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By Jeff, on December 21st, 2010%
State Rep Mike Cheokas (Americus) switched parties yesterday, from Democratic to Republican. PeachPundit has the press release.
What is EXTREMELY interesting – and the basis of the title of this post – is this particular quote:
?I made this decision in careful consultation with members of my community after being approached by many of them and hearing their thoughts,? said Rep. Cheokas.
Anyone who knows anything about Americus/Sumter County Politics knows that there is NOTHING that happens up there without the Dean of the Senate, State Senator George Hooks (D-Americus), at least knowing about it and usually giving his go-ahead, if not outright approval. From multiple accounts, the man is EXTREMELY popular up there and apparently as close to being a King or deity as any politician can get.
So I’m reading “multiple members of the community” as either Hooks directly or people who first discussed the issue with Hooks.
And based on that, I’m saying this:
The Democratic Party of Georgia is staring the final nail of its coffin in the face. Either George Hooks is about to switch Parties, or he is about to retire at the end of this Session. Either removes him from the D column inside the Gold Dome, and either way the seat likely goes Republican in 2012.
By Jeff, on November 15th, 2010%
Today marks the unofficial opening og the 2011-2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the day when bills begin to be pre-filed. According to Rob Miller on Facebook, State Rep Bobby Franklin was at the Dome at midnight waiting to file 21 bills and 8 Constitutional Amendments.
And that means that the work lives of the unsung heroes of the General Assembly are already picking up. These are the people whose names the public – and even many activists – will never know.
These are the secretaries, technicians, and record keepers that are the true backbone of the Dome. The shared staff of many of the legislators, the staffs of the House Clerk and Secretary of the Senate, the technicians that keep all the websites, video feeds, and computers working, the janitorial crews that keep the Capitol and Office Building complexes looking pristine, and the security teams who do their best to ensure the safety of all who enter the complexes.
On this unofficial start of the Session, I simply want to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to these and any others I missed. I know many of you work year round, but I also know your “spring training” begins today, and I want you to know that your hard work is GREATLY appreciated by this watcher/activist.
By Jeff, on November 10th, 2010%
From GaPolitico (the former GaLiberal):
These elections will be today, and you’ll note one SWGA sophomore is rapidly rising in her Party…
Leader
1. Stacey Abrams
2. Virgil Fludd
Whip
1. Carolyn Hugley
Chair
1. Doug McKillip
2. Brian Thomas
V-Chair
1. Sharon Beasley-Teague
2. Carol Fullerton
3. Ralph Long
4. Nikki Randall
5. Rashad Taylor
Chief Deputy Whip
1. Billy Mitchell
Secretary
1. Debbie Buckner
2. Sheila Jones
Treasurer
1. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield
By Jeff, on October 18th, 2010%
Note from Jeff: The following is from Ray Boyd, who earlier this year was planning to use $2 million of his own money to run as a Republican for Governor but was blocked because he refused to sign the GOP’s Soviet-style Party Over Principle oath. I’m on my Blackberry right now and will add the links in a few minutes.
October 18, 2010
To my fellow Georgians:
There is one attribute that is interwoven in every action that every individual undertakes in life: ethics. To expect positive ethical conduct from every human being is a utopian dream, but to expect positive ethical conduct from our elected and appointed public servants should be a standard.
We the people of this great nation and state have the power to implement, fix, or amend any law, rule, or regulation that exist– including the Constitution of the United States of America. We the people are to blame for the ethical depravity in our government by not holding our public officers accountable. Too many of my fellow Americans do not realize the magnitude of our individual power. I will not continue to sit idly by as Georgia is plagued with the infectious affliction of unethical conduct, and I ask that you do not sit idly by, either.
Below this letter is a link to the Comprehensive Ethics Reform Act. This could be the most important piece of legislation that has ever been introduced in the Georgia General Assembly. It will be one of the strongest ethics laws, if not the strongest, in the nation. Georgia has the opportunity to set the standard for other states, our US Congress, and the nation as this proposed law moves us forward and upward. This bill is being sent to every member of the Georgia General Assembly and every person holding or seeking state wide offices. It will be made available to as many Georgia voters as possible.
