Rep.Tony Sellier

Prayers and good wishes to Rep. Sellier and his family. We understand that he is having surgery to remove tumors from his lung. Best wishes for a good outcome and speedy recovery.

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Pledge Doesn't Stop Clinton

Hillary Clinton should know that Iowa voters don't do "technicalities," yet, despite signing the pledge to skip campaigning in states that are trying to break DNC rules and jump ahead in the primary line, Hillary Clinton held six events in Florida on Monday, five fundraisers and one political, the Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa reported today. The article points out that Florida is technically not in violation at this time because they have until later this month to pick a new primary date, so Clinton technically did not break her promise. Technically. This is what the past chair of the Iowa Democratic Party had to say:

“It’s not immoral. It’s not improper, per se,” said Dave Nagle, the former Iowa Democratic chairman. “But it does raise the suspicion of how sincere they were when they said they wouldn’t campaign in those states.”

Such suspicion is the problem with technicalities, and that is particularly a problem for Clinton who already set off a firestorm in Iowa when an internal memo urging her to skip the Iowa caucuses leaked from her campaign.

Between finishing third in the Texas e-primary (which John Edwards won handily), returning over 850K in allegedly improper campaign donations, and this bit of news, Sen. Clinton has not had a great news day.

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Elizabeth Edwards in Atlanta!

Please join us for lunch with

Elizabeth Edwards

103 West Restaurant
103 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
12:00 PM

Event Chair: $2,300 (Private Reception)

Host: $1,000 (Private Reception)
Sponsor: $500
Friend: $250
*Maximum contribution per individual is $4,600,

$2,300 for the primary and $2,300 for the general

Melissa Mullinax Abbott * Jody Andrade * Marie & Roy Barnes *Lauren Benedict * Stephanie & Rob Benfield * Jeff Bramlett *Tamara & Brendon Briggs * Jim Butler * Melanie & Chuck Byrd* Martin Chitwood * Robin Frazer Clark * Carol Cooper * Melita Easters *Karen & Jon Hawk * Steve Leeds * Steve Lore * Ron Lowry* Kathy McArthur & Waldo Floyd * Adam Malone * Tommy Malone *Toni & Tim Morrison * Amy & Daryl Morton * Fred Orr * Marion Pope *Carmen & Geoff Pope * Elisabeth & Buck Rogers * Tim SantelliKiran & Shi Shailendra * Karen & Glenn Sturm * Sacha & Mark Taylor *Robert Teilhet *Teresa & Trip Tomlinson * Lyle & Michael Warshauer

*Host Committee in formation

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Liz Pavle at 919-636-3211 or LPavle@johnedwards.com or https://johnedwards.com/action/contribute/event/070919B19B

Paid for by John Edwards for President.Contributions to John Edwards for President are not deductible for federal income tax purposes

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Speaking of Ending It...

It's time for Georgia lawmakers to get out of bed with lobbyists-and I mean that only figuratively, I swear. Georgia needs to follow the example of neighboring states that strictly limit what lobbyists can spend on lawmakers. It is insulting to voters when our elected representatives argue that those who wine, dine and finance trips for them have no greater influence than the average citizen. Earth to lawmakers: we're not that dumb.

Shouldn't Georgia Democrats be the party that says "no more?" Sure, Democrats introduced legislation last year to cap lobbyist spending, and that bill went exactly no where, but how about we lead by example? How about we declare that we are the party that represents the people of Georgia, not special interests and big corporations who can afford to pay lobbyists to wine and dine legislators?* My point is that Democrats do not need a new law to say "no more" on this issue. They can, today, decide that they will self-impose a cap on what lobbyists spend on them. Several of our local lawmakers, notably, Sen. Brown and Rep. Lucas, seem to have already done just that. It's time to lead on this issue, and I'm giving some serious thought to leading myself. Why should I contribute to any lawmaker who is also taking contributions and perks from lobbyists?

(*By the way, if Richardson gets his way with the Great Big Tax on Everything, will the services lobbyists provide be subject to sales tax?)

What got me started on this issue again today? The AJC has a piece the summer trips financed by lobbyists for lawmakers.

