The race for the DPG Chairmanship

Soon there will be a election to determine who will be the next chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party.

There has been some indications that Jane Kidd, current chairwoman of the party might run again.

Then there was State Senator Robert Brown who openly suggested that he'll support former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond for the job.

Then there GADCC president Mike Berlon who has been endorsed by Carol Porter, who Berlon worked as campaign manager.

There likely will be more names to come to the surface as Januray approaches.

Over the last couple of days I have brought up the names of Former Macon Mayor, Congressman & Vietnam Veteran Jim Marshall & former Ray City Mayor, USAF & Gulf War Veteran Carl Camon as possible contenders for the job.

Its time for the party to go outside the box & select someone who's not tied to the establishment, nor the current regime up on Spring Street.

The person has to be able t0 (1) Raise Cash (2) Build & Organize a Democratic Grassroots Organization Statewide (3) Usher in new people with fresh ideas & a vision for the future of the party & so on...........

One person who would fit that bill is Ted Terry of Savannah, who is the Finance Director for Congressman John Barrow & a former DNC Member who helped Organize Democrats on the ground in Georgia. He has worked on four consecutive winning campaigns for Barrow over in the conservative-leaning 12th District

Gen. David Poythress is also someone who would be a great fit at the job. He has a track record of turning around troubled organizations such as the Georgia National Guard, the Labor Commissioner's Office, etc. He ran a strong grassroots campaign, receiving donations from all of Georgia's 159 counties. He is a strong leader & would immediatelt command the respect of those inside the party & most definitely rock the boat at Spring Street.

But we won't know until its time to elect new party officers for the party, so stay tuned!

Thurmond for DPG Chairman?

Yesterday Jim Galloway of the AJC reported that State Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown said he would back former U.S. Senate candidate Michael Thurmond as the next chairman of the state Democratic party.

Jane Kidd, the current Chairman of the DPG hasn't ruled out running for the seat again when elections take place in January.

Now back to Thurmond. Michael is a great guy who has a great knack of the state as a whole & as Labor Commissioner has won statewide numerous times in areas not knwn as friendly territory for democrats. But is he the right gut at this time to rebuild the party anew & bring it back to respectability? Can he effectively implement a much needed 159 county strategy of having county party chapters active in each Georgia County? Can he raise the money? Can he help usher in a new wave of Georgia Democrats in rural Georgia? There are so many questions that need to be asked.

Now if the party is serious about moving ahead, Carl Camon would be great at that position. Jim Marshall as well. Those are the two guys I would support openly for the chairman job at DPG.

Don Weigel & Jane Kidd both get "F"s for bad performances thus far! Is it time to give them their pink slip?

I say YES!!!!

I once was high on Jane Kidd. Not anymore!

I had high hopes for Don Weigel as House Caucus Director. Not anymore!

The Georgia Democratic Party, once a party of strength, dominance rich with tradition is on the verge of blowing one of the biggest opportunities to make gains in this state since the GOP takeover in 2002.

Lead by Jane Kidd who beat out the likes of Mike Berlon, former State Senator Carol Jackson & others, the party has been unable to make any significant gains in the state since she took over as chairwoman of the party.

Don Weigel, who is the House Caucus Director of the Democrats who is in charge of determining which candidates would get support & resources from the House Caucus in his of bid for State Rep or State Senator has been awful in that capacity as he has left democratic candidates hanging out to dry against republicans who no doubt will get support from their own caucus members as well as the State GOP.

Weigel you sir has failed & its time for you to be shown the door. You're Fired!!!

Jane Kidd who came into the job promising a 159 county strategy has failed at her job at creating a strong, vibrant democratic party that will lead the next generation of democrats in this state, failed to deliver on that 159 county strategy she promised when she was elected chairman of the DPG & has been a lackluster fundraiser for the party.

Kidd you ma'am has failed & its time for you to be shown the door> You're Fired!!!

Right now both get a "F"- for the awful job each has done in leading the party back to competing for the GOP for the right to govern the state in a effective manner.

