The Jackson Shockwave: Georgia’s GOP Race Isn’t What Folks Thought

 Every election cycle has a moment when the ground shifts under everybody’s feet. In Georgia’s Republican primary for governor, that moment has a name: Rick Jackson.

For months, Lt. Governor Burt Jones looked like he was cruising toward the nomination. Money, name ID, establishment backing...

the whole glide path. Then Jackson stepped in and caught him flat‑footed. Now some polling shows Jackson not just competitive, but out front, and folks across the state are trying to figure out how the race changed so fast.

Part of it is simple: Jackson’s story is one of the most compelling to hit Georgia politics in recent memory. Voters respond to authenticity, and he’s bringing something that clearly resonates with a chunk of the GOP base. Whether that momentum holds will come down to one thing... the debates.

If Jackson can hold his own on that stage, he’s positioned to take this nomination outright. And if he stumbles, it could open the door just enough for Brad Raffensperger to sneak into a runoff. Either way, Jackson isn’t in this to make noise. He’s in it to win.

And Democrats? They’d better sit up straight. Georgia hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Governor’s mansion in almost 30 years, and this is not the cycle to get lost in vibes, emotions, or purity tests. A weak Democratic nominee will get run over. The state is changing, but it’s not forgiving — and this Republican field is shaping up to be tougher than many expected.

The message is simple: pay attention. The ground is moving.

It Must Be A Election Year!

It's 2014, it's a election year and to no one's surprise, the wedge and cultural issues are back just in time for the Georgia GOP & the midterm elections.

Legislation from allowing guns in churches, stripping the governor from implementing medicaid, a Arizona-Style anti-gay bill, restrictions on early voting, etc, etc are bills designed to cater to their base and to drive voter participation in this year's elections. Clearly instead of trying to make the lives better for Georgians, the republican-led majority are making things worse and creating problems for the sake for gathering votes at the ballot box.

Wedge Issues are issues that appeal to people's emotions. Georgia Republicans are skilled at employing these tactics to get most Georgians to avoid reasoned discussion of public policy on issues like economic fairness, education for example. They do this by appealing to voters emotional instinct.  While they have the general public, political experts and the media distracted with these emotional issues, they go off and the make the already wealthy even more wealthier at the expense of the working class worker. Issues like the Arizona-Style Anti-Gay bill and the Gun Bill that would allow guns to be carried in churches and on college campuses are a powerful distraction and allow Georgia Republicans to accomplish their goals while the public is pre-occupied with some trumped up emotional issue in a election year that they could care less about.





These things are a great way for them to raise $$$ from diehard supporters for their members while liberals and democrats have fewer pre-sold appeals and that maybe because, well they tend to use their heads before acting.

Republican Con Game On Rural Georgia

Why are Rural Areas So wiling to vote Republican when it has much more disadvantages than it's Urban and Suburban counterparts?

Well for starters, let's look at cultural issue. God and Guns are strong issues in rural areas. The Republicans wave these flags relentlessly every two, four years during election time and then put them away until the next election. Then you have to look at farming. Farming is more and more big business, with fewer small family farms. The Republican Party caters to big business, so we will be better off voting republican. Much of the reason for the democrats decline in low populated areas of Georgia can be attributed to the party's trouble of attracting white, working class voters, especially those without a college degree. The party has to realize that have got to include issues for non-college educated whites and blacks. Another reason is that there is more poverty in the larger cities like Albany, so they of course want more government programs and aid. They hear about getting tax cuts and of course they are drawn to that. 

While on the other hand folks like truck driver Marshall Johnson of Uvalda, Ga living in rural areas like Arlington, Nahunta, or Alma who make a decent living, have their money taken away to give to the poor. It's really upsetting if you work your whole life establishing a business and are overtaxed. They deal better with hard times because they are not as materialistic as people in larger urban/suburban cities. I do not think that its all about race in very city, contrary to some people's beliefs. In the rural areas, it's the opposite mentality. They prefer the government to stay away, except when necessary. They don't want the government to have to go to them, but rather they turn to the government only when a time of need.

Let's get one thing straight. both Democrats and Republicans want Big Government, it's just that they want "Big"  in different ways. Democrats....well "Some" Democrats want more social programs that largely serve the elderly, the poor, the unemployed, more money on education, more welfare. Republicans hate social programs, but they are willing to spend massive amounts of $$$ on corporate subsidies, wars, programs that are also biased toward full time. high waged workers and non-minorities. But republicans prefer to gut public education, public television, etc.

