Georgia’s 2nd, 8th and 12th congressional districts are swing districts that can go either way. From Augusta to Bainbridge, six candidates ran as themselves and three candidates won. While some would have recommended twisting and contorting positions on issues, all six candidates put it out there and the electorate spoke.
To my knowledge, I was one of the few people at the Sanford Bishop and Austin Scott victory events—what an interesting night. We should hope that the current political leadership would move America forward and remember Senator Edward Kennedy relationship with the other side; they would debate strongly then have dinner together. When Kennedy beat Mitt Romney in the early 90s, this election night campaign song was the song played during the campaign when people asked him to move away from his principles, Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Candidates stand by what they believe and carry themselves accordingly and let the chips fall where they may. Pollsters and bloggers can do what they do but at the end of the day the regular people decide what they want.
I think they want Washington to work together now to address serious concerns with the economy, spending, jobs and national security; it can’t wait for 2012 and functioning in a matter that optimizes presidential possibilities would be reckless. Yet, blogging is fun but it is to politics and policy what Guitar Hero is to music.
As a person who considers myself an Independent who leans conservative, I had to share this entire column with you. It was written by Jackie Salit, President of Independent Voting.org. She and I met in 2006 when I ran as an independent for a House Seat here in Georgia. Oh, and by the way, I was the only candidate in the state to get my name on the ballot by obtaining the required signatures on the petition. I’ve grown to respect Jackie a great deal. Enjoy this column.
The Parties are Over by Jacqueline Salit
NEW YORK NEWSDAY
Goodbye two-Party system? Discontent is building to open up the political process
THE SUNDAY SPECIAL
October 31, 2010
Name a problem — poverty, war, out-of-control spending. The political parties offer themselves as the solution to all of the above, and more. We respond by voting for first one party, then the other, then back again. We want to let the world know we are unhappy, but we haven’t yet developed the creative capacity to rearrange the world around us.
This seemingly eternal passivity is the mother’s milk of political partyism. No wonder the Republicans and Democrats and their auxiliaries — the tea parties, the unions, the media — must whip us into a frenzy. Whether we are Foxites, MSNBCists, bloggers or bored stiff, we’re now implored daily to get out to vote. Why? Not because voting develops our capacity to move the country forward. But because we must put one, or the other, or both, political parties in power — even though separately and together, they brought us to this anxious and crummy place.
This is American politics 101. The cure for whatever ails us is . . . more of the same. Public health advocates tell cautionary tales about diabetics who drink soda, people with high cholesterol who eat burgers and fries, and daughters of breast cancer victims who take hormones. But somehow, no one ever informs us that political parties — and the partisanship they spawn — have clogged our national arteries, fried our national brains and compromised the entire body politic.
But Americans are starting to move beyond the parties, even beyond partyism. That’s the dynamic story unfolding on the edges of the midterm battleground. And if that motion is cultivated by truly nonpartisan innovators, the political parties will have a comeuppance sooner than you might think. Contrary to what some analysts argue — that America is ripe for a third party — the direction Americans are really heading is away from parties altogether.
In June, a little-discussed proposition was passed by California voters with a winning margin of 8 percentage points. Proposition 14 abolished party primaries and unleashed an unpredictable group of voters onto the political playing field: 3.4 million independent voters who’ve declined to state a party allegiance. The result? Political parties will no longer control the first round of voting in that state.
Instead, the voters — all voters — will determine which two contenders, out of an unlimited field of variously aligned (and nonaligned) candidates, proceed to a final round. Denounced as a virtual sin against nature (echoes of the divine right of kings?), Prop 14 was excoriatedby all of California’s political parties, major and minor. But the voters, in their post-partisan wisdom, ignored the warnings. They’d simply had enough of party control.
California isn’t alone. In mid-October a federal court judge in Boise, Idaho, heard testimony in the case Republican Party of Idaho vs. Ysursa, a crucial test of the parties vs. the people. Idaho has an open primary system, where any voter can cast a ballot in all primary and general elections — voters simply register in Idaho, they do not affiliate with a political party.
The Republican Party sued Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa to compel the state to close the primaries and institute partisan registration. There has been a great deal of litigation across the country on open primaries, but in Idaho, for the first time, the judge allowed independent voters (represented by my organization, IndependentVoting.org) to intervene in the litigation, bring their own counsel to the table, and argue that closing primaries grants the parties a political supremacy that gravely curtails the participation of nonpartisan voters, now 40 percent of the country.
The decision is expected in January, and the case is being watched by prominent constitutional law and party-rights experts. The implications of the case are potentially historic. It will delineate — even curtail — the power of political parties to exert their will over what should be a fundamentally public, not partisan, process.
On Tuesday, voters in Florida and California will get another bite at the nonpartisan apple. Redistricting-reform ballot initiatives are offering voters the opportunity to rein in the power of the parties when it comes to the all-important task of drawing district lines.
Earlier this year, here in New York — where we have closed primaries and a legislature legendary for its partisanship — there was an effort by the Independence Party of New York City, the government reform group Citizens Union and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to end party primaries in the Big Apple and shift to a nonpartisan election system. But the effort stalled.
Still, the party system in the Empire State is vulnerable. And the underlying trend away from partyism reasonably includes new parties popping up along the way. The Independence Party of New York City, which styles itself as an “anti-party” party, delivered three successive wins to Bloomberg, including a massive exodus of 47 percent of black voters from the Democratic ticket in 2005. On Tuesday, if a sufficient number of voters back the radical African-American City Councilman Charles Barron, his independent bid for governor could result in the creation of the Freedom Party, since 50,000 votes for governor on a party line establishes ballot status. While to date, white voters have shown more party mobility than black voters, we’re now seeing an increase in black voters drawn to ticket-splitting and other forms of defection from the Democratic Party.
These are strange political times. The pundits say this election is a referendum on President Barack Obama, but that doesn’t truly capture the dynamic. More precisely, Tuesday will be a referendum on Obama’s ability to navigate partisan waters. He was elected to change the political game, and he’s found that impossible to do: The parties won’t allow it. Still, the American people, courted, ignored and manipulated by the political parties, are beginning to identify them as the problem.
The parties are so deeply embedded in government and in the structure and design of America’s electoral process that they never have to justify their existence to voters. But at a moment when there is across-the-board dissatisfaction with partisanship, shouldn’t they have to? Shouldn’t we have the opportunity to create alternatives — nonpartisan (rather than bipartisan) governance, campaigns based on healthy debates about new ideas, unorthodox coalitions and an environment that fosters innovation?
Right now the parties stand in the way of all that. That’s why we’re seeing signs that the people want them to stand down. Look for those signs when the returns are in on Tuesday night. They’ll tell you more about where the country is headed than who controls Congress.
Jacqueline Salit is president of IndependentVoting.org,
a national association of independent voters.
