Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Politics / Woods WTF? 'Chip In' Blogathon Helping Party's Old Bulls
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 5:51 AM
Here's a happy story from liberal public radio about those legions of wonderfully energetic grassroots activists who have seized the Democratic Party and chased away all those old bulls getting in the way of hope and change. As you must know by now, "progressive" bloggers, setting out to prove the old guard wrong about their Internet fundraising prowess, are collecting cash online in the much-ballyhooed "Chip In" blogathon.
We'd hate to spoil the celebration here, but has anyone noticed the blogathon money appears to be trickling into the party's federal account, meaning it'll wind up helping (in a small way) the very congressmen who opposed the grassroots' champion, Chip Forrester, for party chair?
Oh, but that doesn't matter. WPLN quotes blogger Sean Braisted as saying the goal was not really to raise money. Of course not. That's good because, at last report, only $3,800 had come in. No, the real goal is to identify new supporters, he says. So far, that number would be a whopping 103.
Update: Aunt B strikes back!Update II: Sean Braisted too.
Comments (53)
Showing 1-50 of 53
Well my curmudgeonly friend, staff payroll is made from that account, and they can transfer funds to the non-federal account when necessary. It was the only account available on ACT Blue.
We well understand that this is not the panacea to the party's problems. It was a three day online venture. We have almost two years before the next election...can more be done, yeah, probably.
I just hope your big-shot anonymous source[s] keep feeding you their bitchy/whiny quotes, because every time they stomp their feet another activist gets their wings. ;-)
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Too bad it's not more, but they're raising money for the folks who thought they couldn't raise money for them? Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for the link, btw, make it 104.
I have a lot of problems with a few bloggers myself, but you are guilty of what I accuse some of them of doing, and that's not fact checking and sourcing and thoroughly investing all the angles, so it's really hard for us "real journalists" to take the moral high ground here.
What you didn't mention is this was a spur of the moment "let's raise one thousand dollars in 24 hours," and almost quadrupled that. There were no meetings, no back and forth calls on how to organize a fundraiser for the party, but let's just "Chip in," and by the goals set for this grassroots effort was an incredible success when you know all the facts. I have no doubt had they decided to meet and plan a blogger fundraiser, they would have raised even more.
So with all the facts, it changes the outcome of the story.
And like some bloggers, you just can't wait to bring down someone trying to do the right thing, and instead focus on the imperfection of the person(s) or event, which yes, even the Nashville Scene is guilty of.
Congrats to all the bloggers who achieved did so much in such a short period of time with no planning. (See...it's all relative)
Sharon Cobb
"Real Journalist" (waiting to retire)
"Real Blogger" (waiting to retire)
"Real Interviewer" (waiting for new site and a couple of surgeries before starting new site)
I love the continuing attempts to discredit and demoralize the blogosphere and their support of Chip. Just more fuel on the fire. Keep it up, elitist media types! This is fun!
Ya know, its a little surreal for me to see this town's "alternative" newspaper be so...mainstream.
Sharon is right. This wasn't a long-planned, perfectly executed attempt at raising money. A few emails were exchanged, a post went up with a "click here to donate" button, and we exceeded our goal by three-fold. In three days.
Jeff, buddy, the snark failed, you just look small...
staff payroll is made from that account
Chipper is most appreciative. These bloggers have put all of their effort into funding 1/3 of his monthly salary. I'm glad to see that at least Sean is aware of that fact.
Sharon, by you logic, any ill-informed but well-meaning group of people can decided to do something about which they know nothing, set their goals low enough so that they can exceed them, and then declare success? And you believe that qualifies as success?
Let's say my neighbors house is on fire. I and three friends grab buckets and fill them with water. We tell ourselves "We don't really have a plan here and don't have a clue what we're doing, but let's try to put out the rocking chair on his front porch." We do that, and in the process of splashing water around, we also put out the burning porch swing.
Should we dance around in the front yard and declare ourselves volunteer firemen?
Is this in Jeffrey's contract? To play Margaret Mead's contrary counterpart in the bizarro universe?
Let's say my neighbors house is on fire. I and three friends grab buckets and fill them with water. We tell ourselves "We don't really have a plan here and don't have a clue what we're doing, but let's try to put out the rocking chair on his front porch." We do that, and in the process of splashing water around, we also put out the burning porch swing.
So, we saved a chair and a swing. This seems better than standing there, watching the house burn, and doing nothing at all.
