Digby gets to the point

Digby, in reviewing Wesley Clark's op-ed piece in today's Washington Post, advises that it is a political document, and that it's a GOOD THING.

I believe that there is a less than zero possibility that George W. Bush is going to implement any sane plan to withdraw from Iraq, much less one set forth by a Democratic presidential aspirant. And I say this with the greatest assurance that I'm right for the simple reason that George W. Bush has failed on every level, at every moment, from the very beginning to do anything right on Iraq. Why in God's name would we think that he will suddenly become sane and do something different today?

And even if they change course, there is no evidence that the Bush administration could then implement a plan with any more competence than they have anything else. The heartbreaking truth of the matter is that as long as Iraq is in the hands of the Bush administration and the Republicans, it is fucked. Period. That means that all Democratic policy prescriptions are essentially political positioning for the elections. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

Hello.

He goes on to note the following:

I don't believe in purges or demands for disavowels; they have a faint whiff of Stalinism that rubs me the wrong way. Nobody has to apologise to me for what they believed about the war. But, considering that their credibility is more than a little bit tattered, it would probably be a good idea if the liberal intellectuals who backed the war finally recognized that everything they say and do is being used for political fodder and adjust their thinking and writing accordingly. They are not going to affect Bush administration policy. There is still a chance they could affect politics, however, if they will just stop pretending that the Republicans are operating on a logical basis in which they can find some common ground.

Hmmm. We don't know anybody like that. do we?

How did I miss this?

Steve Gillard at the NEWS BLOG did a post about the Congressman from the 9th District several days ago, and I missed it until I was told about it today. Please read it, as well as the comments, one of which refers to Junior as a "Vichy Democrat". Those of you who are of the WWII Generation know what that means...

Interesting news

Mike Kernell has informed me that former CA reporter (Nashville Bureau) Paula Wade has left the Bredesen administration to work for ......

The Tennessee Justice Center, led by Gordon Bonnyman! Yes, the same group that has held Bredesen to the fire over TennCare now has a former administration member (as well as top-notch reporter) on their staff.

More news as it develops...

The Flyer reads my mind!

The Memphis Flyer, who has been even more critical of Harold Ford Junior than I have (if that's possible) has endorsed Ford - for the REPUBLICAN nomination for US Senate!

Their comments speak for themselves:

Congressman Ford, we suggest you immediately declare your candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Senate. Your words, your political contributors, and your votes make it clear that’s where you belong. As the Republican nominee, you would become the favorite to be Tennessee’s next senator. And you could go before the voters as what you are: a centrist who believes in the war in Iraq and who favors the budgetary, economic, and environmental policies of the Bush administration.

Best of all, your move to the Republican Party would clear the air in state politics. In 2006, the voters of Tennessee might be given a real choice at the polls: between a Republican candidate who stands on his record and for the status quo and a real Democratic candidate who might have the political courage to articulate a viable alternative to the mess in which we presently find ourselves at home and abroad.

Let’s make Harry Truman proud and give Tennessee voters a real choice.

Great job, folks!

Harold the Liberal?

One of my posters responding to my endorsement of Rosalind Kurita said that Harold Ford Junior was one of the most liberal congressmen in Washington.

Another of my readers sent me an article from Chris Bowers' wonderful MyDD.com chronicling how our House members voted on critical partisan issues in this Congress.

Let's look and see, shall we? From the article:

Overall

Democratic Loyalty: 82.4% (83.4%)

Republican Loyalty: 94.8% (94.5%)

Democratic Loyalty deficit: 12.4% (11.1%)

Total Votes for the Democratic Majority Position: 41.2%

Total Votes for the Republican Majority Position: 58.8%

Seats needed to take true majority control: 50



Democratic Caucuses

Progressive Caucus: 96.1% (97.3%)

Dem, non-progressive: 77.9%

New Democratic Caucus: 80.6% (80.7%)

Dem, non-New Dem: 82.9%

Blue Dog Caucus: 59.2% (57.1%)

Dem, non-Blue Dog: 87.3% (88.9%)

Non-aligned Democrats: 83.1% (85.2%)



Right now, there have been twenty-five Democrats and two Republicans who have voted against the majority position of their party at least half of the time:



Republicans

Seven Defections: Christopher Shays
Eight Defections: Ron Paul


Democrats


Seven Defections (9 members): Bean, Berry, Chandler, Ford, Lipinski, Matheson, Rahall, Ross, Skelton

That means on FOURTEEN critical Democratic issues, the man who wants to be your DEMOCRATIC nominee voted AGAINST HIS PARTY HALF THE TIME. That's some kinda liberalism, folks, the kind that should get you BEATEN in a Democratic primary.

Click on the link for more information. If, after you read this, you STILL think I'm the second coming of Lester Maddox because I won't vote for Ford in the primary, there's just no hope for some people.

I have no choice but to do this

Today, after reading about Harold Ford Jr.'s speech to the U of M Law School alumni on Friday night, I came to a decision that I have not wanted to make.

You see, I have been enamored of the idea that it would be a marvelous thing to elect an African-American to the United States Senate. I gave money, not once but twice, to Harvey Gantt as he unsuccessfully tried to unseat Jesse Helms. When HF Jr. succeeded his father in 1997, I thought that he might someday move higher up, and looked forward to that possibility.

Then, late in Jr's first term, with President Clinton fighting for his political life, I saw him take the floor of the US House to join in the attacks. Even if it were mild condemnation, this was inexcusable, even for a first-termer. I should have seen what was to come.

He has essentially been running for the Senate ever since. He has appeared on Don Imus' radio show countless times to suck up to the aging DJ and trying to make his bones with the Washington Beltway insiders. He has appeared on Fox News many times as well, and I don't have to tell you that Fox News is the Al-Jazeera of the Republican Party.

Then, this spring, he was too busy eating at Speaker Naifeh's Coon Supper to be in DC to vote against the horrible 2005-6 Budget. He followed that stellar performance by voting for the Bankruptcy Bill, a virtual giveaway to the credit-card industry that hurts HIS OWN DISTRICT more than any other.

He did manage to vote against CAFTA, for which I gave him props. But after this speech, it's too late. Read here from the Flyer article:

Addressing the annual awards banquet of the University of Memphis Law School Alumni, Ford expressed his initial support of the war effort this way: “I support this war in Iraq. I supported it from the very beginning for one reason. Saddam Hussein was a bad guy. Now, there are those who criticize and quarrel with this, and make the point over and over again that perhaps we shouldn’t have done it the way we’ve done it, and I would agree. But I wouldn’t blame the president, or anybody else for that matter, from waking up on September 12th and wondering aloud what would happen if Saddam Hussein and bin Laden married.

"It would be very easy for us to sit back in the comfort of our own homes and say, Well, one is secular and one is religious and they won’t . It would be very easy for us to think that 9/11 wouldn’t happen, but it did.”

Bush’s “instinct” had been right, said Ford, who has visited Iraq three times in the last two years and plans a fourth visit, but there is “a lot of room for change” in how the president pursues operations in Iraq. “I love my president. I love him personally,” Ford said. “But he’s just wrong. – wrong for not being willing to admit that we’ve made some mistakes....It was right to take him [Saddam] down but wrong to think that we can’t right this course.”

If you happen to be a Democrat, I would hope that you find that statement offensive. Bush's instinct was right? WTF???

Ken Neill, Flyer publisher, wrote an open letter to our 9th District Congressman today, as he had been at the UM Law School gathering. Here's an excerpt:

You have been accused by many critics, not just me, of being, shall we say, "soft" on the issues, willing to say just about anything, in hope of striking the politically-correct “moderate” pose that might possibly get you elected to the Senate as a Democrat in a state that's gone heavily Republican in the last two national elections. Others besides me have pointed at your recent voting record in Congress as an indication of this zeal for the middle ground. But talking out of both sides of your mouth doesn't qualify as "middle-speak," Congressman; it qualifies as "mush."

And that, at heart, is why I cannot support his candidacy for the US Senate. He has essentially proven that he will say anything to anyone to be elected to the US Senate.

He also makes the critical error that someone who is now supposed to be a national figure should NEVER make; he takes his base for granted. He assumes that he will be the nominee, especially with Chuck Schumer clouting for him. He has voted against the best interests of the working people of his district, and he expects them to flock to vote for him in August 2006 because he would be a historic figure.

Don't count your votes so quickly, Congressman.

I do have some qualms with Rosalind Kurita, but I feel like she has a better grasp on what the working people of Tennessee need: a tax structure that rewards work, not wealth, a better health care system for all, and someone who will be there for the average Tennessean, not the average CEO.

