Berlon in Hot Water, Push for Him to Resign Immediately!

Over at the Liberal Blog, Blog for Democracy Democratic Activist Catherine Smith laid out what appears to be a letter asking for Mike Berlon to resign as chair of the Georgia Democratic Party.

Read Below:

TO: DPG State Committee Members

Since his election 14 months ago, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Mike Berlon has violated multiple sections of the DPG Charter and By-Laws, circumvented the the authority of the State and Executive Committees, and put our Party in serious financial peril.

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

The State Chair has failed to provide a budget to the State or Executive Committees during his 14 months as Chair.

The State Chair has failed to take the necessary steps to raise sufficient funds for ongoing activities (call time, one on one donor contact, etc) despite the strong recommendations of the Executive Director and Party employees.

The State Chair made hiring and compensation decisions, a responsibility granted only to the Executive Director, without the authorization or approval of the State or Executive Committees (BL1.6.4 , BL1.6.5).

On Monday, February 27, the State Chair fired two Party employees, a responsibility granted only to the Executive Director, without the authorization or approval of the State and Executive Committees. These employees were fundraising staff (BL1.6.4 , BL1.6.5).

The State Chair denied, from the outset of her employment, the Executive Director’s enumerated responsibility of “hiring of qualified staff members for all budgeted and other approved or temporary positions and institute dismissal or other disciplinary actions as necessary against such employees”, severely restricting her ability to successfully perform her role as Executive Director. (BL1.6.2 ).

The State Chair brought disgrace upon the party by discussing internal Party matters with the media and jeopardizing the fundraising apparatus of the Party (BL2.8.2 ).

The State Chair has threatened (with lawsuits, and other repercussions) multiple members of the State and Executive Committees merely for speaking out against him in legitimately called meetings and in email exchanges, bringing disrepute upon the Party (BL2.8.2 ).

Mike Berlon has forgotten that the ultimate authority in our Party belongs to the State Committee, not the Chair.

Well it appears that the honeymoon is over at the Georgia Democratic Party.

Berlon became chairman after besting Darryl Hicks, (who I supported) for the position. Think Hicks would want the job now? H.E.L.L. NO!

State Senator Greg Goggins (R-Douglas) to retire, not run for re-election

The Blackshear Times:

State Senator Dr. Greg Goggans today announced he will not seek re-election for the Seventh Senatorial District seat. Senator Goggans is presently serving his fourth term.

"It was a difficult decision to make," said Goggans, who has served South Georgia causes in the state legislature for the past eight years.

Goggans said in his statement he "believes it is time to return my attention to my expanding orthodontic practice I share with business partner," Dr. Dana Fender.

After his current term is completed, he plans to return to join Dr. Fender full time in their orthodontics practices.

“My business partner, Dr. Dana Fender and I, have been extremely blessed in our orthodontic practice. Dr. Fender has always been very supportive of me serving in the Georgia State Senate. Every year he graciously allows me to be away from the practice for three to four months while the Georgia Legislature is in session.

“We opened our fourth orthodontic office in September of last year. The growing demands of our practice convinced me I need to devote more time to the business and patient care.

“It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to serve the people of the Seventh Senatorial District. This has given me the opportunity to meet, to serve and to work with so many wonderful people. I would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone for their friendship and support. It has been a very rewarding and humbling experience.”

Goggans says he decided to announce his decision now so potential candidates will have time to prepare for the election.

“Others have begun to announce their decisions not to seek re-election and more will follow as the session comes to a close within the next six weeks.

“For me it is about the people of my district. Qualifying takes place in about 90 days. I could wait until the last minute and announce my decision not to seek re-election, but that would leave the people of my district scrambling to find candidates to run. By giving three months’ notice it will give people time to really think about what it takes to serve your district as a state senator before qualifying.

“This is a very important decision for someone running in the Seventh Senatorial District. It is the largest district in the state covering 4,500 square miles. To serve this district requires a tremendous amount of time away from family and from business. It requires a lot of travel. The expenses are beyond what the $17,000 a year salary covers.

