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Posts Tagged ‘moderates’

Romney and Obama during Hurricane Sandy: Fought the Good Fight

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on October 30, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those directly or indirectly affected by Hurricane Sandy—that would be every American. (It’s four a.m. and I don’t know if that should be affected or effected but during troubled time, I don’t care.)

I am proud that President Obama and Governor Romney limited their campaigns because of the storm.  To me, the Obama of the first debate didn’t see a need to campaign much more anyway.  He did what he wanted to do for the nation and if said nation didn’t like it….peace.  He saw no need for a hard sell after giving it his all. 

At the same time, I don’t think Romney recognizes the “him” that he is presenting in order to win the election.  I think he is a moderate who ran as a far Right conservative to win the GOP primary— now, he wouldn’t mine leaning back to the middle to get over the hump.

These campaigns needed suspending and any future donation money should go to storm relief families.  Oh, and get ready for some nuts to start talking about heaven’s hand in the election by way of the storm.  Heaven only knows if that is the case; but, I will say that I have never seen an incumbent candidate more at peace with the coming results.  You could say he is thinking “let the chips fall where they may” or Obama is reading 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 

I have a feeling that if giving the choice between (a) being a great disaster president over the next week yet losing the election because he didn’t make a  final push or  (b) winning the election by keeping one eye on the storm recovery and one eye on the campaign—Obama would quickly pick choice A but maybe being a great disaster president wins the election.  Yes, Romney managed the disaster at the Salt Lake City Olympics but that isn’t the same thing.  

In times like these, the leader of the free world should take a minute to hit a few gospel classics on you tube after his prayers—that “Order My Steps” song and the one about “Victory is Mine.”  What about “By and By.” 

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Legit: Michael Steele and Rep. John Barrow

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on October 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

President Obama’s presidency would have been better if he had a congress interested in dialog and compromise.  Without doubt, we are looking at one of the worst congresses in modern history.  Obama plan to have a healthy line of communication with the House and Senate and central to that plan was talks with conservatives like current GOP VP selection Paul Ryan.

The ugly part of the conservative movement wouldn’t let Ryan or any GOP members of Congress debate issues and seek solutions with the president.  Oh yeah, the ugly part has grown in the body of that party like a cancer.  As a party, Democrats are weak in the South but well-intended while Republicans are strong but hell-bent on running the nation without input from anyone outside their shrinking tent.

If they had listened to former RNC chairman Michael Steele, things would be different.  Steele and reasonable conservatives (who were moderate in their temperament) wanted to court those of us in the political center.  However, the Tea Party’s nature took them in another direction.  Understand, all conservatives share the same fiscal and size of government views but temperament is the key. 

The temperament of most southern conservatives will not allow them to select congressional candidates in primaries who will appeal to moderates in the general election.  Representative John Barrow of Augusta, Georgia,  is the last White Democrat in the House of Representatives from the deep South.  The GOP has been after him for years and to be honest, a moderate conservative Black candidate would have taken that seat.  Oh, I forgot that there are no GOP moderates since the Tea Party purge their ranks.

Rep. John Barrow listening

In the 12th congressional district primary, businessman Rick Allen lost to state Rep. Lee Anderson.  Allen has civic and social connections with non-Republicans in the Augusta area but that meant nothing to primary voters.  They wanted someone just like them and they got a candidate who refuses to debate Harvard-educated Barrow.   Democrats in Georgia that are looking for some action should get involved in the Barrow campaign because we can’t become a one race party in the South; we would be bogus.  Okay, I tossed in “bogus” because I was listened to MC Hammer yesterday and thought politics when he said “your party is bogus..yo, it ain’t legit” on the rap classic “Let’s Get It Started.”  Hammer could have been talking about Romney and the post Michael Steele RNC with their 47% nonsense.  

Let’s Get It Started had a sample from Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” and that is what is going to happen to GOP congressional candidates until they develop a moderate wing.  Hammer can be in a blog post about Augusta politics because brother James Brown is from that area and Hammer clearly bites from the Godfather of Soul’s beats and dance moves.  When America was on fire after the MLK assassination, Brown cooled things down.

We should get “Get Out The Vote” started for Barrow and Obama in that part of Georgia.  Barrow and the Blue Dogs bring moderate to conservative views to the Democrat table.

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Mega-congressional district Georgia 2nd/8th

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , on September 30, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Who really represents you in congress could be a technicality?  On my street, a community activist has several “Sanford Bishop for Congress” signs in his yard.  I started to tell him that after the last redistricting, we can’t vote for Bishop and he doesn’t represent us anymore.  

But, the thought occurred to me: “your congressman” isn’t necessarily the one who has your geographic district.  For example, ultra-conservatives that live in Rep. Bishop’s 2nd congressional district of Georgia ignore his service because they want a far-right winger in office.  For southwest and middle Georgia, Rep. Bishop and conservative Rep. Austin Scott actually listen to more of the opposition than most members of congress.  While moderates appreciate Bishop’s listening to everyone, I think the far-right section of the conservative movement only wants GOP representatives and senators to hear from them—because they are the only people who are right.

Since junior high school, I have known that once elected an official was obligated to serve everyone but that is some theoretical middle school stuff.  In actuality, neither Bishop nor Scott will have a real competitive race before the next redistricting after the next census.  So, conservatives will fuss at Bishop then call one of the two GOP U.S. Senators’ offices.  As a moderate in conservative Austin Scott’s district, I can still dialog with him because the guy is about explaining his views in a healthy manner (rather than being as ugly as the far-Right.) 

Rep. Bishop still represents my community and that is fine because more people who sleep in my town work in Bishop’s district than work in our technical congressional district.  We work, shop, worship, study, eat and chill across that invisible congressional line.  Bishop and Scott have parts of Macon, Georgia and Columbus, Georgia, and you can believe that people constantly smudge- out that line in their minds. 

