Athens Politics

Drought Work Session

2007-10-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

We'll be doing a bit of "liveblogging" coverage of the Commission drought work session. We've already dialed up the ~~red carpet coverage~~ pre-meeting coverage of Blake Aued dropping his note pad. Stay tuned for more excitement.

Finally starting up; Heidi apologizes for sitting with her back to the audience, apparently because of the large screen used for the work session.

Fun fact: We are now in what is called an exceptional drought, which means it's only expected to be this dry once every 100 years.

We're now apparently liveblogging JobTV. Oh wait, just kidding. And there it goes again. I guess that job in Monroe was more important than the three words I missed. Seriously, can I get a job managing the feeds for Channel 7? Cause this guy sucks. Also, that slide is giving me a headache.

Seems like the bottom line is that the steps taken so far are kinda working, and we'll probably be ok so long as we keep conserving like we've been doing and so long as it rains somewhere in the normal range the rest of the year and early next year. If not, we'll eventually have to take Step F, which apparently involves some mandatory reduction in usage. Violations will involve a 10 times rate for amounts over the limit, that plus a $1,000 surcharge for a second offense, and all of that plus a service disruption for a third offense.

No change in current drought conditions would place Step F as occurring on December 14, 2007. We would then have to start to use internal back-ups (Lake Chapman and the Loop 10 reservoir, which I didn't even know we had until tonight) on February 23, 2008 if things didn't improve before then.

However, it unfortunately sounds like a mandate from Sonny may force us to go to Step F sooner than that. We have to cut an additional 10%, even though we've already taken steps that other communities haven't taken. No good deed goes unpunished.

Maxwell is talking about paper plates and such. Now he's suggesting a 4-day work week. Cool!

Hoard makes the case for multi-year averages instead of a 12-month average in calculating the base from which a % must be reduced, suggesting that a 12-month average unfairly penalizes companies that have proactively taken steps to conserve in recent years. I don't disagree, except that it might drive up the amount of reduction that has to come from residential.

Girtz: "This is a great drought, and I thank you for it."

Guvmint low-flow showerheads for the poor, courtesy of fines against violators? That might work.

Ok, I've got to go eat and watch BC-VT. My civic engagement only goes so far. I'll refrain from ordering water.

The Flounder Files: Really?

2007-09-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

Sigh. Why do I get the feeling that "really?" is a word I'll be using quite often with this guy?

So, another email from Rand "Flounder" Knight, candidate for U.S. Senate, fell into my inbox from an anonymous friend. Here's the headline:

Rand Knight leads new poll!

Stop the friggin' presses!!!!!!!!

So this Flounder guy, who hasn't even made it into any Georgia poll that I've seen, who hasn't even really made it into most of the news stories I've read about this race, is leading in a poll?

Really?

Hmm, this bears reading. Maybe I've judged him harshly. Maybe I've been under a political rock for the last few weeks and missed a sudden Flounder-surge.

Not so much, no.

The poll in question was an online poll (apparently fairly old) that was hosted on something called ADonkeyandanElephantWalkIntoaBar.com. (Long domain names much?) Apparently it's a social networking (translation: one step up from dating) site for the politically inclined.

And, the "lead" Rand brags about breaks down like this:
Rand Knight: 16.28%
Dale Cardwell: 11.63%
Vernon Jones: 0.00%

Hmm... I did go to public schools, but I know a little math. Enough to know that 16.28 + 11.63 + 0 = 27.91. And enough to know that 27.91 is less than 100%. Fortunately, the kids over at Blog for Democracy have the answers I see. (Those Atlanta folks - so bright and on top of their bloggin' stuff.) Sez Bernita:

Wyc Orr: 25.58%
Rand Knight: 16.28%
Dale Cardwell: 11.63%
Vernon Jones: 0.00%
Jim Marshall: 46.51%

So what you're saying is, Flounder is not so much leading, as he is trailing two guys who aren't even in the damn race (one of whom may not even be much of a Democrat) in a poll conducted on a social networking site?

Really?

Yeah, that's some shit to brag about, Flounder. Keep up the good work.

What can Broun do for you?

2007-09-26T18:41:00.000-04:00

Saw this on a blog from the Bobby Saxon campaign. Saxon, you may recall, is challenging Congressman Paul Broun in the 10th District. (The Flem is also running.) Saxon is a Democrat, but by most accounts, the most serious Democrat to run in the 10th in a while. Being quick to respond when Broun acts the fool is a good indication that he might actually be a serious candidate.

Sez Bobby:

What can Broun do for you? Not much if you’re a Georgia child in need of healthcare

ATHENS, Ga. – Democratic Congressional candidate Bobby Saxon released the following statement on last night's vote in the House of Representatives to re-authorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). S-CHIP is the parent program for Georgia's successful PeachCare program, which provides affordable health insurance to hundreds of thousands of Georgia children.

“I'm deeply disappointed that Congressman Broun chose to put party above principle with his vote last night. I'm not a doctor like my opponent is, but I do know the Hippocratic Oath, and its charge to protect patients from harm.

“With his vote against children's health care, Congressman Broun has broken that promise and, if he had his way, hundreds of thousands of Georgia children, and their families, would be harmed.

“I'm going to fight to keep our promise to our children, because this is about more than just a health care bill. Healthy children do better in school, they learn more, and they succeed. That's good, not just for the children and their families, but for the future of America's workforce and economy. When I am elected to Congress, I will always put the interests of our families and children first.”

Bobby Saxon is a small business owner and has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and led a Homeland Security mission. Saxon also serves as Chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party and is a member of the Democratic Party of Georgia State Committee. Please go to www.BobbySaxon.com for more information on Bobby Saxon and his campaign for United States Congress.

Ok, not bad. I don't know whether this went to reporters (how about it, Blake?), or his email list or what. I picked it up from Tondee's Tavern. Still, nice one, Mr. Saxon.

The bloggernetz are angry!!

2007-09-26T18:31:00.000-04:00

At one Jim Marshall, that is. Seems Rep. Marshall, a Democrat from Macon, did the unthinkable - he voted against his party on extending children's health care.

Flackattack is pee-yossed!

And even more pee-yossed!

Since, once upon a time, we here in "Heidi's world" had a congressman who bucked the party line more than some of us would like, how about the Athens take on this whole thing. (Don't worry, our former Congressman voted for children's health care, and he approves of them dawgs too!)

Get a load of this guy!

2007-09-17T20:06:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to introduce you to Rand Knight, Democrat for U.S. Senate. You've probably never heard of ol' Rand. That's cool. For your background information, he's been in the Senate race for a handful of months and has just made the transition to actually being mentioned in newspaper stories.

Anyway, Rand Knight is not having the best week ever. First, he and his fellow candidates, Cardboard and Snuggles, got royally dissed by the national Democrats and state party chairwoman Jane Kidd. (Don't act so shocked folks, they're only saying what everybody knows - the candidates for U.S. Senate suck.)

Then, he decides to declare war on the AJC by launching into a whiny tirade over at Tondee's Tavern. JMac is all over this one like a hipster on a PBR.

Then, this afternoon, Jim Galloway and Bob Kemper over at the AJC's Political Insider delivered this hot, steaming nugget into my RSS reader. Rand has jumped on the bandwagon of 21st Century politics by making a bad YouTube video. Here you go.

Really? Ok, a few points to make here.

His head looks extraordinarily, um...tall. That's a mega-noggin.
"Technical and sales background." Really? Because voters really seem to like salesmen, right?
Is it just me, or does his "southern accent" sound contrived? I don't mean a little exaggerated, I'm talking Nick Cage in "Con Air" bad. ("Put thuh bunneh in thuh bawx.")

Anyway, I never thought that I'd say this, but this guy makes me miss the political juggarnaut that was Cliff Oxford.

In the grand tradition of Tondee's Tavern and their candidate nicknames, I hereby christen Mr. Rand Knight....

FLOUNDER.

Really.

The GlennTax Travels, part II: D-I-V-O-R-C-E

2007-09-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

The GlennTax travels, part II:
in which we talk about the 'Stache's control issues and why even prominent Republicans are less than thrilled about this idea. Also, we show Elton the love.

Control Issues:
To a lot of folks, the biggest slam on the GlennTax is it's decimation of the concept of local control. If you've followed Georgia politics closely for the past few years (you know who you are ... dork), then you know that the state Republican party created and solidified its hold on the majority in the General Assembly on the issue of local control. The line was essentially, "those big-gummint, tax-n-spend libruls are tryin' to run everthang from up in Atlanta! We [the GOP] recognize your right to run your community how you want to run it."

With all due respect, fellas - horseshit. The GlennTax is a direct, and probably gut-busting, shot to home rule and local control, because it takes the primary revenue stream for cities and counties and throws it in the trash. Instead, your county government is going to have to go to Atlanta, hat in hand, and beg the Stache (aka Speaker Richardson) for money every time you want to buy a fire engine, hire some new first grade teachers, or pick up the latest Jackie Collins pageturner for your local library.

Now, the Stache will tell you that if his nefarious scheme goes through, Athens is guaranteed to get as much money from the gummint next year as they collected in property taxes this year. Fair enough, but what about the year after, and the year after that? And, what if Athens wants to make a big, necessary capital expenditure, say building a new middle school? There's no guarantee that the State will release the funds. In fact, since Athens is represented in the House by two Democrats and one Republican (and let's be honest, Bob Smith only represents a tiny sliver of this town), smart money is on Paulding County getting a new middle school (or fire truck, or whatever) before Athens does.

As long as Republicans are in power, the GlennTax has the additional benefit of being "re-election insurance" for GOP incumbents, because they'll always bring back the bacon. So, it's a pretty sneaky way of getting close to that "permanent majority" about which some Republicans like to fantasize. (When they're not fantasizing about other things.)

Needless to say, a lot of local officials are less than excited about the possibility of going from being elected leaders to elected beggars. Here in ACC, Mayor Heidi Davison is all het up (and good on her!), and Super-Commissioner Elton Dodson, who is not always known for his reticence and tact, was pretty miffed as well. Sez Dodson: "We would lose all local autonomy. ... It's the end of home rule in Georgia. It's the end of local control..." (ABH 08/27/07)

He's right, you know.

GOP to the Stache: Um... not so much, no
But those are just the insane ramblings of a bunch of mixed up libruls. Surely the GOP establishment is standing squarely behind the Stache and his tax pony?

Um... no.

In fact, GOP leaders like Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, and Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson are publicly expressing their concerns about the GlennTax. And in a Georgia accustomed to monolithic GOP posturing, even the expression of mild concern is the political equivalent of declaring Glenn Richardson and his little plan dead to them.

Face it, these guys are divorcing themselves from Glenn Richardson and his plan and running the other way as fast as they can.

Even Phil Kent, who is to conservative meme what Britney Spears is to poor fashion choices, expressed some mild disagreement on this morning's "Georgia ~~Circlejerk~~ Gang."

Wrapping it up:
So to sum up, here's what you've got on the Glenn Tax. As we saw in part 1 of our Magical Mystery Tour, you're getting a whole slew of new taxes to make up for one tax, and the Stache would really appreciate it if you didn't notice that you're going to be paying those new taxes so that WalMart gets a tax break. And, if that isn't enough, it's also going to make sure that the Stache gets to dictate what goes on in your community, instead of your duly elected local leaders. Also, no one really likes it, other than Glenn and his cronies.

Join us for the next chapter, wherein we talk about alternatives, politely disagree with Flack and JMac, and make fun of the Stache some more.

The Flem is loose!

2007-09-10T21:03:00.000-04:00

So it's official. The Flem is running. (HA!) If you're interested in hearing him make it officially official, you could tune into Tim Bryant's show tomorrow morning.

Anywhich, Broun tells our pal Blake that he ain't skeered. Which is good, because if he were actually quaking in his boots, it would make it harder for the Flem to smack him around.

But, as previously mentioned, don't rule out hometown boy Bobby Saxon. As Blake points out:

"The Iraq veteran from Jackson County manages to slam the surge and the New York Times, and both praise and criticize MoveOn.org, all in the same press release. Well played, sir."

He's right, you know. It's a small thing, but it's a smart triangulation move, and shows a level of political sophistication that hasn't been seen in this district in quite some time.

Roundup: September 9th, 2007

2007-09-09T09:53:00.000-04:00

Here's some stuff.

JMac no likey Food Lion. What's next, war on Ingle's?
I wax eloquent about the GlennTax. (Preview: it sucks!)
Jim T talks about noun wars. As a veteran of the gerund conflicts of '87, I can't agree more. Never again. (Ok, seriously, Jim makes good points here.)
Bill Shipp continues to barrel down the slippery slope from "crotchety" to "irrelevant" with this column. One point I'm going to make in opposition to this piece: Hillary Clinton is currently ahead of Obama, and by a not insignificant margin, in Georgia. And guess what, even that doesn't matter, because it's five months until we vote. A lot can happen in five months.
A few days ago, Blake's blog had an interesting thread with some good comments on poverty.