The Albany Herald endorsed Mike Keown for congress in Georgia’s second district over Sanford Bishop. I think that newspaper is wrong because Bishop is uniquely qualified and appropriate to represent the urban/rural; liberal/conservative and yes Black/White hodgepodge that is the 2nd District.
Keown is a conservative pastor from a very rural area and speaks with a command similar to a stern father chastising a wayward child. That type sternness has been at the center of the far Right’s reaction to the election of President Barrack Obama. In our system of government, most American adults have the right to elect officials and the actions of those public servants should reflect the will of the people.
That concept sounds clear in theory but we know that a more detailed explanation is that elected officials do the work of those Americans that vote, vote, vote. President Obama and the Democrats did well in southwest Georgia in 2008 and those election results gave direction to Rep. Sanford Bishop. For some reason, the Tea Party division of the conservative movement feels their votes count heavier that other Americans’ vote. It must because they are smarter or something.
If Rep. Sanford Bishop did everything the Tea Party Movement wanted during the last two years, he would have been functioning in an unconstitutional manner because he would have ignored the desires of the majority that put him in office. As a moderate, I could accept a Republican taking this swing seat if the guy was a policy wonk like Austin Scott or a conservative with a personal history of talking with various communities like Rep. Jack Kingston, Senator Johnny Iasakson or former Senator Sam Nunn.
Bishop came to congress 18 years ago after serving in a majority White state legislature seat; he prides himself on relating to and having a comfort level with everyone. As a blogger, I watched the Keown campaign from day one and rarely saw them working to build relationships with my community. The tone in Tea Partiers’ voice when then say “Barrack Obama,” “Sanford Bishop” and “Nancy Pelosi” is something different from regular Republicans. You know the tone and if you have forgotten it shame on you. Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it.
Keown ran a strong race but some other congressional district or statewide position would be better for him and better for us. Bishop won’t win this election if the people who gave him a mandate in 2008 don’t vote on November 2.
An Albany city commissioner, who is also a Darton College professor, told the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that Rep. Sanford Bishop was a $100 million dollar industry in south Georgia based on this position on the House Appropriations Committee. In one of the poorest areas of the nation, the voters shouldn’t drop a congressman who secures funding for economic development, training and job creation.
This hard campaign has served the purpose of making Rep. Bishop aware that he must be in the middle of helping President Obama shape more-moderate policy if he wants a second term. And that’s it; the reason far right conservatives want Bishop gone from the Democrat Caucus is so the remaining Dems are so liberal that the presidency will go their way in 2012. The Tea Party candidate for president will be Sarah Palin and keeping Palin out of the White House starts with voting for Bishop on Tuesday.
Did the Albany Herald ever ask Mike Keown about his opinion of a possible Palin presidency? Keown keeps bring up my old boss Rep. Charles Hatcher, who Bishop defeated in 1992. As one of the last loyal Hatcherheads, I can say Hatcher always said you don’t get rid of committee chairs and appropriators because they deliver for home. Hatcher knew the Farm Bill like the back of his hand and wouldn’t jeopardize the provisions of interest to south Georgia by bouncing Bishop during tough times.
When Senators Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton had that private meeting at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s house in 2008, everyone wondered about the details. My gut told me that Obama said he would be a reformer for his first term and if the country wasn’t feeling his leadership, Hillary could have it 2012.
My gut always said that Michelle Obama got the same promise from the now-president shortly before that meeting. Like Alma Powell, she has obvious concerns about crazy people’s actions. If not for Mrs. Powell’s concerns, Gen. Powell would have been president rather than Bush 43 and the nation would have avoid much drama. And what would be the barometer of public opinion for the Obamas and the Clintons? The 2010 mid-term elections would be the indicators.
My gut didn’t see the Tea Party Movement coming nor did I see Sarah Palin’s meteoric rise to the leadership of conservative movement. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels or former Governor Mitt Romney are presidential material but if the mid-terms are successful for the Tea Party Republicans, Palin will get the nod from the GOP Primary. Sarah Palin could be president of the United States of America. I divide the T.P. Republicans from “regular” Republicans while others don’t.
If Palin and the T.P. Movement are positioned to take the White House, the possible Hillary-Obama plan from Feinstein’s house might be employed. He might be ready to go since the “yes we can” has become “yes he can.” Dam, the cheering masses haven’t kept their end of the change movement but he still has me.
Bottomline: If you want Obama to even run in 2012 get those who voted for him in 2008 to support congressional Democrats who are in his corner on Election Day 2010. If not, he could seem like a lame duck as early as Thanksgiving and POTUS doesn’t deserve that. Everyone except Democrat voters know the election next week is really a referendum on Obama. The President had finally started saying that openly.
I was born on June 22, 1964, which was the day after Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were murders in Mississippi for voter registration efforts. As a kid, we would read the Black history books at my friend D.C.’s house and those three guys’ eyes were unforgettable.
Simon and Garfunkel’s song “He Was My Brother” was about Goodman, a college friend. Who in the American South can casually blow off voting? If you see Andrew, James and Michael on the other side after this life is over, hang your head in shame if you don’t vote.
Bono from U2 sang, “Early morning April 4…shot rings out in the Memphis sky…free at last…they took your life…They could not take your pride.” Have some pride about yourself and honor those who fell so all Americans could stand. Vote.
The following, submitted in it’s entirety, is a blog written by Raynard Jackson, President & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC a D.C. public relations/government affairs firm. I received it about 12:30 this morning. A timely piece indeed.
Earlier this week I received a phone call from a good friend and he relayed the following story from a liberal, Democratic friend of his in California.
She is a retired worker with a college degree and worked for many years in the court system. She wanted to get back in the work force on a part-time basis and had several interviews. She had all the necessary skills except one—she didn’t speak Spanish! Therefore, she didn’t get any of the jobs she sought.
According to my friend, this person was livid that the persons she interviewed with didn’t have a degree, but they were fluent in Spanish. This person had become a stranger in their own country.
California prints all of their official documents, including election ballots, in over 200 languages. So, as opposed to making foreigners learn our common language, thus acculturating into our society; California has necessitated American citizens to acculturate to foreigners (even if they have become citizens), thereby creating a vast amount of tension and angst within the state.
This has been done all under the guise of being “sensitive.” The ironic thing about the person who was denied the job she wanted because of the lack of language skills is that she will continue to vote for Democrats who support policies that are not in her best interest!
I am sure her rebuttal would be, well, there are no Republicans that I agree with; so, she will claim to vote for the lesser of the two evils. When will Blacks begin to vote their interests and not the lesser of the two evils?
Most Republicans will agree with her on the need for English to be the language of business (including government). But, because she might disagree with Republicans on a range of other issues, she continues to vote against her own economic interest.
Voters in the Black community need to show a high level of political sophistication. Sometimes you have to lose in order to win. If your economic self interest is important to you, then you might need to vote for a Republican this election that is not going to support amnesty and other programs that impact you negatively. During the next election you might revert back to your Democratic proclivities.