“By announcing my decision now, it will give potential candidates the time to discuss this important decision with their families and to examine their abilities to make it work.

**Kudos to Senator Goggins for making this decision right now instead of doing like Richard Royal (R-Camilla) did in 2006 when he waited until the last day to announce he was retiring & basically had former Camilla Mayor Jay Powell win that seat unopposed.

Rural America's Fiscal Challenge

Daily Yonder has this Great Pice on the Fiscal Challenges of Rural America: Rural America's Fiscal Challenge

Former POW Jessica Lynch To Keynote at Americus/Sumter Co Bous & Girls Club

The Americus Times Recorder reports that POW Jessica Lynch will kenote the The Boys and Girls Club of Americus/Sumter County Inc upcoming 14th Annual Steak & Stake Charity Fundraiser. Jessica Lynch, former private first class (PFC) in the U.S. Army and a former prisoner of war. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and was the first successful rescue of a prisoner of war since World War II. She was also the first ever female POW to be rescued.

This year’s event will be held June 19 at Georgia Southwestern State University Success Center Storm Dome. The event starts at 5 p.m. with a silent auction followed by dinner and the program at 6 p.m. A short performance by Club youth will also be featured.

Tickets are on sale for $75 for individuals

Bible Verses of the Day

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. (Psalm 27: 1, 3)

Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3-5, 7a)

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

Walking Faith & Religion

It's easy to talk a good talk about faith. "Faith is belief in that which is unseen but still known," we might say, or "faith gives my life meaning." There's nothing wrong with these statements, but they can direct us toward a pietistic, quietist approach to the world if we are not careful, distracting us from the need to build the Kingdom of God (or, perhaps better, God's House) through our work for justice and peace. Talking faith is easy. What can each of us do to make sure we have a "walking faith?"

If I have a walking faith, it must be that describing my faith is not just describing what I "believe," but rather, describing how my faith impacts me, and what I do in the world as a response to that faith. The thoughts below represent a kind of exercise in which I explore my faith as a "walking faith." This exercise consists of four parts: saying something about the content of my faith, explaining what my faith offers me, considering what my faith demands of me (how I am called to respond to it), and attending to the question of how I keep my faith strong in difficult times. I encourage all justice-focused people of faith to examine our faith lives, and hope that this four-part exercise is helpful in freeing us, strengthening us, and in evoking delight, compassion and love more fully within us.

Most simply, I have faith in God, particularly in the God described by Jesus: gracious, compassionate, welcoming, incredibly inclusive, freely loving, delighted by all that is Her creation. I have faith that this God is at work in us when we make decisions and take actions that are about loving ourselves, our neighbors and the Holy.

I have faith that God is bigger than human doubt, hate and fear. I have faith that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God's love unless we ourselves turn our backs on it, and that even then, God is at work in a hundred ways to turn us back around. I have faith that "repentance" is available to anyone who needs it, not because we are terrible people, but because there is always "more light," more love and acceptance to be received. I have faith that God has the capacity to free us from our (self-) hatred and (self-) destructive tendencies, so that we may live in gratitude and build God's House on earth.

I have faith that "all is well" in some ultimate sense, though......

Bible Verses of the Day

Psalms 91:1,2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Conservative Values Are Apart of the Lives of Black Americans

The truth is that conservative values and goals have been deeply embedded in African-American life for generations. The problem that most white Americans never recognized this. Instead they created a myth of black liberalism. That myth largely grew out of the New Deal years when blacks abandoned their traditional Republican loyalties and became a key cog in the liberal-labor-ethnic coalition built by FDR and the Democrats.


For the next century blacks were staunch Democratic devotees. Soon the public became accustomed to regarding blacks as the biggest advocates of federal spending on welfare, education, jobs and social programs. During the late 1960s, mass civil-rights demonstrations, protests, black-power takeovers and the urban uprisings turned the myth of black liberalism into the myth of black radicalism. Many Americans now firmly believe that blacks were permanent rebels out to subvert the nation's values.

But these myths do not square with the fact that African-Americans are among America's oldest native sons and daughters. They have been totally shaped by American ideals. Going back to the 19th century, black leaders like Booker T. Washington talked as much about self-help, family values, crime and patriotism as they did about segregation and poverty.