You might not be able to vote for the congressman or woman from the neighboring district but you can still make that campaign donation.  Also, our votes are becoming less impactful anyway.  As a moderate Democrat, my voting in the GOP primary was more important to selecting the next president than my coming vote for President Obama in this non-swing state.  Yes, I voted in the GOP primary because I wanted to ensure that even if my guy didn’t win, the winner would be the best from the other side.  In other words, Romney wasn’t crazy like some in the GOP primary field—just aloof.  

For the record, I would be undecided at this point if the GOP presidential candidate was Jon Huntsman, Condi Rice or Mitch Daniels.  I don’t vote for Bishop and Obama because they look like me.  I vote for them because they try to incorporate everyone’s opinions in the decision-making process. 

To my conservative friends, I say look to Austin Scott when you discover that you can’t be a national party without having a functional relationship with the political center.

I should call it like it “t.i.s. tis.”  I live in the mega-congressional district Georgia 2nd/8th which is represented by Rep. Bishop and Rep. Scott.

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Obama’s and Romney’s Spiciest Supporters: Hush Ya’ll

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on September 15, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Golf tournaments in Atlanta and Memphis sometimes have paddles that put me in the mind of campaign strategies. While marshall’s paddles usually say “Quiet Please,” our southern signs state “Hush Ya’ll.”  I love it and I think candidate Barack Obama privately told certain supporters that in 2008. 

If Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Minister Louis Farrakhan were at the front of Obama supporters, that support would have fuel the loyal opposition.  Actually, President Obama spent more time trying to connect with Rep. Paul Ryan and House Republicans than listening to the Congressional Black Caucus.  The CBC likely said, “We have seen that …..brother.”

If you live by the sword, you die by the sword.  Governor Mitt Romney had to stand on the stage with a cast of characters in the GOP primary who push their agenda to the far right and who said outlandish things about non-Republicans.  Well, it is hard for Romney/Ryan to secure the political center now when they failed to denounce crazy talk about Obama’s birthplace, “I want MY country back” and those who (they feel) don’t love America. 

If Obama told the far left “Hush Ya’ll,” Romney likely wishes he could do the same with the most vocal segment of the conservative movement.  But, those activists are not hearing it; they want red meat and they want plenty of it.  That same red meat will drive folks to the polls—not only to keep Obama in, but also to keep the crazies waiting in the wings out.  Again, Romney is a Trojan horse and you know who is inside said horse–the damgum Tea Party.

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Campaign 2012: Put the South on the Table

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Team Obama and Team Romney need to understand that we simply refuse to have this election decided without more input and involvement from the South.  Yes, North Carolina and Florida are swing states but most of the South is being bypassed because Dixie is supposedly solid red. It seems that our donations to fund swing state campaign ads are more important that our votes—hell “haw.”

Let’s do this: keep our campaign money here in the rural areas and use that money to get out the vote (GOTV).  These two campaigns might spend two billion dollars on TV ad wars and the real winners will be the professional campaign industry.  President Obama once sat weekly in Congressional Black Caucus meetings with Georgia Congressman Sanford Bishop and I think that seeing SDB’s approach to moderate service benefited candidate Obama in 2008.  In 2010, Bishop had a formable GOP opponent and they went toe to toe in a media war; I watched cable TV the last few weeks because I was sick of slick campaign ads.  In the end, Bishop won because national conservatives and the Tea Party hit so hard that we got defensive and resorted old school GOTV methods to help the incumbent. If the Tea Party and the bitter national groups had stayed out of that election, the GOP would have taken that seat so thanks. 

Looking at that 2008 congressional race would help Obama and Romney prep for rural battles.  Clearly, the current plan is to have both official presidential campaigns be nice and above the fray while outside groups do any dirty work.  The positive dirty work would be a door to door, house to house, hood to hood effort to get everyone properly prepared to vote.  It is a low down dirty shame that some on the Right want to limited voter participation—you’ll are better than that.  We should counter by making sure that everyone knows the deadlines, rules and regulations for registration and voting.

To be honest, the GOP can never reach a point where 100% of the Black vote in the South is assumed Democrats.  If they do, their attitude and policies would be even more punitive.  Peace and blessing to brothers and sistas on the conservative side because 25% or more of Black southerners are actually conservatives but won’t join a party with a section that is dam near confederate.  The black conservative blog Booker Rising has a nice questionnaire in it’s margins and if my family members took it they would discover that they are more moderate than liberal.  Of course, the rural south GOP allows talk radio to work them into a mean frenzy so their gatherings are more salt than pepper.

We should start now and maximize our voter participation.  If we put 10% of the time and interest we put into football into getting everyone voting, we will ensure that our voice are heard.  Hey, we could combine the two; GOTV rallies in the form of old school parties after high school and college football games.   Yeah, we need to say among ourselves what the national campaigns can’t or won’t say and young  Dem conservative Keith McCants from Peanut Politics should be leading the effort.

http://www.bookerrising.net/2004/08/booker-rising-quiz-are-you-black.html

http://www.bookerrising.net/2004/08/booker-rising-quiz-are-you-black_20.html

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Vernon Jones and Foul-Mouthed Keisha: New Black Conservative Leadership

Posted in politics, tagged , , , on December 14, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Today, I just came across a Black conservative I called foul-mouthed Keisha. Neither sides of the political establishment knows she is a conservative nor does Keisha know herself but her f-bomb-heavy rants represent the silent majority of Blacks who actually vote. Frustrated working people grow more aggravated when they see society and the government helping those with problems before those who did what they were supposed to do.

(Warning:  one million curse words in ten minutes…NSFW.)

Of course, I am not saying that people don’t need help because hungry kids are the worst things in the world.  But, America needs to have a discussion that starts with Keisha’s frustration. 

