Austin Scott and the 8th Congressional Distict

Back in 2010, Austin Scott switched from running for governor to challenging Conservative Democrat Jim Marshall for the 8th CD. That turned out to be a wise move on Scott's part as he rode the anti-Pelosi, anti-Government Tea Party wave election of 2010 in unseating Marshall to become the new congressman of the 8th Congressional District. And as a result the 8th was redrawn to re-assure his re-election by removing democratic Bibb County and placing it into the 2nd CD, currently represented by Sanford Bishop, thus the 8th has become strictly a rural-dominated congressional district with Houston County being the population center of the district.

So since then, what has Congressman Scott done since being elected. Well he's sponsored, or co-sponsored a few bills such as H.R. 972 to protect individual privacy against unwarranted governmental intrusion through the use of drones to introducing a bill to end furloughs and ensure civilian workers are paid. Those are nice gestures, but since arriving in congress, Scott has been a reliable party line soldier for the GOP. The National Journal back in February named Scott the second most conservative lawmaker in the House in 2012. He was named Class President for the 112th Congress after arriving.

Someone asked me without the Tea Party wave of 2010, do I think he could have still managed to unseat Marshall? My answer was no! Without it, he probably would have come close, but not enough to unseat the Bluedog Democrat.

Scott ran unopposed in 2012, will he go unopposed next year? Who knows. I doubt it will come from the GOP side, if it comes from the Democratic side, it will have to be from someone who's background fits the rural congressional district and someone who is not afraid to show their differences with the National Democrats and President Obama.

Will Austin Scott Go Unopposed in 2012?

That's the question I've heard from readers of this blog lately & my answer is.....He should be!

Scott, the 8th Congressional District Congressman who rode the Tea Party, anti-government, anti-Obama, anti-Pelosi wave to defeat Vietnam Veteran & BlueDog Democrat Jim Marshall will be up for re-election for the 8th , which has been altered to reassure his re-election as 95% of democratic stronghold Bibb County has been moved in the 2nd Congressional District of Sanford Bishop, while absorbing some of Jack Kingston's 1st CD pending approval of the courts & DOJ

As it looks right now, he won't be challenged in the primary like some of his fellow Georgia GOP Congressmen will be in 2012. So.......How about the General Election?

Its hard for me to see a freshman congressman go unopposed in a newly redrawn district, so I say yes, he will be challenged in the General Election.

So the next question would be from who?

Well, you can write off Jim Marshall making a return. With Saxby Chambliss U.S. Senate seat up for re-election in 2014, as well as Gov. Nathan Deal, its a safe bet that he will seriously look at one of those seats, probably governor.

DuBose Porter, forget about it. With Laurens possibly being in the 12th, that's unlikely, besides he already gone on record twice, that he's not interested in running for congress.....governor, I suspect is still in his sights.

Could someone move into the 8th & challenge him like Maria Sheffield could be planning to do against John Barrow? Yes!

If he does get a challenge, it could come from four places: Monroe County, Houston County, Ben Hill County, Wilcox County.

There's one guy down living down in the wiregrass of South Georgia who's laying in the weeds right now. He's a Christian Conservative, his wife is a senior pastor at a south Georgia Church, he's been a mayor, good friends with Jack Kingston, served on numerous state boards, Army Veteran, he has been listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers four times, and was selected as "Teacher of the Month", and was nominated as "Teacher of the Year & a few years ago was selected as one of Georgia Trends 40 under 40, & he's a country boy......I'm talking about...................

Georgia New Congressional Map: Barrow on the move.....AGAIN??? Bishop a lock! Scott more safer?

Today the New Georgia Congressional Map is out & with no surprise, Conservative Democrat John Barrow (D-Savannah) is on the move once again. Hos home of Chatham County is now occupied by Jack Kingston (R-Savannah). New counties in Barrow's district are Laurens, Coffee, Appling, Jeff Davis, Telfair, Wheeler, & republican south Columbia County.

Other Bluedog Sanford Bishop is made safer with the removal of Thomas County from his district. He now has Bibb County & much more of Muscogee County (Columbus) going into midtown Columbus.

Freshman Austin Scott is made safer by the removal of democratic Bibb County, but he has republican North Bibb County in the district. He takes in much of Kingston's western half of the district of Lowndes, Clinch, Lanier, Cook, Berrien, Atkinson, Echols, & he takes democratic Brooks County from Sanford Bishop.

