Money Men Did In Fact Flee From Forrester

76 Responses to “Money Men Did In Fact Flee From Forrester”

1. Matthew Hurtt writes
   March 20th, 2009 4:59 pm

   … which, for those of you who aren’t good at math, is 14% of what Sasser raised; however, Chip gets a pass for at least one reason: it’s not an election year.

   - Matthew

2. TennRod writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:05 pm

   The same month of the term, Matthew. Not last year. No free pass.

   And GOP voter/GOP donor Bill Freeman gave $5,000 of the $31,000.

   We told you so.

3. Matthew Hurtt writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:12 pm

   I wasn’t necessarily defending him, and I misread it. for that, I apologize.

   - Matthew

4. dan t writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:12 pm

   What if State Rep Maddox takes that job as schools superintendent or someone like State Rep Fraley resigns b/c of health problems over the next few months? The democrat nominee would be severely hamstrung in the special election b/c of this. Maybe ol Chipper should cancel that luxury trip up to Monteagle in light of this news.

5. TennRod writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:14 pm

   It looks like Chip’s supporters owe Lincoln Davis and the Blue Dogs an apology. For some reason that I cannot fathom, $6,000 of the $31,00 came from them.

   Actually, what Chip needs to do for the good of the Democratic Party is resign while there is still time to get a chairman who can deliver.

6. Heatseeker writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:34 pm

   I’m going to resist the (very strong) urge to be snarky.

   Sean and dan t have gotten to the real problem for Tennessee Democrats. A broke party is a dead party.

   The TNDP is dead. Hiring a Republican treasurer didn’t revive it. I don’t see how the most zealous Chipinista can continue to defend this guy’s leadership.

7. Morpheus122 writes
   March 20th, 2009 5:43 pm

   On the very day this horrendous news hits, Chip is on a D.C. junket with his Republican treasurer. He’s blowing what little money he can raise faster than he can raise it.

   I can’t believe I ever supported this man for treasurer.

8. Heatseeker writes
   March 20th, 2009 6:02 pm

   I just noticed what some of you were pointing out. These numbers are worse for Chipper than they appear. $5,000 is a check from Bill Freeman. The Chip In raised about $4,000. That’s $9,000.

   That means almost 1/3 of the money wasn’t raised by Chipper. He actually only raised about $22,000.

   That’s pathetic.

9. Harrison writes
   March 20th, 2009 6:08 pm

   Is this really a surprise? Maybe it’s time for a “Chip In” bake sale. Only problem is: At this time of year, he’d be outhustled by the Girl Scouts and their thin mints.

10. Ouch writes
    March 20th, 2009 6:40 pm

    dan t, if that scenario happens the replacements would be appointed by the county commisions and both are controlled by the dems

11. Donna Locke writes
    March 20th, 2009 6:48 pm

    Time for a benefit auction. The mind skips and somersaults as it imagines the items and services that could go up for sale. And, hey, Ramsey might be available to do the honors.

12. Harrison writes
    March 20th, 2009 7:27 pm

    Heater and I are awaiting apologies from the Chipinista.

13. Joker writes
    March 20th, 2009 7:32 pm

    Maybe the chipster is too busy trying to take care of the reps to take care of the dems. He wants people fired and laid off or resign………….why not resign himself and solve lots of problems in the dem party

14. Heatseeker writes
    March 20th, 2009 8:12 pm

    Ouch, you are incorrect. If it’s over a year from the general election, the county commissions appoint replacements that only serve until a special election can me held.

    And will you tell Chipper, for the last time, to please inform you trolls before he sends you out to spin for him.

15. Ben writes
    March 20th, 2009 8:43 pm

    Chip took over a broke party two months ago, and it’s even more broke now. This is a disaster.

    He should reimburse the party for that trip to DC.

16. Bob K writes
    March 20th, 2009 9:02 pm

    If he won’t reimburse, maybe you can get Congress to take it from him in the form of a 100% tax on his income.

17. Heatseeker writes
    March 20th, 2009 9:04 pm

    What happened to Chipper bragging that Freeman raised him $15,000 in one day? He didn’t tell us that $5.000 came from Freeman and $5,000 came from Freeman’s law firm.

    It looks like Chipper only raised about $10,000 of this on his own.

    Well, you were warned, Chipinsta. You were warned.

18. TennRod writes
    March 20th, 2009 9:05 pm

    Tennessee’s F Troop: Forrester, Freeman, Failure.

    Harrison, Heatseeker, Dr. J., Morpheus, Ben…we tried to tell them. And Harrison is right, a little eating of crow is needed from Chip’s apologists.

    How long will Doug Horne let them stay without paying rent, I wonder? What will Chip do when the choice is between his salary and keeping the lights on? How much will GOP voter/GOP donor Bill Freeman invest of his personal wealth? How long will even those chickenshits on the Executive Committee tolerate this flushing (they are through circling the drain now; they are on the way to the septic tank).

19. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 12:36 am

    Losing the Legislature + economic depression (recession if you prefer) isn’t a good combo for raising funds. Bredesen is also outgoing and a bigger lame duck than he would be otherwise because the state purse is empty and the only thing that’s going to be in it for the near future are receipts for the IOU’s and Bonds we’re writing. Funders flock to the party in power.

    That said, he needs to find a way to step things up or find someone who can. Get some popular democrats down here and fund raise, fund raise, fund raise. No excuses not to be doing more than that small amount.

20. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 1:20 am

    I guess it’s serendipity but I just came across this story by accident and wow. National democrats have a problem too:

    WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee raised $3.2 million in February, a strikingly low take for a financial juggernaut led by President Barack Obama and his legions of grass-roots supporters who helped him shatter campaign fundraising records.

