Yesterday, Karen Handel had what has been described as a very successful event with more than 500 women in attendance (it was a “Women for Handel” event).
From the report:
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Karen Handel on Tuesday said the culture of “sex, lies and lobbyists” at the Gold Dome has to end, but said the men running against her can’t clean it up because they “created the mess.”
In a speech to more than 300 women at a fund-raiser at the Westin Atlanta North, Handel said the atmosphere at the Capitol is one “where legislation passes or fails based on the size of the contribution, the lavish dinner, luxury trip. This is not public service.”
“If we are going to end this cycle of abuse and corruption … if we’re going to get real progress on the issues our state is facing, it’s going to take radical change and reform,” said Handel
…
Handel campaign spokesman Dan McLagan would not identify the person who told her to hire a “hottie” as a legislative aide, but said Handel has a clear record of fighting for tighter ethics rules whether as a member of the Fulton County Commission or as secretary of state.
There’s several issues here though, and I’ll tackle them in no particular order:
Handel decries the “culture of corruption” under the Gold Dome, painting the entire Gold Dome as corrupt – yet her office is directly across the hall from the Governor’s office, on the first floor of the Gold Dome. Doesn’t that mean she is part of the “culture of corruption” under the Dome?
Furthermore, she proudly lists a State Senator and two State Representatives as people who have publicly endorsed her on her endorsements page on her website. Yet, according to her, the entire Gold Dome is corrupt, including these men. So if corrupt men endorse you, doesn’t that mean that you are possibly corrupt as well? If these men are corrupt, why would you list them on your own endorsement page, thereby endorsing their behavior?
If 2009 is any indication, Karen Handel is just as guilty as anyone else under the Gold Dome when it comes to the lavish dinners in particular, with two lobbyists having shared the cost of a $900 meal with her not even two months ago! How many Georgia families could have eaten for a week – or even a MONTH – on that $900 you spent on a single meal, Karen?
It is also interesting that she pointed to lavish trips, and that her spokesman said she was fighting for tougher ethics rules back in 2005 when she was on the Fulton County Commission. It is interesting because on October 15, 2005, Karen Handel went to a Rolling Stones concert in Atlanta on a lobbyist’s dime – to the tune of more than $300. (In comparison, Dubose Porter was treated to a swank golf resort in the North Ga Mountains by a lobbyist in 2008 for a mere $200.) So she was fighting for tougher ethics rules with one hand while having the other hand out begging for Rolling Stones tickets?
Finally, the whole “lies” thing. Per the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals,
Accordingly, since Georgia has failed to preclear the charges made in Morales v Handel], we find it to have committed a technical violation of Section 5 [of the Voting Rights Act]. Though the Secretary has not conceded that she should have sought preclearance for these changes, we note that the State has filed for preclearance of its new procedures in response to an 8 October 2008 letter from the Department of Justice as well as the initiation of this suit .
Yet according to at least one friend in the media, when Handel is asked point blank whether she has violated VRA Section 5, she continues to this day to deny it! SOMEBODY is lieing here. When it comes to matters of law, I tend to give deference to the lawyers and the courts absent clear proof that they are wrong. (Anticipating that Handel will try to blame the “Obama” courts, let me just point out that the 11th Circuit decision above was written in October 2008 – a week BEFORE Barack Obama was even elected, much less officially President! The original DOJ injunction similarly came from a GEORGE W BUSH Department of Justice. In other words, even her own Party said she had violated VRA Section 5!)
Karen Handel has been in the very midst of the culture of corruption, both enabling it by her silence while under the Gold Dome, and by actively participating in it.
Karen Handel calling anyone out as being guilty of participating it is the height of hypocrisy.
It truly is the pot calling the kettle black.
“How many Georgia families could have eaten for a week – or even a MONTH – on that $900 you spent on a single meal, Karen?”
What the heck does this have to do with anything? You sound like a bleeding heart liberal for crying out loud. Seems to me you’ve let your dislike of the candidate cloud your thinking or do you really think we’re all supposed to eat the same food. Is there some magic limit? Outback is okay but Ruth Chris is off limits. BTW; I’m not a Handel supporter but adding gratuitous statements like the one above cheapens the entire post.
Jeff would be the one to know for sure, but I don’t think the problem is that it was a $900 meal, but that it was paid for by lobbyists when Handel is lambasting fellow Republicans for corruption…who basically did the same thing.
If SHE had paid for it, I’d ask who gave a flip. Granted, that $900 wouldn’t have gone to feed the poor anyways, so I agree that the line isn’t the best choice of words, but that’s a far cry from sounding like a bleeding heart liberal.
I defintely agree ” this is the pot calling the kettle black” and the FACTS are still there we are living in a culture of corruption and until these men and women running for office STOP BLAMING others for the corruption, there will be no CHANGE. Quit talking about what others do, and show us by setting examples of themself, by way of what our country was founded on. Has everyone FORGOTTEN what those virtues and values are? Where are the caring and honest people that truly care what happens to others? Instead IT’S all about ME and my wants ( SELF FISH aren’t they). No wonder we don’t know who to TRUST. It just amazes me to see someone place their hand on the bible ( which is our rock of foundation ) and swear to tell the TRUTH, and have no idea what the TRUTH is. Then once in office they turn the their head away only to get what they can from others by USING them. They are SELF FISH people…do you agree? Look real hard here LOCALLY, do you see what I see?
So why bother swearing in to office by saying I’ll do all I can, knowing good well they are not. If you are TRUE with your heart then you will do the right thing.
This could be the reason people no longer want to VOTE because it truly doesn’t matter any more to anyone because our country has no one to TRUST!!!!
Doug,
Like Tom said, part of the point there was that this was an extravagant meal paid for by lobbyists – which is the very thing Handel is decrying others for doing.
The other part of the point is how truly out of touch Karen Handel is. She wants us to think she is “one of the people”, yet lives the high life on lobbyists’ dime – to the tune of $900 for a single meal.
It was a voluntary transaction, and I’m not saying that friends shouldn’t be allowed to by friends meals in any price range. But when those “friends” are lobbyists and you are a high ranking State official who wants to be even higher ranked, yeah, I have a problem. At the very least, it gives a MASSIVE image of your “friends” buying your influence.
I don’t know anything about Handel’s personal financial situation but what might “impress” one person may not the next so the amount (I believe) is insignificant and made the comment seem gratuitous. A more important issue is the role of lobbyist in general. Few lobby on their own behalf and in fact most lobby for an entity that in the end is made up of citizens be they stockholders or just members of some group working toward some goal. I don’t see the system working void of lobbying but I’m open to suggestion.
[...] this week, Karen Handel did just this at a “Women for Handel” event when she characterized the entire General Assembly as [...]