In this century, black churches, social organizations, political and economic associations have generally advocated conservative programs of self-help and legal protest. If not for the great stumbling blocks of racism and economic exclusion, blacks would have gladly trodden the same path to assimilation as non-black groups.

Critics miss the mark when they assume that the likes of Judge Clarence Thomas and other latter-day black conservatives owe their political existence to Republican Party patronage.

While the Republicans certainly are happy to cultivate and promote them, they did not create them. More accurately, they reflect the prospering of the black middle class during the past three decades

Organizations like the Urban League understand this and have shifted with the changing economic and political winds. They have hit hard on the themes of self-help, economic independence and family values. Look the bottom line is that black America must do much of the work itself, for it is our future we must save.''


Here are The 10 basic Conservative Principles:

-Government money' does not belong to government. It belongs to the taxpayers who worked hard for it, and who had funds deleted from their paychecks even before they got to see them.

-The government that governs best governs LEAST.

-Government normally does not solve problems. People do. Big government usually IS the problem.

-Oppressive large governments are responsible for more murders of citizens than all of the wars in history.

-The private sector is where the juice of society lies. There you will find ingenuity, creativity, and the creation of wealth--provided government gets out of the way.

-Government social programs reward pathological dependency. True adults, unless hindered by debilitating physical impairment, seek independent living as free persons who are not stuck in an infantile dependency on the government nanny.

-The one role of government mandated by the U.S. Constitution is to provide for the national defense.

-Human rights are not granted by government. They are inherent and automatic. We are 'endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.' Government can only choose to recognize and protect those inherent rights.

-The right to self-defense, as encapsulated in the 2nd Amendment, is the key to all of the other rights described in the Bill of Rights. Free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and a free press are secured and kept secure by an armed citizenry.

-Our form of government is NOT a 'pure democracy' or 'majority rule.' In a Constitutional Republic such as ours, the will of the majority is tempered and limited by the rights of the minority, which are always intact and unalienable regardless of the 'will of the majority.'

Peanut Politics Bible Verses for the Weekend: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 & 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble,
by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown"
1 Corinthians 9:24-25

For Over 45 Years, The Plague of Liberalism has been Destructive To The Black Community

As a Result, the Black Community Needs to Kick it to the Curb......The sooner, the better!

By embracing liberalism, Black America became a broken shell of its former greatness. Miseducation, black-on-black crime, economic injustice, abortion, and the curse of corrupt and self-serving community leaders, the unhealthy relationship between blacks and liberalism has caused these problems to fester and remain largely unaddressed.



Founders of racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan would surely marvel at how many in the black community now welcome inequity and virtual segregation, perhaps realizing that their violent intimidation tactics weren't necessary after all. Appalled would be those who worked hard, risked, and sometimes lost their lives to ensure that legal discrimination, also known as "Jim Crow," was forever abolished.



Back then, the fight was for individual equality and bringing America together as a whole. Today, pursuing advancement and assimilation earns one the derogatory accusation of..... "acting white."

Too many of us are now content to park our children in failing government (Public) schools, and we seem too self-absorbed chasing the high-life..the " bling-bling," overpriced and outlandishly stocked cribs and Lexus's and other expensive cars and SUVs purchased to worry about them. All this time, the blood, sweat, and tears of our angry children flow in the streets.



How can Blacks claim to believe, as the long-used slogan of the United Negro College Fund goes, that "a mind is a terrible thing to waste," when our children are shackled to schools that are often little more than a government-run babysitting service? While our kids fall further behind, we eagerly support the politicians and policies that only promise to throw money at the problem and demand no accountability.

Along the same lines, how have law enforcement policies helped defeat the scourge of black-on-black crime? Our neighborhoods are becoming war zones, yet police are seen more as objects of scorn and ridicule than respect and order. African-Americans also seem largely unable and sometimes even unwilling to put their financial affairs in order and do what it takes to start businesses and improve our economic health. As a result, we end up working for and resenting people of other races with ambition who come to our neighborhoods and set up shop.