In the long run, I remember the words of Harry S. Truman, who noted that "if you only give people a choice between a Democrat who votes like a Republican and a REAL Republican, the people will take the real Republican every time."

And so it goes that I join Autoegocrat in asking you to support Rosalind Kurita for the United States Senate; at least she still knows what it means to be a Democrat.

I fixed the link on the story below..

thanks to Jackson for pointing this out..sorry..

DLC protecting Junior's flank?

Autoegocrat has an interesting post at River City Mud Company regarding statements recently made by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at a DLC dinner party in Georgia.

There are links to links with the full audio, but the pertinent comments are as follows:

"Let me tell you one other thing we did. We are no longer letting Democrats get in a circle and shoot each other. I was just in Tennessee with Harry and with (...) and we have a primary and I stood up there Harold Ford is running and he can become the first African-American elected in the south to the Senate since reconstruction which would be a great thing for America. There is this young woman whose... not so young... but a nice woman running against him but everyone says she is going to attack him."

"...(unintelligible) we are going to intervene if anyone one democrat attacks another, we're doing that in states where there are primaries. We can't afford to do it anymore. This always happens in the primaries, we would throw up the cards and see where they landed. No more, we are finding the best candidate in every one of the seats where a Republican is vulnerable."

Intervene? Are you suggesting, Senator Schumer, that I as a Democrat can't support who I damn well please in my own primary? If you think I'm mad, imagine Autoegocrat, who has already jumped on the Ros Kurita bandwagon.

In any event, read his post, it's interesting.

The Senate Democrats cave again

What's the point in even HAVING Democrats in the Senate if they're just going to roll over for Bush every time? It appears that John Roberts is going be rammed down our throat without even the smallest semblance of a fight. The Washington Post reports the following:

The Democrats' decision to hold their fire -- less a formal strategy than an emerging consensus -- has allowed conservatives to husband their resources for future battles. Progress for America, a political group working closely with the White House, had planned to spend $18 million to promote the confirmation of Roberts but now may spend less than half that, according to Republican aides.

What freaking good does THAT do for Democratic causes? WHY should we continue to support people with no backbone? Do you think Rove would allow the GOP to roll over for a Democratic President like that? HELL NO. They would have faked pictures of the Democratic nominee in flagrante delicto with a woodland creature before they would have allowed that to happen.

Dignity my ass; it's for losers, and that's what the Democrats in the Senate are today.

Tre' Hargett jumps ship in mid-term to become.....

A lobbyist. Hargett, who has been House Republican Leader since 2002, also sat on the House Ethics Committee.

He is apparently going to be in charge of lobbying efforts for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for both Alabama and Tennessee, and is relocating to Middle Tennessee with his family.

This, of course, means we will have yet ANOTHER special election to fill a vacated Shelby County seat in the General Assembly. Should Rep. Henri Brooks win her challenge of the results of the Senate 29 Democratic primary, there could be even a fourth general election.

How much do these things cost, anyway?

Drinking Liberally is here!

I had seen Kos mention this organization on his blog a few times and wished that we had a Memphis group; now we have one!

The Memphis group of Drinking Liberally meets on Thursday evenings at Celtic Crossing at 603 South Cooper (former home of the Glass Onion) from 6:30 P.M. UNTIL they get tired, I guess. I was at Otherlands this evening, saw the poster for it and checked it out on the web (see link above).

Go out and meet folks, there's always more liberals that live here than you might believe!

BOPnews is my new best friend!

There is yet ANOTHER great post there by Ian Welsch regarding a 50-state strategy. I know that there's a sentiment (especially if you're in the GDC!) that we need to field a strong candidate in the seemingly unwinnable 7th District. This post makes a really strong case for that.

An excerpt:

Funding a race doesn't mean matching dollar for dollar what Republicans spend. It does mean you run in every single riding and that you make sure the candidate has enough money for a credible run. That money does not have to come from any one source - part of the job of local candidates is to raise some of their own money after all.

However no party which doesn't run a candidate in every seat is a credible party. 30 point edges don't go away if you don't have someone making the local argument for you, especially when non-swing states don't get any advertising money. Likewise running campaigns in districts builds up volunteer pools and local activists, making the next run stronger. The sort of thinking that says "if we can't win this riding this time we should not even take a decent swing at it" is very short sighted.

It's not about not prioritizing. Of course you prioritize where you spend your money, but every riding should have someone making the Democratic argument.

All righty then! I also liked this tidbit:

Now this does mean that you have to keep your base happy. This is something Democrats don't get, and Republicans do. The base are the people who go out and knock on the doors, who do all the grunt labor and who are your most effective salesmen. But they can and will only do all of this for you if they really believe in you. So if you constantly sell them out, if you're not there for them when they need you, then they won't be there for you.

Go read the rest of this: you'll be glad you did!

By cracky, where are all the young folks? I'm too old to put up signs!

I sent this to my email list, but there's a great post by Shaula Evans at BOPnews regarding the AGING of the Democratic Party. This is one reason that I have been pushing for acceptance of the DFM crowd; it would be nice to attend a Democratic Party event where the median age was under 35.

This is no slap at our wonderful pioneers, people, it's just that we don't have anybody lined up to replace us!!! I can't speak for anybody else, but I'm past the point where I will put up signs or go door-to-door. We need to be training YOUNGER people for this, and DFM seems to be heading that up in the Memphis area. We need to support them, because we have to build a strong foundation for the future.

Nikki Tinker for Congress?

A newspaper focused on congress, THE HILL, is reporting that corporate lawyer Nikki Tinker is preparing to run for the 9th District congressional seat that will be vacated by Harold the Younger due to his Senate candidacy.

This comment jumped out at me from the article (Here's the link, but Frank is on the case at polar donkey )

“I understand business, and I understand the social needs of this community,” Tinker said, indicating that she would run as a centrist Democrat, like Ford. “I can bring both sides to the middle.”

The great progressive commentator Jim Hightower once noted that "there's nothing in the middle of the road but dead armadillos". Center of WHAT? Right-wingers aren't going to vote for a Democrat no matter what you say, and this district is PROGRESSIVE.

She is attractive, and affable, two traits that will serve her well in a race for Congress; but if she's going to be a Harold clone, she's going to be in for a rough time.

Faux News sucking up to Democrats to save themselves

News Corporation, the parent of Fox News Channel, has decided to start ponying up contributions to key Democratic congressmen so that they will block a new TV rating system by Nielsen that they believe will show lower ratings for their propaganda, er, news shows.

This article from those lefties at the Wall Street Journal indiates that one of the largest recipients in the last cycle (2003-2004) was ex-Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), and that News Corporation chair Peter Chernin raised over $100K for John Kerry. Fat lot of good that did, eh?

This is why we need to work toward clean money elections. Either the fat cats will own the electoral process, or we will. Which side are you on?

Kurita starting to draw national attention.

Well, Autoegocrat, you really started something with this post. It is a ringing endorsement of the Clarksville state Senator, who is giving Harold the Younger all the fight he DIDN'T expect, and had the cojones to show up at our lovely Convention three weeks ago.

Now, Scott Shields over at MyDD.com insists that the Kurita campaign has a chance to defeat Ford next August; we'll watch and see. Read the post AND the comments and judge for yourelf.

I'm taking a SHORT break, but first..

I've got tickets for tomorrow's Braves-Cardinals game in St. Louis, so I'm off until Sunday. Were any of you surprised at the District 29 outcome? Amazing work by Henri Brooks and Steve Haley in losing efforts, and thanks to the return of the Don himself, Ophelia Ford finds herself a prohibitive favorite in the September 7 general election.

Gary Rowe beat first-timer Omari Faulkner as well as veterans Alonzo Grant and Rome Withers to take the District 87 seat. I have never met this guy, so we'll just have to see how he turns out.

I was late to the SCDP meeting because of a MEMPHIS MUSIC & HERITAGE FESTIVAL meeting, so I missed all the officer elections. Sorry, but..

(the sound of the theme from JAWS gets louder and louder, then..)

GOOD GOD! THAT'S, THAT'S POLAR DONKEY'S MUSIC! HE'S HITTING PEOPLE WITH CHAIRS! LOOK AT THE CARNAGE!

OK, so I've watched too much wrestling in my time. Hell, I'm from Memphis, that's what we do, but you absolutely should read Frank's take on the meeting, it's well-written and very astute.

See you when I get back!

Now, I've seen EVERYTHING

Those of you who are 45+ in age hopefully will remember in the Warner Brothers cartoons, something truly bizarre or unlikely would occur, and one of the side characters would note, "Now, I've seen EVERYTHING" and shoot themselves.

