Blog for Democracy

Two Candidates With My Full Support Tomorrow

Sitting out the last election cycle I thought that coming back into the world of campaigning would be a a little more of thrill this time around. I am not going to give up though, and have found a way to still find enjoyment and fulfillment from campaign work. While I have gotten involved on a few campaigns, I must admit that I have been very disappointed with the lack of energy from the campaigns.

I have yet to see campaigns gain ample, valuable earned media, utilize the easy world of new media and well, the grassroots field campaigns in my opinion have been far from inspiring.

My parents got once piece of mail from one candidate and two robo-calls. They never miss any election and that to me has been very discouraging that campaigns are not working harder to get voter attention.

I know that living in southwest Georgia now I am not seeing much of the grassroots action, but the plan to not campaign and go door to door in rural Georgia failed in 2002 and 2006 and I hope that by this fall the state party will get rid of the failed campaigning system that cost us so many valuable seats the past few election cycles. One of those being the race in 2002, when Governor Roy Barnes was unseated by an underfunded Governor Sonny Perdue.

Speaking of the race for Governor…

I am supporting General David Poythress this year. I think that he is the one candidate that can win in November. I think Rep. Porter could do well against a Republican, but I think that Poythress’ background will resonate with voters.

Barnes got creamed in 2002. Why do people think he will win now? Do his supporters actually think that teachers have forgotten the choice words he used to belittle them in the past? Do they really think a trial lawyer from Atlanta is what will sit well with Georgia’s electorate? I am sorry guys, but I just don’t think he has what it takes to win the respect of Peach State voters.

On top of that with all of his Democratic base support, I was disgusted by these two actions of his campaign. They have come out in support for tougher immigration laws in our state and they never even took the time to fill out the Georgia Equality  endorsement questionnaire.

The race for Attorney General…

Don’t get me wrong. I think Rob Teilhet is a great guy and I have been very impressed with his efforts in the Georgia Legislature. Working with him I have only seen good things and he should be applauded for his passage of tough consumer protections like the credit freeze. However, I think that his background would have been more suited for Secretary of State and I really sit here puzzled why the state party could not find a way to get him to run for that. With him and Ken Hodges you have two great candidates. Both with very bright futures and both I think could do well statewide against the GOP. Although I have been very uspet over the recent false accusations and misleading ads of the Teilhet  campaign and the fact that Rob is taking money from some lobbyists that are of conflicting interest, I have been supporting Ken Hodges for months now.

Ken can win in November. If you have not worked with him or dealt with him personally then you are missing out. This guy is serious about the work he does, passionate about protecting Georgians and really a likable guy.

I have also seen Ken go after predatory lenders on military bases. He has faught the title pawn industry and he has shut down payday lenders. But it’s just not his personality and my personal association with Ken that got me to vote for him. Out of the two of them, Ken is the only candidate to ever prosecute a crime in trial. That makes a big difference folks.

No matter what I hope we all do every thing we can to Get Out the Vote tomorrow. And let’s all remember that after the primary we must work together to build a more progressive, unified Georgia.

All the best,

Branden

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16 responses to “Two Candidates With My Full Support Tomorrow”

  1. Wanda Beery Avatar
    Wanda Beery

    I found this over at galiberal.com:

    MSNBC just posted this on Teilhet’s counterfactual “Last Minute” ad.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38327934/ns/politics-decision_2010/

    Four things to watch in Georgia primaries

    #4. Do facts or emotion matter more in TV ads?

    The ad has caused a shake-up in the race for the first open seat for attorney general in the state in 60 years — and has ignited racial tensions. Both Teilhet and Hodges are white; the mother is black. Race was a major issue when this trial was going on, and some observers see Teilhet as trying to make a play for the black vote with this ad.

    But Hodges, who has rounded up the support of prominent African Americans, has pushed back hard. An independent fact-checker called Teilhet’s claim that Hodges botched the case as “false,” said that the prosecutor was not required to swear in the officer, and noted that a jury saw the video, featured in the ad, multiple times.

  2. Branden Avatar
    Branden

    I took everyone’s suggestions and after some research ended up voting for Mills.

  3. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    I’m with Jules on Terry Coleman. He is the person SINGULARLY responsible for Amendment 1 having the opportunity to pass the House in 2004. I would for whatever douche-bag the GOP puts up before I’d vote for Terry Coleman. Payback is a bitch. However, I will not longer totally condemn him to hell since he gave Branden his first job 🙂

    Branden, I share your frustration on the lack of energy in all the campaigns. It’s a bizarre season in GA, and if Barnes is our nominee, I hope to God he’s learned the lessons he says he’s learned.

    I also voted my heart with Mills for SOS.

