In it, he writes that apparently the King ran into Austin Scott last night in Perry before both were debating in their respective races. Barnes proceeded to “grab Scott and turn him to mug . . . → Read More: A Humorous Side to the King]]> Jim Galloway has a brief post last night showing that King Roy certainly has a bit of a humorous side.

In it, he writes that apparently the King ran into Austin Scott last night in Perry before both were debating in their respective races. Barnes proceeded to “grab Scott and turn him to mug for a photographer” saying “Turn around here. We’ll ruin your reputation.”

There’s two ways to take this, and I’m sure the Republicans will seize it to try to use as some kind of attack on Roy. As the title of this post says, I see it as the King having a little fun with a man who was a junior member of the minority Party when the King was on the throne.

Given the animosity and on-edge emotions that are prevalent among most in these last three weeks before the election, I thought this was a brief bit of levity that I’d share to lighten the mood. I LIKE people with a bit of humor – it helps keep us (somewhat) sane.

But because they WERE there to work, here’s a news article from the host of the debate, Macon’s 13WMAZ. I may watch it this weekend, or I may spend most of the weekend playing Fallout 3. We’ll see.

For those that don’t . . . → Read More: You’re Right About One Thing, Ox]]> 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.”

“I don’t care about the governor.”

“I am going to do what I think is going to get me reelected”

“I am not one of these Socialists never ever going to give out a rate increase or anything, But also you need to realize that you
have to find a way to always make me look good in front of the voters.”

“And if we can accomplish that, to make you make a profit and let the voters like me, everyone’s happy. That’s really the way it works.”

“yes, it is a little bit of a pain. And yes, we are a little high maintenance.”

“I’m the judge.”

“I’m the incumbent, you all are going to give me money because you’re afraid not to.”

“you can have some poor slob getting a 50% rate increase. Guess what, if you do that I am going to lose his vote.”

and finally, the single most honest and accurate quote of them all:

“If I am going to stick a knife in you I am going to do it up front in your chest, I am never going to do it in your back. You will always see it coming.”

You think we are “poor slobs” and you are more concerned about your own hide than the people you serve. You flat out admitted that you would do whatever it took to get elected, and you’ve proven that when you tried to bully bloggers, mothers, 15yo kids, and even Congressmen – just in the past 10 months!

You’re absolutely right, John. We do see that knife coming. Like any sane person, we’re going to make sure we take necessary steps to make sure it doesn’t actually stab us.

That means making sure you never never win another public election again. Never again will we allow ourselves to be victimized by you. Never again will we allow our mothers, sisters, and wives to be victimized by you. Never again will we allow our children to be victimized by you.

Never again will we allow our State to be sold to the person who donates the most to your campaign.

Never. Again.

So I went through the PeachPundit archives – possibly the best single source of information for GOP straw poll results – . . . → Read More: Will This Be the Results on July 20, 2010?]]> Recently, some McBerry supporters have been telling me I needed to get my facts straight on him while maintaining that he has “won every straw poll except one in the winer’s home county.”

So I went through the PeachPundit archives – possibly the best single source of information for GOP straw poll results – looking for straw polls from 2009 and specifically how Ray McBerry did in them. The general data was also very interesting from the 14 straw polls I found from April through November, here’s what I saw:

McBerry came in 2nd in Walker County in November and the 11th District Convention in April, 3rd at the Henry County GOP Women in October, tied for third at the Young Republicans event in May – and hit either next to last or last every single time other than the ones I’ve named. Several of those times he came next to last were to the last entrant into the GOP field so far and who told me he didn’t even officially kick off his campaign until just a few weeks ago – Jeff Chapman.

More generally, on the year, these are the totals:

131

31

Handel, Oxendine, and McBerry were the only ones on every ballot. Deal and Johnson were both off 4 of the 14 ballots, Scott was off two of them, and Chapman – who did not file to enter the race until September – was off of 6 of the 14 ballots.

Looking at rankings on each ballot and computing the number of times any given candidate ranked at any given level, we see:

There are 175 days left in this campaign, and a lot can happen between now and then – indeed, right now the game is still very much inside baseball, and who knows how the general public is going to react when the campaigns kick into high gear after the end of the General Assembly session and voters really start getting engaged probably after Memorial Day.

But the question remains: If we look to the past for a guide to the future, will the results of July 20 have any resemblance to the results of 2009?

Ray mentioned his religion three separate times in Tuesday night’s debate. I honestly don’t recall any of the other candidates mentioning theirs a single time – which is what . . . → Read More: Religion and the GOP GAGOV Candidates]]> Ray McBerry seems to want to make the intensely personal issue of religion a campaign ploy, so let’s humor him for a moment, shall we?

