Oppenheimer for PSC Commission

In case many of you didn't know, there is a statewide race on the ballot this november for PSC Commission against Incumbent anti-Solar Power candidate Chuck Eaton.

 

The Public Service Commission is a state agency that  help decide how much Georgians pay to turn on their lights and heat their ovens, among other regulated industries.

Oppenheimer is former small business owner and a long-time community activist interested in energy security and energy independence issues. He also serves as Task Force Coordinator for Clean-Cities Atlanta, and serves on the City of Atlanta’s Electric Vehicle Task Force. Steve also serves on the Metro Atlanta Plug In Electric Vehicle Readiness Task Force and is a Coalition Member of Analysis of Global Security, a Washington, D.C. group focusing on energy security.

As Peanut Politics catches up on happenings in the political world, I'll be doing more posts on Oppenheimer as he battles Eaton for a seat on the PSC Commission leading all the way up to November. With energy rates here in Georgia going through the roof, its essential that voters know about the candidates & what they're plans for Georgia's Consumers

You can check out Oppenheimer's website in the meantime: http://www.steveforgeorgia.com./ 

Mitt Romney: Just a Average Candidate with Glaring Weaknesses

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney once again strode onto the world stage last week to weigh in on grave geo-political matters, and he promptly fell on his face. It is practically a campaign ritual at this point.
His ill-timed, misinformed attack on President Obama in the wake of anti-American violence on 9/11 at the American embassy in Cairo and consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is further evidence he may not be ready to assume the mantle of “leader of the free world.” The Libyan attack resulted in the deaths of U.S.Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.


Romney’s blundering is bad enough on its own. But this incident also reflects a broader plague infecting this nation’s political culture.

What is painfully obvious is that Romney’s instinctive reaction to the tragedy or at the very least the reaction of people close to him to whom he was more than willing to listen  was to quickly identify how it could be used on his behalf against Obama, and to strike immediately.

Romney may not have known about the deaths when he decided to try to score the obligatory cheap political points by claiming that the violence itself served as evidence of the president’s weakness as a leader, his failed foreign policy and his willingness to “apologize for American principles.

Romney should have known better than to pontificate while the situation was still volatile and facts were still coming in. And to say things that were patently untrue. Clearly, within Romney’s campaign, the embassy attacks most of all represented a chance to stick it to the President, regardless of the facts.

Aside from the fact that his comments further revealed an appallingly weak grasp of foreign policy, Romney was also reflecting the win-at-all-costs ethos poisoning both parties.

Now comes the comments Romney made about the 47% who are with President Obama, are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, etc... This is reminiscent of Obama's 2008 remark about rural voters cling to their guns & religion as nothing more than a psychological symptom or rationalization.

Now I've never been the biggest Obama cheerleader & he deserves some of the blame, along with republicans as to why this country hasn't moved a inch in 4 years, but right now I rather have him over Romney to lead this country for another 4 years. Romney weaknesses are now coming to light & his disdain for working class, low-income voters who are living paycheck to paycheck are clearly evident in that taped audio. At this juncture, Romney is not ready to become the leader of the free world. Its not too late for him to turn things around, but time's a wasting. Less that 50 days are remaining until Nov 7.

(GA-HD 105) Renita Hamilton is the Centrist Who Democrats Need to Rejuvenate the Party's Sagging Fortunes

A true centrist democrat, Renita Hamitlon is the only candidate in the race for HD 105 with the ability to deliver the message of the working class across party lines, appeal to independents & like-minded republican & to grow the democratic base in Gwinnett County.


In the race for the open HD 105 seat, Hamilton stands out as the most electable & most appealing against her opposition Joyce Chandler. She is the best positioned to appeal to the middle, while at the same time bringing new voters into the democratic party in Gwinnett County.



 Renita Hamilton believes strongly in traditional values.

I  believe that the Democratic Party will never again be able to compete statewide in Georgia unless they successfully appeal to independent and rural voters. It’s not that the Georgia Democratic message is too liberal…it’s that they keep choosing messengers who cannot connect with voters outside of the Democratic base & that's why candidates like Renita Hamilton are desperately needed in the ranks of the democratic party who can effectively connect with voters who are not liberals and progressives. Dems need a candidate such as Renita, who can inspire people across demographic and party lines to join ranks and to vote with democrats to restore the American Dream in Georgia.

Hamilton, a native of Turner County where her parents instilled strong values in the church is a small businessowner, Polished Affairs, LLC, graduated from Savannah State University & currently attending Tennessee State where she is trying to obtain her Masters in professional Studies in Strategic Leadership.

