The recent election of Chip Forrester as Chairman of the Tennessee State Democratic Party may well herald a sea change in the Volunteer State.
As insular as it is incestuous, the state party has been so intent on maintaining the status quo it failed to notice not only the the leftward shift of its voters, but that there were also Democratic voters outside the blue confines of Nashville.
Forrester's rise to Chairman may herald a retaking of the party by the people, but he's going to face an uphill battle against the politically inbred old guard.
I live in a county that is so red they used to joke about the Democratic Party meetings here being held in a phone booth.
While the party has grown over the years, Williamson County is still hovering around the 30% mark for Democratic voters.
Obama got only 27.89% of the vote here. Turn out was high - nearly 78%.
The county is split, district-wise, with the 4th, carried by Lincoln Davis, and the 7th, my district, carried by MarshaMarshaMarsha Blackburn.
I was a member of the Williamson County Executive Committee for a few years until my health became too unstable for me to commit time and energy to the process.
My foray into the latest state party brouhaha began with a conversation between my husband and Gray Sasser, who became the State Party Chairman in 2007 after having served as their legal counsel for a number of years.
My husband received a phone call from Mr. Sasser who was looking for funds from previous but lapsed donors.
My husband made it clear he had no intention of giving the state party any money until they got their act together. Mr. Sasser agreed there were problems. My husband said Mr. Sasser should talk to me as I had just been on a righteous rant about that very subject and he felt my experiences and insights might be helpful.
Mr. Sasser was very agreeable, promised the problems would be addressed and he would speak to me. My husband provided my email address and a $1000 donation.
I received the following email (in real life my name is spelled in the masculine form):
Ariel,
I wanted to drop you a quick note and thank you and XXXXXX for all the help you have given the Tennessee Democratic Party. Thanks to your support, I really think that we can swing the state Senate back into the Democratic column. We hope to capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm generated by Barack Obama's campaign to start making some long term gains here in Tennessee.
In my conversations with XXXXXX, I understand that you may have some concerns about the Tennessee Democratic Party. I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts with me at some point, as I am always looking for new idea on how we can improve things.
Thanks again for all that you and XXXXXX do for the Democratic Party and our candidates, and I look forward to speaking with you in the near future.
-Gray
So I sent him this response:
Gray,
Did XXXXXX warn you I am a redhead? Getting me started could be a mistake. ;o)
I do, indeed, have grave concerns about the Tennessee Democratic Party on many fronts. I decided, in fact, to not give the state party any donations and instead funneled my donations to individual candidates and the DNC.
To give you a little background, I cut my teeth on politics attending an anti-Nixon demonstration at Phoenix Coliseum in May of 1974. I was 12 years old. In other words, my parents trained me well. :o)
The first campaign I volunteered for was Mo Udall's in 1976 as a project for my Gifted Studies program which was then run as an after hours concept.
As an adult living in Texas, I volunteered for both of Ann Richards' campaigns and for Bill Clinton's first Presidential run, where I was a state delegate.
The delegate selection process in Texas is decidedly different than what is done here in the "Volunteer" State. I put scare quotes on that word because I believe our party has decided that volunteerism is an antiquated yet quaint triviality.
It was, of course, a long time ago and the course of my illness has rendered my memory fickle. Here is a site with the current rules, but I do not know if that was how it was done then. Texas Democrats Delegate Rules I DO know that if you volunteered to work the poll at your local precinct on election day, you were almost guaranteed a spot at the state convention. Obviously, it was more difficult to go to the national convention and I'm sure there was quite a bit of Texas Two-Step going on there but, still, if you really involved yourself in platform writing or mundane party business, you had a decent shot.
I described the Tennessee Democratic Party to XXXXX XXXXXX as being like the British - an inbred island people with really bad teeth. (No offense to the Brits who, at the very least, have a keen sense of humor and know how to brew a decent beer.)
