James Bedford Forrest Crow III Well, you can’t accuse Tennessee Republicans of not being transparent about their contempt for democracy (The Tennessean): The House Democratic caucus on Monday walked off the floor of the lower chamber to protest a disciplinary vote against Rep. Justin Jones, sparking a scene remarkably similar to legislative protests earlier this year in which the freshman Democrat was expelled from the General Assembly. Lawmakers voted 70-20 to discipline Jones, D-Nashville, after House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, twice ruled Jones out of order during the House floor session Monday afternoon for what Sexton saw as Jones speaking off topic on the bills at hand. The disciplinary vote meant Jones was silenced for the remainder of the floor session, though he could cast votes. A second vote during this special session could lead to a three-day silencing. The Democratic caucus left the floor en masse in what they said was solidarity and frustration with unfair application of House rules. It’s not as if Jones, a freshman since April, is trying to maintain a low profile. Jones came to play, in sportscaster-speak, not to sit at the kiddies’ table. (Or should we say, at the back of the bus?) Jones declared earlier Monday morning his intention to call a no-confidence vote in Sexton. “The House is out of order under Cameron Sexton’s leadership. This is very disheartening, this is very troubling. This is a step toward authoritarianism, and we should all be troubled by this,” Jones said. “Our Democratic…