Tom Price Campaign Goes Ballistic!
by Bill Simon
Rumors have it that upon learning of the new ad campaign from John Konop slamming his record in Congress, Tom Price’s people went ballistic.
Here’s the ad for those who wish to view what Price’s people don’t want anyone to know about:
Technorati Tags: John Konop, Tom Price
July 6th, 2006 at 6:20 am
thought the ad was fine, but Konop’s voice at the end sounded like it was recorded on an answering machine.
July 6th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Sounds like he called in from a bad cell phone
July 6th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
I find it interesting that the flyers I get from Tom Price don’t say anything about his accomplishments in the last 2 years (well, there was one). He acts like he has been in a netherworld for the last two years and hasn’t voted on anything.
July 6th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
So, they “went ballistic”, huh? I doubt it. Just your everyday trade is bad – my opponent is selling us out, bumper sticker logic campaign ad. Hardly threatening considering the list of endorsements the Congressman has received.
July 6th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Bob, exactly how long have you been involved in politics to think that “endorsements” mean a hill of beans to ANY voter???
July 6th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Long enough to know that 1) all candidates seek them and 2) an utter lack of meaningful endorsements is not a good sign.
July 6th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Really, Bob?
Well, I recall a state senate race in 2000 between Rusty Paul and John Mitnick. Mitnick had HUNDREDS of endorsements, and Rusty had very few…if any, and Rusty Paul won.
So, put that in your pipe and smoke it, Bob.
July 6th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Well, that may well have had more to do with relative qualifications for office or some other intangible that outweighed endorsements.
PS: I don’t smoke. You?
July 7th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Okay, I saw the ad running on the food network last night. I don’t trust myself to be a judge from you tube.
I thought the ad put forth the issues clearly. It was easy to understand what Konop was trying to say.
The voice over, however, wasn’t that good The ad could have used a more enthusiastic or stronger narration.
July 13th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
We shall see, Caroline, in the numbers that result on July 18….
July 19th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
Tom Price lost over 10,000 vote to John Konop last night! Almost 20%. All incumbants get the endorsements of the party. Price’s team actually threatened Konop’s business. Bottom line – John Konop ran a fine campaign and took a hunk out of Price. He is set up for Sinton to take the seat in the fall. Price votes straight party line, and is in the pocket of every lobbyist – as well as Tom Delay. He took $10,000 from the guy. Let’s send him the same message Ralph Reed got last night.
July 19th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Almost 18%, but who’s counting? And that only because he managed 28% in his home county. Not much of a protest vote, really, though he did do a little better than the Ray McBerry for a Christian Republic campaign.
Sinton will be lucky to get the votes the last two Democrats who ran in this district got – 25% in 2000 and 20% in 2002. Remember, he IS a democrat and co-founder of Airhead America Radio, running in a district with more “W” stickers than UGA ones on our cars. Plus, he has no money and no experience.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Perhaps. In this instance, the lack of elected office experience is perceived as a positive by many. I know you have seen all the polls. In regards to money, Sonny had a fraction of the money that Roy Barnes had -a fraction – and he won. Besides, Price has to run against himself – his voting record and his connections to Delay. I have many Republican friends very willing to cross over to vote for the right Democrat. Having heard Sinton speak on several occasions, he is quite a conservative on economic issues, and no more than moderate on social issues.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
By the way, I am a Republican who went to UGA. I voted for W in the last election. Neither have anything to do with how I will chose to vote for Congress in the fall.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
I will live to regret getting back on this blog again. I am a Republican as well, and I live in the 6th district. I must agree with Elizabeth, Sinton is a common sense, well versed and well spoken Democrat.
The GALEO debate where Price was a no show shifted my vote to Sinton, to my surprise.
I will also say that with the number of democrats who crossed to vote against Ralph Reed, I wonder how much stock we can put into the Republican / Democratic ratios. I voted in East Cobb yesterday, and walked in with two different Democratic husband and wife teams who were very verbal that they had come to vote Republican for the first time and last time in their lives. I was astonished at the fury these four had regarding Reed. They literally voted for Cagle, and walked out. They did not even cast a vote on any other office. Go figure.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
I was at the AARP forum on July 6. Sinton very professionally outperformed Tom Price, and the audience connected with him.
Price, a physician, voted AGAINST stem cell. How does he explain that?
Mr. Price was actually booed by the retirees at the center over his response on the war in Iraq, and Price told all of us that “One man cannot make a difference in Washington.” Sinton did not let that pass.
On a straw poll going out, most people had not heard of Sinton prior to the forum (most not Tom either). When speaking with the retirees, it was 2 to 1 in favor of Sinton over Price at this event. Even Konop was far better than Price.