Regardless of the outcome in November, both need to be fired from their perspective positions & be replaced by a new slate of leaders who have a clear vision for the party with new ideas & the ability to rebuild the democratic bench, which after this election will be non-existent.

There are 9-12 House Seats that are very winnable for the democrats & 3-4 State Senate Seats that are winnable as well but with the party not having its act together to aid these strong democratic challengers, it'll be a lost cause. It getting late with more that a month remaining until the Nov 2 elections & it is clear to me that our leadership does not have the ability to lead the democratic party now & in future elections.

Bad Strategy, weak fundraising, misguided information are some of the major factors that democrats in this state are in such a bad shape now. Getting involved in races like the non=partisan Atlanta Race that close to $100,000 was wasted on & the involvement of primary races which I thought the DPG didn't get involved in, but boy was I wrong. Hypocrites!

Its very possible that democrats will not hold one single statewide office after the elections take place, which is a shame given the silver platter of issues that the GOP have given democrats to run on, but like I said, the folks at Spring Street doesn't have their act together, never had & never will.

Calvin Smyre, the long time State Rep out of Columbus spends more time going to Golfing Tournaments, Black-Tie galas & mingling with the D.C. crowd than working to help elect democrats here on the local & statewide level. One would think being the second highest ranking democrat in the house, with all of his deep connections across the country that he could help pull in some cash to help fund some of these local & statewide candidates, but no, Calvin Smyre is looking out for Calvin Smyre.

Robert Brown, who is looking to run for mayor of Macon in 2011 hasn't shown interest in leading the democrats in the senate, despite being the minority leader, nor hasn't shown a willingness to go out & campaign for & raise money for State Senate candidates for office.

DuBose hasn't been involved in that aspect since giving all of his responsibilities to Weigel & the other members of the democratic caucus to run for governor & now helping Carol Porter, his wife run for Lt. Governor.

I mentioned this before, there are some democrats who are sitting on money going as high as six figures while not being challenged by a single republican. But they will not contribute a single cent towards a democratic candidate running for office.


Lt. Colonel (Ret.) & ex-Milledgeville Mayor Floyd Griffin, who is running for SD 25, (a seat that is winnable) he represented for 6 years before giving it up to run for Lt. Governor in 1998 told me last night in a phone conversation that he haven't heard from anyone in regards to his race, which is occupied by Johnny Grant (R), as well as other candidates who are running this year.

Where is this coordinated campaign they promised they were going to run? Haven't seen it! Were all of the promises to help candidates for office year a big fat lie? At the moment it sure looks like it!


One thing they did this week is announced the opening of field offices all over Georgia for the 2010 elections, which is a good thing, but should have opened one in Vidalia to reach out to voters over in East central Georgia.

The democratic party need to return to its roots: The People, the folks on the ground, Georgia Oriented. The State Party has always been more conservative than their National Counterparts & as a result was successful in getting democrats elected to offices over & over again despite other states in the south falling victim to the republican dominance that started in the late 1960s.

What Im trying to say is that its time to clean house at the Georgia Democratic Party. Except for the communications director Eric Gray, every single high-level official at the state party needs to be shown the door, or FIRED!

Just found out this a.m that the DNC has sent a $350,000 check to the DPG to ensuring that local affiliates have the money necessary to run turnout operations for critical contests, plus Roy Barnes got a $350,000 infusion as well. That's small in comparison to other states. Like Andre Walker at Georgia Politics Unfiltered ask: what will Georgia Democrats do will all that money? We'll find out the answer to that question in the next few weeks.

Its time for someone to hold the leadership accountable for the lack of structure & organization of the democratic party, but Peanut Politics will. Regardless of the outcome this november, its time to overhaul the Georgia Democratic Party as well as the leadership in the democratic caucus of both chambers.

12th District Democratic County Chairs: Get off John Barrow's Back & Stop with the Crap!

Andre Walker at Georgia Politics Unfiltered had the story yesterday concerning a letter sent by Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kidd to democratic county chairs over in the 12th District in regards to their criticisms of Congressman John Barrow, namely his vote against the Healthcare Reform Bill.

