Charles Robert Bone has apparently reached out to some Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee members who have pledged support for Chip Forrester, asking for their input on the direction of the party. We are told they are holding strong in their support of Forrester.

At last count, Forrester had pledges from more than enough members, assuming they all show up to vote later this month.

An East Tennessee EC member who supports Forrester said they would prefer Bone as treasurer, because Forrester's experience combined with Bone's fundraising abilities would be a plus for the party and it would give Bone a chance to get to know the people and learn more about how the party organization is supposed to work.

There are also concerns about the Executive Committee's inclusion in party business, and the perceived slights from folks like Lincoln Davis and Bart Gordon.

There is also talk that Bone would install Mark Brown as Executive Director and Keith Talley as the Communications Director. Chip Forrester notes that they are good guys but are also the architects of the 2008 Disaster as directors of the Democratic State Senate and House caucuses respectively.

It appears there is a power struggle going on in Nashville between the old school apparatchik and a more progressive grassroots movement. Is it even possible for Democrats to drag Tennessee into the 21st Century? Can Democrats elect progressive candidates statewide and join the emerging New New South, or do we have to keep running Republican-lite candidates and letting the TNGOP dictate the rules of engagement?

The next couple of years are going to be interesting. By the end of this month we will know the general direction. Personally, I think reforms start with educating voters, and it would also help to recruit some good candidates and show some legislative results. It will probably take a generation or two of this before Tennessee sees the light.