Your self interest should be more important than your party! Can you imagine not being able to get the job you wanted simply because you didn’t speak a second language—in your own country!
In the Black community, this behavior is repeated over and over again. We talk about the high unemployment rate in the Black community, then vote for politicians that want to legalize 30 million illegals, half of who will be competing for low skilled jobs with the underemployed within our community. We talk about the low wages for the low skilled, but then vote for those who want to raise the minimum wage, thereby increasing the unemployment rate among those who are supposed to be the most vulnerable.
When Blacks begin to vote their interests and not their emotions, then and only then, will we see overall improvements in the pathologies negatively impacting our community? We are the only large voting block that consistently votes against our own self interest.
Our community must not expect politicians to pass some sort of purity test. Since jobs are the number 1 issue, why would you continue to vote for those who are anathema to the business community, especially those who are entrepreneurs?
The National Council of La Raza focuses on Hispanic issues, the Human Rights Campaign focuses on gay issues, but what do the groups like the NAACP or the Urban League stand for?
Our groups are too busy trying to save the world, while losing their on community. These other groups only work with our groups when they deem it in the best interest of their group’s membership.
Every successful organization or person clearly defines their goals and uses that as its guiding principle to determine where to invest their time, energy and money. We claim that employment and wages are the most important issue of the day, but yet we put all of our energy into whether someone is the victim of a hate crime, as opposed to a crime.
But, in a democracy, we get what we deserve. If we continue to vote for candidates who pursue agendas that are not in our best interest, then it is our fault. We know the answer to a lot of the questions we constantly ask ourselves. The answer to these issues could not be any clearer, especially when you look at the man in the mirror
I had a brief conversation earlier today with someone here in Augusta. The conversation initially started with the number of people that seemed to be voting early. And that is a good thing. And then it steered to him telling me that the person he works for had attended and participated in a Stop The Violence Prayer March and Rally the night before. He said it seemed to be a good turnout because he saw it on the news. I was aware of this event and told him that two of my panelists who join me weekly on my radio program to discuss that very subject were in attendance.
His next comment was ‘I was surprised that my boss attended that event.’ My response was ‘why were you surprised?’ And then he went on to say that he is (and I knew this) new to the department here in Richmond County, that he is well liked by everyone in the office and he’s a pretty good guy ‘even though he is a Republican.’ My immediate response was that ‘this is part of the problem regarding politics, politicians and voting.’ Why should a person be discussed in a conversation in that way? He is a pretty good guy even though he is a Republican. Obviously he caught what I was saying pretty quickly.
All of these labels is what has gotten us in the mess we are in now. And naturally the conversation gave him something to think about after we went our separate ways. But his sentiment, and he really didn’t mean any harm, is commonplace. My new book, Unlikely Allies: 8 Steps to Bridging Divides that Impact Leadership, is what that scenario is about. The idea that a Republican, who works in a department which clearly had every right and needed to be at this Stop the Violence March, would come to an event that was primarily attended by Blacks, organized by a Black church and addressed the growing problem of gang violence which, unfortunately, involves a disproportionate number of Black youth, attended this event was a surprise to this individual that I spoke too. Now, of course, he didn’t say all of that. But it is what he meant when he said ‘I was surprised that he attended this activity.’
We need more Unlikely Allies. We need more Republican candidates, for example, advertising in the Black media. I think it’s a shame that any political candidate would virtually shield his or her political platform from a segment of the voting population that is nearly 50%. That makes no sense to me. Oh, but one political operative said to me the other day ‘oh, but we are advertising on television.” Excuse me. That is not good enough. How will people of all races know, I mean really get to know, the ideology and platform of ALL the candidates if he/she doesn’t reach out to them and let them know what that is? By the way, you can purchase my book at www.authorhouse.com –
Our shrewd plot has been foiled a week before the elections. The moderators of Project Logic Ga have always supported candidates from our parties (Democrat for me and who knows for Helen) but we also prepped for the worst case scenario by sending best wishes to the best candidates from the other side. The residual benefit of this idea centers on saying “if you had more candidates like this one, you could get a wider range of support.”
Senator Johnny Isakson has been in the game since 1974 and has a comfort level with every segment of the Georgia electorate; who ever met Isakson and didn’t personally like him. The GOP botched opportunities with Dr. Deborah Honeycutt, a conservative with a comfort level in our community.
In South Georgia, wise people have noticed conservative Austin Scott’s career for years because he seems comfortable in many circles, knows the issues and votes his mind. Scott was recently talking with T.J. Holmes of CNN like they were college chums at homecoming. T.J. didn’t likely hear about a rough patch Austin had when he voted to change the Georgia flag a few years ago.
I don’t want to see real Democrats lose to GOP candidates but if and when it happens, I hope the GOP candidate would be reasonable and comfortable in every community. The shrewd plot was voting for the occasional conservative who supports our regional interests while thinking that fair-minded conservatives would do the same when the shoe was on the other foot…no, not shoe…boot. That situation is not the case (I was wrong) because I can’t understand why regional interests would not compell south Georgia to continue supporting Rep. Bishop.
The Boot Sanford Bishop idea must be rooted in the old Boot Roy Barnes and Boot Austin Scott efforts after the flag vote—for the record, I wouldn’t have change the flag nor would I tear down a concentration camp—lest we forget. While some might seem naïve, the thought of politically “booting” someone in the South comes from a fantasy of actually doing it and the concept has ugly connotations. I mentioned this to Bishop’s opponent at the Grits Festival this year and he sincerely had no idea about someone gleaming a corporal aspect. I can’t say the same about some of those guys supporting him.
I could trade a Blue Dog Democrat for Isakson or Scott but I don’t see Bishop’s opponent being comfortable in every community. GOP Congressional candidate Ray McKinney from Savannah is a regular guy who can talk with anyone but I have rarely seen Bishop’s opponent in different circles.
I have never seen so many whining southerners in my life. From think-they-are-victimized Tea Partiers to lethargic Obama supporters, a relatively small percent of the population could change the game as others sleep. While driving an old pickup truck in middle Georgia this weekend, I came across a country song on the radio called “Lucky Man” by Montgomery Gentry. The guy in the song basically stated he couldn’t complain when you break it all down.
The luckiest man in Georgia politics is GOP governor candidate Nathan Deal. He might win the election on November 2, or take the contest into overtime with a runoff. Libertarian John Monds is benefiting on some level from voters disenchanted with the negative campaign ads from the two major parties’s candidates. Former governor Roy Barnes must be getting the message because in his new ad he sits behind a desk and ask the voters to make him governor again.
If or since Democrat voters are slow to come out for the general election, the Democrat ticket must “go hard” now. The traditional GOP establishment must be watching the clock and eager to get this thing over before the political center notices that the Tea Party has commandeered their party and those cats are out there…really out there.
