Run, Pat, Run!!

Georgia Democrats ought to be happy with this one! Today, Pat Dooley qualified to run for HD38, a seat in Cobb County currently held by Steve Tumlin. To this race, Pat brings a wealth of legislative experience and a passion for working on behalf of the people in her district. I understand that at the recent Cobb JJ dinner, the room erupted into cheers of "Run, Pat, Run" when keynote speaker Rep. Dubose Porter suggested to the crowd that Pat had served us well and should be encouraged to run again. And, so she is. Thanks, Pat, for running. Thanks to you, we've got a very good shot at flipping that seat.

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Republican Pundit Cites Bishop's Vulnerability

Here's another example of why I think Charlie Bishop is in deep trouble. Republican pundit and City Council member Erick Erickson has posted a thoughtful piece about all the reasons why Bishop's re-election will be "difficult." Erickson, who managed Bishop's campaign in 2004, will be "sitting this race out." That's a very bad sign for Bishop. Erickson sees a tough row to hoe for Bishop against Sam Hart, especially if Obama is the nominee. I agree with Erick. Even if Obama is not the nominee, the desire for change, progress and a little statesmanship in government was made clear in Reichert's election. I think we'll see the same thing in the Chairman's race. People are going to cross party lines for a competent leader who works and plays well with others. Plus, I'm already hearing about campaign tactics that are sure to turn off voters.

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There is No Candidate Fairy

There's been a good bit of chatter today about the robo call the DPG commissioned to solicit candidates for some targeted races. I've had several calls, and no one who called thinks it was a good idea. People used words like "embarrassing" and "desperate" and in general made fun of the effort. Truthfully, I could've written the press on it before it ever happened. The spin was predictable, but it points to a larger problem.

We need a systematic program to identify, train and elect Democrats. While the party has a role in this, I'm not sure that this can really be accomplished through the DPG. Some entity needs to have the freedom to focus only on recruitment, and they must have the latitude to be selective about who they support in primaries. It needs to be someone's full time job. I have some thoughts about this, but, that's a discussion for the day after qualifying.

Right this minute, we all need to understand that there is no candidate fairy-there is no pipeline, (though there needs to be a pipeline and there can be a pipeline.)And, frankly, the way to make gains in the House and Senate is not by simply fielding a candidate-any candidate-in every race. It's probably better to have nine candidates in districts we have a great chance of flipping than to have 20 candidates in races where success is unlikely. This isn't just true for Democrats. When we're done with qualifying on Friday, there will be a lot of incumbent Democrats who are unchallenged. Neither Democrats or Republicans will invest a whole lot of money in races they are unlikely to win. Add to that, when you're in the minority, it is no small task to find qualified candidates who have the time to both campaign and serve, especially in districts 250+ miles from Atlanta. The bottom line is that if we want candidates in these key races, we all need to be reaching out to whomever we know in these key districts.
So, get on the phone and call your friends or family in places like Cordele or Camilla.

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Hmmm...

Those pesky sign elves are at it again. By tonight at 8 p.m., the Big Bishop sign still sat in the right-of-way at the corner of Bass and Rivoli, but the Ussery and Allen signs has disappeared! Imagine that.

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Bishop Battles for Right-of-Way Vote

Looks like Bishop responded to my post about his lack of support in North Bibb by planting a sign a rock's throw from my house. Yes, indeed, the Chairman, along with his Republican opponent, Ussery and Jimmy Allen (who is running against Elmo Richardson), all enjoy the support of the residents of corner of Bass and Rivoli. Yep, the crickets living in that spot have a giant green and yellow Bishop sign, along with a sign for Ussery and Allen. I guess it's a house divided. Actually, NO ONE lives in that spot and these giant monster signs are planted in the right-of-way in violation of county ordinances. You'd think that a former police officer, who is currently chair of the Bibb County Commission, and one who wants to be, would know the county's laws and follow them. Signs in right-of-ways REALLY don't vote.

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Don't Waste Your Money Educating Your Daughters

Okay. Pay attention. There really are people who make keeping women "in their place" their life's work, and when women point it out at an SBC Seminary, they're subject to censure. That's what happened to Cynthia Kunsman when she critiqued the statements of Doug Phillips.

