GOP Candidate in Georgia Invokes Obama's Name

When a Republican candidate in the middle of Red Georgia invokes Obama's name in his ads, you know that the Obama Tsunami will likely not leave the South untouched. In a half page, full color ad in Sunday's Telegraph (not cheap beans), Scotty Shepherd (R), who is running for Sheriff of Bibb County against incumbent Jerry Modena (D), had a photo and endorsement from Bill Lucas (Modena's Democratic Primary challenger) that said, in part:

"I am voting for Senator Obama, the Democratic candidate for President in this election. I would like you to vote for my friend, Scotty Shepherd, the Republican candidate for Sheriff of Bibb County."

Could Shepherd (R) now be required to file with the FEC since his paid advertisement included an endorsement for Sen. Obama? Perhaps. It matters not that the endorsement is attributed to Lucas. The issue is who paid for the ad. I understand that Lucas has done robo-calls for Shepherd, and I don't know if he invokes Obama's name in the calls, if so...even more money has been spent.

Back to the point. While this strategy is interesting, I doubt it will work. Voters are choosing between Modena and Shepherd, not Modena and Obama. The last Georgia candidate I recall using Obama's name in an ad without permission was Vernon Jones. That strategy did not go well for Jones, and I suspect Shepherd will get a similar result. Let me make a prediction: Modena will defeat Scotty Shepherd by at least as wide a margin as he did in 2004, back when Scotty claimed to be a Democrat. In that race, Modena got more than 70% of the vote. This one is SO over.

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Dow Soars Nearly 1000 Points

I don't know about you, but I'm going with:

Obama Gives Speech on the Economy; Dow Makes Record Gain

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A First for U.S. Senate Campaign in Georgia

I've done some checking, and near as I can tell, this has never been done before in a U.S. Senate Campaign in Georgia. Tomorrow evening, the Martin Campaign is coordinating a statewide "Virtual Town Hall" event for women. Women attending the event will have an opportunity to ask questions of the candidate, unscripted, in real time, and the media is invited to participate.

This Virtual Town Hall Meeting will also be streamed live. Follow this link. Only those attending one of several parties around the state will be able to ask questions of Jim, but everyone can watch the live stream. And, lucky you in Middle Georgia, Lauren Benedict is hosting one of the parties at her home, and YOU are invited to attend. Here's the info:

Media Advisory: October 13, 2008
Contacts: Lauren Benedict - (478) 973-0630, llbenedict@bostonlawmacon.com , or
Amy Morton – (478) 747-7450 amymorton@aol.com

Middle Georgia Women to Participate in “Virtual Town Hall” With Jim Martin

Macon, Ga. – Women from around Middle Georgia will participate in a virtual town hall on Tuesday, October 14th with Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Martin. Supporters and undecided voters will gather at the home of Lauren Benedict Tuesday evening at 6:30 to call in and ask Martin Questions about the issues on their minds.

The gathering is free and open to the press.

WHO: Democratic and undecided women; Jim Martin, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

WHAT: Virtual Town Hall, participants will call in to Martin’s campaign headquarters for an open question and answer session.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 14th, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: 360-A Vista Circle
Macon Georgia 31204

PARKING: Please, park in the blank or unnumbered spaces.

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Pennsylvania Pundit

I sometimes forget that one of our own Georgia Peaches in Macon really has her roots in Philly. Wendy Sullivan Boston sent me the following email which I think sums up the McCain/Palin chances in Pennsylvania.


Two things I know about Philly: #1 we love our Flyers. #2: we are a superstitious lot (makes sense when you figure we are a bunch of Irish and Italian working class union people).......So what does the Flyers owner (a big repub donor) do? Has Palin the Hockey Mom drop the puck on opening night against the Rangers (apparently to resounding boo's).....and then the Flyers go on to get annihilated. Any Pennsylvanians who were undecided and many who were planning to vote for Palin have now changed their minds, mark my words!!
Wendy Sullivan Boston

Wendy, I hope these prove to be sage words. Just in case, I'm throwing a little salt over my shoulder and making sure I don't break any mirrors, walk under any ladders or let any black cats cross my path!