While my father used to say that the "most dangerous place for a black man is on the street," I now contend it is in the womb. Since 1973, an estimated 13-14 million black children have been aborted. Considering this butchery, how can we, in this enlightened era, support the willing destruction of innocent children? We allow liberal special interests such as the NAACP to claim the mantel of civil rights, even as they ignore the most basic freedom passed down from God.... the right to life.

All this time, we never seem to hold liberal black leaders to any level of accountability. We go along with their antics and make excuses for their failures and immoral behavior. They often retain power through threats and smear those who disagree with their politics. They keep the majority of us in line by claiming to fight for social and economic justice but use their race as a tool to garner personal wealth through shakedowns, while leaving our community to wallow in the self-pity and anger they helped foster.


Liberalism is not just a problem for black America. Its failure can be seen by visiting any Martin Luther King Street, Avenue, or Boulevard. White America has the financial wherewithal and ambition to choose to escape it. Black Americans, due to long-term abuse by liberal policies, don't always have that option. That's why black America as a whole needs to wake up and shake off the liberal chains that bind them & begin to embrace principles of conservative minded individuals that will lead to more success & away from the cess pool of poverty, dispair & hopelessness

Peanut Politics Bible Verse of the Day: 1 Peter 1:5-9

This is a new feature that will be featured on Peanut Politics & the Peanut Politics Facebook Page. Bible Verse of the day comes from 1 Peter 1:5-9

(5). who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (6) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (7) These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (8) Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, (9) for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Have a blessed Day!

Republican Ken DeLoach announces Bid for GA-2nd Congressional District

In a press Release sent out yesterday, Ken Deloach will seek the 2nd CD seat where he will face off against Rick Allen (R-Columbus) in the primary.

Here's the Presser:

Ken DeLoach Announces Bid for Georgia's Second Congressional District Seat

February 21, 2012 -“ Educator and minister Ken DeLoach has announced his candidacy for Georgia's second congressional district. Eager to begin the process, DeLoach has already met with Republican groups in Peach, Lee, Bibb and Muscogee counties. He will also participate in the Republican debate being held the night of February 28th in Lee County.

DeLoach is currently the Dean of Students and a teacher at Central Fellowship Christian Academy in Bibb County as well as Associate Pastor at River of Light Church in Warner Robins. He is also the current 1st Vice-Chairman of the Houston County Republican Party.

DeLoach, a native Georgian, made the decision to run after being approached by several people within that district.

DeLoach stated, "We're receiving very positive feedback on our messages of jobs, jobs, jobs. The people of Georgia's second congressional district want more jobs, not more government. A government check can neither buy a man's dignity nor his dreams."

"We've put together a team, not just to see us through the Republican Primary on July 31st, but to see us to victory on November 6th . We will return this district to those who have the real answers to our problems: We the People," DeLoach added.

DeLoach married his wife, Lynn, in 1987. She is a registered nurse working as a travel nurse for a Bibb County company. Ken and Lynn have two sons; Caleb, 16; and, Andrew, 14.

DeLoach sees individual Constitutional rights, energy, national defense and an aggressive reduction in the size and spending of our federal government as additional issues that must be faced and dealt with as soon as possible, "It's time for Congress to be responsible adults and choose American workers over beltway lobbyists and career politicians."

Rural Georgia 2012 Legislative Races to Watch

HD 151:
Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert)
Bob Hanner (R-Parrott)

The two longtime rural Democrats switched parties after the 2010 election & their districts was paired together, forcing both men to run against each other. One may possibly retire, but that remains to be seen. The district is a lean democratic district

HD 138

Mike Cheokas (R-Americus)

Cheokas, former chair of the Sumter County Democratic Party also switched after the 2010 elections. The district now includes democratic leaning Chattahoochee County & it loses the more conservative southern portion of Sumter County. The district is a tossup/tilt democratic district




HD 144

James "Bubber" Epps (R-Dry Branch)

Epps was bombarded with questions during his last re-election about the possibility of switching parties but he vigorously denied he was planning to switch parties. After getting re-elected he immediately switched parties, angering local democrats. The district now includes Bleckley County & Northwest Laurens County. The district is a tossup




