DPG Reacts to Voter ID Ruling

Here is the official response of the Democratic Party of Georgia to the ruling today upholding Georgia's Voter ID law:

Kidd responds to Voter ID ruling


ATLANTA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Jane Kidd released the following statement in response to a federal court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Voter ID Law.

“We disagree in the strongest possible terms with the Court’s decision, and maintain that Georgia’s Voter ID Law continues to represent a burden to the public and to the right to vote. The law especially places an additional burden on elderly and low-income voters.

“Over the next few months, we will be ramping up our voter education programs, to ensure that every voter is prepared to vote with one of the proper forms of identification. To that end, we’ll be working closely with our county parties to help them educate voters at the grassroots level. We’ll also be focusing closely on our election protection program to prevent inaccuracies and inequalities at the voting booths.”


-30-

Perhaps more later, after I've had to time to look at the ruling more closely.

Happy belated Labor Day, everyone (NSFW)

Words cannot express exactly how not safe for work this is. (Unless you work down on the docks or something.

Poythress Retires

So David Poythress, the Adjutant General of Georgia's National Guard, has announced that he will retire in November.

Is he planning to run for something?

May I See Your IQ?

We need to start checking people's IQ's rather than their ID's in this town:

Athens Commission taking hard look at doormen job: "The Athens-Clarke Commission will vote Tuesday on a police proposal to begin mandatory fingerprinting and $30 background checks for doormen to weed out criminals."

Why? Because of "stories about some doormen who let in attractive women who are under 21, accept bribes or tips from underage patrons and even deal drugs on the side."

Emphasis there on "stories." Meanwhile, the real "criminals" in this entire underage drinking scenario seem to escape culpability. Because out of the ensemble of the doorman, the bartender, the bar owner and the underage drinker, there's only one person at 11pm who sets out willingly and knowingly to break the law, and it ain't the doorman.

Let's hope Commissioners follow Kelly Girtz's lead and vote for his alternative to this nonsense. And let's put the responsibility of underage drinking back where it belongs...on the underage drinker.

Porter Thinks That Perdue Doth Protest Too Much

This is the original, full version of an op-ed from Dubose Porter that ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:

I think I may have hit a truth nerve. I think this because our Governor responded to my comments regarding his massive public relations campaign concerning SAT scores by releasing one of the finest public relations pieces to ever come out of his office. Since I also called on the people to become more engaged in deciphering the truth from this spin regarding education, I thought when I responded I would do so by highlighting a few of the tactics used in his latest press release as a primer.

1. Always, always crucify the messenger first.

The Governor's release- "For more than 130 years, Democrats like DuBose Porter and his pessimistic friends presided over an educational system..."

Only in the deepest world of "Spinning P.R." would you call someone a name that would also apply to yourself. You all did know our Governor was a part of the 130 year legacy he is bashing? Does he? Of course, but he didn't think anyone would be fed up enough to take the heat that comes from speaking truth to power.

2. Misconstrue while making it look like the messenger insulted someone (preferably a large group.)

The Governor's release- "Representative Porter's comments yesterday were disrespectful and insulting to Georgia teachers, administrators, parents, and most of all, our high school students, who have worked hard to improve their SAT scores over the last four years."

What I said had nothing to do with the ability of the teachers, administrators, parents or the students. What I said had to do with the cuts the Governor made that took away the tools to teach. The greatest lumberjack in the world can't cut down a tree with a hundred dollar bill when they need a chainsaw.

3. When facts fail call the messenger names.

The Governor's release- "…his comment 'I'm not surprised. This is exactly the result I was expecting…' is indicative of his bigotry of low expectations"

What exactly does that mean? When he cut tools to teach, learning suffered. Did he mean I am a bigot of instructional money???? Who knows, but it sure did sound bad.

4. Say something that can't be researched.

The Governor's release- "and a culture of negativity among Democrats."

Where was that poll taken and was that before or after the Governor was a Democrat?

