"Stay in your own lane." That's one of the cardinal rules of a successful political campaign. Rep. Rob Teilhet, who is running for Attorney General, broke that rule last week when he endorsed Stacey Godfrey Evans, a phenomenal young women who is running for his soon-to-be vacated House seat. That Rob endorsed Stacey means that, for him, there's one rule that trumps all the others: "Do the right thing." Rob's passion for doing what's right has been the hallmark of his service in the state legislature, and it is one of the many reasons he has my full support in his campaign to become Georgia's next Attorney General. (More on that in another post.)
Why was endorsing Stacey Evans the right thing for Teilhet to do? Because there is no doubt that Stacey will be an outstanding representative for the people of Georgia's 40th House District. Stacey is bright, accomplished and, at the same time, down to earth. She has also followed one of the "other" rules of a successful campaign: she raised a significant amount of money right away. She reported raising over $38K as of June 30th, and still had almost all of it in the bank, just over 36K. (If only the Governor had managed the state budget that well!) Stacey was able to raise that money because, for years, she has been involved in professional, political and philanthropic organizations, and the people she has worked with learned quickly that they could count on Stacey. As this article from EMILY's List affirms, Stacey is an leader to watch.
So, Rob, you might have broken a rule, but you did the right thing, and I'm proud to support both you and Stacey!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Rob Teilhet Breaks a "Rule"
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Poor Allen Freeman
Poor Allen Freeman, his yard signs have gone missing, and he's stopped just short of calling out the National Guard (a group he was a part of when he did not leave U.S. soil during the Gulf War) in a effort to hold the evil robbers accountable. He's issued a press release (something he could not manage to do when the veterans were getting evicted) and called on the sheriff's departments in Bibb and Jones County to investigate. Hey, if the signs were taken over county lines, then maybe he should get the GBI involved, too. Clearly, none of these law enforcement agencies have anything else to do.
Do I have to say it? There is a story like this EVERY campaign cycle. Last cycle, Lauren Benedict's signs mysteriously went missing, yet, alas, there was no call to arms. Why? Because crying about this is just plain silly. On Allen Freeman's watch, 1.5 billion has been cut from education, the state faces a deficit of up to 2 billion dollars, and DOT appears to be handling their bills like a drunken college student, and what does Rep. Freeman want to talk about? Yard signs.
Anyway, I'm not sure how or whether Epps will respond, but it turns out that a slight modification of Freeman's own press release makes a pretty good argument. Here's my version-a spoof the Epps campaign has neither seen nor endorsed, by the way:
Epps Calls On Freeman to Condemn Reckless Spending in Atlanta
(Bibb Co.) – Today, James "Bubber" Epps called on his opponent, State Representative Allen Freeman (R- Macon), to condemn the reckless spending of Atlanta politicians that has created a budget deficit totaling almost two billion dollars.
Jobs in Middle Georgia began disappearing years ago – however, the empty factories have remained, and homes have been covered with foreclosure notices. Now, many of the very best jobs – having a value of $70,000 a year each - have simply disappeared. Plus, on Rep. Freeman's watch, more than 1.5 billion dollars has been taken from our children's schools. A report would have been filed with the Bibb and Jones County Sheriff's Office for theft, but Rep. Freeman was responsible for protecting the money. He has yet to apologize and, remarkably, expects voters to send him back to Atlanta again, with the keys to the coffers.
"I have endured many heated campaigns. But, never have I seen anything like this. This kind of pettiness and childish behavior is exactly why voters are turned off by our electoral process" said Epps who urges a campaign run on issues and the candidates' integrity.
"Although I give my opponent the benefit of the doubt – the fact that his votes have contributed to the missing money makes it clear that he is responsible. We can no longer allow Freeman and the vandals in Atlanta to manage our state's economy. I call on "Allen" to publicly denounce this behavior and give the voters names of anyone he knows to be involved" Epps added. Anyone who has information about the money missing from the state treasury or from our schools is encouraged to VOTE for Bubber Epps.
The total loss to Georgia schools has exceeded $1.5 billion dollars-funds that are desperately needed all four counties Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Jones of House District 140.
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