Ray mentioned his religion three separate times in Tuesday night’s debate. I honestly don’t recall any of the other candidates mentioning theirs a single time – which is what prompted this post. You see, Ray seems to think that by constantly telling you he is a Christian, you will think that none of the other candidates are, and if that is one of the major things you vote for a person based on that he will get your vote. What Ray leaves out is that from what I can tell, he is a member of an ultra-conservative fringe sect, the likes of which make even the stereotypical “Independent Baptist” church look hedonistic. Indeed, he sent this guy to speak for him at the Plains Tea Party. (In Ray’s defense, he and that guy have since had a falling out a couple of months ago. There have also been reports of him being at various PeachPundit gatherings in bars, yet simply not drinking himself, and I have been told he does not have a problem with Sunday Sales.)

I can tell you from personal experience that one of the things Austin Scott said he liked best about the South Ga leg of his Walk of Georgia was that he was close enough to home to go to his own church on Sundays, and several times he reported being invited to attend churches near his route while he was walking in other parts of the State.

I can also tell you from personal experience that Jeff Chapman prays over his meals, even in public restaurants when meeting someone for the first time.

And while I wanted to mention those two, they are not the real subject of this post. No, for this post I want to look at someone who is so dedicated to his religion that he will travel literally halfway around the world to further its message, yet is comfortable enough with his own religion that he does not feel the need to mention it at every appearance on the campaign trail.

That man is Eric Johnson.

You see, back in October, Johnson took 10 days away from campaigning to go on a missions trip to India. While there with a team from his church, he wrote several of the journal entries for the team, which can be found here. But other than an initial email to his list saying that he would be out of the country and a bit about why he would be out of the country, I’ve rarely heard him mention this trip.

I found the site I linked to in the last paragraph about a month after Johnson got back to the US, and I was highly impressed. Here is a man so dedicated to his religion that he will travel half way around the world to minister in whatever small way he can. Here is a man whose son is a preacher, and who clearly beamed with pride when his son was the Pastor of the Day in the Georgia Senate one day in the 2009 session. Yet here is a man comfortable enough with his religion that he doesn’t feel the need to constantly refer people to it while campaigning for Governor.

There is a difference between your religion influencing your decisions yet basing them on actual logic and using your religion as the SOLE basis of your decisions. The first is called being a man. The second is called being a fanatic.

I have no doubt that Eric Johnson’s Christianity is as much a part of his daily life as breathing, and will be so no matter what happens come July or November. I can say the same about Austin Scott and Jeff Chapman. I can also tell you that I have no doubt that each of these three men will listen to rational arguments on the facts of the issue at hand and base their decisions on them. Indeed, each of these three men, in my opinion, base their decisions on the facts first and their religion second.

In the end, that is about the best you can hope for, since every single decision any human ever makes is based to some extent on “worldview”, aka religion.

I leave you with Eric Johnson’s reflections on his India trip:

October 20
Mission trips will often affect the missionaries more than those you on serve. This is why God sent Jesus as a servant and not as a king (see Hebrews). I will have to spend some time reflecting on this trip, but my initial thoughts are these:

God is at work around the world. We come to places like India where Christians are persecuted and the “middle class” lives in what would be considered slums in America and the poor are starving and we think we can bless them somehow. Nope. It’s the other way around. God doesn’t need us. He just allows us to participate in His plan.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world show extreme bravery and incredible servanthood at the same time. Our hosts are prime examples. There is nothing they won’t do for you. They never showed impatience or exhaustion. They were joyful and willing and gracious. Even the poorest would share what little food they had. They were Christ-like in their hospitality. Even with physical threats on their guests and the death of a student, they kept their pressures away from us and only showed absolute joy at the opportunity to care for us in every manner their resources allowed. I saw a little of heaven in that attitude.

The gospel seems so much simpler here. It’s the same saving grace we preach in America. But, maybe there is less “noise” to compete with it. The willingness to listen to it is fresher. The prayer requests require a simple trust in Jesus. When an old woman came up and simply pointed to her belly, you just prayed for healing and knew God knew what her problem was and how to deal with it. She would get no doctor’s care and was asking me to intervene with her Creator. When a teenager said in broken english that he wanted Jesus in his life, you couldn’t sit down and read scripture or counsel him – you just asked God to welcome a new child into his kingdom and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

This needs more thought, but I felt closer to God on this trip. Maybe it was being around these “heroes of faith”. Maybe it was spending so much time with a team of God-honoring people. Maybe it was witnessing uncomplicated and innocent faith. Maybe it was worshiping in a language that you couldn’t understand but knew God relished it.