Georgia politico Vernon Jones recently wrote a great article about race and the two major political parties.  Jones gets it and he might be one of the leaders of what’s next because our community must remember that we have no permanent friends nor permanent enemies—just permanent interests.  If the Democratic Party because all-Black in the South, we would be putting all of our eggs in one basket.  Actually, conservative beliefs are standard with many southern Black voters; we just don’t like the ugliness of the far Right.  

http://saportareport.com/blog/2011/12/southern-white-democrats-becoming-an-endangered-species/

Cool-headed conservatives like Jon Huntsman get little play from the Right but he could clean up with moderates.  Vernon Jones ran for U.S. Senate but the Dem establishment could understand a Black conservative.   

Keisha, Vernon and I would likely agree that a new form of thinking must replace the current mindset.  Oh, boy, our unlikelyalliesproject.com needs Vernon Jones’ leadership…and Keisha if she can dial down the f-bombs.

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Genesis 4:15: Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and Charlie Ward

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on November 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »

My thoughts today turn to Genesis 4:15, the original Cain, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and surprisingly Charlie Ward, Jr.  From Sunday School, we remember that Cain killed his brother Abel and we joked “what did Eve do after Abel died…she raised Cain.”  Seriously, I asked the Sunday school teacher (a high school student) “who was Cain concerned about killing him if Adam, Eve and Cain were the only people on earth and who in time did Cain marry?”

Genesis 4:15 And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.  And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Herman Cain shouldn’t feel the wrath of the GOP if this mess about him is true.  As quiet as it is kept,  they should have vetted him better and he served his purpose.  In 1988, Senator Al Gore ran for president to increase awareness on global warming.  Herman Cain’s chief reasons for entering the presidential race were to highlight problems with the arcane tax code and anti-business governmental policies.  He did that. 

If half of the allegations about Cain are true, Reverend Cain should reread Genesis 4:13 where Cain said to God “my punishment is greater than I can bear.”  Well, the original Cain should have thought about that before he killed his brother and Herman Cain should have thought about that before he stepped onto the presidential stage.  Why do you think those other fellows chose not to run? 

I see parallels between Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and Jon Huntsman.  Ward was the best college football player in the nation and a Christian athlete who was undrafted by the N.F.L.  Pro scouts didn’t think he was tall enough at quarterback to see receivers over tall linemen.  Jon Huntsman could receive half of the centrist vote if his fellow conservatives could see pass their primary season.  Charlie Ward wasn’t vengeful about his slighting as he resorted to Plan B by having a successful career in the N.B.A.

Jon Huntsman should have a similar Plan B that involves using open state primaries as mini-general elections.  He could show GOP voters that he is the Republican who Democrats find most reasonable.  Of course, red meat Republicans are vengeful at Huntsman because he was patriotic enough to accept President Obama’s request for him to serve as our nation’s ambassador to China. 

Huntsman’s plan to put it all on the line in New Hampshire would be better if he spent some time courting moderate and centrist voters in South Carolina and other southern states.  If Newt Gingrich is the GOP nominee, Huntsman’s coolness could be the perfect counterbalance.  So, maybe  Huntsman’s Plan B is the vice presidency.  I know he would be better received on southern college campuses than any other GOP candidate and he could actually get more votes for non-GOPers than GOPers–that would be wild.

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Double Dog Dare: Primary Vote for Herman Cain

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on October 17, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Herman Cain’s presidential campaign has created a fascinating scenario for southern voters.  Since folks are digging his simple, straight-forward style, I will break it down straight, no chaser.

Romney vs. Obama:  The White House is prepping for Romney because he is the candidate, as a former moderate, who would be most attractive to centrist voters.  His downside to conservatives is that he is a traditional Chamber of Commerce establishment guy without dirt under his nails.  

Newt Gingrich vs. Obama: Newt is as smart as President Obama and fully prepared to govern but the GOP base sees him as a nerdy professor.  I like the idea of a Georgian in the W.H. to protect our regional interests.

Rick Perry vs. Obama: While the media is insinuating that Rick isn’t ready, we must remember that he governs the planet of Texas, a state that was once a republic and a state which has the world’s 14th largest GDP.  We should never sleep on a Texan with power and funding.   

Cain vs. Obama:  First, see the Georgian comment under Newt’s section.  Georgian Cain must have been raised on Coke, peaches and peanuts like me.  Cain is a real southern conservative.  In his senate race, he was to the political right of Senator Isakson.  Southern conservatives want leaders who are just like them– leaders who shoot from the hip and cast a big shadow like John Wayne.  Herman Cain and Rick Perry fit that image.  

Summary:  10,000 Maniacs isn’t a political convention but a cool band that wrote “Candy That Everyone Wants.”  The 10K maniacs who will be at the GOP National Convention will be manic for a red meat Republican like Herman Cain when Romaine lettuce Romney would be a select the Center would find more appetizing in November.  Oh yeah, the Far Right does not care what the GOP establishment or the Center wants because they think they have the numbers. 

It’s like a kid in the candy store and parents should let a kid have all the candy he wants once then watch him get sick.  As Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 Maniacs sang, “Give ‘em want they want.”  I want a Georgian to be president if not Obama; so, I am a Democrat who will be voting for Cain or Newt in the GOP primary since Jon Huntsman will be long gone by then.

Herman Cain is like candy to my Tea Party friends and they swear they have the numbers to win the general election with him.  As southern kids say, I “double dog dare” you all to put Cain up against Obama.

Centrists and moderates in the South (whose primary vote would be otherwise wasted) should vote in the GOP Primary and give them what they want.  If Cain became president, regular folks would know that they need to get their “blank” together because it will officially be survival of the fittest. Guess what, it’s survival of the fittest NOW but the Democrat leaders are too soft to admit it.  The Piss and Vinegar conservatives might actually be healthy for the nation….like a drill sergeant.   

Democrats voting for any Republican isn’t approved by the D.N.C. but my father is dead so nobody tells me what to do (except the police.)