No, I'm not shooting myself, but I am beginning to think I've seen everything. That noted shrinking violet Thaddeus Matthews has taken time away from bashing Del Gill to state that Harold Ford Jr. rigged the SCDP Chair election to ensure that no matter who won, HE would.

Obviously, Thaddeus WASN'T on the receiving end of midnight phone calls from David Upton regarding HIS blog posts. I've always thought of him as somewhat amusing, if rarely accurate, but this stuff is beyond the pale.

A Litmus Test

I followed this from a link at Kos to Steve Gillard's blog. Steve received a comment from a poster regarding his statement that we don't have a litmus test for candidates, and this gentleman replied that he did, and that Paul Hackett (OH-02) met them:

I suggest that we DID have a litmus test, and that Paul Hackett met every important point. It's just not any of the litmus tests that we usually hear about. While I am sure that all of us would have our favorite elements, they would have to include some or all of the following:

Does he 'distance himself' from the party or its leaders, or is he proud to be a Democrat?

Does he talk like a bureaucrat or like a regular person?

Does he make it clear that he opposes Bush and the Republicans?

Does he back down when the corporate press/media or Republican pundits attack him, or does he stand by his words?

Does he respond to the nationwide reaction of the left blogosphere, or does he assign it to a junior staff member?

Does he sleepwalk through the campaign, or does he act like he wants to win?

I don't know all of Paul Hackett's positions and, since I am an old school lefty I am sure I don't agree with all of them. But he passed the litmus test I have set out for Democratic candidate I will support with time and donations.

Imagine if we forced all of our candidates to meet this test! While Paul Hackett lost, he lost by 4% in a district where the Democrat loses by 40%! This is the beginning, and frankly, this is how we need to respond to any Congressional or Senate candidate who asks for our money.

A follow-up to the post below

I commented at PeskyFly's blog regarding the unity breakfast, which was followed with this response:

Otherwise? Otherwise? On the contested point let the record show that Coalition members re still seething over the way their generalized Kerry-campaign contributions last fall got diverted into local office-holders' reelection campaigns. Yes,Yes, I know all the good reasons for that, but don't imagine Pesky's point is irrelevant.

Is the rub that money was spent unwisely for Kerry-related activities (the debate party was brought up as an expense that was unnecessary; as I thought Ford paid for that, I can see why they're upset), or are they upset that money went to aid campaigns other than Kerry's?

If it's the former, I can understand; if it's the latter, we gonna fight. If these folks had sent their money directly to Kerry (like I did) then it never would have gotten here, because KERRY WROTE OFF TENNESSEE. Anything Kerry got in Shelby County he got because of the hard work of the volunteers and the fundraising ability of the now-indicted Kathryn Bowers.

Now, I hope we're clear on that.

I support the Coalition because I believe we need more than just winning elections, and I'll have a post coming about that later. However, if there are Coalition members upset because their money went to assist Beverly Marrero or Mike Kernell or Barbara Cooper, that's what you DO in a coordinated campaign.

On the other hand, any ExecCom members out there should vote for Brad Watkins for 1st Vice chair tomorrow night, and David Holt for 3rd Vice chair. We need these folks in key positions. No more business as usual.

Better late than never!

The PeskyFly his ownself over at Flypaper Theory has weighed in with his observations on the SCDP festival of love last Saturday at Cafe Francisco.

For some reason, he seems to be more skeptical of our Congressman, but don't take my word for it, go read it!

I doubt THIS is good news

Per the CA, Barry Myers has pleaded guilty to two charges for his involvement in the TENNESSEE WALTZ sting operation. Given that he was originally charged with ELEVEN counts, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he cut a deal to sing like a canary against Roscoe Dixon and Kathryn Bowers.

Well, unless we see several other pleas in rapid succession, this probably means that the investigation and the trial will be following the Party around like the Flying Dutchman for the next year, even though we've had a change of leadership. Don't think for one second that the Tennessee Republican Party isn't getting TV ads ready RIGHT NOW to drill us with this in 2006.

Ayayayayayayayay.

A note of housekeeping

Did you know that IF you take the time to create a handle, or pseudonym, it will work not only here at the Cracker, it will work at ANY blog that uses the Blogger software, such as Polar Donkey or MemphisBlue or any other Blogger blog.

That way, you can comment to your heart's content and it can only be traced by the Blogger people. No personal attacks, please, just attack the position!

OK, I'm an old hack. You didn't know this?

I have been doing politics in Shelby County since 1978, all of it Democratic. So, when there's a Unity Breakfast and everyone is being nice instead of pimp-slapping each other, I get excited.

I have been accused of going back on everything I have written on Ford for the past 2 years for my post yesterday about where he is and where he needs to go. One of the frustrations I have about Harold is that I WANT to support him, but he inevitably does something to piss me off. He gave a great speech, yesterday, and I got excited again.

So, sue me.

However, Frank Burhart at Polar Donkey kept his wits about him, and has a terrific post about our congressman's words, and then his deeds, as well as those who have contributed to his campaign. I know Jr's got a juggling act, but from this post, I have a bad feeling about which balls he will drop. Great work, Frank.

It's hard to be a Senate candidate out here*

*apologies to Al Kapone and Craig Brewer.

Let's just say, and why not, that you are in your mid 30s, you're trying to become the first African-American elected to the US Senate since reconstruction from the South. You come from Shelby County, the largest in your state, which helps, but:

Tennessee is primarily a hill-country state; Shelby County is the linchpin of the Delta.

Tennessee is still primarily a rural state, with some exceptions; Shelby County is primarily urban, with some exceptions.

Tennessee has become primarily a conservative Republican state; Shelby County is HEAVILY Democratic and liberal.

Tennessee is predominantly white, Shelby County isn't.

For these and many other reasons, Shelby County is DETESTED by the rest of the state.

Then, your uncle gets indicted and happens to be the poster child for everything that the rest of the state despises about Shelby County, even though a portion of Shelby County sympathizes with him.

On top of all that, now you have local bloggers in YOUR OWN PARTY taking a 2 X 4 to you for some of your votes, which possibly, if you hadn't made them, would have killed your chances. Then, while campaigning around the state, you find out that one of your best friends, your chosen candidate, has been beaten soundly for chair of YOUR PARTY in YOUR HOME COUNTY.

Oh, shit.

Lesser candidates would have said to hell with this garbage and come home to ponder what might have been. However, Harold Ford did the opposite. First, he stood up on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday night, despite being a free-trader himself, and attacked the Central American Free Trade Agreement (rightly so, I might add) and voted against it.

Then, he comes home to mend fences and shows support for the new Democratic Chair in Shelby County, who was elected to a certain extent by people who were PISSED at him for some of his far-from progressive votes. He then implores everyone to contribute to the SCDP, priming the pump with a $2500 contribution, which is soon backed up by County Mayor AC Wharton, who goes one better with a $2550 pledge.

Congressman, that's a good start. I know it's a juggling act keeping your base happy without alienating voters outside the County. However, to paraphrase the 1960s cartoon Super Chicken, "you knew the job was dangerous when you took it!"

In your efforts to make inroads with the more conservative elements of the state, you have to remember that if you don't keep the base happy, ain't NOBODY happy. You need more votes like the one against CAFTA and NONE like the votes for the Bankruptcy Bill; that has hurt you more than you know. It's a tough job, but you have no choice; you can't win with progressives, perhaps, but you sure as hell can't win WITHOUT us.

I also believe that it is a good idea to provide solutions, as you noted in your speech today; however, until such time as we can take back Congress and/or the White House, we have NO base from which to implement those solutions.

Some times, Congressman, as Rick Perlstein pointed out this week, the best ideas are the ones we've always had, we just need to go back to them and stick to them.

Good Luck on the trail, and thanks for what you did today; we'll be watching!

It was a good morning for the SCDP

I didn't get a head count, but I believe at least 100 of the county's Democratic faithful attended this morning's Unity Breakfast & fundraiser for the SCDP. This event was sponsored by congressman Ford and honored newly elected chair Matt Kuhn, shown here speaking to the assembly.

He spoke after a rousing speech by the Congressman, shown above, who spoke of the need for Democrats to provide solutions to the problems that we have and not just complain about the problems we face. (We'll talk more about that in another post.)

All of the Chair candidates were there to pledge support to the new Chair, who confessed that his mother Nancy had been the one to convince him to run, not anyone else. Kuhn spoke of how much work has to be done, and that special elections in Senate District 29 and House District 87 were taking place September 7, meaning that we have to protect these seats.

