Sonny Endorses Cathy Cox?

That's how it seems. Since Friday, we have received not one, not two, but three copies of a love letter from Sonny Perdue to the Cox donor list (available in the disclosures filed with the State Ethics Commission.) So, Perdue reached out to Cox supporters, many of whom were first time donors who were attracted to her message of ending partisan bickering. Not a stupid move. If he were telling the truth about his record, it might be a compelling invitation. Unfortunately, he's not.

In the letter, Perdue sings Cox's praises with platitudes like, "Anyone with the courage to stand for election and open themselves to the scrutiny of a statewide campaign should be applauded. Secretary of State Cathy Cox ran a very commendable campaign for Governor." He then co-opts her platform and claims that "many of the issues she talked about, we've already tackled." (Really??) Finally, he says, " I want to continue to create a unified Georgia, ready to move forward in a positive direction. I would be honored to have you join me."

Sonny must've been in a different Georgia than I've been in for the last four years. I haven't noticed any nods toward bipartisanship under the Gold Dome. Instead, Perdue has endorsed a tightly controlled legislative process that truncates debate and ensures that only ideas he endorses have a fair and public hearing. In the letter, Sonny also claims to have tackled ethics reform, yet during his term, he, himself was found in violation, and afterward he found cause to remove from the board an ethics watchdog respected by both Democrats and Republicans. Sonny claims to have tackled our problems in our public schools with $100 gift cards and completion counselors, when what schools really need is for politicians to "complete" their promises of adequate funding for mandated programs and offer our students real hope for the future. Yes, Sonny claims great progress while the rest of us have been in a Georgia that fell from 39th to 44th in overall child and family well-being.

So, Sonny, thanks, but no thanks. Nice try, but you're no Cathy Cox. Thanks for sending along the postage paid card, so we could let you know exactly what we think of your offer!

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