There is an old joke about a football game between the insects and the bugs. The insects came from behind in the second half once the centipede came in as running back. The surprised coach asked the centipede “Man, where were you in the first half” and the centipede said, “In the locker room lacing up all these shoes.” It’s the second half and fourth quarter, the Democrat team needs to lace ‘em up and get in the game or the next two years will be rough Coach Obama. I don’t want to hear a word of whining from Democrats who didn’t push, pull or drag their friends and family to the polls.
The Georgia 2nd congressional district race comes down to one simple point for me: Rep. Sanford Bishop is the goose that laid the golden egg. We, the 2nd district voters, have positioned him to serve our state and that posturing took time and effort. Tossing our employee now wouldn’t be smart.
An Albany, Georgia, city councilman who is also a college professor recently called Bishop, a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, a $100 million per year industry for South Georgia. I can get concerned about staff miscues and oversights but protecting a 100M per year is a bigger concern.
Where were these budget-minded people when we were spending billions “nation building” in Iraq. No one supports our troops more than me but I wish we would have allowed the military the leeway to take down Saddam and his sons with a Navy Seal Team quickly rather than a prolonged situation that had us building schools, hospitals and roads there while our infrastructure crumbles.
The conservative movement seems hypocritical because Bishop is one of the few Congressional Black Caucus members willing to work with conservatives on issues. To me, the massive effort to remove Bishop is centered on 2012. With moderate Democrats gone, the remaining congressional Dems would be more liberal and easier targets for presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
It may sound silly but keeping Bishop and his seniority reminds me of that comedy bit by Sommore. Her man explains that the woman he is with provides the resources he uses to acquire Sommore’s nice things. Sommore tells the man to cover her up so the “blank” doesn’t catch cold.
Bishop’s slight oversights are nothing compare to governor candidate Nathan Deal’s mulitmillion dollar oversights but I don’t care about oversights; cover Bishop up so he doesn’t catch cold. Bill Clinton was “involved” with a chubby intern but his economic policies led to record budget surpluses; we covered Clinton up so he wouldn’t catch cold. Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss protects our regional farm and military interests with Bishop; cover Saxby up with an appropriate red blanket so he doesn’t catch cold and cover up GOP Rep. Jack Kingston so he doesn’t catch cold while he works (again with Bishop) to securing funding to deepen the Port of Savannah, a leading economic engine for the South.
To confuse the golden goose/poultry parallel, Bishop could be the 100M golden goose or a chicken on the TV show Survivor. While some castaways want to eat the chicken for protein now, wiser team members protect the bird for a constant supply of eggs. Everyone outside the Tea Party Movement know the Obama reelection wave of 2012 will take the 2nd district back for the Democrats. So, bouncing Bishop would hurt south Georgia for no good reason. We shouldn’t rally to help Bishop and Obama; we should rally behind Bishop to help ourselves.
I am ticked off that “rallying” is needed anyway. Let me get this right: Obama comes on the national stage and folks are crying and swooning (he is a great leader.) But, Bishop has been break his neck for Georgia for decades and folks need to be rallied. Excuse me. Sommore needs to be his campaign manager because nobody knows money like Sommore knows money.
Oh, we know Bishop after decades of public service and we know the he wouldn’t jeopardize his status or legacy behind some little part-time jobs or small scholarships. Please. Bishop’s efforts regarding job creation involves billions and college money would be billions in regular scholarships for working people and veterans education benefits for our returning troops and their families.
Democrats and reasonable moderates need to vote in southwest Georgia or our goose is cooked. Tea and golden goose liver pate would be one costly dish.
Could it be true: are some people too dim to vote. I just noticed a comment on a post about John Monds, candidate for governor in Georgia from the Libertarian Party. The comment said “he short as hell” and I did not know if the writer was referring to my picture with Monds or with Rep. Sanford Bishop. Monds, Bishop, and MLK are all Morehouse Men and like Dr. Benjamin Mays of Morehouse they emphasize achievement and intellectual stature over physical stature.
John Monds is taking the high road in a governor race that has seen negative ads after negative ads from candidates who aren’t generally considered negative people. I think a cottage industry has developed in which people are more interested in making money from fundraising and media ads than actually winning the elections.
Monds has represented the LP movement well and introduced a southern style of the LP. Nationally, the LP generally stands for freedom and liberty from government regulations and involvement. Monds has pushed those principles without bringing up the marijuana card that could spicy up his numbers with some voters. I am not for smoking cannabis or for gambling personally (gaming being another hot button issue) but many political observers would play that card with the current changes in California in mind.
Monds is a powerful man in Georgia politics because his governor bid could provide ballot access to the LP for future elections and his run will likely force a runoff. Former congressman Nathan Deal is fighting to hold his base and former governor Roy Barnes is fighting to turnout the Dem base while attracting moderates. Politicos I bumped into during the local HCBU’s homecoming all said the same thing: why are Democrats spending 30 million dollars on media buys and very little on the streets.
“The streets” or Get Out The Vote (GOTV) operations have traditionally been a method of awarding those with great community networking skills and those with well-earned reputations as community problem-solvers. Today, that money goes to run more and more TV ads and the real winners during election season are HBO and Showtime—no commercials.
Mark my word and file this post: the down ballot Democrat candidates are suffering from a lack of GOTV and if the governor race goes into a runoff, Democrats are not coming back out because getting them out now is unbelievable hard. Some Democrats are rumored to be voting for Monds as a protest for Barnes taking them for granted while courting conservative voters.
Again, are some people too dim to vote? You have Dems who cried when Obama was elected but won’t vote in the mid-term elections. We also have conservative voters whose views are shaped by TV and radio talking heads and the Tea Party Movement rather than seasoned public servants or policy wonks. When did experience become a bad thing? Rep. Charles Hatcher told me that lobbyists like dumb candidates and heavy turnover because congress is complex and under those conditions the lobbyists have the knowledge and power.
Recently, former governor Roy Barnes bumped into 8th district GOP congressional candidate Austin Scott and Barnes joked that a picture together would ruin Scott’s reputation. Barnes was so right because the GOP voters want candidates who detest Democrats and Scott must cloak the fact that Democrats and Republicans down here consider him a bright and likeable guy. Of course, there can be zero mention of the fact that Scott voted to change Georgia’s flag when Barnes was govenor. If Scott wins next month, his history of voting his mind will put him at the top of the list of freshmen Republicans that President Obama wants to know.
That last line means that the conservative Austin Scott would be better for this White House than the current Democrat congressman Jim Marshall who is slamming Obama and Pelosi every chance he gets.
Come to think about it, I am taller in pictures than Austin Scott, Sanford Bishop, John Monds, Rep. John Lewis, Senator Johnny Isakson and Rep. Jack Kingston but that doesn’t mean a thing when we remember MLK’s line about contend of character. (The same could be said about U.S. Senate candidate Michael Thurmond, who I never met. He would be a great asset in the U.S. Department of Labor.)
In America, no one is too dim to vote. However, we clearly have those who are too dim to realize the importance of voting but I am not worried because they didn’t read this long blog post. If weed was legal or decriminalized, those dim cats would be even dimmer. Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is off on the marijuana issue.
