I've been busy and haven't been able to keep up, but there's a lot going on Tennessee politics today. Here's a roundup:

• TN House Speaker Kent Williams was kicked out of the Republican Party, erasing the GOP majority in the House. Hilarity ensued. For just a small sampling of the reaction, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

• While the TNGOP was self destructing, the Tennessee Democratic Party was getting busy. Here's today's Liberadio(!) interview with new TNDP Chair Chip Forrester. Well worth a listen, but to summarize: he's sharp, he's articulate, he's been around the block a few times and knows the drill but also has some new ideas. So relax, he's got this. Oh, and he sent a shout out to our U.S. Senators re. the stimulus bill. Oh, and Nashville NPR had this on the Tennessee progressive bloggers' "Chip in" blogathon.

• Meanwhile up in the statehouse, Republicans are planning to shut down any bill that would require spending (because of the economy, you know), and focus instead on their conservative social agenda. Which won't cost taxpayers anything other than making us less attractive to businesses seeking an educated work force, sending more families who can't get health care to taxpayer funded emergency rooms, and shifting more of the burden to local governments. Be afraid.

• Finally, Gov. Bredesen's State of the State address tonight will not address the state's budget. Gov. Bredesen is apparently waiting to hear from President Obama on whether the state will receive nearly $4 billion in federal help. That would be the same Gov. Bredesen who, during the general election, told President (and then candidate) Obama not to not waste his time on Tennessee. OK, then.