The congressman also announced a $2500 contribution to the party to help get it back on its' feet financially; that was exceeded shortly thereafter by a $2550 pledge by County Mayor AC Wharton, who joked about the youngish Kuhn and Harold the Younger, "they say 'And a child will lead them' and we've got two to lead us", much to the delight of the crowd.

The Coalition remains strong, as Brad Watkins will seek the 1st Vice Chair position this Thursday night, when the first regular meeting of the ExecCom takes place in its old stomping grounds, the IBEW hall at 1870 Madison. Also seeking office is David Holt, running for 3rd Vice Chair. I don't have a vote, but many of you who read this do, so I'm going to stump for both of them right here and now. Brad seeks to implement one of the key proposals of former Chair candidate and new ExecCom member Joe Young (D-92) that each VC have a specific duty and responsibilty within the SCDP structure.

Both impress me with their ideas and their energy, and they have a chance to do great things. You may agree or disagree, but, to paraphrase Lesley Gore, it's my blog and I'll psuh who I want to. (Oy, does that date the Cracker or what?)

I'll have another post regarding the Congressman, where he is and where I think he needs to go (NO, get that out of your mind right now, this will be CONSTRUCTIVE!) in order to win.

I hope you made it today, if not, you missed a good time; thank you for stopping by and telling me how much you enjoy this blog. Trust me, that makes a difference!

John Tanner and Jim Cooper, come get your whoopin'!

CAFTA "passed" 217-215 tonight (they never got to 218, so I don't know how the hell it "passed") and it passed with the support of John Tanner & Jim Cooper, "Democrats" of Tennessee.

Labor, I want you to remember this next year when they come begging for contributions. Remind them that they sold out the working man with this vote and tell them go ask the corporations who are shipping jobs to Panama and El Salvador for money. Tell them you only support REAL Democrats who vote the way Labor needs them to vote.

You know I'm not afraid to jump down Harold Ford's throat when he does something wrong, but he stood up tonight with the working men and women of America. Had John Tanner and Jim Cooper not sold them out, we could have beaten this bill, which will cause even more jobs to flow out of America at a rapid rate. Maybe we need to look for primary opposition for them.

UPDATE: David Sirota lists the 15 Democratic traitors with their election results, and most got at least 55% last year. However, I am STUNNED that one of the traitors was Arkansas 2nd District congressman Vic Snyder, who has been about the last progressive left in an elective office there. WTF??????

Nice move, congressman..

After hearing about the carnage of last weekend, Congressman Ford is coming home to mend fences this Saturday with this breakfast:

Celebration Breakfast Honoring Chairman Matt Kuhn and The Newly-Elected Democratic Executive Committee

You're Cordially Invited!

Continental Breakfast
Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.'s Celebration Breakfast Honoring Newly-Elected Shelby County Democratic Party Chair Matt Kuhn.

Click Here To Confirm Your Attendance

This Saturday, July 30th, 9:00 AM, @ Cafe Francisco
Cafe Francisco is on the corner of North Main and North Parkway, @ 400 North Main. The Cafe has a parking lot and there is plenty of street parking.

Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. is hosting a "Celebration Breakfast" in honor of the newly-elected Democratic Party Chair, Matt Kuhn, and the newly-elected Democratic Executive Committee members. Congressman Ford will be in attendance. David Cocke, Cherry Davis, and Joe Young,, all three of whom were candidates for Chair, are participating and have confirmed their attendance. All convention participants, Delegates, Precinct Chairs, and democratic activists will be honored as well. Former Executive Committee Members and officers of the Democratic Party will be honored as well.

The event is free, but any financial contributions or pledges to the Shelby County Democratic Party will be greatly appreciated. Let's give this newly-elected Chair and Committee all of the moral and financial support that we can.

Together we can win big in 2006!

DATE: This Saturday, July 30th
TIME: 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Cafe Francisco - 400 N. Main
@ the Corner of Main and North Parkway Register Now
email: davupton@cs.com
phone: 276-4022
web: http://MEMPHISDEMOCRATS.COM


This is a smart thing to do, I applaud it, and if I can drag my tired old butt out of bed on Saturday morning, I'll be there!

So should you.

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

Wendi Thomas whined on Sunday that the newest made-in-Memphis film, Hustle and Flow, doesn't represent the Memphis she knows or grew up in. I haven't seen the film yet (I absolutely will) , but just from living here since 1972, all I can say is that sista girl don't get out much, then.

EJ over at Cherry Blossom Special writes about the film and responds to Wendi's column by calling BULLSHIT on her middle-class butt. My favorite line of his :

"There are about 12 people who control everything that goes on in our city, and they like it that way. They don't want it to change, and nobody is stepping up quickly enough or with enough money in their pockets to make that change happen any faster."

Hell, what are you waiting for? Don't take my word for it, go read it!

It's time to slay the DLC monster...

Fellow District 93 blogger Frank Burhart at Polar Donkey cracks hard on Hillary Clinton for taking the point for the DLC in his latest post.

He quotes from LA Times' correspondent Ron Brownstein's article on the appearance of the One Who Would Be President at the DLC love fest, then smartly follows up with choice quotes from David Sirota, such as this:

"The fact is, the Democratic Party has to make a choice: Is it going to continue to follow the DLC, be a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America, and lose elections for the infinite future," he wrote in an e-mail. "Or is it going to go back to its roots of really representing the middle class and standing up for ordinary people's economic rights?"

This is worth your time to read...

This is NOT a good idea...

Jane Fonda has decided that, while promoting her recent book, My Life So Far, that she will embark on a nationwide tour to protest the war in Iraq.

Wonderful. How does this help the anti-war effort? All this will do is anger every Vietnam War veteran who may also believe that the Iraqi war is a tragic mistake. On the book tour, she has already had one vet wait in line for two hours to spit a mouthful of tobacco juice in her face.

I seriously think this is an error on her part; while I agree this war has done more for the Anti-American movement in Muslim countries than anything we could have done, she is NOT the right person to be out protesting it, due to her history.

Jane, please don't do this.

It's starting to crank up now..

First, Flyer publisher Ken Neill published his letter to Harold Ford Jr. calling him out for not showing up at the Convention on Saturday.

Now, The Pesky Fly points out that Jr.'s primary opponent, Rosalind Kurita, not only made brownie points with the SCDP crowd, she is even cracking on Bu$h regarding the nomination of stealth candidate John Roberts for the Supreme Court.

Both are worthy of a read!

Goodbye anonymous posting...

I have made a command decision; no more anonymous posting.

You can register for a Blogger ID, it doesn't have to be your name, and you can make your profile invisible if you want to. There are already some humourous and fun handles like PosterChild42 and DemoBitch, you can choose what you want.

No more anonymous postings, however, I have had enough. It won't take long to register, and if you have a Blogger blog, use that ID, like MemphisBlue does.

I regret any inconvenience, but there HAS to be some accountability here.

THE MANAGEMENT

Are we a little more relaxed this morning?

I hope so. I've even spoken with the person who left the voicemail, who said he was kidding. Given the circumstances, I believe him, and we're good.

However, the sleep has brought a scene from THE GODFATHER to mind. In the scene, which has occurred right after the attempted assassination of Vito Corleone, the man who ordered it, Virgil Sollozzo, is talking to the Godfather's consigliere, Tom Hagen..

Let's face it, Tom, and all due respect,

the Don, rest in peace, was -- slippin'. Ten years ago could I have gotten to him?

Well -- now he's dead. He's dead, Tom, and nothing can bring him back.

Of course, he wasn't dead, and he would go on for a while, but he was irreparably weakened.

In our case, the Don isn't dead, he's just retired and moved to Florida. How many of you think that what happened yesterday could have happened if Harold Ford SENIOR were still around and active in Shelby County politics?

Hell, even the Commercial Appeal is wondering if the Ford era is coming to an end in their Sunday editions before wandering off into an issue of how Tennessee Waltz may have hurt the party.

One of the more accurate comments in the piece was made by David Upton:

David Upton, a Democratic Party activist in Shelby County, doesn't expect many voters to change their partisan affiliations just because of the indictments, particularly since the indicted officials haven't yet been found guilty of any crimes.

"It (party loyalty) is bigger than that,'' Upton said. "It's not going to change people's partisan views."

I agree; they don't change which party to support, but they do change who's running it, and I keep saying that this is where Tennessee Waltz made a difference. I believe that a
person in innocent until proven guilty, but YOU HAVE TO AVOID EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY.

So, enough on yesterday, flame away, but don't make it personal.