I watched the movie The Blindside on cable on-demand with my mother yesterday and she enjoyed the first football film of her eighty years on earth. Watching a movie was a welcomed departure from the political campaign ads but that movie still had me thinking about election season 2010 which is more like the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Moms understands football blocking and protecting the quarterback now. Big Mike’s Crusaders football team seems like the Democrats and that would make either President Obama or Rep. Sanford Bishop the quarterback.
The massive, quiet and undeveloped talent of Big Mike brings to mind Obama supporters. While we are in the proverbial fourth quarter and the clock is ticking, the gentle-natured giant that is the Democrat base needs to get aggressive and start blocking. In sports, few things are more gruesome than watching an unsuspecting quarterback get hit on his blindside. Rather than staying in the pocket, his first inclination is to start running up field alone. As the rapper rhymed in “Walk it Out,” even Jesus had twelve disciples and don’t start that Obama Messiah talk again. But, it does seem like that gospel song that say “must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free…there is a cross for everyone…there is a cross for me.” Mr. Luke could raise that hymn at St. Johns in Poulan, Georgia, during my childhood. My point is everyone needs help.
The coach and the quarterback can only do so much; they need blocking and play execution or the game is over. While continuing the football parallel, we must acknowledge the tenacity and determination of the other team. As we say in the South, it isn’t the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of fight in the dog. The GOP and their injection of adrenaline/steroids known as the Tea Party is undersized but hard-working and crafty.
About size, it burns my britches to hear Tea Party folks (some of whom are my friends) say, “All I hear is this,” “everyone I know thinks this” or “Obama and the Democrats never listen to people because I told them what to do and they didn’t do it.” Do you hear yourself? Like Sandra Bullock’s character in that movie ,they seem to be living in a bubble on one side of town with zero knowledge about the existence of other parts of town. But for God’s grace and mercy, Big Mike could have been any of us.
Big Mike’s tutor (Kathy Bates) was the only Democrat the Tuohy family knew. When Michael saw that famous Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving painting, he wanted to have a family holiday dinner for the first time. I couldn’t help but think that some people realize the painting isn’t realistic because an old woman couldn’t hold a turkey that size at that angle without falling over. We should leave a tender moment alone because the same type ugly people who point out that turkey fact are the type people who spent November 2008 saying “it won’t work….America can never come together…I hope the young president fails with this hope and change crap.” Norman Rockwell would have enjoyed the Blindside and likely voted for President Obama because the social progressiveness in his art is legendary. From that old lady to Obama supporters, we should never underestimate our strength.
As President Obama repeatedly says, the Tea Party Movement Republicans have valid concerns about the size and role of government but I share the president’s concern with the TPM’s” my way or the highway” mentality. They seem to ignore the people who voted for the other guys and want officeholders to do the same. Okay, the ugliness of the TPM seems like the loudmouth football player that Big Mike eventually blocked off the field and into the stands.
We have two weeks to start blocking for the Democrat quarterbacks or it’s game over. I have always favored political teams and groups that look like a microcosm of America or my southern state. Ask yourself if the TPM protest looked like Georgia. While they are acting sweet and nice now, they showed they natural -sses during that healthcare debate and it seemed like 1968 all over again. Oh regular Republicans like Senator Isakson and Austin Scott have a variety of supporters across the state but most of these TPM candidates listen and learn from people in their circle of friends and associates only.
In The Blindside, that family and Michael learned about different ways of life and everyone grew. That situation is similar to the positive energy that catapulted President Obama into the White House. We were hopeful after lifetimes of ugliness, division and bitterness. What kinds of people thrive on bitterness and smirk at every little misstep someone makes. Is that really how someone wants to live life? Who wants to carry rage and anger constantly in their hearts? I know the national debt is too large and owing China keeps me up at night but did Democrats go crazy when Bush 43 made costly decisions about Iraq. I, for one, respected the president and I would appreciate the same courtesy from my friends on the Right now. (And people in hell want ice water but they are not going to get it.)
That family in The Blindside must have been thinking about the benefits of developing that gentle giant; we shouldn’t be naïve. President Obama, Roy Barnes, Sanford Bishop and other high-profile Democrats will be okay personally but I am more concerned with regular people like me who want to see our South move forward with positive energy rather than falling back into that classic “us reverse them” mindset. President Obama sought counsel from the conservatives in congress when he took office but few would break ranks and enter a dialogue.
I know for a fact that Rep. Bishop has always cultivated relationships with every type southerner. While some aren’t watching the congressman’s blindside, many still have his back because he has had their backs during decades of public service. You might get knocked down but just don’t stay down.
At this point in the game, we can’t blame the other team or the referees. It’s time to collect ourselves, focus and start blocking for our team—play your position and the rest will take care of itself. In football and in life, size and raw talent can be defeated by a determined and focus smaller opponent. Winning at football and at this political game also requires good coaching, a little cheerleading and some motivational pep rallies. Hell, Obama must quarterback, block, cheer and drive the team bus. If we lose, we deserve it because we didn’t do our parts.
Some old friends recently started the facebook page Georgia TruthSquad and we will be having a few pep rallies—better later than never. Sandra Bullock’s character has nothing on the lady who create GTS because she simply refuses to have her hometown represented by a TPM congressman. I know too well that the coach of the GTS has no problem “motivating” the team.
Sidenote: I wrote the blog post below during the healthcare debate protest in the summer of 2009. I turns out that I was wrong about the GOP creating a moderate section to balance the Blue Dogs. That protest movement know as the Tea Party actually took over the GOP and they might win next month (if unchecked) by using time proven techniques. It’s called winning ugly. My daddy took a train from Macon, Georgia, to study agriculture and play football at North Carolina A&T in the 1930s when one of the best ag schools in the nation was just up the road in Athens. He had to attend grad school years later at Tuskegee when one of the best ag schools was just up the road in Athens. Oh, we have been down this road before and we are heading back to the future. He was proud of Sanford Bishop but he never would have imagine Barrack Obama in 2008 or our complacency in 2010.
I am moderate Democrat and understand that Blue Dogs are moderate to conservative on some level. However, the latest campaign ad from Rep. Jim Marshall might have crossed the line. The ad slams Speaker Pelosi more than she could possible deserve.
The same Mrs. Pelosi who engineer the Democrat takeover of the House and helped the Obama/Biden ticket. She is from San Francisco but her leadership isn’t ultra liberal, as some would have you think. If she is so bad, why did Rep. Marshall vote for her for speaker? Can he ask for Democrat votes while never admitting if he voted for Obama or McCain?
If the ad say Marshall is supported by groups that wouldn’t have anything to do with a Pelosi supporter, what will become of those who wouldn’t have anything to do with a Nancy Pelosi slammer. How does he feel about Rep. Steny Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn of Pelosi’s leadership team.