I respectfully request that you read the attached bill or its brief summary. I then request that you ask every elected representative or person seeking office to the General Assembly to answer the following four questions:
1. Will you pledge to introduce this bill or sign on as a co-sponsor of this bill?
2. Will you pledge to aggressively support this bill?
3. Will you pledge to vote for the passage of this bill, without modification?
4. Will you pledge to pass this bill as the first order of business in January 2011?
This Comprehensive Ethics Reform Act was drafted by a lawyer with an abundance of experience in ethics legislation that knows all the tricks and loopholes of existing laws. We know we cannot trust David Ralston or his colleagues to pass a decent bill. The fact of the matter is they have no interest in requiring their ethical conduct unless we make them. In fact, they recently passed a law abolishing the “State Ethics Commission” and replacing it with the “Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission” because they thought being sanctioned by the ethics commission sounded too harsh. This is deception at its finest. The attached bill will fix this, along with many other changes that are long overdue.
We the people can achieve this objective. I beg you to do your part for your own welfare, your children’s welfare, our state’s welfare, and our country’s welfare.
God Bless You, Our State, and Our Country
Ray Boyd
We The People Advocate
Click here to view the summary of The Comprehensive Ethics Reform Act. (PDF)
Click here to view full version of The Comprehensive Ethics Reform Act. (PDF)
By No Deal Georgia, on September 29th, 2010%
Let’s get real about Deal. This candidate says he believes in fiscal responsibility, going even so far as to introduce a bill in Congress called “The Fiscal Responsibility Act.”
And Nathan Deal is by far and away the least fiscally responsible candidate running for Governor this year.
Barnes balanced the budget every year he was Governor, getting a B from the CATO institute. Nathan Deal sure hasn’t done a great job as a Congressman in balancing the budget. Now, Nathan Deal is attacking Barnes for proposing a 300 million dollar tax cut for businesses without a plan to pay for it. Really? Because, one of the biggest contributions to our national debt has been the Bush tax cuts that were pushed through with no plans to pay for them. Deal had no problem supporting that mountain of debt (over 2 trillion) added to our grandchildren. How do we know his prior fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
Barnes spent about 15k on air travel this gubernatorial cycle. Nathan Deal spent 135k. We’re talking NINE TIMES what Barnes spent on airplanes. Of course, it’s no surprise to find that the 135k is going to a company Nathan Deal co-owns. He’s spending nine times the amount of Barnes to get the same job done. How do we know his campaign’s fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
And, of course, at this point an entire book could be written about The Deal Financial Scandal. Deal’s Financial Scandal has more twists and turns than Chutes and Ladders. There’s a great summary up over at The Perimeter Progressive, but saying that Deal has some personal financial issues at this point would be putting it kindly. How do we know his personal fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
The next Governor of the great state of Georgia has the legal obligation to balance our budget. But everything we’ve seen from Deal, from his prior governmental experiences to his campaign experiences to his personal experiences, shows he’s just incapable of actually balancing a budget. How do we know his fiscal irresponsibility won’t lead our state into financial ruin?
We don’t.
No Deal Georgia.
By No Deal Georgia, on September 27th, 2010%
First let me thank SWGApolitics for inviting me to contribute to their ongoing discussion of Georgia Republican Gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal. I am both stunned and flattered by the interest that my recent Twitter account (NoDealGeorgia) has created, particularly since I am not in any way involved in the gubernatorial race – I’m just an average Georgian: I work a full-time job which is in no way related to politics, I volunteer frequently with my church, I am a youth group leader, I never want to work in politics, I’m not affiliated with any candidate or party, and I happen to think that Nathan Deal is wrong for Georgia.
The focus of this first post will be on integrity…and Nathan Deal’s lack of it. Regardless of party affiliation, I think that all voters can agree that integrity is an important quality in any leader.
[Continue Reading]
By Jeff, on September 2nd, 2010%
I’ve just learned that Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston’s father passed away today. Please join me in praying for his family.
