What A Obama Re-Election Would Mean for Sanford Bishop?

If President Obama is re-elected, what will mean for Congressman Sanford Bishop, who let's not forget was the co-chair for Obama's Campaign here in Georgia back in 2008. In addition Bishop has voted in favor of key domestic policies from President Barack Obama. For example, he voted in favor of the 2009 approximately $800 billion economic stimulus package & the hotly debated Healthcare Legislation, which caused him to sweat it out during his 2010 re-election bid which many, including me thought he had lost, only to wake up the next morning to find he squeaked out a victory.

Bishop is heavily favored to defeat John House, republican out of Muscogee County in the newly redrawn 2nd Congressional district which now includes the majority of Bibb County.

If President Obama wins re-election,  Bishop should be in line to become the next Secretary of Agriculture during a Obama second term..PERIOD! One of the knocks on Bishop back in 2008 when Obama was searching for a Ag Secretary was that he wasn't on record with a agricultural vision that addresses the production, trade and sustainability issues of the 21st century. I don't if that's true or not, but I don't buy it.

Bishop currently sits on the subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, as well as the powerful Appropriations Committee & one of the leading voices on Agriculture in Congress.

If not Secretary of Agriculture, then U.S. Ambassador to Cuba would be another option for President Obama. Why? The loosening of trade sanctions against the communist country will make it easier for America’s farmers and ranchers to sell their high-quality products.The political relationship between the United States and Cuba has been tense over the last 50 years. Yet, expanded efforts by both governments over the last decade suggest that U.S. farm exports could increase to the Caribbean island. The U.S. exported $4 billion in farm products, mostly feed stuffs, to Cuba from 2002 to 2008. About 95 percent of the total included corn, wheat, soybeans and soybean meal. The largest U.S. value-added product exported to Cuba is poultry......guess what? Bishop hails from one of, or if not the leading state in terms of Poultry Production, Georgia.

I don't know if any of this will materialize under a Obama second term, but given how Congressman Bishop has supported the majority of the president's policies, even at the risk of losing his seat 2years ago, he should reward him with a post in his administration. It would be the icing on the cake for a what has been a good legislative career for Bishop


 

Dr. Jeane Dugas Resigns as DPG Chairman of the 2nd Congressional District

After 8 months on the job, Dr. Jeanne Dugas former Chairwoman of the Muscogee County Democratic Party resigned from her post as Chairman of the 2nd Congressional District for the Democratic Party of Georgia last week according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Reason why Dr. Dugas is unknown.

Dugas, a liberal democrat, who hails from Columbus ran for the 2nd Congressional District seat back in January at the DPG Leadership Elections held in Warner Robins, bested her opponent (yours truly) Conservative Democrat Keith MacCants, Founder & Editor of Peanut Politics & ex-Vice-Chair of the Macon County Democratic Party to succeed Margaret Tyson who didn't seek re-election.

There will be a special election held in November to elect a new Chairman of the 2nd Congressional District to finish our the four year term.

So who wants it?

The Bitterness towards Sanford Bishop........WHY?

2nd Congressional District Congressman Sanford D Bishop, Jr of Albany has always demostrated a knack of attracting support from voters who are either independent, conservative, & in some cases; Republicans in the 2nd Congressional District.

But every since 2009 there have been such a harsh backlash towards Bishop that it has left me scatchng my head.

Ok, he voted for the controversial, divisive Helathcare Reform Legislation, then he voted for the Cap & Trade Bill that went no where. Then there was the CBC Scholarship episode that accused Bishop of handling scholarships out to relatives, but it was his wife Mrs. Creighton-Vishop, a municipal court clerk at Muscogee County who was in charge of the selection process, which Bishop didn't know that scholarships was going to relatives instead of needy students.

And then there was the so-called fraud involving the "Pigford” settlement between the government and black farmers who claimed that a Department of Agriculture farm loan program discriminated against them. South Georgia farmers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head complain that Bishop did nothing when they asked him to investigate the Pigford settlement & that more settlement money went to lawyers and people who aren’t farmers than to them and other active farmers. Nothing ever came to these accusations.

And now everywhere you look, you see people saying "Bishop has to go" or "Boot Bishop", I mean my god, do some people in the 2nd really can't stand Rep. Bishop that much?

Now did he dip his toe in the tempting liberal waters with those votes I mentioned? Yes!

But make no mistake about it, Bishop's no liberal except last year when his voting record was as liberal as Nancy Pelosi.

But Congressman Bishop, a graduate of Morehouse & former State legistator has always been a moderateto conservative democrat for the 2nd District.