Except for this, Mack: Chip Forrester and his supporters told the elected officials to get lost. Those are the professionals, the people that know how to win elections.
So there's another piece to my analogy: My three friends and I deny professional firefighters access to the burning house. While we're saving a chair and a swing, the rest of the house burns to the ground.
After watching Chip Forrester for a month, there's no way anyone can say he's not burning the Tennessee Democratic Party to the ground.
Skipper:
Question: Who are you referring to as ill informed? It isn't Randy Neal whose idea this was. In fact, most of the bloggers, whether I agree with them or not, were informed on this particular subject, so it wasn't just some well meaning lefties trying to do the right thing. I'm fairly sure almost all involved completely understood what they were doing regarding "Chip In."
Paula Casey out of Memphis and I raised over 100 thousand for Hands Across America with Tipp. That also took us 6 months of committees and planning. No doubt, in 6 months the blogosphere could have raised that or more with an organized effort.
And I love Mack's analogy. He said it better than I did.
All I know is I am quite proud of all the bloggers who participated and I hope they see that when they put personal differences aside and pull together for a common cause, anything is possible, and I hope they will do events like this and bigger in the future.
Clap Clap,
Sharon
Win elections? Ha! Even if that weren't laughable on its face, the fact is, the "winners" we kept electing were no different than their Republican counterparts.
But, heres the thing. I'm a Chip supporter, and i didn't tell anyone to get lost. If Bone had been elected chair, I'd be a Bone supporter. What good does it do to fret over why the big money boys left? It shows me that when they can't call the shots, they have no interest in Democratic principles. I'd rather see Chip make do with what he can raise, then to be forever beholden to a few wealthy families or business owners.
Yeah, I also remember hearing from a lot of these "professionals" that Barack Obama couldn't win if he was the nominee. I remember a lot of "winning professionals" supporting Hillary Clinton in the beginning. I didn't listen to those professional's opinions then, why should I start now?
"Liberal public radio?" So you buy into the winger meme that if it ain't Limbaugh conservative, it's librul?
See Sean, that's the basic problem with the so-called grassroots Democrats in this state. They've decided that whatever Obama did they can do. That's ridiculous. Democrats need to put away the pitchforks and work together. You can't tell your entire elected leadership to take a hike. Or I guess you can, but it might not work out so well for you.
"I'd rather see Chip make do with what he can raise, then to be forever beholden to a few wealthy families or business owners."
I like this take, Mack. At the end of the day, you're never really free when you're beholden to the money guys. In a sense, it's almost better to lose than to be sentenced to their back pocket.
See Sean, that's the basic problem with the so-called grassroots Democrats in this state. They've decided that whatever Obama did they can do.
See, Sean, that's the basic problem with trying to reason with a journalist who believes that he understands your motivation and your cohort better than you do.
Sharon Cobb now declares that bloggers will raise $100,000 online in six months for Chip Forrester, but she takes umbrage at being called "ill-informed." We will see in August.
My meaning in "ill-informed" was that these people do not do this professionally. Perhaps I should have called them "amateur."
Sean, Obama lost Tennessee badly. The professionals were right. Saying Tennessee Democrats should pattern themselves on Obama is akin to saying the Tennessee Titans should pattetn themselves on the Detroit Lions.
Mack, Phil Bredesen is the only Democrat to win a statewide election in Tennessee in almost 20 years. John Tanner, Bart Gordon, and Lincoln Davis win re-election in increasingly conservative districts. Tennessee Democrats would be wise to listen to them. Your methods will doom Democrats to electoral oblivion in this state.
Just ask Bob Tuke.
Woods, who do you think laid the foundation for Obama? Grass-roots Dems, via DFA and the much maligned 50 state strategy. Do you really think that we had this ginormous conference call, wherein it was decided that all we would have to do is mimic Obama and the money would pour in? We aren't stupid. We can borrow from Obama's campaign, sure, and we will. Nobody is thinking that we will raise what we need simply by throwing up a few blog posts, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't imply that we do think so. Why not interview a few of us and get our take?
Whats the old saying? Every great journey begins with the first step?
FYI, most, if not all of us lefty bloggers are simply not tied to the old Democratic framework. I know it doesn't matter to me how we got here, it only matters to me that some committed individuals step up to see that the Democratic Party in this State reflects democratic ideals.
Skipper, using the last 20 years as a model for the future is myopic at best.