    Even the committee’s Republican counterpart raised more _ $5.1 million _ last month and did so under more difficult circumstances. The GOP was coming off of a disastrous election in which it lost the White House and saw its numbers in Congress shrink further. New GOP chairman Michael Steele also had a rocky start.

    I suspect some of this is due to the fact that Obama consolidated fundraising in his run. He instructed donors to only donate to him and his campaign pretty much took over DNC funds. But something else may be going on. It seems to be a pattern that democrats do not fund raise as much early on/farther away from an election cycle in comparison to republicans.

    By comparison, in February 2005, after George W. Bush won re-election and with Republicans controlling Congress, the RNC raised $12.5 million under new chairman Ken Mehlman.

    The DNC raised $6.5 million during that period when its party was out of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. That included a $1 million transfer from failed presidential candidate John Kerry.

    Despite the shortfalls, the article does say the DNC is not broke or in trouble by any stretch.

21. Reality writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:54 am

    As Heater would say, Wow! It only took Eugene eight hours after the story broke to dispatch his trolls. Jen gives us the spin:

    Whine and cry and claim it’s everyone else’s fault.

    Sorry, Jen, pull your pouty li’l lip in and STFU.

    Political contributing, especially this far out from an election, is not dependent on economic circumstances. At this point, you’re hitting up hardcore and wealthy supporters, the usual suspects. Eugene’s pathetic take clearly shows the usual suspects have abandoned him.

    This has nothing to do with Bredesen being a lame duck and everything to do with Eugene running Bredesen and the other elected Democrats - the people that could actually raise him money - out of the party. The big money people have sided with Bredesen, Gordon, Cooper, Tanner, and Davis and not with Bow-Tie Boy.

    Your claim that Democrats don’t raise money this far out from an election is laughably ignorant. Read the AP article. In February 2007, Gray Sasser raised SEVEN TIMES as much money as Eugene. The 2006 elections were a wash, the economy was bad in 2007, and Sasser was a new chairman. Why did he raise so much more money than Eugene?

    I don’t know, maybe because he wasn’t a whiny little girl.

    And what about Bill Freeman? I thought Eugene said he was going to rake in all that real estate developer money. You mean Eugene sold the TNDP’s soul to a sleezy Republican treasurer for 20 G’s? You mean that’s all Eugene could get to throw TNDP’s support behind the FONCE loophole? Talk about a cheap whore.

    Whatshername McTuesday, Saddison and Eugene’s crack staff of “professional” spinners are going to have to step up. Right now, TNDP isn’t much more than a pinata.

22. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:07 am

    Reality, I think you’ve detached from the very term you’ve chosen as your user name and irony doesn’t seem to be your thing. No where did I say any of that. In fact, I said quite the opposite. Since you appear to be reading impaired, or perhaps just comprehension impaired, I’ll repeat my own words for the benefit of the public record:

    jen actually said:

    That said, he needs to find a way to step things up or find someone who can. Get some popular democrats down here and fund raise, fund raise, fund raise. No excuses not to be doing more than that small amount.

23. Reality writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:23 am

    Jen, you threw in one paragraph of “oh, by the way, Eugene does need to raise more money” in a nine paragraph, two post screed. It comes across as nothing more than a pathetic defense of Eugene’s “suckage,” as Heater calls it.

24. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:41 am

    Reality, no I didn’t. The second post was about the DNC -ya know the NATIONAL party? I mentioned it because I literally found it on another site immediately after reading this topic and thought it was interesting that the NATIONAL DNC was also running low.

25. Reality writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:50 am

    Okay, Jen, whatever . . .

    Defend this. Previous reports indicate that Eugene makes $90,000 a year. He only raised $31K in his first month. In other words, about 1/4 of everything TNDP raises is going to pay Eugene - the man that is killing the party. Doesn’t that sound like the behavior of most of these corporate CEO’s that have us all so pissed off? Twenty-five cents of every dollar raised goes to Eugene. Wow!

    Defend this. If you check Sean’s blog, you’ll find a post about last year’s election results. Interesting. John Kerry got killed in Tennessee. Obama got killed worse. In the very areas where Democrats had contested elections, Obama got killed by 25 to 30 points.

    Eugene ran for chairman claiming there was no connection between Obama’s slaughter and Democrats losing the legislature. He blamed the loses on the elected Democrats and ran them out of the party. Never fear, he assured his supporters. He knew a better way to run things . . .

    How’s that working out?

26. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 7:31 am

    Reality, why would I defend that? You do realize I’m just a regular person, don’t you? I’ve never had any say or opinion over who chairs the TNDP. The only things I care about in this regard are quantifiable results (fund raising is one of those measures), building a genuine party apparatus, and expanding the party to include all regions. Low money is low results. Like the last election cycle, it’s a failure that can be quantified and needs to be corrected. As I said before, he needs to either bring in the $$$ or find someone who can.

    The inner politics of what went down or didn’t go down I’ve got no first hand knowledge of.

27. Reality writes
    March 21st, 2009 7:45 am

    Okay, Jen. Sorry for confusing you with one of Eugene’s spinners.

    The reality of the situation is that Eugene is an incompetent nitwit. He conned 40 of the idiots on the TNDP executive committee into electing him chairman. He then conned the same people into hiring a Republican as treasurer.

    Now Eugene and his Republican crony have, for all intents and purposes, killed the state party.

    As many have said and are still saying, TNDP - R.I.P.