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They Have Sown the Wind

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Hosea 8:7 (KJV)

A stuffed monkey doll with an Obama sticker on the forehead-CBS News reports that's what one McCain supporter felt at liberty to show off at a rally this morning in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where Sarah Palin was speaking. Initially, other supporters grinned as he showed off the monkey, but when the man realized a video camera was trained on him, he quickly ripped the sticker from the toy and gave the monkey to a random child in the crowd. This offensive display happened the day after John McCain finally either found his soul or checked his polls and began to try to calm the crowds that have become decidedly more like lynch mobs since Sarah Palin began repeatedly accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists" and pressing the message: "We don't know who Obama really is, but what we do know is that he's not like us." It's easier to hate someone you believe is not like you. It's easier to fear someone you believe is not like you. The belief that the someone or something is not like us, is dangerous, and should be feared facilitates objectification that frees a mob, fueled by anger and fear, to act. This week, all of three messages-(1) he is not like us; (2) he is dangerous, and (3) he should be feared-have been front and center in the messages of Palin, McCain and their surrogates even as the crowds became more and more agitated. Ultimately, John McCain took a microphone from a women who was convinced Obama was "Arab" and was forced to defend his opponent to the very unhappy crowd.

Palin and McCain did not have to create this anger, these misconceptions about Obama. Palin simply planted her Naughty Monkey Double Dare pumps on the fire ant bed that has been growing on the Internet for over a year. And, despite what has happened, and McCain's desire to now reign in the hatred, today, Palin went after Obama on abortion, yet another emotional issue that has a history of inspiring violence. And, she went further than just saying he favored choice (he does), further even than saying he is pro-abortion (he is not). Palin cobbled together words and votes taken out of context and made the case that Barack Obama sees babies as a "punishment" and favors withholding medical care from babies, even special needs babies, born alive. The message? Obama hates babies. And that's not like us.

I do not believe that either John McCain or Sarah Palin want harm to come to Barack Obama. Palin, for her part, is reading what McCain's folks put in front of her. But if he is shocked, either by the reaction of the crowds or the response of civil right heroes like Congressman John Lewis, then it is, again, McCain's judgement that is in question.

There is a profound disconnect between the person I believe John McCain to be-a good and honest man who is a true American hero-and the campaign he fails to control. Every day ads run that advance the theme that Obama is not like us, every day campaign surrogates invoke Obama's middle name as if it is a slur, and every day the talking heads are unleashed to say what the candidate dare not, that dangerous disconnect continues and McCain's own legacy is threatened. This is no doubt a perilous moment in history. We are at war, and just as those buildings collapsed on 9/11, we are watching as our economy struggles to stand. One of these two men will be President in January, and the first task, for whoever is elected, will be to become a President for all of us, especially those who did not vote for them. For either McCain or Obama to spend the next three weeks trying to convince the electorate that the other is dangerous, cannot be trusted and is not like us does not serve that mission or this nation well.

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A Message to Saxby - From Me

Several weeks ago, the DPG began filming spots with "real Georgians" who were talking about the issues that impact them in their day to day life. I did a spot for them, and though I missed it, it apparently went out in email. So, why don't Georgia children deserve the same health coverage Sen. Chambliss has?




Saxby Chambliss on Healthcare

Saxby Chambliss has a history of selling out to the big insurance companies and leaving everyday Georgians behind. This week we hear from Amy Morton, a family therapist who's seen first-hand the difficulties families have in finding affordable health and mental health services. Unfortunately, Chambliss has done little to help those families in need.



No help with expensive prescription drugs

Chambliss voted against preventing a severe reduction in the Federal medical assistance percentage and extending rebates for prescription drugs to enrollees in Medicaid managed organizations [Vote 291, 11/3/05]

Voted against making generic drugs more affordable for seniors [Vote 299, 11/3/05]

Voted against allowing seniors access to cheaper imported prescriptions drugs [Vote 150, 5/3/07]

No help for Georgia's Kids


Chambliss voted against a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through 2012. [Vote 403, 11/1/07] Many members of the Republican party crossed over to join Democrats in voting for health care for children, but not Senator Chambliss.

Chambliss voted twice in the same year against reauthorizing and expanding children's health care by voting against HR 976 [Vote 353 on 9/27/9, Vote 307 on 8/2/07]

No help for rural Georgian families

Chambliss voted against helping rural health care providers and hospitals receiving fair reimbursement for their services under Medicare [Vote 89, 3/25/03]

No help for victims of natural disasters

Chambliss even voted against Disaster Relief Medicaid (DRM) health care for Hurricane Katrina victims. [Vote 285 on 11/3/05]

No help for AIDS victims

Chambliss voted against increased funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance program by $74 million. [Vote 178, 10/27/05]



Always a great handout for HMO's and big insurance companies


Fact: Chambliss has taken over $250,000 from the insurance industry in campaign contributions. (Source: Center for Responsive Politics)

Fact: Chambliss' own Chief of Staff is a former insurance company lobbyist (Source: Center for Responsive Politics)

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Voter Suppression

PAY ATTENTION. The election could turn on this single issue.

