Peanut Politics will return May 3

Yep, because of other outside interest that has come before me, I'll be putting Peanut Politics on hiatus for the month of April, but will return in time for the redistricting battle that will begin around that time.

Barrow Introduces Bi-Partisan Bill to fix Healthcare Flaw

Congressmen John Barrow (D-GA) and Mike Rogers (R-MI) today introduced a bipartisan bill that would amend the new health care law to preserve consumer access to licensed insurance agents and brokers.

“Insurance agents and brokers serve as the voice of health insurance for millions of families and small businesses in rural communities,” said Congressman Barrow. “These folks can help explain to consumers the many changes taking place in the healthcare world over the next few years, and so it’s important that our insurance agents are not hampered by provisions in the new healthcare law. This is another critical improvement that needs to be made to the healthcare law, and I’m hopeful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work with Mike and me to see that this important improvement is implemented.”

“The nation’s 500,000 insurance agents and brokers help consumers find the right health care, advocate on their behalf, identify cost-savings opportunities and inform them of new products and changes in the industry,” said Congressman Rogers. “A mandate in the new health care law severely restricts their ability to perform such services, meaning small businesses are losing jobs or shutting down completely and consumers are finding it harder to access their services.”

State consumer protection and tax laws require that insurance agents and brokers be paid through commissions included as part of consumers’ regular insurance premiums. The new healthcare law now classifies commissions as an “administration expense.” By itself, this reclassification would not pose a problem, except that a new regulation in the law – called The Medical Loss Ratio – mandates that insurers may only spend 20 percent of insurance premiums on administrative expenses. The result has been insurers dramatically cutting commissions to agents and brokers in order to comply with the Medical Loss Ratio mandate, which is causing job losses in the industry and restricting the ability of rural consumers from accessing healthcare advice from qualified, licensed healthcare professionals.

Earlier this month, Congressman Barrow voted to repeal the 1099 reporting requirements for small businesses included in the Affordable Care Act. The 1099 provision requires businesses to send the IRS a form detailing every business entity they pay $600 or more for goods or merchandise in every year. This requirement greatly increases the cost and complexity of complying with the tax code for small businesses and does nothing to improve the healthcare people receive.

Part 1:12 Hottest Democratic Women of Georgia

Shannon Marietta

Ex-Campaign Manager at Ken Hodges for Attorney General


Teresa Tomlinson

Mayor of Columbus (elected 2010)

Executive Director at MidTown, Inc

Amber N English

President at Young Democrats of Atlanta

Legislative Coordinator at Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Georgia

Jonae Wartel

Deputy Director at Georgia House Democratic Caucus

Campaign Manager at Stacey Evans for Ga House District 40

Nikema Williams

Vice-Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party

Public Policy Manager at Planned Parenthood of Georgia

Dar'shun Kendrick

State Representative, District 94 at Georgia General Assembly

Owner/Attorney at Law at Kendrick Law Practice

Lean Ryals

President of Darton College Young Democrats

Maricel Dizon

Native of the Phillipines, Moved to Georgia in 1998.

(Former Classmate of Mine)

Graduate of Georgia State University

Liberal Activist

Maryline Blackburn

Former Miss Alaska & former Candidate for the Georgia Legislature HD 34

Fenika Miller

Former Chair of Houston County Democratic Party, Candidate for HD 145 (2010)

Democratic Activist

Member of the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women & Middle Georgia Democratic Women

Nicole Denise Marchand

Chief Assistant D.A. for Dekalb County, 2010 candidate for State Court Judge

Carry Smith

Member of the Chatham (County) Democrats, Former candidate for SD 1 (2010), Local Activist

What's Next????

I'm a little worn out about talking about what democrats need to do in order to be successful once again here in Georgia. Since 2009 I've been writing about the ills of the Georgia Democratic Party & their shortcomings & what they need to do to change the trend. I don't if any of this stuff is being paid attention to, or being taken seriously by the progressives who dominate the party right now! I really don't know!