What if your summer schedule included trips to posh resorts at St. Simons, Ponte Vedra Beach, Grand Cayman and Asheville, with some trips literally back to back? Rough life, right? Rep. Roger Williams seems to think so. Today, James Salzer with the AJC has a piece about the trips lobbyists provided for various lawmakers over the summer, including picking up a $20,000 tab for the Republican House Caucus's retreat at the King and Prince in St. Simons. (For the record, it's my understanding that the Democratic House Caucus Retreat was in Dubose Porter's barn. Not exactly the King and Prince, and a bit more down to earth. ) So entrenched is the culture of coziness with lobbyists and the industries they represent that in order to ensure equal footing, The University System of Georgia no less was among the biggest spenders at the Capitol during session. Isn't there just something inherently wrong with a system that has the state lobbying itself for a slice of the pie? The average citizen doesn't stand a chance in this high stakes, high dollar industry.

But, fear not, says Rep. Roger Williams of Dalton, those who wine, dine and pay for these extravagant trips have no advantage over average citizens. (I feel better, don't you?) As Chairman of Regulated Industries, he was "flat worn out" after attending one beach side conference after another this summer. I don't know how he had any energy left to listen to average citizens. According to the AJC:

First, in mid-June, it was the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers on St. Simons Island. Then it was off to St. Pete Beach, Fla., for the Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association. Next came the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores in Ponte Vedra Beach. A few days later it was back to St. Simons Island for the House Republican Caucus meeting.
Three weeks later, he was back in Florida, attending a gathering of the Georgia Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores and pushed the Sunday sales bill.
The trips cost lobbyists about $3,200, not including what they spent to sponsor the Republican caucus meeting.

This is not a partisan issue-both Democrats and Republican state lawmakers have raked in their share of perks. The percentage given to each party just varies with who is in power, underscoring the ridiculousness of claims that such perks do not represent undue influence-just access. But in the world of legislative politics, access is everything.

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Edwards: We've Got To End It, Not Defend It

Taking aim at the influence of corporate politicians and Washington lobbyists, today, John Edwards challenged Hillary Clinton, and all the other Democratic candidates, to "end it, not defend it." According to the Associated Press, Edwards made these remarks as he accepted the endorsement of the Carpenters Union.

To the roars of the union members, Edwards said, "Washington is rigged against regular Americans, against working Americans like you and the men and women you represent, whose interests and concerns don't stand a chance against the onslaught of lobbyists in Washington, D.C."

Edwards again issued his challenge to all Democratic candidates to refuse to accept money from federal lobbyists and political action committees. Edwards has never accepted either and no longer accepts contributions from state-level lobbyists. Edwards said that he is not asking any candidate to give back money they have taken in the past, but, instead, to declare this a new day for Democrats-a day when the party through the example of its leaders will be the party for the people of this country, not the party of corporate interests.

Edwards has Clinton in a bit of a box. Increasingly, she finds herself responding to him, both on the issue of her electability and on the issue of corporate influence/lobbyist money. To defend taking the money from lobbyists (over $400,000 and counting), she is forced to defend a system in Washington that most people believe does not work for them. Last week, she said that she intended to work within the system created "by the constitution" for change in Washington, and that "you can't deny that the system exists." Today, Edwards said:

Look, Senator Clinton is right – you cannot pretend the system doesn't exist. But you also can't pretend that it works. And that's where she and I part company.
Because I believe if you defend the system that defeats change, you can't be a president that will bring change. When it comes to the Washington influence game, we need to end it, not defend it.
She says you bring change by working within the system established by the Constitution. I think the system has been corrupted by corporate powers never contemplated by the Constitution. This is not the government of, by and for the people that our founding fathers intended.
There is no principled compromise between the way things have always been and the way things could be.

This discussion of whether the system need to change or merely be trimmed around the edges is a debate that is likely to escalate as Americans become increasingly frustrated with the escalation of the war in Iraq and the failure of the new Democratic majority to stand up to the President.

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Perfectly Plastic

I don't want a perfectly plastic president, and with that in mind, I have a few thoughts about Fred Thompson and his announcement in Des Moines yesterday.

1) Where was the crowd? Apparently, only about 200 people showed up for the announcement, though his campaign claims the attendance was 400. Campaign math requires dividing any estimate of crowd size, coming from the campaign, by 2. I believe that I could get more than 200 of my family and close friends to show up if I were announcing a run for school board, much less, president. This was at least an organizational failing on the part of the campaign. Jay Wagner blogged, "But the room itself might be able to handle 50 at most." This was not exactly a Fred frenzy.