5. Be willing to link unrelated ideas if necessary.

The Governor's release- "His reference to a 'massive public relations campaign' minimizes the hours, weeks and months of hard work and effort that Georgia teachers, students and parents have put forth to result in closing the gap with the national average."

My calling attention to the massive public relations campaign glossing over the negative results of cuts to education minimizes the work of teachers, students, and parents exactly how? I think they are doing amazingly well with 1.3 billion dollars less in the state's education budget.

6. Be willing to distort the heck out of the statistics.

The Governor's release- "Today, four and a half years after I was elected, Georgia is steadily closing the gap on the SAT national average. Since 2003 the gap between Georgia and the national average has shrunk by one-third, from a 42 point gap to only 28 points."

Overall, the nation's graduating class of 2007 averaged the lowest math and reading SAT scores since 1999 and Georgia's average dropped 5 points from last year. Everybody does worse, but the gap narrows and in the world of massive P.R. this is turned into a positive.

7. If something good does happen use it even if you worked to cripple its effects.

The Governor's release, "Georgia's minority students are even outpacing their counterparts around the nation with higher scores in most areas of the test."

That's great. But this same governor backed and implemented a criteria change for grade eligibility designed to prevent a large number of these same minority students from receiving the H.O.P.E. scholarship. It went into effect this fall and also cuts out a large number of our majority students from H.O.P.E. scholarship money. Lottery funds are at all time high.

8. Show a fact that looks good and means nothing.

The Governor's release- "In terms of participation rates, Georgia public schools beat the national average by 20 percentage points. Approximately 66 percent of public school students in Georgia take the SAT while an average of only 42 percent of public school students nationwide take the SAT."

If more people are taking it, it has just as much a possibility of going up as down. (Unless you have maybe- "bigotry of lower expectations"???) Regardless, we went down 5 points from our own score last year.

9. Half-truths are always effective.

The Governor's release- "Georgia teachers continue to be the highest paid in the Southeast."

Because of the Governor's changes to the State Health Benefit Plan, teacher's health insurance takes up a larger amount of their salary. The net effect is that in many cases the take home pay is actually less than before.

10. If need be, take credit for things that haven't even happened.

The Governor's release- "Thanks to our high school and middle school graduation coaches, our graduation rates have increased by almost eight points."

I also support graduation coaches, but it is just too soon to calculate its actual effect. If you have to be 16 to drop out and the program has only been in place for one year, how can you take credit for students not dropping out when they couldn't have dropped out yet, even if they had wanted.

11. When all else fails just say something positive and run.

The governor's release- "As I said yesterday, despite all our gains, I will not be satisfied with Georgia's SAT scores or ranking until these indicators become a true reflection of the quality of education that is being provided to students in our state every day."

… despite all our gains? Our Governor oversaw cuts in the state education budget of 1.3 billion, cuts of eligibility to H.O.P.E by almost a third, cuts to teacher's take home pay, cuts in score results… and these are gains? No, what that is, is a massive public relations campaign.

If enough light is focused on education, we can begin to see real improvement. While I would not have cut education at a time when our students have to compete in a global market, there are many positive solutions that don't require more money. However, they will only work if the public is allowed to see the truth instead of the spin. Reducing paperwork for teachers and therefore giving them more time to teach, making more effective use of our technology to speed learning, shifting the focus of learning methods to reading in the early grades and allowing stronger discipline are just a few of the changes that would move our state forward, without raising taxes- but this won't happen until we quit sugar coating reality and start dealing with it.

Tell 'em Porter.

Locals Sound Off On GlennTax

From Blake's piece yesterday:

"Imagine if Speaker Richardson was in control of this community," Dodson said Thursday at a Clarke County Democratic Committee meeting. "How much money do you think Athens would get from state coffers?

"We are going to have to beg for money in Atlanta," he said. "We would lose all local autonomy. ... It's the end of home rule in Georgia. It's the end of local control, unless you happen to be a community that's very closely aligned with whatever power structure is in Atlanta at the time."