GlennTax Travels: Part I

2007-09-09T08:44:00.000-04:00

[Editor's note: For the love of Girtz! You go away on a quick, year-long vacay, and this is what happens to AthPo? Seriously guys. All righty, let's pick it up.]

GlennTax Travels, Part I
In which we explore stalking horses, and how you're helping big-box business get ahead.

So, the editorial board at the ABH thinks Glenn Richardson needs to give it up on his whole "GlennTax," "Tax Pony," "I wanna be your Speaker and your banker" ish. For what it's worth, they're 110% right, but I don't know if I want to see what comes next to replace the GlennTax. Anyway, this gives me a great opportunity to jump in with one of those rambling, half-ass analyses that I know we all enjoy. Buckle in tight, kids, 'cos I got a few things on my mind. So many things in fact, that they can only be thoroughly explored in a multi-part series that will be posted as I feel like it.

The Stalking Horse Theory:

Some bloggers believe that the 'Stache (that's hipster bloggerspeak for Richardson, if you're keeping score at home) has no intention of passing his plan, and is instead using it as a stalking horse for a much more "reasonable" plan (and by reasonable, I mean less overtly crappy) that he can bring in as a "compromise" measure (and by compromise, I mean that they're going to ram it down your throat the same way they do everything else) later down the road.

Some folks think the GlennTax is a placeholder, designed to rile people up enough that Glenn can then pull the plan and replace it with a similar idea proposed by his loyal minion, Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons). Keen's scheme would replace property taxes with an increase in the statewide sales tax. I don't need to tell you that this is a terrible idea, for many of the same reasons that the GlennTax itself is a bad idea. In fact, it's very much the same plan, although it is less ambitious in scope. Of course, being less ambitious in the scope of taxes you're getting rid of means that the numbers fail to add up in an even more egregious fashion.

For what it's worth, I'm inclined to think that this theory is at least possible. It's not outside the realm of possibility that the 'Stache and his posse know that Keen's plan is a political turd, and the only way to polish it is by making it stack up favorably against an even bigger, stinkier bill. However, on the other hand, I'm not sure that the Speaker's ego will let him knowingly introduce a straw plan to block for Keen's bill.

Wal-Mart to Athens, Thanks for picking up our tax bill!

Here's another point that hasn't gotten much air time with respect to the GlennTax. As anyone who's been following this thing knows, if it passes, your property taxes go bye-bye. Sounds great, right? I mean, heck, sign me up! But wait, it's not just your property taxes going away, it's everybody's property taxes going away, and that means mine, Heidi's, JMac's, and - hmmm, oh yeah - every mall, factory, private college, McWendyKing's, car dealership, and every other business in the state of Georgia. And did I mention that bane of progressive suburban existence, Wal-Mart? Y'see, the 'Stache wants to frame this debate around residential property taxes, and he would just as soon nobody think about the fact that (almost) all properties pay property taxes. What that means for you and me is that businesses get an oh-so-sweet tax break, while we get a somewhat less-than-sweet tax break that, depending on your income, consumption, etc, may or may not end up costing you more money. Put another way, we're going to lose the property tax revenue from the new Lowe's, and that money has to be made up somehow. Guess who's going to be making it up? Consumers.

And that's why the GlennTax should perhaps be called the "GlennTaxes," because he's making up for that revenue shortfall by introducing a whole host of brand new taxes on everything from the will you get your lawyer to draw up to your haircuts, your tax preparation, the guys who cut your lawn, even your freakin' babysitter. So, while your babysitter is calculating the sales tax you owe her for watching the rugrats while you spent a few hours at Cine, please rejoice in the fact that you are helping Lowe's and Wal-Mart duck their fair share of the tax burden.

Stay tuned for Part II of the GlennTax travels, in which we talk about the 'Stache's control issues and why even prominent Republicans are less than thrilled about this idea. Also, we show Elton the love.

The Flem rises...

2007-09-07T15:21:00.000-04:00

According to CQ, Augusta state rep Barry "the Flem" Fleming is going to get into the race for the 10th Congressional District. And, as anyone with half a brain could've predicted, the folks down in Augusta have got a big ol' girlcrush on the Flem. Sez Debbie McCord, who runs the GOP in Columbia County, “Barry is very popular in our area and I do know he has a lot of support.”

Translation: Screw you, Broun. How dare you get elected from Athens?

Hey, by the by, isn't the Flem the state rep who got busted for DUI? No wait, that was this dude.

Not that Broun is any prize pig himself. I know, I know, he got elected because Whitehead essentially took a big fat dump on our civic pride. We did what we had to do, held our noses, and voted for Doc Broun. Given the fact that we'll actually have a Democrat in the general this year, we probably shouldn't do that so much this time around.

Not that it's going to be an issue. With the Columbia County GOP behind him, the Flem will beat Doc Broun in the primary like a rented mule.

But, speaking of Democrats, Athens does have a pretty good choice - this guy.

DPG Reacts to Voter ID Ruling

2007-09-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

Here is the official response of the Democratic Party of Georgia to the ruling today upholding Georgia's Voter ID law:

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.”

-30-

Perhaps more later, after I've had to time to look at the ruling more closely.

Happy belated Labor Day, everyone (NSFW)

2007-09-05T15:49:00.000-04:00

Words cannot express exactly how not safe for work this is. (Unless you work down on the docks or something.

Poythress Retires

2007-09-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

So David Poythress, the Adjutant General of Georgia's National Guard, has announced that he will retire in November.

Is he planning to run for something?

May I See Your IQ?

2007-09-01T14:32:00.000-04:00

We need to start checking people's IQ's rather than their ID's in this town:

Athens Commission taking hard look at doormen job: "The Athens-Clarke Commission will vote Tuesday on a police proposal to begin mandatory fingerprinting and $30 background checks for doormen to weed out criminals."

Why? Because of "stories about some doormen who let in attractive women who are under 21, accept bribes or tips from underage patrons and even deal drugs on the side."

Emphasis there on "stories." Meanwhile, the real "criminals" in this entire underage drinking scenario seem to escape culpability. Because out of the ensemble of the doorman, the bartender, the bar owner and the underage drinker, there's only one person at 11pm who sets out willingly and knowingly to break the law, and it ain't the doorman.

Let's hope Commissioners follow Kelly Girtz's lead and vote for his alternative to this nonsense. And let's put the responsibility of underage drinking back where it belongs...on the underage drinker.

Porter Thinks That Perdue Doth Protest Too Much

2007-08-31T14:36:00.000-04:00

This is the original, full version of an op-ed from Dubose Porter that ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:

I think I may have hit a truth nerve. I think this because our Governor responded to my comments regarding his massive public relations campaign concerning SAT scores by releasing one of the finest public relations pieces to ever come out of his office. Since I also called on the people to become more engaged in deciphering the truth from this spin regarding education, I thought when I responded I would do so by highlighting a few of the tactics used in his latest press release as a primer.

1. Always, always crucify the messenger first.

The Governor's release- "For more than 130 years, Democrats like DuBose Porter and his pessimistic friends presided over an educational system..."

Only in the deepest world of "Spinning P.R." would you call someone a name that would also apply to yourself. You all did know our Governor was a part of the 130 year legacy he is bashing? Does he? Of course, but he didn't think anyone would be fed up enough to take the heat that comes from speaking truth to power.

2. Misconstrue while making it look like the messenger insulted someone (preferably a large group.)

The Governor's release- "Representative Porter's comments yesterday were disrespectful and insulting to Georgia teachers, administrators, parents, and most of all, our high school students, who have worked hard to improve their SAT scores over the last four years."

What I said had nothing to do with the ability of the teachers, administrators, parents or the students. What I said had to do with the cuts the Governor made that took away the tools to teach. The greatest lumberjack in the world can't cut down a tree with a hundred dollar bill when they need a chainsaw.

3. When facts fail call the messenger names.

The Governor's release- "…his comment 'I'm not surprised. This is exactly the result I was expecting…' is indicative of his bigotry of low expectations"

What exactly does that mean? When he cut tools to teach, learning suffered. Did he mean I am a bigot of instructional money???? Who knows, but it sure did sound bad.

4. Say something that can't be researched.

The Governor's release- "and a culture of negativity among Democrats."

Where was that poll taken and was that before or after the Governor was a Democrat?

5. Be willing to link unrelated ideas if necessary.

The Governor's release- "His reference to a 'massive public relations campaign' minimizes the hours, weeks and months of hard work and effort that Georgia teachers, students and parents have put forth to result in closing the gap with the national average."

My calling attention to the massive public relations campaign glossing over the negative results of cuts to education minimizes the work of teachers, students, and parents exactly how? I think they are doing amazingly well with 1.3 billion dollars less in the state's education budget.

6. Be willing to distort the heck out of the statistics.

The Governor's release- "Today, four and a half years after I was elected, Georgia is steadily closing the gap on the SAT national average. Since 2003 the gap between Georgia and the national average has shrunk by one-third, from a 42 point gap to only 28 points."

Overall, the nation's graduating class of 2007 averaged the lowest math and reading SAT scores since 1999 and Georgia's average dropped 5 points from last year. Everybody does worse, but the gap narrows and in the world of massive P.R. this is turned into a positive.

7. If something good does happen use it even if you worked to cripple its effects.

The Governor's release, "Georgia's minority students are even outpacing their counterparts around the nation with higher scores in most areas of the test."

That's great. But this same governor backed and implemented a criteria change for grade eligibility designed to prevent a large number of these same minority students from receiving the H.O.P.E. scholarship. It went into effect this fall and also cuts out a large number of our majority students from H.O.P.E. scholarship money. Lottery funds are at all time high.

8. Show a fact that looks good and means nothing.

The Governor's release- "In terms of participation rates, Georgia public schools beat the national average by 20 percentage points. Approximately 66 percent of public school students in Georgia take the SAT while an average of only 42 percent of public school students nationwide take the SAT."

If more people are taking it, it has just as much a possibility of going up as down. (Unless you have maybe- "bigotry of lower expectations"???) Regardless, we went down 5 points from our own score last year.

9. Half-truths are always effective.

The Governor's release- "Georgia teachers continue to be the highest paid in the Southeast."

Because of the Governor's changes to the State Health Benefit Plan, teacher's health insurance takes up a larger amount of their salary. The net effect is that in many cases the take home pay is actually less than before.

10. If need be, take credit for things that haven't even happened.

The Governor's release- "Thanks to our high school and middle school graduation coaches, our graduation rates have increased by almost eight points."

I also support graduation coaches, but it is just too soon to calculate its actual effect. If you have to be 16 to drop out and the program has only been in place for one year, how can you take credit for students not dropping out when they couldn't have dropped out yet, even if they had wanted.

11. When all else fails just say something positive and run.

The governor's release- "As I said yesterday, despite all our gains, I will not be satisfied with Georgia's SAT scores or ranking until these indicators become a true reflection of the quality of education that is being provided to students in our state every day."

… despite all our gains? Our Governor oversaw cuts in the state education budget of 1.3 billion, cuts of eligibility to H.O.P.E by almost a third, cuts to teacher's take home pay, cuts in score results… and these are gains? No, what that is, is a massive public relations campaign.

If enough light is focused on education, we can begin to see real improvement. While I would not have cut education at a time when our students have to compete in a global market, there are many positive solutions that don't require more money. However, they will only work if the public is allowed to see the truth instead of the spin. Reducing paperwork for teachers and therefore giving them more time to teach, making more effective use of our technology to speed learning, shifting the focus of learning methods to reading in the early grades and allowing stronger discipline are just a few of the changes that would move our state forward, without raising taxes- but this won't happen until we quit sugar coating reality and start dealing with it.

Tell 'em Porter.

Locals Sound Off On GlennTax

2007-08-27T08:54:00.000-04:00

From Blake's piece yesterday:

"Imagine if Speaker Richardson was in control of this community," Dodson said Thursday at a Clarke County Democratic Committee meeting. "How much money do you think Athens would get from state coffers?

"We are going to have to beg for money in Atlanta," he said. "We would lose all local autonomy. ... It's the end of home rule in Georgia. It's the end of local control, unless you happen to be a community that's very closely aligned with whatever power structure is in Atlanta at the time."

The issue of local control also concerns Charles Worthy, president of the Clarke County Board of Education.

"I just can't imagine having state taxes funding the local school system," Worthy said. "When you look at it realistically, you're taking local control away from the school system."

...

A vote in the state legislature on whether to place the plan on the 2008 ballot still is at least six months away, but it's already drawing opposition. Davison attended a meeting Wednesday between Richardson and local officials from across the state, and said opposition was nearly unanimous.

The meeting was organized by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, which opposes the plan, as does the state's other major local government group, the Georgia Municipal Association. Elected officials of both parties in Savannah, Albany, Cobb County and Rome, among others, also have criticized it.