I don’t know about you, but I feel inadequate in serving an almighty God. But the truth is, that when you witness life change, see miracles, and watch Him work, your faith increases and the inadequacies don’t matter. He’s in charge. I’m not. That’s a relief.

I also will return with a healthier appreciation of blessings and what really matters in life. He gives me the essentials. We want so much that we don’t need.

The testimonies from people you meet here are nothing short of inspirational. Several were shared in previous blogs. The courage and determination of these pastors who face family exile, beatings, and a life of poverty remind me of the early church. Eternity is their home and they want only to worship God and sign up as many tongues in their choir as possible.

As I fly home, these are my prayers: Am I doing enough to honor God? Can I worship with more abandon? Can I feel a renewed sense of urgency? What can I do to grow my faith?

I return to my campaign for Governor tomorrow. I am physically exhausted, but mentally refreshed. I return dedicated to my effort to lead Georgia in a God-honoring way. I will never forget the blessings that our state enjoys – or where they came from.

For those who followed this mission and those who prayed for its success, I am eternally grateful. It was another blessing in my life.
Next week, Kathryn leaves for Ghana in Africa. She will also cherish your prayers. Until then, I can’t wait to wrap her in my arms and not let her go!
Praise the Lord!

In response to allegations of corruption by a fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton) issued the following remarks:

“Mrs. Handel’s comments were misguided, because in fact she accepted more money from lobbyists in 2009 than I have accepted . . . → Read More: Austin Scott Responds to Karen Handel’s Charges]]> This is the press release we were sent earlier today from the Scott campaign:

In response to allegations of corruption by a fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton) issued the following remarks:

“Mrs. Handel’s comments were misguided, because in fact she accepted more money from lobbyists in 2009 than I have accepted over the past five years combined. I am not corrupt, nor are the vast majority of my colleagues. Furthermore, she has one of the most entrenched lobbyists in the state heading up her campaign fundraising efforts. As for me, I have already returned every contribution made by lobbyists to this campaign, and I respectfully submit that Mrs. Handel and all candidates for governor should join me in doing so. The Georgia taxpayer should be the first priority of every candidate for governor.”

The total amount received by Scott over the five-year period is just over $1000, including almost $200 to provide Georgia Aquarium tickets to House pages stranded when the legislature adjourned unexpectedly.

Scott, a candidate for governor, is a Republican from Tifton who has served House District 153 for 14 years. He is Chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee. As a ranking Republican leader, he has never done business with the state, any political subdivision of the state, or any organization that receives funding from the state.

“There will be only one special interest in the Scott administration,” he said. “The Georgia taxpayer.”

To learn more about Austin Scott for Georgia visit www.ScottForGA.com or follow him on his Facebook and Twitter web pages. He now holds the record for the longest walk (1,068 miles) by an American politician. His summer walk around the state eclipsed the record previously held by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles in 1970.

Many people feel that government is excessive, unresponsive, and corrupt. The worst part is that they feel powerless to do anything . . . → Read More: Calling Corruption As You See It]]> The following was written by State Rep Austin Scott (R-Tifton), the only Republican member of the State House of Representatives that is running for Governor. I first saw it on Georgia Political Digest.

Many people feel that government is excessive, unresponsive, and corrupt. The worst part is that they feel powerless to do anything about it. Last week, we saw the downfall of the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, Glenn Richardson, amid a wave of scandal that threatens to shake the Georgia Republican Party to its core. Serious allegations were made that the Speaker had an affair with a lobbyist who was pushing legislation that ultimately could have cost the taxpayers of Georgia millions of dollars.

In fairness, political corruption is most often attributed to one party: the majority party. It seems that no matter who is in control, Democrats or Republicans, the power corrupts. But now is the time to do something about it. And that something is to give the people the tools they need to fight corruption effectively.

Earlier this year, as well as in previous sessions, I introduced a piece of legislation that could put an end to corruption once and for all. HR 75 empowers the state attorney general to empanel a statewide grand jury to investigate corruption in any branch and at any level of state and local government.

Does the state already have the means to fight criminal behavior by government officials? Yes. But most cases of government corruption aren’t technically criminal in nature, at least in the statutory sense. A legislator’s inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist, for instance, would be a prime example—not a crime, but very definitely corrupt.

As elected officials, we have a duty to live up to our oaths of office. But too often we haven’t been effective at policing ourselves. That’s why we all need HR 75. Citizen jurors would be able to hear evidence, and take action. Unlike the State Ethics Commission, a grand jury would have subpoena power to gather evidence on a case, and could hand down an indictment if they find corruption. It’s real power, in the hands of the people.

With HR 75, Georgians can finally start holding government officials accountable and achieve the honest, responsive government they want and deserve.

- Austin Scott