HD 150

Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin)

Hatchett took over as Rep of Laurens County after DuBose Porter left to run for governor in 2010. Hatchett defeated Physician Pablo Santamaria in the genera,l who I thought was the weaker candidate in the democratic primary which he defeated Mitch Warnock in the runoff. The district is tilt republican district, but depending on the democratic candidate can be won again by dems



HD 145

E. Culver "Rusty" Kidd (I-Baldwin County)

Rusty Kidd faces re-election to a district that includes more of southern Putnam County. Questions arose about his residency last year in which he lived outside of his district, but that has been fixed as the new district now includes more of Putnam County. Baldwin Co has suffered mass job loss over the past decade & this year maybe the year that this seat flips to the democratic column. The district is a tossup




HD 177

Open Seat (Democratic Leaning)

This seat was drawn as a majority-minority district. It includes the city of Valdosta. Expect many candidates to jump at the chance of representing this open house seat




HD 175

Amy Carter (R-Valdosta)

Carter, a moderate also switched parties & now serves as Nathan Deal's Floor Leader. She now has new territory that now includes democratic Brooks County, Republican Thomas County & a sliver of Lowndes County. Her position maybe help her in her bid to win re-election in this new district, but expect a democratic challenge to her in november. The district is a tossup




HD 149

Jimmy Pruett (R-Eastman)

Pruett loses Wilcox, Pulaski & Bleckley Counties & Pickup Telfair & Wheeler Counties, as well as Southern Laurens County. Pruett who was Sonny Perdue's floor leader is basically running in a new district. The district is lean republican. I'd be surprised if he doesn't receive a challenge to the newly redrawn district




HD 171

Jay Powell (R-Camilla)

Powell came to the legislature in 2006 after the retirement of longtime Democrat Richard Royal. Powell was personally escorted by then speaker Glen Richardson to qualify as a republican on the last day of qualifying. 171 now takes in North/North Central Decatur County. Mitchell County sizable AA population makes this a race that democrats win definitely target in november.




HD 180

Mark Hatfield (R-Waycross)
Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine)

This race will be one of the most interesting to watch. Hatfield who has been at the center of controversy sponsored a bill that would have required President Obama to provide certified proof of his birth to the Georgia secretary of state in order to appear on this year’s presidential primary and general election ballots. Spencer is the newly elected Rep out of Camden County who has been paired against Hatfield in the GOP primary this summer. Its possibly that Hatfield just may hold on to his seat against freshman Jason Spencer. I can't call this race, but its a safe republican seat.




HD 133

Kip Smith (R-Pine Mountain)

Smith was pulled over for DUI back in January which has lead to a primary challenge from John Pezold. Smith took over the seat from his father Vance Smith who was appointed as the GDOT Commissioner (he is no longer the commissioner) Smith, 30 hails from a safe republican district & I believe that like Ben Harbin, he will weather the storm & win re-election.




HD 158

Butch Parrish (R-Swainsboro)

Former Democrat Butch Parrish has been in that seat since the mid 1980s & show no signs of slowing down. He hasn't had a real challenge to that seat in years, if not decades. Its highly....highly unlikely that he will ever lose his seat, but you never know. These are turbulent times in politics folks, so..............




HD 169

Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose)
Tommy Smith (R-Nicholls)

The two former democrats will battle it out in the GOP Primary for the right to represent this seat. Both men are very likable & well respected. No liberal/progressive democrat will win this seat....Oh, No! There are plenty of good solid BlueDogs down in that area & if the "RIGHT" Democrat comes forward, I can see this seat being high competitive.




HD 139

Lynmore James (D-Montezuma)

This seat now includes all of Dooly County, along with Macon, Taylor & southern Peach County

Incumbent Lynmore James (D-Montezuma) who is a friend of mine will step down after 20 years due to health issues. This seat is a solid democratic district. You have Businessman & Conservative Democrat Thomas Coogle, Jr, Peach Co Commissioner Michael Dinkins & Taylor Co Commissioner Patty Bentley. This will be a highly competitive race with a runoff likely between two of the three candidates. The district includes Macon County, which is the 3rd poorest county in the state.

