Posted in Georgia, politics, tagged agriculture, Obama, sanford bishop on December 5, 2008| 7 Comments »
Secretary of Agriculture Sanford Bishop?
Word is that Georgia Congressman Sanford Bishop is being vetted for Agriculture Secretary. That move would be great because agriculture is Georgia’s leading industry and Bishop would do a fine job.
I was concerned that the Obama’s cabinet did not included people from the South. Would Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue appoint a replacement or would a special election be held.
Let’s make this happen.
Posted in Georgia, politics, tagged African Americans, agriculture, Chambliss, Georgia, Herman Cain, Obama, sanford bishop, saxby, sonny perdue on November 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »
This transition period is better than Fantasy Football because President-Elect Obama is sincerely committed to bridging the partisan divide. What happens with Senator Clinton or Governor Richardson as Secretary of State makes me wonder if there will a position available in the cabinet for Richardson above his previous status?
Hopefully, a Georgian will be the Agriculture Secretary and the natural selection would be Congressman Sanford Bishop but what about Senator Chambliss if he comes up short in his senate runoff. We must remember that ag policy is more regional than partisan and does Saxby want to be in the minority in the Senate. The farmers, ranchers, producers and ag community respects him so Ag Sec might be a good fit.
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue would appoint a Republican to replace Bishop in the House if he was the pick and I can’t think of a viable African American GOPer here in southwest Georgia who could hold that seat in two years…Dylan Glenn, Deborah Honeycutt or Herman Cain moves to Columbus? One thing is certain: the GOP needs to get some moderate congressional candidates in districts that are over 20% African American or stop wasting time, resources and energy.
Posted in Georgia, politics, tagged Georgia, politics, sanford bishop, saxby on October 24, 2008| 2 Comments »
We hear the term strategic voting these days. As it relates to south Georgia, the possible closing of the Copper Tire Plant in Albany compels the African American community to consider keeping Saxby Chambliss for this important fight. Yes, I live in Sylvester, Georgia, and I have many family and friends working at the plant—little league coaches and good church members. Every plant or military job means two or three other jobs in the area.
Senator Sam Nunn focused Georgia to protect our military bases from closure in the past and that senior congressional leadership for this coordinated Copper plant effort falls to Saxby Chambliss and Rep. Sanford Bishop. I declare the contest between Bishop and his opponent over so he can use the campaign energy to protecting my neighbors’ jobs.
Copper officials expect a decision by mid-January and getting a newly elected Senator “up to speed” is out of the question.
Officials fight for plant
http://www.albanyherald.com/stories/20081024n1.htm
ALBANY — Officals with the Georgia Department of Economic Development flew into Albany Thursday to explore ways to help Cooper Tire in Albany remain open.
Citing excess U.S. production capacity, the Findlay, Ohio, company announced Tuesday that at the end of a 90-day capacity study, one of Cooper’s four U.S. tire manufacturing plants would likely be closed.
Cooper expects to make a decision within 90 days — by Jan. 19, 2009 — or less, spokesperson Curtis Schneekloth said.
While Cooper has invested “millions every year” in the Albany plant, “a likely outcome of the study is a plant closure, unfortunately,” Schneekloth said.
With the replacement tire market expected to decline 1-2 percent annually over the next three years, Cooper will examine many factors, including total cost savings, plant performance and quality, community impact and customer service, a statement from the comapny said.
Approximately 1,300 Cooper employees and some 800 temps are employed in Albany when the tire plant is at full production.
The other plants being considered for closure are in Findlay and Texarkana, Ark., where workers are represented by United Steelworkers, and a plant in Tupelo, Miss., which, like Albany, is not unionized.
Cooper will examine labor relations in the capacity study, Schneekloth said.
“It’s not a negative or a positive; we’re just going to consider labor relations overall,” he said.
United Steelworkers is now in contract talks with Cooper on behalf of workers in Findlay and Texarkana, spokesman Wayne Ranick said.
“I’m sure maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship is a top priority for both sides,” Ranick said.
In Albany, local, area and state officials returned to the plant Thursday to “further explore the scenario, the things that Cooper is looking at and looking for,” Dougherty Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard said.