28. Harrison writes
    March 21st, 2009 8:04 am

    This really all does boil down to the supreme idiocy of the executive committee. Democrats who are disgusted by this pathetic turn of events should start putting more heat on the idiots who got us here. People like “Rep.” Mike Turner. Fred Hobbs, who drew national ridicule for call Obama a terrorist. Knoxville’s own Harold and Sylvia, who also gave Tennessee a black eye nationally by refusing to support Obama at the Democratic Convention. Shawna Brandymere and the rest of the twerpy YDs and college Ds who bought Chip’s con and who know shit about running campaigns but think the answer lies in Facebook and Twitter. And let’s not forget the enablers — people like Braisted (the poor man’s Maureen Dowd) and Jennifer Buck Wallace (who led Team Obama to it’s worst state defeat this side of Utah). Yes, the blame can be spread far and wide for this broke-ass, broke-down situation. But I’m sure the Chipinista will prefer to just blame Bart, Lincoln, Phil, Tanner, Cooper — you know, the guys who actually win races.

29. jen writes
    March 21st, 2009 8:28 am

    Reality, thank you.

    I’m not sure what you mean by the TNDP - RIP. The TNDP may be in dire straights but democrats can still win seats on their own. Chip (Eugene?) may indeed fail in his role as chair (low money is never a good sign but not necessarily devastating beyond repair so early on but beyond a doubt that paltry sum is damned scary).

    However, even if the Chip’s leadership proves a total failure that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to go down. IMO, we’ve been in sore need of support organizations, non-candidate based PACs, think tanks, and other entities for a long time. On the other hand, state republicans, especially conservatives, hand have been good at building them and reaping the rewards.

    Why not marshal the frustrations? One of the things the Blue Dog coalition does is fund Blue Dogs and it’s the same with a lot of special interest caucuses. If the big money men are being pushed away by Chip’s personality or an inner political battle — as opposed to having an ideological conversion to conservatism/republicanism — then coalitions, caucuses, PACs and other entities that are set up to fund democratic candidates and causes are perfect ways to insure democratic growth and victory without ceding control to Chip.

30. Harrison writes
    March 21st, 2009 8:54 am

    Agreed. There’s a difference between TNDP and, more generally, Tennessee Democrats. The former is a broken (and broke) shell of an organization that looks vaugely familiar. Like the chick you picked up at a bar in college and slept with, and then years later you catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of your eye and she’s all skanky and you can’t believe you were ever that drunk. Meanwhile, the latter still holds promise and a bright future — if only we can find the right organizational vehicle.

31. notericschelzig writes
    March 21st, 2009 9:34 am

    Don’t tell anyone, but Schelzig is a shill for Gov. Bredesen…

32. Heatseeker writes
    March 21st, 2009 9:51 am

    Wow! The idiocy continues. Now Chipper sends his trolls out to attack the press. Dumb move, Chipper. Very dumb move. Just remember that paybacks are hell.

    And Harrison calls Chipper a skanky, old whore.

    Today’s gonna be a good day.

33. Noodles Sarducci writes
    March 21st, 2009 10:19 am

    When the Associated Press reported that Bill Freeman gave to Republicans and voted Republican, the numbnuts “Chipinista” said, “We’ll withhold judgment until Chip verifies this. We can only believe what Chip tells us to believe.”

    Are they now going to wait until Chip verifies how much he sucks? God forbid that they would believe the Federal Election Commission, the Associated Press, and TNDP’s own report.

34. Mike Samoose writes
    March 21st, 2009 10:35 am

    I for one think “Chipmunk” is doing s great job. Look at all the free press he is getting. It would seem to me those who are opposed to him have fallen prey to his trap. What trap you say!? The trap of luring his opposition into a false sense of victory. By appearing to be incompetent, ineffective and ignorant the opposition will be overconfident thus assuring victory for all the other little acorn eaters, aka Democrats. Mike Turner and Gary Odom have to be absolutley thrilled at the results of their handy work.

35. Heatseeker writes
    March 21st, 2009 10:58 am

    Eureka, Mike! You have unveiled Chipper’s cunning plan. Odum can pick out his carpet for the speaker’s office . . . No, wait . . . he’s a paper tiger . . .

    Should Turner pick his carpet for the speaker’s office? . . . Naifeh?

    Is anyone really in charge of this nightmare parade?

36. TennRod writes
    March 21st, 2009 4:52 pm

    KnoxViews has a good discussion of this same subject going. As I said there, it is past time for the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party to wake up and smell the coffee. Another truism: When you’re in a hole, quit digging. There is still time for a new chair to take office and for the TNDP to be salvaged for this election cycle.

    As it stands now, the TNDP will be a non-factor in 2010. Yet, that won’t necessarily mean that Democrats won’t be winning elections in this state. The Democratic donors, the people who have funded our campaigns and our party machinery for the past generation and more, will still give. They will give to the individual campaigns, to DCCC and DSCC and DGA and DNC, to selected PACs, to an independently chartered coordinated campaign organization with no ties or obligation to TNDP, perhaps even to county parties in the largest counties (provided they declare their independence from Forrester). But until some major corrective action is taken (i.e., ridding the TNDP of Forrester and Freeman and reconciling with our elected Democratic officials), the wreckage of the state party “organization” will continue to smolder at the crash site.
    There is still value in replacing Forrester. Ron Ramsey, Robin Smith, and Bill Hobbs (Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet) continue to run circles around Forrester and his inept, incompetent and incapable “volunteers” every single day. Our elected Democratic officials are estranged from their own party. (This has been mentioned many times, but I ask every Democrat to pause and really ponder the implications of that circumstance. It simply is mind-boggling.) There is no money. And our chairman has virtually no credibility with the political leadership, the financial leadership, the opinion-makers, or the media. In a nutshell, no one really takes Forrester seriously, and that is a truly serious problem.