Arch Conservative Paul Broun of Athens now has a much more competitive district for democrats to contend with. He takes Barrow & Walton Counties from Rob Woodall of the 7th CD, & he takes John Barrow democratic areas of Hancock, Baldwin, Taliaferro, Johnson, Warren, republican lean Glascock, Jefferson, Washington (Dem leaning counties) & Takes old portions of 8th CD Jasper, Butts, Newton & eastern Henry County.

The new 14th CD now hovers over NE Georgia, with Hall County the anchor county

Tom Price 6th CD now occupies Bartow County & snakes into north central Fulton County.

The other Districts are pratically the same Tom Graves now takes Floyd, Polk & Haralson Counties, as well as Paulding County.

What to make of this?

This opens the door for State Senator Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) to run for this seat. Based on the proposed district, it was drawn specifically for him. Greg Morris, (R-Vidalia), a former democrat who switched in 2006 could also be another possibility.

Bishop is less likely to received a challenge from a republican, but given the mrgin he won, its like he will receive another challenge.

Austin Scott must be happy camper right now. With Thomas County now included, the 8th appears to be much safer for him, but who knows? Although North Bibb is republican, there are democrats up there as well & could get a challenge from that portion of the county. Or it could come from Houston County or down somewhere in South Georgia.

Paul Broun is in a totally new district! If this stands, former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond would be the ideal candidate to run in this district. Its much more friendly for democrats.

The 12th & 10th CD in my opinion are tossup districts because they have been so altered by the ruling Georgia GOP.

My Own Version of Reapportionment: Georgia Style 2011

Here's what the districts would look like if I were redrawing the maps (Sorry I didn't include the Metro Atlanta Districts) If you are the democrats here in Georgia especially Barrow, Bishop, I would hope & pray that this version or something similar would be the end result after the special session. (Note: Clayton is still in Scott's District, not in Bishop's) In the 2nd, I included all of Muscogee County, as well as Upson comes into the fold. Tift, Cook are brought back into the district. The District will be knocking on the door of 50% African-American population. And it sets up nicely for Bishop's replacement when he decides to retire from congress. But it may spur more GOP candidates in running for this seat with the inclusion of Tift & Cook County, but Bishop represented these counties before & did very well in them

In the 8th, Tift (Scott's former home is now gone) & East Atlanta Republican Suburb of Walton County is brought in the 8th, all of Newton is now included as well & Lamar County is back as well. This district should help Scott in retaining the seat. Bibb County stays in the 8th. It belongs in Middle Georgia, not in a SW Georgia based district. The district remains a republican tilt district, but if the right democrat comes along, it can be won back by the dems.


In the 12th, Chatham is gone from the district & Greene, Morgan, & Putnam is brought into the district, all of Richmond Co is now included & Johnson Co is gone, making the district a Tossup/lean democratic district. And it will force Barrow to either run in the 1st (Jack Kingston) or relocate to Augusta. Remember, here in Georgia, a candidate does not have to reside in his or her district to run for congress, (Saxby Chambliss back in 1994 lived in the 2nd, but represented the old 3rd, now 8th District)

In the 3rd, Westmoreland District remains safe, no worries there for the GOP

In the 10th, Broun loses Greene, Morgan, & Putnam Counties, but that's offset with the inclusion of fast growing Barrow County. Its still safe for Broun for now!

(GA-8) DuBose in 2012: Should or will he challenge Austin Scott?

With the 2012 elections on the horizon, its time to address the elephant in the room, the $100,000 question: Should DuBose Porter challenge Austin Scott for the 8th Congressional District?

There's no doubt in my mind that Porter will run for governor again in 2014. I'll be surprised if he doesn't, but what about congress?

I remember Porter stating awhile back that he had no interest in going to Washington.

You wonder what his answer would be if asked that question again?

Porter would be the ideal candidate to run for that Middle Georgia based seat formerly occupied by then Rep Jim Marshall. I think he'd run one of the best congressional campaigns in the country if he were to challenge Scott.

Porter has some experience dealing with Washington Politics, having interned for Iconic Georgia Senator, democrat Sam Nunn in the late 70s. He served as one of Zell Miller's floor lieutenants when Miller was governor of the state, & has the leading advocates for education here in the state.

He is a small business owner, operating the Courier Herald,as well as the Soperton News, the Montgomery Monitor, and the Wheeler County Eagle, the Johnson Journal, the Twiggs Times New Era and the Cochran Journal, the Wilkinson County Post and in 2006 they purchased The Baldwin Bulletin.

