How Can the DPG Win?

Let's face it. Georgia Democrats have seen better days. We've had a good bit of discussion about who should become chair in January, but let's change the focus a bit. Instead of who, let's talk about what characteristics we need in a new chair. What type of person will wake the Party up and build a machine that helps good candidates win?

The poll below is a fun way to begin the discussion. I know that all the catagories are important, and other attributes not listed are important as well. It's a way to begin a discussion. We can all take an active roll in deciding what sort of state and local party we want. What do you want in a new state chair?

What Does the DPG Most Need? The next DPG chair needs to be: Answer 1 Mr. or Ms. Money Bags (fundraising) Answer 2 Mr. or Ms. Grassroots (field organizing) Answer 3 Mr. or Ms. Charisma (team building) Answer 4 Mr. or Ms. Kingmaker (candidate support) view results

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Shyam's Ready

If anyone had a question about whether Shyam Reddy was ready to be Party Chair, those doubts were blown away tonight at the Red Clay Unity Event. Shyam emceed the event and did a fabulous job! Let's go, Shyam, January's not far away!!

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Vote for Georgia Republicans If You Think...

• ...developers should have more rights that the average citizen.
• ...dropping from 39th to 44th in child well being is a sign of progress.
• ...that government should operate in a cloak of secrecy.
• ...that cutting 1.25 billion is a sign of support for public schools.
• ...it is wise to put state employee's health in the hands of the low bidder.
• ...it makes sense to sellout our poorest families to a manage care company.
• ...if you think that end of life and beginning of life questions belong with politicians instead of with families.

As a matter of fact, if you think at all, how can you support Georgia Republicans?

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Not hearing or reading much about Majette

As a retired educator who continues to be vitally interested in our schools, I would surely like to hear more from Denise Majette's campaign.
One prominent educator I know (who just happens to be a Democrat) describes the incumbent as having "a death grip" on the position of School Superintendent. I have heard criticism of financial cuts to education in Georgia, but not much in the way of dissatisfaction with the current superintendent. Another Democrat I know says she plans to vote for the Republican incumbent based on having met her and been impressed with her knowledge on education issues and current events.
I signed up for Majette's email list but have not received any emails from her campaign. I would be happy to post promotional material for her on my blog but I haven't received any.
The general election is just around the corner. Democrats like me (and educators and other voters) need some reassurance that she is doing some homework in areas like curriculum, school finance, standardized tests and other key areas in the complex business of running a state school system. I'm a Democrat and she's a Democrat and I surely would like to give her my vote. I know a lot of teachers and would like to have some talking points with which to promote her candidacy....but so far her campaign hasn't given me anything to say.

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Elves at Georgia Women VOTE!

Attention hackers and poll stuffers: you leave finger prints.

Over at the Georgia Women Vote! main site, elves have been stuffing the polling box and attempting to hack the site. I thought it was odd that a website, dormant for months, would get over 700 hits and 299 polling "votes" on the first day. It was especially odd that all my Democratic women viewers seemed to be toeing the Republican party line in the polls.

Allen Freeman, the Republican in the race I was polling, was so excited that he sent out a press release from his e-mail address at agfreeman@cox.net- at about 10 PM on Monday evening. Seems he was watching closely. (By the way, isn't a little odd that a Republican legislator is trolling on Georgia Women VOTE!?) Anyway, I checked my logs and discovered that all those pageloads and all those votes were cast by only fifteen different computers. 164 of the pageloads were from someone at cox.net, and somebody with a Mac was apparenly trying to hack the site. Whether they were successful or not, I will know soon.

So, we've tightened security and are in the process of securing the polling module. Freeman thought that I was took the poll down because he was winning. Actually, it was those darn Elves!

