Video: Sen. Gardenhire curses at Insure TN supporter

WARNING: PROFANE LANGUAGE IN VIDEO

Heated arguments in state politics are nothing new, but Democrats and supporters of Insure Tennessee accuse Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, of taking things too far.

In a video posted to YouTube Wednesday, the senator seemingly calls an Insure Tennessee supporter a name.

"Why don't you give it up, a------," Gardenhire said in the video.

The person asks Gardenhire about whether he'll give up his state-sponsored health insurance, a benefit offered to all state senators. Gardenhire was one of six senators to vote against Insure Tennessee, the governor's controversial health plan, during a special legislative session earlier this year.

Gardenhire originally said he was on private insurance, but a report from The Associated Press showed that he was signed up for state health insurance. He's one of several lawmakers to take public criticism for opposing Insure Tennessee, a plan to provide hundreds of thousands of low income Tennesseans with federally subsidized health insurance, while receiving publicly financed health insurance.

In the video, a man asks Gardenhire if he'll give up his health insurance. Subtitles in the video say Gardenhire says "not giving it up" but it sounds like he says "why don't you give it up."

Wednesday morning Gardenhire told the Chattanooga Times Free Press he was angry the man followed him to the bathroom.

"When a guy follows you into the bathroom and starts shouting at you, he's lucky I only called him by his first name," Gardenhire told the Free Press.

The senator joined five of his GOP colleagues Tuesday afternoon in voting down the latest iteration of Insure Tennessee.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.