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Creep: John McCain vs.Tea Party Caucus

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on July 29, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Okay, I finally get the House Tea Party Caucus.  From jump street, these members stated that they were there to address the spending and that they didn’t care about being long-term members of congress.  The Progressive Caucus on the far left and the T.P. Caucus on the far right aren’t team players and love that fact—rebels, renegades, revolutionaries.

It took me awhile to realize that many members of the state legislators were balling so hard in private life that being a U.S. Congress member would be a pay cut or take them from their families too much.  The state house and senate isn’t the minor leagues to congress.  With that in mind, some ballers feel that it might be cool being a congressman for a quick minute so they run, win and roll into D.C. with a creep-type attitude.  They think they know everything but the job is complex and complicated.

Speaking of jobs, I think hard hitters on both sides have realized that congress and/or a presidential bid is a quick ticket to a lucrative gigs on T.V., radio or the speaking circuit.  My friends from the Hill joke that the average Congressional Black Caucus member makes more money as a MOC than they did before congress and than they will after congress.  Oh, other southern members and their staffs know how to “parlay” a few years at the congress into big money as K Street lobbyists or governmental affairs consultants in industries they monitored as committee members.  “Do I know the Farm Bill…hell, I wrote the darn thing.”

Senator John McCain is a guy about order.  As a POW, he had an opportunity to bounce out of captivity but didn’t out of respect for his fellow prisoners.  Recently, he gave the Tea Party Caucus his behind to kiss because protest and governing is two different things.  Speaker Tom Foley use to say that a jackass could kick down a barn but it took a carpenter to build one.  Tea Party have provided some useful protest but legislating requires compromise and negotiations.   

We should hand-out cool points to young members of congress like Rep. Tom Graves and Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia who (while really conservative) didn’t let the tide push them into the Tea Party Caucus.  Sen. Saxby Chambliss gets cool points for his work with the Gang of Six and yes, that will get him a Tea Party primary opponent.   As conservatives go, some are ”less worst” than others  and this moderate still can’t understand why the Tea Party movement hates centrists like Rep. Sanford Bishop who is with conservatives a surprising percentage of the time.  McCain did what Bishop should have.

It’s one thing to be a congressional creep but relishing the status just isn’t cool.  (Okay, this post was simply an excuse to rock Radiohead on my blog beause I thought about the Tea Party Caucus when dude sang, “I don’t belong here.”)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/john-mccain-tea-party-_n_911189.html

Update: I just saw “the social network” and found a cover of “Creep” that use in the movie’s trailer.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2knzLgNsJG8&feature=player_embedded#at=60

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Worst Congress Ever?

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on July 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

On Chuck Todd’s MSNBC show recently, he had a segment asking the question “Is this the worst congress of all-time.”  While I am not sure about all-time, it might be the worst of my adult life for the reasons discussed by former Senator John Breaux and Political Scientist Norm Ornstein.

[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43880181#43880181]

Congress and the White House in the past started with the center (where most Americans still reside politically) and worked on the Left and Right.  Today, policy starts on the Left and Right and goes nowhere.  I think 90% of congress were decent people when elected but they get that “gang mentality” from their political parties and it’s battle battle battle.

Who wants to go through life constantly pissed off?  Senator Breaux was an endangered species as a moderate to conservative Democrat.  The segment rightfully pointed out that there is no more overlap in congress today since centrists like Breaux exited.  In the past, there were a few southern Democrats who were more conservative than California Republicans. 

Why can’t members work together?  When did compromise become a dirty word?  I personally refuse to let anyone pit me against fellow Americans.   Some of MSNBC is slowly becoming the same as Fox News.  If the negativity fostered by media continues, a center-based, anti-party centrists movement might be in order.  

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/19/worst_congress_ever

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New Congressional Districts: Keep On Keeping On

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on July 22, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Political district lines on a map don’t reflect the reality of how people live.  Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston supports the naval mission in Jacksonville, Florida, because some employees at the base live in southeast Georgia.  The same statement can be made about Augusta, Savannah and Columbus.  suburbanites often work, eat, shop, heal, pray and play in other congressional districts. 

Georgia’s cities serve as regional hubs and elected officials know they should work together.  Because I grew up Black in the South, the scariest thing to me are groups who want decisions made with little or no input from all involved segments of the community.  It’s not rocket science: officials should maintain a line of communication and/or grow a network with everyone.  From Rep. Sanford Bishop meeting with sons of the confederacy to Rep. Jack Kingston explaining fiscal conservatism at Savannah State University, decent people respect listeners and reasonable folks understand that others live in the area.

During the last election season, naïve activists constantly complained that swing district congressmen didn’t do what the activists commanded.  Hello.  What about the majority (albeit thin) that support what the members of congress are doing.  We are in the redistricting process in Georgia and there is a strong possibility that my county will move in a GOP district.  Will my head explode? No. The Blue Dog Democrats of today are similar, in my opinion, to the traditional GOP establishment of old.  Their moderation prepped us for certain conservative elements. 

Rep. Austin Scott defeated Blue Dog Jim Marshall but Marshall was so conservative that some Dems can’t tell the difference.  If a congressman stays away from the craziest parts of his side and takes care of regional interests, I am fine.  Black moderates should be breaking bread with Black conservatives as we team up to explain to the community that it isn’t about elected officials.  It’s mostly about personal choices, decisions and consequences.  

The worst case scenario would be my community being 100% blue and the next election being a red landside.  In big cities, we have real liberals but rural Blacks are moderate to conservative.  If a Republican wins an election, you better hope he or she isn’t far, far right.  Someone should light a fire under groups Democrats help.  Al Gore knows that Democrats help people who don’t bother voting.  