"It was very clear ... that no one seemed to like this plan, and I would say I was in the minority as far as party affiliation," said Davison, a Democrat.

...

So far, local lawmakers are waiting to see the details of Richardson's proposal before deciding how to vote. State Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, said he is planning several hearings this fall to gauge constituents' interest.

"I want to see what they have in writing," Smith said. "I've got several questions to be answered, local-control questions."

State Rep. Doug McKillip, D-Athens, said he hopes his bill giving low-income workers a break on their state income taxes will be part of the reforms the legislature eventually votes on. He said he is skeptical of Richardson's plan, especially since a tax on services and a renewed grocery tax would hit the poor hardest.

"If you are going to overhaul the tax system, I would like to see the regressive nature of the taxes that are being suggested eliminated," McKillip said.

You gotta admire Glenn's ability to bring unity between Georgia's two parties, even if it is only unity in opposition to the GlennTax. Here's hoping the GlennTax proposal dies a slow and unceremonius death.

What do Chambliss and Isakson Have Against Georgia's Children?

2007-08-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

The Senate passed an expanded SCHIP program 68-31 on Thursday. Georgia's Senators both voted no.

How can they possibly justify this? This is not a complicated issue. It's a really simple one. Either you believe that providing health care for all of Georgia's children is an important priority or you don't. Apparently Chambliss and Isakson believe that doing the bidding of a President that's barely hanging on is more important than doing what is right for Georgia's children.

Let's see if Georgia's voters agree with your priorities next year, Saxby.

Bongs For Broun!

2007-07-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

Broun Votes To Ease Up On Medical Pot:

"U.S. Rep. Paul Broun offered Democrats a peace pipe and sent Republican leaders' hopes that he'd toe the party line up in smoke this week by voting to ease federal restrictions on medical marijuana laws."

Get a load of Blake and his "peace pipe" allusion.

"The Republican congressman from Athens was sworn in Wednesday and cast his first vote in the House of Representatives late that night in support of an amendment to stop the U.S. Justice Department from prosecuting people who distribute medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

"The measure failed 262-165, but Broun said he fulfilled his campaign promises to respect states' rights and be independent by bucking GOP leadership and joining just 14 other Republicans who voted for the amendment, proposed by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y, and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif."

The real laugher? "Rep. John Barrow, D-Savannah, a former Athens-Clarke commissioner, voted against the amendment, as did Georgia's six other House Republicans besides Broun."

[snicker] I have no idea what's in store the next 18 months, but I can predict two things from this: number one, that vote would never have been cast by Charlie Norwood. And number two, Broun just picked up a, er, significant voting block here in Athens.

A Victory For Athens

2007-07-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

If the results hold true (as Billy reports below Paul Broun is extending his lead), then this really is a victory for Athens-Clarke, no matter how you slice it. And you have Jim Whitehead and his anti-Athens strategy to thank for it.

Since I wrote last week, I can't tell you how many people I've heard from the past few days saying that Paul Broun, Jr. was the only choice, and that there was no way we could "let that (fill in the blank) from Augusta tell us what to do here in Athens." Over and over, even from friends who would have preferred death to voting for a Republican. Several even said they were forgoing the "none of the above" strategy in favor of the hometown Broun.

Throw in the MCG satellite campus brou-ha-ha, and Broun targeting Democratic voting households with calls and mailers, and I think we saw an "Athens surge" at the polls yesterday. Coming on the heels of ACC Dems failure to put Marlowe in the runoff, this would suggest we're still a force to be reckoned with, no matter how much Ralph Hudgens et al want to draw us out of existence.

As Mike-el pointed out in comments "Broun taking A-CC 5,122-601 is just staggering." And if the vote count holds, it is the reason Mr. Broun will go to Washington.

Let's just hope the Republican Broun remembers the largely Democratic "Athens surge" that put him there.

Broun Extends Lead

2007-07-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

98% reporting, and the lead is now 371.

Meanwhile, they are debating not so much Iraq, but whether the all-night session is or isn't a stunt, in the Senate.

Not So Fast!

2007-07-17T21:09:00.000-04:00

Well, well, looks like we may have spoken too soon in the comments. With 95% of the votes in, Broun is leading by 271 votes. In fact, Peach Pundit is calling it for Broun. I don't know about all that, but Broun is once again outperforming expectations.

Since we're gonna try to stay up and watch the Iraq debate, or whatever it is they're planning to do all night in the Senate, we'll put up news as we come across it.

The 10th...in '08

2007-07-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we will have the runoff special election between Jim "Did I say that out loud?" Whitehead and Paul "Sure I live in Athens" Broun, Jr. So that's what we should be talking about here on AthPo, right?

Nah. If I go and hold my nose and pull the lever for Broun tomorrow, it will only because of Whitehead's "Augusta v. Athens" comments; otherwise I may sit out my first election in years. This election isn't much of a choice, is what I'm saying.

But I'm operating under the theory that neither can do too much damage in the year or so before the election next year. By the time they get settled in and get a staff hired, they'll have to start thinking about that election. And, since it's kinda what we do here (or what used to be done here, anyway), I thought we'd go ahead and think about it now.

Question 1: Which Democrat(s) will challenge whoever wins tomorrow?

Will Marlow be back? Despite the woe-is-meism of a lot of Democrats after Marlow failed to make the runoff, I still think Marlow could make a run at it. If the state party continues to build on some of the inroads they're trying to make in the rural parts of Georgia (including of course the mountains of the Northeast that make up a lot of the 10th), and if Marlow starts early with a bona fide ground attack up there, he could make a race of it (especially if Broun is his opponent).
If not, the Dems need a true star. For example, is there any chance we'll ever see Don Johnson run for anything again? I would love it, but I don't know if it will happen.

Question 2: Should Democrats vote for Broun because he will be easier to beat in '08?

The conventional wisdom seems to be that the national Republicans will put much more money and energy behind getting Whitehead reelected than Broun.

While that makes sense to me on an intellectual level, I've got a bit of a psychological problem with "wishing" for a particular opponent. I guess it comes from watching sports playoffs; it seems like when you wish for the easier opponent, they end up beating you. They are, after all, the one that won to get there in the first place.

But then again, it does reinforce my other reason for voting for Broun.

Give your thoughts on these and other questions regarding the '08 10th race in the comments (and I guess if you must talk about the runoff, you can do that too).

[In the spirit of full disclosure, and in case it's not obvious from this post, I am (like my predecessors on AthPo for the most part) a Democrat and a liberal. I am from Athens, after all (although we're not all both of those things)].

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

2007-07-14T11:15:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed over on the right, I am the first to take advantage of Blackfin's cry for help. I am Billy Merck, and you may have seen me over at Athens World. I also have my own legal blog, The Georgia Law Blog.

I have been following AthPo since the La Puerta del Sol days, and if I can do anything to help get that kind of discussion going again on here (that or 50+ comment threads on whether or not people should post anonymously, either way), I'll consider my tenure here a success. I look forward to it, and I hope you do too.

Help Wanted...

2007-07-13T10:35:00.000-04:00

Well, obviously, we are not contributing to this blog as we used to. In response to some of the complaints/comments, we going to try to open up a bit by inviting some fresh blood to be front pagers.

If you're interested, send a "resumé" to blackfinday@gmail.com.

"Resumé" can mean whatever you think is important for us to know about you and why you want to get involved, but obviously things like occupation, time in Athens, political leanings and shoe size will be helpful.

Whitehead: "I Don't Know A Lot Of The Political Ins And Outs"

2007-07-11T12:39:00.001-04:00

Scrolling around the Daily Planet's Voter's Guide to the 10th District Congressional runoff next week, I was surprised to hear Jim Whitehead admit in one of the posted audio clips that, since he's only been in politics for "twelve years, basically," he "doesn't know a lot of the political ins and outs," concerning when to show up for a debate and when not to.

Not a very comforting thing for the leading candidate for Congress to admit, is it? He also admits in another clip that he "never said I-raq wasn't an important isha." Oh.

So where are the AthPol readers lining up (yes it's been dead around here, yes we've been slack, mea culpa, etc.)? I've been hearing rumors from Clarke and Oconee Democrats that many are planning on going to the polls next Tuesday, putting in their voting machine card, not selecting a candidate, then hitting "cast ballot", which apparently will tally up as a "vote for neither" or none of the above.

Sounds interesting, but largely a waste of time to me. Isn't the same thing achieved when you just don't show up?

Frankly, this may be the first congressional election I've ever taken a pass on.

New Local Blog

2007-06-06T16:53:00.001-04:00

James Garland, formed District 1 Commission candidate, has started his own blog called "The Other Athens." Kudos to him. James has always been active in the comments section of this blog (back when there was an active comments section), and here's hoping his new blog stirs some debate and conversation.

Since we're so %&$ing slack.

Of course, it wasn't two days before a relatively benign post by James was hijacked by local one-issue wack-job Winfield J. Abbe, whom some of you may remember from the now-defunct Online Athens forum as CrunchMeow.

Actually, I think it's going to be a lot of fun....

Gasp!

2007-05-25T15:27:00.000-04:00

Immigration Bill Provisions Gain Wide Support:

"Taking a pragmatic view on a divisive issue, a large majority of Americans want to change the immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a new guest worker program to meet future labor demands," a new poll found.

A "large majority of Americans" except here in the 10th Congressional District, if the "leading candidates" are to be believed.

Really?

2007-05-24T09:21:00.000-04:00

From today's Banner Hearald: Whitehead's people are snarky bitches who think it's funny to put signs up across the street from an opponents event, and Greene's people are just bullies....

"The minutemen are coming"

The Race Heats Up

2007-05-19T11:56:00.001-04:00

Get Them Illegals

2007-05-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I was astounded reading Tom Crawford in Flagpole this morning about some of the leading District 10 Republican candidate's positions on the War in Iraq. Er, I mean, "War on Illegals" since the war in Iraq has...

"...not been a big thing in our district," said state senator Jim Whitehead, a former University of Georgia offensive lineman [and leading candidate to replace Charlie Norwood]. "Immigration is the number one issue, pure and simple."

Damn straight. In fact, according to Whitehead, "Left-wing political activists [are] intentionally registering illegal aliens to vote, including known Al Qaeda terrorists. This is a pivotal issue for the future of America. We have to have the intestinal fortitude to protect all Americans."

LOL. I wonder which of you "left-wing political activists" here in Athens in hiring "known Al Qaeda terrorists" to register and vote next month? C'mon, fess up, before Whitehead decides to, "except for the football team, bomb the University" and all of Athens.

Then we have Paul Broun, Jr. who "rejects Democratic criticisms of Bush and the war and lists the need to 'stop the invasion of illegal aliens" as a more pressing issue. "I believe that patriotism runs very deep in Georgia." Whatever one has to do with the other.

And someone by the name of Bill Greene, Crawford notes, "lists [illegal immigration] not just as the top issue, but as the top two issues on his campaign website."

Er..."Illegal immigrants are a detriment to the American economy and their refusal to assimilate is an affront to American culture."

Almost as offensive as all those businesses making millions off undocumented laborers, eh Bill?

The xenophobia is astounding. Crawford notes in his column that Democrat James Marlow seems to be the only candidate talking about the War in Iraq (as opposed to the War on Illegals) and that this may create an opening for the more moderate Marlow to make a runoff. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm returning to the streets of Athens to hunt for terrorists. More later.

And we have our answer...

2007-04-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

A letter to Jane Kidd mass circulated by Terry Holley...

Dear Jane,
This morning I had tried to send an email concerning qualifying, but my email was not cooperating. To bring you up to date, I waited until late yesterday to see how many people had qualified and decided that with three candidates running, it was not in the best interest of the Party or myself to enter this race. We had a window of opportunity immediately after Mr. Norwood’s passing and we blew it. Now, with some county committee’s endorsing a particular candidate, I have serious concerns as to why these counties are violating our bylaws and why our DPG officials have been waiting to give an interpretation on this. I certainly have informed our county chairs that I believe that this is a violation of our state party bylaws. I believe that you and I discussed this issue very early on which is why the state party would not give an endorsement. Competition is not bad, but each candidate deserves an equal opportunity as we move forward in this race. Also, I appointed Barbara Sims as first vice-chair for the district today.

With regards,
R Terry Holley, Chair
10th Congressional District
Democratic Party of Georgia

Now see, I have been a BIG anti-Terry guy since January, but after he (wisely) decided not to qualify I was gonna let it go, not bring him up again, stay positive, etc.

And then he goes and sends this letter out to everyone...

Seriously... what a little bitch he is. And a slackass too (see below). With Dems like Terry Holley, the GOP deserves to be in power in Georgia.

Terry Holley- Man of substance or slacka$$?

2007-04-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

Terry Holley , who a few democrats are still suppporting for the 10th despite the overwhelming support for Marlow, has a little trouble keeping up with his paper work....
But really, he's the best choice for support of local dems and he really has a chance of beating Whitehead...