    Enough! Frank Clement would ask us, “How long, O Lord, how long?” Now is the time for all good Democrats to come to the aid of their party and do their part to rid us of Forrester and Freeman.

37. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:17 pm

    I hold the morons on the executive committee that elected Forrester responsible. Harold and Sylvia Woods, David Upton, Brenda Ables, Seanna Brandmeir and others are at fault. Jerry Maynard, too. Did you think Lincoln, Bart, John Tanner, Bredesen, and Jim Cooper were just being mean? They tried to tell you Forrester wasn’t equipped to be chairman.

    The blood is on your hands, executive committee.

38. TennRod writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:26 pm

    Dr. J, I suspect all of those you just mentioned are on a pretty serious “shit list,” but I think they could redeem themselves by reversing course, admitting that they were sold a bill of goods, and voting to oust Forrester and Freeman — but they had better do it soon.

39. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:30 pm

    I read on KnoxViews that Sylvia is claiming she is examining TNDP communications. What does that drooling idiot know about campaign politics?

40. TennRod writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:39 pm

    Well, Dr. J., you know who signed every single check for the TNDP last year.

    Is Sylvia targeting Sasser or Forrester, or both? And, yes, you are right: Sylvia Woods doesn’t know diddly about the real world of politics. She and Harold are just interested in sitting next to the speaker at the bean supper or playing big shot at the convention.

41. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 21st, 2009 5:47 pm

    Yes, TennRod, you are right. Forrester signed off on everything. Did he voice objections? No.

    The clowns have taken over the circus. Many of us knew what would happen if the executive committee took control. I won’t say that it isn’t painful to watch.

42. TennRod writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:02 pm

    What we are talking about, from Knox Rebel:

    “Sylvia Woods announced the other night that she and others on the Ex Com are “looking into” the actions, e.g., the money spent by Sasser et al, in legislative races last fall, claiming that the ads had not been approved by candidates or the Ex Com and wound up costing some candidates their races.”

    Dr. J, am I wrong in thinking that independent expenditures BY LAW cannot be coordinated or “approved” by candidates?

43. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:23 pm

    Exactly, TennRod. Sylvia is so ignorant that she doesn’t know that. The executive committee doesn’t have to sign off on coordinated campaign expenditures, either. The treasurer does it.

    None of that damn money was raised by Chip Forrester, Sylvia Woods, or a single member of the executive committee. So I have a very short answer as to what they can do with their opinions.

    We’re seeing what their judgment has done to our party.

44. autoegocrat writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:27 pm

    Has anyone else noticed the same thing I notice?

    Namely, that neither these trolls nor the “money people” give a hot damn about the actual issues up for debate in the lege that will affect prople’s lives?

    Why is that, I wonder? Could it be that they don’t actually care about Democratic values at all?

    Heavens to Betsy, what a fucking shock.

45. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:38 pm

    You want a legislative issue, Goat? How about Chipper and Odum fighting to protect the fat tax break for their fat cat treasurer, Bill Freeman? Chipper tells the media he can’t weigh in on legislative issues on that one.

    But he has managed to shoot out two whopping pressers. One calling for the firing of a Republican legislative staffer and one trying to make a big deal of Dewayne Bunch referring to the “Soup Nazi” on the Senate floor.

    Glad to see you Chipinista have your priorities in the right place, Goat.

46. Heatseeker writes
    March 21st, 2009 6:55 pm

    Typical whining bitchiness we’ve come to expect from the Chipinista. They tell every Democrat that has won an election and all of the “biz pig” money people to fuck off . . .

    Then the Chipinista get their panties in a twist when those people refuse to write them big checks. Grow up, Chipinista. It’s time to put your big girl panties on.

    Come on, answer Jellyfinger’s question. Chipper is ducking out on a major legislative issue because he would rather protect his crony. What does that say about him and what does it say about you that you continue to support him?

47. Harrison writes
    March 21st, 2009 7:42 pm

    Here’s an idea: Let Harold and Sylvia Woods raise the money that would otherwise have been raised by Bredesen, et al, and see where that leaves the TNDP. We could add yet another gnarly stat to Tennessee’s bankruptcy body count. Or maybe Jennifer Buck Wallace, who led the inept Obama effort in Tennessee, can get her fat little fingers busy dialing for dollars instead of Twittering and IMing with the NCO idiots.

48. TennRod writes
    March 21st, 2009 8:00 pm

    Agreed. How about supporting the Governor’s attempts to eliminate a special-interest tax break for fat cat real estate tycoons, including a New York pornographer along with Bill Freeman, costing the state tens of millions of dollars. You know, the kind of issue Obama championed last year.

    Or how about the TNGOP war on low-income wage earners, killing a minimum wage hike for restaurant workers and then forbidding local governments from setting their own minimum wage.

    You want issues? There’s two damn good ones. But we have heard nothing from Chip Forrester on them.

    So autoegocrat and other Chip supporters don’t know straight up? What a fucking shock.

49. Noodles Sarducci writes
    March 21st, 2009 8:37 pm

    The fundraising is worse than you realize. Check the FEC website. For January and February of this year, the TNGOP has raised about $240,000; the TNDP has raised $60,000.

    Lame duck Gray Sasser, who just lost the House, raised as much in his last month as the “Chipinista” raised in their first month.

    Overall, the “Chipinista” is getting outraised four to one.

50. autoegocrat writes
    March 22nd, 2009 6:26 am

    You guys are entertaining in a sick way.

51. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 22nd, 2009 8:22 am

    You, autoegocrat, are simply pathetic. Address the issues. Answer the questions. All you can do is lob some flaccid charge of “not supporting Democratic ideals” at the many, many critics of Forrester.