To diversify our political portfolio, we should grow a new hybrid southern Black conservative. We need a bro with a goatee who was radical in college and knows all the Public Enemy lyrics or a sista with a natural who knows that we are going cuturally backwards.  Oh snap, the new southern Black conservatism could simply be based on people who remember how we once “carried ourselves” and that community once meant something.  It’s a shame that smart –sses on the right demonized Black nationalism because those cats’ primary thoughts was self-reliance and don’t depend on the government.    

Gladys and the Pips said we got to use our imagination to “keep on keeping on.”  Dominique Wilkins played well with the Georgia Bulldogs but the year after his departure for the N.B.A., the Dawgs went to the Final Four.  They had spent all of their effort trying to get Wilkins the ball.  UGA made the “best of a bad situation” and rural moderates should do the same.  Hell, rural Blacks might have more status in districts without big cities and those GOP congressmen should know that a third of the Black electorate could mean they never face opposition and won’t need to dial for dollars–think about it.  If they need a model, they can look at Rep. Bishop and Rep. Kingston.

The Pips said, “You’re too strong not to keep on keeping on.”

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Georgia Congressional Redistricting: Split Tift and Worth Counties

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 11, 2011 | 5 Comments »

Congressional redistricting should embrace split counties in some situations as the logical reflection of the divisions between people.  We know the cigar-chomping leaders will make the decisions behind closed doors and spin their maps as “the best interest of all Americans.”  But, a case can be made for putting like-minded people in the same districts because some of us are weary after a lifetime of constant fighting. 

Democrats and Republicans don’t understand each other and rarely communicate peacefully.  Heaven only knows how many people in south Georgia only have friends away from work who are just like them and that’s cool in a free society.  The problem is leaders of one party might make decisions that involved the entire area with limited input or knowledge of others.  From home schooling/private school to church, the only Blacks some people know are on Tyler Perry T.V. shows.  Have mercy.

During Georgia’s redistricting hearings, the usual suspects bounced up to the microphones to declare that this county or that county shouldn’t be divided because of the tremendous amounts of love and happiness inside those county or city lines.  Child, please.  Railroad tracks and highways divide most rural southern areas—east is east and west is west and never say they meet.  Oh, the Chamber of Commerce types will have you think that all is well and bless their hearts, all is well insider their worlds. 

In southwest Georgia, I wouldn’t mind seeing all strong Democrat population pockets placed in the 2nd Congressional district.  Yes, the neighboring 3rd, 8th and 1st districts would be even more GOP and that’s fine because they are “balling” down here or as the kids say, they are like “butter” because you know they are on a roll.

In Worth and Tift counties, U.S. Highway 82 neatly divides the GOP northern section from Blue areas in the south.  Some would also argue that the Red areas of Lee County deserve placement in the conservative 8th.  While I am a cosmopolitan guy with a wide variety of friends and associates across God’s green earth, it sincerely hurt my heart to hear that so many conservatives felt the centrist Democrat congressman in the 2nd didn’t listen to them at all…zero…zilch.  Really?  I know for a fact that said congressman breaks his neck to hear from everyone and while his final votes reflect the majority of his district, he tries to hear from the other side more that 99% of the southern GOP members of Congress try to hear from the Dem side.  When Georgia’s GOP senators dialog with Democrats, instant talk of primary challengers starts.

The fact that Georgia has two GOP senators is a game-changer for me anyway.  Here is the logic: everyone has two senators and one House member representing them in Washington.  Georgia’s senators are legislatively similar and also similar to most GOP House members.  If you are a non-conservative Georgian, you should hope like crazy that you have a Democrat House member to hear your concerns.  For me, that’s representation is more important that being connected with the other half of my county. 

At the redistricting hearing in Albany, Georgia, Brad Hughes, a promising young public servant from Early County, Georgia, stated that having two members of the state house serving his area was like the best of both worlds.  Well, the same logic could apply to congress for the next ten years.  Keith MacCants at Peanut Politics asked recently on his blog who should run against Rep. Bishop in 2012 since Mike Keown has decided to seek other office. Hughes, who ran against Bishop in the past, would be better than most conservatives at bridging the political divide.  Can he win?  No.  But he can position himself to be  appointed congressman by the governor if Bishop is selected by a president to be a cabinet secretary or maybe the historic next ambassador to ag nation Cuba.  You heard it here first and remember that a GOP president also would like a cool Dem or two on his team and despite the noise from last year, Bishop is one of the best peacemakers.   

I am uniquely qualified to write about peace between parties because I am a Democrat who supports Georgia’s GOP U.S. senators but please don’t tell anyone or the guys will get primary opposition.  If conservatives want out of my 2nd congressional district, I say good riddance and I hope you have the time of your life chilling with like-minded people somewhere else.  You should “get” while the getting is good because if Keown couldn’t turn the 2nd red in 2010, it can’t be done anytime soon. Green Day had it right with Good Riddance and Bill Joe was a big Obama support in 2008.

If you ask asked the people south of Hwy. 82 down here if they want to be in a Dem congressional district for the next ten years, they would look at you like you were crazy.  Heck yes, they want into the second congressional district and heck yes, the GOP people north of the Hwy. 82 would like to have a safer conservative in the 8th district for the same period of time.

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Cynthia Tucker on Redistricting

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on June 4, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Cynthia Tucker’s recent column on race and redistricting is so correct.  She wrote:

If black covers think they have made substantial gains simply by having more black representatives in Congress, they’re wrong.  They’d have more influence if they were spread through several legislative districts, forcing more candidates to court them.

My county is divided between Congressmen Sanford Bishop and Austin Scott and both are likable and intelligent men fully prepare to serve a cross-section of Georgians.  But, as Ms. Tucker wrote, corralling most Blacks into a few districts make the contiguous districts areas ultra White.  Voters in ultra White districts equate congressional time spent with Blacks to time spent with liberals because they don’t understand that most rural southern Blacks are actually moderate to conservative in their mindsets on issues.  If not for the vitriol created by ultra conservative media, Michael Steele could have drawn 25% of the Black vote into a moderate section of the Right–even Bishop would have likely switched. 