The whole political landscape is changing. Last year means little...20 years means nothing.
We may fare well for the next several elections. Thats what happens when you re-build.
Mack says raising big money makes Chip "beholden" to a few wealthy families. So what's the message here? Don't raise money in big sums because then you become bought and sold? If so, then somebody needs to tell Chip because he clearly didn't get the message. He's all over YouTube on his little video updates claiming he has launched a massive "high dollar" donor program. Chip: Make a decision for God's sakes. Be the guy who is a man of the peeps and live off small dollar contributions Or be a "bizpig," as you call them, and raise money from Doug Horne, Andrew Byrd, and others. Just be prepared to explain to Mack that he's wrong.
Woods,
Are you effing kidding me? You think half these guys are Republicans anyways.
I'm still confused, Jeff. "Progressives" should be criticized for helping out the old bulls you claim were chased off, yet also criticized for not putting down pitchforks and working together?
Has the TNDP weighed in on the stimulus package? Specifically, have they gone after Corker and Alexander? If not, why not. If they have, why haven't we seen it?
Also, has the TNDP weighed in on the Phil Bredesen/HHS matter? Surely the state party can give a shout out in support of the Governor.
I mean, these are the kind of things an effective state party does. I'm not big on Chip, but he should know how to handle basic communication methods and strategy.
"Progressives" should be criticized for helping out the old bulls you claim were chased off, yet also criticized for not putting down pitchforks and working together?
That's just the beginning of the contradictions. Jeffrey also makes claims that liberals are at once do-gooders and out for selfish benefit.
Just pick any pejorative empty symbol to apply to progressives and scoop heaping shovels of vitriol into it. That's the only method I can see to this madness.
It's blogging thunderdome here, and we don't need another hero.
Where are those old bulls running off to? They're going to just fund their own races and say fuck you to the state party? That's possible certainly, but ultimately a bit short-sighted if they ever want to compete in a statewide race. Of course, short-sighted is pretty much the definition of most TN pols. But I think Chip's election brings in new people, where Bone's wouldn't have. And the old bulls may wander back after they've worn themselves out running around the empty fields.
You are hopelessly naive, Mack. The 50-state strategy? Did Obama win 50 states? Why, no. In fact, he lost Tennessee by a wider margin than any presidential candidate in my lifetime. DFA? Name me one candidate elected by the DFA in Tennessee, outside of Nashville and Memphis.
You think that Democrats can fare poorly for an election or two and then make a proud comeback because of all that grassroots organizing that you are going to do. Let me introduce you to reality: if we Democrats don't get the House back in 2010, we are going to be redistricted out of existence. The state Senate and state House will both be two-thirds Republican. We will lose at least one congressional seat, but probably two. There will be no proud uprising a few years down the road.
And let me tell you this: with Chip Forrester at the helm, Democrats will lose badly in 2010.
Tell us this, Mack: how do you intend to raise the $1.5 million needed to pay Forrester's salary and cover other party overhead during the next two years and then match the almost $500,000 that Gray Sasser put into state races in 2008?
Give us your plan to raise $2M in the next two years. Do not include Bredesen, Gordon, Cooper, Tanner, or Davis in that plan because Forrester kicked them out of the party. It sounds like you should not include the DNC either because they will not return Forresters calls.
Democrats across Tennessee await your answer.
Keep watching, stellabardo. I have heard a great deal of talk about an alternative Democratic organization forming. You know, the DNC is not the only game in DC. I think we should have an alternative to the TNDP.
How exactly did Chip bring "new" people into the state party? He's been knocking around state party politics for 20 years. The elected officials have all known Chip for that long. They know him well. Which is why they, uh, weren't for him.
Well, Skipper, seeing how this is my first time watching Democratic politics in action, let me, in my own naive way, chime in on what you asked...
There are people at the National Party that will take MY calls, so I'm not too worried that Chip will be on hold through 2010.
1.5 million? Possible. Chip's salary? He'll take an appropriate amount of pay, I assume, but will most likely be forced to scale back his expectations. I'll sleep just fine. He wanted the job.
As for redistricting, what does it matter? Most of our Democrats look, sound, and vote like Republicans, so my life ain't gonna change much. Besides, looks like their plans are on hold after being outflanked by Naifeh a Co.
At any rate, we (Democrats/Progressives) have only two choices. Stay involved to help any way we can, or, sit and bitch.