    Well, Goat, tell us what the “Democratic ideals” of Forrester are? All I’ve seen from the bumbling fool is feigned outrage over a legislative staffer putting up fake websites and Dewayne Bunch’s silly reference to Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi.” Let’s also not forget his stubborn insistence on supporting Bill Freeman’s outrageous tax break.

    Chip and his supporters, like you, are vapid little dreamers, wholly devoid of substance. You fantasize about being David Axelrod, but you don’t have the slightest clue how to run a political party. As evidence of my assertion, I offer Chip’s weak fundraising total.

    Run back to your playpen and diddle with your Facebook page. Leave the politics to the big girls and boys.

52. Harrison writes
    March 22nd, 2009 9:18 am

    I just realized: It’s been over a month since Chip’s last snuff film on YouTube. Maybe he needs to fire up the web cam and explain this dismal financial display. But I’m sure he’ll have some stupid excuse. He’ll likely blame the sluggish economy. I can almost hear him saying in that smug little voice, “We here at the TNDP aren’t immune to the same ecnomic downturn that is affecting everything from the state budget to nonprofit groups.” (Of course, he won’t bother mentioning that off-year Party money always comes from reliably rich donors — not sales tax receipts or endowment earnings.) Or perhaps Chip will plead for patience by saying, “Now that Bill Freeman is our treasurer, we’ll be organizing a number of fundraising events in the very near future.” (Of course, forget that Freeman, the GOP donor, was 10th on a list of 12 candidates for the post; and that the TNDP treasurer historically doesn’t raise money anyway, Chip being the prime example.) Or maybe Chip will falsely claim that he personally met with Tim Kaine, and he’s certain that a DNC welfare check will be forthcoming. Or maybe he’ll just tell the truth, for once in his life, and admit that no one wants to give money to the TNDP under his “leadership.”

53. Heatseeker writes
    March 22nd, 2009 9:41 am

    Hey, what exactly is Chipper doing? No one is asking that question. He’s not raising money. He has no staff. He’s not doing media.

    Seriously, what is this “chairman” doing with his time? We know he was on a junket to DC this weekend (Way to be frugal with aaaallllll that TNDP money, Chipperoo.). But what the fuck is he doing?

    Is he skipping out of the office every day at 4:30 to catch a glass of wine and a cigar before his tai chi lesson?

54. Mike Samoose writes
    March 22nd, 2009 9:45 am

    Harrison you are a victim of the “Chipmunks” grand plan.

55. Heatseeker writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:27 am

    Damn, I forgot! The Grand Plan. Mike is right, Harrison. We are falling into the Chipmunk’s trap.

    Damn, he’s a cunning little Chipmunk. Must be his tai chi training.

56. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 22nd, 2009 8:06 pm

    Jellyfish, et al: What you fail to realize is that you guys (Yes, it’s fairly obvious who you’re shilling for) GUARANTEED Chip Forrester’s election. I’m not on the Executive Committee, but I was in the room that day when someone speaking on Bone’s behalf started namedropping Harold Ford Jr, Phil Bredesen, Lincoln Davis, and a ton of other nominal Democrats that can’t cough without a Republican’s pubes flying out of their mouths. Hell, I was agnostic about the whole race before that myself.

    But in that moment, the choice became crystal clear. They could support the choice of all the guys that sell out every Democratic principle on the cheap, or they could make a choice that goes against all that.

    Which proves ultimately that they learned the lessons of 2002-04 while you assclowns most certainly did not.

    Nationally, we tried it your way. We went with a guy named Terry McAuliffe that could raise tons of money, but whose basic understanding of the issues was that we needed to strive to be more like the Republicans. Terry Mac’s basic theory of bipartisanship was that all Democrats should lie face down next to a can of Crisco and let the Republicans have their way with us.

    When the party told Terry Mac to eat shit and brought out a bolder choice in the form of Howard Dean, they started turning around. Not only did they have viable candidates in every race so we could take advantage of Republican Macaca moments, but he said “Let’s show the people that there’s a difference between us and them”. He showed some leadership and grew the Democratic Party as a movement.

    You guys and your bosses don’t get that. You made Bone the choice of the testicularly challenged, and stand around whining because the Democrats in this state rejected a candidate who was the choice of people who sell us out on the cheap every chance they get.

    You guys created the Forrester administration. So now would be a good time to sit the fuck down and shut up.

    By the way… Everywhere you pathetic shills show up, I see you referring to these guys as “the people who win elections”. That’s a concept I’m more than a little acquainted with myself. I’ve been a part of paid staff on ten of them. Despite being outspent over four to one in three of them, my record stands at 9-1. See, those expensive ads and mailers don’t mean shit if the candidate you’re trying to sell with them is so damn weak that they cave to the Republicans all the time.

57. TennRod writes
    March 22nd, 2009 9:20 pm

    OK, BCatcher, first of all I call bullshit on your “credentials” as a paid staffer to 10 different campaigns. You are full of it; I have been in Tennessee campaigns for more than 30 years, and there is no one I can think of who fits the bill — other than a few paid door-ro-door canvassers.

    So Al Gore, Harold Ford Jr., Bob Clement, Jim Cooper, Bart Gordon, John Tanner, Ned Ray McWherter, Phil Bredesen, Lincoln Davis and Jim Sasser — to name just the Tennessee Democrats who all: a) got elected to office, and b) despise Chip Forrester, are not good enough Democrats for you. Just who the hell did you work for, Mr. Bigmouth, that is so much better than they are? Some state rep or county commission candidates? Because you clearly never worked for anyone who ever won a major office — since every Democrat in this state who ever won a major office in your screwed-up view of the world is somehow not a “real” Democrat.