There are different strokes for different folks & one size does not fit all! All I'm saying is & I don't know why this is so hard for democrats to the left of me to understand, but you have got to run certain types of democrats in certain areas of this state.

Whether its a Christian Conservative Democrat in Southeast Georgia, or a moderate populist democrat in West Central Georgia, or a true blue liberal in the Urban Areas of the state, or just a plain 'ol conservative democrat in North Georgia.

(SIGH!!!!!!!) I don't know!

Until they level the playing field for elections in Georgia, dems are always going to be on the back bench."

Changing demographics will once again give the potential for democrats to change the trend that has been going overwhelmingly republican for the last 6-7 years. But, in order to take advantage of changing demographics there have to be credible candidates running for office at the local level who can rise up the ranks and become the legislators and statewide candidates of the future. The bench is awfully thin for Georgia Democrats. It’s strong candidates all over the state and local leadership that will build a strong party for the future, not the “big timers”, "the big daddys", "the big wigs" that do things the way they have always been done and are running it slam into the ground.

The last line of defense for democrats here is at the local level & its the one place state republicans have not been able to grab a hold on, but that's all about to change. Its one of the reasons why I ran for congressional party chair because to maintain democratic hold at the local level & help candidates running for the state legislature in the future. Too bad some of the committee members in the second district didn't see it that way.

And let me reiterate one thing: Dems must not write off small town Georgia to the GOP. When you forfeit rural Georgia, that means your sights tend to drift too far left & sadly that's what has happened here by those who say small town Georgia is a lost cause. Well I have run out of things to say about this. 2 years is enough!!! Hopefully this is the last post I write about democrats & what they need to do to win again in this state, but I doubt it!!!!

It's no secret: Rural Georgia is Dying!

From the swamps of the Okefenokee to the Onion fields of Vidalia to the Appalachian Mountains of Blue Ridge to the peanut fields of Southwest Georgia , the rural areas of Georgia has been losing people for decades, a slow demographic collapse. Without even the level of farmers and merchants that used to give these areas their pulse, many counties are also losing their very reason to exist, falling behind the rest of the state in nearly every category as they desperately try to reinvent themselves.

Two forces common to rural Georgia have transformed Superior. One is the collapse of the family farm and the subsequent rise of agribusiness. 60-70 years ago, more than 50 percent of Georgia workers earned their income from a farm. The big farms are getting richer, fattened by federal subsidies, and the small farms are disappearing.

And now a broad swath of the state's central & southern section seems to have lost something else, as well: its optimism. There's a quiet crisis in confidence, the one thing that had seemed a part of rural Georgia DNA. More than ever, people feel powerless to control their lives and pessimistic about the future, especially with many of our seats in the State Legislature about to be relocated in or around the metro Atlanta Area.

The middle class is dwindling, leaving pockets of hard poverty amid large agribusinesses supported by taxpayers. Some counties & towns here in rural Georgia taxed themselves to create an economic development fund. They put in a fiber-optic network for telecommunications. They shored up their high school. They zoned 30 acres at the edge of town for industrial use, graded it and put in utilities. At the center of the proposed industrial park sits the empty shell of a brand new building, built with the help of $145,000 in state money.

Industry could come here to the more isolated regions of rural Georgia and produce their products pretty cheap. And with all the things going on with agriculture, we think we're pretty well positioned.''

The stores that do survive sell basics: gas, quick-pickup groceries, coffee. Or they find a niche, selling local crafts.

With the current trends showing no sign of reversing, we will eventually be left with a lot of places without schools, stores or even government. 'We will depopulate much of the rural Areas of the state and it won't stop there. One of the biggest complaints of Rural Georgia that it is boring. That's true! There isn't that much to do in these areas unless you have transportation & drive to nearby Macon, Columbus, Albany, Savannah.

With the dying of rural Georgia, the days of rural Georgia being the power center of state politics is long gone.

Here they Come! The New Guard of Black Georgia Democrats

The ones that will have the ability to run statewide one day if he/she chooses to do so.

