Cox: One Tough Lady on Education

When four in ten Georgia students fail to graduate on time and SAT scores are in the cellar, Mark Taylor bragging about the HOPE Scholarship is a bit like the Captain of the Titanic complementing the ship’s décor. While Taylor clings to old ideas that alone have failed our children, Cathy Cox has partnered with the experts-classroom teachers-to develop a bold agenda for change. To stem the dropout rate, Cox proposes a potent combination of effective early intervention to make sure children arrive at school ready to learn and partnership with business and industry to create state of the art tech high schools that will keep children engaged in school and prepare them for the work force. While Taylor proposes simply throwing more money at the problem, Cox embraces innovation, partnership and common sense solutions including relieving teachers of lunch duty and bus duty so that they have more time to do what they do best: teach. Cox has earned my vote in the July 18th Democratic primary because she not only supports the HOPE Scholarship: she offers real hope for the future of our schools.

To Learn More Details:

Read Cathy’s Agenda to Lead Georgia Forward in Education, Health Care and Retirement Security

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Televised debates--Atlanta Press Club series!

Televised Debates Starting Sunday July 9th! The Atlanta Press Club will host a series of televised debates for primary candidates beginning Sunday, July 9th on Georgia Public Broadcasting (Channel 8 in Atlanta). GPB will also offer the debates for online viewing.

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Telegraph Endorses Cox

My hometown newspaper, The Macon Telegraph, has endorsed Cathy Cox this morning. They said:

Telegraph picks Cathy Cox for the Democratic primary

Describing herself as an agent of change from "good ol' boy" politics, Cox
has promoted ethics reform, use of farm-grown alternative fuels, more passenger
train service, training incentives for teachers, improved early childhood
education and using state tax credits to help Georgians put more money into
retirement accounts.

On balance, we endorse Cathy Cox on the basis of
her past efforts on behalf of consumers and voters and her potential to move
Georgia government into new directions.

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/opinion/14989310.htm

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Just 220 Seconds

That's it. For the candidates for Governor, a lifetime of preparation, millions of dollars and endless hours of work boil down to this. The average Georgia voter will hear about 220 seconds of each candidate's position. That's not much time to present detailed proposals. It's really just time to make a first, and maybe a second, impression on the voter. Most voters do not read the paper, watch the news or tune in to the debates. What they learn about the candidates, they see in the commercials. And voters remember negative more than positive. That's why the negative ads are so tempting for candidates, despite the fact that they're a turn-off for voters.

Here, we have a bit more time than 220 seconds, so in addition to posting about whatever is going on day to day next week, beginning tomorrow, I will be posting, issue by issue, why I think Cathy Cox is the best candidate for Governor. She has detailed proposals for everything from education to bio-fuel. While these are all on her website, few people know the details. I intend to talk about her platform and invite others- Taylor supporters, too- to join in the discussion.

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Jim Martin in Atlanta Today

I attended an event for Jim Martin today in Atlanta. It was a small gathering of supporters at a private home, and the third or fourth time I have had a chance to hear Jim speak. I like both Jim and Greg, but I continue to be impressed with the wealth of experience and intellect that Jim Martin brings to the table in this race. I have accused him of having Kerritis- being too darn smart for his own good. Jim has well thought out proposals, particularly in the areas of healthcare and education. I have no doubt that he would make an outstanding Lt. Governor. Being able to communicate those ideas to the voters is a succinct manner is his greatest challenge. Gov. Barnes' endorsement should be an important feather in his cap, though, as the election approaches.

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Macon Telegraph Endorses Cagle, Hecht

The Macon Telegraph honed in on the importance of character, and on the Republican side of the ticket, endorsed Cagle for Lt. Gov. On the Democratic side of the slate, they endorsed Greg Hecht, but said that between Hecht and Martin, voters really couldn't make a bad choice. Click here to read the article.

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Cathy's Radio Ad Featuring Sen. Mark Taylor

Here's the link to the audio that I have been promising. Somehow Taylor's rant about being tired of being bullied rings awfully hollow. Click here to listen.