    Look,you need to take your own advise, you lying, in-fantasyland, stupid, out-to-lunch, don’t know shit, sack of crap — fuck down and shut up. Well, whatever that means. Just go fuck yourself.

    That list I just mentioned are pretty much all the Democrats who have won elections in this state for the past generation or two. Now you seem to sneer at that. So what, says Mr. Fullofshit, BCatcher. So what? They are Democrats and they won? So what? And so what if Charles Robert Bone raised tens of thousands of dollars for BARACK OBAMA and Chip Forrester raised nothing for Obama. Forester, says this idiot, is the true road to success in Tennessee. Oh, yeah, we’re really seeing evidence of that, aren’t we?

    The fact is, every Democrat who has enjoyed any measure of success in this state, those who know how to win elections and have done so, knew full well that Chip would be a disaster. And he has been. He has done virtually nothing since being elected Chairman, does not challenge the Republicans on pretty obvious issues, has selected a GOP voter-donor to be treasurer and basically lied to the Executive Committee to get him elected, has failed miserably in the most basic fundraising, and some little pipsqueak of a piece of shit like you tells us who dare to criticize that to “shut the fuck up”?

    Fuck you. You are the ones killing the Democratic Party in Tennessee. Howard Dean raised a shitload of money for the DNC, had a strategy for dealing with he GOP, and had quite a large slice of institutional support from Democratic elected officials. Chip has none of that. None. We haven’t got a chance f you and Chip and Freeman and all of the little incompetent, inept, incapable and inexperienced twit around you continue to drive the TNDP into the ground.

58. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:03 pm

    Hey Nimrod— You are aware that there are elections in more than one state, right? I moved to this one five years ago. Before that, I worked races in Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and California. And while I did one county race (My only loss), I’ve also worked gubernatorial races, US house, and US Senate. I’ve worked media buys for a metro area of 13 million people. If you want a full resume and references, it’ll cost you.

    And I’ve learned quite well what it takes to get elected. Money is nice, but it’s not even CLOSE to everything. You actually have to have the balls to stand up to the Republicans when you do their usual bullying shit. And largely, the guys that supported Bone are the ones that go along to get along. They’re the greatest obstacle to growing a true Democratic movement. Rather than show even the slightest scintilla of leadership and take a stand, they cower.

    The world has changed a lot since you started this thirty years ago. You should try and catch up. It’s not 1979 anymore, Disco Stu.

    Take Lincoln Davis, for example. I’m supposed to take advice on who to pick for party chairman from a guy that voted with Bush on FISA, voted consistently with Bush to prolong the war, voted with Bush on torture(Mixed; He voted to ban torture in 2005, but not the Military Commissions Act of 2006), voted with Bush to keep the ban on stem cell research funding, and voted to extend the Bush tax cuts, voted with the Republicans on scapegoating immigrants? And those are just the ones I can name off the top of my head.

    And you’re grievously wounded that I do not turn to the likes of him for advice on who to make chairman. Well, tough shit. I happen to be one of those stubborn Democrats that would rather stand for something than just throw a bunch of guys into the state legislature and hope they vote our way half the time. And if you don’t like it, tough shit.

59. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:22 pm

    I moved to this [state] five years ago. Before that, I worked races in Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and California.

    Oh, BluedogCatcher, then please enjoy a nice frosty mug of shut the fuck up. You’re going to tell US how to run elections in Tennessee? Fuck you, you carpetbagging moron.

    What the fuck has Howard Dean done for Tennessee? That would be nothing - but you wouldn’t know because you haven’t done shit in Tennessee Democratic politics, dickface.

    But during Howard Dean’s reign as DNC chair, who did win elections in Tennessee? Hmmmm, let’s see: Phil Bredesen, Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon, Jim Cooper, and John Tanner. The very people that you and Chip Forrester want to run out of your party.

    And who got his ass handed to him in Tennessee. Hmmm, let’s see, that would be Barack Obama. But you and Chipper want Tennessee run by the same nimrods that ran Obama’s Tennessee campaign.

    Real smart, James fucking Carville. Let’s see what kind of party you and Chipper are putting together. Hmmm . . . Chipper raised 14% of what his predecessor did during the same period in his term. Chipper has no staff. His communication operation consists of a volunteer that comes in on Tuesday. If they actually get around to responding to anything, they usually do it several days after the events happened.

    Oh, but let’s not forget that Chipper is being paid $90,000 a year and he’s just finished a junket to DC on the party’s dime.

    Yeah, Mr. Political Big Brain, you and Chipper are really putting together a political machine at TNDP.

60. TennRod writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:29 pm

    This clown BCatcher is so full of it, he may burst. I got news for you, I’m still with the winners, and you clearly are not. Dr J is right, you don’t know shit about this state And the irony is, you keep talking about winning, but you disdain Tennessee’s winners. Then you turn around and say, well, it’s OK if Democrats don’t win in Tennessee, just so they think my way while they’re losing.
    BCatcher, you are a waling recipe for failure, just like Chip. Why don’t you take your phony resume back to Ohio or one of the other states they apparently ran you out of.

61. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:42 pm

    Don’t want me telling you how to run elections here? Well, apparently someone needs to. Because in other states, when someone lacks the political courage to step away from a Republican president with a sub-30% approval rating, people have the God-given common sense to call them out for being the Republicans they are.

    And yeah— Barack lost big in TN. See, allow me to explain this whole electoral college thing to you, since you seem a little fuzzy on the notion. Whether Obama lost this state by one vote, or he lost it unanimously, he was getting the same number of electoral votes out of this state. We all knew he would lose TN. This state was never in play. So what kind of moron (Besides your kind, apparently) would he have to be to sink any significant resources into this state? The people telling him not to bother fighting for this state are the smart ones.