Former State Rep. Jimmy Skipper (D-Americus) Accused of "Bamboozling" in Sumter Co School Board Redistricting Battle

Because of mistrust among the Black School Board Members, Former State Rep Jimmy Skipper (D-Americus) (Left) thrown under the Bus...resigned as attorney for the County School Board...I don't blame him

Down in Americus, Sumter County NAACP President Mathis Wright Jr is accusing attorneys Jimmy Skipper & William NeSmith or misleading the Black School Board members of the Sumter County Board of Education when it came to redistricting.

Wright, according to the Americus-Sumter Observer reiterated that the "bamboozling" came when Attorney Jimmy Skipper, democrat who served from 1990 to 2004 as State Representative, concealed much of what he was doing with the U.S. Justice Department and the GA State Legislature. The Sumter County school board chairperson went to Skipper's office and got the information he was sending to the Justice Department. She brought the information back to the Black school board members but Skipper gave the same information to Dr. Michael Busman and the White board members. This created mistrust among the Black board members. What the Black school board members realized was that they would have allowed Skipper to change a 6-3 Black majority to a 5-2 White majority.

On or about January 03, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice requested additional information to proposed changes from the school board attorney. However, at one school board meeting; the board asked Attorney Skipper to allow them an opportunity to review his response that he was submitting to the Justice Department. Skipper became very defensive and later resigned after the board asked him to withdraw the initial 2010 redistricting proposal.

Jimmy Skipper is a highly respected man in the state of Georgia & to see him get accused of trying to "Weakened' the majority Black School Board by the Sumter Co NAACP President & others by misleading black school board members is a Shame. Just to note, Sumter County Superintendent Roy Brooks (Left), seemed to have no problems with the new school board districts.

Hicks & Slicks: Principles Drive Us Rural Voters or "Hicks" as some "Slicks" Like to Say

If you look at the results of last year's congressional elections you can't help but notice that the rural areas or the "STICKS" across the country heavily favored the GOP.

I suspect that for farmers and ranchers it turns less on partisan politics, and more on practical considerations and values that guide their lives and their businesses.

These voters did not cast their ballots in fear or ignorance. No they didn't! You know, as I was thinking, part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we're hardwired not to always think clearly when we're scared.

People such as farmers who wager their livelihood on the weather and the markets each growing season don't run scared every time the economy tanks. They deal with the issues up close and personal every day, and they have a clear understanding of the facts.

They are not against government. Even the most conservative farmer or rancher understands that there are a few big things government does well -- defense, air traffic control and law enforcement, for instance. They are against a big, intrusive government that reaches into the smallest aspects of their lives.

They resist unreasonable rules and regulations formulated by unelected and unseen functionaries or "SLICKS". They resent the patronizing paternalism of the nanny state. Look what happened to Rep Sanford Bishop in 2010. After voting for Cap and Trade, the Healthcare Legislation, he almost had his goose cooked by the HICKS who live in the rural areas of the district, had not been for the SLICKS in the cities of Columbus & Albany who bailed him out by a hair.....Farmers abandoned him in droves despite being the go-to guy when it comes to Agriculture in this district & probably the entire state

The "HICKS" are unwilling to surrender their independence. They don't want a government that dictates what they should eat, what they should think, what they should do with their own property. They are tired of the arrogance of the SLICKS, that assumes bureaucrats know better than the rest of us how we should live.

The SLICKS might say it's simplistic, but farmers and ranchers really do expect a legislator to read and understand those 2,000-page pieces of legislation before voting "yes." It's just common sense.

When times are hard, farmers and ranchers cut back. They do without. They have a hard time understanding why government doesn't do the same. They can't accept that government employees are an elite class whose pay and benefits are protected from the harsh economic realities that impact their neighbors.

Many farmers and ranchers still unapologetically believe in America's exceptionalism. To them this is still a special place, where great things happen. It's a country where people of the most humble origins can make something of themselves if they are willing to work hard. They believe in providing a helping hand to those in need, but balk at creating ever larger groups dependent on entitlements.