Bishop has co-sponsored amendments to the U.S. Constitution protecting the U.S. flag against acts of desecration, preserving the institution of marriage as between a man and a woman, ensuring a balanced federal budget, and allowing voluntary, non-denominational prayer in schools and other public localities. He also is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, receiving the grade of “A+” from the National Rifle Association.

He has also supported Tax Relief for working men & women of the 2nd & he has & will always look after the agriculture interest of the 2nd, no matter what, which I didn't understand why so many farmers & those with Ag interest in the 2nd Congressional District would just turn their backs on Bishop who has fought tooth & nail to support & strengthened their interest in D.C. Many speculated that is was his vote for the Cap & Trade legislation. Maybe, it was more than that! Was it a protest vote against Pelosi & Obama?Was it just a anti-democratic vote? Or did they really leave bishop because of his job performance, which if you ask me has been pretty damn good for a region, SW Georgia with high levels of poverty.

Bishop, like him or not has gotten a raw deal from those who voted against him last year. Did many of these anti-Bishop voters forgot about all the good things he's done for the 2nd District? For some, they only look at 2008 & beyond rather than the whole 19, going on 20 year (Jan 2012) record of Bishop. I also hear some mention that Bishop only represents one segment of the 2nd Congressional District.................ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So Bishop only supports Black voters in the 2nd & not whites? Please! Stop trying to make Bishop the politician for "Blacks" Only. That's not going to work! Bishop first won the 2nd when it was a majority white district back in 1992 & since then it has changed, which is now comprised of 47% African-Americans.

Currently he is ranking member of the Subcommittee for Defense, the Subcommittee on Military Construction-Veterans Affairs & the 3rd ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee. Bishop is the go-to guy for Georgia Agriculture now that Saxby Chambliss no longer sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

I normally do not come to the defense of politicians here in Georgia, but I made a exception here. Bishop is well liked by many here in the 2nd, whether you are black, white, liberal, moderate, conservative, republican, democrat, independent, libertarian. All of the criticism Bishop has gotten (especially from hardcore republicans) & still continues to get is uncalled for. Nobody's perfect, people! If Bishop was a republican, you can bet your last dollar he wouldn't gotten the kind of scrutiny he's been getting over the past year.

Im curious to see will many of the longtime voters Bishop lost last year come back to Bishop or have they got caught up in the left vs right divide that's destroying our country.

Ross Tolleson, Sanford Bishop, Austin Scott & the outlook in 2012

Don't rule it out. With a special session on the horizon to re-draw the congressional districts its not out of the realm of possibility that republicans could put Austin Scott into the 2nd Congressional District to go up against Sanford Bishop i 2012.

Here's why I think it may happen

I remember back in 2009 when republicans were trying to find a challenger to Jim Marshall for 2010. Early on it was thought that State Senator Ross Tolleson would make a run at Marshall, but he decided against it at the time, because he wanted to wait until his twin daughters finish high school. This was back in 2009 when he said this. He has made no secret that he wants to run for congress & 2012 seems like the best time since the GOP now have control of the House.

Wait..........

The one obstacle standing in his way is Austin Scott & he just defeated Bluedog Democrat Jim Marshall in the wave election that helped him in that quest.

So what a man to do?

Well this where redistricting comes in play

Scott by some accounts is not well liked by some in the GOP up there in the state house. If Tolleson still has aspirations for a run for higher office, then they'll do what it takes to make the path for Tolleson as easy as they can & that means lumping Scott into the second against Sanford Bishop who narrowly escaped defeat by Mike Keown.

The Georgia GOP can say 'hey if can knock off one democratic incumbent, why not another" Its something to think about here. No way Tolleson runs if Scott is still in the 8th. No way, No how!

A open 8th Congressional District would be much more appealing to Tolleson that one occupied by another GOPer in Scott. Making that move will have consequences for the Georgia GOP. Despite Scott defeating Marshall, he won't defeat Bishop in '12. With those divorce records now unsealed with all sorts of unsavory accusations hurled by his wife against him & vice-versa, the luster, the shine of Austin Scott will be long gone. Plus you can expect the district to become more democratic with the state still being under the VRA of 1965 & in a presidential year, democratic voters will turn out at a higher level that in 2010

If this happens, not only you will have not only a open 8th District seat, but a open State Senate seat in Central Georgia, which will be a prime opportunity. Nelson Carswell who ran for HD 143 last year would be the ideal candidate democrats could recruit to run for that Senate Seat in the 20th district. DuBose Porter, if he have the urges to go back to Atlanta could be another potential candidate, but I doubt it. Governor is in his future if he decides to make another in 3 years. He's only in his mid 50s.