Although some will say he didn't perform that well in the primary for governor, Porter ran a very aggressive grassroots campaign for governor, visiting more that 100 counties in the state. If he were to implement that same strategy in a race for the 8th, he'll have a good chance against Scott, (that is if he were to run). Porter's crossover appeal would be a added bonus in his arsenal. Something Marshall had when he controlled that seat for 9 years. Farmers love him, educators adore him, lower class status blacks & whites are drawn to his populistic approach & veterans appreciate him.

With the future of Macon-Bibb County up in the air, that should discourage Porter from running. I mean, let's face it, Laurens County is no liberal bastion with its mix of social & christian conservatism, so Porter wouldn't have any problem running in a much more rural district.

Porter's populism would go over well & let's not forget about Scott's vote for Paul Ryan's Medicare Reform that would cut $4.4 trillion from the federal budget over 10 years, eliminate the health care law passed last year, slash domestic spending and completely overhaul some of the nation’s entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid by issuing vouchers among other things. Under Ryan’s Medicare plan, the federal government would issue vouchers to seniors to purchase their own health care insurance in a private market. It would only apply to those ages 55 and younger & it even has many democrats saying that it would end medicare. That vote may or may not come back to haunt Scott, but that remains to be seen. If seniors start to become worried about their medicare, medicaid & social security, that voting bloc will up for grabs for Porter or any potential democratic challenger.

On the other hand, Porter may still be eyeing another run for governor in 2014 (without the shadow of Roy Barnes to fight thru). A run & loss for congress would put his political career on the ropes so he may not want to take that chance. A 2012 win would open the door for his wife Carol Porter to run for governor (which she would be the odds on favorite to win the democratic nomination).

I'm sure many democrats would love to see Porter take a swing at the 8th District seat. Its just a question of does Porter wants to?

Majority-Minority Voting Districts and Their Role in Politics

Do two rights ever make a wrong? When it comes to two important aspects of voting rights, the answer may be yes.

The first is the use of majority-minority districts. These are political districts in which members of a racial minority make up an effective voting majority. This gives them the ability to participate and elect representatives of their own choosing, and has been the solution of choice in situations where there is, or could be, racial vote dilution.

But majority-minority districts give rise to a dynamic that undercuts the very goal they are designed to achieve. While they improve the ability of minority voters to elect a candidate of their choice in a particular district, they also cost their preferred political party other valuable seats in the legislature.

This, however, is less the fault of the majority-minority districts than of the second aspect of voting rights: the strict application of the one person, one vote standard.

Majority-minority districts have at least one very curious effect: they help Republicans. This is curious because minority voters, especially blacks, vote for Democrats in overwhelming numbers.

The theory goes like this. When creating a majority-minority political district, the additional minority voters must come from somewhere. That somewhere is adjoining districts, which are drained of their minority voters. Those voters, though, are not merely minority voters-they are also reliably Democratic voters. And this makes it more likely that the Republican candidates will prevail in those adjoining districts.

Would this actually happen in practice? It's well-documented that it already has. Now, after the 1990 census, scores of majority-minority districts were created in order to comply with the mandates of the Voting Rights Act. For example, thirteen additional majority-black Congressional districts were created. They, in turn, produced thirteen additional black representatives. Majority-minority districting did, indeed, lead to the election of the candidates of the minorities' choosing.

Unfortunately, a large number of studies of the 1992 and 1994 Congressional elections revealed that this additional representation came at a cost. As a result of majority-minority districting, Democrats lost at least ten seats to Republicans. When minority voters were drained out of adjoining districts, Republican majorities were the result.

Both parties apparently notice that majority-minority districts tend to help Republicans overall, and hurt Democrats overall. In the early 1990s, the Republican National Committee pushed for the creation of more black and Hispanic districts as part of a strategy to win additional seats in the House. And in states like here in Georgia, Democrats sought to reduce the number of safe minority districts in order to improve the party's chances overall. In doing so, both parties were acting contrary to their general positions on race-conscious lawmaking.

Minority voting rights advocates, then, was faced with a choice between pushing districting plans that increase the number of minority representatives and those that increase the number of Democratic representatives. This is a real dilemma, since, of the two major parties, Democrats are generally more sympathetic to minority interests (hence the overwhelming support).

And this raises several important questions. First, we've seen that, as a result of majority-minority districting, minority voters ,who overwhelming vote Democratic, end up with fewer Democratic Congressmen & women.

But remember, the key to fulfilling the mandates of the Voting Rights Act involves ensuring effective minority participation. Democrats would be helped but would they be helped unfairly?