The issue of local control also concerns Charles Worthy, president of the Clarke County Board of Education.

"I just can't imagine having state taxes funding the local school system," Worthy said. "When you look at it realistically, you're taking local control away from the school system."

...

A vote in the state legislature on whether to place the plan on the 2008 ballot still is at least six months away, but it's already drawing opposition. Davison attended a meeting Wednesday between Richardson and local officials from across the state, and said opposition was nearly unanimous.

The meeting was organized by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, which opposes the plan, as does the state's other major local government group, the Georgia Municipal Association. Elected officials of both parties in Savannah, Albany, Cobb County and Rome, among others, also have criticized it.

"It was very clear ... that no one seemed to like this plan, and I would say I was in the minority as far as party affiliation," said Davison, a Democrat.

...

So far, local lawmakers are waiting to see the details of Richardson's proposal before deciding how to vote. State Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, said he is planning several hearings this fall to gauge constituents' interest.

"I want to see what they have in writing," Smith said. "I've got several questions to be answered, local-control questions."

State Rep. Doug McKillip, D-Athens, said he hopes his bill giving low-income workers a break on their state income taxes will be part of the reforms the legislature eventually votes on. He said he is skeptical of Richardson's plan, especially since a tax on services and a renewed grocery tax would hit the poor hardest.

"If you are going to overhaul the tax system, I would like to see the regressive nature of the taxes that are being suggested eliminated," McKillip said.

You gotta admire Glenn's ability to bring unity between Georgia's two parties, even if it is only unity in opposition to the GlennTax. Here's hoping the GlennTax proposal dies a slow and unceremonius death.

What do Chambliss and Isakson Have Against Georgia's Children?

The Senate passed an expanded SCHIP program 68-31 on Thursday. Georgia's Senators both voted no.

How can they possibly justify this? This is not a complicated issue. It's a really simple one. Either you believe that providing health care for all of Georgia's children is an important priority or you don't. Apparently Chambliss and Isakson believe that doing the bidding of a President that's barely hanging on is more important than doing what is right for Georgia's children.

Let's see if Georgia's voters agree with your priorities next year, Saxby.

Bongs For Broun!

Broun Votes To Ease Up On Medical Pot:

"U.S. Rep. Paul Broun offered Democrats a peace pipe and sent Republican leaders' hopes that he'd toe the party line up in smoke this week by voting to ease federal restrictions on medical marijuana laws."

Get a load of Blake and his "peace pipe" allusion.

"The Republican congressman from Athens was sworn in Wednesday and cast his first vote in the House of Representatives late that night in support of an amendment to stop the U.S. Justice Department from prosecuting people who distribute medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

"The measure failed 262-165, but Broun said he fulfilled his campaign promises to respect states' rights and be independent by bucking GOP leadership and joining just 14 other Republicans who voted for the amendment, proposed by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y, and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif."

The real laugher? "Rep. John Barrow, D-Savannah, a former Athens-Clarke commissioner, voted against the amendment, as did Georgia's six other House Republicans besides Broun."

[snicker] I have no idea what's in store the next 18 months, but I can predict two things from this: number one, that vote would never have been cast by Charlie Norwood. And number two, Broun just picked up a, er, significant voting block here in Athens.

A Victory For Athens

If the results hold true (as Billy reports below Paul Broun is extending his lead), then this really is a victory for Athens-Clarke, no matter how you slice it. And you have Jim Whitehead and his anti-Athens strategy to thank for it.

Since I wrote last week, I can't tell you how many people I've heard from the past few days saying that Paul Broun, Jr. was the only choice, and that there was no way we could "let that (fill in the blank) from Augusta tell us what to do here in Athens." Over and over, even from friends who would have preferred death to voting for a Republican. Several even said they were forgoing the "none of the above" strategy in favor of the hometown Broun.

