Keith Talley Named TNDP Communications Director
Posted on July 8, 2009 at 6:11 pmThe Tennessee Democratic Party has announced a new hire to direct the organization’s communications effort.
Keith Talley has been named the party’s communications director. After serving nearly seven years in Washington, D.C., as U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon’s press secretary, Talley has consulted for a number of political campaigns across Tennessee.
Talley’s past work experience also includes stints as a newspaper reporter and editor at small dailies in Arkansas and Tennessee.
“Keith brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the political process to the job,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said. “His experience will be invaluable during the 2010 election cycle.”
Gordon agreed.
“Keith did a fine job for me as my press secretary and understands the issues facing Tennessee families like affordable health care, good schools and higher paying jobs,” said Gordon, dean of the Tennessee congressional delegation.
“I know he’ll do a good job in making sure everyone understands where Democrats stand on these important issues. Keith’s experience will be an asset to the party, and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”
Interesting to note that the party has left out Talley’s most infamous resume entry: State House Caucus Political Director in 2008.
Forrester: Goforth And Can Her Ass
Posted on June 15, 2009 at 5:33 pmThe Tennessee Democratic Party Chair has called for the head of a legislative staffer who sent an incendiary email featuring some of that old-timey racism. The presser in full:
Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Chip Forrester denounced an email sent out by Republican staffer Sherri Goforth depicting Barack Obama as two eyes peering out of a black background.
“Is this indicative of what Senate Republicans think about our Commander-in-Chief?” Forrester asked. “This email is reprehensible, insults the office of the President, and is embarrassing to all Tennesseans regardless of political party.”
Sen. Diane Black’s staffer sent an email with an attached collage of traditional presidential portraits, except that President Obama was depicted as two eyes peering from a black background.”When I ran for Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, I said that no longer would our Party sit idly by and allow Republicans to make bigoted attacks on Democrats in our state and our country. Well, once again, a Tennessee Republican has earned national attention for a racist, hate-filled attack on our President,” Forrester said.
Unfortunately, Sherri Goforth’s email joins the list of shameful episodes by Tennessee Republicans, from the infamous “Birds of a Feather” (PDF) direct mail piece that featured black crows with the heads of Barack Obama and Rep. Nathan Vaughn (who is also African-American), to the “Barack the Magic Negro” song that former Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chip Saltsman sent to RNC members during his failed campaign for RNC chair.
Since her aide’s email has come to light, Sen. Black, the chair of the House Republican Caucus, has merely reprimanded Goforth.
“I am calling on Sen. Black to reject this racist smear and fire this staffer who, on state government time, on state government computers, using a state government email account, launched this bigoted attack on our president,” Forrester said. “Keeping her on the staff would send the message that this type of behavior is condoned by the House Republican Caucus.”
“Ms. Goforth does not seem to understand what she did wrong. She has apologized for ’sending [the email] to the wrong list of people.’ I believe that any list of people would have recognized this email as offensive and hateful. The fact that a state employee would not understand that indicates that she is not fit for employment by the state of Tennessee.”
“We have hundreds of state employees facing the possibility of losing their jobs due to the budget deficit and no fault of their own. I think we could save at least one of those jobs by firing Sherri Goforth.”
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FirestormForrester Supports Tennessean For National Young Democrats Prez
Posted on June 13, 2009 at 1:50 pmIn an email blast, the head of the Tennessee Democratic Party Chip Forrester asks Tennessee Democrats to support native Tennessean Chris Anderson for the post of President of Young Democrats of America.
In 2007, Anderson was elected as part of the first ever openly gay leadership team to steer the organization. Anderson is running against a woman named Crystal Strait for the post of President.
From Forrester’s letter.
Chris is a long-time friend of mine and, I’m sure, many of you as well. He currently serves as the Executive Vice President of the Young Democrats of America (YDA), and he is running in a very competitive race for National President.
The YDA is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party. It is a national organization that engages and mobilizes young Democrats.
The 2008 election was unprecedented for many reasons. But, young voters told one of the most surprising stories. From the Iowa caucuses to November 4th, young voters defied the skeptics and participated in record numbers. Their voice was heard, and they are a key reason why Barack Obama is in the White House.
As President of the YDA, Chris will build on the historic 2008 campaign. With his help, we can establish a generation that will lead our party and our country into the future.
Chris has been working since high school to elect Democrats in Tennessee. He is a former president of the Tennessee Young Democrats and has served us well on the YDA National Committee since 2001.
I am writing to you today to ask that you make a modest contribution of at least $10 to help Chris achieve his goal.
Forrester And Friend Go Upside Ramsey On Ethics
Posted on May 8, 2009 at 1:50 pmVia a press release from the Tennessee Democratic Party:
Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester recently criticized Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey for trying to eliminate the Tennessee Ethics Commission. Ramsey supports House Bill 506, sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd (R-Collierville), which would dismantle the Tennessee Ethics Commission and transfer its duties to the Registry of Election Finance.
