution is clear on use of the US military, even if Ogles isn’t
  • For conservatives, this isn’t a close call. We’ve long fought against the “command and control” politics emanating from our nation’s capital. Why on earth should we stop now? Tennessee is a sovereign government, with its own duly elected officials who are authorized to intervene if they believe that Nashville, Memphis or any other city is unable to handle its own law enforcement.
  • The Constitution is clear on this: the federal government is not, and should not be, an all-powerful entity. The Tenth Amendment clearly states that powers not expressly granted to the federal government are reserved to the states. Either we believe in the Constitution’s structure of dual sovereigns and limited powers, or we do not.
Instead of currying Trump’s favor, Ogles should protect our republic
  • Lee has already shown that he is more than willing to activate the National Guard to deal with matters he deems necessary, such as with immigration enforcement, and he has even been willing to send Tennessee troops to DC when asked.
  • It’s easy to say “Make America Great Again,” but we can’t do that when representatives are torn between their allegiance to a political figure and their oath to the Constitution. The Constitution, with its system of checks and balances and its respect for the power of the states, made America great in the first place.

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