Georgia Dems, Carter, Nunn, Barrow and the Future

Despite all of the hope and enthusiasm from Georgia Democrats, Tuesday night was a reminder that more work needs to be done in order to be competitive again here in the Peach State.

The biggest problem facing Democrats here in Georgia is their inability to attract white voters and having a message that can appeal to moderates and conservative democrats....plain & simple! Forget Independent Voters because there are no such thing as a TRUE independent voter....most lean either to the democrats or republicans.

Nunn and Carter got under 25% of the white vote, which is not enough to be competitive statewide int he near future. On the bright side, they got close to 30% of the black vote, so despite all the talk about black voters not turning out, they did this year despite voter turnout being at a record low across the country during Tuesday's election.

For all the talk about demographic changes and registering more minority voters they need to do a better job at attracting those who are already registered to vote, black and white. Too much they rely on urban and suburban areas of Atlanta, Lilburn, Albany for their votes and very little on rural, mid-sized areas of Fitzgerald, Swainsboro, Douglas, thus leaving huge swaths of the state to the GOP.

Look at the state legislature, democrats have done a poor job at candidate recruitment on the house and senate side and that starts with the leadership in both chambers. That needs to change and change soon and that starts with electing new leadership who knows that leaving 80% of the republican legislature unchallenged is not good for the state, nor the party. Now is the time for Rep. Scott Holcomb, yes I'm talking to you, to run for minority leader and to locate potential democratic candidates to add to a democratic house caucus that's (with the exception of a dozen legislators) made up of 'Dead Weight" or "Seat Warmers".

Michelle Nunn ran a good race, but she ran the type of race that made National Democrats proud, but on the flip side, this is still the south and this is still Georgia and she didn't put enough emphasis on Georgia and too much on National Issues. Even Rep. Jack Kingston said she didn't exert enough independence from the National Democrats and looking back on it, he's right! That Ferguson mailer did have a negative impact on both Nunn and Carter thus their white support fell below 25%.

DuBose Porter should run for the 12th Congressional District in '16, if he decides to bypass a full four year term as head of the Georgia Democratic Party. Porter came in under tough circumstances to rebuild the state party that hit rock bottom and now is a viable and fully functioning party. And there's always 2018 in which Porter will be in his 60s.

I for one do not see Nunn running for political office again. That's the feeling I get, but who knows.

Jason Carter also ran a good race, but you have to give the Deal Campaign credit for highlighting his experience, which I think hurt Carter towards the end. Why Carter didn't run on expanding medicaid is a question only he can answer. That was a winning issue, but he made very little mention of it. Everyone assumes he will the front runner for governor in 2018, but you better look out for Kasim Reed and possibly John Barrow.

And speaking of Barrow who I call the smartest politician in the entire state, I didn't expect to see him go down to Rick Allen who ran on absolutely nothing, except tying Barrow to Obama, just like Austin Scott who also ran on nothing when he defeated Jim Marshall in 2010 by tying him to Nancy Pelosi.

Barrow is the wildcard here because he has options. He gets to sit back and re-charge his batteries for another "likely" run for office...either for the U.S. Senate in 2016 or for a statewide office in 2018. And it's a longshot, but Barrow could be on a list of possible VP contenders for Hillary Clinton.

Another is Kasim Reed. You know and I know he's going to begin to lay the groundwork for a potential 2018 race. And look over to Columbus, Ga where Teresa Tomlinson (D) will be someone who may look to move up the political ladder if she has a successful second term as mayor of Columbus.

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 Makeover is Almost Complete, with 2012 being either Do or Die for the Georgia Democratic Party

With Roy Barnes only getting 24% of the White Vote last night, it is evident that the Georgia Democratic Party is now only consisted of Liberal Whites, Urban Blacks, Rural Progressives & Hispanics.

The Georgia GOP will almost complete their goal of remaking the Democratic Party as the party of "minorities" while they consume the majority of the centrist/conservative white voters, independents & a few commom-sense Black Republicans.

The likes of Alan Powell (D-Hartwell), Bob Hanner (D-Parrott), Gerald Greene (D-Cuthbert), Rick Crawford (D-Cedertown), Barbara Massey-Reese (D-Menlo), James "Bubber" Epps (D-Dry Branch), Ellis Black (D-Valdosta), Amy Carter (D-Valdosta), Mike Cheokas (D-Americus), Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City) are the only remaining white rural democrats left in the party. After redistricting is done in 2011, two things will happen: (1) Some will either switch parties or (2) Retire.

As it is shaping up now ,2012 will the fight for the survival of the Georgia Democratic Party. If the party continue to lose seats in the legislature, then we will become just like the state of Kansas, Utah, or better yet, Oklahoma where those democratic parties are irrelevant. The party is left with a uninspired, weak, base that is very unreliable when they need them the most.

One glimmer of hope for Georgia Dems is that the demographics will favor them once 2014 rolls around, but its not a definite guarantee. The map last night resembles that of 2006 where the rural black belt counties & traditionally urban areas went democratic while large swaths of rural georgia was as red as the devil himself. A bad sign from last night was that traditional rural democratic counties like Marion, Crawford, Schley, Taylor, Miller all went republican. (Taylor, Schley are already trending republican)

As I mentioned in a post earlier, someone like Jim Marshall, Carol Porter, or Carl Camon are the perfect fits to take the reigns of the Party & try to save it before it goes to a point of no return.

On a side note: The re-election of Sanford Bishop looks huge right now. Had he lost that would have had a major, major impact on the already shattered confidence of the democrats. Like it or not, he, along with John Barrow are now the standard bearers for Georgia Democrats, not the liberal members of Scott, Johnson & Lewis, with likelihood of Bishop moving to re-establish his center/right cred among his constituents.