Throw in the MCG satellite campus brou-ha-ha, and Broun targeting Democratic voting households with calls and mailers, and I think we saw an "Athens surge" at the polls yesterday. Coming on the heels of ACC Dems failure to put Marlowe in the runoff, this would suggest we're still a force to be reckoned with, no matter how much Ralph Hudgens et al want to draw us out of existence.

As Mike-el pointed out in comments "Broun taking A-CC 5,122-601 is just staggering." And if the vote count holds, it is the reason Mr. Broun will go to Washington.

Let's just hope the Republican Broun remembers the largely Democratic "Athens surge" that put him there.

Broun Extends Lead

98% reporting, and the lead is now 371.

Meanwhile, they are debating not so much Iraq, but whether the all-night session is or isn't a stunt, in the Senate.

Not So Fast!

Well, well, looks like we may have spoken too soon in the comments. With 95% of the votes in, Broun is leading by 271 votes. In fact, Peach Pundit is calling it for Broun. I don't know about all that, but Broun is once again outperforming expectations.

Since we're gonna try to stay up and watch the Iraq debate, or whatever it is they're planning to do all night in the Senate, we'll put up news as we come across it.

The 10th...in '08

Tomorrow we will have the runoff special election between Jim "Did I say that out loud?" Whitehead and Paul "Sure I live in Athens" Broun, Jr. So that's what we should be talking about here on AthPo, right?

Nah. If I go and hold my nose and pull the lever for Broun tomorrow, it will only because of Whitehead's "Augusta v. Athens" comments; otherwise I may sit out my first election in years. This election isn't much of a choice, is what I'm saying.

But I'm operating under the theory that neither can do too much damage in the year or so before the election next year. By the time they get settled in and get a staff hired, they'll have to start thinking about that election. And, since it's kinda what we do here (or what used to be done here, anyway), I thought we'd go ahead and think about it now.

Question 1: Which Democrat(s) will challenge whoever wins tomorrow?

Will Marlow be back? Despite the woe-is-meism of a lot of Democrats after Marlow failed to make the runoff, I still think Marlow could make a run at it. If the state party continues to build on some of the inroads they're trying to make in the rural parts of Georgia (including of course the mountains of the Northeast that make up a lot of the 10th), and if Marlow starts early with a bona fide ground attack up there, he could make a race of it (especially if Broun is his opponent).
If not, the Dems need a true star. For example, is there any chance we'll ever see Don Johnson run for anything again? I would love it, but I don't know if it will happen.

Question 2: Should Democrats vote for Broun because he will be easier to beat in '08?

The conventional wisdom seems to be that the national Republicans will put much more money and energy behind getting Whitehead reelected than Broun.

While that makes sense to me on an intellectual level, I've got a bit of a psychological problem with "wishing" for a particular opponent. I guess it comes from watching sports playoffs; it seems like when you wish for the easier opponent, they end up beating you. They are, after all, the one that won to get there in the first place.

But then again, it does reinforce my other reason for voting for Broun.

Give your thoughts on these and other questions regarding the '08 10th race in the comments (and I guess if you must talk about the runoff, you can do that too).

[In the spirit of full disclosure, and in case it's not obvious from this post, I am (like my predecessors on AthPo for the most part) a Democrat and a liberal. I am from Athens, after all (although we're not all both of those things)].

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

As you may have noticed over on the right, I am the first to take advantage of Blackfin's cry for help. I am Billy Merck, and you may have seen me over at Athens World. I also have my own legal blog, The Georgia Law Blog.

I have been following AthPo since the La Puerta del Sol days, and if I can do anything to help get that kind of discussion going again on here (that or 50+ comment threads on whether or not people should post anonymously, either way), I'll consider my tenure here a success. I look forward to it, and I hope you do too.

Help Wanted...

Well, obviously, we are not contributing to this blog as we used to. In response to some of the complaints/comments, we going to try to open up a bit by inviting some fresh blood to be front pagers.

If you're interested, send a "resumé" to blackfinday@gmail.com.