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Cox Volunteers Ready to Hit the Streets

On Thursday night, scores of Cox volunteers gathered in Macon and in Atlanta to prepare to dial phones, knock on doors, provide rides to the polls and many other GOTV activities. It really is remarkable to see a diverse group of people respond to an opportunity to help elect this remarkable women. In Macon, the group included students, professionals and others who are willing to commit time the week before and day of the election. These folks are not being paid. Instead, they are investing their time and energy in a change that can benefit all of us. This is going to be a different kind of election.

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Sins of our Fathers

Wow. I just heard Cathy Cox's new radio ad, and it is very powerful. It begins with State Senator Bob Holmes who says he was "there" when then-Senator Taylor spoke in favor of a plan that would've reduced to one the number of majority black congressional districts in Georgia. He asks members whether they are tired of being bullied and "paying for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers." What, exactly, does that mean? I do have the audio of this ad and will be glad to share it... as soon as I figure out how to upload an audio file.

I do have one question (and this is a partial answer to the quiz question I posted about Lee Parks the other day). The media has referred to Lee Parks as the attorney for the Taylor Campaign. On the website for the firm, the case Miller v. Johnson is listed among the firm's accomplishments. In this case, Parks represented the voters in a Georgia congressional district that had been intentionally drawn to create a majority black district. He successfully argued that racial gerrymandering violated the U.S. Constitution. The State of Georgia argued that the state had a legitimate interest in proportional representation. In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Georgia's use of race, above all other considerations violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. (www.pcwlawfirm.com) Is this the same thing Taylor is referring to here in his senate speech or a different effort? It must be different because it is my understanding that this case addressed a third majority black congressional district that had been drawn.

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Taylor: Work to Welfare?

When Randall Savage put the Cox ad to the "Truth Test" on Monday, one fact was not mentioned on television, but is included in the full version of the story on the station's website. Savage says that fifty workers were replaced with prison labor, and of those fifty, thirty-five were previously on welfare and following being fired, ten returned to welfare. So, let me get this right, the state (via the prison system) provided free labor, but you and I (the taxpayers) picked up the tab for the ten fired employees who returned to the welfare rolls. It must've been a good deal for somebody, but not for Georgia taxpayers.

Taylor has begun running yet another ad about Cox's effort to educate Georgians about the dangers of investment fraud. And last week, Dent, Taylor's spokesman, jumped up and down about the State Board of Elections voting to spend some money to educate voters. It appears that Taylor does not want Cathy Cox to do her job herself. Do you think that maybe he could work out some of that free prison labor for her?

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Where is Denise Majette?

Today the Macon Telegraph endorsed Darryl Hicks, Carlotta Harrell, Karen Handel, Kathy Cox and Gary Black. The paper said that Denise Majette failed to schedule an interview. What is Denise Majette thinking? Is she in this race? She blew off a candidate interview with a newspaper that has the third largest circulation in the state. I do not see her at any events here. Is she fundraising? Is she coming to metro events? Does she think that she's going to win this race based on her name recognition alone?

I was initially relieved when Majette threw her hat into the ring in this race. I would have preferred a candidate who had experience running a school system, but I thought that Majette could probably learn what she needed to know.

Georgia's schools are on life support, sucking up the bottom of the barrel by nearly every measure that can be applied, and one of the two Democratic candidates for state school superintendent is MIA. Frankly, neither Harrell nor Majette has ever run a school system much less a whole state's school system. I don't know that I can support either of these candidates and am beginning to think that our schools are too important for the selection of superintendent to be a popularity contest. Maybe this should be an appointed position.

Here's the Telegraph piece:

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/opinion/14960532.htm

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Thanks "Demblogs": Video and More on Taylor

Thanks very much to Demblogs who found and posted the link to the Savage Truth Test of the Cox ad. The full text and the video can be found here:

You can find the text of the Savage story and the video at this link:


http://www.13wmaz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=27603&provider=top


The text contains more info than was broadcast, including the "rest of the story" about what happened to the fired workers who were replaced by prison labor. Much more on this tomorrow.

Here's a quiz for tonight. Lee Parks has been referred to in the press and the lawyer for the Taylor Campaign. In addition to suing Cox and Peter Jackson, what other kinds of litigation is Parks known for?

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Did the Cox Ad Pass Reporter's Truth Test?