And let's not forget philosophical differences. Rural areas are more conservative and find a fit with the republican party over issues like abortion, guns, marriage. But that doesn't mean that they aren't open to voting democrat. Rural areas have reasons for voting republican. The idea that they want "Small Government" is wrong to begin with, they don't want small government, they just want less welfare. Surprisingly, they are big recipients of welfare and the redistribution of cash from urban to rural areas, but too hypocritical to see it/ Another reason why is that Republicans have been very successful at propagating words, like Government Programs are "Dependency", the wealthy are "Job Creators" for example. The Conservative media influences how folks think and to some the language is very compelling. And also those straightforward, gut response to issues like Protect the Unborn!! Eliminate the Income Tax!!! And as a result its hard to mount arguments to this kind of thinking. The ones who fall for this kind of language are poor and less educated who live in disadvantaged areas. It's sad to see so many of our citizens who are living paycheck to paycheck to vote for candidates who's plan only consist of trickle down economics and getting up off the couch.

That's why it is essential for democrats to get back into the rural areas of the state and compete for their votes becuase contrary to what these so called political experts, Rural Georgia is not lost for the democrats. It never was and never will be.

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.

GOP War on Poor People

When we talk about the poor, the word 'Poor' is always associated with minorities and this is a group the GOP is having trouble appealing to and it's latest actions will only make it harder for them to appeal to them in future elections.

 In a country where more and more people are living in poverty, why is the GOP branding itself as the party that hates the poor? Increasingly threatened by demographic changes, since November the GOP has sought to make inroads among Latinos while not losing more ground with America’s women. But their latest move will merely reinforce that they stand for punitive policies that target exactly these demographic groups, as they represent a significant segment of the growing population that is poor.

The Republicans are fighting a deliberate battle against the poor. It is audacious, insensitive and ugly. Republicans have clearly decided that the War on the Poor is good politics such as the case when it comes to food stamps.  Republicans seem to think people on food stamps must just be lazy -- or worse. Republicans are ideologically incapable of imagining a world where people can't find a job because there aren't enough of them. In other words, they won't let themselves understand the world we live in. They think food stamp use is at record-highs, because people are drug addicts or just shiftless, not because the recovery has been so weak. This insistence that our problems are all supply, and no demand, is why Republicans have opposed any and all attempts to stimulate the economy.

FYI: Food Stamp Use is Highest in Red States such as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, the Carolinas, Texas, etc.

 The number of Americans relying on federal help to get food has been climbing for years now. It’s not just the unemployed relying on the vouchers....seniors, veterans, school children and the disabled are among the groups hit hardest in this Great Recession. And the Republicans in Congress have a great idea that will save money and take care of the hunger problem: Cut America’s “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” completely…

The Future of the New Deal & Great Society Programs after 2012 Elections

The 2012 campaign season is shaping up as a possible "transformational" election, but not the kind that Barack Obama and many Democrats had in mind.

Instead, it's a year when, if Democrats don't get their act together ASAP, they could suffer a trifecta of losses that will trigger further erosion of threatened New Deal and Great Society legacies and fulfill many conservatives' longtime dreams.
Many Democrats still seem smugly assured that, in the end, voters would never, EVER give GOPers control of all three branches of government given the rhetorical overkill of the party's talk show political culture, Congressional Republicans' political obstructionism, the continued enabling of Twilight Zone-like birtherism, plus Republicans' alienation of Latinos, many women voters, gays — and seeming disdain for moderates and America's "sensible center."
Among the many questions posed about the 2012 there are these three:

Two are a) whether the center is still "sensible" (centrists, moderates and some independents will ask) or b) whether the center was ever sensible (liberals and conservatives who consider the center mushy, unrealistic, lacking principles, and uninformed will ask). Polls vary, but most find that in terms of party identification the electorate is largely tied between Democrats and Republicans who need swing "undecided" voters to win.

A third question is whether 2008 will prove to be a fluke, merely a single Democratic Party volume wedged between two Republican Party bookends, a victory largely due to multiple-level Bush administration failures and the financial meltdown. If so, it means GOPers are destined for complete political control of the Supreme Court and that the mostly Republican dominance of Presidential elections since LBJ's exit continues.
Right now some analysts say Obama could become another Truman. Some Republicans say he's another Jimmy Carter. But Obama may generate "another Obama" that pundits and historians will use in the future. Exactly what "another Obama" means will emerge on Election Day.

So will the Democrats win despite themselves? Will some liberals really stay home because there was no public option in Obamacare? Will they forget about the Supreme Court (again)? Which party will swing voters hate the least and hold their noses and vote for? Will Republican Party unity combined with Super PAC bankrolling support make America's first African-American President just another fired one-term President?