Thoughts of brother Steele brings me to another Tucker point: hyper Black districts and therefore hyper White districts discourage moderation. For more on the importance of moderate, one can read almost every previous post on this blog.  

 I started work at the U.S. Congress when Rep. John Lewis was the only Black member of the Georgia delegation and most southern congress members spent a third of their time in the Black community.  Oh, Bishop and the Blue Dogs will serve conservatives on a fair level but will conservatives give an equal ear to the center and the left.  An interesting but forgotten fact is that Newt Gingrich had a Black female chief of staff in his personal office back in the day.  Ms. Tucker should have an intern count the number of Black staffers in White southern congressional offices and the number of White staffers in Black members’ offices.  As they say in sports, we can’t win for losing.

http://www.albanyherald.com/opinion/headlines/Black_house_districts_work_for_GOP_123141908.html?storySection=comments

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Politics: Season to Taste

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on May 24, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Politics and public policy are like Thai food.  For years, I wouldn’t consider eating Thai because spicy food is too much for my system (let’s not go there.)  In Tifton, Georgia, I got brave and decided to try Thai food at Coconuts Asian Bistro.  My neighbor, who is a food and fitness guy, told me that the people at Coconuts can make Thai dishes without the famous “heat.”  He was right and I am developing a tolerance for bolder dishes. 

Officials are elected to serve all of the people in their area; not just those who voted for them.  My conservative friends are as spicy as Thai food with their ideas about governing and the same can be said about the liberals I know.  Of course, moderates can see the wisdom in taking elements and concerns from everyone.

Follow me on this one: GOP congressional candidate Ray McKinney called me minutes after Obama won the presidency and I asked if he wanted me to help him grasp moderation so he could improve his chances of winning in a swing district.  Ray and real conservatives will discuss issues with others but see policy flexibility as weakness.  Anyone who flexes his positions is a professional politician.  Yes, there are professional politicians or public servants who gauge the views of the whole area and serve with secondary regard for their personal views.   

The mentality is “I know what’s best for me and also know what’s best for you.”  What happen to “all men are created equal.”  It’s an insult when some people consider themselves more American than others.  President Obama is in Ireland this week.  We know when  his father came here and his mother was a descendant of an Irishman who arrived in America 160 years ago–which would likely be 160 years after my folks were brought here against their will in the hulls of ships.  But, some people feel for whatever reasons that they have the right to make policy without input from those who pay fewer taxes or create fewer jobs.  At the same time, knuckleheads in my area have little regard for community and have developed an entitlement mentality but that is another subject for another day.

In my personal opinion, Georgia two senators and my congressman try to serve public policy that is mindful of most Georgians.  You would never know that Senator Isakson’s record is so conservative because he plates up his dishes in a cool manner.  We all know that Sanford Bishop ran for congress while his personal views were left of center but SDB has a good comfort level with most people and quickly developed the ability to serve those who voted for him and surprisingly the regional interests of those who didn’t.  A public servant in a swing district must have that ability. 

If conservatives would produce candidates who could dial down the spiciness initially, they could secure more of the center.  If you think about it, many current conservatives made the transition over time by developing a palate for the Right (former Georgia governor Sonny Purdue and current Georgian governor Nathan Deal were both Dems in the 90s.)  That hot, nasty style of politics runs people off.  I would have a better life if I was a vegan or raw foods guy but that is not happening overnight—let’s start with some carrots.  If redistricting changes the composition of a congressional district, the temperament of the congress person from that area should also change.  Some folks don’t get that and they might be the same people who spice all the food while cooking for others.  The recipe says “season to taste.”    

http://www.coconutasianbistro.com/index.htm

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Redistricting: Consider Yourselves Warned

Posted in politics, tagged , , , on May 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I am here to tell you…mark my word: the conservative movement is about to out hustle the left and the middle again.  My friends can’t stop giving me a hard time about being on the local news for attending a meeting on redistricting with three people. 

http://www.walb.com/story/14699961/albany-hosts-redistricting-meeting?redirected=tru

Oh, but the real hard time is coming when they wake up one day to find that a focused, determined percent of the population is running everything.  We can’t find time to get involved with redistricting but we can watch all of the NBA playoffs—you know the Hawks have gone fishing already. 

The next five elections might be decided in the redrawing of the district maps but folks are sleeping. In the future, they might be seeing red…a sea of red with a blue island called Atlanta.  At the official redistricting hearing, the GOP dam near took over Albany State University. Oh, the usual Dem leaders were there but the masses need to get off their (you know.)   It’s time for some good old fashion rallies about these maps (old school D.J.s and hot fish grease) because after all the fancy nerds did their things last November, GOTV buses saved the day.

As Chuck D and Flava said, “Consider Yourselves Warned.”

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President Obama and Fear Factor

Posted in politics, tagged , , on March 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Cokie and Steve Roberts wrote a must-read column recently about President Obama events in Florida with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.  The Roberts pointed out that the president knows that moderates are vital to his success and that he feels that he leads a nation and not just a political party.

The following congressional stats in the article will surprise anyone.     

Thirty years ago, when the National Journal started keeping these records, 58 senators occupied the middle ground between the polar extremes. Last year, there were none. As Trent Lott, the former Republican leader of the Senate, told the Journal: “Over the years, there is no question that the middle in the Senate has shrunk considerably.” 