When I was on the Executive Committee of the Williamson County Party, I noticed there was a very tight core of people who admittedly worked very hard for the party but had built an almost impenetrable wall around themselves. This tends to happen, though, in any hierarchical group setting so I'm not sure why that should make the delegate selection process so different. I left my volunteer position when my health became too fragile to continue.
I was extremely distressed to hear, from a number of different sources, how our national convention delegates comported themselves. I believe this is part and parcel to how elected Democrats, as well as those running for office, comport themselves.
While this article touched on a bit of the angst, I am aware that a lot more went on. Clinton Delegates Rebel The whole issue of "honor bound" voting and whether or not use of the phrase "I release my delegates" [is necessary] truly needs to be dealt with.
The Democratic Party needs to learn a lesson from the past decades of Republican majority rule. They need to become a well oiled machine. This does NOT mean they need to be doormats and nod complacently at any inanity that might get spouted by a Democratic office holder or party official like the Republicans are wont to do. It does, however, entail a certain amount of discipline of message and embracing of platform ideology which I find sorely lacking. (I will refrain from quoting Mark Twain.)
It came to a head for me this year but had been building for awhile.
The Congressional race in Memphis' 9th between incumbent Steve Cohen and Nikki Tinker did more than anger me. It frightened me.
That a man with a score of 96.2% on Progressive Punch's scorecard can be so demonized in a racist and anti-Semitic attack by another Democrat in this state, and in so doing put a bright national spotlight on our inter-party weirdness, left many Tennessee Jews and others of a more progressive bent than our state party officials wondering if we even had a political future here.
Even Emily's list had to rebuke their chromosomally fielded candidate. But while they waited until the last day to condemn her tactics, Harold Ford waited until the 11th hour as did the state party with your, how should I put this?, anemic, indefinite chide.
This was followed by the marvelous non endorsement by Lincoln Davis, a Democrat In Name Only who opposes stem cell research, choice, gay marriage, animal welfare, and the ACLU. But, hey the American Conservative Union, the Traditional Values Coalition, and Concerned Women for America ("promoting Biblical values among all citizens"!) LOVE him! Granted, he is a strong supporter of labor and a few other Democratic platform items but his non support of Obama was simply sad.
It was eclipsed, however, by Fred Hobbs now infamous statement, "Maybe [it’s] the same reason I don’t want to — I don’t exactly approve of a lot of the things he stands for and I’m not sure we know enough about him. He’s got some bad connections, and he may be terrorist connected for all I can tell. It sounds kind of like he may be."
Hoo boy. That was a doozy. It hit the blogs at lightning speed and the national media picked it up like acrylic picks up lint.
When asked to comment on the brouhaha instigated by Beecher Frasier, Hobbs, and Harold Ford's denouncement of same, Lincoln Davis quipped, "God Bless Harold Ford Jr. Bless his little heart"???
While the statement issued by you came more swiftly, it blamed Republican propaganda tactics for Hobbs being "misinformed". In the supersonic blog world some of us softly derided the wrist slap but assumed there was some castigation going on behind closed doors. Then we waited for the forced resignation of Mr. Hobbs. It never came.
It. Never. Came.
Then I started reading the blogs recounting things going on at the Democratic National Convention and the impotent sowing of discord from the PUMAs. Obviously, this wasn't just the Tennessee delegation but it became clear very quickly that a unified party was not going to be happening on the first vote and it started to look as if it wasn't going to happen at all. I understand that some actually left rather than stay for Obama's speech.
Next we had the Republican Convention which I spent on the phone battling the Forces of Evil™ to discover if and when my son had been arrested (Yes. ~3:30p Monday), where he was being held (Ramsey County Jail), and what he was being charged with (nothing) for exercising his Constitutional right to free speech.