If so, it will be another instance of life again seemingly imitating TV art, as the Democrats on election day would wake up to see the New Deal and Great Society more on the way out than ever, and find themselves epitomizing the name of another TV show: "The Biggest Loser."

50/50 Obama gets re-elected..But what If President Obama DOES get Re-Elected in November?

Hmmmm......, as we learned in 2010 and as we’re learning to some extent during the early month of the 2012 election cycle, the Tea Party has also caused the party to go off on bizarre tangents at times and to take insane stands like appearing to be willing to take the nation to the brink of financial chaos back in August. The “no compromise” position that the Tea Party represents may be good for internal party consumption and it may make the true believers happy, but it’s not good government and it’s probably not a good long term political strategy. A loss in 2012 that gets pinned on the movement would likely re-energize the “establishment” and more traditional conservatives in the party and cause a backlash against some of the more radical elements of the Tea Party. In the long run, this would probably be good for the GOP.


If President Obama wins it will almost certainly be with less electoral votes and percentage of the popular vote than 2008, making him the first president to win reelection with less votes since Woodrow Wilson back in 1916. What would President Obama be able to do in his second term? He's been politically impotent since January 2011 and there's no reason to think that this election year will be different. With 23 of the of the 33 senate seats up for reelection in 2012 held by Democrats the Senate you can it's almost likely to be held by Republicans. The only possible Democratic pickups would be in Massachusetts and Nevada. Many of these Democratically held seats are open in 2012 due to retirements. It's possible for Democrats to take back the House but they need to gain 26 seats to do so.

Although it seems bleak for the president, there is an awful lot that he can accomplish using one simple tool: The Presidential Veto. A re-elected President Obama COULD veto any extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, but that'll hurt the economic recovery, oversee the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, around 2014, he could call for changes to the HealthCare Bill..let's face it, that bill will not be repealed, despite all the tough talk by those on the right & he and can start high profile fights with Republicans over issues like the closing of Guantanamo, the federal budget, and the future of entitlement programs. Obama's second term would be marked by his ability to ironically prevent change. His re-election will prevent the privatization of Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, which is one of the top goals of the GOP. With the political center being so wide open, the president should drop anchor there while the hard left & the hard right battle it out, tearing each other apart....The odds are against the president winning re-election, but its very possible that he will win a second term.

Barack Obama: The obstructionist for Republican change.

Illusory Tax Cuts???

If it isn't one thing, its another, especially when it comes to Tax Cuts & the GOP. The Republicans rely on nothing in their bag of tricks more than tax cuts. Under Reagan and Bush II, we have seen reductions in marginal tax rates matched with exploding growth in government spending. This deficit spending allows Republicans to use hidden forms of taxation borrowing and inflation to fund all the militarism, corporatism and welfarism they want and buy votes from swing voters, all the while pretending to stand up for the taxpayer.

The rich are overtaxed........ BUT so are the poor and middle class. Hidden Republican tax increases end up hurting this last group the most, while their visible tax cuts do tend to help the rich more. If the Democrats and the left attack these schemes, or any component in them, the Republicans can turn to the voter and say: "Look! The Democrats want to raise your taxes! We understand the importance of tax relief; we respect the rights of the individual."

Of course, the Democrats, mainly those on the left do want to raise taxes on the rich. The left, in my opinion doesn't understand economics enough to know what's going on, and so the lefties complain only about the visible tax cuts as opposed to pointing out that the Republicans are in fact raising taxes on all of us through inflationary spending.

The Republicans get everything they want. They can give tax cuts to the rich — which is not in itself a bad thing, securing votes among the affluent as well as the helpless voters who prefer some relief to none. They can incite the left to respond with misguided, anti-capitalistic criticisms.

They can pretend to be the champions of economic liberty. And they can increase government spending to their heart's content, sticking us with the bill through the gradual devaluation of the dollar, all the while blaming deficits on the big-government Democrats.

Any reduction in taxes is a blessing. But some say the Republican tax cuts are not really tax cuts, they are simply illusions, tricks that substitute one form of wealth extraction with another, even more destructive one.

Where as the Democrats are arrogant and ignorant of economics, the Republicans know exactly what they are doing!

Another one I've heard is the tax fraud the Republicans love is distracting us with promises of simplifying the tax code or instituting a flat tax or national sales tax. Our goal should not be replacing one tax with another. Now our goal should be cutting the size of government, which is the only way to reduce the actual tax burden on the American people. But there is nothing wrong with implementing a "Flat Tax", something former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr (D-TN) has advocated.

But like it or not, the GOP have & will always win the argument on Tax Cuts because of the way they frame it to the American people, moreso that the democrats.

FEAR: Why the GOP needs it & Why they can't function without it!