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Booth space for Dem candidates at GA National Fair

Thanks to a contribution by the GADCC, Houston County Democrats will be able to provide booth space to Democratic candidates at the Georgia National Fair (Perry) in October . Earlier we thought we would have to charge to cover expenses of the booth. Now we can offer to share our booth space FREE. We will have morning, afternoon, and evening slots to fill and they are going fast. Candidates, please get in touch with Kathy Bird Kathy Bird at kathykb510@aol.com
This is a great opportunity for regional and state-wide candidates to meet & greet many of the thousands of Georgians who visit the fair. A calendar has been prepared and we are already filling in the time slots. WE ALSO NEED VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE A TURN AT THE BOOTH.
If you plan a visit to the fair, why not donate some time to helping at the Democratic booth? Volunteers contact Kathy Bird at kathykb510@aol.com

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Complete With Sonny Trolls

In the last couple of days, I have re-launched the main Georgia Women Vote! site, and it appears to have come complete with Sonny Trolls. Who else thinks that, despite the dismal Kid's Count data that drops us from 39th to 44th in overall child and family well being, Georgia is doing just fine by our children and families?

There is a poll on the issue on the site, on the left near the bottom. Check these results, and if you agree, so be it, if you disagree, click over and let the Sonny Trolls know the facts. Here are the results, so far:

You're the teacher. Grade the 2006 Georgia legislature on how well they protected families and children.
A - Excellent (114 Votes) [ 64.0%]
B- Good (8 Votes) [ 4.5%]
C- Average (5 Votes) [ 2.8%]
F- Failing (51 Votes) [ 28.7%]

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"I'll Give Up My Choice When....

...John Roberts Gets Pregnant." I saw this bumper sticker this morning. Fairly direct message, don't you think?

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"Truthiness" and Class Size Reduction

At what point do we expect our elected and our candidates to lead? At what point do we expect them to tell us the truth, what we need to hear, as opposed to sticking to the safe soundbites polls tell them we want to hear? More and more, policy is poll-driven, not research-driven. In no area is that more true than education, the proverbial political football.

Here's a great example. "We need to reduce class size so that our teachers can teach and our children can learn." This has a ring of truth to it, doesn't it? Actually, a ring of "truthiness" is a bit more like it. The truth is that the research indicates that simply reducing class size will not alone improve student achievement, and when arbitrarily imposed, may actually be a step backwards.

According to The Telegraph, such is the case in Bibb County, where, to comply with Perdue's "Truth in Class Size" law, seventeen new classrooms, complete with teachers, books and supplies had to be created within the first two weeks of school in order to meet class size limits. While the State will pick up some of the cost, as much as $500,000.00 will come from local funds. And that's not the worst part. Because of the shortage of certified teachers, many of these students will be moved from a classroom where they have a highly qualified teacher, to a class with a sub. You tell me. Would you rather have your third grader with twenty-two other kids and a highly qualified teacher, or with twelve kids and a sub? I'd take the qualified teacher over the sub any day of the week.

Class size reduction is an issue that Republicans and Democrats alike have seized upon. Why? Because the data supports it? Nope. Because the polls support it. Voters love the idea of reducing class size because it feels like the right thing to do. They also love it because politicians keep telling them it's the right thing to do. See the self-perpetuating cycle? It is the kind of issue that consultants tell politicians they would be crazy to oppose but that makes little practical sense. Just like the sex offender legislation. (That's another post.) How I wish that the "fix" for education was a simple as reducing class size.

I think that people are thirsty for real leadership. Real statesmanship. Consider this. When Martin began his race, I wager that no where in his polling did the concept of decency pop up. I bet it would now. Martin took voters where they needed to go. We could use some of that leadership when it comes to the playing politics with our children's schools. Here's a portion of the Telegraph article:

"I'm concerned about taking children away from certified instructors and putting them in rooms that don't have certified teachers," said board member Bob Nickels. "If you don't have a teacher available you have to take a sub, who's not qualified."
Student transfers under No Child Left Behind have also not occurred yet, which could cause the number of new classrooms to increase, she said.
In April, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law the Truth in Class Size Act, lowering class sizes for grades K-8 to improve learning.
Beginning in fall 2006, kindergarten classes were to have no more than 18 students. For grades 1-3, classes were limited to 21 students and in grades 4-8, 28 students, according to the law.

