Brother, Can You Spare A Dollar

28 Responses to “Brother, Can You Spare A Dollar”

1. Heatseeker writes
   February 6th, 2009 11:01 am

   Is that how desperate for money Chipper is? $3,200 gets you a seat at the table? Hey, Chipinista, you’re only $236,800 short of paying Chipper’s salary.

   I will also point out that I predicted this effort would max out around $3,500. The Chipinista have now totally blown their wad.

2. S-townMike writes
   February 6th, 2009 11:29 am

   What’s Chipinista? Is that like arugula?

3. GoldnI writes
   February 6th, 2009 11:46 am

   No, I think it’s something you eat with salsista or guacamolista.

4. autoegocrat writes
   February 6th, 2009 11:52 am

   Yep, Heatseeker, what has been collected here is all that remains of the last of all the money in the great state of Tennessee. All the couch cushions have been turned over, all the piggy banks broken. We don’t even have any money left over for ice cream. What will we ever do?

5. Noodles Sarducci writes
   February 6th, 2009 1:40 pm

   Well, Auto, maybe Haslam can let you borrow some dough. He has plenty.

   But look at it this, you guys raised almost as much as Kim McMillan did in what? Six months?

6. S-townMike writes
   February 6th, 2009 1:49 pm

   Up to $3,500 and counting.

   We have no money to fund this fundraising effort.

   We have no organization or party machinery.

   We had 3 days, our social networks, and the seats of our pants.

   Imagine what we could have done with a longer time horizon and a dedicated structure.

   Imagine what we might do in the future.

7. DG writes
   February 6th, 2009 2:01 pm

   The idea that this represents all the money that contributors can possibly donate can’t even make sense to the troll community.

8. Morpheus122 writes
   February 6th, 2009 2:39 pm

   DG, how much did previous small donor efforts in Tennessee take in? Over what time period?

9. morpheus120 writes
   February 6th, 2009 2:56 pm

   Methinks Morpheus122 must be a Republican.

   How do I know? He has to steal from me.

   Signed, Morpheus120

10. GoldnI writes
    February 6th, 2009 3:37 pm

    So which one is the real Morpheus? And what is The Matrix for that matter?

11. S-townMike writes
    February 6th, 2009 5:29 pm

    Pseudonymous Republicans wrong again: at the closing bell of the Chip In! campaign, $3,640 had been donated; not close to the $3,500 projections.

12. Heatseeker writes
    February 6th, 2009 6:22 pm

    Uhhhhh, dude, $3,640 is pretty much dead on a $3,500 projection.

    Oh, wait, I forgot. I’m dealing with the Chipinista, who have no perspective. You believe $3,500 is a whole lot of money raised, Jiminy Crickets!! And less than a hundred contributors is a whole lot. Way to go, Beave!!

    In that case, S-TownMathWhiz, $140 is WWWWAAAAAYYYY off base.

    You kiddies get an “A” for effort.

13. S-townMike writes
    February 6th, 2009 7:08 pm

    $3,719. The campaign is closed and and totes keep getting further on other side of the $3,500 “wad.”

    On a Friday night no less.

14. Heatseeker writes
    February 6th, 2009 10:21 pm

    Ooooooo, S-Town, you’re getting me hot. Triple your take and you’ve paid Chipper’s salary . . . FOR ONE MONTH.

    Bwahahahahaha. That just cracks me up.

15. Harrison writes
    February 7th, 2009 3:56 am

    This is, in a word, pathetic. Are the bloggers saying, after lo these many years of purported oppression, alienation and pent-up anger, that the best they can do is $3,700? That probably doesn’t even come close to half of the Party’s non-payroll monthly overhead (i.e. rent, utilities, parking, telecom, insurance, etc). Not to mention the ridiculously fat salary Chip wants to pay himself. How on Earth can the bloggers muster enough of these online bake sales to support a financially viable party. And by financially viable, I mean not bankrupt.

    Look, I admire what Ricky, Bobby, Annette, Eileen and the rest of the Mickey Mouse Club are trying to do here. But the fact is, amateur online political commentators do not a party make. Viable party organizations cannot work without the support of their elected officials. In all seriousness, folks: This effort is moot after you and Chip rejected the very people for whom the Party exists to elect and re-elect. And guess what: They ain’t coming back. You are on life support. Chip will exhaust all resources in a matter of months. And this little revolt will die an unfortunate and painful death.

    RIP — TNDP.

16. S-townMike writes
    February 7th, 2009 8:50 am

    Monthly overhead? It’s only been 4 days.