“This is just another excellent example of why Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey has no business running for governor,” Forrester said. “Shifting the duties of the Ethics Commission to the Registry of Election Finance shows that ethics enforcement is not a priority for Lt. Gov. Ramsey and the Tennessee Republican Party.”
Celebrating The Democratic Gubernatorial Primary
Posted on May 7, 2009 at 2:39 pmWell, actually the President’s 100 Days:
Join the Union University College Democrats for their Celebration of the First 100 Days of the Obama Presidency. The evening will begin with a short business meeting of the Madison County Democratic Party Executive Committee on Union’s campus at 6:00 pm. Starting at 7:30 the newly-elected Madison County Chair, Attorney Robert Hill; TNDP Chair, Chip Forrester; Senator Lowe Finney and gubernatorial candidates Kim McMillan, Ward Cammack, Mike McWherter and Senator Roy Herron will speak.
The Slow Schism Heal
Posted on at 8:18 amJackson Baker on the after effects of an important speech by Lincoln Davis to the health of the Democratic Party in the state:
That act, Davis’ speech itself, and the very fact of his being there signaled to many in the crowd the pending resolution of a schism between Forrester and the party’s liberal wing, on the one hand, and, on the other, the party’s conservative establishment, represented by Davis, the state’s other congressmen (except for Memphis’ Steve Cohen, who stayed out of the factional dispute), and Governor Bredesen.
That much healing remains was indicated by the fact that the only congressman attending was Davis, who happens also to represent Monteagle in Congress. Conspicuously absent were representatives of the governor’s office.
As a result of a recent working compact between the party’s two wings, Forrester and his team will focus on party organization and grassroots efforts, while candidate recruitment and fund-raising will be the province of the establishment, with Bredesen and the congressional representatives having direct oversight.
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Chip Forrester’s Crew Will Light Your Soul On Fire
Posted on May 4, 2009 at 11:14 pmA favorable review of the TNDP Summit in Monteagle:
I have attended many political events in my life, but I have never attended an event to where my soul was on fire. This happened to me when I attended the TNDP 2009 Summit at Monteagle, TN. For me, this was a revival of faith, hope, motivation and a call to action to fight and win. I met many interesting and diverse people and was in liberal heaven sharing conversation with democrats and fellow liberals in the moutains of Tennessee. I even gained a new respect for those with more conservative viewpoints.
This event was a divine intervention for a call to action in what is probably one of the most important elections in Tennessee political history. The Summit was exactly what Tennessee Democrats needed. It was a perfect blend of fellowship, diverse viewpoints, speakers, motivation, celebration, training, and education for a political event.
Rep. Lincoln Davis Lays Hands On Chip Forrester
Posted on at 7:42 pmThe highlight of the TNDP Summit in Monteagle: Rep. Lincoln Davis puts his arm around the chairman of his party and says the following.
“I’m not completely through yet set back down. Also about a year and three or four months ago, many of us thought Hillary Clinton was gonna be the nominee — and she would have been a good one.
But there was this young fella, who knew how to organize at the grassroots level. We’ve got a chairman who understands that, too. And those of you in this room understand that. It is the grassroots organization that will win back the majority in Tennessee. Chip, thank you.”
Forces allied with Davis have long been suspected (along with those of the governor) of being the instigators behind the recent discord within the party.
See the exact moment at this link.
The TNDP Summit: Uniting The Clans
Posted on May 3, 2009 at 7:31 pmRep. Mike Turner relays a highlight from the TNDP summit this weekend in Monteagle:
Highlight of the event is when Lincoln Davis after giving one of the most inspiring speeches that I have ever heard put his arm around Chip Forrester and said united we will win in 2010.
No Surrender: Forrester Speaks On The Truce
Posted on April 30, 2009 at 8:16 amTNDP chair Chip Forrester issues a retort to those that say the accord he reached with his detractors in the party was less a truce and more unconditional surrender:
Mr. Baker was right when he noted in his article that things were moving in a positive direction at Speaker-emeritus Jimmy Naifeh’s annual Coon Supper. But to characterize this as “surrender” could not be further from the truth. The coming together of all the constituencies for party unity is something I hoped would happen and could not be more pleased with how this has taken place.
He also wrongly states that the “deal” requires that I hire an executive director picked by the governor and reporting directly to the governor. This is completely untrue. What we have decided to do is bring on a top-flight communications director (something that I, in fact, campaigned on while running for chair) to more aggressively combat the continued failings of the Tennessee Republican Party which has been hijacked by extremist right wing zealots like Rep. Jason Mumpower, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and the current TNGOP Chair Robin Smith.
Given his history as a successful entrepreneur, Governor Bredesen looks at operations from a business perspective and in discussions has suggested that the party develop a business plan to help guide its operating activities, which we are in the process of developing now. The kind of leadership that the governor has given the state in these turbulent economic times is just the kind of leadership he has demonstrated for the Party.