Fear is a tool that is used far too often in politics. Both major parties use fear from time to time, but it seems that Republicans use fear way too often as a tool to manipulate us, and more importantly, they lie about what to fear.

They want you to fear the foreign government that is going to come here and kill us. Now this is something that we should always be mindful of as a nation, but we shouldn’t be making widespread lies to strike fear into the hearts of Americans so that we can invade and occupy a nation for a decade that hasn’t done anything to us. They go on TV and tell you that this guy has biological weapons and this guy has nukes and if you don’t elect us, these evil doers will come to your home town and erase it from the map. They used this fear tool so effectively in 2004 & again in 2010.

They want you to fear the Muslims even though they say Islam is not a religion of hate. They talk about Islamic Extremists every chance they get. Do they ever call any other extremist group or terrorist organization by their religion the way they do with Muslims? No. They want to keep making sure that you hear “Muslim” or “Islamic” every time something bad happens to justify their actions in the middle east. They never once referred to Tim McVeigh as a “Christian Terrorist” even though he said after the bombings that he was doing “Gods work”. They never once referred to Dr Tillers murderer as a “Christian Extremist” even though the only reason he murdered Dr Tiller was because of a difference in religious beliefs & plus he was doing abortions. The other reason the want you afraid of Islam and Muslims directly leads to the next thing they want you to fear…..President Obama. Now Im not defending all the president has done, some things I agree with him on, some things I do not agree with, but this whole thing about fearing the president is getiing old & its getting old fast.

They constantly try to tie Obama with Islam because if they already have you afraid of Muslims, and they get you to believe Obama is a Muslim, (even with all of the evidence that he is no muslim, he a christian) then you will naturally fear him. What amazes me about the fear tools they use when it comes to the President is that they equate him to a Muslim because they know they have you all ginned up on Islam, but then they say he’s a Communist or a Marxist.

How many Muslim KGB agents do you ever recall hearing about? They, when it comes to Obama, want you to fear any number of things that aren’t true.

Fear that he’s a Muslim. Not true!

Fear that he’s a Communist. Not true!

Fear that he will take your guns away. (Well, I'm still skeptical about that when it comes to the president).

Fear that he will tax you into the poor house. Not true! (Although there's no doubt that he wants to raise taxes in order to help pay for the controversial Healthcare Legislation & pay down this debt & deficit).

Fear that he will crush small businesses with his policies. Not true!

But in the Republican world, it doesn’t matter if its true or not. All that matters is if they can get you to fear it, because if they can get you afraid of it, you will vote against it. And if you vote against it, they will have the power.

They want you to fear the economy. How many times does Glenn Beck push gold right after telling you that the Democratic government is destroying the dollar and your bank accounts will be worth nothing in the very near future? They tell you the economy is going to completely collapse and that you need gold as a purchasing tool, and an emergency seed stash to plant a garden for when the supermarket shelves will be bare. The fear is based on the one thing everyone wants and needs…money. The ironic part is that while Glenn Beck is telling you the economy is collapsing, he is getting richer… off of fear. And I used to like & watch Glenn Beck, when he was on CNN Headline News before going to Fox where he has gone off the deep end, I guess to get ratings & to cater to the fringe of the GOP.

They want you to fear that which isn’t like them… homosexuals, women who have thoughts of their own and anyone who doesn’t long for the good old days of the 1950s. They want you to fear that if a homosexual couple gets married, then your marriage won’t mean anything. They want you to fear that if homosexuals adopt kids, then those kids will be homosexual too. Now I don't support those of the same sex getting married, nor civil unions, but there are better things they need to be doing then to ostracize the Gay & Lesbian Community. They want you to fear a woman’s right to choose, and to be honest with you, I can’t figure out why. Regardless what people like myself who are pro-life think, its a woman's right! Its her body & only she knows what's right her, not us. They want you to fear anyone who doesn’t think like you because apparently the last 400 years hasn’t shown them that different groups of people that do not have anything in common other than a desire to be free can come together to live in peace and prosperity.

They want to use fear to keep you from voting against them. They want you to believe that they have all of the answers and the Democrats do not so you should fear the Democrats. Democrats use fear as well. The difference between what Democrats tell you to fear and what Republicans tell you to fear is that the fear the Democrats speak of is real. Democrats want you to fear putting a party back in power that took a record surplus and turned it into a record deficit, led us into the worst recession in 80 years and was the cause of millions of jobs being lost in this country.

That is real fear when it comes to the economy.