I feel a serious rant coming on

Someone who should have known better left a snarky voice mail on my phone tonight asking me "how it felt to be the blogger that singlehandledly brought down the Ford machine and installed Willie Herenton as the leader of the Democratic Party for the next two years."

Kiss my ass.

Operation Tennessee Waltz, Harold Ford Jr's open ass-kissing of Fox News and the rage that both brought to the average progressive Democrat did that on its own, thank you very much. Not to mention that the people in charge of organizing for David Cocke got out-organized BY PEOPLE WHO HAD NEVER BEEN IN THE PROCESS BEFORE. What does THAT tell you?

What does it also tell you about our Congressman when you realize he wants to be Senator but he didn't have enough juice to get one of his best supporters and loyal friends elected Party chairman IN HIS HOME COUNTY?

Once again the Coalition and its leaders are being dismissed as toadies and not knowledgeable enough to be in charge. Let me tell you, Desi Franklin and Brad Watkins are NOT shrinking violets, and if they suspect Chism is putting the squeeze on the Coalition, all hell will bust loose.

The only people we're making happy with the vicious attacks I deleted from the post below are the Republicans. I've been beaten before, and I've gone down with the ship on more campaigns than a lot of you have worked on. I didn't like it, I grumbled privately, but I MOVED ON.

You need to do the same thing. After you read this, go for a drive, go see a movie, go do what you need to do, but CHILL.

That's what I intend to do...

Everyone take a deep breath, it's over....

Matt Kuhn, you've been elected chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party! However, you DON'T get to go to Disney World.

You have inherited an Executive Commitee evenly mixed with young folks, not-so-young folks, political newbies and old hacks from way back, and you have to juggle all of them in order to accomplish victories next year. As you are well aware, Democrats are a contentious lot, so this balancing act is key.

While you inherit a Party where the bills are all paid to this point, fund-raising has to take a priority, starting this very second. Everyone on the committee has to take responsibilty for this, because it's part of their job.

The advent of the COALITION allows you to attack a pressing need, and that's a SERIOUS Ward and Precinct operation; if they can organize like this for a convention, think what they can do with the entire county to work with!

I have my own requests; one, there will be those who will push to dump the headquarters (and you know who you are). DO NOT DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! Why? Even if you have to reduce the amount of space we currently rent, this needs to be a focal point of visibility for this Party. More importantly, it can become a center for other progressive groups as well, who can then be utilized in the Ward and Precinct operation. It can only be an upward spiral that serves our goals well. Democrats NEED a central location and a central phone number.

Next, there are people NOT on the committee who will be useful in all areas. We need to create a website befitting our party and its purpose; talk to Francis Burhart in District 93, he and his friends are coming up with great ideas, including making the website bilingual.

What, you thought I would wait a few days? Well, I'm going to rest (as you should) for a day or two, but this was a good day for ALL Democrats, even those who got beat, more on that later.

Welcome to your party, Mr. Chairman; we're all here to help.

If you live within 100 miles of Memphis

Don't forget this!

Don't reach for those chips, yet, boys, we're not finished playing the hand yet...

I hear through various sources that David Upton is saying that he has enough votes for David Cocke to win tomorrow. He's called me twice, I've called him once, we keep missing each other, so that's probably what he's calling about.

Don't dismiss that claim just yet people, let's look at the numbers. Of the 57 coalition delegates, Matt Kuhn was supported by 29, or a majority of ONE; If I were him, I'd be working the phones like crazy today.

If the Coalition members who DIDN'T vote for Kuhn decide to jump, then he's in trouble.

Another wild card in this mix is the current chair, Talut El-Amin. While I don't necessarily believe he has a chance to win, he has an outside chance at deciding who DOES. I expect he will have at least 2 votes on tomorrow's ExecCom. I suspect that his votes would go to David Cocke on a second ballot, and then........

In poker terms, we've had the ante (candidates entries, etc), the first round of bidding, the flop (the Caucuses), the next round of bidding with one player folding (Cherry Davis), and one candidate going all-in (Kuhn). It appears David Cocke is calling the bet; now we have to wait for the turn card (the Convention) and the river card (the chair vote).

Then, and ONLY then, will we know how this is going to turn out. Then we'll know who really has the best hand, and who was bluffing.

Chism goes ALL IN with Matt Kuhn

Yes, I have been watching too much of the World Series of Poker on ESPN, what was your clue?

Late Thursday night, the Flyer's Jackson Baker released a straw poll apparently taken Monday night by the MSDIA/DFM delegates, which had the followng results:

David Cocke: 6
Cherry Davis: 0
Talut El-Amin: 0
Matt Kuhn: 29
Joe Young: 19
Undecided: 3

As a result, MSDIA/DFM has decided to throw their weight behind Matt Kuhn, who has worked for several campaigns, and served as SCDP Treasurer under 2001-2003 Chair Gale Jones Carson (full disclosure - I sat on that ExecCom and voted for him for that office).

Shortly after midnight, I received this email from Gale regarding the candidacy of Cherry Davis, who did poorly with the Coalition vote:

I have been asked to e-mail the message below to the 2005 Shelby County Democratic Party's Reorganization Convention partipants.

Five people were vying to serve as the local Party's chairman: Cherry Davis, Matt Kuhn, David Cocke, A. Talut El-Amin and Joe Young.

In the spirit of unity, Cherry Davis is withdrawing from the race and throwing her support behind Matt Kuhn. Her hope is that good Democrats will leave the Convention Saturday, July 23, 2005, as a unified Party that will be working towards getting Democrats elected in the 2006 election cycle.

Registration for the convention will begin at 9 and end 9:45 and the convention will begin at 10 a.m. All activities will be at the same location as the June 25th Democratic Party Caucuses, at the University of Memphis - University Center. Free parking will again be provided in the garage off of Zach Curlin Drive. See you Saturday morning!

Gale Jones Carson

As South Knox Bubba might have said, OK, then. I have felt all along that it might well come to this. I even said so in a post below.


Various posters to this blog have suggested that the Cocke forces had infiltrated the Coalition camp to pick off potential ExecCom members; however, 6 delegates out of 57 isn't that much of an infiltration unless all 6 are elected to the ExecCom on Saturday morning.

Well, we are approximately 32 hours from registration as I write this early Friday morning and we will have an interesting convention, to say the least.

An open letter to Desi and Brad

You've done a terrific job, both of you. You have brought new people into this party and your time is at hand to have a real say in how this party is run.

I presume you've seen the article from Wednesday's Memphis Flyer talking about the upcoming Convention on Saturday; it even shows the picture Desi and Ann Sandberg appeared
in with David Upton back when Howard Dean came to Nashville earlier this year.

According to the article, Upton is quoted as saying that the race for chair is evenly contested between David Cocke and Cherry Davis. I take that to mean that they both have the same potential number of executive committee members committed to voting for each side, provided all delegates show up on Saturday.

However, that does NOT mean that either of them have 34 seats lined up on the Executive Committee, not by a long shot. This, of course, is where you come in. Only you know from your own numbers how many districts you control, and as such, how many potential seats on the new ExecCom you will have. That should give you an idea how Saturday will play out.

I URGE you to pick a candidate (and not necessarily Cocke or Davis) to unite behind. While it's no secret I am supporting Joe Young, if you don't pick Joe, you still need to have one voice to stand behind for the vote on Saturday.

1) If you can elect 20-25 seats on the committee this Saturday, your candidate can WIN. How? With 20+ votes, there's a reasonably good chance that this candidate will come in second, meaning that if Cherry Davis is the leader and your person is second, who do you think the Cocke people will support? Switch those names around and I am willing to bet the rent money that if your person comes in second behind David Cocke, the Davis supporters will flock to her/him rather than see Cocke win the election.

2) OK, what if our candidate DOESN'T finish first or second, smart guy, what then? Well, that's when things get interesting. Frankly, you will have the balance of power at that point. USE IT. You may even consider having your folks PASS on a second vote; if no one gets to 34 votes, they will have to push back the election to the next scheduled meeting on August 4.

However, if you've gotten this far, you didn't need me to tell you that. Good luck, and let's have fun on Saturday!

Goodbye, Bubba.....

You will notice, down and to the right, in the list of blogs, that South Knox Bubba is the first one listed. He is there for a reason, because, day in and day out, he was one of the very best. Sadly, SKB has decided to stop blogging. As he was the first Southern blogger that I could find that leaned our way, he was an inspiration to me, and a lot of us, and he will be missed.

You can find out more information about SKB's departure at KNS reporter Michael Silence's blog. He had run-ins recently with the editor of Knoxville's alt-weekly Metro Pulse, and I am afraid this may have had something to do with his decision. I hope that this is only temporary, and that after some time away he will be back, because his writing was dead on most of the time.

