Governor Concedes He Wasn’t Likely To Help TNDP While Freeman Was Treasurer
Posted on March 30, 2009 at 7:27 amThe Governor expresses his distaste for former Democratic Party Treasurer Bill Freeman:
Gov. Bredesen acknowledged that inclined him not to help the party with fundraising.
“The person they chose to be the treasurer worked very hard against me,” Gov. Bredesen said. “So he’s not somebody that immediately when he calls up and says, ‘I now want your help raising money,’ that you say, ‘Oh, OK.’”Gov. Bredesen’s comments to the Times Free Press were made Thursday and have not been previously published.
By Friday afternoon, with news out that state Democratic fundraising took a tumble in February, Mr. Freeman called it quits and acknowledged in a news release that his resignation stemmed in part from “opposition” to his appointment by “some of the Democratic establishment.”
“As I’ve made fundraising calls in the last month, several longtime donors have expressed their concern to me that Governor Bredesen was not as supportive of me as I had hoped,” Mr. Freeman said in a statement.
Freeman Out As TNDP Treasurer
Posted on March 27, 2009 at 3:52 pmFrom a presser:
NASHVILLE, March 27 -Tennessee Democratic Party Treasurer William H. “Bill” Freeman is stepping down effective immediately, Freeman and Chairman Chip Forrester announced today.
The decision comes as a result of several factors, Freeman said, including opposition to his appointment from some of the Democratic establishment.
“As I’ve made fund-raising calls in the last month, several long-time donors have expressed their concern to me that Governor Bredesen was not as supportive of me as I had hoped,” Freeman said. “By resigning now, I hope I can take away some of the criticism the Party has faced recently and give Chip Forrester a better shot at rebuilding a relationship with the Governor and taking the Party in the direction that it needs to go.”
Since his February 19th appointment, Freeman has been criticized for his past contributions to a few Republican candidates. Other commentators and Democratic activists have cited Freeman’s support of FONCE (Family Owned Non-Commercial Entity) as a source of contention with the Governor, who is pushing legislation to close a tax loophole benefiting FONCEs.
Forrester, while reluctantly accepting his resignation, said he respected Freeman’s decision.
“I think this has been a tough environment for Bill and a tough decision for him to make,” said Forrester. “I appreciate him thinking about what is best for the Tennessee Democratic Party, and I sincerely hope to build a productive relationship with Governor Bredesen going forward.”
Freeman is chairman of Freeman Webb, Inc., a real estate investment management and brokerage firm he founded with James A. Webb, III in 1979.
“Bill has done an outstanding job during his tenure with us,” said Forrester. “Serving as a treasurer and raising money is a demanding role at any time, much less during a recession. Regardless, Bill proved himself to be a successful fundraiser. With his help, the TNDP has raised over $60,000 in March alone.”
“My goal here at the TNDP remains the same: to build a strong organization that can help Democrats compete and win in 2010,” Forrester continued. “The problems facing Tennessee are too great for me to lose focus that goal.”
A replacement for Freeman has not yet been named. Forrester said he is beginning the search for a new treasurer immediately.
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Money Men Did In Fact Flee From Forrester
Posted on March 20, 2009 at 4:41 pmThe AP’s got the indisputable evidence:
Federal election disclosures show the Tennessee Democratic Party is struggling to raise money in the aftermath of a leadership struggle.
The Federal Election Commission report filed on Friday shows the party under new Chairman Chip Forrester only managed to raise about $31,000 in February. That compares with about $211,000 raised in the same month of his predecessor Gray Sasser’s stint in charge of the party.
UPDATE:
Braisted says it’s time to step it up.
Knoxrebel weighs in.
Will Bill Freeman Get Ousted As TNDP Treasuer For His GOP Donations?
Posted on March 3, 2009 at 8:01 amNot bloody likely reports Jeff Woods:
Asked last night what will come of the hubbub over Freeman’s contributions, Mullins told Pith, “Probably nothing. You don’t want me to [deceive] you, do you?”
No one asked for Freeman’s resignation during an executive committee conference call at the height of the controversy. “When it came time to actually ask in that conference call, nobody asked him to step down,” says Mullins, a Morristown farmer and businessman. “If the majority says this is acceptable, I guess I have to go along.”
