TNDP Personnel Situation Explained

By Kleinheider Posted on November 11, 2008 at 8:42 am

Ilissa Gold reported last night of a personnel massacre at the the state Democratic Party. While it true that Communications Director Wade Munday’s “last day” is December 1 and that the field director and most of the field staff will no longer be in the employ of the party, the situation is not quite that simple.

The news came down in the last week that all “State Partnership” position funding is coming to an end. These positions are currently funded by the DNC (not the TNDP) as part of Howard Dean’s 50 state strategy. Dean is stepping down as Chair of the Democratic National Committee so whether this funding continues to flow to the state party will ultimately be determined by the new chair of the National party. It could be temporary, it could be permanent.

Either way, in January, a new chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party will also be chosen. Presumably, at that point, the new TNDP chairman will have some idea of where his funding will be coming from and whether his payroll will be benefiting from a continuation of of the Dean policy or not.

At that point he will hire up and replenish the staff. The TNDP will not go without a communications director for more than a month and the “newly hired” communications director could just as easily be Wade Munday himself as it could be whomever the new Chair decides.

Yes, Chairman Sasser and Executive Director Hayden will have their jobs past the date that Munday’s DNC funding faucet shuts down but it isn’t for long. As stated previously, a new chair will be elected in January and will choose staff to serve at his pleasure.

So while people are losing their jobs at the TNDP most of the positions are directly related to the Tennessee Victory ‘08 effort which has obviously come to a close. The others, such as Munday, have been subsidized by the DNC for the past two years with money that is no longer forthcoming from the national party for the time being.

This shedding of staff is essentially just the natural order of the campaign cycle and a symptom of the unique funding mechanisms the party has used to staff its positions — and not much more.

SEE ALSO:
Braisted
Grantham Is Talking
Newscoma
Aunt B.
R. Neal
Silence (Part II)

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Tags: 50 State Strategy, DNC, Gray Sasser, Janet Meek, Kim Sasser Hayden, Michael Gass, TNDP, Wade Munday  

The Tennessee Democrat (Not Democratic) Party

By Kleinheider Posted on September 15, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Hey, Wade Munday, you gonna take that?

Apparently so.

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Tags: Wade Munday  

TNGOP Calls Democrats Cranky Babies For Reacting To A Press Release Designed To Provoke A Reaction

By Kleinheider Posted on May 16, 2008 at 4:43 pm

The communications shop of the Tennessee Republican Party responds to the controversy that has erupted over its release of a web video castigating Michelle Obama on the day of her visit to Nashville and attempts to begin a constructive dialogue with its counterpart at the Democratic Party:

The web video showed a series of Nashvillians talking about various reasons why they are proud of America. The video did not “attack” or demean Mrs. Obama, it merely contrasted her remarks with the remarks of several average Tennesseans.

The response from the Left: many angry, often foul-mouthed emails, phone calls and web comments declaring the video racist and worse.

The Tennesseee Democrat Party called the video “deplorable” and “grotesque.” We’re guessing they’re hoping most people won’t have seen it and realize that it was just a light-hearted jab.

What is truly deplorable is that Democrats and Obama supporters are hoping to shield Obama and his campaign and its surrogates from almost any criticism, disagreement or dissent by tagging such things as a “distraction,” as “partisanship, and as “racism and “bigotry.”

“Rather than labeling every criticism of Barack Obama as ‘racist,’ and rather than whining about tough talk from their opponents, the Tennessee Democrat Party might want to ask Mrs. Obama to tone down her language,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “They also might want to encourage other their party elites to stop accusing fellow Democrats of racism because they didn’t vote for Obama, as became common after Obama’s crushing defeat in the West Virginia primary.”

SEE ALSO: Bill Hobbs cites an online poll backing up the TNGOP’s broadside against Michelle Obama.

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Tags: Bill Hobbs, Gray Sasser, Michelle Obama, Robin Smith, Wade Munday  

This Week With Big Bad Bob

By Kleinheider Posted on April 25, 2008 at 5:23 pm

WKRN’s Muelleropolis panel this Sunday stars John Rodgers of the City Paper, TNGOP Chair Robin Smith and the man behind the Mouth, TNDP Press Secretary Wade Munday.

See discussion of the Democratic Presidential primary, the anti-abortion YouTube public relations drive and a feature interview with the dark prince of Democratic politics, Bill Fletcher, sans tie sporting the latest in springtime consultantwear.

See the show early right here.

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Tags: Bill Fletcher, Bob Mueller, John Rodgers, Wade Munday