    I’m not directly involved with the state party. But I know a few things. One is that only an idiot judges a multiyear struggle on the basis of one month. It’s absolutely absurd to even try. We’re in the midst of an economic collapse and only a few months out of a presidential campaign that for all intents and purposes started as soon as the 2006 midterms were over.

    I also know that a party grows healthier over the long term by taking stands more often— Not less. When the Republicans started handing our asses to us on a national level, they didn’t do it by standing behind some pansy ass that voted with us half the time. They built a movement by standing behind Newt Gingrich, who would oppose us even on meaningless proclamations. They did it because they had a Dick Armey who wasn’t just content to vote down Bill Clinton’s judicial nominees, but refused to even convene the Judiciary Committee for a span of eighteen months.

    What they did not do is take a whole bunch of guys that voted with the opposition on almost anything that means anything and make them the standard bearers.

    Will there be short term losses? Perhaps. But in the long term, if you grow the nads to show some leadership, you build a bigger base. And when you do that, there’s a nice effect. Not only do you get to elect more candidates, but when they try to get legislation onto the floor, they can actually pass it.

62. Reality writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:47 pm

    When I think a thread has gotten ugly then it has gotten REALLY ugly.

    Dr. J, Harrison, TennRod, calm down. This dog catcher is obviously one of the Chipinista trying to play a role. S/he “did media buys for a metro area of 13 million people.” Uh, yeah, where would that be?

    But, anyway, let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re telling the truth, some of us know that the people doing the media buys aren’t the people making major decisions for campaigns. They aren’t the people that decide messaging or run campaigns. Buyers simply buy the time.

    So this dog catcher is Whatshername Buckwild or Mike Turner’s little buddy Addison or the communication volunteer McTuesday. Probably McTuesday. I heard she worked some campaigns a couple of decades ago. Also worked with Eugene previously. But she was just a flunky in all of those rolls.

    Dog catcher, come on, the four states you claim to have worked in have nothing in common with Tennessee. Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and California?????? The guys are right to jump down your throat on that.

    Whoever you are, dog catcher, you and Eugene need to get over the chairman’s election. You are legitimately being criticized for flushing your party down the shitter and the best you can do is launch another broadside against Charles Bone and the people that supported him???????

    That’s so weak. But we’ve seen nothing from you and Eugene to suggest that you actually know how to . . . well, do much of anything correctly.

    Where’s Heatseeker? He usually gets all the cussing started.

63. Reality writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:49 pm

    The people telling him not to bother fighting for this state are the smart ones.

    Hate to tell you, dog catcher, that was Phil Bredesen. He was one of the guys that tried to tell you that Eugene is a nitwit.

64. TennRod writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:55 pm

    Look [political opponent], first of all you are making the very same argument, in every possible detail, that Phil Bredesen made for Obama not investing in Tennessee — and for that he took shit from Forrester and his twits. That’s the same Phil Bredesen, by the way who won all 95 counties in this state in his relection bid. But according to a lamebrain like you, he doesn’t know how to win.

    As for taking stands against the Republicans, the number one, unchallenged failure in this department is Chip Forrester, who has done virtually nothing to take advantage of almost daily opportunities to draw a sharp line between Democrats and Republicans as they wage war on working Tennesseans, women, and the poor. He promised a quick response; he gave us no responses at all.

    And, since you are from out of state and don;t know jack shit about Tennessee or its politics, you ar just wrong to say that Al Gore, Jim Sasser, Bart Gordon, Jim Cooper, John Tanner, Bob Clement, Harold Ford Jr. and yes, even Lincoln Davis, have been go-alongs with the GOP. That they dont meet your Michigan-his sensibilities is too damn bad. I your own words, tough shit.

65. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:56 pm

    Good point, Reality.

    Well, dog, why don’t you explain state legislative races to us? We hillbilly Tennesseans obviously don’t know as much as you ed-gew-mak-ated Yankees. Tell us how being all partisan and whatnot is gonna win those.

    And why don’t you tell ol’ Lincoln and Bart and Tanner and Cooper how to win races. ‘Cause them boys is hurting. They just don’t seem to know how to git ‘er done.

    Now I don’t rightly remember ever saying that Obama shoulda spent a buncha money in Tennessee, but, you know, I’m so stoopid I mighta just up and forgot it.

66. TennRod writes
    March 22nd, 2009 10:59 pm

    By the way, why have there been no twitters from Chip about his huge successes in D.C.? He twittered to tell us he was on the way to “meet with” Keane. Did Keane tell him to hit the road? Did Chip “meet with” Keane along with a couple of hundred other people in the room? Does Keane even know who Chip is?

67. Kleinheider writes
    March 22nd, 2009 11:06 pm

    Okay guys, the cursing is uncool generally. But when the cursing is in the first sentence of your comment then the curse goes on the front page. Can’t have that.

68. TennRod writes
    March 22nd, 2009 11:10 pm

    Sorry, ACK. Reality is right. I let one of Chip’s little volunteers playing a role get me agitated. Well, more agitated than usual. I promise to try and call BluedogCatcher a shithead deeper in the message.

69. Kleinheider writes
    March 22nd, 2009 11:14 pm

    Thanks, I appreciate that

70. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 22nd, 2009 11:17 pm

    Dr. J, Harrison, TennRod, calm down. This dog catcher is obviously one of the Chipinista trying to play a role. S/he “did media buys for a metro area of 13 million people.” Uh, yeah, where would that be?