Just call this WWKHD? (What Would Katherine Harris Do?) installment #gadzillion. Karen Handel is at it again. If you read ONE article this political season, read this piece in today's AJC by Aaron Gould Sheinin. More than two million Georgia voters were referred to the Social Security Administration to check identity. That compares to three such referrals from Colorado and is about a million more voters than have registered in the state since 2004, and 25% of the national total for such requests. Turns out, in September, Karen Handel-who has been asked by feds to investigate-sent a letter to all local boards of election directing them to submit all new registrations to Social Security for verification. Ahem. Isn't that like asking a suspect to investigate a crime? Next thing you know, there will be threats of citizenship checks at polling places.

You will probably not be shocked to learn that the other states on the list of frequent fliers include Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana and Nevada-all swing states in this election.

This much is clear: Karen Handel will shamelessly continue use the Secretary of State's office like a campaign headquarters for Republicans and will work to suppress the votes of likely Democrats (though they're getting tougher to identify by the minute). We are going to have to fight for ballot access for our candidates and our voters.

And, in 2010, there is no more important office for Georgia Democrats to take back than hers. We must replace her with someone who is willing to serve the public and the law before serving her party.

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"That One"

Did John McCain REALLY just refer to Barack Obama as "that one" during the debate? Really?

Holy cow.

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McCain's "Emergency"

I get email. Today the one from the McCain campaign dropped into my Blackberry with only one word of the subject line visible; "Emergency." While that pretty much summarizes the desperate posture of his campaign right now, I thought, incorrectly, that the email might be about the financial precipice where our nation struggles to find a foothold, but I should've know better. The sinking economy is last thing John McCain wants to discuss. The email, about the RNC's "emergency" voter registration drive, is just the latest example of the too little, too late politics of yesterday that have become the hallmark of the McCain team. In key swing states like North Carolina (who'd have thought it?!), Deus Lo Vult says:

Democrats have added 184,113 new voters, while the Republicans have only brought in a new 24,614 voters. Right now, after checking the N.C. State Board of Elections website, the current registration levels sit at 2,698,293 for the Democrats, 1,945,086 for the Republicans, for a difference of 753,207.

Here in Georgia alone, since 2004 nearly 577K new voters have registered and as many as 300K registrations are currently in the pipeline. And, polling indicates that those new voters overwhelmingly favor Barack Obama and Jim Martin. Some polls show Martin leading Chambliss by as much as 25 points among those newly registered voters.

The bottom line? Our senate race in Georgia is up for grabs. Expect Chambliss to now begin to employee the same desperate politics of personal destruction that McCain has telegraphed will be his October strategy (or is that a tactic?). Jim Martin needs money, he needs volunteers and he needs your support. And, Obama? The race is his to lose, but lose it he can. Time for all hands on deck!

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Thin Ice

Okay, here are a couple of post-debate must-reads and one must see.

1) E.J. Dionne writing for the Washington Post sums it up well in "Hockey Mom on Thin Ice." He says, in part:

Palin has also brought out the very worst in McCain, forcing him to -- and I do not use this word lightly -- lie about her. In an interview broadcast Wednesday, National Public Radio's Steve Inskeep asked McCain if there would be "an occasion where you could imagine turning to Governor Palin for advice in a foreign policy crisis?" McCain replied: "I've turned to her advice many times in the past. I can't imagine turning to Senator Obama or Senator Biden, because they've been wrong." " Many times in the past?" McCain met Palin only twice before he selected her. What McCain said could not be true. And would anyone who listened to her last night really consult Palin on foreign policy?

2) And, Arianna Huffington wrote a good piece about watching the debate with a group of accomplished, though politically diverse women. It is both humorous and on point:

Watching Biden and Palin on the same stage was like watching a tennis champion walk onto Centre Court at Wimbledon only to find himself facing an over-eager amateur from the local high school. Or as Pat Mitchell told me, "Biden was taking part in a vice presidential debate; Palin was taking part in a junior high debate."

