Tennessee GOP Chairman Says Democrats Should Send A ‘Decontamination Crew’ To Occupy Nashville

Occupy Nashville has been remarkably resilient, surviving multiple attempts by Gov. Bill Haslam (R-TN) to evict their encampment — as police continue to arrest protesters and local judicial officials continue to dismiss the arrest warrants of protesters. They’ve even started to net the support of Democratic Party officials. State Rep. Mike Stewart (D) visited the protesters over the weekend and attacked Haslam for trying to shut down protesters’ free speech rights.

Now, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney has sent out a bizarre e-mail obtained by ThinkProgress declaring that Democrats should pay for a “decontamination crew” for Occupy Nashville:

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney issued the following statement in response to Democrat leaders aligning themselves with “Occupy Nashville” protestors. “It is astonishing that Tennessee Democrats are defending ‘Occupy Nashville.’ If the Democrats want to associate themselves with this bunch, more power to them; but I think it shows how out of touch they are with everyday Tennesseans. Their real focus should be President Obama and protesting his lack of leadership on the economy and jobs. Maybe on top of the pizzas they’ve offered to purchase, they might also offer to pay for the decontamination crew.

It is unclear why Devaney thinks his juvenile attack on a movement so many Americans support is productive in any way. Perhaps he should focus on addressing their concerns of economic inequality and lack of opportunity instead of engaging in these antics.