NO denouncement here of the arrests - even of journalists - or the tactics used by police in St. Paul. At least, none that the local media cared to cover. All anybody saw here was the same clip of a so-called black bloc anarchist (more likely an agent provocateur since he managed to mysteriously avoid arrest) and a breakaway group dumping trash bins in the street. It did not show the thousands of peaceful supporters or even the thousands of self described anarchists yelling at the window breakers or stopping their march to pick up spilled trash.
Then we had the oh so wonderful Value Voters Summit with 2 men from Franklin, TN selling waffle mix with a racist caricature of Obama on it. The Tennessee Democratic Party stood mute? If anything was said, I sure didn't hear it.
Imagine what the state Republican Party would have said had a reverse situation happened.
So, as I said, you might regret getting me started. I just got tired of lying down and taking it but now I'm just tired and ill and hopeful that Obama can inspire people to make a difference in their own little corners of the country, that stem cell and other medical research will become a priority for those who come after me, and that enough spine will grow to enable a state party to work toward stated goals in a unified and productive manner. Right now it seems like an incestuous and inward looking anachronism.
Ariel
I received no response.
So the election for the state chairmanship was approaching and local blogs were buzzing about Chip Forrester. (Gray Sasser had decided not to seek reelection.)
When he decided to announce, he asked Charles Bone, who had proven himself an artful fundraiser during Obama's campaign, if he would consider serving as Treasurer.
Many of us in the area know Chip. He was most recently the Treasurer for the State Democratic Party. But his bona fides ran much deeper than that having previously been the party's Executive Director as well as Deputy Campaign Manager for McWherter, and Campaign Manager and subsequently Senate staffer for Al Gore's 1990 reelection to the U.S. Senate.
He then rubbed state Democrats the wrong way by running against Bob Clement, a veritable jefe of conservative Democratic politics in this state, in the 1992 primary. However, that likely solidified his position among Tennessee's progressives..
His desire to use the 50 state/ground up strategy on a state county basis to help put Democrats into office at every level was something liberal Tennesseans felt was finally doable given the sweeping success of the Obama campaign elsewhere in the country.
Many county chairs as well as volunteers felt frustrated by the somnolent stasis of the state party leadership and elected officials.
So out goes a letter from the Office of the Governor endorsing... Charles Robert Bone for the Chairmanship.
Note the signatures on this letter.
This is a critical time for the Tennessee Democratic Party. When the legislature convenes in January, both houses will have Republican majorities for the first time since Reconstruction and the constitutional officers will be controlled by Republicans.
It is essential for our next party chair to be a strong leader with a demonstrated record of success. We need someone with proven fundraising ability and a plan to re-take the legislature.
We feel Charles Robert Bone has the right experience and is the most qualified candidate to move the party forward. He brings a lot of energy, a fresh face and will connect with a new generation of Tennessee democrats.
Charles Robert has worked in political campaigns on the local, state and national levels. He has played an integral part in various campaigns throughout Tennessee, from Al Gore to Governor Phil Bredesen, and served as Harold Ford, Jr.'s Finance Chair in his 2006 U.S. Senate race - a campaign that raised an unprecedented amount of money. In addition, since March 2007, he has served on President-Elect Barack Obama's National Finance Committee.
We have talked with Charles Robert and are excited about his plans for our party and its future. It is essential for the Tennessee Democratic Party to broaden our fundraising base and establish an organization to win back control of the legislature. This task will require a unified party and a strong leader. We strongly believe Charles Robert Bone is the right person for this job and ask you to support him for chairman.
Sincerely,
Governor Phil Bredesen
Congressman Jim Cooper, Congressman Lincoln Davis, Congressman Bart Gordon, Congressman John Tanner, Harold Ford, Jr.
Randy Button, Chair 2003-2005, J. Houston Gordon, Chair 1997-1999, Doug Horne, Chair 1999-2000, Dick Lodge, Chair 1983-1988, Gray Sasser, Chair 2007-2008, Bob Thomas, Chair 1993
Now, Charles Robert Bone is not a bad guy. In fact, he is a bright and rising star in Tennessee Democratic Party politics. But the support of him by the Blue Dogs seemed to be a weird power play against the grass roots. Benintn addressed this in a diary in December.