Most sexism is veiled, but, here it is, billboard-style. According to Ethics Daily, Doug Phillips, a trained lawyer, founder Vision Forum and misogynist pig, thinks it's a waste of money to educate your daughters:

Phillips says it's a waste of money to invest in an expensive college education for daughters. "It seems very pragmatic," Kunsman said in her lecture. "Why pour a lot of resources when you've got 10 kids and sons to train? You don't want to train your daughter in quantum physics."
Phillips says in his own words: "We do not need MORE female Christian lawyers, doctors or artists, but MORE godly women raising MORE godly children who will fill the earth and subdue it to the glory of God. And does it really make economic sense to invest tens of thousands of dollars for a woman to get an advanced education (often having to go into debt to finance that education) that she will NOT use if she accepts that her highest calling is to be a wife and mother?"

Maybe it's just me, but I think that it was actually Doug's parents who wasted their money educating him.

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North Macon Looks Like Ussery Territory

The Bibb Commission chair race is heating up, and Charlie Bishop has not one, but two, fights on his hands. He probably shouldn't pick any more. Sam Hart stepped up to the plate last month with an impressive 25K in the bank, and from the signs I'm seeing in yards, North Bibb looks like Ussery territory to me. Vineville, too. I suspect that Chairman Bishop is feeling just a little bit nervous about right now. I'm sure he expected a fight in the general election, but now it looks as though the momentum in the Republican primary is with Ussery. Bishop may not even survive that primary to face a strong Sam Hart in the fall. Some elected officials may feel pressure to support Bishop, or to stay out of the race, in an effort to protect their own seats, but they shouldn't worry. Change is in the air in Macon. It's time to get on that train or pack up your office.

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Help Dee WIN!

I just went online and made a $100 contribution to Dee Haigler's campaign for House District 93. Dee is endorsed by both Georgia Equality (elects pro-LGBT candidates) and WIN List (elects pro-choice female Democratic candidates).This is a special election to fill the unexpired term of Rep. Ron Sailor, who was forced to resign from the seat in disgrace after being caught by authorities laundering money.

To thoroughly confuse you and voters in the district, the regular election is also going on, so the five candidates who qualified for this special election will be qualifying for the primary (to be held July 15th) and general election (to be held November 3rd). If Dee fails to win 50% + 1 of the vote in the May 13th special election, there will be a special election run-off (likely May 27th).

Dee Haigler has dedicated her life to public service as a minister, college educator, community activist, political strategist and organizer. She is a powerful and outspoken advocate for fairness and equality, with the right background and experience to be an effective advocate for all the citizens of House District 93.

Please join me in supporting Dee Haigler by going online right now and making a secure contribution of $500, $250, $100 (match my gift!), or $50 to the campaign.

CONTRIBUTE

Dee ran for the state senate seat that includes this house seat in 2006, and she is President of the local PTA and active in the community. She is by far the strongest candidate and can win this special election without a run-off, but only if we step up to the plate and support the campaign to get her message out to voters in the next two and one-half weeks!

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Dirty Tricks in HD93

Someone is circulating an email claiming that Traci Waites, who is running for HD93, is chair of the "Georgia Association of Black Republicans." It come with art attached that, at first glance, seems to support the claims. Shocking right? Except that it's not true. It's a hit piece. In case you get the email, here's a link to the original page published in the fall 2007 edition of "The Black Republican." Check page two. I've copied it, and the false hit piece below. This is dirty, nasty politics. What a load of crap. I am supporting a different candidate in this race, but it doesn't matter. No one deserves this. It's way wrong.

Below you will find the first, the forged piece that is circulating and below it , a copy of the original page.

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Pennsylvania Prediction

I think Clinton will win tonight, by double digits. I say 12 points.

Update:

Or maybe not. Here are some early exits from National Review. They have Obama up by 5 and winning the blue collar vote.

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Play Nice

You can't always play nice in politics. As Roy Barnes once said, this is a blood sport. It is, I know, and some issues are worth the bleeding, but there are times when the process chews up perfectly good people for no good reason. For example, I was sad to get email today announcing that the constituency vice chair for the DPG, Virgilio Perez Pascoe, has resigned. Let me be clear, I have no information about why he resigned, but it sure is sad to lose him. Virgilio is relatively new to party politics-something most of us saw as a plus. He comes from a corporate background where the trains generally run on time. I know for a fact that he spent a tremendous amount of time making sure that the whole delegate selection process worked as well as it possibly could've. For example, he met my husband, who is the 8th district congressional chair, in Macon at 8 p.m. on Friday night to give him the materials for the caucus the next day and then went back to Americus to be the DPG rep at that caucus the next day. That doesn't even begin to count the many, many meetings that he chaired or attended in the run up to this process. Perhaps his departure is unrelated to the stress of that process, but the timing sure is curious. The bottom line is that we can't afford to lose these newly engaged Democrats.