While we are fighting to support real Democrats, several Dem freshmen members of Congress recently learned that funding support for their reelection might be pulled and redirected. They must be smart with cash for the final push but those brave freshmen that supported President Obama deserve help before a veteran like Marshall who brags about “voting the same as Republican leaders 65% of the time.” Hear that sound, it the erosion of your base.
What in the world could get Obama supporters voting this election season? Watching Fox Cable News for one hour. That’s it; I have done it again and gratis I unfortunately add.
The word unbeknownst comes up in conversational English rarely but many southerners work with people who “unbeknownst” to their neighbors are being brainwashed by the Rightwing media. We aren’t talking about extremists or separatists; I am referring to average hardworking Americans who have been whipped into a frenzy by a constant dosage of well-crafted propaganda designed to pit Americans against Americans and drive T.V. and radio ratings. Dig this: the ultimate goal isn’t necessarily winning elections. The goal is getting gold..staying paid.
The propaganda is rooted in truth but amplified to a dangerous level. For example, we all had radical phases in college but had to back off that “knowledge and wisdom” before we went too far. Too much Public Enemy would make you slap someone and like get shot with a deer rifle. (Flava Fav is dating whom again…and Ice Cube is America’s dad.)
On the morning after the talent rich Atlanta Braves ended another season without a championship, the talent rich Democrats wonder why we can’t win when obviously helping hard-working people weather a rough economic storm. It’s because Fox Cable News has twisted voters’ minds so well. Barrack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton are collectively the anti-Christ or something. Those people at Fox know what they are doing and they are very good at it.
If you voted for Obama/Biden, you should have someone ducttape you to a chair that is out of arms’reach from the remote control and watch the national Fox cable channel for one hour. The methods and ugliness of that channel will close the enthusiasm gap with a quickness and make you vote. If not, you are doing the president wrong by voting for him but being ghost when the heavy lifting starts; he can’t do it alone. The cats on Fox News are smart people and they know deep inside that Obama isn’t the things they are saying. To be fair, MSNBC is fast becoming a Left version of Fox so turn to CNN and toss the remote out of the window.
For the college kids, watching Fox News could be a new drinking game; take a shot every time you say “Say what” “Dam” or “Nasty.” The Tea Party type Republicans aren’t your daddy’s GOP and as freshmen members of congress they would commandeer that party like the inmates running the asylum.
As quiet as it is kept, I have some close friends who are Black conservatives. Those people have had some sleepless nights over the direction of the Republican Party. One would think Black conservatives would be hot commodities with President Obama in the White House but that isn’t necessarily the case.
The Tea Party Movement (TPM) Republicans have pushed pass most Black conservatives and told the GOP moderates to sit in the corner. While most conservatives agree on policy, the techniques and methods of the TPM resembles protested from our troubled past too much for some people. Disagree, yes but don’t do it in a toxic combative manner.
In Georgia, we went from centrist Senator Sam Nunn to regular Republicans as senators without trauma or drama. But, going from moderate Sanford Bishop to a Tea Party-type Republican would be too much. That Tea Party candidate might fit well in a conservative district but Georgia’s 2nd is a mixture of rural and urban and includes two HBCUs. Quick question: who around the TPM knows what a HBCU is and no it’s not an intercontinental ballistic missle..that would be ICBM. I attended events at Albany State University’s homecoming and never saw a thing in support of Bishop’s opponent and would imagine the same was true at Fort Valley State’s homecoming last week. With 20,000 people on “the Yard,” a second district congressional candidate should have been there gladly.
The only time I saw TPM members at ASU was during the healthcare town hall meeting. To be fair, we have two senators who have no problem visiting Black colleges; Isakson has a long relationship with Morehouse College and Chambliss leadership on the Senate Agriculture Committee connects him to FVSU Ag department’s research programs. Rep. Jack Kingston maintains a friendly and functional relationship with Savannah State University. I worked for Bishop predecessor and his post-homecoming game reception was the place to be—a tradition that Bishop continued.
Why in the world would a poor region bounce a member of the House Appropriations Committee for a TPM Republican who would be a one-termer. The TPM wave this year is strong but the reelection Obama wave in southwest Georgia in 2012 will be even stronger.
The GOP candidate in the 2nd District might have a future in a conservative congressional district but this isn’t it—not now and not here. In preparation for 2012, the masterminds of conservative movement really want Blue Dog congressional seats. Let me hip you to the game: if most moderate to conservative Democrats are bounced from office in 2010, the remaining Democrat Caucus would be more liberal and easier to demonize in 2012. Those Blue Dogs are often the voices of budgetary restraint in party meetings and the Democrats who work better with conservatives.
My conservative friends said glowing things about the GOP moderate movement of Christie Todd Whitman and Michael Steele in the past. Oh, they were going to create a less bitter, “stick to the fact” division of the Right that would appeal to moderates, centrists and independents. That (blank) fell apart and most moderates were tossed out of the GOP…don’t let the doorknob hit you….
I went to hear Steele, chairman of RNC, speak recently and couldn’t help but think what could have been if they followed his blueprint for inclusion and diversity. Steele and I talked briefly and I told him that he should have won that U.S. Senate because that was a more natural fit for him than chair of his party. I then told him that I wouldn’t hear him speak in Albany, Georgia, because the Blue Dog Democrat in my district was a better fit. Little did I know but the 2nd District TPM candidate rejected having Steele’s bus tour come to southwest Georgia. They chose to have a prominent RNC member arrive on the bus the following Tuesday. To me, that move was cold. If you running against one of the most conservative Black members of congress, how do you turn down the Black GOP chairman who is in your area. I am not making that racial but it is surely a sign that Steele’s moderate history rubs the TPM the wrong way.
In south Georgia, we have grown accustom to moderate Democrats and even some Republicans but a TPM congressman representing Georgia’s 2nd District will not fly.
Recently, some old friends and I started a facebook page called the Georgia TruthSquad to share information about this election season and to answer one amazing question: what’s happening with low turnout and involvement from the Democrat side.
After the energy of the 2010 election, the coalition that support President Obama didn’t remain engaged as the Right conducts a textbook display of grassroots and Astroturf. There seems to be a disconnect this Fall regarding the importance of a mid-term election.
To me, Obama deserves better than the coming hell of two years of far Right congressional opposition. What we experienced in 1994 with Clinton was nothing when compared with what’s next if folks can’t look up from the football season long enough to notice the coming wave and vote.
The enthusiasm gap is more like the Grand Freaking Canyon and a zillion campaign ads can’t do it alone. It’s time for some old fashion get out the vote rallying featuring those who (like the Tea Party) understand the methods to light fire under some tails. Can you say impeachment?
I feel like Chicken Little but would perfect a little chicken—smoked with some John Boy and Billy barbeque sauce. It’s hard for a brother to publicly admit a love for yardbird but it is time to tell the truth. After watching a zillion campaign ads a month before the election, I wish those fellows would spend 5% of that money on some good old fashion barbeque chicken rallies so real folks can talk about the real mess we are facing. The folks on the Right are out hustling moderates with those events this years.