The old guard liberal black democrats like State Rep Tyrone Brooks, State Senator Robert Brown, State Senator Vincent Fort & others are likely, but slowly to be replaced with the likes of moderate/conservative black democrats like Quentin Howell (D-Milledgeville), Carl Camon (D-Ray City) both who ran for office back in 2010 (Howell for State Rep, Camon for governor).

And others like RJ Hadley (D-Conyers), who I view more as a moderate progressive, who is now Vice-Chairman of County Parties at the Georgia Democratic Party, was a candidate for the US Senate in 2010 was dissed by the Old Guard when he was starting his political career. Fenika Miller (D-Warner Robins), despite having a progressive streak is also a young moderate who ran for office as well in 2010.

Others like Shawn James, a conservative democrat from Clayton County, Freddy Grimsley, a centrist democrat from Albany, Kimberly Alexander, a centrist democrat from Douglas County, State Senator Hardie Davis (D-Augusta) is a prime example of a centrist oriented Black Democrat, are all part of the new guard that will in some shape or form will represent the new African-American Democrat in Georgia who will be more moderate or conservative on some key issues that will enable them to appeal to a more cross section of the population instead of just one group of people.

If the Old Guard is afraid to reach back and mentor the next generation that wants to be in this realm of electoral politics ... that younger generation is going to elbow them in the face, and they're going to find themselves on the sideline as the next generation takes their seats away.

Look at Quentin Howell (D-Milledgeville) for example: A conservative democrat, he is a entrepreneur, he is a successful Small Business Owner (Howell’s Medical Equipment & Supply) , did some time in the US Navy & who also hosts the largest radio talk show in Middle Georgia & is a Christian Conservative, someone who I think will win if he chooses to run again in 2012, preferably for the State Senate. (This just me talking, lol!!!). You see, this is the new face of Georgia Politics, the new guard of Black Democrats in this state.

The Old Guard, many of them grew during the MLK Generation. But too many of them, in my opinion have stopped reaching back to mentor the next generation. And their successors are desperately needed as role models for black youth who drop out of school and commit crimes at rates far above their proportion of the population.

It's time for new blood. Dems need fresh energy and fresh ideas. The day has come when black Democrats can win over white voters based on what they stand for and what they can accomplish. Be on the lookout for these up & coming democrats in Georgia Politics

Gerrymandering Hurts Potential Black Candidates with Aspirations for Higher Office Here in Georgia.

YES!!!!!!!!!


The idea of creating majority-minority districts came from the thought that blacks (or other minorities) would have a better chance of being elected and thus be better represented in a district where the majority of the voters in the district are black. The 4th District is a prime example where more than 60% of the voters are African American. In SW Georgia, Sanford Bishop district has changed numerous times. Bishop first won the 2nd when it was a majority white district. In the other two districts, the 4th & 13th, those districts have over 50% African American Population. So does that prove the system works?

Yes and no. Yes, Rep. John Lewis, Hank Johnson & David Scott will get re-elected in 2012 and every year after and chances are when they retire a black Democrat will succeed them. Sanford Bishop's 2nd District has a great shot of being represented by a white democrat once he retires from office more so than the other more liberal districts in the state. But, could a Scott, Johnson, Lewis ever win statewide? No. They are simply too liberal. They are fine for their liberal, cut out district which they need to be, but that would not fly in the state as a whole. Before I thought Bishop had best chance of all of the black Georgia Democrats to win statewide because he represented a rural district in which he got a substantial number of white votes, but all that went out the window with his support for the unpopular Heathcare Bill & his close ties to President Obama. Each with the exception of Bishop can win re-election without a single white vote


The problem with them (xcept Bishop) is that their districts are not representative of the state as a whole because of the deliberate elimination of all those who are not traditional liberal, democratic voters. The same point could be made for most districts in the state House and state Senate. If African-Americans from the state legislature want to win a statewide election, they are simply going to have to moderate their positions on a host of issues. Of course, they risk losing the black vote when doing so, but that's a risk they are going to have to take.