15 responses so far ↓

• 1 Thunder Storm // Feb 22, 2009 at 1:37 am

  When will the Dem party figure out it is not alwaya about the money. We need new people with new ideas to rejuvenate the Dem party in Kentucky. No political resume building hacks, no big money people, no political nepotism.

  Bring in somebody who REALLY cares about the plight of Kentucky and her citizens.

  Might not be possible. I don’t think that person exists in this state.

• 2 anon // Feb 22, 2009 at 7:59 am

  Lisa Tanner should be running KDP.

• 3 Bruce Maples // Feb 22, 2009 at 8:17 am

  Youth doesn’t matter. Passion doesn’t matter. Field experience doesn’t matter. Being able to get something done with volunteers doesn’t matter. All that matters is the Benjamins.

  That is the only conclusion I can draw when Lisa Tanner is passed over. There is no doubt in my mind that Lisa should be either the chair, or the full-time Executive Director working for the part-time volunteer chair.

  Once again, a party already on crutches shoots itself in the other foot.

• 4 Family Tree // Feb 22, 2009 at 9:33 am

  Isn’t Charlie Moore, Jennifer “The Now Disgraced Chair” Moore’s Uncle or cousin or something like that? Maybe it wasn’t a lie when she said she’d pick her successor???

• 5 DL // Feb 22, 2009 at 10:00 am

  Let’s put the brakes on the doomsday scenarios for while. First, Charlie can raise a lot of money – not saying he will but as a trial lawyer he certainly can. Secondly, with a busy law practice it is likely he would hire an executive director (maybe even Lisa Tanner) to run the day-to-day operations. Last, he’s very shrewd politically and I’m sure he understands the importance of reaching out to young people. With his fundraising prowess he could certainly hire and staff a position to do just that.

  Charlie and Brucie are good people. They are also close to Jack (Conway) which is also a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

  So, if this does happen I’m going to wait and hope for best, because this could certainly turn out to be a good thing.

• 6 jake // Feb 22, 2009 at 10:36 am

  Yup, Charlie is Jennifer’s uncle. He’s spent a lot of time attempting to go after her critics. (You can figure out what I mean here)

  And it doesn’t take much to raise money in Kentucky. I mean, if a big old gay like me can raise money? Anybody can. Just saying. Because it’s not that hard.

  It’s definitely true that the Beshear crew couldn’t get anybody to agree to be chair. And if Jennifer did, indeed, get to pick her uncle as her successor? Then Adam Edelen has a whole fucking lot of explaining to do for the lies he’s told me– lies that weren’t off-the-record or confidential.

  I don’t have time for bullshit con artists and somebody needs to clear a thing or two up.

  That said– I hear Jeremy Horton is now staying at the Party, despite what the Beshear crew told me months ago. So, no, nothing is changing.

• 7 PurchaseDem // Feb 22, 2009 at 12:33 pm

  I’ve been less and less involved over the past six months, but if I remember, the relationship between the SCEC and Jennifer Moore was very acrimonious. A lot of people in Western Kentucky don’t like her…the list (of KDP officials or electeds) would stretch at least a page.

  I’ve always thought it was a bad idea for a Governor to claim control of KDP as a right of his office…if a Governor wants to control KDP, they ought to work and organize for it. Godwilling the nomination of Charlie Moore could be something positive by way of getting an assertive SCEC, not just a handful of members, with the true ability to pick its own leadership.

  I don’t personally know Charlie Moore (I’ve only seen him once or twice) but if Jennifer was planning on doing a nepotism thing, there’s a lot better qualified relatives that she could’ve picked. I’m quite confident that it is of some relation…he was listed on the sheets passed around at the KDP Convention as the preferred Obama National Delegate for CD1 (that Congressional Convention that took about 4 hours) and I remember (state) delegates whispering about the relation at the time.

  That being said, Charlie will have a wonderful time as KDP Chair being as the SCEC is already opposed to Jennifer (I think the only reason that she is there is that the Governor gets to “nominate” a Chair and traditionally the SCEC has never interfered by voting for removal except perhaps in the case of a GOP Governor). The last time there was a really, really contentious election for State Party Chair was in ’05 with Jerry Lundergan, after whose election our current Governor threw what could be characterized as a temper tantrum, promising he’d never come back and other things.

