Paige Burcham Carlton, Obion County Democratic Party Chair and Executive Committee Member, District 24

Dear Executive Committee members,

I'm writing to ask for you to vote to re-elect Chip Forrester as Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party. My reason is simple - in the ten years I've been Chair of the Obion County Democratic Party, Chip is the first Chair to put someone on the ground in West Tennessee. Thanks to him and his staff, we were able to mobilize and get people involved like never before. On election day, members filled our headquarters and turned it into a central location for phone banking and election protection issues. Even though our candidates lost, I've seen a renewed interest in the County Party and increased attendance at meetings. Why? Because they realized the State Party treated them as part of a team, not just a means to an end or people to show up at events.

Two years ago, I supported Charles Robert Bone for Chair of the TNDP, but Chip Forrester has made a believer out of me. He has a work ethic that is hard to come by nowadays. Chip put his entire life on hold for two years for the good of Tennessee, and despite criticism at every turn, he wants to spend the next two years doing an often thankless job. We cannot succeed without help on the ground, something Chip already has in place and will continue to build upon. If we elect a new Chair, there is no guarantee the people hired willl work as hard in the field or forge as many relationships as his current staff. Yes, we suffered losses, but what ever happened to the old adage, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again"? If we manage to look past our anger and devastation to view the election objectively, we'll admit this was a near impossible year for Democrats to win - as evidenced by the losses across the country on November 2. It's easy to put all the blame on one person; it's more difficult to acknowledge our own part in the losses and ensure we do everything possible to prevent it from happening again.

I wear both hats as a County Chair and State Executive Committee member, and both hats are off to Chip Forrester for a job well done. Not electing Chip again will reset the clock and start everything over agai,n rather than continuing to build on what we've been doing for the past two years. He has my vote not just for the work he's done but for the work he will continue to do. Please join me in supporting Chip on January 8, 2011.