Bubba, thank you and Mrs. Bubba for all you have done. I am leaving you at the top of the list in the hope you might return. Besides, that's where you belong.

Nobody gets it.........

My support for new leadership in this party for this re-organization has NEVER been based on whether they have the ability to win elections. I am fully aware that David Cocke has done an exceptional job working with prior Committees to elect Democrats in Shelby County, I have not questioned that.

PEOPLE, THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS CONVENTION IS ABOUT THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll be as blunt with you as I can be: if we win County races next year, great. If not, great; by 2010 we'll be able to hang 90% of the County's problems on the GOP anyway. I look at the legislative races and I only see Mike Kernell as potentially having a tough race.

What about the Senate race, you ask? Yeah, big freaking deal, one candidate is willing to sacrifice his constituency on the altar of contributions from credit-card companies and the other is busy trying to prove she won't let the gummint take your huntin' irons away. I know I'M overjoyed at the choice; can't we pull Jim Sasser out of retirement, for heaven's sake? At least HE knew what it meant to be a Democrat!

You know how I feel about the Governor, who is perfectly willing to see people die rather than do the right thing and fully-fund TennCare, even if it means raiding the TDOT fund.

So, when you get right down to it, if we are ever going to sacrifice an election for the sake of party-building, now's the time, not 2008. We need time to work with the new groups, who are full of energy and drive; we need to help them direct that to bring even MORE people in, and to have them keep watch on how those who run under the Democrat banner vote.

Yes, you read that right; all of you know perfectly well that had Van Hilleary been elected Governor, 2/3 of the anti-worker, anti-poor bills that the House reluctantly voted for would have been crushed if it weren't Bredesen that proposed them. We as Democrats MUST keep the pressure on to ensure that our folks vote progressively. Frankly, this is an area where Shelby County EXCELS at the state legislative level, and an area that will be hurt by the loss of John Ford, and Kathryn Bowers, if she's not acquitted (and I pray she IS acquitted).

This goes for ANYONE at ANY level in Shelby County who is elected as our nominee. It means having County Commissioners who won't vote to "go along to get along" just so they can keep their safe districts.

This means electing a Congressman whose real purpose is to represent the 9th District, not kiss Don Imus and Fox News' ass on a weekly basis.

This means finding progressives to run at every level, and teaching them the skills necessary to win. This is why I'm NOT advocating that David Cocke go live in a cave for two years, we need him as a teacher of skills more than as an administrator. As the husband of a terrific teacher, he understands what that means.

Now is the time to further train our new folks while they learn the ropes. I am NOT advocating that those whose Chair candidates are defeated be exiled to the hills, we need EVERYBODY, but in different roles that what they are used to doing.

The same goes for me, and I'm not even getting on the Committee.

So, that is why I am saying that we need to use the 2006 elections as a training ground, and no, I'm not insane. We are trending more and more Democrat every election in this county, we can afford to take that risk, because it's CRUCIAL for our future.

NOW, do you understand?

Why are we here?

No, this isn't about our purpose in life, not on an individual basis, any way.

I have had conversations about the Democratic Party, at least nationally, with friends of mine who are liberal Democrats and on my email list. Two things that have hit me hard are these comments: 1) "The Democratic Party hasn't had an original idea in 30 years" and 2) "does anybody know what the Democratic Party stands for? At least, with Bush, people have a clear idea what he stands for."

THAT'S sobering.

Right now, we are having a discussion all over America over those very things. Howard Dean (correctly) rips the Bush administration for their mismanagement of the war and their attempts to destroy the New Deal protections for the American working man.

What do our Democratic congresspeople do, except for Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and a handful of others? They slink away in shame and suggest that the chairman of the Democratic National Committee doesn't speak for them, even though they are Democrats.

Great, just great.

Is it any wonder that the American people wonder what we stand for, or if we do at all? Our problem right now is that we have a base that seeks a strong definition for our Party in EVERY area of life, versus elected officials who are too afraid of offending anyone to support even basic Democratic principles, at least if they can remember any. I say that more at the national level, our legislative delegation in Shelby County still tends progressive.

These Senators and Congresspeople are about one thing and one thing only: getting re-elected in the current political climate. What the newly energized base is about is one thing and one thing only; CHANGING the current political climate in order to make it easier for a progressive agenda to be enacted.

That same battle is being fought at the local level in Shelby County right now. You have the two existing factions, who have fought esssentially over the control of an ever-shrinking pie, and a new group, who wants to make the pie BIGGER.

David Upton, who has taken lots of heat here in recent days, is one of the best people to know if you are running for office. He can raise money exceptionally well, he can direct you to others who can provide workers for your campaign, and, in short, is a good ally to have when you are seeking office and you are a Democrat.

Naturally, he is highly concerned that his folks might not be in charge of the party the next two years, especially when we have Democrats to elect. However, just as at the national level, leadership of the Party is about more than winning elections.

You do have to win elections in order to have any power to change society for the better. However, we ALSO need to be out organizing people in every neighborhood in Shelby County, and not wait for them to come to us, we MUST be seen as a group where all are welcome, and we need to be able to help them become effective in the political process. NO CHAIR has been able to accomplish that in recent history.

So, I am hopeful that there will be completely new leadership at the end of the day on July 23. And, as for the two factions that have been there before, please don't leave; you're needed as well, to provide your thoughts, and to LISTEN.

In the end, either we will come together and work together for the good of the party and the county, or we'll fade away like the Whigs.

It's our choice.

Our story continues...

David Upton was most assuredly upset at my assertion that he and other supporters of David Cocke were scared by the MSDIA/DFM folks. He has advised me that he met with Desi Franklin and Ann Sandberg in Nashville to encourage them to get involved with the party and bring folks out. OK, that I didn't know, so I'm sorry for any misunderstanding.

There also seems to be confusion about last year's campaign. When John Kerry's campaign threw Tennessee under the bus, Kathryn Bowers and the committee took it upon themselves to set up a coordinated committee for the Shelby County ticket, focusing on 4 legislative districts where the incumbents were facing tough competition. Despite having NO national money, and focusing on 4 districts (one of them being Mike Kernell's, thank you) they still managed to win Shelby County by the largest margin for a Democratic presidential candidate in history. David Upton and David Cocke were a part of that; they are extremely knowledgeable about winning campaigns, and I never meant to imply that they were not. This was the correct course of action to take, because Shelby County could not offset the redness of the rest of the state.

Upton also said to me that David Cocke asked that no one's credentials be challenged based on whether they had voted in the most recent GOP primary. David understands the quagmire that would cause.

That having been said, I still want change. Why? 1) I don't want the Chism folks in charge, for the reasons I noted in the post below. 2) This party is about more than whether Harold Ford is elected to the Senate or not. 3) Even though I believe that EVERYONE is innocent until proven guilty, it's going to look awful to the average voter if we elect people close to the legislators involved in TENNESSEE WALTZ to lead the party.

Lots of people are watching what this party does right now, and if we are going to get some of these folks back in our fold, we have to elect someone not connected to either side. That's not really fair to David Cocke, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation. He just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it's a shame, because he is a loyal soldier to this party.

Well, let's see who haven't I offended yet?

It has been pointed out to me REPEATEDLY that while I have explained why I am not supporting David Cocke, I have yet to explain why I am not supporting the Chism candidate, Cherry Davis .

She is a sweet person who represented her district well when I served with her on a past committee. I happen to like a lot of the folks who are aligned with Sidney Chism, and when I served under Gale Carson as chair, I supported to the best of my abilities everything they tried to do. Since I voted for a lot of it, I have to take my responsibility as well.

Here's the problem; there is a lot of enmity built up toward the legislators, and it goes back several years. One of the problems from the 2002 county elections is that we put all our eggs in one basket, and had no energy or money left for the legislative and gubernatorial election, and it took everything that Mike Kernell had to stay in office, which is one of my primary concerns every two years.

The state legislative offices in Shelby County are crucial, because the Shelby County Democratic delegation is the most progressive in the state. John Ford's departure, while many people will cheer it, will HURT this county over time, and if Kathryn Bowers is convicted (I believe she is INNOCENT, by the way), that will as well. Ask Mayor Wharton. Ask Mayor Herenton. So, we have to protect the legislators, which, for the most part, isn't a problem once they get past the primary.

Also, when Sidney was chair during 1994-95, if I remember correctly (I was NOT on the committee at the time) , the Republicans voted to have primaries for County offices, and we didn't. However, I believe the Committee at that time named their own "nominees" for these offices, and all went down to defeat. That's not a democratic way to do things for the Democratic Party.