Status of his filings for last cycle

Status of his filings for this election cycle

New Blog

2007-04-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Check out Tondee's Tavern, a new Georgia Progressive blog.

10th District Update

2007-04-16T14:29:00.000-04:00

Fundraising so far: (Rasied/Spent/Remaining/Debt)

GREENE, WILLIAM LAWRENCE	10	$60,293	$21,677	$38,616	$0	03/31/2007
MARLOW, JAMES B JR	10	$36,385	$8,580	$28,005	$0	03/31/2007
NORWOOD, CHARLIE	10	$1,660	$123,612	$781,283	$0	03/31/2007
WHITEHEAD, JAMES LESLIE SR	10	$265,271	$21,810	$243,461	$0	03/31/2007

Who wants to bet that when Holley files his report it shows he raised LESS than Norwood (who's dead, remember?)

In other news...
Andre has a Q&A with Marlow over on Unfiltered Politics
and

BFD has some dialoge with both Holley and Marlow here

UPDATE: Paul Broun has apparantly been raising money for some time...

UPDATE 2: I really can't spell worth a crap...

From over at PeachPundit

2007-04-16T11:11:00.000-04:00

Pretty good catch from the guys at PeachPundit on this photo. See if you can spot what they caught their eye...

Here it is in context.

Yeah, this guy's gonna win...

2007-04-12T07:06:00.000-04:00

Athens In Black And White

2007-04-04T10:08:00.000-04:00

Last night's vote made that abundantly clear:

"The commission voted 8-2 against letting the financially struggling ACTION Inc. sell its 1.7 acres and 100-year-old former schoolhouse to a developer with plans for 17 townhouses. Commissioners George Maxwell and Harry Sims voted to approve the plans."

Whether Elton Dodson is right in claiming "Those who would use this as a wedge issue to imply that we do not support ACTION are out of line," doesn't make the racial discrepancy in the vote or in the debate any less of a wedge.

Race is a big problem in Athens. And despite where you come down on the ACTION, Inc. issue, last night's debate/vote was a rather ugly, desultory affair, carefully dancing around the thousand pound elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.

Heidi's Endorsement: Andy Herod

2007-03-17T15:01:00.000-04:00

Back to some other news: Mayor Davison made an "unexpected endorsement" yesterday in Tuesday's D8 race.

"Andy's long history of community service, extensive experience, and proven leadership make him the best choice for District 8 and has earned him my personal endorsement," Davison said in an official news release from Herod's campaign. "District 8 is fortunate to have a candidate with a proven track record who is ready to go to work. That candidate is Andy Herod."

As Blackfin noted yesterday, this would make sense seeing as "Hamilton = Doc Eldridge, State McCarter, Charlie Maddox crowd; Herod = the "cobbham elite" candidate."

So does this effect the race? Good or bad, for either Andy or David?

The Nanny Diaries (part deux)

2007-03-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

Wherein we explore the "Nanny" side of ACC government not-related to the Commission.

Commissioner Elton Dodson was nice enough to stop by yesterday and set the record straight, and he "woodshedded" us regarding his stance on not wanting to see Happy Hour discounts torpedoed in Athens bars and nightclubs. (BTW, Elton, congrats too on fatherhood 2.0...you'll really be glad Happy Hour still exists very soon, trust me ;>)

But a reader doyouhaveanyidea brought up an interesting point in the comments: "Why are unelected financial staff, like Culpepper, issuing policy proposals before clearing them with the elected officials, who represent ACC citizens on these matters?"

That's the question of the day. As Elton said, he and other commissioners were shocked to hear staff was out making these proposals, yet last time I checked we didn't elect the heads of either the Financial Department or any other department to do such things. Sure, they can voice their ideas, just like any other citizen, but as Blackfin notes it's usually front page news because of who they are.

So what gives? Is this a case of "too many Chiefs and not enough Indians" within the ACC bureaucracy? Do department heads operate with impunity when it comes to policy matters? Should Heidi and the commission be cracking the whip, or is this much ado about nuthin'?

The Nanny Diaries

2007-03-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Wherein Athens Nanny-in-Chief, Super District Commish Elton Dodson, targets "Happy Hour" for eradication.

"Athenians would have to pay full price for after-work beverages under proposed changes to Athens-Clarke County's alcohol ordinance. One change would prevent bars and restaurants from charging different prices for drinks at different times of day, banning happy hours and late-night "power hours" popular with University of Georgia students.

"It's a real problem, and we need to address it," said Commissioner Elton Dodson, chairman of the five-member Legislative Review Committee that will consider the proposed changes.

Because heaven knows, Athens certainly doesn't have anything else going on (rapes, murders, grinding poverty, etc.) which needs addressing at the moment.

Said ol' "Volstead" Dodson: "Some of the things in here are things we should have passed years ago."

Yeah, like 1919.

From the flying monkeys....

2007-03-16T09:55:00.000-04:00

OK, OK, we suck. But with JMAC doing a fine job of covering the D8 race, it's been sorta hard to compete. As a practical matter, I don't live in D8, and I don't know either of these gentlemen, and really don't have a whole lot of insight. Which is not to say it's not an important race, just that it's an important race that I have absolutlely no insight into at all. So I decided to keep my mouth shut.

BUT...
I guess people need a place to post REM conspiracy theories without having to wade through what movies JMAC's watching right now...

So have at it.
Hamilton = Doc Eldridge, State McCarter, Charlie Maddox crowd
Herod = the "cobbham elite" candidate (c'mon chuckie, where you been?)

Hudgens Out

2007-03-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

This is old news by now, but still worth commenting on: State Senator Ralph Hudgens officially opted out of the 10th congressional district dog and pony show yesterday.

"After three weeks of campaigning, it became very evident that I don't have the fire in the belly, I didn't have what it takes," said Hudgens, a Comer Republican.

"Since Hudgens is keeping his seat in the state Senate, former state Sen. Brian Kemp won't be able to run for it. Kemp, an Athens Republican, had announced plans to run and was considered a near-lock to win back a Senate seat."

As a reader in the comments queried, why isn't Brian Kemp considering jumping into the congressional race, especially since his name recognition (from his statewide race for Ag commish) is higher than virtually every other candidate running?

Blake also raises the possibility that Hudgens' departure might be good news for Doc Eldridge, which is interesting. After hearing and reading various scuttle the past few weeks, I had thought Doc wasn't going to jump in.

What's the word?

Gossip

2007-03-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

According to a blurb over at Peach Pundit there are now ten people in the race for Charlie Norwood's congressional seat, seven of whom are Republicans, two Dems and one "L":

CANDIDATE
Paul Broun Jr., R
Bill Greene, R
Terry Holley, D
Ralph Hudgens, R
Julian Hutchins, R
Evita Paschall, D
Jackie Poteet, R
Nate Pulliam, R
Jim Sendelbach, L
Jim Whitehead, R

I'm assuming Paul Broun, Jr. is related to Paul Broun of the "Paul Broun Parkway" here in Athens, but wasn't Sr. a Democrat?

Speaking of Peach Pundit what's up with their slam of our own intrepid political reporter Blake Aued's comment on the paper's blog that he'd like to see Athens get a fair shake in the upcoming congressional election?

"Good things to say to a majority-conservative district....And too bad for Athens that the next Congressman from the 10th will most likely not reflect the unified's politics in pretty much any way."

Yeah, "too bad". The writer, someone named Jeff Emanuel, also goes on to drop the obligatory "People's Republic of Athens" slam, which is something I haven't heard since, oh I dunno, the end of the Soviet Union when the "joke" would still have been kinda relevant.

Meanwhile, back in the 21st Century...

Pete McCommons said in his column yesterday that with Hudgens officially running, Brian Kemp is expected to take over the seat Hudgens is vacating, thus giving he and his brother-in-law Bill Cowsert a solid lock on state Senatorial representation. "Cosy" indeed.

And so far the first two to announce for Commission District 8 following States McCarter's beaming back to the Enterprise, are still the only ones in the race, Andy Herod and David Hamilton. Is that the race?

Dish, folk.

A contrast of ideals...

2007-02-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

As lawmakers around the state mourn the passing of Congressman Norwood (who, not for nothing, WAS the first republican elected to congress from Georgia since reconstruction) I present these two quotes which speak for themselves:

"There is a time for politics and a time for compassion. Today, the thoughts and prayers of Georgia Democrats are with the family of Congressman Charlie Norwood. Our hearts go out to his family and colleagues in this difficult time. While we sometimes disagreed with Congressman Norwood on ideology and policy, we all agree that he was a man of principle and ideals, conscientious in his duty to his constituents and dedicated to his work. Now is a time for compassion and we pause the work of politics to honor a good Georgian and a good man, Representative Charlie Norwood."
- Jane Kidd, Chair of the State Democratic Party of Georgia

"I'm going to resign my state Senate seat, and yes, I am going to run,"
- Senator Ralph Hudgens (R).

Congressman Norwood has passed away

2007-02-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

Numerous television sources (including the House of Representatives live on CSPAN, where I was watching the Iraq debate) are reporting that Congressman Norwood has lost his battle with lung cancer and has passed away.

McCarter Out; Norwood Gravely Ill

2007-02-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

WTF happened at the Commission the other night where States McCarter just up and quits and immediately a special election is called for March 20th? And what's the scoop on Andy Herod and David Hamilton, the two as of now announced candidates running to replace McCarter?

Also stirring up the boilerplate this morning is news that Rep. Charlie Norwood is going home to Augusta under hospice care, unlikely to return to D.C. in the near future.

What kinds of bombshells is that setting off this morning? Who's in or out for Republicans and Democrats (even though any special election to replace Norwood, should he resign or die in office, would be technically non-partisan)?

Been kinda slow here lately...now we've got something to chew on.

Whither '08 Support?

2007-02-05T10:35:00.000-05:00

So the ACJ's Political Insider reports that our guv is openly campaigning for Vice President (of the U.S., one assumes), and that various members of the Georgia Republican congressional delegation (Reps. Price, Gingrey & Kingston) are lining up behind Massachusetts liberal, er, former Governor Mitt Romney.

On the Democratic side, it's being reported that former Guv Roy Barnes will be back in John Edwards' camp, and that despite other high-profile endorsements thus far, Edwards, by virtue of being the southern candidate, will be the man to beat in Georgia.

I'm not sure I believe that. Edwards lost Georgia to John Kerry in the '04 primary, if I remember correctly, and he failed to bring his home state of North Carolina to the table in the general election. The notion that just because he's a southerner means he has the "southern vote" locked up is absurd (it would also fail to explain why Romney, a northeast moderate, would have the backing of several Georgia Republicans over, say, wild west tuff guy John McCain).

So where is the Athens political elite in these early days of the race? Anyone lining up behind or holding fundraisers for McCain, Obama, Clinton, Giuliani, Romney, Edwards, etc.?

Inquiring minds...

Frat mess...

2007-01-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

This Op/Ed piece today in the Banana-Herald sums up nicely the crux of this issue, and I post here for discussion, since I'm sure Chuck will enlighten us as how Athens would fall in on itself without the UGA greek system.

The First Annual Athpy Awards

2007-01-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

To start us off in '07, here's a little homage to the upcoming award show season.

Live from historic downtown Athens, Georgia, it's the First Annual Athpy Awards, celebrating excellence, or in some cases the obscene lack of it, in the world of Athens P(p)olitics.

[Insert ridiculously long/not funny song and dance opening number here.]

And now, she's your mayor, and he's the wild and crazy cowboy blogger behind the scenes making it happen; please welcome Heidi and Al Davison!

Al: Wow, honey, you sure do look "smoking" this evening.
Heidi: Smoking?! Gosh, I sure hope not. We're inside, and I sure wouldn't want to be in violation of the smoking ban. I'm cruising for a citation if I'm not careful.
Al: Did you say "cruising"? Because you know, there's an ordinance against that, too.
Heidi: Oh my! Well, while I slow down and cool off, here are the nominees for Best Political Race:

Solicitor General, runoff election
Mayor, runoff election
9th District Commissioner, general election

And the Athpy goes to: Solicitor General, runoff election!

[Insert similarly poorly written, lame, joky dialogues from presenters before each of the remaining awards.]

The nominees for Issue of the Year are:

La Puerta del Sol
The 3-laning of Prince Avenue
The Smoking Ban

And the Athpy goes to: La Puerta del Sol!

The nominees for Best Commissioner are:

Alice Kinman
David Lynn
Carl Jordan

And the Athpy goes to: Alice Kinman!

The nominees for Best Sore Loser Meltdown on a political blog:

Ed Vaughn on Athens Politics
Jeff Snowden on Athens Politics
Jeff Snowden on Winders' Blog

And the Athpy goes to: Jeff Snowden on Winders' Blog!
[sorry Ed, but the voting ended before your latest tirade...maybe next year!]