All of these party officers-from Jane on down-are volunteers. Yet, many give full time or nearly full time to their posts at the party. For their trouble, they also get to be the whipping posts when things aren't going well. That's understandable to a degree-they should be accountable to the duties of their elected posts, but it seems to me that the party would be stronger if we spent as much energy complimenting as complaining.

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The Obama Cash Machine

CNN reports that Barack Obama has raised $41 million in March, more than twice Clinton's haul, leaving him with $51 million cash on hand and (this is impressive) $42.5 million that can be spent on the primaries. Clinton, on the other hand reports 10 million in debt, and of her $32 million cash on hand, only about $9 million available for primary spending.

Look, I feel a little silly writing words like "just" before amounts like $9 million, but this cash difference in the campaigns has reached a point of critical mass. Whoever is the nominee is going to have rely on their primary money until the convention, even if the other party drops out of the race. No candidate for president has ever demonstrated the ability to raise the kind of money-from such a broad base-as Sen. Obama has done. It really is remarkable.

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$3.98

On the way home from Covington tonight, I pulled into a Chevron station to buy gas, and it was $3.98 a gallon. First of all, I have to buy premium for my car, but still $3.98 a gallon???

With these gas prices, if we can't elect a democrat in November, we just need to pack it all up and quit trying. I'm not kidding.

For most families, I imagine this takes a huge bite out of the budget.

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Democatic Caucus: The Winners

No, I don't have a list of all the winners from yesterday's caucus, but regardless, the real winners were Georgia Democrats. In most, if not all, caucus locations throughout the state, record numbers of participants and delegate candidates participated. We need to capture the names of those folks and work to involve them in the Party. More so this year, but to some degree in every presidential election, Georgians become involved who have been otherwise disengaged in politics. We have a history of failing to capture the names of those individuals. We need to do that in a systematic way and pull them in to other activities. For example, our senate candidate, who I hope will be Jim Martin, needs to know where all these people are-they are potential volunteers!

In general, from what I have heard, yesterday was a good day for Georgia democrats. Despite the logistical challenges involved with the large crowds, I have heard of very few "hitches." That's pretty remarkable, in and of itself, since all of our congressional district chairs were given the task of finding free space, large enough to accommodate the crowds that also had wireless Internet access. They also had to find volunteers to do various tasks. If you were at a caucus location, and the process seemed relatively easy, you may want to send a BIG thank you to your CD, all of whom are volunteers for the party. It's kind of like a ballet-if it is done well, it seems effortless and often the hard work that was done to prepare is not credited.

We also need to say a thank you to Jane Kidd, her staff and the other officers of the Party, many of whom supervised caucus locations. In the 8th, Vice Chair Sally Rosser was here at 8 a.m. to help set up and stayed through the entire process. Good job, everyone.

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Breakfast Before the Caucus

Lauren Benedict, Tom Ellington and I would like to invite you to join us for breakfast before the caucus tomorrow. In the 8th congressional district, Tom and I are both running to be Obama delegates, and Lauren is running for an alternate post for Obama. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and the caucus begins at 10 a.m. There is plenty of parking behind my office, and it's an easy three block walk from the caucus location, Mercer Law School. So, join us for some breakfast, and then go with us to caucus for Obama. Here's the invite:

Candidates for Delegate for Barack Obama

Lauren Benedict, Tom Ellington, and Amy Morton

Invite you to Join us for

Breakfast

315 College Street, Ste., 150

Macon, Georgia

Saturday, April 19, 2008

8 a.m.

Before the

Historic Democratic Caucus

Mercer University School of Law

1021 Georgia AvenueMacon, Georgia

10:00 a.m.

*Parking is awailable behind 315 College Street, witihin walking distance of the Law School.

Please come, join us for breakfast, and then go with us to vote for delegates for Sen. Barack Obama. RSVP to (478) 741-1138 for breakfast.

*Doors to the caucus will open at 9 a.m., and participants MUST be in line to register NO LATER than 10 a.m.

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