The Shadow Party: The End Run Around Chip Forrester

40 Responses to “The Shadow Party: The End Run Around Chip Forrester”

1. LeftWingCracker writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:19 pm

   Oh, please, give me a freakin’ break. Phil and the fatcats raise the big money, while Chip handles the communications and trains the ground troops.

   The key is communications between phil’s people and the TNDP, because the ground troops won’t just roll over for a right-winger claiming to be a D.

   That said, Davis is speaking at the Summit and all appears to be well and Chip is in charge. So, what’s the problem, other than the trolls won’t be running up your blog hits any more?

2. Everyman writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:23 pm

   Should be no surprise. We told Chip not to run. He’s not the right guy to be chair, particularly given the challenges ahead.

3. Kleinheider writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:26 pm

   Oh, please, give me a freakin’ break. Phil and the fatcats raise the big money, while Chip handles the communications and trains the ground troops

   You don’t see how this is a big deal? They took most of the power and function of the party away from the party and left Forrester with a title and some letterhead.

   Tennessee now has two Democratic parties. No breaks need to be given to you or anyone else. This is big.

4. TennRod writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:29 pm

   Sorry, Cracker, you can bluster all you want. This has never been done before, and the reason is that TNDP has never before had such an incapable nitwit as chairman. There is no way this cannot be viewed a pretty humiliating slap in the face for Chairman in Name Only (CINO) Chip Forrester.

   “Train the ground troops”? What on earth make you think that after 25 years on the Execuitve Committee with no history or experience in doing this that CINO Forrester has any capability of doing this? And what on earth makes you fantasize that every possible “organizer” or “activist” in this state is breathlessly waiting for CINO Forrester’s permission to get involved in any given campaign?

5. Heatseeker writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:35 pm

   I repeat: Phil Bredesen now has Chairgimp Chipper’s sunflower-seed nuts mounted on his wall.

   “Chairgimp” sounds awfully descriptive now, don’t it, Chipinista?

6. TennRod writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:36 pm

   “the ground troops won’t just roll over for a right-winger claiming to be a D…That said, Davis is speaking at the Summit…”

   Cracker, do you realize what an idiot you make of yourself sometimes? You guys have railed against Blue Dogs like Davis and Ford, and now they are the keynoters at the next two TNDP events. Keep drifting and fantasizing…looks like the adults have found a way to operate without such nuisances like you and Forrester.

7. Steve Ross writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:39 pm

   The ones that Jellyfinger et al. claimed to be the “Adults” have chosen dismemberment rather than unity. This is not leadership, it’s a hijacking.

   ACK, you’re right, this is big…a big blow to any chance of Democrats regaining the State House in 2010. We’re given the false choice of either supporting the elected officials, or the party, when both need each other to succeed in 2010.

   I know where my money’s going, and it sure as hell ain’t to any “shadow party”.

   Needless to say, I’m irritated about this, but I’m mostly irritated that the entire State Democratic Apparatus is being held hostage by 5 people who can’t get past petty personal issues with the duly elected chair of the party.

   I hope Gordon and Davis enjoy the next few years, because they will be in a world of hurt after the GOP maintains their majority in the state legislature and redistricts them out of office.

8. Andy Axel writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:41 pm

   Tennessee now has two Democratic parties. No breaks need to be given to you or anyone else.

   He’s essentially right, Steve.

   Tennessee will still only have one Democratic Party. It will, however, have the legacy party apparatus with a duly elected executive committee but with a severely limited mandate, and a PAC which will be run by Bredesen loyalists and will be accountable to no one but the fundraisers. That PAC will groom candidates and will fund them.

   So, Bredesen is announcing that he will call the shots and he will not be accountable to anyone. Bredesen just told the party and the executive committee to go fuck themselves, in the interest of “ending the infighting,” of course.

   Guess I’m going to write Will Cheek tonight and figure out what his job is going to be until 2010. I’ll be interested to know what the EC has been told.

9. Andy Axel writes
   April 23rd, 2009 1:49 pm

   Oh, and addendum: Given that 4 of the 5 of the Congressional delegation were present, I can only assume that Cohen wasn’t invited to discuss the future of this PAC. Bredesen is already writing off greater Shelby.

10. TennRod writes
    April 23rd, 2009 1:54 pm

    On the contrary, Steve. Now we actually have some hope of regaining the State House.

    Now, really, do you think the Congressionals would set up a new fundraising mechanism if they didn’t think — in fact, if they weren’t damn sure — it would HELP them stay in office? I think they know a hell of a lot more than you could ever hope to know about winning an election and staying in office. Bredesen apparently has brokered the deal, but he is on the way out of office. The engine driving this car is with the Members of Congress.