2) The Iowa Independent live blogged the event, and I was struck by this note:
2:23: "Thompson still seems to have his audience riveted. A women just collapsed in the audience--I'm not sure what happened but it hasn't had any impact on the former senator's flawless delivery." I don't want a president who can have a women collapse in his audience and be unmoved and able to stay entirely on script. Can you for one minute imagine John and Elizabeth Edwards ignoring that women?

3) Finally, this is foreboding. "People are also amazed at the custom-made stage that Thompson will use to make his announcement. It is built to resemble granite and has large video screens built into it."

Folks, George Bush, III has put on Ronald Reagan's clothes, and he's running for President. They are about to engage in political theater that will make the 2004 RNC look like a high school play. He is the greatest threat to a Democrat winning, and is already running on the line that he can stop Hillary. National polls indicate that paired up against her, he just might be right. John Edwards on the other hand, continues to beat him and all the GOP candidates in head-to-head match ups.

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Friday Fun: Lawcat

" Surprise Witness"


Daryl was preparing for a couple of hearings at home Wednesday night, when Gracie found a comfortable spot in his trial case:

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Endorsements, Court Rulings, and The Golden Rule

This had been a busy day. Here are a few of the high spots:

1) I began my day with a committee meeting for Community Partnership, the Family Connection Project for Macon and Bibb County, and I am very pleased to report that in the coming year the collaborative will narrow our focus and address the needs of "The Peach Orchard" area of Bibb County.

2) Dana Blankenhorn has jumped on the Edwards bandwagon, citing his "fearlessness," especially since Elizabeth was diagnosed with caner and saying, "John Edwards is, for me, the clearest path to where we need to go. So I'm with him. I'm just sad it took me so long to admit it." Welcome, Dana.

3) Sen. Edwards scored another huge labor endorsement today. The New York City-based Transport Workers Union, representing 200,000 active and retired members, gave him the nod, calling him the one who can win.

4) Golden Rule Politics, the powerful DVD produced by The Baptist Center for Ethics is now available. This DVD and the study guide that comes along with it helps address the fact that the GOP does not have an exclusive contract with God, i.e., God is neither a Republican or a Democrat. Video clips are available for viewing on the site, and the DVD, study guide and the right to show it to large groups, only cost $20.00.

5) The Federal Court has upheld Georgia's Voter ID Law, and this is what Jane Kidd had to say:

Kidd responds to Voter ID ruling

ATLANTA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Jane Kidd released the following statement in response to a federal court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Voter ID Law.“We disagree in the strongest possible terms with the Court’s decision, and maintain that Georgia’s Voter ID Law continues to represent a burden to the public and to the right to vote. The law especially places an additional burden on elderly and low-income voters. “Over the next few months, we will be ramping up our voter education programs, to ensure that every voter is prepared to vote with one of the proper forms of identification. To that end, we’ll be working closely with our county parties to help them educate voters at the grassroots level. We’ll also be focusing closely on our election protection program to prevent inaccuracies and inequalities at the voting booths.”

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Great Big Tax on Everything Smacks of Socialism

The Telegraph's editorial board weighed in on the Georgia GOP's Great Big Tax on Everything today (Proposal should have stayed undercover until complete) and concluded that the proposal is not ready for public viewing. "While Richardson and his team are to be applauded for their efforts to tackle the tax gorilla, they may have let the cat out of the bag too soon."

Now there's a visual. Richardson. Sheets. A gorilla. And cats. All in a bag.

The confusion that would ensue is a perfect picture of the mess that would be created if the GBTE becomes law. As Alan Essig, director of Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said in Macon on Friday, one the the big problems with the proposal is that no one really knows at this point what those details are. Sure, the bill appears on line, but Richardson and his comrades have disavowed that version. To know what they are really proposing, you pretty much have to pay attention to every speech. For instance, today, in the Telegraph op-ed was the first time I had seen the words "possibly" in front of taxing services for medical and dental care. I still want to know if they plan to tax private school tuition.