An Austin Scott-Sanford Bishop matchup may well happen next year. But all hinges on Ross Tolleson & his apirations for higher office

My candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District Chairman's Seat

Greetings,

I, Keith MacCants, hereby declare my candidacy for Chairman of the 2nd Congressional District

The Georgia Democratic Party is at a definite crossroads right now in the state of Georgia after the loss of every constitutional office for the first time ever, in addition the loss of several democrats who defected the party in recent weeks to join the GOP. As a conservative democrat who views reflect that of a libertarian, it saddens me to see so many of the rural democrats bolt the party, some I understand, some I do not.

The democratic party has to & needs to get back to the center or its lights out for the party for good. As one of the very few conservative democrats who open identify himself as a democrat remaining here in rural georgia, I hope to bring a center/right point of view to a state party that I feel is straying farther & farther away from its roots.

One key is the development of local county democratic party chapters. As republicans consolidate power in Atlanta & the debate over the democratic party's future roils the party, I hope to be among a new wave of activist to do moe than rebrand an out of power party. Like the activism that laid the foundation for the republican party rise to promonence here in the state, a movement is growing within the democratic party, independent from the National Party's Leadership, which we need to start small & look locally. Getting folks to join county democraic party committ involves them in the political process, forming a base of seasoned players.

Republicans did a very good job. They organized themselves. Democrats definitely got a wakeup call.

The Georgia Democratic Party's problems are deeper than a lack of organization. They have lost the trust of the people of Georgia. Although the big picture might look bleak for the party, I see gains can be made locally. The real strength of the party will be local (Commisisoner, Mayoral, State Representative, etc). You can't start from the top down, you have to really build the party neighborhood by neighborhood by neighborhood. The GOP have done that well & we can take a page out of their book.

We need to build a farm team so we can have candidates ready to compete at the federal level when we need them.

The phase "Farm Team" what basebell franchises call the minoe league system to develop talent is more than a metaphor. A "Farm Team" can be used to teach activist how to be politicans, how to raise money, hire staff, write & deliver stump speeches, & focus borad ideas into policies. What's the easiest entry point, school baord or Congress? Its not as sexy, but there's a lot that goes on.....half of more government spending is state & local.

As Chairman of the 2nd Congressional District, this will be one of my man goals. With a strong bench of democratic prospects coming down the pipeline, that will enable the Georgias Democratic Party to sustain a strong & steady presence here in the state for years, decades to come.

A new grassroots iniative that includes reaching out to conservative churches, pro-business associations, etc are also key in developing the party on the local level. Dems rely on less personal tactics for grassroots outreach such as artifical, virtual networks & professional canvassers. Many of these hires do not have a connection to the area they are working in, so this approach to gain the vote & getting out the vote fails to capitalize on existing personal bonds among like-minded democrats. As Chair, this will be one of the issues that I will stress to county party chapters in reaching out in attracting like-minded individuals.

-Democrats can't keep ignoring their base, even the moderate/conservative democrats can't ignore it & expect to win over & over again.

-Democrats must reconnect with the energy of the grassroots

-A party that ignores the needs of the state & local parties is doomed

-And the party has to continue to reach out to white male voters even if the GOP continues to get 70-80% of their vote

The Party needs to expand into new communities: As Chair of the 2nd Congressional District, I will identify communities & organizations to approach where we can begin to recruit new voters. These communities include the Target Outreach Communities. I'll work with candidates & party members to develop oir positive message in a way that effectiveky commnunicates our principles and policy akternatives to these communuties. We will begin showing a presence in places that are not rraditional places for the Democratic Party to be seen, & we will collect comtact info to effetively communicate to these communities in the future. This will be done in two ways, which I will be getting to later.



When I first mentioned to a few close friends of mine about running for this position, they thought I was crazy to do it, that it could affect me in my potential run for County Commissioner or City Council this summer & that I would lose. Some have even suggested that I switch parties & become the first Republican to win a elected office here in my home county ever since the old-guard democrats who are in power have basically run the entire county in the ground (Macon Co is the 2nd poorest county in the state). I fought off the attempts of those to persuade me to leave the party, but I'm still a democrat because I'm not a opportunist, plus my loyalty is strong only to a "certain point" & I champion public schools, family farmers & those who can't, let me repeat, CAN'T do for themselves.

The party of Russell, Nunn, Miler, Barnes is now in the history books & its now time to write a new chapter in the book of the Georgia Democratic Party, while not straying too far from its roots that have a rich tradition of strong democratic governors, senators, congressmen, mayors, etc. Things will not turn around overnight, it will require time, patience, discipline, & committment, along with a message that resonates with the vast majority of Georgia Voters.

The time is now, its either now or never. I'd be honored to become the next chairman of the 2nd Congressional District.

Keith MacCants
Founder & Operator of Peanut Politics
Interim Vice-Chairman of Macon County Democratic Party