SWGA Politics

The Edge of Chaos[ February 28, 2010 – 10:04 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Of the self organizing behaviors, two are of particular interest to the study of evolution. One is adaptation. We see it everywhere. Corporations adapt to the marketplace, brain cells adapt to signal traffic, the immune system adapts to infection, animals adapt to their food supply. We have come to think that the ability to adapt is characteristic of complex systems – and may be one reason why evolution seems to lead toward more complex organisms.

But even more important is the way complex systems seem to strike a balance between the need for order and the imperative to change. Complex systems tend to locate themselves at a place we call ‘the edge of chaos’. We imagine the edge of chaos as a place where there is enough innovation to keep a living system vibrant, and enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy. It is a zone of conflict and upheaval, where the old and the new are constantly at war. Finding the balance point must be a delicate matter – if a living system drifts too close, it risks falling over into incoherence and dissolution; but if the system moves too far away from the edge, it becomes rigid, frozen, totalitarian. Both conditions lead to extinction. Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish.

And, by implication, extinction is the inevitable result of one or the other strategy – too much change, or too little.

Wait a second! Science on a political blog? Yes, once again I intend to use science to make a point about politics, much as I did a couple of months ago with a more basic concept (pendulums).

Where am I going with this? Find out below the fold.
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You’re Right About One Thing, Ox[ February 18, 2010 – 9:45 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

We do see it coming – which is why you continue to fall in polls. 90% of the people of this state know who you are, and yet the latest polling indicates that only 25% of them would vote for you – and last summer, you were bragging about 35%!

For those that don’t know, Austin Scott dropped a nuclear bomb on The Ox yesterday during a hearing on his bill that would make some of Ox’s known actions a felony – specifically his taking donations from insurance executives while Commissioner of Insurance. (That $120K in allegedly illegal donations he accepted last year would be included here.)

Galloway has the details here and here, but here are Ox’s direct words:

“Because [elected insurance commissioners] are different. We are a pain in the butt. We are very high maintenance. We’re politicians. I am not a professional regulator, I am a politician.”
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Aren’t We Trying to Get AWAY From Sex Under the Gold Dome?[ February 17, 2010 – 6:07 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Well, at least this would be a married (to each other) couple, if it happens.

Yesterday, Jim Galloway reported on speculation that Carol Porter -the wife of DuBose Porter, who is a Democratic candidate for Governor- is considering a run for Lt Governor. Steve and Dustin over at Ga Liberal both readily jumped behind the idea.

Apparently, this speculation started after Carol spoke for DuBose at a National Federation of Independent Businesses event and from all accounts did a superb job. See for yourself here:

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Austin Scott Introduces Bill Making John Oxendine a Felon[ February 11, 2010 – 5:01 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

In this country, we have protection from ex post facto laws – laws that make an action a crime after the action has been done. So the bill Austin Scott introduced yesterday, HB 1166, wouldn’t apply to the thousands of dollars John Oxendine has already raked in from insurance companies – but it would apply to any future contributions to Ox, so long as he is the Commissioner of Insurance.

The bill would also make State Senators Ralph Hudgens (the Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee who is running for Commissioner of Insurance) and Seth Harp (who is also running for Commissioner of Insurance) felons, and possibly a few others in their race.

This bill is a complete political stunt by Scott to make a point both in his campaign for Governor as well as the allegations flying in the Insurance Commissioner’s race, and because Hudgens in particular would be caught up in it, it has absolutely no chance of becoming law in its current form. IF it actually manages to become law, it will be heavily modified and a shell of its current version.
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Karen Handel: Unsympathetic Or Bloated?[ February 10, 2010 – 7:37 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

This morning, State Rep Ben Harbin, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman, commented that Karen Handel – nor anyone in the Secretary of State’s Office – had taken furlough days as ordered by the Governor and the General Assembly.

Handel’s handlers and other assorted defenders fired back that she had cut 20% of her budget, so she didn’t have to abide by the furlough order.

When you think about this though, neither option makes her look good.
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The Rights of Free Press and Free Association Are In the Constitution[ February 3, 2010 – 8:46 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

I just wanted to clear that up, since many of the so-called “Constitutionalists” have been flooding my Facebook feed and inbox with status updates and emails telling me to call the Beacon, the host of tomorrow night’s “Big 5″ GOP GAGOV debate and protest them deciding not to include Ray McBerry and Jeff Chapman.

Indeed, apparently they are also now planning a protest outside the event over McBerry’s lack of inclusion.
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Ray McBerry Second GAGOV Candidate To Support Equal Ballot Access[ February 2, 2010 – 5:21 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Ray McBerry is the second GAGOV candidate to openly support equal ballot access, and I genuinely like his response to at least the first question in the video below.

I can’t say I like his other answers quite as much, though he does make some good points before jumping off the deep end on nullification – as usual.

I encourage Ray, and everyone else, to join our FB group working on this issue, Equal Ballot Access for All! (Ga Chapter). I also hope to have an announcement soon about some further work I may be doing in that regard.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?[ February 1, 2010 – 7:31 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns, Legislation

The picture here is from the anti-victim press conference today hosted by the Georgia Talibaptist Association (aka the “Christian” Right, and specifically -from Jim Galloway – the Georgia Christian Alliance, the Georgia Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, and the Georgia Baptist Convention).

There are a couple of things interesting about it:
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Who does John Oxendine Give Money To?[ January 31, 2010 – 10:47 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

A few days ago, I was tipped off that John Oxendine had contributed to at least one Statewide candidate through his PAC, Better Georgia. (Both the PAC and Ox’s State Ethics Commission reports show the same address.)

This morning, I started looking into this – and was somewhat shocked by what I found.

Money is the lifeblood of politics, but there are different views on it. Some have said that if you give a person money, you’re going to vote for them the vast majority of the time. Others have said that it is more of an appearances thing, that sometimes you have to give to certain Party leaders to keep up appearances within the Party. Still others have said that money is sometimes used to build relationships with people you hope will be your friends down the road.

The list of who John Oxendine has contributed to through Better Georgia, for whatever reason, is fairly interesting…
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