As Essig also pointed out, this is not a proposal that we can try on like a new shirt and discard if it doesn't fit. Retrofitting the tax system to accommodate this proposal will cost money-no one really knows how much because no one really knows yet what they are really proposing. And, this proposal, to be implemented, would require a change in Georgia's constitution (you know, that document conservatives claim to love until they need to change it to fit the needs of their base.) So, 'undoing' this would not be easy.

Essig says that the biggest problem with the proposal is not philosophical, it's mathematical: the numbers just don't appear to add up. He says, based on the data he currently has, it appears that a sales tax as described cannot make up the gap if all property taxes are repealed. He argues for a three-legged stool, a balanced approach to taxation and transparency in how tax money is gathered and spent.

The Telegraph said that the repeal of property taxes would have a proportionally much greater impact on local governments where such taxes make up more than 70% of local revenue, than on state government, where property taxes make up just .4 % of total revenue. "That aspect of the plan smacks more of socialism than the less government more local control mantra of most Republicans." Wish I'd said that.

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You Might As Well Be Polling Canada

In political circles, when talk of national polls surfaces, a phrase commonly heard is "you might as well be polling Canada." That refers to the lack of application of those polls to the actual, state by state, primary process. Well, President Clinton, in defending his wife's electability issue, has taken it to a whole new level-siting actual polls of foreign countries. See the quote below from the Washington Post:

The former president observed that George W. Bush won the majority of counties in New York in 2000 (Al Gore still won the state as the most populous areas are heavily Democratic). But in 2006, when Hillary Clinton ran for reelection, she won the vast majority of the Bush counties.
The ex-president even noted a recent survey by a Canadian polling group called Angus Reid showing that more than 40 percent of residents in Germany, France and other European countries wanted to see Hillary Clinton elected president, putting her far-ahead of the other candidates. Clinton noted Americans like to make their own decisions, but argued this was a very important consideration because many countries have been frustrated by the policies of the Bush administration. "You want to fix America's standing in the world, elect Hillary," Clinton said.

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"We All Answer to Women Somewhere"

How appropriate that six men and no women serve on the Georgia Senate Committee on Rights Relating to Reproductive and Genetic Technology. Go, now, and find women to run for office in Georiga. Here's a portion of the article from the AJC's Political Insider.

Last week, six men —- five Republican and one Democrat —- gathered in a fourth-floor room in the Capitol to convene the Senate Study Committee on Rights Relating to Reproductive and Genetic Technology.
(A male witness noted that committee members were of a single gender. "We all answer to women somewhere," quipped chairman Eric Johnson of Savannah.)

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Steelworkers, Miners and Carpenters Endorse Edwards

Today, in Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers and United Mine Workers unions. Last week, the Carpenters and Joiners union endorsed Edwards. This is great Labor Day news for the Edwards Campaign. Here's the full release:


EDWARDS RECEIVES SUPPORT OF STEELWORKERS AND MINE WORKERS UNIONS
Official endorsement at Pittsburgh Labor Day rally gives Edwards largest bloc of union support among presidential candidates so far
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – The United Steelworkers (USW) and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) today endorsed Senator John Edwards for president. Following the Thursday endorsement of Edwards by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in America, the two endorsements announced today at a Labor Day rally in Pittsburgh with union members and their families give Edwards the largest bloc of union support so far – combined, more than 1.8 million members and retirees – among any of the presidential candidates.
“I am especially honored to receive the support of the Steelworkers and Mine Workers unions,” said Edwards, “These are the workers who built the middle class in America, and they are the backbone of the American labor movement. They understand how important it is to fight back when jobs, safety, standards and our values are at risk – and they know what’s at stake in this election.”
“These workers have felt the negative impact of a broken system in Washington that is rigged against America’s working families for far too long – whether it’s the tragic lack of oversight in mine safety, trade agreements written to benefit multinational corporations while they ship American jobs overseas, or the millions of working Americans who still can’t afford health insurance,” added Edwards. “As president, I will proudly lead the fight on behalf of working families with their support – and together we will win.”
Representing 1.2 million workers and retirees, the USW is the nation’s largest private sector industrial union. Following extensive outreach to USW members that included a poll of the union’s 15,000 activists, as well as a nationwide survey of the union’s membership, the USW International Executive Board voted unanimously on Sunday, September 2nd to endorse Edwards.
The UMWA represents 105,000 active and retired coal miners, municipal employees, health care workers and manufacturing workers in North America. Their membership includes more coal miners than any union in the world
Both Steelworkers President Leo W. Gerard and UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts announced their endorsement by making clear the stakes hard-working families face and laying out why Sen. Edwards is the best candidate to lead the fight for change in America.
“Senator John Edwards is committed, as he has been throughout his life, to going to bat for everyday Americans and to changing a broken political system that leaves millions of Americans without a voice in their government,” said Steelworkers President Leo W. Gerard. “Edwards is right on the issues that matter to us, and he’s the candidate with the best chance of winning in the general election. The big corporations don’t need another president who does their bidding. It’s time we had a president who will fight for working people – and that’s what John Edwards will do.”
“Senator Edwards’ positions on the issues of importance to UMWA members make him the best fit of all the candidates for president,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “We need a president who cares about ordinary working people instead of the richest Americans and the big multinational corporations. We believe John Edwards is that person, and we will work as hard as we know how on his behalf anywhere and everywhere we can.”
Close to 1,000 people were expected at the Pittsburgh Labor Day rally where the unions’ official endorsements were announced. Sen. Edwards was joined on stage by USW President Leo Gerard, UMWA International President Cecil Roberts and local union members. Elizabeth Edwards and Edwards Campaign Manager David Bonior also attended the event.
On Thursday, August 30th, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, representing more than 520,000 members from all political affiliations, also announced that they would endorse John Edwards for president. Their formal endorsement will take place at a rally of union members on September 8th in New Hampshire.