“We were trying to get a better feel for putting together a package of things they may or may not be utilizing in Georgia,” he said.
“We do see this as an opportunity for Albany, and we’re trying to progress this thing forward.”
Sinyard said the “tremendous,” highly diverse work force at Cooper in Albany was a strategic asset, and calls from neighboring communities — like Sylvester, Moultrie — with “skin in the game” were rolling in.
“Cooper competes in a global economy, and there are two American tire companies left, Cooper and Goodyear,” he said. “They have forward-thinking leadership that’s making sure that they can compete.”
Heidi Green, deputy commissioner of global commerce for GDEcD, Sinyard and officials with the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission were among those who met at Cooper Thursday.
GDEcD spokesperson Alison Tyrer said the mission was an exploratory one.
“We offer a lot of assets to make them globally competitive and successful. We will do our utmost to help them understand that we’re here to help,” Tyrer said.
In recent months, GDEcD has heralded Pirelli Tire’s Oct. 2 expansion announcement in Rome, Toyo Tire’s Aug. 26 announcement of a third expansion in Bartow County and a May 12 groundbreaking for Kumho Tire in Macon
Posted in Georgia, politics, tagged Georgia, Jim Marshall, Macon, mccain, Obama, politics, sanford bishop on October 13, 2008| 1 Comment »
The African American community has a long history of putting all of our eggs in one basket and waking up the day after the election to broken eggs. This blog is the net extension of our desire to provide sage political strategies at pivotal times to maximize our clout and capital. Senator Obama keeps saying that things need to be address with a scalpel not a hatchet; Senator McCain says that we should put “country first.” Down there in Georgia, we should put “kountry first” by making a surgical analysis of our region’s best interest. The following points need discussion and consideration.
Let’s diversify our political portfolios to cultivate opportunities in both major parties. Like Wall Street, we must invest in a range of enterprises so a political downturn in one sector does not leave us powerless and seeking a bailout. Also like Wall Street, buying political stock during low periods could prove beneficial in the long run—I will take a few shares of General Motors at $4 and a few political investments in better Republican candidates with the knowledge that their national woes have not reduced their Georgia power (pun intended). Good Cross-party Buys: Saxby Chambliss, Sanford Bishop, Paul Broun, Jack Kingston, David Scott, Rick Goddard.
Tip: Take a loss on Jim Marshall stock. The Macon Democrat had every opportunity to boldly endorse Obama or McCain. For some inexplicable reason, he thought he could sit out this historic presidential election. Open message to Rep. Marshall: your job as congressman is to study the policy proposals of both parties and report to the people what will and won’t work in your opinion; you should be commenting constantly. This weekend was the last straw. The incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail reached a level that might have provoked the sickest minds to contemplating something tragic. Senator McCain dialed the rhetoric down and Congressman Lewis attempted to do the same but conservative Jim Marshall said or did nothing. His rural and urban status could have been used for the better good but no.
McCain Democrats, Obama Republicans, interesting times. Why are we saying vote vote vote like there is only one contest on the ballot? I have an idea: If you are an Obama supporter in a Republican congressional district, consider the GOP candidate if he is a decent guy just to mess with the “assumptions” about our voting patterns. If Obama wins, your area has influence with the GOP congressman because you helped him during the rough election of 2008; ask him to be fair with the new administration. If McCain wins, you have a rare GOP congressman swayed into office by a surprising percentage of the African American vote.
Let’s not find ourselves saying “shoulda, coulda, woulda” in December. I personally think we could look for African American opportunities to support less offensive congressmen and congresswomen in both parties. And GOP voters in districts like Sanford Bishop’s should acknowledge his efforts to seek bipartisan cooperation. Who would Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue select to replace Bishop if Obama picks him for his cabinet? Imagine the “Georgia power” of Agriculture Secretary Bishop, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee Saxby Chambliss and Secretary of State Sam Nunn. The renewable energy provisions in the Farm Bill were design to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Come to think about it, McCain or Obama could make Rep. Jim Marshall Ag Secretary to show no hard feelings—what a year.
Project Logic Ga 