Tennessee Governor Bill Lee may say the state of the State of Tennessee is strong, but some members of the audience made it clear, they don’t agree. During several parts Monday evening, the Governor had to speak over hecklers in the gallery.
The outbursts began when the Governor highlighted his school choice proposal. Hear what they had to say in the video above.
“It’s time that we let parents decide, and not the government, where their child goes to school and what they learn,” said Gov. Lee, which was met with a chorus of boos and cheers.
“We can give parent’s choice and support public schools at the same time,” said Lee, which also featured shouts and boos from the gallery.
Troopers stood by watching, but never removed any hecklers. At one point Lee tried to calm the crowd.
“Civility is a strength, it is not a weakness,” he said, which was a call back to a line he extemporaneously said last year, and it quieted the crowd.
It wasn’t successful this year. As the jeers continued, another frustrated member of the audience could be heard saying, “Let the Governor speak, uninterrupted, please!”