Democrats want you to fear putting a party back in control that wages war for its friends to be able to profit, costing thousands of American lives and billions of American dollars. Think if the GOP where to win back the senate in 2012, along with the White House, LORD HAVE MERCY! That’s is real fear when it comes to foreign policy. Democrats want you to fear putting a party back in power that oppresses homosexuals, women and minorities. That’s real fear on the domestic front, not that the President is this Muslim Communist born in Kenya, which the birthers want you to believe, which is untrue, with radical Christian views on social justice. Which, by the way, doesn’t make sense at all.

Don’t buy the fear the Republicans are peddling. Now let me say, all republicans do not use this tactic. I have friends who are republicans who are more centrist-oriented & they don't say or do the things some republicans love to do. But back to what I was saying, they want you to be afraid so you will vote them back into power. The real fear that Americans should be feeling is about returning to the ineffective, destructive policies and actions of the last 8 years… or even worse… if the next wave of Republicans are even more right wing than the last bunch that just got elected last year. Those would be known as the Teapartiers… and that is what I really fear.

There was a fear that the country was going to veer to the hard left after the 2008 elections, now there is a fear that a select group of republicans are trying to veer the country off to the far -right & that's something that doesn't need to happen. The U.S have always been a center/center-right country. No need to cater to the extremes of both parties.

Angry GOPers

This can be applied to democrats as well, but I wanted to focus on the GOP for a minute.

Anger! Everyday whether its on the television, radio internet, blogs, newspaper editorials, that's all I see/hear at the moment.

So why are republicans so angry? Why do they sound so angry, despite regaining control of Congress?

They just don’t argue with Democrats; they vilify them. Instead of disagreeing with President Obama’s policies, they call him a Hitler, a Stalin, a terrorist, a socialist, a communist, the anti-Christ, someone who hates whites - the list is endless. Republicans spew the same kind of ravenous rage towards Nancy Pelosi (who Im no fan of) and other prominent Democrats.





Why?



People say politics is a contact sport. Maybe it is. But the way Republicans approach it it is not a sport. In athletic sports we insist you follow the rules and that you respect the winner. Well, the winner is Barack Obama. At the very beginning of this administration, Rush Limbaugh, the titular hear of the Republican Party, said he wanted Obama to fail. Even the luminaries on Fox News immediately followed his lead, spitting daily invective against Obama, Democrats and anything even remotely related to Democrats. Republican legislators in Congress followed suit.



Pundits say it has always been this way. No, it has not always been this way. Sure, during election season the parties would throw dirt at each other. But after winners were chosen, the mud-slinging would diminish. There was a certain amount of respect each side had for the other side.



But in the last decade or so, Republicans have become emotional and irrational. Since Obama's election, Republicans have become hysterical. Just listen to the ridiculous stuff spouted by Limbaugh's lieutenants: Palin, Beck and Bachmann.



Why are Republicans hysterically angry? Why do people, in general, get angry? Because things do not work out the way they expected. Or because they don't know what to do in a crisis. Or because they realize that what they believed all their life is not true; this is sometimes called congnitive dissonance.



It seems to me that Republicans are faced with cognitive dissonance. Ever since Reagan, they believed in 2 immutable "laws":



1. Deregulation will produce a booming economy.



2. Tax cuts will increase government revenue





That's it!

Do deregulation produce a booming economy? In some cases yes & no.

So I did a little research & I found that the telecommunications and airlines industries were more successfully deregulated. This allowed more competition, and eventually lower prices for these services. However, many companies that could no longer compete went out of business, which had a negative effect on the economy.

On the other hand however, fraud occurred with a company called Enron, which essentially ended any further efforts to deregulate. Enron's fraud also hurt investors' confidence in the stock market, and led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

But back to the topic:

Although they may not admit it, some Republicans who have a brain can see that neither of these two "laws" is true. It should be obvious to them by now that sticking to these two "laws" was a big cause, perhaps the most important cause, of the current terrible economic depression, the worst since the 1930s. When Democrats denounce deregulation and tax cuts for the rich, Republicans have no rational retort. Their emotions run wild and crazy. They go ballistic criticizing Democrats.

To my angry Republican friends I say, Calm down and start using your head. It may help you build a more rational Republican program. If they took some of the anger out of their rhetoric maybe it'll increase their chances of picking up more African-Americans & regain the trust of the Hispanic Vote because they don't realize it, but that kind of spewing rhetoric makes some folks uneasy about becoming a republican, let alone voting for a republican

Is the Handwriting on the Wall for Black Conservatives in the Georgia GOP?

That's the question that needs to be asked after the defeat of Melvin Everson for Labor Commissioner, Corey Ruth for 4th Congressional District, Deborah Honeycutt for the 13th District.

All have different cases, Everson was running his first ever statewide race, Ruth his first congressional race & Honeycutt, a perennial candidate for the 13th district.