The nominees for Best Performance by a local Democrat-with-no-chance-in-hell-in-red-state-Georgia are:

Mac Rawson
Terry Holley
Jane Kidd

And the Athpy goes to: Mac Rawson!

The nominees for Most Obnoxious Commenter on a Political Blog are:

Chuck Jones
Anonymous*
Anonymous*

* Not sure which Anonymous? Me neither! Get a blogger ID, bitches!

And the Athpy goes to: Chuck Jones!

The nominees for Best Candidate in a Primary, General, or Runoff Election are:

Heidi Davison, runoff election for Mayor
Kelly Girtz, runoff election for 9th District Commissioner
David Sweat, general election for Superior Court Judge

And the Athpy goes to: David Sweat, general election for Superior Court Judge!

Congratulations, Athpy winners, and goodnight everybody! Let the comments begin!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-30T01:33:00.000-05:00

Hope the holidays have been enjoyable for everyone, and of course they have had a lot to do with the reduction in posts. We promise to step it up in January, so please keep reading. Pour some out for James Brown and Gerald Ford while you're celebrating Sunday night. See you guys next year.

Since you mentioned LPDS...

2006-12-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

I have a question. Does Athens have a provision, like the one I've heard about in other places, under which a permit expires if it's not acted on within a certain period of time (usually 1 year)? If so, is Bruno running the risk of losing LPDS or having to go through the process again? Or has he already taken some step that moots the issue?

Ok guys, you win

2006-12-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about this. Jane's gonna run to be state party chair. Can she win? Is this a good spot for her? Will it help Athens candidates?

From where I sit, any change has got to help. The state party is terrible.

Go.

Sunday Banana Hearald wrap up

2006-12-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

Two stories this morning (Sunday) appear concerning the recent local elections. First Blake Aued has a story concerning the significant changes in our incoming commission. See it here:
Line up Favors Mayor

Anyone else a little creeped out by the power-hungry tone of Elton Dodson's comments?

And then there's this editorial, which I'm going to assume is the work of Jason Winders. (Let us know if I'm wrong, Jason)
I think this idea is only a good one if we actually had a committed, informed electorate. Unfortunately, we don't. I'm still reeling with all of the potential implications this type of system could have, so for now, I'll just put it up for general discussion

Irony Alert

2006-12-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

Heidi signs sticking out of recycling bins around town.

The Cobbham Elite

2006-12-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

Kinda like The Power Elite, as envisioned by the groundbreaking sociologist C. Wright Mills back in the 50's (minus the military part).

During this campaign season it's been interesting to observe the epithets and hand-wringing done by many of the ABH crowd (Anybody But Heidi) over the so-called "elitism" of the intown neighborhoods, particularly Cobbham. Five Points seems to have more of a smattering of conservatives, but the Cobbham and Boulevard 'hoods seem to be overrun (according to right wingers) by elitist liberal snobs ("treesex freaks", as we have learned here on this blog). And Heidi and Kelly were their candidates, and what they say, goes, and they always win, according to the opposition.

Whether it's factually true is difficult to measure. Cobbham doesn't always win (see also: defeat of three-laneing Prince Avenue). And Cobbham may be a haven for the well-to-do or it may not, depending on how one measures "well-to-do" and Cobbham itself. There is just the historic district, and then there are the surrounding areas (The Plaza) that would suggest Cobbham is much more diversified than rumor has it.

Nevertheless, the question I pose is rather simple: why the perception? Why is "the Cobbham elite" seen as this force of movers and shakers, especially in the world of politics? Is it true if you get Cobbham's blessing ($$$$), you automatically win? Why the split between the intown neighborhoods and everyone else in Athens? Is there an "elitism" amongst the "townies", or is this all designed to create an "us v. them", left v. right mentality that makes things (elections) simpler?

Inquiring minds...

UPDATE: A reader emailed me to suggest that maybe the ABH (Anybody But Heidi) crowd of developers, insurance, conservatives, the Chamber, etc. (what Pete lovingly refers to as "Doc 'n them") were really the "power elite", and that the Cobbham Elite were enjoined to basically "fight the power". Hmmmm....

Monday (Wednesday) morning quarterbacking...

2006-12-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

Come on, you know you want to.

What did Charlie do wrong? What did Heidi do right? Is Alvin Sheats tree of liberty dead, (property rights) or just shedding leaves for the winter?

Here, I'll get us started. I think last night was in many ways proof positive that the folks who worked so hard to give us non-partisan elections two years ago basically wasted their time. "Common knowledge" (see how I snuck that in) was that non-partisan elections were going to spell the end of the "Cobbham elite" controlling local politics, and return power to them, whoever they are. Well guys, you put your candidate up, and he lost. And now you can't blame it on the restrictions of primary elections, or a contested local republican house race, etc.

I, for one, am a little surprised, and while I'm glad (mostly) that Heidi won, I'm also a little disappointed that the non-partisan thing didn't shift us towards the middle a little more. Maybe it will, in time, with different candidates, and different strategies.

What does everybody else think?

Gametime Redux

2006-12-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time once again to wait all night for votes to be counted in the ACC. Hopefully not "all" night, since there's only 3 races (did you even know the Public Service Commissioner race was gonna be on there too? I didn't....and I consider myself informed. Oh well.)

So it was you all along, Snowman. Is it Charlie's official position, then, that Heidi is a "fucking snob", or was that comment made purely in your capacity as a citizen?

There is, by the way, for all of you policy freaks out there, a lame duck Commission meeting tomorrow. Among other things on the agenda are the re-adoption of the cruising ordinance without a sunset provision and the domestic partner benefits thing.

Dashing Through The (Finish Line) Snow

2006-12-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

To build on a few of Blackfin's observations, based on what I'm reading from reader comments to our wonderful blog here, the following:

Heidi worked for the Chamber of Commerce (and is therefore a sellout). Heidi worked for the Chamber and got fired (and is therefore not a sellout).

Charlie is going to liberate Athens from the tyranny of the intown neighborhood "treesex" freaks. Heidi is going to liberate Athens from the tyranny of developers and other anal-retentives.

Charlie is a goof and a puppet of the Chamber with few ideas of his own. Heidi is the anti-christ, beholden to intown granolas and other communists who look longingly towards May Day.

Charlie is pro-smoking. Heidi is pro-smoking. No wait, both are against smoking. No, wait, they are for it, before they voted against it.

Benefits Good, Benefits Bad. Benefits Gay? Benefits Rad.

Vote!

Election day tomorrow...

2006-12-04T14:32:00.000-05:00

So go nuts guys. Rumors abound. Heidi has an army of ent-like tree creatures knocking on doors to get out the granola vote... Charlie's going to borrow Bill Cowsert's SUV and tow a Ford plant back to Athens to create more jobs... Damn liberals were seen last week voting, then cutting their stinking long hippie hair, voting again, taking a bath, then voting again, shaving their legs, then voting again... Doc Eldridge was driving van-loads of African Americans to the board of elections to vote early for Maddox... There's going to be an armed takeover of PPA tonight, you're with us or against us... Oh yeah, the tree of liberty, don't forget the tree of liberty (but don't have treesex with it, or in it)...

This just in..

2006-11-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

This just might be worth ten bucks, for the sheer fireworks factor...

This is your last chance to mingle with the mayoral candidates before you
cast your vote on December 5th!

Northeast Georgia Business Council &
Athens Area Chamber Commerce MBAC presents...

First Friday Mixer
The premier networking event for Northeast Georgia's business professionals

LAUGH * MINGLE * NETWORK

When: Friday, December 1, 2006 6-10p.m.

$10 cover (includes food and drinks)
Where: Athens Area Chamber of Commerce
246 West Hancock Avenue
Athens, GA 30601

Door prizes before 8p.m.
Doors Open at 6:00pm (Professional Socializing)
Parking in the rear, enter on the Chastain Building side.
Mayoral Candidates and District 9 candidates will be in attendance.
* Celebrate your Promotion, Anniversary or Birthday with us!!
* Complimentary Food Buffet
* Professional Atmosphere

This set is designed for Grown People who want to relax in a nice
environment and vibe to mature conversation, libations, and good people.

Final Debates

2006-11-29T12:34:00.000-05:00

I wasn't there last night, so can't comment first-hand, but from Blake's coverage in this morning's Daily Planet, it seems as though no news is good news for the candidates.

"Mayor Heidi Davison defended herself again from charges that she's ignored economic development and certain groups of residents during her tenure, while challenger Charlie Maddox again offered few specifics, as he tried to deflect charges that he's short on substance."

Nothing new there. Seems the only bone of contention was providing benefits for domestic partners of city employees: "The two also tangled over a proposal, scheduled for a county commission vote next Wednesday, on whether to offer health insurance to the domestic partners of unmarried county employees. Maddox said the vote is being rushed.

"I'm against this right now," he said. "We have no idea where this could take us financially."

"Davison said the proposal has been coming through the pipeline for six months and is ready for a vote. Insurance for more employees will save the county money on indigent care, she said. Davison also accused Maddox of changing his position since last month. Maddox said he wanted to study the issue more, and now he has.

"I talked to people in the insurance field and other people who said this could be disastrous," he said.

I believe this issue has been discussed on the blog before, but what say the readership about it now? Pro or Con on domestic partner benefits? Likely to change a vote or two?

The funniest and liveliest exchange seems to have come in the District 9 Commish faceoff between Sheats and Girtz.

"Kelly Girtz, a candidate for District 9 on the county commission, stumped opponent Alvin Sheats, a former commissioner, with two questions on Sheats' past votes. Girtz asked Sheats why he was the only commissioner to vote in favor of rezonings for a 1,000-bedroom apartment complex in 2002 and a waste transfer station in East Athens in 2001. Sheats said he couldn't remember either vote.

"That was five years ago," Sheats said. "How many of you remember what happened five years ago?"

"Sitting in the front row, county planning commissioner Jerry NeSmith raised his hand."

LOL. No offense to Alvin, but if you can't remember what happened five years ago, you probably shouldn't be in politics. Or breathing, for that matter.

Either way, it's almost over, folks. Early voting is ongoing...Git'r'Done.

More on Barrow/Marshall

2006-11-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

Interesting bit in this morning's New York Times:

"Politically speaking, Georgia proved to be a mirror image of the rest of the country in the midterm elections. Republicans swept nearly every statewide office, and turnout among Democrats was low, thanks to a lackluster candidate for governor. But two Democratic congressmen in highly competitive races in the state seem to have successfully fought those odds, though they are hanging on by the slenderest of margins and are still waiting for their opponents to concede."

I wasn't aware that Collins/Burns hadn't conceded, though it doesn't surprise me. How much of a loser can you possibly be if you can't beat Democrats in the State of Georgia?

"The two Democrats, Jim Marshall of Macon, in the Eighth Congressional District, and John Barrow of Savannah, in the 12th District, were on the Republican Party’s short list of beatable incumbents. Their adjoining districts, which encompass large rural areas, were redrawn by a Republican legislature, their opponents were former congressmen, and the National Republican Congressional Committee poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the races. President Bush campaigned in each district twice."

Sounds like Collins/Burns should have taken a page from Charlie Crist in Florida and run like hell when Bush came calling.

Barrow Claims Victory

2006-11-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

OK, moving on now. New topic. Given the change in leadership in the house, is a Barrow victory really a good thing for progressive democrats?

'cause he really smells a lot like Zell Miller these days....

McKillip

2006-11-09T12:22:00.000-05:00

OK, not trying to beat a dead horse here, but this is an interesting topic, based upon the various postings from folks since the election.

What's curious about this to me is the party dynamics of this. A lot of the pro-McKillip postings previous have accused all of the insinuations and nay-saying to be sour grapes from republicans. But I know personally several "real" democrats who have the same questions/concerns as have cropped up on the blog here.

Personally, the endorsement thing was a slimy manuever. The letter in today's paper defending it is just plain stupid. When I was a kid and my dad caught me doing something I knew I shouldn't do, I would try to wheedle out of punishment by claiming he'd never actually, told me NOT to do it. And he'd smack me upside the head and accuse me of being legalistic.
The endorsement thing reminds me of that, a slick lawyer move. And it turned me off. So I didn't vote for him. And I voted for every other Democrat on the ballot.

My point is, and I want some real, not campaign propaganda responses here if possible, what's the deal with Doug?

None of the other Democrats in these local races were facing criticism from democratic voters like he was/is?

And, does it matter? Or is there a great, uninformed chuck of voters out there who will vote for a ham sandwich as long as there's a "D" by it's name?

Mea Culpas and Various Gloating

2006-11-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

First the mea culpas. I was way off on my state-wide predictions. I really thought Mark Taylor was going to do better than 38%, which is why the Libertarian (who pulled at least 4%) would have thrown it into a runoff. However, I'm glad it's over. Talk about your choice between Dumb and Dumber (I'll leave the readers to plug in who's who).

