Tennessee Democrats continue to let the TNGOP define them
Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 8:14am

Kleinheider has another Hobbs brain fart attacking newly elected TNDP chair Chip Forrester for supporting a state income tax ten years ago.

Hobbs goes on to explain that sales taxes are fair because everybody pays the same and that people can give themselves a tax cut by reducing consumption. [EDIT: Hobbs didn't say that in his press release, it was someone in comments.]

Regardless of how stupid that is, once again Tennessee Democrats are letting the TNGOP define the TNDP and the rules of engagement, this time by dragging up irrelevant stuff from ten years ago.

I don't recall Chip Forrester ever saying he wanted to be TNDP chair so he could advocate for a state income tax. Maybe he does, and maybe that's a debate we should have. Again. But Democrats should pay more attention to what Chip Forrester has to say about the TNDP, not Hobbs.

Either way, we hope the Tennessee Democratic Party will soon get busy pushing back against these tactics on get on offense.

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gonzone's picture

Maybe

Submitted by gonzone on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:39am.

Could the DLC has too much influence in TN? Sure looks like a bunch of spineless Joe Lieberman loving DLCers from where I sit.:-) Now, just who is the DLC chair these days? Hmmm...

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Nobody's picture

Mr. Neal look at your own

Submitted by Nobody (not verified) on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:05am.

Mr. Neal look at your own post back in Oct/08

http://www.tennviews.com/node/3902

Mr. Forrester put the Republican Party on Notice 20 minutes after he was elected Saturday. Lets give him a chance to respond.

Gonzone,
Harold Ford Jr. is the DLC chair and from where your sitting your post does not make sense.

R. Neal's picture

Mr. Neal look at your own

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:19am.

Mr. Neal look at your own post back in Oct/08

Not sure I follow you? That post is what the TNDP should have been doing in their weekly emails to Tennessee Democrats, which I never got. Got one from Hobbs, though, like clockwork.

And I'm not being critical of Forrester. I'm thinking (at least hoping) he's going to bring it.

But that Kleinheider post is still up there from last night, and the TNDP blog hasn't been updated since Nov. 18th, and the TNDP main web page has an announcement about Forrester but the most recent news before that was Dec. 22.

(And I'm pretty sure Gonzone knows who is DLC chair and I'm thinking that was sort of the point?)

Anyway, I'm sure (or at least hoping) that Tennessee Democrats are going to get behind the party and support our candidates for Governor and the statehouse, like most of us have in the past (unlike some in Nashville who threatened to bolt of Forrester got the job).

gonzone's picture

yes

Submitted by gonzone on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:41am.

Thank you for the astute observation. Perhaps I was being too obscure?

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Nobody's picture

Mr. Neal I am most certain

Submitted by Nobody (not verified) on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 10:28am.

Mr. Neal I am most certain I am on your side. I used your post from 08 just to show how stupid Hobbs was then and again now, but how effective he is in getting his (GOP) veiwpoint read.

And I agree the TNDP website has been neglected long enough.

I am hoping we will see the change that is needed in the Democratic Party in Tennessee very soon and start running Democrats and elected them. We have went too long without giving opposition to Harry Brooks, Stacey Campfield, Jamie Woodson and those are just the ones in the Knoxville area. I probably dont really want to know how many races were won just because Democrats didn't field the position or have a qualified candidate. Too many times the Democrats field too close to the center to begin with. Why do we as democrats have to settle for such candidates to begin with. Oh, I forgot we are in Tennessee the only place I have ever heard of a conservative democrat. It is time to find real democrats and turn this state blue. I am only hoping Chip Forrester can begin to unite the democrats for 2010.

R. Neal's picture

Mr. Neal I am most certain I

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 10:53am.

Mr. Neal I am most certain I am on your side

I thought so, too, and I think we are all mostly on the same page here.

Now all Tennessee Democrats need to get on the same page, understanding that a Lincoln Davis has a different set of constituent concerns than, say, Steve Cohen.

bill young's picture

? R

Submitted by bill young on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 3:12pm.

Who threatened to bolt? Just asking

Nobody Who R U's picture

A couple of fundraisers.

Submitted by Nobody Who R U (not verified) on Tue, 2009/01/27 - 5:54am.