By Jeff, on August 22nd, 2010%
Last night, elected Republican City Councilman Erick Erickson took issue with appointed LP-Georgia Operations Director Brett Bittner’s Facebook post saying that Republican Governor candidate Nathan Deal was “in good company” with Neo-Nazis.
This is the same Erick Erickson who once tied another group of Neo-Nazis, StormFront, around Ron Paul’s neck. (This is also the same Erick Erickson who, as GriftDrift likes to point out, once called a sitting Supreme Court Justice a “goat f*cking child molester“.)
Clearly, Brett needs to be more careful in what he puts up on Facebook. Of course, saying what Erick said about a sitting Supreme Court Justice also falls into the “be more careful about what you post” category as well.
[Continue Reading]
By Jeff, on June 9th, 2010%
Governor Perdue, on the very last day he was able to, took the ax of his veto pen to roughly 25 bills yesterday – a FAR cry from the number of bills he signed. You can see the full list of every bill he vetoed in both 2009 and 2010 here.
Among the bills he axed that have already received much attention were Zero Based Budgeting, SB 291 (State Senator David Shafer’s gun bill), the JOBS bill, and a bill that would have enticed the construction of a $1 Billion indoor ski park – at Red Top Mountain/Allatoona Lake.
What is particularly interesting about the ski park bill is that the veto of it is being DECRIED by some fiscal conservatives. Yep. The same people that got all riled up about the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska are now saying that Red Top Mountain – an area nearly as hot as it is down here in SWGA – needed a ski park that givernment needed to help fund. (And no, that was not a typo moments ago..)
Now for a brief discussion on some vetoed bills I haven’t seen as much discussion on…
[Continue Reading]
By Jeff, on May 31st, 2010%
Early voting starts one week from today, so for those who already know who you’re voting for in every race, PLEASE spare yourself some time and go vote early! You can find your voting times/district information on the Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page“.
In Lee County, we don’t have any special questions placed on our primary ballots, but others in the State do.
For Lee County, you can see sample ballots here and here for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively.
Meanwhile, to give you an example of the questions at least one County Party will be asking its voters:
[Continue Reading]
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Nathan Deal and Fiscal Irresponsibility
Let’s get real about Deal. This candidate says he believes in fiscal responsibility, going even so far as to introduce a bill in Congress called “The Fiscal Responsibility Act.”
And Nathan Deal is by far and away the least fiscally responsible candidate running for Governor this year.
Barnes balanced the budget every year he was Governor, getting a B from the CATO institute. Nathan Deal sure hasn’t done a great job as a Congressman in balancing the budget. Now, Nathan Deal is attacking Barnes for proposing a 300 million dollar tax cut for businesses without a plan to pay for it. Really? Because, one of the biggest contributions to our national debt has been the Bush tax cuts that were pushed through with no plans to pay for them. Deal had no problem supporting that mountain of debt (over 2 trillion) added to our grandchildren. How do we know his prior fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
Barnes spent about 15k on air travel this gubernatorial cycle. Nathan Deal spent 135k. We’re talking NINE TIMES what Barnes spent on airplanes. Of course, it’s no surprise to find that the 135k is going to a company Nathan Deal co-owns. He’s spending nine times the amount of Barnes to get the same job done. How do we know his campaign’s fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
And, of course, at this point an entire book could be written about The Deal Financial Scandal. Deal’s Financial Scandal has more twists and turns than Chutes and Ladders. There’s a great summary up over at The Perimeter Progressive, but saying that Deal has some personal financial issues at this point would be putting it kindly. How do we know his personal fiscal irresponsibility won’t carry over into his possible administration?
The next Governor of the great state of Georgia has the legal obligation to balance our budget. But everything we’ve seen from Deal, from his prior governmental experiences to his campaign experiences to his personal experiences, shows he’s just incapable of actually balancing a budget. How do we know his fiscal irresponsibility won’t lead our state into financial ruin?
We don’t.
No Deal Georgia.