I think the answer is a clear no! Given that most minority groups overwhelmingly support Democrats, it makes some sense that if minorities' ability to participate truly does improve, Democrats would benefit. At least it makes more sense than what's currently happening.

What does all of this mean for this and future elections? Well, given the margins enjoyed by Republicans in Congress and many state legislatures, it reminds us that some of those Republican victories may be a result of majority-minority districting, not any genuine change in the country's political views.

To see what I'm talking about, just keep an eye on the 2nd Congressional District, as well as the 8th Congressional District where Republicans would probably look one of their own, Austin Scott by making the 2nd more democratic friendly by packing more African-American Voters into Bishop's District, while making Scott's 8th more white & republican. This is called Gerrymandering & this has hurt democrats more than it has hurt republicans, on the congressional & local level as well.

Can Austin Scott be beat in 2012?

Austin Scott (R-Ashburn) who rode the anti-government, anti-democratic, anti-.........well, anything wave to victory over Conservative Democrat Jim Marshall (D-Macon) last year will face re-election in 2012, this time as the incumbent.

Scott hasn't sponsored any legislation, but has co-sponsored on other pieces of legislation ranging from among other things: H.R.2 : Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.

The current 8th District as we know it will change drastically to strengthened his hold on the conservative leaning district which at last check is R+12. His decision not to open a office in Macon was a signal that the GOP-controlled legislature will relocate Macon-Bibb County into either Sanford Bishop's 2nd District, or into John Barrow's 12th District to possibly keep Jim Marshall from running for his former seat, but as I said before, I think Marshall days as Congressman are over & he maybe looking at governor or Senate in 2014. Or they could do what they have doneto other democratic strongholds like Chatham, Richmond & Muscogee: Split Bibb County into two different congressional districts.

One vote that could get Scott in trouble & that is his yes vote for Rep Paul Ryan's controversial budget plan that according to some will cut programs that provide a safety net or work to improve life for all Americans, especially senior citizens & that it would end medicare & medicaid as we know it. The vote was along party lines with Georgia's John Barrow & Oklahoma's Dan Boren being two of 5 democrats to vote in favor of the legislation.

I'm not at liberty to say who could be a possible challenger to Austin Scott in 2012 because no one knows how his district will look after the state legislature meet in August to re-draw both congressional & local districts. I've heard names such as DuBose Porter who have said in the past that he's not interested in going to Washington, but could he be persuaded? Then there's Carol Porter, who no doubt in my mind will be running for something in the future. Could it be congress? I don't see it, but who knows. I think she maybe eyeing a run for governor in 3 years or Lt. Governor. Either Porter would be strong candidates to run against Scott due to their Central Georgia Base, their strong family values, faith & their ability to speak the word of the working man.

One other person who could be just as strong as both Dubose & Carol Porter:

Carlton "Carl"Camon, former mayor of Ray City & 2010 Gubernatorial Candidate.

Camon, a 41 year old Christian Conservative Democrat would be my first choice if I were making the decision.

As many of you know, I speak in high praise of Camon because he's a man of deep faith & principle. He's the kind of candidate the party needs in its ranks.


Camon served over ten years in the US Air Force and Air Force Reserve. He received a “below the zone” promotion and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-5). His service in the military convinced him of the need to maintain a strong national defense. Having served in the USAF would give him a distinct advantage over Scott when it comes to courting the military vote, as well as retired veteran who were key in helping Jim Marshall, a Veteran of the Armed Forces himself in his various runs for re-election.

He received Associate degrees from Georgia Military College and the Community College of the Air Force. He also earned Bachelor, Masters, and Specialist degrees in education from Valdosta State University.

His political career began in 1993 as a member of Ray City’s city council where he served two terms. Later, he became the first African-American mayor of Ray City, which is 88% white, eventually serving five terms from 1996 through 1997 and 2000 through 2009. As Ray City mayor, he helped to start Georgia’s first municipal pre-k

In a district where the democratic bench is rather thin, you can put up any of these three against Scott & have one hell of a race. Now is Scott Vulnerable? Looking at the district, you would say no, but hey no body expect Marshall to last as long as he did, so it depends on what type of candidate is running against Scott...........Plain & Simple!

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

Marshall Internal Poll shows him in lead at 47%-44%

Jim Marshall who like other Southern Democrats is in the fight of his political life released a poll showing him leading Austin Scott 47% to 44%

The poll was conducted by the Mellman Group, which it surveyed 400 likely voters.