And you know as well as I do, that if the big money's interests are threatened, we'll see a check or two come in with the appropriate of zeros...
OK, I've given it some thought. I'm torn. I'm all for the little people taking power. But I fear you'll get your asses kicked, and your spirits will be crushed, and that'll be sad. So you see my dilemma.
I'd rather see Chip make do with what he can raise, then to be forever beholden to a few wealthy families or business owners."
Forrester will never be beholden to those folks anymore than Will Cheek or any other big pocket well heeled well connected party chair would be. He can't make real quid pro quos as a party chair. It's the candidates that get grabbed by the nads.
Also Mack I wanna know what it means to make sure the party holds up "Democratic ideals?"
skipper is mad wrong about the tea leaves of the future. Well, he may be right about the districts that the outliers like Tanner represent becoming more conservative. However, the population growth is occurring in the metropolitan areas, and younger people, Latin people, Asian people who make up this growth are all trending Democratic. Some of it depends on how Obama does this year, but the future of TN is not to trend conservative, certainly not 20 yrs out.
Also, some of this Us against Them shite among local Dems is manufactured dissent and a lot of chest puffing. If progressives were so liberal riddle me this, why didn't y'all vote for Lugo over Tuke (like I did?) Hmm? Liberals and "progressives" and blue dogs are going to at least make it look like they're working together at some point, they have to if they're hoping to correct 08 results.
Of course if the goal is to make a whole new thang, why reinvent the wheel when there's the Green party to take over, and there are many more like minded people eager to work? We aren't doing it because we have a power structure in place that seemed to work ok for a while. It didn't get us an income tax and Tenn Care was screwed but no one wanted to kick the bums out.
Ultimately we're arguing because things didn't turn out like we wanted. I have to say I'd be more impressed if this new movement turned up after the Dems held the state House instead.
As it is, though, at least someone is doing something, which despite the assumptions of some I'm fine with the fundraising effort from the blogs, and I'm fine with Forrester doing whatever he's going to do. To me the most important decision he will make is who he hires to be field director and executive director, and we'll have to trust they make good decisions come '10.
I bet, though, that the "establishment" is probably taking all this stuff with Forrester and the take over a lot less personally than others are. They got their nose cut for sure but they aren't out there rending garments over this.
Let's be realistic. They claim 21 Tennessee bloggers got 103 contributions. I assume all of them gave, so that means 82 were non-bloggers. Someone another blog said that about 30 came from a DailyKos post. That means about 52 contributions came from Tennessee bloggers. An average of just over two per blogger.
Okay, that's great. You each got two people to contribute. Is that really the beginning of a progressive uprising in Tennessee?
Mays, Democrats already win in the urban areas. (You mean "urban." There are only two metro areas in Tennessee.) Population growth in the urban areas doesn't help us. Don't think it will if the Republicans control redistricting.
Yes, urban.
We're talking about 20 years out, not two. I'm talking about "urban" populations pushing out into the ring counties, too. And of course winning the GA means we control redistricting.
Some people are trying to make the point that winning the GA in 2010 is in jepoardy with Forrester in charge. I have to admit that these first few weeks have been dicey. I'm also not sure that making a Lugo-over-Tuke choice will advance our cause. I don't understand how losing elections breeds winning elections.
A. The chipster is sitting at tndp everyday making fundraising calls. How do we know he, or his people are not directing these people toward act blue to contribute. Its what most people do and then it looks like you got an online contribution. thats great, just more spin that really shows how much money you are not raising.
B. I would not be surprised at all if the chipster (or his people) had not asked R. Neal to start this so it looked like it was grassroots. thats how campaigns work...but then again i wouldnt expect the skipper to know that.
C. Are these the same bloggers that didnt seem to want to help the party raise money last cycle? maybe not so much didnt want to, but rather just didnt, These are the people that thought the leftest of the left message is how you win elections in TN. riiiight. it sounds to me like they are not worse than the people they are critizing...they are only helping now that one of their guys is in there.../facepalm
Well, I can tell you that the Democrats so far this year have basically been non-participants in the debate. Nobody speaks for the party. It's ridiculous. Say what you will about Bill Hobbs, he peppers the press with releases. That's a good thing. It's kind of the minimum thing you do. Democrats need to get their act together. There are tumbleweeds blowing around over there at the party headquarters. If the media here had any balls, they'd be writing about how the Democratic Party has packed up and left the state.