Not Trusting Freeman On The Button
Posted on March 1, 2009 at 7:04 pmRyan Kristopher explains why he cannot support a man who has given money to Republicans as TNDP treasurer:
Taking all of the money he has donated to the Republican cause out of the equation for argument sake, Mr. Freeman freely admits, or at least his voting record admits, to voting for Van Hilleary and Jim Bryson. This fact alone should disqualify him from ever holding a position in the TDP. Mr. Freeman made a conscious decision in the last two gubernatorial elections to vote for candidates that are 180 degrees opposite to everything for which the TDP stands. This has nothing to do with him not liking Governor Bredesen. Hell, I think Mary Pruitt is one of the worst legislators at the Plaza, but I would never think of voting for a right wing conservative Republican rather than her. Why? Because I know when she sits in a subcommittee or on the floor for a vote and an issue comes up that defines what a Democrat is (healthcare, quality public education, women’s reproductive rights), she is at least smart enough to push the button with the other Democrats. In a nutshell, Mr. Freeman can’t be trusted to push the button with the other Democrats.
Playing Kick The Can — With Matches And Gasoline
Posted on February 24, 2009 at 7:15 amDemocratic insiders blame blogs for the controversy over TNDP Treasurer Bill Freeman’s past donations to the TNDP:
Blogs are fueling the controversy and making matters much worse for Freeman. Actually, you could say blogs and their commenters have created Freeman’s troubles. “In a normal world without the Internet, I wouldn’t know any of this was even happening,” one insider says. “There might have been some muttering or something. But damn, now I’m getting emails from somebody in Knoxville who’s gotten an email from somebody in Memphis who’s been reading it on the Scene’s website, and all of a sudden there’s all this trash out there. There’s just reams of. I don’t think Freeman or Forrester ever expected that this would blow up.”
Indicting Bill Freeman
Posted on at 7:05 amA commenter follows the money of the new TNDP treasurer:
In 2006, Bill Freeman gave the Republican National Committee $10,000. In 2006, the Republican National Committee produced a certain television spot it ran against Harold Ford, Jr. That spot became known as the “Call Me” ad. I know you remember that one, don’t you, LWC?
If you ask me, Bill Freeman helped fund the “Call Me” ad - probably the most heinous piece of race baiting in modern Tennessee political history.
Remember that ad, LWC? The good-looking, bare-shouldered blonde whispering into the camera, “Harold, call me.” What was the message there, LWC? “Hey, you can’t vote for a black man. Black men are just out to get white women.”
That’s what Freeman’s money went to fund, and it infuriates me that Chip Forrester defends it. Chip Forrester said he would fight Republican racism whenever he saw it. I guess he meant he would fight it unless it was funded by his treasurer.
SEE ALSO: Braisted urges trolls to come correct.
More Explanations Of GOP Donations From New TNDP Treasurer
Posted on February 23, 2009 at 4:04 pmFrom a press release:
“In 2004, my neighbor hosted a fundraiser for President Bush,” Freeman says. “My son wanted to meet the President, so I gave $10,000 for two tickets. My motivation was not to help the GOP, it was to give my son the opportunity to meet the President of the United States. But, looking at the mess the Bush Administration has created in our country and around the world - this is not a decision I would repeat if I had to do over again.”
PREVIOUSLY:
TNDP’s New Treasurer Gave To GOP And Pinkston Spanks Chip
Is Chip Forrester A Tool Of Gary Odom?
TNDP Treasurer On His Republican Donations
Oops: TNDP’s New Treasurer Gave To GOP And Pinkston Spanks Chip
Posted on February 21, 2009 at 7:29 pmErik Schelzig reports:
Campaign finance records show the newly named treasurer of the Tennessee Democratic Party has made heavy campaign contributions to Republicans, including to Gov. Phil Bredesen’s opponents in the 2002 and 2006 elections…
…But Forrester has already been rebuffed as he sought to gather contributions for the Governor’s Roundtable event traditionally hosted by Bredesen to raise money for the party.
“Apparently he was making fundraising calls to raise money under the governor’s name,” said Bredesen aide Will Pinkston. “And I’ve spoken with him about that, and advised him that that’s not appropriate without asking him first.”
Pinkston said it is unclear whether Forrester will be able to unify Democrats behind him.
“Chip showed from the executive committee vote that he has the ability to generate excitement in the party ranks, and he definitely can appeal to certain people,” he said. “Whether that translates to mass appeal for the party, or whether everyone locks arms, remains to be seen.”
PREVIOUSLY: Bill Freeman named TNDP Treasurer.
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