Farmers and ranchers are the epitome of individual responsibility and self-reliance. Faith in themselves, and in the grace of God, drive them to plant the next crop, raise their families and provide stewardship for the resources in their care. And rather than bitterly clinging to these values, they happily embrace them as the guiding force of their lives.

Candidates, especially democratic who hold similar values earn their support.

For Some Republicans, Distortions & Lies are the Only Way to Win an Election

Once considered liberal and progressive Pre-1964, the Republican Party has been taken over by right-wing conservative con artists who lie, cheat and steal to gain and maintain power. From voter fraud and suppression to smear campaigns, personal attacks and media manipulation, they have been using the same strategies for more than a hundred years.

While Democratic Dirty Tricks showed up around FDR's first election in '32, Kennedy/Nixon (Chicago) in '60 and Lyndon Johnson in '64, these lead to The New Deal, Social Security and Civil Rights while Republican Party Dirty Tricks gave us depressions, poverty and massive national debt.

Some Republicans know if most people vote, they would never win so they try to demoralize the Democratic base and suppress the vote as much as possible, they buy some people off with tax cuts and scare the rest into voting against their own interests and that's how they win. It's a divide and conquer strategy that has worked well and they refine and expand it every election year. Hey if ain't broke, don't fix it! Its been a success for them, so I wouldn't blame them for re-creating the same strategy

• Demoralize the Democratic base with phony press releases and whisper campaigns.
• Attack opponents strength with character assassination.
• Suppress the vote in every possible way.
• Buy some people off with tax cuts.
• Scare the hell out of the rest of the voters into voting against their own interests.

Republicans today have two major factors on their side; a fanatical base willing to carry out the dirty tricks and the greediest billionaires to finance them. They deceive good people by raising the red flag of abortion and gay marriage to divert attention away from their arrogant and greedy policies which cause the poverty, war and destroying our Natural Resources we are facing today.

Now look, Democrats stretch the truth and even lie outright as well, especially when an embarrassing personal fact comes to light (Case in point, John Edwards, Anthony Weiner).

But lord knows some republicans lie alot and unashamedly, both on the campaign trail and when they're in office, and they slander their opponents whenever they get the chance. If political lying were a criminal offense, Democrats would be guilty of misdemeanors and parking violations, while Republicans would be guilty of the worst kind of felonies, aggravated assaults, Kidnapping, or worse.

Is Democratic policy is beneficial to more people than Republican policy??? Democrats have a distinct advantage in an election on the bread & butter issues. The majority of people in this country want good wages, employee and consumer protection, affordable health care, a well maintained infrastructure, and so on. They only want us to put our soldiers in harm's way when it's absolutely necessary.

Those are the kinds of things Democratic policy is all about, so Democrats believe if they more-or-less tell the truth, throwing in some exaggeration along the way and hiding their personal faults, they should win elections -- that is, if the elections are won on the issues.

The Republican philosophy is entirely different. It believes that what's good for the ruling class (The Upper Bracket) is good for the country. That's what keeps America strong. Low wages help businesses prosper, which makes the country richer, so low wages are a good thing...let's see an unemployment level of 6% or higher helps keep workers afraid of losing their jobs, so they work harder for less pay......or worker illness doesn't hurt the bottom line since there are always plenty of others to take their place, so affordable health care is an unneeded expense. Social welfare programs make people lazy and less willing to take bad jobs for low wages, so they're counterproductive. Now Social Welfare does make "SOME" people lazy, but not everyone who's on it....

How many people would vote for the Republican Party if it admitted to its core philosophy? 35%? 45%? Truly doctrinaire Republicans believe they must be in power, not just for their own personal gain, but for the good of the country. If the bleeding heart Democrats took over, they honestly believe, we would lose our wealth and our ascendancy in the world. So it's their patriotic duty to win by any means necessary. Since they can't win elections by running on their real agenda, they win by lying about their agenda and smearing their opponents with as much mud as they can. (They also do everything they can to divert people's attention, of course, by claiming to stand for morality, motherhood and apple pie and making people believe they're in danger and only the Republicans can keep the country safe)

When they want to pass tax cuts for the rich, they say the cuts are for the middle class. When they want to bankrupt Social Security, they say they want people to have more money for their retirement, and on and on.