Jim Martin did better state-wide than Taylor, as did Jane Kidd in her district, but neither was close in the end. I didn't predict SoS, but I would have guessed Gail Buckner would have done better than she did.

Looks like the only Democratic statewide bright spots were Thurbert Baker and Athenian Mike Thurmond. And Carol Hunstein, if you believe she's "one of them activist, liberal jerdges".

Locally, I did much better in my predictions. Right on Heidi/Charlie, right on Girtz/Sheats, and half-right on McKillip/Culpepper. Turns out the ABH endorsement flap was a non-starter, but I didn't think McKillip would take more than 50%.

So, we have the prospect of four more weeks of mayoral campaigning. History favors the runner-up in these things (the one exception being the Chisholm/Overend solicitor scrap last summer, but that was damn close), so Heidi shouldn't assume 45% was a "near victory". The flip side is 55% of the city/county didn't support her, so Charlie could and will make up big ground. Should be a long four weeks.

And how weird will it be to see candidates out at the mall campaigning during the Christmas shopping season? Ho, Ho, Ho.

On the bright side...

2006-11-08T00:54:00.000-05:00

things look good on the national level.

My message to the DNC....

Don't blow it.

Wow... what a disappointing evening

2006-11-07T23:02:00.000-05:00

Because....

a) we were wrong about a lot of shit.

and

b) the only democrats who are doing well are ones I didn't vote for.

The really scary thing is not the landslide in the governor's race, but the astonishing numbers being turned in by sacrificial lambs like Perry McGuire and Brent Brown.

I guess this is our new day in Georgia, huh?

Gametime...almost

2006-11-07T17:09:00.000-05:00

Well, CNN now officially has their exit poll data out of quarantine. Any hard results are obviously still several hours away.

I don't know whether to be amused or scared that elected officials are themselves running into problems voting today. Gov. Sanford in South Carolina had to go back to his house to get his voter registration card (which is apparently required to be on you when voting in SC); and there were a couple of other instances of representatives having problems voting. The bigger issue is the array of systematic problems reported in numerous states. I understand that unexpected things can happen, but seriously, doesn't it seem like it's a lot harder for us to have elections in this country since 2000? Perhaps it's just the increased focus on such things...

The rain is relentless, and has surely depressed turnout, which is not good. Hopefully you all got out there anyway.

We'll be here all night, folks.

First CNN report on exit polls:

Corruption is the biggest issue (42 %)
57% disapprove of the war in Iraq.
62% said that national issues made a bigger difference in their decision than local issues.

24 Hours

2006-11-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

We need a clock ticking in the corner of the blog (3 days, 48 hours, 24 hours...just six more minutes to vote!)

Anyway, I only make predictions at Oscar and Election time, so here are my predictions, fwiw, (and mainly echoing my fellow authors regarding runoffs):

Mayor: Heidi and Chuck in a runoff (one more month of campaigning, folks).

Commission 9: Girtz and Sheats in a runoff (too bad, because I liked Ed Vaughn).

House District 115: Culpepper and McKillip in a runoff (the "endorsement scandal" is a non-starter).

Board of Education: John Knight. Why? Because he named his son "Noble". Seriously.

Upset predictions:

GA Senate Seat 46: Jane Kidd.

Lite Guv: Jim Martin.

Guv: One more month of the big guys. Perdue and Taylor in a runoff. I think Hayes siphons off enough votes to throw the gubers into a runoff.

That's it...to echo Publius, go vote, bitchez.

48 Hrs.

2006-11-05T18:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, so nobody cares about the national races (or maybe it's just the weekend, and you guys have social lives). Fair enough, back to the local stuff. In this article, the consensus seems to support my position on the three runoffs. Interestingly, Doug McKillip says he "knows he's in the lead", even after the endorsement ad gaffe. Take the Democrat vote for granted much? I'm not so sure personally; I've been hearing a lot of Democrat support for Quick, and less than hearty support for McKillip among Democrats (and that was before the endorsement situation). I think it's even possible to have a runoff that doesn't include McKillip. What do you guys think?

It's Invasor!

2006-11-04T17:42:00.000-05:00

And for the rest of you normal people who don't give a crap about horse racing, let's start an open thread about the national races. Are the Democrats gonna take back Congress?

To get you started, CNN reports that a Mason/Dixon poll has Burns and Tester tied in Montana.

3 Days Out

2006-11-04T15:05:00.000-05:00

Blake reports on early voting. Garland's just gonna go to Loco's on Monday; Heard endorses Lyle for the school board District 5 seat.

From where I sit, I see probable runoffs in the Mayor's race, District 9, and House 115. Am I wrong? If so, tell me why; if not, tell me who you think will be in the respective runoffs.

House 115

2006-11-03T13:16:00.000-05:00

OK, this seems to be heating up a bit. From the Banner Hearald this morning:

Plainly speaking, in not disclosing the full context of the Oct. 24 editorial in his ads, McKillip showed himself, at best, as someone willing to shade the truth, and, at worst, as someone willing to try to lie to get into the state legislature.

McKillip's willingness to bend - if not exactly break - the truth should raise in voters' minds the all-important question of whether he has yet to develop the ethical maturity needed by someone seeking public office.

And now I see scanning the ole blog here that McKillip has lost at least one strident supporter (And my point is illustrative, NOT picking on the poster for flip-flopping):

September post by UGADemocrat:
UGAdemocrat said...
It's clear from the people that support Mr. Culpepper (the few, the old, the Republican) that he is no independent. It comes as no surprise that Mr. Culpepper would have a yard sign for an inexperienced, previous losing Republican. He will face the same fate as Mr. Cowsert, a definitive defeat. Mr. McKillip is campaigning on the progressive ideals that define Athens in the state of Georgia. He is supporting the issues that reflect the will of the voters. He will win hands down because Ms. Quick sadly has decided not to run a campaign despite getting herself on the ballot and because of the fact that Mr. Culpepper is a Republican in hiding who is connected to losing Republicans and party switching Athens politicians who were swept from office. Mr. Culpepper is no more of a threat to Mr. McKillip than Mr. Cowsert was to Rep. Kidd two years ago. The reason is just as Rep. Kidd was an excellent candidate for House, Mr. McKillip is ready to join the Athens delegation in Atlanta and work for the issues that matter to us.

Today's post:

UGAdemocrat said...
It's official, I'm going to vote and...

Regina Quick for House 115.
_________________________________________

That's a pretty amazing turn-around for a guy with "democrat" in his blogger handle...

I don't really have an opinion (yet), as I don't know any of these folks besides EH and him only by reputation. But I do know that conventional wisdom last January was that 115 was still a Democrat's to lose even after Republican gerrymandering.

If you believe everything you hear, "Karl" Eldridge and other Republicans put up EH to run. But I've been seeing a lot of culpepper signs in the same yards as Jane's. (Including folks like Louise McBee).

So in the true spirit of slowing down to gawk at a car wreck... Are we witnessing a... um, car wreck in the form of the McKillip campaign? (I know, same metaphor twice in a row...)

Discuss.

Chamber Endorsements- Everybody sit down, it's a real shocker....

2006-10-31T14:31:00.000-05:00

Press Release
Release Date: October 30, 2006
Subject: AACOC PAC Endorses Candidates for Commission, Mayor, GA House & Senate

One of the missions of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (AACOC PAC) is to encourage and support candidates who understand the importance of business to the local community. Prior to making endorsements, the PAC requested that local candidates for Commission and Mayor provide written answers to questions submitted by Chamber members. The questions and candidates’ answers can be found on the PAC’s web site: www.AthensBusiness.Com. The PAC also sponsored forums and debates for candidates. After careful consideration, the AACOC PAC endorses the following candidates in the upcoming election.

Commission District 1: The AACOC PAC endorses James Garland. This was a difficult decision for the PAC because both candidates are supportive of our concerns. However, we recommend that our members support Mr. Garland. In his answers to the PAC’s questions, Mr. Garland displays a strong belief in private property rights and the value of businesses to the community. Over the past several years Mr. Garland has been a strong advocate for the free-enterprise system and less government. The PAC believes that Mr. Garland will be an uncompromised voice for business, lower taxes, and prioritized spending on issues such as roads, sewer service, and water lines.

Commission District 2: The AACOC PAC endorses Alvin Sheats. Mr. Sheats has years of community involvement, serving previously as a Commissioner, the Executive Director of the Hancock Development Center, and as a soldier in the Army National Guard. Mr. Sheats’ service in the Hancock Development Center provides him with first-hand experience in understanding the needs of economic development and workforce development initiatives. Mr. Sheats thoroughly understands that Government working with education and business can make a difference in economic development for our community. The PAC believes that Mr. Sheats will bring that experience and advocacy to the Commission.

Mayor: The AACOC PAC endorses Charlie Maddox. The business community is pleased that Mr. Charlie Maddox and Mr. Tom Chasteen understand the importance of business and industry to the quality of life in Athens. However, we believe that Mr. Maddox is the best candidate for our members. Mr. Maddox is a former small businessperson, a veteran, and a retired employee of the State’s award-winning Labor Department. Mr. Maddox has worked with Chamber member businesses over the years, and he will bring an understanding of our fundamental concerns to the Mayor and Commission sessions. Mr. Maddox understands that business friendly is also community friendly. Most importantly, Mr. Maddox will bring a fresh perspective to Athens Clarke County Government and can bring together our sometimes disparate communities.

GA House District 113: The AACOC PAC endorses Bob Smith. Representative Smith is an uncompromised advocate for education and business in our community. He is a strong supporter of Athens businesses at the state level and chairs important House committees that support economic development for the Athens-Clarke area. Mr. Smith has earned our support.

GA House District 115: The AACOC PAC endorses E.H. Culpepper. Mr. Culpepper is a long-time advocate for Athens-Clarke County, and he understands why the redevelopment of the 316 Corridor can assist Athens in its pursuit of the bio-tech industry, cleaner jobs, and higher paying wages for its citizens.

GA Senate Seat 46: The AACOC PAC endorses Bill Cowsert. Mr. Cowsert’s is a local small businessperson who has bold ideas for our local problems, such as ways to help businesses provide employees with health insurance. Mr. Cowsert is also a supporter of responsible growth and private property rights. We believe that Mr. Cowsert will be a fair and balanced advocate for the Athens area at the State level.

In addition to supporting each of these endorsed candidates financially, the AACOC PAC also asks that you vote for each of these individuals on Tuesday, November 7th 2006.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Rainer, Chair
Athens Area Chamber of Commerce PAC, Inc.
706-353-8085

Early Voting Today

2006-10-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

Early voting starts today. Not that I need to tell anyone who reads AthPo about early voting, because you cats are the hippest, most in-touch, political geeks in the state. (Eat that, Peach Pundit!) So let this be a reminder to you, and maybe you'll remind a few of the unwashed masses. Early voting is a great thing.

In you live in Athens, you can vote at the Board of Elections, downtown on Washington St. (Just down from the City Hall.) In Oconee, you're over at the Courthouse in Watkinsville. (You can vote early from 9am - 5pm today through Friday, and yes, stickers will be available.)

Go vote, bitches.

Speaking of Mayors

2006-10-30T07:19:00.000-05:00

Heidi is going to have an event, and if you're still undecided (word on the street is that a lot of folks are - not me, I'm voting for Eric Krasle), you owe it to yourself to take some of Al Davison's advice. Hie thyself out to Winterville and see Heidi, ask her a question or two, put her on the spot. It's cool, she don't mind.

Now, we've given Heidi a little grief around here in the past, and we'll continue to when we don't agree with her. But here's one thing that you can say about Heidi - ask her a question and she'll give you a real answer. And she'll tell you to your face if she thinks you're full of crap, although she's usually pretty nice about it.

Here are the details on the event.
It's this Friday, November 3. Starts at 5pm ends at 7pm, at the Winterville Depot. Hot chocolate will be served, and so help me, Al if it's not good, it's on your head, pal! Capice?

Mayoral Mob Scene

2006-10-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

So I went to the Melting Point on Wednesday to see the Mayoral candidates square off, expecting very little in the way of substance or surprise, and basically got what I expected...very little in the way of substance, but perhaps a bit more surprise.

First, I don't know why they call these things "debates" anyway. No one is "debating" anything at these forums. Instead, each candidate is trying to rush their views into a 60 second sound byte, some being more successful than others, but no one really being able to say enough to move a voter from one camp to another. The questions, while adequately posed by Flagpole, Banner-Herald and Red & Black, were standard "debate" fare; too much time on sewerage, not enough time on any "hot" topics like underage drinking or the smoking ban.

That said, my impressions of the candidates really weren't formed until the closing two minute statements. And by the time they were done, I was more confused than ever about for whom to vote on November 7th.