Here'e what it says:

Poll was conducted on Oct 17-19. This analysis represents the findings of a survey of 400 likely November 2010 election voters in Georgia’s 8th Congressional District. Interviews were conducted by telephone October 17-19, 2010 using registration-based sampling. The margin of error for this survey is +/-4.9% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error is higher for subgroups/

Though the district leans Republican (45% Republican,33% Democratic) and isoverwhelmingly conservative (60%), our survey, completed last week, shows Marshall
holding a 3-point lead over Scott (47% to 44%) with 9% undecided.

This vote is in many ways consistent with the personal standing of both candidates.
Marshall is well known (82% Hard ID) and well liked in the district. Forty-eight percent (48%) view him favorably, 14 points higher than the percentage that views him unfavorably.

By comparison, Austin Scott is less well known (55% hard ID) and the 33% who view him favorably is 11 points higher than the 22% who view him unfavorably. Marshall is holding his base (87% among Democrats) and garners significant crossover support
from Republicans (19%). On the other side, Scott is getting 73% of the Republican vote.

Marshall has a slight 5-point edge among independents (45% to 40%). And though Scott holds a large lead among white voters (57% to 32%), Marshall garners overwhelming support from African- Americans (84% to 10%) who comprise 26% of voters in the District. This 26% African American turnout is the same percentage Marshall won with in his narrow 2006 victory.

In short, the Congressional election in Georgia’s 8th District is going to come down to the wire.


This morning The Hill poll showed Marshall down by 13%, 50% to 37% to Scott, while Landmark Communications showed similar findings.

I tweeted yesterday that this race could be like the one in 2006 between Mac Collins & Jim Marshall, with either candidate winning.

First Amendment Group wants Scott's Divorce Papers Unsealed

The Macon Telegraph reported on Daturday that a group, The Georgia First Amendment Foundation filed a legal brief late Thursday in Tift County Superior Court supporting Macon resident Amy Morton’s Sept. 30 request to the court to unseal the divorce records of state Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, who is running against incumbent Democrat Rep. Jim Marshall.


Executive Hollie Manheimer, did not explainon why the brief was filed.

The brief states the reason for opening the records is, in part, because: “One of the defendants is and was at all material times a public official and one seeking public office. The original Court proceedings and the record were both open to the public, as required by law and our Constitution.”

There will be hearing on this matter tomorrow in Tifton. No onw knows what's in the divorce papers, but if it contain anything damaging, it could trun the 8th district race on its head.

Scott trying to divert attention from the Real Issue?

Here's what Scott Taylor is a former member of the Houston County Board of Elections and former chair of the Houston County Democratic Party.

Read here: http://www.macon.com/2010/10/15/1303068/austin-scott-trying-to-divert.html

8th District race could decide on what's inside of Austin Scott's Divorce Papers

Story from TPM, Talking Points Memo:

Sometime before the election, a Georgia judge will decide whether the Republican nominee for Congress in the 8th Congressional District's 2001 divorce records will remain under seal until after the election. The decision, according to one newspaper editor and one Democratic activist, could be the turning point in Rep. Jim Marshall's (D) battle for reelection in the Peach State.

Chatter about just what's in the divorce records of state Rep. Austin Scott, the Republican facing Marshall, first began when Scott was considering running in the Republican primary for Lt. Governor, according to Macon Telegraph columnist Charles Richardson. Allies of the sitting Lt. Governor -- also a Republican -- "started leaking" info on the divorce while Scott was making his decision, Richardson says.

After Scott decided to run for Congress against Marshall -- one of two Democrats in Georgia's Congressional delegation -- back in April, a Democratic activist and blogger picked up the cause and filed a motion to get the records unsealed. A judge will decide whether to unseal them on Oct. 26, just days before the election.

So what's in the records? No one knows for sure. But two separate political operations attempting to track them down -- as well as Scott's recent public freakout at the notion of their release -- suggest what's in them is what opposition researchers like to call "gold." Marshall's in a tough race (a Republican poll in late September in showed the incumbent Democrat down eight points to Scott), and some on the ground in Georgia believe that the juicy details of a messy divorce could make all the difference.

According to Richardson, what's sealed in the divorce records is potentially damning for Scott. In a recent radio appearance on WMAC-AM in Georgia, Richardson detailed what he said were rumors swirling of troubling "allegations" regarding "a restraining order" and "domestic violence."

"If that's in there, voters ought to know," Richardson said on air. "If these allegations are correct, they'll punish Austin Scott." The columnist and editorial page editor at the Telegraph said the allegations had been swirling around political circles since Scott's abortive campaign for Lt. Governor began.