11. LeftWingCracker writes
    April 23rd, 2009 1:55 pm

    And as a Shelby Countian, I am more than prepared to tell Bredesen to go fuck himself if he has balls enough to show up at the Summit.

    This means war.

12. TennRod writes
    April 23rd, 2009 1:56 pm

    Steve Cohen’s interest is in winning the primary, and since the TNDP is prohibited by its own by-laws from getting involved in a primary, he probably doesn’t give a tinker’s damn what goes on with CINO Forrester. And since no republican could ever win in that district, the TNDP is pretty much irrelvant to him. Get focused, Andy; this is pretty basic political reality.

13. TennRod writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:06 pm

    So Cracker goes from “no big deal” to “this means war” in 12 messages. What a joke you are, Cracker. Do you think Bredesen, Gordon, Cooper, Tanner and Davis give a flip about your “declaration”? Why don’t you ask CINO Forrester if he thinks you would be helpful by verbally assaulting our Democratic Governor? Even he knows that is foolish.

    Thank you, our Democratic Congressmen, our Democratic major donors, and our Democratic Governor, for devising a plan to save the Tennessee Democratic Party and win back the State House despite the albatross that is Chip Forrester and his merry band.

14. Reality writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:08 pm

    and since the TNDP is prohibited by its own by-laws from getting involved in a primary, he probably doesn’t give a tinker’s damn what goes on with CINO Forrester.

    Since when do democrats follow rules?

15. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:13 pm

    Needless to say, I’m irritated about this, but I’m mostly irritated that the entire State Democratic Apparatus is being held hostage by 5 people who can’t get past petty personal issues with the duly elected chair of the party.

    Vibinc and Left Wing Cracker, would you and the few remaining members of the Chipinista please grow up. This isn’t about “petty personal issues.” This is about one thing and one thing only:

    Chip Forrester is an incompetent and dishonest party chair.

    What has happened since Chip assumed the helm of the party to indicate that he is capable of handling this job?

    He can’t raise money.

    He has no communication operation. To the contrary, the party is pilloried on the blogs and in the mainstream media.

    He has surrounded himself with staff that have zero political experience and, quite frankly, zero ability to run a party.

    The TNDP is a joke.

    You are some of the last people to admit the mistake that is TNDP chairman Chip Forrester. You had best wake up before you push yourselves further into irrelevancy.

    Under no circumstances would I support our elected officials raising money for Chip to squander.

16. Heatseeker writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:18 pm

    Damn, Wanker, you are always good for a laugh.

    You just got nuked, Dude. Beatdown. Body slammed. Ass rammed.

    But you stamp your little feet and puff up your lips in that oh-so-pouty way of yours and screech, “This means war.”

    You tell ‘em, Betty Boop. I’ll bet they’re quaking in their boots.

17. TennRod writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:19 pm

    Hey, Cracker, Lincoln Davis was an essential part of this decision. Are you going to show your ass to him at the Moonbeam Summin next week?

18. Andy Axel writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:36 pm

    since the TNDP is prohibited by its own by-laws from getting involved in a primary

    Someone must not have told Tim Barnes about that rule.

19. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:37 pm

    I don’t see much reason to discuss this with LWC and Vibinc anymore. They refuse to get past the election and focus on the facts.

    We’ve taken the first step in rebuilding TNDP: neutralizing Chip. For the longterm, we need to start working on replacing the executive committee, especially those members that created this mess by electing Chip.

20. Harrison writes
    April 23rd, 2009 2:40 pm

    Honestly, this sounds like a pretty reasonable approach. And smart on everyone’s part. Effective organizations do a few things but do them well. Chip, while incompetent in many ways, clearly has mastered the art of pandering to the grassroots crowd and used them to out-hustle the electeds. He can now turn the Chipinista against Republican campaigns. Meanwhile, all the Chipinista who claimed the TNDP didn’t need money but instead can run on hugs and smiles get what they want. Which is a streamlined organization focused on what they care about: Running their big fat yaps. Sounds like the perfect solution.

21. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:07 pm

    You know, Harrison, I couldn’t have said it better. Sounds like LWC and Vibinc have nothing to complain about.

22. Donna Locke writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:13 pm

    Power for both factions. Can’t see what you can complain about, except that the folks who cover both sides will probably give more to the GOP, given the way things are going here.

23. benintn writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:16 pm

    I can’t claim any special knowledge about this, but it sounds awfully reminiscent of VolPAC and TennPAC. I’m not sure this is really “the end of the world as we know it,” but it certainly means that the Democratic kingmakers will continue doing what they’re doing without accountability or input from their constituents. That might work for Republicans, but Democrats generally believe in representative democracy, not an oligarchy.

24. Donna Locke writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:17 pm

    Of course, some folks may lose business/income as long as Chip is in charge. Can’t blame you for looking out for your own interests.