A republican friend of mine who I've known for over 6 years said this..."We're (Republicans) the Daddy Party that knows what's best for the country, even if the people are too childish to understand. We may....stretch it a lil' bit, but they're doing it for all of us. Father Knows Best". I was taken aback by that statement, but he's still my boy & we don't let our politics get in the way of friendship, (he's a unabashed Tea Partier...me, a rural conservative democrat). That statement makes me think how many actually think like that? Who knows!

Anyway, I know I can be sarcastic sometimes when I write blog posts on this blog, but this is not one of those times. I'm being deadly earnest. This is the way things are. And it's why Democrats are always so frustrated and befuddled when the Republicans come after them with jaw-dropping lies and the nastiest of smears. Democrats can't believe anyone would stoop so low, because the Democrats' desire to tell the truth makes it difficult for them to understand how anyone can lie with such abandon. Hardcore Republicans, on the other hand, probably know deep down in their DNA that lying is the only way for them to stay in power.

A Politically Segregated Georgia is Not in the Best Interest of the People

These days, with blacks comprising a majority of Democratic state lawmakers in the Democratic Caucuses of the House & Senate black now equals Democrat. And the white Southern Democrat is becoming an endangered species. For blacks here in Georgia, that in itself is not a problem. Many enjoyed being in the Democratic majority through the 1990s and up until the early 2000s. But Republicans, for now, are the only game in town. And in the former Confederacy, legislative black caucuses find themselves in the same kind of wilderness that led to their formation in the first place.

Meanwhile, Blacks vote their interests, which do not lie within the ultra-conservative, Tea Party-infused, Republican Party. Although some Republicans would claim to vote in their interests, they would have to ask themselves why their Republican-controlled states suffer from some of the highest levels of poverty, and the lowest educational and health standards in the nation?

The story of the GOP in the South is one of white Democrats or "Dixiecrats" some like to call them, trading donkeys for elephants. After Lyndon Johnson passed the historic civil right legislation of the mid-1960s, disaffected conservative Southerners commenced the process of white flight from the Democratic Party. Voting rights and redistricting led to black power in the form of majority black districts. However, the unintended consequences were whiter, more conservative districts where Democrats -- particularly moderate and liberal white Democrats -- are unable to compete, where only moderate and conservative have the best shot at winning those type of districts.

Meanwhile, Republican majorities put themselves in charge of a process of racial gerrymandering, such as the case in the 2nd Congressional District,& a slew of legislative districts, allowing them to stoke the fires of racial polarization, and further segregate the state of Georgia for political gain. They say they are only following the guidelines of the Voting Rights Act & maybe so, but let's be real here, the more blacks you can put into a particular district, the more it increases the GOP stronghold on Georgia.

Plus, the Obama era has created a far more conservative Republican Party than the one that came to power during the Bush presidency.

Such an environment makes it increasingly difficult for a black candidate for statewide office in the future like former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond who could be a candidate for statewide office in 2014. The old democratic party for the longest time remained democratic despite voting republican on the federal level for president & that was due to the crafty late House Speaker Tom Murphy who held together a fragile coalition of rural white & urban black democrats until his defeat in 2002. Georgia under democratic rule was the leading state in the south as far as progress. A business-friendly environment, lead by the quality of life led many citizens from across the nation to relocate to Georgia.

But the Party failed to educate these new voters the role the democratic party played in making Georgia the one, if not, the place to live, raise a family, open a business, etc, etc. That, in my opinion is one of the reasons the party fell like a house of cards in a matter of a few years. As the State Party drifted more & more to the left, mimicking the National Party, it became less whiter, oh wait, less diverse & more blacker & browner by the defections of rural moderate/ conservative democrats.......NOT A GOOD SIGN!

Let me end this by saying that the state HAS re-segregated politically due to racial gerrymandering. Black=Democrat, White =Republican & that my friends is not healthy for our great state.