What we are really all doing is having the entire team play to its strengths—the governor’s fundraising prowess is key to our statewide financial success, an “all hands on deck” candidate recruitment process that seeks, identifies, recruits and trains the best candidates for 2010, empowers the 72 members of the state Democratic executive committee in a much more visible leadership role, re-engages our 95 county parties, brings the grassroots activists from across the state into the Party and new 21st century communication tools (like our brand new web site www.tndp.org) that creates a community of committed Democratic activists—to do the single most important job we all have—win in 2010. There has been no “surrender” — just the unification of our Party for the battle ahead.
Back In Middle School I Used To Love Them Politics
Posted on April 29, 2009 at 4:22 pmTNDP Chairman Chip Forrester calls out House Republican Caucus Chair for his connections to various campaign misdeeds:
“We all know that ridiculous rumors are posted on the internet all the time,” Forrester said. “But Glen Casada broke the rules multiple times. When a staffer impersonates an opposing candidate, that’s a crime. And when a state legislator publishes lies about a candidate being a convicted felon, that’s libel.”
“Apparently, Glen Casada couldn’t win back the House running a clean campaign, so he took out two Democratic candidates by making things up on the Internet. That is middle-school politics, and the people of Tennessee deserve better.”
Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey
Posted on April 28, 2009 at 11:29 amJackson Baker says that the understanding come to by both sides of the Democratic Party last week was no truce and point the finger at the operative who sculpted the landscape that resulted in Chip Forrester accepting an offer he couldn’t refuse:
Almost everybody considers the “truce” to be a surrender imposed on Forrester by that establishment, which, in theory, consists of Bredesen plus four of the five Democratic congressmen from Tennessee (everybody but Memphis’ Steve Cohen, who has been studiously neutral during the last three moths of intra-party strife). In reality, it comes down to 4th District congressman Lincoln Davis, and, in particular, his administrative aide Beecher Frasier.
Yes, the same Beecher Frasier who opined during last year’s presidential campaign that he couldn’t be sure that then candidate Barack Obama didn’t have terrorist ties. The same Beecher Frazier who has spearheaded the battle against Forrester almost from the moment the Chipper announced his candidacy for the party chairmanship last November. That was in the wake of the electoral debacle last November in which the Democrats managed to lose both houses of the Tennessee legislature.
Tennessee Democrats Are Not Baby-Killing, Gun-Stealing Tree Huggers
Posted on April 27, 2009 at 7:49 amOn political matters, [Rep. John] Litz agreed with Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester’s anticipated role in doing more grass-roots organizing, while other Democrats take on fund raising and candidate recruitment.
“I think we’ve allowed the Republican Party to tell people what we are … (and) it’s not a true picture,” Litz claimed. “The Democratic Party I believe in is a big tent. We have some people who are far, far to the left, but we have some people who are very conservative. I would consider myself a moderate conservative. … I don’t think the Tennessee Democratic Party that I’m a part of is like a California Democrat. We’re not baby-killing, gun-stealing tree huggers.”
Ford To Speak At Jackson Day
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 6:53 pm
The Tennessee Democratic Party’s annual fundraising event has an all-star speaker:
Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman, Chip Forrester, is pleased to announce that Harold Ford, Jr. will be the Keynote Speaker at the Andrew Jackson Day Celebration on May 30, 2009 at the Factory in Franklin, TN. Jackson Day festivities include an afternoon picnic, a dinner and keynote address by Ford, Jr., and an after-party later in the evening.
This is important news because some folks had wondered, due to the turmoil and fundraising problems in the TNDP, whether Chairman Forrester would be able to secure a big name speaker to bring people out on Jackson Day and raise some much needed funds.
It is especially noteworthy because Ford was one of signers, along with the Governor and nearly all of the state Democratic congressmen, of a letter supporting Chairman Forrester’s opponent, Charles Robert Bone.
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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Southern LiberalMoney 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.It’s Not The Decision Which Was So Much In Question As The Timing Of The Announcement
Posted on March 8, 2009 at 5:58 pmRep. Lincoln Davis tells Herman Wang that his eschewing a race for governor had nothing to do with who the chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party was and everything to do with which committees he sits on in Congress:
“If I had stayed on Financial Services or Agriculture,” Rep. Davis said, referring to his previous committee assignments, “you would not have had an announcement that I am not running. You probably would have heard from me on March 31 that I am running for governor.”
Rep. Davis, who would have been the presumptive Democratic frontrunner in the 2010 gubernatorial race, said his decision not to run had nothing to do with his opposition to the election of Chip Forrester as Tennessee Democratic Party chairman, as some political observers have speculated.
Rep. Davis was among several prominent Tennessee Democrats, including Gov. Phil Bredesen, who declined to support Mr. Forrester’s bid to head the state party, preferring Charles Robert Bone, whom backers said had a stronger fundraising background.
Rep. Davis made his announcement that he would not be running for governor just days after Mr. Forrester’s selection in January.
But in an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Rep. Davis said the opportunity to serve on one of the most prominent congressional committees was too good to pass up.
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