A couple of fundraisers. However, reports of that may be greatly exaggerated and their initial bluster (there was a lot of it early on and all the way up to the election) may have simply been a tactic to try and convince folks to vote for Bone. Bone had the support of Gov. Bredesen, US congressional dems, and inside power players whereas Forrester had the support of state congressional dems, executive committee members, and grassroots.

Forrester also went to pretty much all the counties whereas Bone ran an inside-Nashville campaign. That's not to say Bone would've been a bad choice either (he looked pretty good on paper) but he was an inside candidate that was probably given some bad advice from one of the power players and as a result he stayed cutoff in Nashville.

gonzone's picture

The point

Submitted by gonzone on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:42am.

The point of the post is that we need fighters in the TN Dem party.
It is not critical of Chip.
Got it? Or still clueless?

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

newscoma's picture

If the TNDP doesn't start

Submitted by newscoma on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 9:08am.

If the TNDP doesn't start dealing with Hobbs head on, we are going to be having this same conversation after elections in 2010.
http://www.newscoma.wordpress.com

Elrod's picture

Hobbs needs to be tarred and feathered

Submitted by Elrod on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 10:21am.

Literally. That stinking pile of roach manure needs to be publicly humiliated.

Hobbs's picture

Bubba, You wrote, "Hobbs

Submitted by Hobbs (not verified) on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 11:30am.

Bubba,

You wrote, "Hobbs goes on to explain that sales taxes are fair because everybody pays the same and that people can give themselves a tax cut by reducing consumption."

The release says nothing of the sort. It simply points out that the TNDP is now lead by someone who voted for and advocated for creation of a state income tax.

R. Neal's picture

Yeah, sorry, I had you

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 12:00pm.

Yeah, sorry, I had you confused with some other guy who sounded just like you from a while back:

Tennessee’s Amazing Shrinking Tax Base

Bill Hobbs writes
April 30th, 2008 12:32 pm
The ability to cut one’s own taxes by shopping less (or shopping more online) is a feature, not a bug. In fact, the decline in revenue indicates that market forces are working well - people are reacting to the economy’s troubles by spending less on stuff and on government. They are, literally, demonstrating with their reduced spending that they wish for government to be smaller and less costly too.

metulj's picture

That has to be the most

Submitted by metulj on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 4:47pm.

That has to be the most uneducated understanding of sales taxes, ever. Of all taxes, sales taxes are the most anti-market. It suppresses consumption and, in many states where there is sales tax differentiation among kinds of goods, it acts as a direct regulation of the market by the government.

The obvious regressive nature of sales taxes plus Hobbs clear disdain for TN merchants (by online to avoid the tax) makes it clear why he's used to do the dirty work for Rove et al: He's a tool. Why does Bill Hobbs hate TN and TN's working classes, who shoulder the sales tax the most?

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

Andy Axel's picture

Why does Bill Hobbs hate ...

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2009/01/27 - 11:58am.

Why does Bill Hobbs hate ... TN's working classes, who shoulder the sales tax the most?

Bill Hobbs is a certifiable Republican activist. A = A

____________________________

Dirty deeds done dirt cheap! Special holidays, Sundays and rates!

StaceyDiamond's picture

Forrester

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 7:43pm.

I'd not heard of Forrester until recently and know little about him. But that he is interested in up approach rather than simply fundraising sounds like a great sign! The Democrats have had some very well funded candidates run against Campfield and the GOP has put up very well funded candidates against Campfield but he apparently spends most of his time knocking on doors rather than fixing sewers and still wins big.

KC's picture

we hope the Tennessee

Submitted by KC on Mon, 2009/01/26 - 8:02pm.

we hope the Tennessee Democratic Party will soon get busy pushing back against these tactics on get on offense.

Better yet, if you keep getting beat on one field, change fields.

If the TNDP doesn't start dealing with Hobbs head on

Isn't that part of the problem? As long as "dealing with Hobbs," you're playing his game. Why not just ignore him? Or change fields. Or change games.

That's the joy of politics. Use it.

If the current economy is not conducive to a near complete debunking of the recent and current Republican philosophy, then God only knows what is.

Get creative and don't let the opposition make and develop the argument.

If the TNDP can't figure out how to use the current issues to its advantage and connect with Tennessee voters, it's in a lot of trouble.

gonzone's picture

Well said

Submitted by gonzone on Tue, 2009/01/27 - 1:06pm.

And I'm afraid it's in a lot of trouble.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

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