For his part, Scott is unwilling to discuss what's in the sealed records. In a debate with Marshall Thursday night, CQ reported that Scott said "he and his ex wife are 'at peace with our divorce' but that they will both 'respect the ruling of the court.'"

In a previous interview with the Tifton, GA Gazette, Scott alleged that the push to release his records was a dirty trick by Marshall.

"This is an act of desperation by a person who is getting beaten on his voting record," Scott told the paper. "He's trying to change the focus of the campaign."

Marshall denied any involvement in the motion during Thursday's debate, according to CQ. "I had nothing to do with the filing of the petition. It really gripes me that people accuse me of having had something to do with that," Marshall said. "Had I wanted to get this done it would have been done a long time ago. It would not have been brought up at the very last minute."
But in an interview with CQ after the debate, Marshall made it clear he wouldn't mind seeing the records come to light, and hinted at the dirt that could be found inside.

"I've heard consistent allegations of what's in there and it's not pretty stuff," Marshall told CQ. "There are things that go on in marriages that can shed light on the character of the individual."


Remember when the Scott Campaign & his supporters were crying foul that the judge who set the date for a hearing over the divorce filings Melanie Cross had given campaign contribution to Jim Marshall, turns out Judge Cross and her husband, had also donated to Scott — $150 in 2004, during Scott’s primary fight according to the AJC.

And the judge who sealed the divorce papers, Gary McCorvey wife Betty McCorvey gave Scott $250 on July 2, 2004. The McCorvey's are close friends to the Scott family says Sam Ray, spokesman for the Scott Campaign.

If I had to say right now, those divorce papers will be unsealed & if the allegations are true about domestic viloence, etc, then you might as well put a fork in the Scott Campaign.

HD 153: Tibbetts, McBrayer debate the issues at Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce last friday morning

Down in Tifton, candidates for HD 153 John Tibbetts & Tony McBrayer debated the issues at a forum hosted by the Tiftin-Tift County Chamber of Commerce last fridat morning at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. Also on hand was 8th District candidate Austin Scott, (Jim Marshall didn't attend)

McBrayer, Tibbetts and Scott agreed that the economy and jobs are the top issues facing the state.

McBrayer said that he would support cutting corporate income tax, lowering the capital gains tax and eliminating inventory tax and energy tax on businesses as ways to assist current Georgia businesses and those that would consider setting up businesses in the state.“Georgia is one of 11 states that charge sales tax on energy use,” McBrayer said. “That’s a huge negative for Georgia.

”Tibbetts said that the district is “located in a magical location” for business opportunities and noted that the new inland port at Cordele is a plus for job creation and the economy.“We can be an innovation center with green energy here,” Tibbetts said.

Tibbetts said he did favor placing a “fiscal note to indicate the impact” of tax exemptions to ensure those exemptions are working.“I want to put jobs in Tift and Turner counties,” Tibbetts said, adding “I’ll leave the jobs in Cook County to Tony.”

McBrayer founded and operates TMM Enterprises, Inc., located in Adel. The company is a wholesale grocery distributor of foods, including Hispanic foods. Tibbetts' comment during a Wednesday night forum at Spring Hill Country Club during a discussion of illegal immigrants was, “My opponent feeds them...I’m not sure where that goes.”During a discussion of the illegal immigrant situation Friday, McBrayer responded to Tibbetts’ remark about his business.“

I guess if you eat Mexican food, you are an illegal immigrant,” McBrayer said.McBrayer said that the flow of illegal immigrants to the country had to be stopped but that farmers need the labor pool they provide in order to carry out their business.

He said that Georgia has passed tough immigration laws that Republicans support and added that Democrats haven’t sponsored tough immigration laws in years.Tibbetts said “illegal is illegal” when discussing immigration and added that those who enter the country illegally are following the jobs.

He said he has no problem with guest workers and urged legislators to be careful when considering arresting illegal immigrants.“We can arrest illegal immigrants but we can’t deport them,” Tibbetts said.He said the federal government is responsible for deportation and that the states can “round them up” but then the states have to pay to house them in jails.“It must be addressed on the federal level,” Tibbetts said.Scott said he believes the illegal immigration issue should have been resolved years ago by the federal government and the borders should have been sealed.“

The cheapest way to address the issue is to stop the influx at the border,” Scott said.Scott said he believed that voters are going to give Republicans “the privilege of governing on Election Day” and that the party would be able to pass legislation that will deal with mandates, such as the president’s health care reform.“I think Americans know that spending in Washington is out of control,” Scott said. “

Those habits are wreaking havoc on our families, businesses and industries.”Tibbetts said he believes that every Georgian should have access to health care and that he favors allowing small business owners to form co-ops so that they and their employees can afford health insurance policies. McBrayer said that he believes allowing more competition between insurance companies would drive the price down.