    Tiny little place called Los Angeles. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

    I’ve met Forrester for a grand total of thirty seconds out of my life. Does that qualify me as a “Chipinista”?

    Dog catcher, come on, the four states you claim to have worked in have nothing in common with Tennessee. Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and California?????? The guys are right to jump down your throat on that.

    Except for California, there’s nothing radically different about any of them. Larger metros, larger media markets, but the people are fundamentally the same.

    Look, what you guys are recommending is fine if all you’re looking for is a short term bump in the number of Democrats in a legislative body without any regard for whether or not we can maintain it, or whether or not we can pass anything while we’re in there. If you’ve reduced electoral politics to the level of a game of Halo, and all you care about is more blues than reds, you’re on the right track.

    The rest of us care about the long term health of not only the Democratic Party, but the principles upon which it is SUPPOSED TO stand. Some of us actually care about the long term health of the party, building broader support for our ideals, and bestowing upon our legislators the ability to actually do some good.

71. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 22nd, 2009 11:20 pm

    Nimrod,

    You’re following Forrester on Twitter? What is this, an unrequited man-crush?

72. Harrison writes
    March 23rd, 2009 2:49 am

    I would chime in here, but Rod, Jelly, and Reality have pretty much burned this dogcatcher to the ground. Great that she claims to have worked in all these campaigns. If she had, she’d know (or admit) that campaigns aren’t won by parties. They’re won by candidates. Which brings me back to one of the original anti-Chip refrains. Face it, Howard Dean wasn’t responsible for 2008; Obama was. Truth is, Dean was so bad that Obama fired him. And he didn’t even wish him aloha or happy trails. And back here on the farm, Chip may have the support of 40 of re biggest numbnuts in Democratic politics (a.k.a. the Executive Committee), it still doesn’t change the fact that he’s broke. In this case, we’re not talking about lack of money for campaigning. We’re talking about lack of money to meet payroll and keep the lights on. But hey: Since the dogcatcher says money doesn’t matter, maybe she and Chip can just run the Party out of a refrigerator box under I-40 (or as dogcatcher would call it in LA, the Freeway).

73. Heatseeker writes
    March 23rd, 2009 8:45 am

    Dr. J, glad I stayed out of that firefight. Everyone knows I’m okay with the rough and tumble, but Chipper’s little dog catcher got out of hand.

    dog, you completely blew any chance that I would take you seriously when you tried to argue that Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia are just like Tennessee. Take a look at the current electoral histories of these four states if you want to begin to understand the differences.

    Tennessee, dog, is a conservative state. Tennesseans are conservative by nature, not because some political party tells them to be conservative. Turning the Tennessee Democratic Party into some downhome Haite Asbury, as you and Chipper want to do, isn’t going to change that.

    But I’ll say again, more power to you. Fine with me if you bury TNDP. I hope you really are the party’s new spokesperson. Robin Smith and Bill Hobbs will have fun with you.

74. It Ain’t Just Forrester : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee writes
    March 23rd, 2009 1:05 pm

    [...] Damn, I forgot! The Grand Plan. Mike is right, Harrison. We… [...]

75. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 23rd, 2009 5:37 pm

    Harrison,

    Yeah, Dean did a lousy job. So lousy that when he started, your guys held both chambers, and now you’re a regional party that is relevant only in the south. His predecessor believed in not even contending against the likes of George Macaca Allen, but by putting a viable candidate in every race, he was there to capitalize when the Republicans showed what total idiots they were. Terry McAuliffe wouldn’t have bothered to field a candidate in Alaska, but we’re keeping your crooked standard bearer’s seat warm while he’s in prison.

    As far as I’m concerned, Obama made a serious mistake in not asking him to stay on.

    You’ve made your partisan position clear. You’ll have to understand if my response is “go to hell” when the wolf tries to advise the lamb. Because we all know that you Republicans want a strong and viable opposition, right?

    The fact of the matter is, I don’t want a party that you will find acceptable any more than you want yours to be one that I find acceptable. Sure, you love all those Blue Dogs— In about the same way as I thought Lincoln Chafee was the best Republican seantor. You want guys that will cowtow to you. Instead, I’m telling you where to get off.

76. BluedogCatcher writes
    March 23rd, 2009 5:55 pm

    dog, you completely blew any chance that I would take you seriously when you tried to argue that Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia are just like Tennessee. Take a look at the current electoral histories of these four states if you want to begin to understand the differences.

    No, I blew any chance of you taking me seriously when I told you that your heroes were sellouts. Doesn’t mean it’s not true. Just means you tuned out everything else at that point.

    It is the same. Guys like you are navel gazers. You pretend it’s remarkably different so you have an excuse to not get out of your little goldfish bowl. You look at the core constituencies and form a strategy from there. Michigan and Ohio, you’re dealing heavily with labor, etc.

    Tennessee, dog, is a conservative state. Tennesseans are conservative by nature, not because some political party tells them to be conservative. Turning the Tennessee Democratic Party into some downhome Haite Asbury, as you and Chipper want to do, isn’t going to change that.

    Did you mean Haight-Ashbury? No one is talking about legislating like Dianne Feinstein here. But you really don’t have to get too far to the left to say “torture is wrong”. But there’s old Lincoln Davis, standing to the right of John McCain on the issue. And when Bill Frist decided to use a brain dead woman to try and mobilize rightwing evangelicals, Lincoln Davis was along for the ride. Would anyone call Chuck Hagel a liberal? The TN Blue Dogs found plenty of room to the right of him on the war.

    I’m just looking for Democrats that actually stick to Democratic principles once in a while. Not all the time. I’m not looking for Paul Wellstone with a drawl. I’m looking for guys that don’t undermine the rest of us.