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Let's Draft Shyam Reddy

For DPG Chair. That would certainly be a fresh, exciting start, wouldn't it? I'm not suggesting that those who have already offered themselves are not good choices, but at a point in our history when we need to rebuild, I think that it would be great to have a young vibrant chair like Shyam. Why him? He's smart, well-connected, can raise $$, has some statewide recognition (especially among dems), and was part of team that launched Red Clay, a successful Democratic organization. I think that he would also have the impact of attracting more young people to the Party. And he knows first hand about the need for the party to nurture and direct candidates so that we don't end up with several quality candidates in one race.

Of course, no one's asked Shyam whether he would like a fulltime job that pays no salary....but maybe that needs to change as well. Are you in?

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Photos from the GADCC

See lots of photos from the Aug. 12 GADCC banquet in Macon
at http://democraticgrapevine.blogspot.com/

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Byrd Speaks Out

Women often must be asked to run, that's the case made in the USA TODAY article that highlighted Lauren Benedict. (The article also appeared here on AOL, along with her photograph.) Today, one of those who asked Benedict to consider running spoke out. Chuck Byrd, a middle Georgia attorney who describes himself as “a conservative, pro-life Democrat" said, “I was looking for good, well qualified people to represent the working families of Georgia, and Lauren Benedict fits that bill. My wife, Melanie, and I are proud to support Lauren and urge others to do the same." You can find out more about how to support Lauren Benedict here.

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Georgia House Candidate Gains National Spotlight

Lauren Benedict (D), candidate for HD 140, down in the Heart of Georgia, is in the national spotlight today. Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Charisse Jones chose Benedict as one of the candidates to highlight in a USA Today article on how women win. Lauren is in a very competitive district. The seat currently held by a vulnerable freshman Republican who won in 2004 by only 80 votes. For months, Benedict is has been running a smart grassroots campaign, working hard to make sure that, this year, a Democrat who will put the needs of the people in the district first, will win. Here's a portion of the USA Today article:

Women often need to be asked to run, Fischer says. Such was the case with Lauren Benedict, a Democrat who is challenging Republican incumbent Allen Freeman for a seat in the Georgia House.

An attorney, Benedict, 34, has taken community and church leadership roles but didn't think of pursuing political office until colleagues and friends suggested it.

"I think I was moving toward that step and perhaps not realizing it until someone asked," she says.


In her community and her church, Benedict had been involved as a volunteer for many years. Advocating for hard working families is also the focus of her professional practice where she specializes in Social Security disability and Worker's Compensation. She views elected office as public service, a natural extension of her life and her professional practice.

Benedict is an outstanding candidate, and this seat is one that Georgia Democrats can definitely take back this year. You can learn more about Lauren, and volunteer or contribute by clicking here.

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Just Say "No" Joe

Last night, both Stewart and Colbert were all over Lieberman's case for his intent to run as an independent. Stewart nailed him on his analogy of this being halftime of a game with the opponent ahead. Game's over, you lost, was Stewart's suggestion. It's hard to see any good coming from Lieberman's plan to continue to run. And great potential for splitting at the local party level.

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Helping Women Win

Based on a simple count, it's easy to see that women face special challenges in the political arena. Currently, less than 18% of those who serve in the General Assembly are women, but last night, that ratio improved at bit. Two women, both newcomers to state politics, won their races and will have the opportunity to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives. Congratulations to both Robin Shipp and Margaret Kaiser! Both will be great additions to the General Assembly.

We need more highly qualified Democratic women in the Georgia Assembly. Women do not have access to the proverbial "Good 'Ol Boy" network that helps men get elected. In recent years, groups like WIN List and EMILY's List have formed and are creating powerful scaffolding for women who attempt to the long climb to elected office. While, training, money and technical assistance are critical elements of these programs, what really makes the difference is less tangible. Having someone a phone call or e-mail away who has political expertise but no financial interest in the campaign and whose only goal is helping a candidate get elected is a valuable asset these groups routinely provide. Being able to ask someone who has consulted on hundreds of campaigns about the details of a media buy is valuable. Having someone to call who knows who's who in a particular community can help candidates avoid lots of problems. That's the kind of help these groups can provide and more. If you would like to see more great, qualified Democratic women elected, check out WIN List and EMILY's List!

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