Tonight on 13 WMAZ, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Randall Savage applied the "Truth Test" to Cathy Cox's "Prison Labor" ad and found that it PASSED. On June 23rd, Savage applied the same test to the Taylor "Lottery Vote" ad, and found that it FAILED. (You can find more information about why the Taylor ad failed here.)

Randall Savage is a well-respected reporter known for his objectivity and his willingness to hold everybody accountable. He takes the ads line by line and evaluates whether the statements are true . In the four years he has been doing this "Truth Test" series on political ads, he said that only three or four have passed. (I will post video of the newscast as soon as I have it.)

In this instance, he said that the Taylor Campaign provided data that actually helped prove Cox's point. So, now, a completely objective source has weighed in and found Taylor's claims lacking and that Cox passes "the truth test." What will be the Taylor Campaign's next excuse? That Savage is biased? Spare me. How can we believe anything they say?

And, by the way, Savage will be one of the panelists for the Albany debate. That should prove interesting!

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"Women Know There Needs to Be a Change"

In the Governor's race, Georgia's women have already voted with their pocketbooks. According to today's AJC, about 40% of the individual contributions made to Cathy Cox have come from women, and that is a very big deal. Nationally, only about 28% of individual political contributions come from women. And only about 15% of Taylor's individual contributions have come from women, yet women will cast 55-60% of the votes in the primary. Clearly, as Mary Long, Chair of Georgia's WIN List, said in today's article, "Women know there needs to be a change." And that bodes very well for Cox's chances on Election Day.

Why does the money matter? Political giving, and not so coincidentally, political office, has long been a game dominated by the Big Guys. Most women have never written a check to a political candidate, and when they write that first $20 check, they make a personal commitment to a candidate. Often, they don't just vote: they invest.

The gender disparity in giving also says something about the difference in Cox and Taylor. The money behind her candidacy is not the "typical" political money in Georgia. Instead, she has created a coalition that includes seasoned political givers, first-timers and women who have contributed at higher levels than ever before. Many of her contributions have been less than $100, reflecting broad grassroots support. Let's not forget that many, including Taylor doubted that she could raise the money needed to win, but innovation, creativity and making a path where none existed are marks of a great leader, typical of Cathy Cox and consistent with her message that she will change the way government works so that it benefits everyone, not just the fat cats.

On the other hand, Taylor's financial disclosures to date reflect a more typical pattern of high dollar, male givers. There's nothing particularly wrong with that if you're fine with business as usual in Georgia politics.

The entire article is a worthwhile read, and can be found here. This is the portion I have referenced:

Selling herself as an agent of change has been made easier because she looks different from her opponents. The portly Taylor and the balding Perdue look the part of good ol' boys a lot more than the rail-thin Cox. She is attracting a lot of female voters. A recent review of campaign disclosure reports since the beginning of 2005 show about 40 percent of Cox's individual contributions have come from women, as opposed to about 20 percent for Perdue and 15 percent for Taylor. Mary Long, a community volunteer from Atlanta who chairs a women's political action committee that has endorsed Cox, said more than 55 percent of the Democratic primary vote will come from women. "Women know there needs to be a change," Long said.

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Throwing Rocks from the Front Porch

Someone told me that Cathy's newest ad is a far cry from the rocking chair on the front porch- more like throwing rocks from the front porch. In the country, I guess that's what you do when there's a big ol' mean dog in the yard. I wish this race were not a "street fight", but it is. Many people predicted that if the race got nasty, it would favor Taylor because they thought he was better at trench warfare. I don't think that prediction has proven true. Cox turning the "Big Guy" label from a positive to a negative has been far more effective than any response Taylor has had so far. Cox won this round, and it is showing in both the polls and the momentum in the race. Last week, Taylor tried to morph "Big Guy" into "Tough Guy" in the AJC piece. That got no traction, leaving Taylor in the quicksand. If he doesn't find a foothold soon, the race belongs to Cox. Game, set, match.

The very best example I have ever seen of a candidate taking an opponent's positive and turning it to a negative actually happened here in Middle Georgia. A candidate's whose last name was Lovett ran an ad that ended with "You've Gotta Love It." Big mistake. His opponent countered with "Love It? I Don't Even Like it!" You can guess the end of that story. Cathy making Big Guy a negative and offering the "Fat Cat" alternative may be just as effective.

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