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Baptist Leader: Women Hardwired for Housework

Works out well for men, don't you think? According to Gary Ledbetter of the Southern Baptist Texan, women are just "temperamentally better equipped than men to manage the home and nurture children." And, those who suggest otherwise? They're just sexist.

This is a continuation of the "Sex in the Seminary" debate about the "homemaking" classes offered at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Seminary in Louisville chimed in with a progressive position. He said that he did not believe that it is actually wrong for women to work outside the home, but that "a woman that does work outside the home is likely to miss something that is happening inside the home." Apparently there is nothing at home for men to miss.

There is something talibanesque about the basis of the SBC argument that there is an "appropriate" role for women. We can begin with the fact that there is little if any respect among this sect for the separation of church and state. They have no issue with legislating morality-on their terms. They do, as we have seen with Craig, Vitter and Foley, have trouble with hypocrisy. On the website of Southwestern Seminary, there is actually a statement that it is good for women to learn biblical exposition because that way they can teach other women. That's right. The seminary does not support women teaching men no matter the woman's level of expertise. They fired a female professor because of the rule. "Women-to-women" teaching, they say, is the biblical way. And, the president's wife has prepared a guide for how women should dress. There are no burqas involved but what is clearly implied is that it's up to women to make sure men control their sexual impulses. Wow.

Look, in all seriousness, the problem with this, and the reason that it's on a political blog, is because the issue is not whether or not a women should be able to make the choice to be a stay at home mom. The issue is that for centuries men have used religion to exert control over women by fostering economic dependency and limiting choice. They use their religion as a basis for discrimination and oppression, and then they make rules limiting women's roles in denominational decision making. What a trap. These are the SAME evangelical fundamentalists who propelled George Bush to power. Ordering society so that (frankly) rich white men are on top is the agenda, and they have crafted a theological position to support it. It really is that simple.

Conversely, Jesus, as described in the gospels, was revolutionary in his approach to women. He provided them rights, status, and most of all: access. Where's WWJD when you need it?

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And This is a Problem, Why?

Today, Sen. Edwards made it clear that health care for everyone does not imply responsibility for no one. Today in Tipton, Iowa, he told a crowd that people would be expected to see their doctor for preventative health care. He said that if Americans choose to be in the health care system, they cannot choose to not see their doctor for twenty years. Regular checkups and a healthier lifestyles would drive down health costs in American. That makes sense, but, alas, the words had hardly left his lips before the rightwing bloggers started in. The same crew that preaches personal responsibility thinks expecting people to go to the doctor is just too much to ask. Okay, how about we compromise and let you drive your SUV to the doctor??

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Steelworkers Set to Make Endorsement

According to WTAE in Pittsburgh, Sen. Edwards will be in town tomorrow to pick up a key endorsement from the United Steelworkers. Edwards is a consistent friend of labor, often siting unions as a key antidote to poverty.

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