  My my how times have changed.

• 8 Bruce Maples // Feb 22, 2009 at 12:51 pm

  DL — If Charlie does, indeed, hire Lisa as Exec Dir, then that would change my opinion of this appointment, and I would say so publicly.

  More importantly, it would change my level of support for the KDP back to something approaching what it was a few years ago, both monetarily (not a lot in the grand scheme of things, I’m sure) and activity-wise (pretty much for someone with a full-time job and other commitments).

  I guess I’m looking for some indication that the Democratic Party at any level is actually interested in grassroots activism. I was a big supporter of Howard Dean’s 50-State Strategy (still am). If someone would show some interest in a similar program at the state and local level, then I’d be right there to help. So far, though, it looks to me like there are a lot of VIPPs and not too many activists.

• 9 jake // Feb 22, 2009 at 12:54 pm

  Bruce — while hiring Lisa may be a good thing, I’d hope the powers that be would take heed and do tons tons tons more than just hire a Party activist.

  (This isn’t meant to discredit Lisa in the least)

  Because it seems to me everything the Governor’s Office has said/done about how the new Chair will be ceremonial and the E.D. would be the one running the show has now turned out to be total bunk.

  There’s a lot of cleaning up to do.

• 10 Bruce Maples // Feb 22, 2009 at 3:03 pm

  Jake — no doubt. But one of the keys to getting change in the party is to make the base much bigger, so that more people are paying attention.

  If you’ve got a couple of thousand activists, all of whom are involved and want transparency and effectiveness, it’s a lot better than having a central group with all the power AND knowledge, and a few others who try to keep up.

  If no one is paying attention, you can get away with a whole lot.

  Shame they didn’t ask me to be state chair — I’d do it for free, as long as they (a) paid my mileage, and (b) let me hire an Exec Dir. My first goal would be to wear out both our cars trying to build a solid grassroots movement across the state. But, that would take power away from the coterie in Frankfort, so they’ll never go for it. Instead, they’ll hire someone who gives them the Same Old Same Old, and we’ll get the same results at the voting booth and in the Legislature.

  Bruce (fighting cynicism)

• 11 anon // Feb 22, 2009 at 8:20 pm

  jacob payne –

  adam edelen and company have made promises all over the state saying horton is gone. you arent the only person he has confided in. i expect him to keep his word nad make horton take leave the moment the committee takes on moore as the new chair. edelen wants to run for statewide office soon and making promises and not keeping them is the best way for people to remember you – in a bad way.

• 12 DupedDem // Feb 22, 2009 at 9:17 pm

  “making promises and not keeping them is the best way for people to remember you – in a bad way.”

  I am afraid that ship has already sailed. Before taking over as COS Mr. Edelen traveled the commonwealth meeting with democratic activists and made promises from Pike Co. to the Purchase. To date not one of those promises has been kept. At best he has a problem saying no to people – at worse he is ineffectual and powerless as COS.

  Now voters are use to having candidates lie to them, but usually they don’t find out about it until after they have been elected. I think Mr. Edelen deserves credit for showing true colors early and often?

• 13 WouldaShouldaCoulda // Feb 22, 2009 at 10:58 pm

  I don’t know Charlie Moore but he’s known to be shrewd and very tough. About seven years ago, there was a bad fire at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. The place wasn’t gutted but there was serious damage and much of the collection was left “smoky and sooty.” The museum was insured but the company dragged their feet and basically wanted to offer a “band aid” approach instead of putting the place back together the right way. Charlie Moore stepped up, offered his extensive counsel for free and proceeded to get the museum back to what it was before the fire. He was tireless and the long-time museum director speaks extremely high of him. I don’t know if this would translate to making him a top notch Dem chair, but he won’t take chit from anyone.

• 14 senyor // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:15 pm

  Charlie Moore is a heck of a lawyer, born and raised in eastern KY, living and practicing law in western KY and Louisville for many years. He’s got the statewide thing covered. He’s always on the correct side (e.g., 2008 Obama) politically. He’ll be able to bring in a lot of cash and he is politically savvy. Don’t make the mistake that this is some good-old-boy appointment. It’s not.

  BTW Jake — your assertion that he is Jennifer Moore’s uncle is incorrect.

• 15 jake // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:25 pm

  Then I was incorrectly informed. My apologies.

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