The Chicken Little thing comes from running around say that we should diversify our political portfolio by understanding moderation and some elements of conservatism. Well, the Blue Dogs became the closest thing to Democrat conservatives and that put big Election Day targets on them. Because political portfolios are like my nonexistent stock portfolios, we thought we should also hedge our bets my investing in some reasonable Republicans, those slightly over the political centerline. That stock would have dropped like BP stock because the GOP got rid most of the few moderates in their ranks as they drove farther Right…scary far Right.
Barrack Obama is Jimmy Carter and Sarah Palin is Ronald Reagan. Like my homie Carter, Obama is the smartest guy on the planet but not smart enough to realize that our party doesn’t deserve him. From Georgia Tech and the Naval Academy, Carter was a brainy president who campaigned telling the truth and wanted to govern the same way. If we listened to Carter and changed our energy consumption in the 70s, our involvement in the wild Middle East could be limited to wanting peace rather than needing their oil.
President Obama, like Carter, is too nice for the rough, sneaky world of politics. Obama planned to help regular people and watch them show their appreciation my supporting Democrats at the polls. Sugar, Honey, Iced Tea. People didn’t appreciate Carter or Clinton and November 2 will be Obama’s unfortunate wake up call.
You can’t help people who won’t help themselves. President Obama and the congressional Democrats have done a good job during a terrible period and history will realize that fact. Jimmy Carter has a vibe about him that seems to say, “If you would have listened to me.”
I can’t understand why the current GOP is loving on Ronald Reagan so much because everyone knows that the conservative movement has moved so far right that Reagan wouldn’t pass their purity test. Reagan would be a Blue Dog. But boy, ole boy, President Reagan had Hollywood style charisma; dude was a natural leader.
Which brings me to natural leader Sarah Palin. The GOP actual has quality presidential material sitting on the bench in Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. But, No…that would be too much like right. They want Palin and she is like butter because you know she is on a roll.
Sarah Palin, who has as much business being president as I have, is using this mid-term election to take control of congress and give President Obama hell. But checking this out: she isn’t creating an army of regular Republicans—regular Republicans wouldn’t be too much different from Blue Dogs. Palin is taking over with the Tea Party Movement and if she were successful next month she would be the GOP candidate for the White House. If moderates don’t vote, we are greenlighting President Palin.
I think Reagan would reject the whole witch hunt technique of the far Right and the birthers. When big money and power are on the table, people will resort to anything. As President Obama often states, the TPM is primarily regular Americans concerned with the size and scope of government. But the brains behind the movement are nasty nerds who didn’t study political science in school; they studied marketing and got really good at it. The same ad men who design marketing plans for soap, burgers and cars also design political plans that whip people into a frenzy of hate and divide this nation.
Before his political career, Ronald Reagan was one of the few Americans who stood up to the witchhunting red scare of Senator Joseph McCartney. As Gil Scott Heron sang, “When other celluloid saviors were cringing in fear from McCartneyism, Ron stood tall.” Reagan went before the congressional committee and said that as a young actor he had various friends and some had usual political affiliations. If Reagan were alive today, what would he think about the attacks Obama took during the 2008 campaign?
Gil Scott Heron broke it down in his classic “B Movie.” The political song was about America’s desire to have a president who rode to the rescue like John Wayne in B Movies. “..but since John Wayne was no longer available, we settled for Ronald Reagan.”
The first line in “B Movie” (just before the righteous bass playing started) was “And the first thing I want to say is mandate my ass.” He went on to say, “we have been convinced that 26% of the registered voters—not 26% of American people- forms a mandate or a landslide.”
Almost thirty years later, Heron’s grasp of political numbers is still important. How big is the Tea Party Movement. What the hell difference does it make because the most salient statistic is this: 100% of them vote. Do we need chicken, fried fish, and one of those kid bouncy room things to entice regular folks to vote? If we do, we deserve the Tea Party as mean-spirited leaders of this nation. How is this for enticement—President Palin. Beck and Limbaugh will tell you in a minute that their jobs aren’t running the nation but generating ratings. If a cultural civic war happens as a result, ratings will be off the chart—more money.
We listened to Gil Scott Heron vinyl and tried to understand trickle-down economics. A rich guy needs to be richer so he can get a bigger pool and I get my money as his pool cleaner. They get the rest of the masses with church stuff; like Democrats are godless heathens.
Democrats help people who don’t vote or follow politics but don’t let a football game come on the box. I came up with a little test this morning:
Ask a southern guy to name as many SEC football head coaches as possible then ask him to name the same number Supreme Court justices. Ask him to name as many NFL starting quarterbacks then name one U.S. Senator from that player’s teams’ state.
My point is football is important but voting and good leadership directly affects your family and your wallet. Conservatives generally aren’t bad people but their plans for leadership center on allowing people to suffer and struggle to encourage them to prove their condition—tough love style. Vote for those you want to govern but by all means vote.
Grown folks knew what is happening was going to happen when we elected President Obama. They said that the same people who cheered and jumped up and down would be the same people who did vote in the midterm elections.
I can see it in the First Lady’s face; a face that looks like mine. She is telling him, “remember when I said you can run only with the understanding that if it doesn’t work, if the nation doesn’t want or appreciate us….we walk away.” She looks like she is thinking, “we don’t need this mess.”
Oh, do we need them. We need her to cut loose and tough talk with regular Americans about what we can do to improve our situation with the moderation, planning, focus and deliberation that made the Robinson family successful.
She could create a new moderation that opens the door for moderates being shown the door by the far right. The emergence of these new moderates gives a voice to those who read Hill Harper, Bill Cosby and Joe Scarborough books. The Blue Dogs were correct all along and that’s why the crafty cats on the far Right want them gone; no moderate Democrats mean the Democrat Party is primary liberal and an easier target in 2012.
But, first things first: vote in the midterm. In Georgia, a 2010 vote is more important than your 2008 vote. A very vocal and energetic segment of population has ginned up voters with a desire to take over the congress from the Democrats and even the Republicans. Yes, the far Right section of conservative side is looking at the regular Republicans as if to say “this is how you do it” and you know what they do if you are over 40 years old.
Grown folks, we need to talk. After we talk, we need to call, email, text, tweet or whatever whose under 30 and tell them (not ask them) to vote. The Republicans have a few quality guys who might be president in the future—Rep. Paul Ryan and Governor Mitch Daniels come to mind. But, this midterm election is the next step in the Palin for president plan and her Tea Party congressional candidates will be spending the next two years graying the rest of Obama’s hair with subpoenas and impeachment efforts.
We shouldn’t hate on those who use “any means necessary” to stop an agenda they dislike because they couldn’t do it if regular folks would take 10 minutes to early vote. By any means necessary (cookout, Sunday dinner, half-time talk at the high school football games), we should remind our community to vote. Early vote or the Obama presidency effectively ends early–not four years but two years when he should have eight.
