Runoff Election's Early Voting Polls Are Now Open
Going out of town the week of Thanksgiving? Don't want to mess with sending in an application for an absentee ballot?
Well, from the good folks at the Secretary of State's office who brought you early voting for the 2004 General Election, now comes the opportunity to cast your vote in the Court of Appeals run-off election via early voting as well.
Early voting starts on Monday, November 15 and lasts through Friday, November 19. Not all counties will have all of the locations open that they had open for the Nov. 2 early voting. For instance, for Cobb County, there will be only three (3) locations open: the Waddell Street Board of Elections, the East Cobb Government Center, and the South Cobb Government Center.
Other counties should have, at a minimum, their Board of Elections' building open and prepared for the trickle of run-off voters. It is highly doubtful that there will be any lines to speak of for the run-off as very low turnout is expected...which means that those of you who do get to the polls and vote will be in and out much faster and can get on with your Turkey Day festivities while still accomplishing your civic duty.
The Lobbyists Now Say: "We Were With The GOP All The Time...We Just Had To Fake It For Our Previous Masters"...Now that Republicans control the House, Senate & Governor’s office, what will become of the old lobbying crowd that flourished under the Democrats? They are the last Democratic power base left in the Capitol and such Democratic firms as
Troutman Sanders’ lobbying team led by
former Senate Democratic Leader Pete Robinson are bragging about their relationship with incoming
Speaker Glenn Richardson because their law firm handled Paulding County’s Washington problems.
What Robinson doesn’t mention is that Troutman Sanders, of former
Democrat Gov. Carl Sanders’ fame, is the law firm the Democrats used when they tried to block the recent federal courts redistricting plan.
The map Troutman Sanders tried to stop allowed Republicans to take control and Rep. Richardson to become Speaker. Fortunately, it appears the Republican leadership in both Houses has these guys in their sights.
But what will the Republicans do to rid the Capitol of such long-time Democrat lobbyists as
Boller, Sewell & Segars, Mo Thrash, Jet Toney, Tom Murphy’s former top assistant, Steve Anthony, the party’s executive director, Charlie Watts, one of Murphy’s old cronies, Mark Sanders, and Joe Sports? These firms are the money-machine that fueled the Democrats in every election for the past 30 years.
Most of these firms have made certain staffers their “designated Republican.” Troutman Sanders, for instances, sprinkled Pachyderm dust on Robb Willis and sent him out magically transformed. Until then, he couldn’t even spell G-O-P.
If you think the party grassroots has problems with RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), the lobbyist corps is a veritable thundering herd.
These firms are the last Democratic stronghold at the Capitol. These are the firms praying and paying for
Mark Taylor or
Cathy Cox to beat
Sonny Perdue in 2006.
Why hasn’t the new leadership designated someone to deliver the message to the state’s business community that these folks are persona non-grata? If the Republican leadership is intent on cleaning up the Capitol, there is still one place that still needs sweeping - the lobbies.
If our legislators are too skittish to send the business community the message, just forward this article to them. It’s possible these lobbying firm clients are smart enough to get the message without our guys having to get their hands dirty.
Bullock Blows The Reading Of The Tea LeavesLast week, at the
Georgia Public Policy Foundation's weekly luncheon,
University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock offered this analysis of who in Georgia voted Republican and why:
"It was the religious right, especially in the South, who were the core constituents who represent the Republican Party...PV Sez: Not if you look at the comparative voter statistics between
George W. Bush and Senator-elect Johnny Isakson. For instance, Bush got 58% of the vote in Georgia. Isakson also got 58% of the vote in Georgia. Based on the outcry of the anti-abortion people and the Christian Coalition voters in the primary, one knows that it is NOT the "religious right" who votes for people like Johnny Isakson.
The true supporters of Isakson are
strong fiscal conservatives and social moderates,
not "religious righters" in any way, shape or form. These people are the people who make-up 58% of Georgia's electorate. The margin of victory of Isakson over Majette (58% to 41%) is a double-digit margin as compared to the single digit margin of victory
Saxby Chambliss had in 2002 over
Max Cleland (53% to 46%).
So, the people of Georgia who voted for Bush's 2nd term as President are
not voters who are clamoring for this nation's leadership to turn this country into a religious-right theocracy. The "mandate", if people want to interpret his 2nd term win as a mandate, is to continue to run the government in a fiscally conservative manner and to limit any more intrusions into people's lives...which would include cessation of the bashing of gays and lesbians for political purposes.
(Speaking of the gay thing,
conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer recently wrote that: "
George Bush increased his vote in 2004 over 2000 by an average of 3.1 percent nationwide...In the 11 states in which the gay marriage referendums were held, Bush increased his vote by less than he did in the 39 states that did not have the referendum. The great anti-gay surge was pure fiction.")
And, while we're at it, the same should hold true for the Georgia Legislature. Come out with some legislation that makes people glad they voted Republican (e.g., less taxes, less government, more efficient management of government resources, etc.), and you'll have the leadership of the state forever. Come out with some imaginary "mandate" about forcing some extreme right-wing socialist agenda down the throats of people who do not wish to follow it, and you can expect a war to remove you from the state capitol's grounds.
Rebuttal LettersRe: Gordon Curtis' letter
Dear PV,Unless you are truly familiar with Dr. Dobson please refrain from bad mouthing the man. So you don't agree with what he wants the federal government to do. That's fine with me but keep your degrading remarks about a man who would never talk about you in the same manner you have. He has as much right to push his agenda as you do to push against his agenda. It is always a good idea NOT to bad mouth a person when you are trying to win a point. I would have given your opinion much more consideration if you had simply stated that what Dr. Dobson wants done is totally against the US Constitution, etc.
Now I couldn't care less what your opinion is because you began your opinion with your tirade against a good man who happens to be a Christian that doesn't stand and wring his hands doing nothing about what he believes in. So you don't believe as he does --- state that and let it go.
Sue Waldrop
Marietta, GA--------------------
Dear PV,I don't know where Gordon Curtis got the idea that God ordained or provided the right to homosexual marriage. To the contrary, he spoke specifically against it. God also gave us a free will and people like Mr. Curtis apparently feel that free will is without responsibility and without regard to the teachings of God's word. We have a crisis in this country that only Second Chronicles 7:14 will overcome.
Dub Joiner
Ellijay, GA