Hamilton is a  pro-business, anti-tax democrat who is also a gun owner who previously ran for Lawrenceville City Council back in 2011.

Georgia Democrats: Its Time To Man Up & Make a Play for Rural Georgia!

Residents say their central issues are being ignored...

But there is a sense among residents here, as in many rural communities across the state, that they are the forgotten ones — at least politically

You ask most of rural Georgia, and they will say neither party has a vision or game plan for us. There is no respect for agriculture. No planning for our infrastructure. No understanding of the long distances people have to go to access medical care.

That sentiment has me predicting a bitter battle between the political parties to capture the votes of rural Georgia which is right now control by the GOP due to the democrats reluctance to compete in the area. Although these areas tend to lean Republican, during the primary season I asked if they support a generic Democratic or Republican presidential candidate, rural voters narrowly picked the Democrat.

Rural Georgia remains conservative, with social issues in the forefront, but these voters are also consumed by economic concerns and the lack of job opportunities. Regardless of what party they belong to, many say they vote for the candidate who can help them, not the party. I remember when I was stumping with then candidate Thomas Coogle who ran for a house seat in the Georgia Legislature this year, I asked a lady who was 82 years old if she ever voted for a straight ballot, she replied..."I've never voted a straight ballot. It doesn't take brains to vote across the board, although right now I'm not impressed by either side."

Ignoring these areas can be politically lethal for candidates. While rural voters make up around 30-35% of the state's population, they have affected races for Governor (2002) & U.S. Senate (2002). Remember what happened in those races, Barnes the heavy favorite lost to a obscure State Senator, Sonny Perdue & Max Cleland lost to then congressman Saxby Chambliss.

To win as a republican, you need a lion's share of the rural vote & to win as a democrat, you need to neutralize the rural vote....well democrats should compete for the rural vote instead of trying to neutralize it.

But speaking from a democratic perspective, there are a number of theories on why democrats don't pay much attention to rural voters such as: rural voters don't donate as much as their urban/suburban counterparts.


Another reason Dems avoid competing in rural Georgia is difficulty getting to far-flung areas is time-consuming, and crafting an effective message is difficult because many politicians that campaign down here don't understand the complexities of rural Georgia. For instance: many rural residents resent interference by the federal government, but their towns' existence often depends on grants and funding for infrastructure. It's our lifeblood, but many rural residents who lean conservative don't see it that way. Another is that rural Georgia is not as diverse as the more populated areas in the state. Many Dems point to the demographic changes that are coming to Georgia in terms of the growing Hispanic & African-American populations as their ticket back to competing in this state. The notion among some dems in this state is forget about white rural voters who lean more to the right & just focus on minority voters...BAD RECIPE FOR SUCCESS! You're only reinforcing the perception that the democratic party is the party for minorities & only minorities. If you're the "BIG TENT PARTY" all voters regardless of race, class, gender, ideology should be welcomed with open arms. I hear the talk, but see little or no action!

Neither party is paying attention to rural Georgia. Agriculture is in trouble & the quality of life is deteriorating as we speak. In my humble opinion, rural communities are competitive now....not because they love the Democrats. I get the sense from talking with conservative or conservative leaning voters that they maybe falling out of love with the republicans, but as long as the Democratic Party remains resistant to rural Georgia, then republicans will always have two legs up in appealing to these voters.


For Democrats to capture rural votes, it must find cultural and economic connections & be more open to democrats who doesn't hold the same views & insights of that of a liberal. Hey, they like to call themselves the "Big Tent Party", well its about time to live up to that slogan. Voters aren't looking for grandstanding or cheap symbolic performance, just someone who has a pulse on the happenings of their communities.


Although many towns across rural Georgia are struggling, there are indications that a little bit of industry/economic revitalization can get them back on their feet. Georgia Dems, its time to man up & compete for rural Georgia,,the sooner, the better.

Democrats Need to Recognize the Self-Employed

There are over 23 million self-employed Americans. They account for nearly three-quarters of American businesses, with over a trillion dollars in receipts. The labors of the self-employed are as old as agriculture, and as new as computer programming. The self-employed cut across political party, age, sex, education, religion, creed and geography. They are the backbone of rural and many local urban economies. Because of the Self-Employment Tax, they are acutely aware of their identity as “self-employed,” but not of their large numbers and diversity in the United States. The self-employed are also the fastest growing and largest untapped voting block in the country. Their influence can easily swing future Congressional and Presidential elections.