3) Finally, this YouTube of Alaskans watching the debate last night at Anchorage's Beartooth Theater is telling. Apparently, not all Alaskans drank Palin-Aide.

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Obama Uses Palin Footage In New Ad

Good ad:

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We Are Ticked Off, Sarah

Unless Tina Fey actually shows up at the debate tonight, don't expect the event to be "Thursday Night Live" as some pundits suggest. Sarah Palin will do just fine tonight. At this point, all she has to do is show up and not cuss, and she'll be crowned the winner. After all, the neo-cons have spent two weeks lowering expectations to the point that most Americans are turning on the evening news just to hear the latest Palin gaff. I mean, seriously, I watched the CBS Evening News last night for the first time in years. If Obama is elected, Katie Couric should get a gift basket from the campaign-at least a tee shirt.

And, they've been working the ref, now suggesting that Gwen Iffil is biased because of a book she has written. Give me a break. Even McCain knows about "a google." Apparently Iffil was fine until McCain began to tank. And tank, he has, with the economy now tied to his ankle like an anchor. I am sitting in the reddest of states, Georgia, where the latest polls have McCain up by single digits. That has to have the McCain team working the Tums dispenser, not because it means that Obama will win Georgia, but because it reflects what is happening nationally. The combination of McCain's own blunders (see "suspending my campaign" and his testy interview with the Des Moines Register), the dire economic situation, the unending war in Iraq and the proclamation by David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, that we urgently need more troops in Afghanistan have now made McCain's judgement the central issue of this election.

No where was that judgement more flawed than in McCain's selection of "Joe Six Pack" Palin for his Vice Presidential nominee, a choice that is increasingly driving even conservatives from his side. Yesterday, Palin who refuses to list what she reads and who stubbornly clings to her claim that she's an expert on foreign policy because of Alaska's geography, said, "It's time that a normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that's kind of taken some people off guard, and they're out of sorts, and they're ticked off about it."

Damn right we're ticked off about it, Sarah. This is not the time to elect an "average" president. I don't know what papers they have been putting in front of you, but, if you've been reading anything other than your briefing book, then you know that we need the brightest and the best at the helm, especially now. Joe Six-Pack needs a voice, a vote and most of all a President who cares about the middle class-not the guy and gal who want to give $174 billion annually in tax breaks to large corporations while the middle class picks up the scraps. If there are any scraps. If there still is a middle class.

It is indeed now the neocons left defending Gov. Palin, individuals who clearly value party and power over the good of the nation and who launch wholesale attacks on those whose ideas are not in line with their own. Calling for a "cease fire in the war of unwelcome ideas" conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, who has been the focus of neocon ire after being openly critical of the Palin choice, said today in the Washington Post:

Readers have every right to reject my opinion. But when we decide that a person is a traitor and should die for having an opinion different from one's own, we cross into territory that puts all freedoms at risk. (I hear you, Dixie Chicks.) I'm sure it is coincidence that, upon the Palin column's publication, a conservative organization canceled a speech I was scheduled to deliver in a few days. If I were as paranoid as the conspiracy theorists are, I might wonder whether I was being punished for speaking incorrectly. Unfortunately, that's the way one begins to think when party loyalty is given a higher value than loyalty to bedrock principles.
Our day of reckoning may indeed be upon us. Between war and economic collapse, we have enormous challenges. It will take the best of everyone to solve them. That process begins minimally with a commitment to engage in civil discourse and a cease-fire in the war against unwelcome ideas.

Parker's right. Party loyalty is not a reason to cast a vote in this election. The time is too short, the stakes are too high. In the end, while tonight may be interesting political theater, it cannot erase the weeks of silence, scripts and vacant responses that have marked Palin's introduction to the American people. There is increasing evidence that John McCain cannot administer an effective campaign, much less a country in crisis. We are ticked off, Sarah, not at you, but at John McCain, who in choosing you demonstrated that "County First" is nothing but an empty slogan.

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We Need the Smart Dude

H/T RH: This pretty well sums up our choice:

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Stop It!!!

Look, this is a note to whomever is trying to hack into my cell phone and email accounts. Stop it. Stop it now. What you are doing is illegal-but we all know you don't care because you think you won't be caught, though you may be too stupid to understand that repeated attempts leave a nice cyber-trail. And frankly, what you'll find is just not all that interesting.

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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.



-END-

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