"Resumé" can mean whatever you think is important for us to know about you and why you want to get involved, but obviously things like occupation, time in Athens, political leanings and shoe size will be helpful.

Whitehead: "I Don't Know A Lot Of The Political Ins And Outs"

Scrolling around the Daily Planet's Voter's Guide to the 10th District Congressional runoff next week, I was surprised to hear Jim Whitehead admit in one of the posted audio clips that, since he's only been in politics for "twelve years, basically," he "doesn't know a lot of the political ins and outs," concerning when to show up for a debate and when not to.

Not a very comforting thing for the leading candidate for Congress to admit, is it? He also admits in another clip that he "never said I-raq wasn't an important isha." Oh.

So where are the AthPol readers lining up (yes it's been dead around here, yes we've been slack, mea culpa, etc.)? I've been hearing rumors from Clarke and Oconee Democrats that many are planning on going to the polls next Tuesday, putting in their voting machine card, not selecting a candidate, then hitting "cast ballot", which apparently will tally up as a "vote for neither" or none of the above.

Sounds interesting, but largely a waste of time to me. Isn't the same thing achieved when you just don't show up?

Frankly, this may be the first congressional election I've ever taken a pass on.

New Local Blog

James Garland, formed District 1 Commission candidate, has started his own blog called "The Other Athens." Kudos to him. James has always been active in the comments section of this blog (back when there was an active comments section), and here's hoping his new blog stirs some debate and conversation.

Since we're so %&$ing slack.

Of course, it wasn't two days before a relatively benign post by James was hijacked by local one-issue wack-job Winfield J. Abbe, whom some of you may remember from the now-defunct Online Athens forum as CrunchMeow.

Actually, I think it's going to be a lot of fun....

Gasp!

Immigration Bill Provisions Gain Wide Support:

"Taking a pragmatic view on a divisive issue, a large majority of Americans want to change the immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a new guest worker program to meet future labor demands," a new poll found.

A "large majority of Americans" except here in the 10th Congressional District, if the "leading candidates" are to be believed.

Really?

From today's Banner Hearald: Whitehead's people are snarky bitches who think it's funny to put signs up across the street from an opponents event, and Greene's people are just bullies....

"The minutemen are coming"

The Race Heats Up

Get Them Illegals

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I was astounded reading Tom Crawford in Flagpole this morning about some of the leading District 10 Republican candidate's positions on the War in Iraq. Er, I mean, "War on Illegals" since the war in Iraq has...

"...not been a big thing in our district," said state senator Jim Whitehead, a former University of Georgia offensive lineman [and leading candidate to replace Charlie Norwood]. "Immigration is the number one issue, pure and simple."

Damn straight. In fact, according to Whitehead, "Left-wing political activists [are] intentionally registering illegal aliens to vote, including known Al Qaeda terrorists. This is a pivotal issue for the future of America. We have to have the intestinal fortitude to protect all Americans."

LOL. I wonder which of you "left-wing political activists" here in Athens in hiring "known Al Qaeda terrorists" to register and vote next month? C'mon, fess up, before Whitehead decides to, "except for the football team, bomb the University" and all of Athens.

Then we have Paul Broun, Jr. who "rejects Democratic criticisms of Bush and the war and lists the need to 'stop the invasion of illegal aliens" as a more pressing issue. "I believe that patriotism runs very deep in Georgia." Whatever one has to do with the other.

And someone by the name of Bill Greene, Crawford notes, "lists [illegal immigration] not just as the top issue, but as the top two issues on his campaign website."

Er..."Illegal immigrants are a detriment to the American economy and their refusal to assimilate is an affront to American culture."

Almost as offensive as all those businesses making millions off undocumented laborers, eh Bill?

The xenophobia is astounding. Crawford notes in his column that Democrat James Marlow seems to be the only candidate talking about the War in Iraq (as opposed to the War on Illegals) and that this may create an opening for the more moderate Marlow to make a runoff. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm returning to the streets of Athens to hunt for terrorists. More later.