From 1980 to 2000 non-farm sole proprietorships doubled from 8,892,000 to 17,905,000, while union membership declined about 1.5 million to 16,258,000. By 2006, union membership had declined to 15,390,000, while the number of self-employed had increased by 3.5 million to over 23,000,000 (including farmers). This hugely important change in the demographics of the American workplace must be recognized and acted upon by the Democratic Party, if it is to build its majority in Congress and retain the Presidency.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party, like the Republican Party, has little recent history of supporting legislation that would help the self-employed. Federal, state and local governments have made the self-employed the highest taxed, most regulatory burdened, least protected citizens. Consequently, the majority of the self-employed are voting Republican in the hope that government will leave them alone. The self-employed are the backbone of rural America, and any change in the political direction of rural America will come about only when Democrats recognize and promote the importance of the self-employed to the rural economy and its quality of life.

Politicians indirectly refer to the self-employed as “small business,” but the term “small business” is code to the self-employed for being ignored. The Small Business Administration gives the self-employed less than one-tenth of one percent of SBA loans, and the SBA defines a “small business” in manufacturing as a firm with less than 500 employees.

Republicans use the term “small business” often because they have calculated that using this term will win Republicans votes; their avowed economic policies, however, have not helped the self-employed.

Democrats can turn the Republican Party’s small business mantra to their own advantage by reaching out to the 23 million self-employed Americans by name and recognizing their issues.

If the Democratic Party wants to reach the self-employed, they must first use the name of this producer group: “self-employed.” If proposed economic plans do not refer exclusively to the self-employed, but include other small businesses, then Democrats should use this phrase: “small business and the self-employed.”

The Racial...No Political Profiling of Moderate & Conservative Democrats by the Liberal Left

If you're a moderate or conservative democrat nowadays, be prepared to be racially, no wait, politically profiled by the left wing democratic leadership. One thing I've noticed over the last few years, especially this year is how paranoid democrats have become when a candidate describe him or herself as a Bluedog or Conservative Democrat

Why?

The party has seen a mass exodus of Conservative leaning Democrats from its ranks who switched to the Republican Party. Many left because of Ideological difference with the party or because of changes within his/her district or political aspirations. There was a time when the democratic party as open to all points of view, now there's not that much diversity of opinion in the party. If you are a moderate or conservative democratic male or female nowadays, get ready to be profiled! If you have two strikes against you from the so-called "Big Tent Party" who supposed to accept other people's opinions and embracing their differences.

Every candidate that runs for office is not cut from the same cloth. In today's democratic party if you a self-described moderate or conservative, it means that you're a republican. A decade ago, that wasn't the case. But with Redistricting & Gerrymandering, the party is now made up of majority African-Americans & Liberal Caucasians who represent either urban areas or a few blocks in a community. Because the Republican Party seek to get rid of GOPers who aren't conservative enough doesn't mean the democrats should seek to get rid or prevent candidates for office who aren't liberal enough.

Why liberals have such disdain for Moderate & Conservative Democrats? Think about it for a minute.

Like it or not, but there are plenty of Black Conservative Democrats coming up through the ranks on the local level who's eyeing a run for the State Legislature in the future. One notion I want to put to rest is that ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE NOT BIG GOVERNMENT LIBERALS!!!! Many are fiscally conservative, socially conservative who believe in self-help & personal responsibility. Sadly though today's democratic party cannot accept the fact that any African-American would call him or herself a Conservative Democrat. Look at Artur Davis, former Alabama Democrat. The Black Democratic establishment over there was so upset with him for not supporting the president's initiatives that they voted for the challenger Ron Sparks.

In today's democratic party if you're pro-life, pro-gun, anti-abortion...even  religious, you're looked upon as a closet republican.

Look at John Barrow for example...he's not a party loyalist & he votes with republicans most of the time. He voted against the Healthcare Legislation among things. Will democrats here put those things aside & hold their noses & support Barrow? Or will they just vote for President Obama & skip the Barrow-Anderson Congressional Race because Barrow is too conservative for their own taste? We'll see on that one.

If the Democratic Party is truly the Big Tent Party, they need to stop profiling democrats based on Ideology & in certain cases, Race!

44 Years Ago: The Night that Re-defined the Democratic Party in the eyes of Middle America

Given that the Democratic Convention is this week, I decided to take a look back at the event that re-shaped the democratic party & ushered in the Neo-Liberals who eventually took control of the party years later