But the big one here is Melvin Everson who was seen by many as a rising star in Georgia GOP circles. Only the second Black Republican elected to the General Assembly since Reconstruction. But in the General Election he lost to a weak candidate in Mark Butler in a route despite having the majority of the GOP house caucus behind his candidacy. Everson traveled to every corner of the state getting his message out only to be turned away in favor of a candidate who raised eyebrows when he was involved in a relationship with a lobbyist, who was also his girlfriend & made threats to a University of West Georgia Official.

Honeycutt was running her third race for the 13th district, but in this case, republican voters probably grew tired of nominating someone who despite the ability to raise huge sums of cash could not get over 30% of the General Election Vote.

And last Corey Ruth was a impressive young Black Republican running in the 4th District, but he lost to favorite Liz Carter, who is a nice lady with a good looking background, but in my opinion, the hype surrounding her candidacy is way overblown. Se may surprise us all by winning in the democratic stronghold of the 4th District, but if she does, that'll be the day Eugene Talmadge rises from the dead & run for governor in 2014.

So the question needs to be asked: What should Black Republicans do? Should they remain in a party that only have at the moment one Black Republican (Willie Talton of Warner Robins), who may well lose his seat in November? Should they remain in a party where it maybe difficult for a African-American Republican to appeal to hardcore conservatives, some who may not be so open in electing a African-American Republican to a statewide office? Or should they switch parties & become conservative democrats & improve their prospects of winning down the line?

These are just some questions that need to be answered. Good men like Melvin Everson need to be in office, not on the sidelines playing the role of a cheerleader. Herman Cain, who conservative republicans are very high on could mount a run for president in 2012 is a prime example. He ran for the open senate seat in 2004. To me he was by far the better candidate than Mac Collins & Johnny Isakson (who is now the senator) in that race. But because he wasn't apart of the establishment, he was unsuccessful in winning that race. Black Republicans here need to take a long look at their standing in the Georgia GOP & ask themselves is it worth it? What is our role in the Party? Can we get elected Statewide as a Black Republican? Only time will tell.

GOP leader admits Republicans have "credibility problem" on deficits

The Wahington Post's The Plum:

Everyone is digging through the lively exchange that David Gregory had with GOP leaders John Boehner and Mike Pence on Meet the Press yesterday over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich.

Most people are focusing on the fact that the two Republican leaders, under persistent questioning by Gregory, refused to say how the tax cuts would be paid for. No question, that's noteworthy, and Gregory deserves credit for pressing the issue.

But the most interesting aspect of the exchange was that Pence, the chairman of the House Republican Conference, openly admitted that the GOP has a "credibility problem" on tax cuts and the deficit. From the transcript:

DAVID GREGORY: Congressman, you're asking Americans to believe the Republicans will have spending discipline when you're saying extend the tax cuts that aren't paid for and cut the deficit. How is that a consistent, credible message?

PENCE: Well, I understand the credibility problem, David. You know that during the first six years of this decade, I spent most of my time fighting against runaway spending under Republicans. I opposed No Child Left Behind, I opposed the Medicare prescription drug bill, I opposed the Wall Street bailout.

What the American people are starting to see is that Republican, Republicans on Capitol Hill get it and the Democrats, from the White House to Capitol Hill, just don't get...

Pence openly acknowledged here that Republicans have a "credibility problem" on this issue because the GOP ran up the deficit during the Bush years. To be sure, Pence also said he spent years and years fighting "runaway spending" under the previous administration. But he seems to be acknowledging that the rest of the party does, indeed, have a credibility problem, thanks to the Bush record on the deficit.

Pence's admission seemed intended as part of a larger GOP strategy. Republicans have undertaken a systematic effort to achieve separation from Bush and the GOP Congress of the previous decade by acknowledging that the previous GOP leadership was out of control and claiming the new leadership is very different. That's what Pence seemed to be driving at.

But from a messaging perspective, Pence's formulation seems ham-handed, and it wouldn't be surprising if Dems adopt it as a talking point for the coming deficit and tax cut showdown, which promises to be central to the midterm elections: "Even the number three in the House GOP leadership says his party lacks credibility on this issue

Its likely that some Republican voters will crossover to vote in the Democratic Primary due to disatisfaction with GOP candidates for Governor.

YES! Its very possible that republican voters here in Georgia could be so disatisfied with their republican contenders for governor that some moderate & even some conservative republicans may well crossover to vote in the democratic parimary, or the general election, depending who is the nominee.