Bredesen's focus on fund raising as if money was what cost the state Democratic control of both houses for the first time since Reconstruction was a telling insight into Blue Dog reasoning.
There was plenty of money. What was lacking was any grassroots support for candidates or support for the top of the Presidential ticket which cost Democrats all the way down the line.
The Governor's inability to get the state house to vote in his choice for minority leader shows how rudderless the state party is.
In mcjoan's front page story January 28, With Democrats Like This, she highlighted Jim Cooper's duplicity in voting against the stimulus bill and his history as an enemy of reform.
Change was not only in the air this past election, it was a friggin' motto of the campaign.
Yet these guys, along with Collin Levy at the Wall Street Journal seem to feel that
The Blue Dogs Have Their Day.
Sitting in his office a stone's throw from where the festivities will take place, I ask about his role in the big transformation coming to Washington. He's one of the leaders of a gang of moderate Democrats called the Blue Dogs. They're meeting their first Democratic president in a while, and Mr. Cooper may have a big effect on the agenda. He smiles gently and says, "If we were to ally with the Republicans, we could swing any vote in the House of Representatives." He hastens to add, "We don't want to do that, we aren't planning on doing that."
And, while he didn't vote for the first stimulus plan he does act supportive of Obama's plan.
Blue Dogs are already taking their first leap of faith on the stimulus package that will define the president's first days in office. They might have been expected to balk at a measure with a trillion-dollar price tag and no deference to "paygo," the rules championed by budget hawks, whereby new spending or tax changes must be made "neutral" by corresponding offsets. Instead many of the Blue Dogs, including Mr. Cooper, seem on-board with the plan.
A great thing about Mr. Obama's plan, he says, is the tax cuts. "I think stimulus can come in a variety of forms, but I think the key message is Democrats are not for tax increases. Democrats can be for tax cuts when appropriate, when needed, when targeted. We can argue about the type of cut, but the key element of this proposal was facing the payroll tax. That is the most regressive, most antijob tax in America and very few presidents in American history have touched it. And Barack is touching it in this package. That is an achievement of immense proportions in and of itself."
Well, we saw how that turned out.
We are all well aware of Harold Ford Jr.'s leanings which are what set him up with a plum role heading up the DLC. He was also chosen to be a vice chairman and senior policy advisor at Merril Lynch & Co. You just can't make this stuff up. (I wonder if he got a bonus?)
John Tanner, Bart Gordon, and Lincoln Davis are also proud members of the
Blue Dog Coalition, running what amounts to a caucus within a caucus.
Chip Forrester won the Chairmanship (his acceptance speech is available here as a PDF) through an excellent ground game and by proving he was more in touch with the state's Democratic Party faithful than the Old Guard apparatchiks.
It was reported that threats were made to county committee members if they supported Forrester.
Some executive committee members, including Forrester supporter Weldon Markham, of Chattanooga, accused some of the congressmen or their aides of engaging in strong-arm tactics with several committee members and threatening to withhold financial aid to the party.
"They threatened members of the committee," Mr. Markham said. "Some had to change their votes because of it."
Aides to U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., left the state House chamber immediately after the chairmanship vote and could not be contacted later. None of Gov. Bredesen’s aides was present.
While there has been some talk in the local press about big money party donors sending their checks elsewhere due to Forrester's win, I have noticed a decided dearth of interviews with those that had already stopped donating and would now return to the state party fold.
In my opinion, there is no way to see this election as anything but a face slap to the Governor and Blue Dog Congressmen.
Hopefully, Forrester can turn this ship around and help us build a proud and strong Democratic Party in Tennessee.
In an email response to me he was hopeful he would be able to bring about the necessary changes. Forrester ended with, "It will be uphill and slow for awhile but I plan to do it, one day at a time."