So, this is why I'm not supporting the Chism side, even though I like Cherry Davis.

While David Cocke & Company have shown that they can win elections, the party has not moved forward in a while, and as I served under him as well, I have to take my share of responsibility for that as well. That's why I'm not running for anything. We have to win elections, raise money (HELLO, ACP!) AND build the party at the grassroots level.

MSDIA & DFM have shown they can bring new people in; the rest we can teach them.

In the quiet, the battle ensues....

The open warfare has begun, as noticed in the flaming that took place in the post below. It appears that the new folks, led by Desi Franklin of MSDIA and Brad Watkins of DFM, are under attack because they're new to the process. Or, more importantly, because they are distancing themselves from either faction.

The humorous suggestion that Ms. Franklin is a Republican because she apparently works for the Baker Donelson law firm is patently ridiculous; at one time, one of its' partners was George Lewis, Jr., better known as Buck and a former TDP Chair. By the way, folks, Farris Hancock has been known to employ Republicans, and I sure as hell am not about to question John Farris's credentials because of that.

No, the reason for this is that the emergence of these new groups has scared the living hell out of the old guard, and not just the Ford/Uptonites. I am hoping that these folks will stay away from either group and pick either my good friend Joe Young or someone completely different.

I say this with a heavy heart, because David Cocke is one of the good guys in Shelby County politics, and, under any other circumstances, I would probably be out front
leading cheers for him.

Bush is fond of saying that 9/11 changed everything; for we Big Shelby Democrats, OPERATION TENNESSEE WALTZ changed everything. Even if John, Kathryn and Roscoe are all acquitted, this was the sign that things needed to change and change
dramatically.

Yes, the party machinery needs to be able to help the ticket win elections every other year, I have not completely lost my mind. However, we need to be MORE than that. We need to be the beacon for this county, to set the agenda for the party, and have the people control the elected officials, and not vice versa. You know, the average worker doesn't really have time to lobby their elected officials to do the right thing; that's OUR job.

One of the signs that signified change to me was in 2004, when I saw people that I had NEVER seen before helping Mike Kernell and the Kerry-Edwards ticket all summer long.
Without them, Mike might not have been re-elected. Many of them are now asking for a voice in their party, and we're accusing them of being Republicans?

The MSDIA/DFM contingent needs a BIG say in the new party structure; right now, I wouldn't mind seeing them build it from scratch. If my buddy Mike Brester gets on the Committee and is able to implement an automatic contribution plan, maybe we'll finally have enough money coming in so that won't be a constant focus.

Flame away!

Fresh Crow For Dinner!

And I am the first to eat! Today's Shelby County Democratic Party Ward & Precinct Caucuses were, well, an absolute lovefest, and that's no joke! The bloodbath that I shrewdly (and incorrectly) predicted for today was NOTHING like that, and it could not have gone smoother.

Today's winners? I don't know about any of the candidates for Chair, but a HUGE shoutout has to go to Democracy for Memphis and its' defacto leader, Desi Franklin. It appears that they may have brought as many as 150 (!) new people to the Caucuses. It's now yet known how many of them were elected as delegates to the July 23 SCDP Convention (again at the U of M University Center, a terrific central location - props to John Freeman!), but they had, and WILL HAVE a serious effect on who will be on the next Executive Committee, and as such, the next chair.

Heavy applause must also go to Myra Stiles and Joyce (Akehurst) Quintrell for their excellent management of this convention. It's unimaginable how the show could have run without them and their crack staff (yes, I'm one of them, Joyce won't allow me to miss it!).

So who wins the chair? Damned if I know; stay tuned and we'll see what happens on July 23.

Well, here we go....

We are less than 48 hours from the Ward & Precinct Caucuses for the biennial Shelby County Democratic Party re-organization and bloodbath, after which the two main groups tear each other to pieces (and then deny it) and then barely work with each other for the next two years. Sounds like fun, eh? I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Shortly after David Cocke, who has been around the Party structure since 1978 in one post or another, including two prior terms as chair, announced that he wanted to run for his third go-around, this apparently incensed former SCDP Chair, current State Executive Committee member and recent State Senator Sidney Chism.

Chism told Jackson Baker of the Memphis Flyer that "They’ve got a lot of nerve trying to shove David Cocke on us, when there are three other candidates, all African Americans, ready and willing to serve, said Chism last week. “David Cocke will never be chairman. I guarantee it! If it comes down to it, I’ll put myself in the running rather than let him be elected."

I'm sure that pleases Cherry Davis to no end, given that this already-announced candidate's base of support comes to a great extent from friends and supporters of Chism.

While David Cocke himself prudently let Chism's comments hang in the air with no response, that didn't stop David Upton from charging, according to the Baker column, that Chism was playing the race card and that Chism ran a poor ship during his 1994-95 term as SCDP Chair.

Upton, who opened up a website in support of Cocke at www.memphisdemocrats.com, sent out emails to large numbers of the party faithful asking them to attend a pre-caucus breakfast supporting Cocke, and proclaimed that no less a trifecta that Congressman Harold Ford Jr., county Mayor AC Wharton, and County Assessor Rita Clark were also supporters of the two-time chair.

For many of us in the county who have worked with the Party, this scenario is all too familiar, and we are tired of it. While I like and respect David Cocke and have no problems with a third term, I want to reiterate my support for Joe Young, candidate and former field director with the Tennessee Democratic Party. He claims no fealty to either side, just to the Party and the things that it stands for (or should, at least).

I am hopeful yet cynical. I have always gotten along with folks on either side (and yes, there ARE sides) and it KILLS me when this stuff starts. As the party is at a crossroads in the shadow of Operation Tennessee Waltz, what happens now could affect whether Harold Ford Jr. becomes the first African-American to be elected to the Senate since reconstruction, and whether Phil Bredesen gets another term in which to destroy TennCare and cause the needless end of life for thousands of Tennesseans.

I'll see you there!

Things are really getting strange around here

Although it's not yet on the Tennessee Democratic Party website yet, the following press release was sent out this afternoon:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2005
CONTACT: Corinne Ciocia
OFFICE: (615) 327-9779
ciocia@tndp.org
CHAIRMAN OF THE TENNESSEE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANNOUNCES DECISION TO RESIGN; CITES DESIRE TO RETURN TO PROFESSION

(Nashville, Tenn.)—In an announcement released today, Chairman Randy Button has stated his decision to resign as Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. His decision stems from his desire to return to the real estate business. In a statement, Chairman Button said,

“My term as the Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party has been a tremendous experience. I would like to thank Governor Bredesen for this incredible opportunity, my staff for all of their hard work, and all of the great Democrats across this state that have supported me during my tenure. Although I am sad to see this period of service end, it does not conclude my desire to continue to work on behalf of the Democratic Party. With the continued leadership of Governor Phil Bredesen, the state Democratic Party has a secure and promising future. Jackson Day 2005 was the most successful event in the history of the state party. I believe that the turnout of support was a testament to the kind of unification that the Democratic Party is enjoying in this state.”

A new Chairman will be elected at the state’s Executive Committee meeting scheduled for June 18th of this year.

I had no idea that real estate was such an exciting profession. This smells fishy to me, and I will be making phone calls this evening to gather more information. Given that the TDP just completed what I had heard was a successful Jackson Day, this is bizarre.

Come Strong or Don't Bother

To those who are running for chair of the SCDP, I have one word:

ORGANIZE!

What these chairmanship races are about is who can turn out the most people; one of the reasons that you see the same people again and again is that they know how to find people in every precinct who can A) get elected as a delegate and then B) vote for the people who will go to the Executive Committee and elect them as Chair.

Two years ago, it was the closest race in history, a one-vote margin. If one is running this time, it would help to A) have developed a good organization or B) become good friends with someone who has done so. It does help to bring new faces into an old organization; if you have done several conventions, as I have, one gets tired of it, even if it IS only once every two years.

In order for any one of the announced candidates to get an edge prior to the convention, one should have a PUBLIC show of strength by having all the elected officials and activists at a rally in your behalf. Watch for this to happen; if no one does in advance, then this race is wide open, and ANY ONE can win, because, it's always who shows up "fustest with the mostest".

Let's review the process, shall we?

How does one get to be the chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party? Well, you had better know people, lots of them, who will come out to elect OTHER people to the Executive Committee, who will in turn elect the chair after the close of the convention on July 23.

There will be 67 slots spread out over 15 State House districts, and each district gets slots in accordance with the vote they provided the Kerry Edwards ticket in 2004.

