Over the past few days, a couple of things about John Oxendine have come out – neither of them good.
The biggest? Remember “Constable-Gate”? It was the situation back in August where Kyle Constable, a Lee County High School sophomore (who happens to be Chairman of the Lee County Teen Republicans and Treasurer on the GA Teen Republican Executive Committee), exposed Ox for using his then-recently created youcanstopobama.com site as nothing more than a campaign email grab. He was then bullied by two thugs employed by the Oxendine campaign, Chief Strategist Jeff Breedlove and Director of Web Strategies Gabe Winslow to try to get him to take down that post, and pressure was even applied by the Georgia Teen Republicans to have him either resign his statewide position or stop blogging. He chose to stop blogging at that point, after having withstooda “front runner” GAGOV candidate for several days. It was his choice, and I respect it.
Anyways, the OX campaign maintained throughout all of that that the youcanstopobama.com email addresses gathered were strictly for that effort, and not to be used by the campaign.
That was a blatant lie that both Kyle and I called them on at the time, and now I have proof.
I don’t want to reveal the specific address so that I can continue to track any uses of those addresses, but I created an address that would not be easily tracked back to me and signed the youcanstopobama.com petition with it. I had it set so that every email it gets would forward to my primary email, and I’ve gotten a few healthcare related emails from it, which I let slide as they were in fact health care related, even if they were promoting Ox.
Friday night, I got the email announcing the pathetic attempt at an animated commercial that Peach Pundit already has discussed better than I could at that email address. This was the exact same email I had received at my campaign email account (2010campaigns at jefferysexton dot com) less than three hours prior.
So now we have the Oxendine campaign caught in a blatant lie in one of its two biggest scandals so far – oh, and btw, the State Ethics Commission is still investigating that $120,000 potentially illegal campaign contribution scandal.
Next, we hear yesterday from AJC’s Political Insider, Jim Galloway, about an interesting exchange between John Oxendine and Austin Scott from the GeorgiaCarry.Org panel they were on back in August. I’m still trying to find this audio myself, so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would be very appreciative!
Anyway, here’s the exchange, as reported by Galloway:
Oxendine told the gun crowd that he thought licensed carriers should be allowed to pack heat “virtually” anywhere – except for courtrooms, prisons and jails.
“I wouldn’t feel bad at all if someone wanted to carry a gun in the Governor’s Mansion. We may go out on the back porch and shoot a few wine bottles or something,” he said.
But drinking while carrying a concealed firearm is a no-no. “Commissioner Oxendine, you’d have to change the no-alcohol policy first,” Scott interjected.
“That will be done the day I’m sworn in, don’t worry,” Oxendine said.
Two points on this one:
1) Ox plans to change alcohol regulations on the day he is sworn in – but says he will not allow Sunday Sales? A basic issue of personal liberty and free markets such as this shouldn’t be the source of so much debate. If you plan to change alcohol regulations the day you are sworn in, how about you put that one on your plan?
2) Ox wants people to be drunk carrying firearms. Let that one sink in a bit. Ox wants people to be drunk carrying firearms. I have no problems with people carrying firearms into places where alcohol is consumed – so long as they are not drinking themselves. To me, that just fits in with common sense regulations that should be upheld. To me, that is a perfectly fine freedom of choice thing, and the law can and should be constructed similar to drunk driving laws. In other words, if you carry to a bar and your gun goes off, the cops should check your BAC and if it is above the legal limit, you face certain penalties. Otherwise, they couldn’t bother you.
But Ox wants people to be drunk carrying firearms!
Seriously, think of all the family violence that happens because people have been drinking. Now add in the fact that Ox WANTS these idiots to be legally armed while drinking. Not exactly a smart move there, once again proving that he really is “DUMB as an Ox”.
Closing, I’ll let Kyle have the last word in this article, via a poem he wrote regarding that idiotic animated commercial:
When there was disaster,
The Ox just stood there.
Strong enough to look good in the picture,
Graceful enough to look like he cared for the people.
When Georgians needed an advocate for consumers,
The Ox just stood there.
Strong enough to wrong the right,
Graceful enough to look like he cared for the people.
When Georgia needed a champion for Conservative government,
The Ox just stood there.
Strong to give in to the special interests,
Graceful enough to look like he cared for the people.
The Ox, loud enough to say nothing to King Roy, the rat.
Graceful enough to have a self-serving heart,
And look like he cared for the people.
Jeff, I’ve got to take you to task on one thing. The idea of “drunk people carrying guns”. First, you once told me that you don’t agree with DUI laws, but think that those who injure or kill someone while DUI should feel the full brunt of the violation of those laws. In the case of someone who killed someone while driving drunk, you felt should be charged with murder.
Now, however, you are OK with an abridgment of liberty because the tool is a firearm? Now, I’m no fan of Ox, as you well know. But cars kill a LOT more people each year than guns. Most gun people I know won’t drink when carrying, even if it were legal. But as it stands, I can’t have a single beer after a long day at work while carrying a firearm…which is a long way from being drunk.
The thing is, whether you intended it or not, you’ve set up a double standard. You’re OK with no DUI laws, but you’re also OK with preventing people from consuming even a single drop of alcohol while carrying?
For the record, there is no blood alcohol content for carrying. You are simply not permitted to drink in a restaurant that serves alcohol. As you know, there’s a big difference between having a drink and being drunk.
Poor ole John Oxendine. First he sends his goon squad out to harrass and bully Kyle Constable for exposing his campaigns underhanded attempt to build an email list for his own personal use, then hes caught excepting questionable campaign donations from Georgias insurance companies which he had to return, and now hes wanting to change Georgias gun laws so we can have a few cocktails and shoot up the neighborhood. Does he have no shame or is he just plain brain dead? Its becoming clearer by the day why he would be the worst possible choice for Governor one could make. When he loses the primary and is forced into becoming a sleazy lobbyist for the insurance industry, mabe he can make a few dollars on the side by writing a book on how he disgraced hinself and lost the election. He could take pointers from his dad ,the Superior Court judge from Gwinnett County who was removed from the bench and forced into early retirement a few days ago due to his own corrupt and dishonest ways. I guess the apple truly doesnt fall far from the tree. But lets give him credit for one thing , he at least got his dishonesty honestly. Like father like son.
If you want proof that the OX is crazy, look no further than his king rat video.
[...] things like him taking $120,000 in potentially illegal campaign contributions or his staffers bullying 15 year old high school kids. We also know that he likes the good-ole-boy network, as he got his dad to hire one of his [...]