Like I said before, John Oxendine, Nathan Deal are both deeply flawed candidates who would be, well easy pickens for democrats due to their ethics violations & outrageous comments (Deal's "Ghetto Grandmothers" remark) & (Oxendine advocating for the secession of Georgia from the Union). Eric Johnson, Karen Handel & Jeff Chapman all looks to be in good position at the moment.

But some republican voters maynot find each candidate appealing, so they could crossover & vote for someone like DuBose Porter, David Poythress, hell maybe even Thurbert Baker & Roy Barnes.

Poythress yesterday in a article by the Macon Telegraph said he expects to be in the runoff with Barnes & then go on for the win.

Here's the piece in the article that caught my attention: For that to happen, Poythress will likely need to pull some crossover votes from Republicans like Hatcher Graham, who’s not pleased with his party’s offerings.

“I don’t see anything on that side that interests me,” said Graham, a Warner Robins attorney. “And as for Barnes, when you have to start your campaign by apologizing....


That's what I'm talking about. I believe that there are more republicans like Mr. Graham that are not too happy with what his party has to offer in terms of candidates for governor that he or she will crossover on primary day & vote for Poythress, or Porter, or Baker, or Barnes.

So which democratic candidate will benefit from crossover republican votes?

It hard to say right now, but I say it could be one of the two P's: Porter or Poythress, or both.

GOP Candidates makes stop in Sumter County at Local GOP Meeting

Down in Americus, several republican candidates made appearances in Sumter County, a democratic lean county on saturday at Granny's Kitchen. Mike Keown, Rick Allen & Lee Ferrell attended the meeting sponsered by the Sumter County Republican Committee.

Gerald Smith, local GOP chairman & candidate for State Rep, briefly introduced the candidates, giving them the opportunity to tell constituents their views on the “serious situation in Washington

Why are "Wedge Issues" Key for Republicans?

First of all, wedge issues are emotional in appeal. Name any Republican wedge issue from immigration, to abortion, to gay marriage, to flag burning, not to mention the granddaddy of them all: "the war on terrorism" and FEAR, and you run head into an emotional, not a reasoned, hook.

In short, the Republicans are TREMENDOUSLY SKILLED AT EMPLOYING THE ART OF THE DEMAGOGUE TO GET AMERICANS, AROUND HALF AT ANY GIVEN TIME, TO AVOID,REASONED DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC POLICY,(WHICH IS SO TRUE!). They do this by appealing to emotional, instinctual reactions that are not processed through a thoughtful process. It's called pressing a hot button.

Second of all, the Republicans use wedge issues to, essentially, pickpocket the American public.

While they have the public and the media distracted with red hot emotional topics, they go off and make the wealthy wealthier, increase our national debt, and take away government social services. Wedge issues are a powerful distraction and allow the right wing to accomplish their goals while the public is preoccupied with some trumped up emotional issue that the Busheviks could care less about.

Finally, wedge issues are a tremendous fundraising tool for the right wing. In fact, the campaigns of right wing candidates were financed by the money generated by right wing wedge issue direct mail. Richard Viguerie was the guru who started the direct mail juggernaut for GOP candidates and organizations and he's still going strong. It was said to me that Rove came to the fore in Texas politics as a direct mail consultant.

In short, wedge issues that press the hot buttons of right wing donors sell big time. In essence, these are topics like "gay marriage," "abortion," and "war on terror" that you include in the first sentence of a GOP direct mail piece and you are guaranteed a good response because they have such visceral impact on Stepford GOP followers.

Progressives and Democrats have far fewer "pre-sold" appeals, except for the mention of Bush and Cheney (or even now Sarah Palin), because progressives and Democrats think more before acting. That may sound snobbish at times, but it's true from a direct mail perspective.

Basically, the Republican "rule by emotional appeal" boils down to a big brother elitism whose message to Americans is simply this: "Don't think. We'll do the thinking for you. Just follow."

Hey, if it didn't work, the GOP would have left that Boat behind years ago. But it works! And as long as the American Public gets all caught up in that rhetoric, it will always be part of the American Political Arena.

Republican Congressional Gains in the Peach State are Grim.

In 2006, Republicans came within a hair of taking two Georgia congressional seats from the Democrats, garnering 49% in the 8^th District and 49.7% in the 12^th. But in 2008, due in part to the large turnout of African-American voters spurred by Barack Obama’s candidacy, the Republican share of the voted declined substantially in both districts. There is now talk among some GOPers about making a major effort in one or both districts next year, when Obama will not be on the ballot and the popularity of his administration may have dimmed.