Redstate.com Founder & Macon Councilman Erick Erickson says he will vote for Carol Porter for Lt. Gov

CNN Contributor, founder of Redstate.com, Peach Pundit & Macon City Councilman Erick Erickson said in a post on his website Peach Pundit that he will cast a vote for Carol Porter who is running for Lt. Governor against Casey Cagle.

Here's what Erickson said last night on PP: "I think the Senate GOP was much more functional when they ran the place as a committee with a marginalized Mark Taylor. I think Casey Cagle has been vain, vapid, vindictive and driven by innuendo and incompetence".

The decision by Erickson came on the heels of a report originating from the 8th District debate last night in which Jim Marshall was asked a question regarding Austin Scott divorce & whether or not he played any role in the call for Austin Scott to unseal his divorce records.

There have been rumors about Cagle's Ethics & Morals as he was the favorite to win the GOP nod for governor, but abruptly dropped out the race, due to so called health reasons (Bad Back) & decided to run for Lt Governor again, despite a open seat to be the state's top Chief Executive.

I believe Scott also had dirt on Cagle, like Cagle had dirt on Scott as a reason GOP officials were so anxious in getting Scott to reconsider a race for Lt Governor, where it would have gotten very ugly & instead pushed him to run against Jim Marshall, avoiding a blood-bath within the GOP.

But back to Erickson's endorsement, I wonder if any other high-profile republicans will come out & support Carol Porter bid to be the No.2 Executive behind the governor. Its too early to say what kind of impact this will have on the Lt Gov's race, but for Porter this should give her a boost as she marched toward Nov 2.

Take a Hike Nancy Pelosi! Jim Marshall says he will NOT vote for you as Speaker if re-elected

Yesterday BlueDog Rural Democrat Jim Marshall said to Randall Savage of WMAX TV 13 that he not vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the house if he is re-elected.

Marshall follows other democrats such as Alabama Democrat Bobby Bright (D-Montgomery), Scott Murphy (D-NY) & others who have public;y stated that they will not vote for the California Liberal Democrat for speaker if they are re-elected.

Marshall said his preferred choice for speaker is Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton who is in the fight of his life as he battles to hang on for re-election.

I say kudos to Marshall for doing this. Democrats like Mike Ross of Arkansas, Allen Boyd of Florida, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee & John Barrow of Georgia ought to consider a run for Speaker or Minority Leader if democrats lose the house.

This decision by Marshall will have some impact on the 8TH District race between him & Austin Scott.

Marshall, in my opinion will win re-election, especially with recent endorsements from the NRA, US Chamber of Commerce, NFIB, VFW, despite the barrage of negative attack ads by NRCC, two third party organizations & Scott Himself that may. I still stand by my prediction of Marshall 53% Scott 47%

One of those ads, from the NRCC saying Marshall voted with Pelosi 88% of the time failed the WMAZ-13 Truth Test. See here below:

Attack ads have dominated this year's political landscape.

Some are sponsored by candidates, and others come from outside groups such as the National Democratic or Republican Committees.

13WMAZ's Randall Savage put a recent Republican National Congressional Committee ad to our truth test.

"Times are tough in Macon," the ad says, "so Jim Marshall hit the road."

The ad says Marshall went to Washington and voted with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi almost 90 percent of the time.

That's misleading.

The NRCC cites the Washington Post database, which shows how often Marshall votes with his Democratic colleagues. But the Speaker seldom votes on bills, and the Republican ad doesn't reflect that.

A different website, OpenCongress.org, compares Marshall's votes to Pelosi's actual votes. It shows that Marshall and Pelosi voted together 66 percent of the time. But it also shows that Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner voted with Pelosi almost as much--56 percent of the time.

And since January 2007, Open Congress shows that Marshall and Boehner cast more than 1,900 votes and voted the same way 56 percent of the time.

"He even voted for her on the Wall Street bailout," says the ad.

That's misleading too.

What the National Republican Congressional Committee calls the Wall Street bailout was the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which was pushed by President George W. Bush during the economic collapse two years ago.

The ad cites two roll call votes, 674 and 681.