Andy Rusk dropped his withdrawal bombshell during his last two minutes. While having provided comic relief throughout the debate, Rusk had the audience cheering at the end, arguing he didn't want to split the "townie vote" with Mayor Heidi Davison, and that "discretion being the better part of valor" it was time for him to "take a powder". While he half-heartedly threw his support her way, he also praised the other candidates, especially Charlie, for being "great guys". I agreed with Heidi when she said "I hope you run again". With a little more seasoning (and a few fewer PBR's at the debate table), the dude's got a future in politics here.

Richard DeRose stuck to the same themes he's always stuck on/with. I still don't get DeRose, beyond his status as perennial mayoral gadfly, and I don't know if he threatens this every four years, but he said he was just about through with Athens and the University of Georgia, and that we "didn't have much time left". I'm still not sure I "got it", but it was certainly a strange campaign theme: vote for me or I'm leaving town.

Tom Chasteen was over-scripted, wooden, expressionless and stiff during the debate and during his close. I've seen Chasteen more animated at Commission meetings at 3am than during this debate, so I'm not sure what gives. With all the support and base he's built over the years in this town, he should be doing better than he is. I wouldn't underestimate that base, but as a candidate he's got to come off the script and speak more from the heart.

Charlie Maddox surprised me at the end. After offering up various platitudes all night regarding the issues, his closing statement was more revelatory than Rusk's. Voice cracking, pausing to gather his composure, Maddox let loose a seemingly heartfelt tirade on his being an independent, "own man" candidate, and not a stooge for the Chamber or Republicans. I don't know if he's done this kind of thing before (crocodile tears), but his "I'm unbought and unbossed" channeling of Hosea Williams was a powerful, dramatic moment in a "debate" that lacked any soul or interest up to that point. It definitely had several people exchanging "WTF?" glances at one another.

Heidi was Heidi. When she finally stopped scribbling long enough to look up and address the audience (I swear, she was writing on legal pads the entire time she sat at the debate table), she captured her passion from four years ago. Her closing statement reminded everyone in the room who voted for her four years why they did, and really made an impassioned case for another term. Her command of the issues was stellar, and she laid out a brief but comprehensive plan for the next four years, should voters give her that chance.

I agree with Pete McCommons when he wrote that Heidi can be "prickly" and not the most warm and fuzzy candidate you'll ever meet, but we're not electing a den mother, folks. This is Mayor. And while we have a weak Mayor system, you've got to have someone in the hot seat who can, when necessary, corral the other personalities on the Commission and bring some kind of order to the mess. Perhaps Tom Chasteen is that guy, and the robotics were just an act. Perhaps Heidi Davison deserves another four years to keep asserting herself. Maybe Maddox is his own man who wants be the candidate of everyone.

Try to attend the last "debate" if you can. You should meet your candidates and see them up close to form an impression. Me? I still don't know who I'm voting for. Maybe if we could get the leading three candidates to actually debate, I might be able to make up my mind.

Post Debate Open Thread

2006-10-26T00:09:00.000-04:00

Coverage tomorrow. Probably.

Anyone there? What did you think? I hear the closing statements were um...interesting.

Master Debaters

2006-10-23T18:14:00.000-04:00

Like I was going to pass that joke up.

Here's the skinny, cupcakes.

Debates. Athens Press Club. Tomorrow and Wednesday. Melting Point (at the Foundry Park Inn). Start at 7 sharp both nights. Also on the radio - 1340 AM. Most local and state candidates will be there.

Be there, or Ben Emanuel will leave a flaming bag of poo on your doorstep.

From the Davison Campaign

2006-10-23T18:10:00.000-04:00

[Al was kind enough to take us up on our offer for some free space. Here's what he had to say. Previously posted as a comment, but moved to it's own post to promote comment and discussion.]

OK, folks. I sorta promised I’d blog a little about Heidi’s campaign when I had a moment to catch my breath so, here is just a little. (Obviously I’m not going to tell everything.)

We are taking NOTHING for granted in this race! We’ve been busting our humps since the day Heidi announced. We knew we’d be leading from the moment she announced because of all the urgent pleas we were getting for her to run again. It seems that the more they heard from the other guys in the race, the more pressure they put on Heidi to run again. And, yes, it was completely true and sincere that she was not sure whether she wanted to do this job for another 4 years. It’s a life-swallowing job if it’s done right and “right” is the only way Heidi would ever do it. Finally, she decided that she had to do it because the other choices were just not acceptable. She loves this town and she couldn’t abandon it or trust it to any of the other announced candidates. It may sound cheesy or trite but, it’s just absolutely true that she’s running out of a sense of duty and responsibility.

We’re proud of all our endorsements. We’ve gotten endorsed by everybody who does endorsements – except the Chamber PAC and they have yet to announce. We’re starting to wonder if they are afraid to endorse their candidate (you know who I mean) since we’re seeing lots of signs (pun intended) that the Chamber and hard-core Republicans are getting nervous about how closely their candidate is being identified with them.

On that subject, I have to say that there is really nothing at all non-partisan about this race in actuality other than the missing party identification on the ballots. The vast majority of the local (and state-wide) Dems have lined up behind Heidi. The vast majority of the Deep Red Team has lined up behind one of the other 2 “serious” candidates. That is not to say that Heidi does not have support from a lot of locals who usually vote Republican – she does. It’s just not any of the rabid far-right crowd. Heidi has built some great relationships with folks who don’t really agree with her on a lot of issues but they trust her and they know that they can work with her so, they appreciate that she’s honest and will seriously consider their points of view even when they don’t necessarily agree. That’s all good because we can’t win without support from folks who disagree on some issues.

In fact, one of the most gratifying things that we’re discovering about Athens voters is that there are very few “single-issue” voters out there. There are also very few who vote along the lines of race or gender. I’m pretty happy at how savvy is the majority of the local electorate. In fact, I’m proud of us! I’m equally happy that this town still frowns heavily on negative campaign tactics. I truly believe that, in Athens, the first one to go negative loses. We will absolutely NOT go negative! It’s not just good campaign strategy, it’s the only way Heidi and I will ever run a campaign. We do expect some last minute desperation attacks because that’s been the style and tactics that we’ve seen from the folks who are actually running some of the other campaigns – not the ones who have their names listed but the real campaign teams. Good luck to them – it won’t stick to us but it will stick to them long after the election is over. My old football coach once told me something I’ll never forget: “you play the way you practice”. We plan to “practice” and “play” in ways that will never cause us shame even if we lose.

OK, what else can I tell you? I guess the main thing is that we’re doing all we can to win this thing on November 7th. I think I was the only person in town that thought this was possible up until recently. I always knew it could be done. I’m not predicting anything – I’m just saying that there are now a lot of pundits who agree that we might win without a run-off and I’ve not heard from any respectable pundit who thinks Heidi won’t win on either Nov. 7th or Dec. 5th. We aren’t going for a landslide – we don’t really care if we only win by only 1 vote. There are other candidates in this race that are decent folks with plenty of support so there’s no reason to think that Heidi is going to win unanimously. ;-)
I do hope that we don’t have to campaign through Thanksgiving, though. I can imagine that the voter turn-out on Dec. 5th will be one of the lowest on record (unless there is a run-off for Governor).

Good luck all the candidates! Keep it clean, keep it issue based and true – let the people decide and be happy with the results if you can. There is life after Election Day.

Al

Candidates! Listen Up!

2006-10-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

Want to guest blog and promote yourself on AthPo? Email us.

Drankin'

2006-10-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

As everybody and their bartender knows, rumors are flying that the Commission has just about had enough of people going downtown to drink and listen to good music, so they're taking steps to make downtown Athens "safer."

Ok, before you guys get all over my ass, they're going to ask the state legislative delegation to do some legislatin' to ostensibly cut down on underage drankin'. Among the proposals:

Adding a bar code with DOB information to your driver's license.
Making it a crime to have someone else's ID if you're caught drinking underage.
Making doormen criminally liable for letting in underage people.

WTF? Now, I'm ok with the second point. Although, I would mention that there are plenty of legitimate reasons why you might have someone else's ID. Still, that doesn't really matter, since (as the local govt. wants the statute written) you've already been busted for drinking underage. So we'll hope that law enforcement and prosecutors use a little common sense if this law gets passed.

The bar code thing isn't going to solve very many problems, unless the ACC Commission or the state gummint is planning on providing scanners at little or no cost. If they don't, then this is just another unfunded mandate thrown on to bar owners. Also, I expect to see the tinfoil hat crowd go apeshit about this one. Please don't disappoint me.

Now, making doormen criminally liable for letting in the younguns? I'm not so sure about that one, to be honest. First of all, let's be clear. If a doorman is knowingly letting in the youth of Athens, then sure, bust them. But think about any crowded night downtown. When customers are stacked 8 or 10 deep at the door, and with fake IDs getting better and better, is it really good policy to hold door staff responsible for an honest mistake? The net result of a law like this is pretty clear - no doorman wants to get arrested, they'll move on to doing something else, and the bars downtown will have less doormen and less experienced doormen. And the crowd control problem grows.

Elton Dodson: The Voice of Reason
That's one I never thought I'd type. But Super-Commissioner Dodson (I assume he wears the cape and tights on his own time) has a point, and the ABH is wrong for calling him out in this editorial.

Let's give credit where credit is due - and Elton (along with County Attorney Bill Berryman) has a point. Other local bloggers are on this like white on rice in a snowstorm, so I don't have much to add. Here's Adrian. Here's JMac.

The Bar Owners are Peee-yossed!
So local bar owners are organizing. The leadership appears to be coming from the cats who own Walker's, but sources tell me that they had a very well-attended meeting on Wednesday evening with about 25 - 30 bar owners in attendance. The bar owner's association meeting covered a variety of topics, with one of the main things being why the Mayor and Commission keeps picking on them with skyrocketing property taxes (some bar owners have seen around a 300% property tax increase in the last four years), the extra excise tax on liquor drinks, the sidewalk cafe railings that make crowd control harder, and a handful of other issues.

This is a group that is going to get politically involved pretty soon, as I understand it.

There are two mindsets on this whole issue of how the Commission treats bar owners. Either the bar owners are legitimate business owners who deserve to be treated with the same dignity that the owners of other businesses get from the gummint; or they are ruthless merchants of sin and iniquity that happen to be a convenient piggy bank for those times when the general fund gets a little short.

Here's what I don't get. Many of our commissioners, and certainly our Mayor, talk a good game about being supportive of the downtown entertainment industry. I've seen Heidi downtown. Same with Elton, David Lynn, and a few others. But once they get behind the rail - well, I'm not ready to say that they are anti-bar yet. I will say that the bar owners have a couple of good points to make.

Not to sound too Donald Rumsfeld here, but you build a local economy on the businesses you have, not the businesses you wish you had. If you've lived here for a few decades, as I have, you might remember what downtown looked like a few months after Georgia Square Mall opened up. It wasn't a pretty sight. Bars and music venues kept downtown Athens from looking like any one of hundreds of blighted city centers. They also contribute a lot of money into the local economy.

In any event, it's a good thing that the bar owners are getting organized. The main problem between government and business in this town is a lack of communication.

Voter ID Letter

2006-10-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

I wonder how many Athenians will be affected by this letter from the State Election Board:

"More than 300,000 Georgians have received inaccurate letters from the State Election Board telling them about acceptable forms of identification when they vote in the Nov. 7 elections. The one-page letter says the recipient is on a list of registered voters who might not have a driver's license or photo ID card. It requests those who do have licenses to contact the county elections and registrations office and let it know their IDs are valid. Driver's licenses aren't needed to vote, the letter continues, because voters can use five other photo IDs when voting.

"But the letter is wrong because a court ruling bars the state from enforcing the controversial voter ID law."

Presumably, these letters were mailed before the Voter ID Act was struck down (for the umpteenth time) by an "activist jerdge" in Fulton County.

Meanwhile, given our higher than average share of poor folks here in ACC, I can't help but wonder how many Athenians received this letter and are thinking they can't go to the polls in November.

Hi John

2006-10-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

We see you looking. Thanks for visiting. (Realistically, it's probably a low-level flunky of course.) Either way, get Firefox like the rest of the bipeds, mmmkay?

Hobnoblin'

2006-10-04T00:11:00.000-04:00

From the Chamber's website:

It's popcorn, lemonade, peanuts and politics at the the bi-annual HOB NOB, Old-Fashioned Political Rally Wednesday, October 4th beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. Hear stump speeches from ACC Mayor and Commission candidates, State House and Senate Candidates and statewide candidates all in one big event.

Also, there is of course the mayoral debate on the east side mentioned in the comments.

Finally, kudos to Elton for dropping in and sharing a piece of his mind. No matter what you may think of him or the words he chooses to use to describe certain commission candidates, I think it's always positive when the candidates and officeholders choose to engage the public in general and us in particular. Heck, the guy even put his cell # out there. More guts than me.

Go and do likewise, gents.

On the other hand...