Here what the letter said:

Criticizing Barrow while he seeks re-election violates state Democratic bylaws that require party officials to refrain from taking sides in contested primaries.

"Any of you wishing to continue this type of activity are required by our Charter and Bylaws to resign any official position with the Democratic Party of Georgia immediately," says Kidd's letter, dated June 1.

On party chairman John Brewer over in rural Montgomery County he's so angry that he won't vote for Barrow in the primary. Brewer also said, if Barrow's re-elected, he'll work to recruit another Democrat to challenge the congressman in 2012.

Chairwoman Kidd said Tuesday she sent the letter not as a threat, but as a reminder to Democratic officials to be careful during the primaries that they don't appear to be endorsing one Democrat over another in any race.


Let me say something about this: All the 12th District Democratic County Chairs better think long & hard of the consequences of defeating John Barrow over one vote. They better ask the following questions:

(1) Can we hold on to the 12th District if Barrow is defeated?

(2) Can Regina Thomas, who is a liberal democrat appeal to a district that is moderately conservative in a year that favors republicans?

(3) Is she strong enough?

(4) Can she keep conservative democrats from flocking over to the republican candidate if she becomes the nominee?

(5) Will the 12th even elect a Nancy Pelosi-Clone as its congresswoman?

(6) How is she better at representing the district that John Barrow?

I am a staunch John Barrow supporter, so let me get that out of the way.

And I, as a conservative democrat is tired of liberals targeting other democrats who do not favor or have the same views as they do.

Enough is Enough!!!!

If Thomas wins in the democratic primary, you can say goodbye to the 12th congressional District Democrats & it wouldn't surprise me if republicans decided to crossover & vote in the democratic primary just to elect the much weaker Thomas over the much stronger Barrow.

SEND JOHN BARROW BACK TO CONGRESS!

Why Jane Vandiver-Kidd Needs to Give the U.S. Senate Race a Second Look.

As you know we have a U.S. Senate race upon us this year as Incumbent Johnny Isakson is seeking a second term as Georgia's Junior Senator. As of now there is one candidate who announced a challenge to Isakson, RJ Hadley (D-Conyers). But what about Jane Kidd, the Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia?

Now taking on a sitting senator is a daunting task within itself. Not to say that RJ Hadley is not a strong candidate, in fact he is (I've met him once & came away impressed). But having the strongest candidate at top of the ticket is a very, very critical element in having a strong chance of winning the governorship & other downballot races.

Democrats just cannot just put all of their eggs in one basket on the governor's race & forget about the others. Democrats need as many strong candidates on the ballot this year if they have any hope of winning again & it starts this year. It's important that democrats have a unified party this year. (Its a must) In 2006, the primary between Cathy Cox, then Secretary of State & Mark Taylor, then Lt. Governor left both candidates bloodied, battered & bruised. As a result, Cathy Cox supporters went out & supported Sonny Perdue for re-election instead of throwing their energy behind Mark Taylor. With Jane Kidd at the top of the ticket, she would fill that leadership gap that is sorely lacking. Folks throw out names such as Jim Marshall & Tim Golden as possible candidates for the senate, but how about a woman running at the top of the ticket.

As the daughter of a former governor (Ernest Vandiver) & the grand-niece of one of the most famous & beloved person ever to come out of Georgia (Richard B. "Dick" Russell), the attention she would gain from a U.S. Senate run would be remarkable. To kickoff her senate run, she should start off with a rural tour, going to towns that have been decimated by the loss of manufacturing industries & businesses that have closed due to the lack of economic opportunities that are not being produced & in the process build a strong grassroots organization that would be able to assist her in her bid to unseat Isakson. Money is good to have, but its not everything. A strong grassroots is much more effective that the swollen pockets of Johnny Isakson. There are a couple of issues that Kidd can capitalize on against Isakson, (1) The State Children Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), which he voted against THREE times while in the senate, (2) Healthcare. Although I'm neutral on the healthcare reform bill that is going through congress, she can hit him hard on this issue, where here in rural Georgia, the lack of healthcare is hurting people the most.