Congressional records show that vote 674 was taken on September 9, 2008. It had nothing to do with the Stabilization Act, but would've amended the IRS code to provide earnings assistance and tax relief to military personnel, volunteer firefighters and peace corps volunteers.

Records show that vote 681 came on October 3, 2008. That vote was on approval of the Stabilization Act. It passed 263 to 171. Marshall voted for it. So did John Boehner and 91 other Republicans.

Within hours, President Bush signed it into law and personally thanked John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi for getting the bill through Congress.

"And then collected thousands from the same Wall Street banks that he helped," the ad continues.

While that may be accurate, it's misleading when you look at Marshall's contributions before and after the vote.

Financial disclosure forms filed with the Federal Election Commission show that prior to the vote on the Emergency Stabilization Bill, Marshall received more than $1.4 million in campaign contributions. $21,500 of that came from Wall Street banks.

After the vote, the forms show Marshall received more than $300,000 in contributions, including $5,500 from Wall Street banks. He actually collected less money from banks after the vote, than before.

This ad fails our truth test.

Here's what Hasting Wyman of the Southern Political Report says about Ga's 2nd & 8th Districts

Georgia 2 (Albany, etc.) Nine-term Sanford Bishop (D) should be okay in this 47 percent black district, but this year state Rep. Mike Keown (R) is waging a well-financed challenge in a district that occasionally votes Republican. In 2004, for example, George W. Bush, squeezed out a 50 percent to 49.6 percent victory over John Kerry within the district’s current boundaries, though Obama got 54 percent in 2008. The black vote usually declines sharply in a non-presidential year – 46 percent of turnout in 2008, but 38 percent in 2006. Bishop, who usually gets significant white support, may be losing a lot of it over his vote for “Obamacare.” A Public Opinion Strategies (R) poll taken for Keown in early August gave Bishop 50 percent, Keown 44 percent. Leans Democratic.

Georgia 8 (Macon, etc.) Four-termer Jim Marshall (D) looked problem-free for months, then he got a foe with credentials in state Rep. Austin Scott (R), a somewhat maverick lawmaker (one of the few GOPers to favor a non-Confederate state flag) and the national mood started to make itself felt in this district where McCain beat Obama 56 percent-43 percent. The near-solidly Democratic black vote here was 33 percent of turnout in 2008, but 25 percent in 2006. An American Viewpoint (R) poll taken in late August for Scott gave Marshall 44 percent, Scott 39 percent. Another poll gave Marshall 50 percent, Scott 45 percent. Scott is getting hit for state legislative votes for tax hikes. The district gave McCain 57 percent in 2008 and though Marshall voted against healthcare, he’s got a fight on his hands. Tossup.

This isn't a Surprise: GOP Targets Marshall's 8th District Seat.......AGAIN!

Well it looks like another $1 to 2 million dollars will go to waste in trying to unseat BlueDog Democrat James "Jim" Marshall of the 8th District.

This comes as no surprise to many as the NRCC are targeting Jim Marshall's 8th Congressional Seat once again. Austin Scott who was running at first for Governor will take on the task of unseating the well-liked, fairly popular incumbent democrat from the republican leaning district.

Marshall has beaten back challenges from Calder Clay, Mac Collins (despite having two trips by then president Bush, one by Dick Cheney) & Rick Goddard who was considered a "A" level recruit by the NRCC. This time many observers think Scott has a shot due to being fron the southernmost part of the district.

Already Scott using the worn out GOP playbook of tying Marshall to some liberal member of congress & this time its Charlie Rangel due to reports that Georgia Dems have received money from the veteran congressman who is under investigation by the Ethics Committee for possible violations. Remember back when Mac Collins tried to tie Marshall to......Ted Kennedy.......Nancy Pelosi.


Marshall is a political brawler & despite national figures coming to the 8th & campaigning for Republican candidates, Marshall has always managed to win re-election.
Why Scott picked this race where he could have ran for Lt. Governor & defeated Casey Cagle for the nomination for Lt. Governor or stayed in the Guv's race & possibly made it to the runoff, I don't know.

Marshall is like Isakson. Each man is liked by their constituents, neither comes off as extreme, neither man makes waves or make controversial comments that'll come back to haunt them & both reflect the values of Georgia in Washington D.C.

Like I said before the 8th District is becoming the Graveyard for republican candidates. One by one each candidate has written their own political obituary just by taking on the Vietnam Veteran who represents the blue-collar constituency that is the 8th District. I like Scott, but it will be a uphill climb for the 14 yr State Representative.