Jim Marshall (D) 8th District:

There are some factors that suggest a Republican congressional candidate could do well in the 8^th. McCain carried the district over Obama by 56% to 43%, and in the US Senate runoff in December between US Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) and former lawmaker Jim Martin (D), Chambliss won 60% to 40%. But, says a close observer of Peach State politics, “There’s a perception that Marshall is out of reach….He does a pretty good job of distancing himself from Obama and has a fairly moderate voting record.” Indeed, National Journal scored Marshall 55% conservative, 45% liberal in its latest rating. He did, however, vote for Obama’s stimulus package.

Perhaps sensing that Marshall is not vulnerable, no GOPers have indicated they plan to challenge him next year. Rick Goddard, former commanding general at Warner Robbins Air Force Base, garnered 43% against Marshall in 2008, not a strong enough showing to guarantee a re-run. But he has not ruled out another race and his name usually gets mentioned in any discussion of potential challengers to Marshall.

Former 3^rd District Congressman Mac Collins, who suffered a razor-thin (49%) loss in the District in 2006, did not run again in 2008, mainly because the Republican establishment -- in Washington as well as in Georgia -- got behind Goddard’s candidacy. There have been no signs that Collins will run, but he gets mentioned also.

John Barrow (D) 12th District:

US Rep. John Barrow (D) was re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2008. At the same time Obama carried the district with 55%, and in the December 2008 US Senate runoff, Democrat Martin carried the district by 51% to 49% over Chambliss. The base of the Democratic strength here is the large African-American population, which accounts for about 43% of the electorate.

Despite these daunting statistics, Republican Wayne Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon and a veteran of the war in Iraq, has already announced his candidacy and pledged to spend $500,000 of his own money in his campaign.

At least two other Republicans are potential candidates for next year’s race. State Rep. Jon Burns is from Effingham County, which has the largest number of GOP-leaning voters in the district. State Rep. Bob Lane is from Bulloch County, the second largest Republican County. “Both are pretty popular,” says a Republican district insider.

John Stone, a former aide to the late Congressman Charlie Norwood (R), suffered a 34%-to-66% loss to Barrow last year and has announced that he will not run for the seat in 2010.

Will the Citizens of Georgia finally wakeup in 2010?

I sure hope so. The last 7 years have been a total disaster for the citizens of Georgia. The GOP have managed to ignore the big issues of the day: Public Education, Transportation, Economic Growth, Job Creation, etc. They have only catered to the Special Interest groups that continue to fund their campaign coffers. Sonny Perdue has been the least effective governor ever for the state of Georgia. He has time to go to sporting events, Galas, fundraisers at country clubs but he hasn't had time to tend to the business of the state.

Education hasn't gotten better under Perdue, neither has quality of jobs, economic prosperity, transportation. Nothing! I hope when 2010 rolls around, the people will finally wakeup & realize that this kind of governing & legislating is driving the great state of Georgia down a road that it will be very difficult to come back from. Like the Corporate Tax bill that will take away around $700 million dollars from the state, which it will create a deficit of $10-12 million dollars around the year 2013 & drive the state debt uo significantly.

The democratic party has no leadership, in my opinion at the state capitol. I'm tired of seeing democrats roll over for the republicans & not put up a fight on things that is bad for Georgia. I like Dubose Porter because he is from rural Georgia & think he would make a damn good govenor, but he hasn't shown enough fight against the GOP to make me think that he can win statewide in 2010. I like Robert Brown, but you only hear from him every so often. He likes to pick & choose his fights.

The only person so far that is willing to take the GOP to task is David Poythress who is running for governor in 2010. He has called them out on issues such as merging black colleges to education. Dems need someone who has the fire in the belly to take these "radical reoublicans" to the woodshed in 2010. This is no time for patsies to be running for governor, Lt. Governor, etc. Now Roy Barnes was a good governor, but does he have the heart & the fire to run again? Maybe. if he does run a Barnes-Thurmond ticket will be powerful for the democrats. But will Roy go to areas that dems have struggled the last couple of years (rural georgia)? It's remains to be seen. We need a fighter in 2010. Not a pushover?

The GOP has gone too far this time

The passage of legislation to require citizens to show proof of citizenship when they go to the polls is downright outrageous. They (GOP) say they want to protect the integrity of the voting process, but lets call it like it is. It's aimed at supressing rural voters. some who don't even have a birth certificate, minorities ( African-Americans) to discourage them from going to the polls, the elderly & the poor. This came because President Obama came within 5% of winning the state from John McCain. It was a little too colse for comfort for the GOP. This legislation is not aimed at Illegal immigrants, it aimed at folks like me & others so they can hold on to power as long as they can. Why isn't hte GOP addressing the absentee ballots? That's where the fraud is most likely to occur, but I forgot republican voters tend to vote absentee more than democrats. I call on state democrats to cahhlege this in court & take it to the Justice Department.