Dead as a fucking doorknob, Woodsie. That's the Tennessee Democratic Party. At least Gray Sasser had something tepid and cautious to say. Ol' Chipper puffed out his bony little chest when he got elected and put big ol' bad Robin Smith on notice . . . then he proceded to clamp his mealy mouth shut before Robin smacked him one. Ain't heard a peep since.
If I were a Democrat, I'd rather have Sasser. Thank God I'm not a Democrat.
I vote for candidates not parties. I think parties are full of shit and populated by self-serving assholes. But I'll say here what I've said elsewhere, Robin Smith might be a raving lunatic, but she's got more hair on her balls than Mighty Mouse Chipper Forrester.
And I'll point out again and see if the Chipinista care to respond that Chipper admitted he has no staff. He's sitting in his office with volunteers answering the phone. What the fuck kind of media operation should anyone expect from a bunch of wide-eyed undergrads ducking into the party office between Statistics and World Lit 1010? Hell, they're too busy liveblogging about watching Obama on CNN to care what happens in Tennessee.
The party has no flack, for chrissakes. How long do they intend to operate without a flack? It's insane. As far as I know, in fact, there are no employees except Forrester. And he can't pay his own salary. It's absurd for anyone to argue that this somehow is a good thing for Democrats.
To Woods - and Heatseeker, as well, although it's clear you have an agenda with Chip Forrester and don't wish to be rational - Forrester was elected January 24. It's now February 11. That's less than three weeks. Seems like that's not an unreasonable amount of time to still be working on the logistics and details - raising money, finding or hiring staff, etc. - of the party. I'm sure had Charles Robert Bone been elected, he could have hired staff, as the money would have been more readily available. But even had he chosen to take more than a couple of weeks to work on staffing and financial issues, would you have given him a hard time?
And by the way - has anyone noticed how much Harrison, Heatseeker, and The Skipper write alike?
The accord developing here between Jeffrey and the usual suspects in the Republican troll squad is breathtaking. Kindred souls, almost. That little people taking power crap wasn't really serious, was it? The whole alternative-weekly pitch is window dressing, right?
OK Medusa, maybe Forrester deserves a little more time to get it together. But the party has been dark since the election. What's up with that? What kind of halfass outfit completely shuts down for three or four months while its opposition is raising money like crazy?
I hadn't noticed the similarities. But I guess you think it's somehow impossible that multiple people have arrived at a singular conclusion: Chip is a disaster. Sorry but that's the truth. And I'll be damned if I take lectures from someone called "medusa" (although it clearly takes someone with snakes in their head to attempt a rational defense of Chip). Finally, this apologist approach to explaining Chip's inactivity is absurd. This guy is a 20-year party hack who for the last few years has been treasurer (and part of the problem he's now ostensibly going to solve). Are you telling me that after spending decades around this party that he somehow needs time to figure it out? What was he doing all those years? Measuring his pencil neck for new bowties? And what's this crap about a "transition team?" Who the hell does he think he is? Chip wanted the helm. Now he's got it. And he's not doing dick with it besides making YouTube videos. It'll be fun to watch this thing sink to the bottom of the ocean.
I'll be damned if I take lectures from someone called "medusa" ...
Tough talk from a troll hiding behind a pseudonym who wiles away time at comment boards (indicating a party communications assignment?).
Here's a news flash: you have to take it. Not taking it would mean slinking into the harsh light of identification. Don't protest so much. You have your security blanket, Junior. Stop complaining.
And by the way - has anyone noticed how much Harrison, Heatseeker, and The Skipper write alike?
Actually, I was noticing one of Skipper's posts (the A...B...C one) seemed incredibly different from all his others, much weaker writing. I just figured it was overload of all the Hobbs-Smith Kool-aid he's been drinking.
What kind of halfass outfit completely shuts down for three or four months while its opposition is raising money like crazy? Answer: the political equivalent of the Special Olympics, otherwise known as the Chipinista.
I'm sure had Charles Robert Bone been elected, he could have hired staff, as the money would have been more readily available. So, Medusa, you readily admit that Bone was a FUCKING PROFESSIONAL that would have been ready to lead on day one. Thank God you morons picked Chipper. Like Harrison said, what the fuck is this transition team bullshit? Party chairs don't have transition teams. They show up for fucking work.
And by the way, I don't write like Harrison or Skipper or Woods. I cuss a lot more, goddammit.