The purpose of the Ward/Precinct caucuses (June 25) is to elect delegates from each precinct to the County Convention (July 23) who will in turn select each district's ExecCom members who will in turn elect the new chair. Confused yet?

Very rarely does enough people show up in a precinct that you actually have to hold a delegate election, but it DOES happen. Usually, one candidate's group controls a district so it doesn't matter how many seats they have, the district is solidly behind one candidate.

So, when you show up at the U of M University Center (and if you're registered to vote in Shelby County and a Democrat, I hope that you DO), try to have a voter's registration card ready, because we are going to check where you are registered. It would also be helpful to know, if possible, your precinct number/name and the number of your state House district. If not, we will have people on site to assist, so don't be put off.

Hopefully, we will see you at 9 AM on the 25th to get things going. If you don't show up, you have no one to blame but yourself...

Gee, what a shock! Who knew?

Jackson Baker at the Flyer has dug to find that the person that I alluded to in my post of last night has turned out to be none other than two-time former chair David Cocke. He certainly fits the two requirements listed: an experienced old hand and someone who is thisclose to the Ford family.

I served under David Cocke, and he would be a good chair, everything that Harold the Younger seeks in a chair for the largest county (especially DEMOCRATIC county) in Tennessee. I like him, I have no thoughts at all that he would be anything less than a solid leader.

However, as I stated below, I believe that's really the last thing we need right now. I'm not necessarily arguing for utter chaos and anarchy, though it might help to dissipate any leftover hard feelings from the last few years. This needs to be a bottom-up, grassroots effort to rebuild the party, and status quo (which, really and truly, would be all you would get from any of the names listed in the article except for Joe Young or Cherry Davis) is and should be cast aside.

Why, do you ask? 1) we are coming into an OFF-YEAR election. Who is at the top of the ticket but our boy Phil Bredesen, who is one of my favorites, as you well know. He's got more money than Croesus for his re-election bid, and probably will face only a sacrificial lamb on the Republican side. And why not? He's certainly governed like a Republican!

That brings us to the Senate race. The legal problems of his Uncle John certainly can't help our congressman become the southern Barack Obama (except that he was Obama before Obama) and there is the question of how his I'm-just-a-Blue-Dog-under-the-skin act will play in rural and suburban areas. While folks out in the rest of Tennessee (you know, the ones that want to give Shelby County to either Arkansas or Mississippi) may think that he is a nice young man who is nothing like the rest of his family, I have my doubts that they will vote for him.

No, it's not really even because of race, either. The late, lamented Harry S Truman once noted that, "if you only give people a choice between a quasi-Republican and a REAL Republican, they'll take the real one every time". Even though he wants to come across as a middle of the roader, his vote for the Bankruptcy Bill, practically a blank check for the credit-card companies, is nothing a real DEMOCRAT would or SHOULD vote for, even though the whole damned delegation voted for it.

He should beat Rosalind Kurita, unless she challenges him to a skeet-shooting contest. However, warmed-over Republican slop is NOT going to beat Ed Bryant or Bob Corker or whoever else the GOP comes up with.

This is why the party should not put all their eggs in one basket on the chairmanship. This isn't just Ford's party, or Chism's Party, or MY Party, it's EVERYONE'S PARTY, and we need to build it to last. The status quo is just not acceptable this time.

Well, talk about a state of flux

Tonight, Kathyrn Bowers tendered her resignation as chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party, in an effort to keep the party from suffering while she fights her indictment for bribery.

She was not planning on running for re-election, with the county party's re-organization coming up at the University of Memphis's University Center on June 25 and July 23. So, who picks up the pieces and moves on? Bowers DID lead the party to one of its' finest showings ever, producing a larger margin of victory than even Al Gore had received four years earlier.

Joe Young was the first to announce his candidacy; the local activist has already had a meet-and-greet for party activist earlier this year. I have been advised also that local activist and ExecCom member Cherry Davis is also seeking the post.

However, there are rumors circulating that our congressman and would-be senator is apparently unhappy with the choices, wanting someone more well versed with the party structure and fundraising for next year's pivotal election, when Harold the Younger attempts to become the first African-American Senator elected from the South since Reconstruction.

Chris Davis reported in the Memphis Flyer this week that Ford's primary opposition, state Senator Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville, came off like the second coming of Annie Oakley at a Midtown meet-and-greet held by local activists Happy Jones and Paula Casey. In an urban setting, even an anti-Ford crowd was lukewarm, according to Davis.

So, with a primary victory all but assured, our congressman should be happy no matter who our new SCDP chair is, right?

Uh, think again. Rumors are flying that our congressman is not exactly giddy with either candidate, and is reportedly looking for another chair candidate. Apparently Mr. Ford would prefer an older, steadier hand at the wheel for next year's elections, someone who has held the position before.

There are several people who A) have held the position before and B) are close to the Ford family, so let the wild speculation begin.

My take is this: As an old hack from way back, you might think that I would agree with Junior that an old hand is what we need. You would be wrong.

Given the indictments of the previous week, with more reportedly on the way, we need NEW blood. Period. Joe Young is a friend, and I am supporting him, but I have also served with Cherry Davis, and she would be a good chair as well. The fact remains, with the SCDP's reputation being dragged through the mud because of the eCycle scandal, a clean break with the past is EXACTLY what is needed to move this party forward.

Just as Howard Dean is rebuilding the national Democratic party from the BOTTOM UP, so should the Shelby County Democratic Party. We need someone with new ideas, some one who believes there is more to winning elections than turning out South Memphis and Whitehaven on election day.

We need to build this party so that WE tell the ELECTED OFFICIALS what to do, not vice versa. I say this despite the fact that I am friends with elected Democratic officials, and some mighty fine ones at that.

Either Joe Young or Cherry Davis would do well. I have known Joe longer, so he has my vote. if Cherry should win, I will also applaud and support her. The time has come to move forward, or else.

It's time to stop defending the indefensible

Yes, everyone is innocent until proven guilty; that's an American belief that everyone but Nancy Grace seems to understand.

However, after attempting to digest what happened here and in Nashville over the last 36 hours, I have one question for the folks who were indicted, some of whom I have worked side by side with in Democratic Party circles for years:

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WERE YOU THINKING?

Even IF you are acquitted, how could you have allowed yourselves (and the CITY and the PARTY) to be put in a position like this? There is no recovery from this, and I'm sure you know this. The indictments paint a sordid tale of hands being stuck out everywhere.

It is damned impossible to regain the trust of the public to manage even the simplest of programs, much less anything far-sighted and far-reaching, when the impression is given that we can't even pass a bill without asking to get paid.

Harsh? You're damned right it is. Unforgiving? Maybe. However, it's time to stop defending the indefensible. I hope against hope that this will be a mistake, and that the charges will be dropped, but I'm sure as hell not betting the rent on it.

The only public figure who gets a thumbs-up from me today is AC Wharton, who demanded (and received) Roscoe Dixon's resignation. AC clearly understands that if you are going to keep the public trust, you cannot even allow the APPEARANCE of wrongdoing.

And on this day when many of us who are Shelby County Democrats face the shame and humiliation of an entire state, we at least know one Democrat who gets it right.

I know I'll get nasty emails and be accused of throwing my friends under the bus, but I know better; they JUMPED, willingly.

Welcome to eCycle

Boyohboyohboyohboy.

Less than 24 hours after Harold Ford Jr. files for and officially announced his candidacy for the US Senate, his uncle John, along with three other legislators, an ex-legislator, and two others, were arrested and indicted on corruption charges in an ongoing investigation by the FBI and the TBI.

The charges include accepting illegal payments in return for supporting legislation created to help eCycle, an "undercover" company set up to dispose of computer equipment. Ford was reportedly approached about this legislation, and, per the indictment, told the eCycle representative that "you are talking to the guy who makes the deals".

Ford reportedly received $55,000 in illegal payments. Allegedly joining him on the gravy train were Senator Ward Crutchfield (D-Chattanooga), a former Senate Democratic leader, newly elected Senator Kathryn Bowers (D-Memphis), who also serves as Shelby County Democratic Party chair, Representative Chris Newton (R-Cleveland), along with former Senator Roscoe Dixon of Memphis, recently replaced by Bowers.

Also named in the indictments as 'bag men" were Charles Love of Chattanooga and Barry Myers of Memphis, who Dixon had wanted to serve in an interim capacity as his replacement in the Senate. Former SCDP chair Sidney Chism received the appointment instead.

As someone who has been involved in Democratic politics here for over 25 years, this is a punch in the gut. I hope that this is smoke and mirrors; however, given the detail of the indictment, I am not holding my breath for a positive outcome.