You might as well dust off your 70s vinyl because we are about to go back to the future next month if you we don’t vote. I am listening to that haunting R&B flute with fond memories of the past but also clear recollections of our community being voiceless and the South being a powder keg. By mid November, reasonable people will be saying “I want my country back” when referring to last month.
Albany, Georgia City Commissioner Jon Howard is my classmate from college and one of the most dedicated public servants you will ever meet. He put together a candidates forum this morning and I found myself talking with Bishop, Everson, Monds and Dukes.
That list of names isn’t a law firm but speakers at the forum who represent the whole political spectrum. Sanford Bishop is a sitting Democrat congressman and my old boss. I had three congressmen bosses on Capitol Hill and they all took pride in listening to and serving everyone in their districts—the people who voted for them as well as the loyal opposition. During this election season, I have heard that the Democrats don’t listen to people. I take that personally because I know for a fact that we had hell to pay if we didn’t give full consideration to every citizen from our area.
(Follow me because this is about to get complex.)
When a candidate says “everyone I talk with wants the D.C. crowd gone,” that candidate is being sincere and isn’t lying. That candidate simply has been receiving a constant diet of information from a select or limited group of voters-come to my side of town. Albany State University is playing a college football classic game against Savannah State in Waycross, Georgia, today. Waycross is represented by GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, who prides himself on going to political forums in every area…alone. Jack knows he isn’t going to get any votes on that side of town but wants to stand like a man by his legislative decisions.
Knowing the political makeup of Kingston’s district, I would not move there and badger him for not being a moderate like me. By my logic, the same mindset applies in Bishop’s district. However, Democrats have a tendency to take some elections off or not fully appreciate the work of elected officials like President Obama. So, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and the other side is very loud.
Democrats are too nice to each others. If you support this president, you should vote now because this election to those of the far Right is a referendum on the White House and the Democrat-controlled congress. The vote this November is actually as important as the vote in November 2008 because Obama wasn’t going to win Georgia but we have a lot to lose this year.
Melvin Everson was a GOP candidate for State Labor Commissioner and also a graduate of Albany State University. I told him earlier this summer that I looked forward to voting for a fellow Golden Ram but his party’s primary voters picked someone else. At the forum this morning, he was surprisingly classy to supported other GOPers because I am still tickled about his defeat and the defeat of GOP congressional candidate Dr. Deborah Honeycutt in the Atlanta area. I better leave that alone but…..you know what’s up.
Winfred Dukes is a local contractor and long-time state representative. I never met him before today but admired his fight during the last legislative session. Some young members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity were sitting in front of me and clearly there to support their brother Dukes.
With Libertarian Party Governor candidate John Monds
Before John Monds spoke as governor candidate from the Libertarian Party, I told the young men that Monds was also a member of their organization. Speaking with Monds today was interesting because he could be the kingmaker in the governor race. Monds, whose wife is a professor at Albany State, could get more support from the ASU family and the Omega family than his political party. The GOP could be cruising to victory in the governor race because a woman, Karen Handel, lost in their party to former Rep. Nathan Deal. What party wouldn’t welcome the chance to pull a sizable amount of the women voters from the other side? Monds could get enough of the vote to force the Democrat and Republican into a runoff. So, Roy Barnes’ campaign better not take my community for granted. Monds and the LP have a message that some people are starting to dig.
In politics and policy, you circle the wagon and this president isn’t the horrible leader some would have you think. However, it’s up to us to have real talk about real issues. I was there in 1994 when Gingrich, Kingston and company took over congress in Bill Clinton’s first mid-term. This year is different because Newt had vision (back then) while the Tea Party Movement, which has taken over the Right, has something else in their eyes.
In addition to Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay, the other bigwig in the 1994 revolution was Dick Armey and Armey is very good at what he does. Where is Armey today? He created Freedomworks—the foundation of the Tea Party Movement.
Back in the day, the Right demonized Bill and Hillary Clinton but quietly many on the Right were surprised when they got a better look at her during her presidential bid. Did she change? No, they just got to see the real her rather than believing the rhetoric from the media.
President Clinton recently said that President Obama should nationalized the mid-term election, admit that the recovery is taking longer than planned and ask for two more years to get things done.
I am for that because I am patience and respect elected leaders. When Vice President Cheney said that the war in Iraq would be funded by money from the Iraqi oil fields if we could get to them before they set them on fire, I trusted him. I never voted for Bush/Cheney but I respected the will of the people. Did President Obama ever get a second of similar trust and respect?
Georgia Democrats shouldn’t be mad at the GOP and/or the Tea Party Movement. We should be mad at each other for not using an equal amount of energy to rally real people we help with policy. (They must dial back that spending because I can’t stand owing China.)
President Obama had an issue discussion in someone’s backyard this week and I love it. We should follow his lead and take to the backyards to fire-up the grills and the voters. If we can argue and fuss about football teams, we can do the same about these important elections. Enough with the zillion T.V. ads for the governor race; that money could fund some serious Obama style backyard talks. So, my fancy friends in D.C. need to stop calling me about the elections in our state and send down some Johnsonville brats and Matchlight coals. We will take care of the rest.
A Pyrrhic Victory is a victory offset by staggering losses. King Pyrrhus’ of Epirus Army suffered tremendous casualties in the defeating the Romans in 280 BC—winning at all cost. As a student, studying the massive loss of human life during the American Civil War was rough.
Some observers have liken the current political battles to Pyrrhus’ situation since there are those who want to win with little regard for functioning after the election. The GOP has been tossing out quality conservative incumbents because the likeable lawmakers have histories of attempting to serve all the people. While it might be selfish, I have supported a Georgia senator from my area because his knowledge and leadership on agriculture and military issues helps key economic engines in rural Georgia.
The Blue Dog Democrat who represents southwest Georgia is in a serious mid-term battle and the far Right is giddy about their chances. They should remember Pyrrhus or better, Pickett and Lee at Gettysburg.
While I am busy be selfish, I can’t understand why more voters in swing congressional districts are standing idly by as a relative small group of very involved activists, Tea Party, shape elections and policy. From President Obama down to my city block, Democrats are too freaking nice…to each other. I have seen the enemy and it’s the complacent face in the mirror. We should find solace in the fact that our lack of voting produced the coming results.
A bust of Pyrrhus in a Copenhagen museum is missing it’s nose. I couldn’t help but think about wild voters in 2010 who seem eager to cut off their noses to spite their faces. That Georgia Senator has a staffer who evidently wrote something ugly on a blog when he or she should have been protecting the farm bill provisions on crops, nutrition programs and renewable energy so our southwest Georgia troops can return home soon rather than being entangled in hostile oil-rich regions of the world. Pyrrhus and I wouldn’t have been cool because I am selfish and hella practical.
I am pleased to see the White House finally pushing their supporters to the polls with references to their legislative record–talk about your Pyrrhic Victories.
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