For example, Rural Georgia presents a unique set of challenges for health care reform. Rural Georgians have less access to health networks and health care providers, greater rates of disability and chronic diseases and higher use rates of all public health care programs. And largely as a result of higher rates of self-employment and small business employment, rural Georgians have lower rates of employer-provided benefits and are more likely to be underinsured or uninsured for longer periods of time. The people here in rural Georgia are most in need of health care system reform.

Health care is also a major barrier to rural economic development that creates real opportunities and reduces poverty. Small business development is the most effective path in many communities for low and moderate income rural Georgians to pull themselves out of poverty. But if small business entrepreneurs cannot gain affordable access to health care for themselves or their employees, that path out of poverty is blocked. Any hope of building real economic opportunity for struggling rural Georgians through entrepreneurship must be accompanied by reforming the health care system in a way that benefits both small business owners and their employees & there is where Jane can hit Isakson the hardest & as a result, she would have rural Georgians eating out of the palm of her hands. But those reasons I just stated are why some type of healthcare reform is needed, so to help rural Georgians that are battling everyday just to pay the bills.

As a candidate for the Senate, Jane can appeal to women. Isakson's record on women is mixed. He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Act & the Equal Pay Act. Republicans have made significant gains among Amen over the years & her candidacy would be a game changer to a possible historic election of Karen Handel as Georgia's first Woman governor.

She can hit Isakson & his party's lack of vision & solutions on our nations economy. Think about it, on the campaign trail or in a debate, she could & should press Isakson on his vision for our nations economy & future. Jane can become the candidate for standing up & fighting for the folks of this state & help solidify Georgia as the empire state of the south, the leading state of the south. Her candidacy would appeal to republican leaning women voters as well as uniting the democratic base.

She can win! No doubt about it. She can definitely win over moderate democratic & republican women, she can remind Georgia of the great legacy of her family with Black Voters & those democrats of the past that have strayed to the republican party. The one issue for democrats is how to turn out Black voters in a non-presidential year? In 2006, her campaign for the State Senate led to the highest Black voter turnout in Athens ever. Translate that to a statewide race, democrats will have no problem. Plus there are still areas of the state that the Vandiver name still resonates, especially among rural Georgians who are old enough to remember Ernest Vandiver. From a Rural Georgia perspective, Jane can make significant inroads in a region that was until 2002 was a bastion of conservative democrats. Those democrats have defected to the GOP since then, but can be brought back to the party with a message that appeals to them. Remember this state likes progressive leaning government, but loves conservative politics. And another thing, as a senate candidate. she would be difficult for the GOP to attack. Think about it, malicious, vicious attacks on Kidd that goes way over the line will win her unexpected support & in effect turn off more centrist leaning republicans, especially women. They would have to walk a very, very fine line with Jane in the race, than say a male candidate.

The 2010 Elections are going to center on (1) Jobs (1a) Healthcare (2a) Fiscal Matters (2) Economy. Jane Kidd at the top of the democratic ticket would solidify a strong democratic ticket that is sure to be one of the strongest tickets democrats have produced in a very long time. Democrats need a Jane Kidd at the top of the Ballot come Nov. 2010. Isakson can no, no, & no until his face turns blue, but what does that accomplish if there are no alternatives? No solutions? No Answers? Georgia needs a common-sense, independent, middle-of-the-road candidate, an outsider that can go to washington & work in a real-bi-partisan manner & who is not consumed with the TV Camera & party loyalty. Washington has lost it way. Rural Georgia needs someone who will not be bought by special interest groups, lobbyist, someone who's principles are genuine & someone who will go to "Work" for the farmer, the truck driver, the cashier, the at home moms, the factory worker, the poor, the elderly, the disadvantage, the black, the white, the hispanic, the educator, the veteran, the law enforcement official, rural, urban, surburban, exurban, etc. Not a show pony, who only goes where the wind is blowing. Georgia, especially rural Georgia is suffering & its time Georgia sends someone who has the courage to fight for working class men & women. Jane Kidd is what the state of Georgia needs at this critical juncture in our state & our country's history. This is your opportunity to bring mainstream, responsible change to our beloved state. Run, Jane, Run!!!!!!!!