  4. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    I think those exaggerations come from the money side vs. the actual voter side.. Based on how much as spent per voter it’s a not pretty comparison. Of course, voters have the capacity to surprise us all.. see Kasim run off numbers vs. Nov race.

    Short answer. No one knows.

  5. Ed Avatar
    Ed

    Ugh I know the anti-Barnes people want to say he got “creamed” in 2002 but he didn’t. Anyway if barnes losing by 5% getting “creamed” what will Tuesday bring for everyone else? An all out annihilation? Political genocide? Let’s come up with the most hyperbolic phrases people!

  6. Jen B. Avatar
    Jen B.

    Yeah, Mills would make a great SoS.

  7. Branden Avatar
    Branden

    Terry gave me my first ever job when he appointed to the communications team straight out of college. If we are going to go after government for bad bank accounting practices there wouldn’t be too many politicians to support. : ) Miss you B!

  8. Bernita Avatar
    Bernita

    Hey Branden, remember that little thing banks got – TARP money – well Terry’s bank received a lot of TARP money. Terry sits on the Board of Colony Bankcorp Inc. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) and they received $28 million in taxpayer money to bail out his bank when employment in that bank’s county has been as high as 16.5% this year. So I guess it’s ok to use the taxpayer’s money for bad bank accounting practices.

    Nope for Terry. Darryl Hicks get my vote.

    Full disclosure: I worked for Hicks in 2006, did an analysis for him in 2010, and will always support him.

  9. Geoff Edwards Avatar
    Geoff Edwards

    And thank you, Branden, for recognizing in Ken Hodges the type of experienced leadership we need here in Georgia.

  10. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    OOOH no on Terry Coleman, it’s totally on his head how Amendment 1 the Anti Gay marriage amendment got on the ballot..

    Darryl Hicks for Labor..

  11. Branden Avatar
    Branden

    Thanks for your service, Geoff!

  12. Branden Avatar
    Branden

    I hear ya Juliana. Thanks for letting me know about Mills! I have STILL Not made up my mind on the other races. I am supporting Terry Coleman too. Miss you!

  13. Geoff Edwards Avatar
    Geoff Edwards

    As a combat veteran in a family of combat veterans (my brother, a Ranger at Fort Benning, returned home from Afghanistan last week) I also appreciate Ken Hodges’ no-nonsense approach to handling predatory financial institutions around military bases.

    I was a platoon leader in an infantry battalion in the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Me and my fellow platoon leaders devoted countless hours in the run-up to deployment handling soldier issues, most of which were financial in origin. It was heartbreaking to have to counsel or separate twenty year-old infantrymen just because they were preyed upon by payday loan places offering a quick buck. Absolutely heartbreaking.

    Ken Hodges’ gets my vote because he protects the men and women who protect us.

  14. Branden Avatar
    Branden

    I completely understand that they do not happen in a vacuum. I have worked on races in more than 25 states and at the federal level. I definitely understand your point about teachers however, but that was just one point I had. Republicans not like Sonny Perdue is what the GOP base and many moderate voters in Georgia want. I hope the Dem base will do a better job of building support among young voters, minorities and moderates…something we really lacked in 2002 and 2006. I worked on the 2006 campaign and a lot of the playbook was similar to that of 2002…that scares me.

    Thanks for your reply!

  15. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    Brandon, thanks for your insight… Sadly there are too few “progressives” on the ballot this year.

    As a Board member with Atlanta Stonewall Democrats, I was personally VERY sad to see such lack of participation from the top of the ticket.

    On the other hand, we were pleased to endorse Mike Mills and Rob because they provided strong reasons why the LBGT/Allies should vote for them.

    I’m exhausted from the attack ads, blog comments and dueling press releases about who hates gay people or immigrants more.. Enough, we get it.. you’d like “your country back” well then, get in the way back time machine to the 50’s. That’s the 1850’s for some of you.

    I tend to agree about Barnes and I have a pretty strong “no-retread” policy but if he’s the one so be it, but like in 2006 it’s hard to summon serious energy to choose someone who will in all likely hood just break my heart.

  16. EGaluszka Avatar
    EGaluszka

    Elections do not happen in a vacuum, and the race in 2002 was not only about the issue with Georgia’s teachers, and the likely nominees from the Republicans are not Sonny Purdue. Democratic Governors had control of the mansion for over a century prior to Purdue’s election, and in a year that was especially harsh to Democrats Barnes allowed himself to get out-campaigned.

    This is not 2002, and the electorate has gotten a taste of what Georgia looks like with a Republican in the mansion. There are plenty of reasons to break with Roy Barnes, but electability is not one of them. Roy Barnes has as much of a shot, if not more, of beating the likely Republican candidates than his opponents.

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