If anything, the House has seen an even more dramatic shift toward ideological purity. In 1982, 334 House members posted ratings somewhere between the most liberal Republican and most conservative Democrat. By last year, the number had shriveled to seven, and today all but one of them — Republican Walter Jones of North Carolina — has left Congress.

http://www.albanyherald.com/opinioncolumns/headlines/Power_to_the_moderate_people_117841738.html

Certain forces in politics get their bread and butter from promoting division among Americans but we need more bridge builders who seek to acknowledge the real battle of the United States vs. The World.  Haters on both sides push the fear factor but at the end of the day your coworkers or the people on the other side of town are likely decent folks.  I came across a prank video from a Spanish language  T.V. show that humorously use the image of the kid from the horror movie “the Ring” to scare people in a real hotel hallway.  As FDR said, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  The national debt and unemployment numbers are scary but real folks generally aren’t.   This blog is preparing a project that will be all about cultivating the next group of reasonable leaders.    

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President Obama and New GOP Leaders: Nice

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on March 1, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Joe Scarborough’s Politico column “GOP gets dose of ‘Wisconsin nice’” will never be read by the average southern conservatives.  But, the more positive vibe coming from RNC chairman Reince Preibus, Rep. Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker could be the blueprint for making their policies palatable to moderates and centrists.  Yes, Governor Walker is in the middle of a rough budget/union situation but compared to some, these guys are cool people.

President Obama often looks to House Budget Committee chairman Ryan as a conservative with whom the White House can negotiate.  For some strange reason, some conservatives were surprised to learn that President Obama doesn’t hate Republicans.  Hate takes up so much energy and while the good battles those they see as wrong, we should all remember “…for they know not what they do.”

I stay in trouble with other moderates for watching the GOP presidential field out of the corner of my eye.  This mess keeps me up at night because I can’t bring myself to want the GOP nominee to be a candidate who is an easier opponent for the president.  What if said candidate actually wins the White House?  I might be wrong but I say stack the deck with candidates I can see as president from both parties.  That would be nice but nice is a four letter words to those on both political extremes.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50350.html      Good Article

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Columnist Cynthia Tucker on Possible Presidential candidate Mitch Daniels

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I want a second Obama term and a recovered economy is a must for that to happen.  But, I am smart enough to know that other possibilities might occur.  The president could reform what he wants and walk away from the game like running back Jim Brown (President Hillary?).  There is a growing chorus in my community that want him to skip a second term if the “state of the union” hasn’t improved—it hurts to see a good guy get blamed for everything.

Applying to only one college is not wise for high school seniors and only thinking about another Obama term is equally unwise. If someone other than Obama or Hillary is to be the next American president, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is one of the most leveled-headed Republicans in the nation and therefore unlikely to emerge from a GOP primary.  AJC Columnist Cynthia Tucker wrote this week:

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels- the dream presidential candidate of many centrist Republicans – has urged the GOP to “call a truce on the so-called social issues” and concentrate on righting the economy.

Daniels impressed me with reasonable T.V. news interviews that showed he was more interested in improving the country than slamming the other sides.  A century from now political historians will likely think that the GOP blew a golden opportunity to obliterate the far Left because they let the far Right’s hostile nature run the show rather than using Daniels and cooler heads to secure the moderates/centrists who are troubled by far Left spending.

Tucker’s column was primarily about abortion legislation and as a liberal she takes issue with conservatives who are strongly anti-choice yet opposed government programs design to help children living in poor conditions.  Tucker missed one clear point regarding the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program.  The program is helpful for our farmers also because it gives them the opportunity to grow more food and make more money.  What happen to the “soft power” concept from the Obama campaign?  By this point, our agriculture industry should be exporting more farming equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and insecticides to developing nations—sowing the seeds of love while growing Georgia’s largest industry.  Give a man a fish he eats for a day…

I hate to be pessimistic but the future will have more people than available jobs.  Will those unemployed folks turn to illegal activities and cost the government billions in prison expense.  We must seriously look into population control and at the same time, abortion rates would be lower if people didn’t get pregnant in the first place.  Ms. Tucker wrote:

It’s no mystery why abortions rates are much lower in Western Europe.  Those countries have adopted public policies that make birth control pills and other contraceptives cheap and widely available.  If we did the same, abortion rates would drop sharply here, as well.  That’s one of those common-sense solutions that social conservatives should embrace.  So far, though, they’d rather keep fighting the same old battles.       

http://blogs.ajc.com/cynthia-tucker/2011/02/11/do-pro-lifers-really-care-about-babies/

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/02/12/mitch-daniels-rephrases-his-truce/

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Party Politics: The Enemy of Good

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on December 10, 2010 | 2 Comments »

In December of last year, President Obama quoted a variation of Voltaire’s “Don’t let prefect be the enemy of good” to Democratic Senators.   The late Senator Ted Kennedy was famous for saying it is better to get half a loaf than no loaf at all.  We need compromise, understanding and dialog in a large diverse nation but the political extremists on both ends seem to be more interesting in constantly fighting in a toxic manner.

Hell, I think I am correct but acknowledge that others feel differently on public policy. Is Voltaire’s “perfect” a drive to completely destroy or eliminate those who feel differently?  I personally avoid any members of a political party who thinks the other major party is 100% wrong.  Rural Georgia members of congress worked together on Farm Bills that aren’t prefect but are good for most involved interests. 

We have recently seen several Georgia Democrats switch the GOP.  Is the GOP more appealing or is the Democrat Party in the South no longer a place where they could be.  And what will become of those in the state of flux between the two major parties.  I agree with the new group Nolabels.org that these people (many still belonging to the D and R parties) are actually a quiet majority of Americans.  We have moderate Democrats who appall the far left and centrists Republicans who are being purged from the South GOP…take your hat and your coat and leave..as we say at southern high school sports events.

Governor Palin and Todd were on the Barbara Walters Special last night and the Governor is getting smoother.  But know this: the Tea Party Movement was fun and therapeutic but a more measure approach could have achieved better results in a healthier matter.  If Michael Steele executed his original plans, more members of the center could comfortably move into a moderate wing of the southern GOP.  Oh, my bad…there isn’t a moderate wing of the GOP.