25. Andy Axel writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:23 pm

    …it certainly means that the Democratic kingmakers will continue doing what they’re doing without accountability or input from their constituents.

    In other words, pretty much exactly the same arrangement, pre-Forrester. Except this time not even the nominal checks-&-balances from the EC (provided that said members aren’t also among the select group of fundraisers invited to participate; I’m certain that there’s some overlap).

    Democrats generally believe in representative democracy, not an oligarchy.

    What they believe in and what they get are entirely separate matters.

26. Bredesen Goes South Park On The TNDP : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:36 pm

    [...] …it certainly means that the Democratic… [...]

27. Mo' Money writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:41 pm

    So who pays Chip’s salary and others still at TNDP focusing on grassroots? Is the PAC paying it or does Chip have to at least raise that money? And isn’t a PAC limited to a $5,000 contribution per primary and general election?

28. jen writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:43 pm

    One thing I don’t understand about all of this is why Bredesen? He’s outta here soon so why would anyone follow him on this and why would he lead it? Why not someone else — an old hand that’s been around and intends on staying around instead of an “on his way out the door” pol? Is Bredesen eyeing the Senate?

29. Reality writes
    April 23rd, 2009 3:44 pm

    That might work for Republicans, but Democrats generally believe in representative democracy, not an oligarchy.

    Did Jimmy Naifeh and Ophelia Ford teach you that faith in democracy?

30. Harrison writes
    April 23rd, 2009 4:28 pm

    The Chipinista have once again revealed themselves to be galactically stupid. First, you want the party to yourself. Now you don’t. What’s the problem? Scared of having to actually do work and raise money to support a political organization, as opposed to sitting at home in your Spiderman PJs pecking away at the blogs? Stop snivelling and take ownership in your party. Did you think the electeds were going to keep you on welfare?

31. Dr. Jellyfinger writes
    April 23rd, 2009 4:45 pm

    The Chipinista are proving themselves to be ignorant, childish, and unrealistic - all of which we knew they were.

    The governor is the highest elected Democrat in the state; therefore, he runs the party.

    Chip Forrester is incompetent. The governor and congressionals should not raise money for him to squander.

    Do you children really believe that party chairs run elections? How many times do we have to tell you that is not the case?

    If you care about the party, get on board with the only workable solution short of removing Chip.

    To this point, I’ve seen nothing but bumbling incompetence and a lot of whining out of the lot of you.

32. TennRod writes
    April 23rd, 2009 5:01 pm

    Is this going to be a PAC in the usual sense? I don’t see that in the original story. It just says “fundraising apparatus.”

33. maxi writes
    April 23rd, 2009 5:26 pm

    Thank God for Governor Bredesen and our Conbgressman!! We now have a leader who we
    can follow. We have for the past 8 years.
    Thank You Governor!!!!!

34. Sounds of silence dominate TNDP call | In Session: Tennessee Politics writes
    April 23rd, 2009 5:28 pm

    [...] party’s operations, but instead the questions — when they came — focused more on what bloggers say about him and how long it takes to have user messages approved on the party’s new Web [...]

35. What’s Blogs Got To Do With It? : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee writes
    April 23rd, 2009 8:00 pm

    [...] Thank God for Governor Bredesen and our Conbgressman!!… The Collective [...]

36. The Story of the Big Bad Governor v. the Little Bloggers « Tiny Cat Pants writes
    April 23rd, 2009 8:25 pm

    [...] know this, though.  Threads like this and this make a lot more sense if you read it like Harrison, Heatseaker, and Dr. Jellyfinger are [...]

37. Newscoma » Blog Archive » Backroom Politics In Tennessee writes
    April 24th, 2009 8:33 am

    [...] When yesterday’s story broke regarding the reorganization of the TNDP, there should have been a press release immediately. Chip Forrester doesn’t have a Bill Hobbs, and he spoke via conference call roughly five hours after the rumors hit Post Politics. Several bloggers and a few journalists where on that conference call from what I was told by one who participated.By then, it was too late for some folks who wanted immediate answers. [...]

38. Jon Crisp writes
    April 24th, 2009 11:00 am

    Nuthin’ like a little unity huh boys? And…all while you Dems are trying to get the “New Democratic Party” (See New Coke….) off of the ground…The state grows more and more “Red”. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Chip.

39. TennRod writes
    April 24th, 2009 11:23 am

    For someone who could never get elected to anything, Jon, and from a party that can’t decide about the status of teh Speaker of the House, “unity” talk is just a little bit funny.

40. Southern Liberal Living » Blog Archive » Welcome Dinos & Rinos writes
    April 27th, 2009 11:16 am

    [...] the TNDP made changes and added a “shadow party” to operate within the TNDP and help with fundraising. Who are these sinister folks? They are [...]