2006-09-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

So this Elton Dodson thing is becoming a little mini-shitstorm on the blog, and sources who were hanging out at the Iron Triangle festivus today tell me that at least the usual inside baseball players are talking about it.

Did the Commish go too far? Well, before you jump to conclusions, bear in mind that Chuck Jones had, at various times in his campaign, alluded to (and in some cases directly charged) that the ACC Commission was corrupt and engaging in collusion. He didn’t specifically exclude Dodson, so one presumes he includes him in his allegations of corruption and collusion. Dodson had every right in the world to respond, and he had every right in the world to respond in the way he did.

On the other hand, Dodson is a public figure and those kinds of charges get thrown around a lot from challengers looking for traction – it’s part of the game. On the other hand, Jones , at the time of Dodson’s comments, was not a candidate. But that doesn’t mean that he’s longer a public figure.

However, Chuck Jones is no moron. (And there’s the slogan for next time: “Chuck Jones – he’s no moron.”) As I’m sure the Commish hisself would tell you, you don’t get through law school if you’re stupid. Chuck is, in my opinion, wrong on just about every issue. As a candidate, he was waaaaay too quick to throw around charges he couldn’t back up. And there was the unfortunate Cobbham listserv incident. When you get right down to it, Chuck’s Achilles heel as a candidate was a lack of judgment and a surplus of immaturity. On the other hand, Dodson’s quote indicates a temporary lapse of maturity as well.

Here’s what I know. Dodson should have used a more diplomatic choice of words, if for no reason than taking the high road usually makes one look better.

Here’s the other thing I know. We can massively increase the revenue in the ACC General Fund if Chuck will move to the 10^th District in 2008 and run against Dodson. We’ll make them debate each other every week, and put it on pay-per-view. Should be interesting and lucrative.

Name Calling

2006-09-30T12:35:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have missed the article in the Red and Black yesterday, so here's the link:

Students are pissed, but lazy.

The article itself is an unremarkable, sometimes inaccurate, diatribe the likes of which we've seen for years. I bring it up here for the purpose of discussing District 10 Commissioner Elton Dodson's on-the-record reference to then-candidate Chuck Jones as a "moron."

Is that really appropriate talk from one of our elected officials, especially concerning other candidates?

BTW I think it's a little harsh. Chuckie is naive and a little silly, like all of the other "student" candidates who have preceded him, but "moron?"

I mean, sure, we pick on him here, but we're not elected officials either...

Heidi on the Radio...

2006-09-29T08:35:00.000-04:00

Mayor Davison will be interviewed on WXAG 1470 this am at 11:30.

NOTE TO OTHER CANDIDATES/CAMPAIGNS:
Send us info about upcoming appearances, etc. Sad as it sounds, for some of the smaller races, this blog is the only source of news.

''Sweatin" the Judge's race....

2006-09-28T13:41:00.000-04:00

Reports just in of candidate Stan Durden shooting a TV spot on the steps of the courthouse this week. There's been very little press on this contested Superior Court Judge's race, and myself being admittedly distrustful (if not not downright contemptuous) of lawyers generally, I'm even more ignorant about this race than I was about the Solicitor's race this summer.

I do know it's pretty rare for a sitting judge to be challenged. Anyone (maybe our attorney readers) have any insight for the rest of us?

Heidi/Charlie blurbs...

2006-09-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

Received a press release from Jeff Snowden of Charlie Maddox's campaign. Charlie has posted his answers to the Athens Grow Green Coalition questionnaire of mayoral candidates. You can read his responses here.

Saw my first Heidi signage the other day. Nice, narrow vertical blue and white signs reading "Heidi Our Mayor". Very catchy.

Everyone to your corners.

From the Culpepper Campaign...

2006-09-27T20:09:00.000-04:00

E to the H' folks sent us a press release concerning his K-12 education plan. Full details can be found here:

Press Release

Commission Candidates debate at the Chamber of Commerce; Chuck Jones withdraws from 9th Race

2006-09-27T01:07:00.000-04:00

The candidates in the 1st and 9th District Commission races participated in a forum/debate sponsored by the Chamber PAC and held at the Chamber building.

The 1st candidates seemed to have a little bit of the "I agree with Governor Bush" syndrome going on, with little to separate them. On the few questions that produced discernible disagreement, I think I would have to with Garland. For example, Lowry trashed college students in his answer on rental registration, which he basically seemed to support, and he said he wanted "no new bars" downtown in response to a question about whether local government should be involved in regulating the daylife/nightlife balance downtown. Garland, on the other hand, opposed rental registration and suggested existing ordinances as the means to deal with rowdy, messy college students living in our neighborhoods, and didn't think it was government's job to tell business owners what kind of businesses to put downtown. I happen to agree on both accounts.

Then came the 9th debate. The day began with four candidates, but it was announced by moderator Tim Bryant at the beginning of the debate that the field had been narrowed to three by the resignation of Chuck Jones from the race (Mr. Jones reportedly phoned his opponents personally earlier in the evening to inform them of his resignation as well). Alvin Sheats chose not to participate, and so only Kelly Girch and Ed Vaughn took part in the debate. Both trumpeted their experience, Girch as an educator and Vaughn as a city planner and government contractor, as a reason to give them the job. Vaughn challenged the Chamber on why it had not done more to help downtown businesses, who in Vaughn's words have been getting "hosed" for the past four years under the current commission.

There are several more debates scheduled during the month of October for both the commission races and the mayor's race; it's late and so I don't remember dates right now, but I'll perhaps do another post with those later.

The Swift Boating of John Barrow

2006-09-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

Even though John Barrah is no longer Athens' congressman, his name continues to come up here, and 12th district Democrats should take heed of this: The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (who are neither honorable veterans, nor truthful in any respect), are back, and this time they're taking aim at two congressional Georgia Democrats to "swiftboat".

"The man who helped put up the money to pay for the Swift Boat attacks on Democratic Sen. John Kerry's war record has an new target. Bob J. Perry, a Texas homebuilder with close ties to White House advisor Karl Rove and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, have given $5 million to the Economic Freedom Fund, a newly created California group targeting Democratic candidates.

The Economic Freedom Fund, which is headquartered in California, has paid for TV ads, fliers and telephone messages criticizing Jim Marshall and John Barrow, whose re-election bids are among the hottest races in the country this fall."

Don't you just love that ambiguous, kinda classy name? The "Economic Freedom Fund"? Like they're a bunch of economists sitting around planning economic theory, as opposed to a goon squad of malcontents out to destroy congressional careers.

The problem, as blackfin pointed out in Barrow's ads posted on Youtube, is that Barrow can't really fight back in any meaningful way. While he can "denounce" Perry's tactics, he is still running on the very same "I ain't no Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Cut and Run Democrat" platform that Perry et al are swiftboating him to begin with.

That's why any 12th district Democrats reading this need to do the work for him. As Kerry said recently, capital D Democrats everywhere need to stand up and be prepared to "kick their ass from one end of America to the other."

Or at the very least, back to Texas and out of Georgia's politics.

What's on YOUR "Sonny Do" list?

2006-09-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

And finally (for this evening), and fittingly, since my suggestion to Publius on this subject is what led to my invitiation to join this little party, I now must open the floor for suggestions for Governor Purdue's "Sonny Do" list.

If you missed the original commercial introducing the idea, here's a link:

Sonny Doo Doo

(I did an actual spit-take with my corn flakes the first time I saw this, no lie.)

So come on, I know you've been dying to.

Also acceptable are ideas for a "Sonny don't" list, like, "Sonny, don't pretend that taking our school system from dead-last to next to dead-last is something to be proud of..."

Earl and Eddie and John

2006-09-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

Since he's not on the ballot here anymore, many of you may not be aware of John "Zell" Barrow's current campaign message. I think's it's probably best to let his radio ads speak for themselves. Suffice to say, I thought these ads were a parody of some kind... but they are real. Let the fun begin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4R1CQeUen0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8xUrIBvyz8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMfEmb9M7_g

I'm not sure if "them dawgs" really need your approval, John, but what's with dissing the Braves?

And we're back! (cue the radio "zinger")

2006-09-23T20:24:00.000-04:00

I also want to thank (I refuse to "give a shout out to") Publius and DoubleDawg for asking both Mitchell and myself to keep the party going.

I have lived in Athens for 10 years, and am Georgia born and raised. While I've never met our other three contributors, I've sparred with them a time or two online, so this should be fun. Don't bother checking out my blog It's a Blackfin Day, as I am woefully bad about updating it.

I'm a Democrat, but pissed off about it much of the time.

Just a couple of other races to talk about that Mitchell overlooked.

It's been a while since we heard much from the McKillip/Culpepper/Quick house race. McKillip seems to be lining up all of the usual suspects of local "progressive" supporters, and I'm pretty sure E.H. has a Bill Cowsert sign in his yard... which leaves us with Ms. Quick who has kept pretty quiet. Word on the street is that she is not your typical pro-life, pro-Sonny, ten comandments on the wall Republican, but I don't know her, and as a first timer, she has no record to look at. Anybody got any insight?

And even though he's "our congressman" for only a few more months, I just can't resist this John Barrow guy. Actually, this needs it's own post so...

look up....

Never Surrender

2006-09-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

Greetings everyone. I appreciate Publius and DoubleDawg's invitation to post to Athens Politics and try to keep this party going. Unlike them, I have no life to speak of, so blogging and trying to find some time to hit a few posts here shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me.

As a brief intro, I've lived in Athens approximately 8 years, and while I blog on other topics more national in scope at Article of Faith, I will admit to being somewhat left of the political spectrum both locally and nationally. I call myself a Kerrycrat as opposed to a capital D Democrat (yes, there are a few of us who "still believe" in another Kerry run), but I appreciate the chance to "go local" and will try to keep my comments "fair and balanced". [snicker]

A few observations on this beautiful Game Day Saturday morning:

Where's Heidi's campaign? I'm not the most politically connected person in Athens, but it seems that in the most obvious and public areas (signage, advertisements, etc.) her's is nowhere to be found. Maybe I'm not seeing it, but Charlie Maddox's campaign seems to be outworking Heidi's re-election effort. With just over six weeks to go to the election, that doesn't bode well for the incumbent Mayor.

Speaking of signage and Charlie's campaign anyone else notice that the "I'm With Charlie" yard signs seem to be springing up in lawns and yards (especially up on Milledge) alongside Republican candidates like Bill Cowsert and Perdue? I'm just sayin....

Mentioning the Cowsert race, is it wise for his opponent Jane Kidd to be expending phone bank energy this early in the race? I think I've been called at least twice in the past month, but maybe the fact that I'm talking about it shows it's working. You tell me.

Last comment, this one on the state Governor's race. Frankly I find Mark Taylor's "gettin tuff" on crime ads to be abysmal. Hasn't the Democratic Party, particularly the state party, learned that you can't out right the right? The "abolish parole for violent criminals" was ambiguous enough, I guess, but the death penalty for sex offenders? Shameless.

The only people turned on by those issues are voting for Sonny Perdue anyway, and as this poll shows, Taylor is still 20 points behind. Who exactly is he trying to motivate with ads like this? IMO, having sent an emissary to Athens to make up with all the Cathy Cox supporters would have garnered more votes than those ads will ever generate.

One last note: the same poll above shows lite guv Democratic candidate Jim Martin, who's "more liberal and doesn't try to hide it," in a dead heat with Republican Casey Cagle.

Makes you go "hmmmm..."

I quit!

2006-09-08T19:59:00.000-04:00

That's right, I'm done with the blog. Why? Well, I'm not quite ready to give up my career, which I feel like I'd have to do to go on with the blog properly. Plus, politics in Athens is too dysfunctional for me to do any good on here anyway. And I've got some screenplays to write; I'm not getting any younger! Good luck.

Arg!

2006-09-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I guess I'm doing all of my comments as new posts until I can figure out what's wrong. So here goes.

Here's the short version of my response to Chuck, cause I'm not typing all of that again:

Yes, there is a "controversy" over the war, obviously. I didn't think that's what you meant. If that's what you meant, then you were basically saying I should be talking about the war instead of your legal ads. Well, ok. We've talked plenty about the war on here.

I was saying that I didn't think the protests themselves were very controversial. Nobody is trying to keep anyone from doing it (either them or you), and nobody seems terribly excited about either group of protesters. That's all.

Anyway, send your ad if you find it; I'm still curious.

On to other things, it's Labor Day, and with it comes the news that Athens firefighters might be forming a union.

All for now; enjoy the rest of your day off.

Response to Chuckie, etc.

2006-09-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

I'm doing this as a new post instead of a comment because my word verification on the comment page is having a fit and won't let itself be seen by me. Which makes it hard to verify.

Anyway, I'm not sure my previous post could be characterized as "going crazy" criticizing your ad. I just mentioned it because I was told it existed and I wanted to see it. If it never existed, so be it.

And while we're citing Red and Black articles, check this one out about local blogs; we are specifically mentioned, as well as JMac and Hillary.