The next step for the southern GOP shouldn’t be converting moderate Democrats into GOPers but teaching their current members that unlikely alliances with moderate Democrats are needed in some situations and on vital regional interests.  Democrats shouldn’t lump Senator Isakson in with all national Republicans nor should Republicans do the same to Representatives Barrow and Bishop.

I have all kinds of friends and associates and the ones deep into the southern GOP like their party just the way it is….thank you very much.  They want perfect or 100% of their agenda…no compromise, no 80% and no half loaves. If the Democrat Party in the south is to survive, it must get the center back while battling urban liberals who mean well but fail to grasp budgetary limitations.  

The American people must asked themselves who the political leaders are supporting—the people or interests that keep them in power. One good thing about the economic crisis is that average people are following legislative actions weekly and daily.  It’s not rocket science for Democrat members of congress to start speaking frankly about the mounting national debt and the need for every American to do their part to reduce the need for spending for public services that could have been avoided with better personal decision-making.

Voltaire had another quote that stated “It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.” In this last election season “established men” on both sides spent a lot of time, energy and money (money they raised from who knows where) putting each other down.  Otherwise good dudes slamming each other because someone told them that was the thing to do.  Come on now.  In the South, we came out of the womb fighting during our troubled past and some folks like fighting and fussing.  For me, I am siding from now on with the cooler cats who seek to debate and create policy in a civic manner.

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Centrists: A Rejection of Labels

Posted in politics, tagged , on November 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Just when I was wisely ready to stop fooling with politics, Kathleen Parker shot a ray of sunshine into a dreary Monday evening.  Her column on centrists could be “what’s next” for those of us who still feel dirty from this nasty election season.  While I still need to get smart and start coaching tennis at a charter school (can I get 19K), I refuse to believe that moderates and centrists should be politically homeless because the two major parties seem to enjoy battling more than finding reasonable solutions in a positive way.  And in other breaking news, North Korea is tripping again. 

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/11/29/v-print/1672366/kathleen-parker-a-rejection-of.html

Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

Kathleen Parker: A rejection of labels

NEW YORK — In a political culture where moderation is the new heresy, centrism is fast becoming the new black.

Political outliers — not quite Republican, not quite Democrat — are forming new alliances in a communal search for “Home.” Exhausted by extremism and aching for real change, more and more Americans are moving away from demagoguery and toward pragmatism.

Soon they may have options. Next month, a new political group, No Labels (www.nolabels.org), will launch in New York City. Led by Republican strategist Mark McKinnon and Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson, the organization has raised more than $1 million. Backers include Andrew Tisch, co-chair of Loews Corp.; Ron Shaich, founder of Panera Bread; and Dave Morin, ex-Facebook executive.

The group hopes to attract both politicians who feel they’ve lost elections for being too moderate, and voters who feel homeless. There are plenty of each.

Congress’ historically low approval ratings, the anti-incumbency spirit of the midterm elections, and now the influx of tea-party-backed candidates — not to mention Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart’s well-attended rally for sanity — are all testament to dissatisfaction with Washington’s systemic failings.

Alas, there is little reason to hope that things will change or improve when the new Congress convenes in January. Republicans seem determined to continue their “hell no” strategy. New tea party legislators seem determined to fight establishment Republicans, thus diluting Republican power. Democrats aim to dig in their heels.

Gridlock.

As further evidence, witness recent reaction to the bipartisan fiscal reforms recommended by Erskine Bowles (Democrat) and Alan Simpson (Republican), both respected for their nonpartisan approach to problem-solving. Neither party was enthusiastic, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objecting most strenuously. “Hell no” isn’t just for Republicans anymore.

When the porridge is either too hot or too cold, the moment for something in between is ripe. More Americans now self-identify as independent rather than Republican or Democrat, even though they may be forced by a lack of alternatives to vote in traditional ways.

But what if there were an alternative? There’s little appealing about either party dominated by a base that bears little resemblance to who we are as a nation or the way most of us live our lives.

Yet, moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans alike have been banished. Purged by any other name. Some of them have landed in the No Labels camp.

Jun Choi, a Democratic former mayor of Edison, N.J., told The Wall Street Journal he lost because he wasn’t extreme enough. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire state senator, thinks she lost for being too moderate.

In South Carolina, Republican Rep. Bob Inglis lost because he wouldn’t demonize Barack Obama. In a recent interview, he told me that he refused to say that Obama is a Muslim, or that he wasn’t born in the U.S., or that the president is a socialist. Inglis was warned by a Republican operative that conceding Obama’s legitimacy would cause him problems. Indeed, Inglis lost to a tea party candidate.

Inglis is otherwise one of the rational conservatives who dare to suggest that, yes, we have to make painful cuts in entitlements. And, heresy of all, he acknowledges that climate change is real and that a carbon tax, offset by tax cuts elsewhere, is a plausible approach to regulation.

Inglis’ measured, thoughtful tone corresponds to a different school of political thought than what has dominated this past political season. Rational and calm, he resisted the finger-pointing and hyperbole that tend to capture attention and votes.

Can an Inglis ever survive in such a culture? If not, what are we left with? The answer may be partially evident in the write-in election of Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The first successful write-in candidate in a U.S. Senate race since Strom Thurmond was elected in 1954, Murkowski won the third way. Defeated in the Republican primary by Sarah Palin’s pick, Joe Miller, Murkowski refused to fade into history’s index of has-beens.

She kept her seat by promoting ideas and solutions and by rebuking partisanship.

Alaskans are by nature independent and reliably rogue, as a nation has witnessed. Thus, it may be too convenient to draw conclusions about a broader movement, but centrism has a place at the table by virtue of the sheer numbers of middle Americans, the depth of their disgust, and the magnitude of our problems.

All that’s missing from a centrist movement that could be formidable is a leader.

Anyone?

Kathleen Parker’s e-mail address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.

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