    We’re up to $3,809.84. $300 past the “wad.”

    No organization or formal planning structure for doing this. The Mickey Mouse Club had Disney. We got keyboards.

17. Ben writes
    February 7th, 2009 10:05 am

    Mike, I really hope you’re joking. Otherwise, you’re proving the point of the trolls. The party has to pay monthly overhead. Whatever we raise goes toward that. Look, I’m all for the effort, but we have to admit that $4,000 isn’t a lot of money. I’m a little disappointed. We had the entire Tennessee progressive blogosphere working on this. I had hoped maybe we could get $10,000. But hey, it’s a start.

18. Harrison writes
    February 7th, 2009 10:22 am

    Great that you raised some money. But is it sustainable? Are you going to raise that much every month to support Chip? What happens next month when the Chipinsta well goes dry? Point is, you can bad-mouth big money donors like Doug Horne, Andrew Byrd, Mike McWherter and others all you like. But don’t expect them to maintain gift levels when they know the senior elected leadership has zero confidence in the operation. And without their sustained levels of contributions, then you’ve got to pick up the slack. Don’t want the “fat cats,” as you call them? Fine.

19. Heatseeker writes
    February 7th, 2009 10:34 am

    Correction, Harrison. The Chipinista call Doug Horne, Andrew Byrd, and Mike McWherter “bizpigs.”

    Please use the proper terminology or the Chipinista will report you to the Ministry of Proper Nomenclature. These are three smelly undergrads with overgrown toenails and bitching laptops that Chipper keeps in a corner office.

    Trust me, you don’t want those dudes coming by your house. The neighbors would start to talk.

20. S-townMike writes
    February 7th, 2009 12:53 pm

    Ben: unless I’m missing some piece of blogger history, $4,000 is $4,000 more than the “entire Tennessee progressive blogosphere” has raised collectively before. Less than a week? Be disappointed if you choose. It’s friggin winter after a huge presidential contest in the middle of a Bush recession at the start of tax season. It’s not exactly the best time to be asking people for money. $10,000 without any kind of party organ behind you is stupid and unrealistic. We set our original goal at $1,000 and did 4 times that. It’s a first step. We’re a group of mostly non-professional bloggers (with a few exceptions). Deal with it.

21. benintn writes
    February 7th, 2009 2:26 pm

    Another $2 in honor of Harrison… I’m up to $39 so far…

22. benintn writes
    February 7th, 2009 2:30 pm

    And to Ben (whoever you are … I like the name but it feels a little too short…) - “we” had the entire progressive blogosphere working on this one? First of all, are you part of “we”? Second - the entire progressive blogosphere is mostly focused on a $900 billion economic stimulus package, as well as the passage of CHIP program, as well as the confirmation of cabinet, as well as a new TNDP chair with whom the entire progressive blogosphere is relatively (if not totally) unfamiliar.

    So, with all due respect, I tend to agree with Mike that $4K is a pretty good haul for 2 days and nothing but an Actblue page.

23. Ben writes
    February 7th, 2009 5:27 pm

    What is it with the defensiveness and rudeness from you people? The slightest comment that doesn’t completely jibe with your message and you fly all over someone.

    Okay, Mike and benintn, you are the most awesome fundraisers of all time. $4,000 is more money than anyone has ever raised. You are political gods. Whatever you are paid by TNDP isn’t enough.

    Do you feel better now?

24. Asscrack McGee writes
    February 7th, 2009 6:01 pm

    I can’t count the number of people I know that could raise more money right now with one phone call. Chip Forrester is not one of them.

25. S-townMike writes
    February 7th, 2009 6:41 pm

    Actually, I feel better seeing this: $3,907.28.

    That’s $400 past the “wad.”

26. Ben writes
    February 7th, 2009 8:12 pm

    Okay, Mike, we are awed. We worship you. When would you like your ticker tape parade?

27. Harrison writes
    February 7th, 2009 8:20 pm

    The questions remain. How many months can you keep raising $4k increments? Is this an endless reservoir of money? Are the bloggers financing the Party from this point on?How is Chip going to pursue donations from the “fat cats” as you call them, after you and Chip told them to fuck off?

28. Harrison writes
    February 7th, 2009 8:49 pm

    By the way: Haven’t you clowns even realized that the headline on this post is halfway making fun of you? “Brother, can you spare a dollar?” That’s about one step removed from panhandling on an interstate exit ramp. Next, maybe Chip can get you some signs that say “Will blog for food.”