I believe Konop got the votes because he earned them – not in protest against Price.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
One last comment. I am in favor of economic success for each and all. However, I personally find it offensive that we measure political candidates on how much money they may or may not have raised.
We have enough millionaires in Washington.
Why don’t we measure a candidate on leadership skills, understanding and knowledge of the broad issues with good solutions to our problems, as well as integrity? I don’t want anyone representing me who is under financial obligation to special interest groups.
I know enough to understand that the Democratic governers race ate up the fundraising efforts in Georgia. It will be interesting to see what happens now.
Elizabeth is correct, Barnes outraised Sonny by over $9 million. Who won? Sonny did. When American voters want change, it is impressive the extent people will go to exercise their voting power.
One final thing, Price loaned himself $750,000 of the money for his campaign. It is public record. Also, his fellow Orthopedic surgeons have give him $200,000.
Who says tort reform is not paying for itself in Georgia?
July 19th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Last double standard comment from Price at the AARP forum – he stated twice that medical decisions should be between a patient and his physician.
That is a contrast to his vote. He voted for Washington to have the power over Teri Schievo in Florida. NOT her physician nor her husband.
The man IS running against himself.
July 19th, 2006 at 11:30 pm
“One final thing, Price loaned himself $750,000 of the money for his campaign. It is public record.”
Not according to the Center for Responsive Politics:
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?CID=N00026160&cycle=2006
He did loan his campaign more in ’04, but nothing like what his primary opponents Clay and Lamutt did. It was an expensive primary, probably because after Newt and Johnny this was considered a safe and relatively high profile seat.
BTW, I agree that picking candidates for office should be about more than fundraising ability. I supported Price in ’02 primarily because of his demonstrated leadership ability as majority leader of the state senate. However, I was responding to speculation that Sinton was poised to take the seat, which is, IMO, a fantasy. There is some threshhold below which a candidate simply isn’t viable. That Sonny raised less than Barnes four years ago is not a comparable situtation – he raised enough to run an effective campaign.
Finally, regarding the assertion farther above that Sinton is “quite conservative on economic issues”, I see on his website false claims about Georgia job losses and understand from one of his more vocal supporters here that he wants to “roll back” the tax cuts that helped bring us out of the post bubble recession. Little actual policy commentary to go on – no mention of tax reform, or how to fix social security and medicare, for example – but what I do see doesn’t give me much confidence that there’s an economic conservative lurking in there somewhere. Just a radio DJ who is, not surprisingly, good at talking.
July 20th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Bob, I plan to wait and see. I understand he has a new site that will launch soon. I have never heard him discuss, not once, the desire to roll back tax cuts. I have heard he would be willing to take a pledge to not raise taxes.
My guess is you are a good guy getting bad information. But then, don’t we all?
July 20th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
One more thing, Sinton got more votes in the primary than any other Democratic contender for Congress has in the district in over 10 years! Check out his most recent press release. I was pleased, a little surprised, and hopeful.
I hear that since the primary, many of the big hitters have joined on to raise money for Sinton to assure he runs a competitive race. Who knows?
July 20th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
Yeah, he got 31 more votes than “Bats” Pelphrey got in ’98. That’s some accomplishment. 😉
July 20th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
I do think he has something to be proud of. I have no ax to grind with either of the guys.
REMEMBER, A TON OF DEMOCRATS CROSSED OVER TO VOTE AGAINST RALPH REED, or he would have probably gotten more votes than he did.
Below is a copy of the e-mail I got from Sinton’s camp.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
With 97% of the precincts reporting, I received 15,953 votes in the Democratic Primary. This is the largest number of votes for any Democrat seeking the Congressional seat in the Sixth District in the last 10 years!
We received a record number of votes in Cherokee County, which proves this district is ready for change. The voters of the Sixth District know the country needs to be pointed in the right direction again and, fortunately, we can do something about it come November 7, 2006.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Yesterday, President Bush–against the will of the majority of Americans–vetoed a bill supporting embryonic stem cell research. Our health is being held hostage.
Instead of finding cures to cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other diseases that afflict many of us and our loved ones, a stroke of a pen – W’s first veto – made him The Decider. We don’t get the best medical breakthrough of the century. What’s worse is that my opponent, a medical doctor, REFUSED to vote to override President Bush’s veto.
It’s time for us to get the 21st century medicine we deserve.
After all, it’s not the party. It’s the principles.
Steve
July 25th, 2006 at 7:38 am
I am a resident of the 6th also greatly encouraged by Sinton. Price is a rubber stamp, and that’s not good enough no matter how many “Endorsements” he’s gotten.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
As we all know, the Republican party automatically endorses the incumbant automatically – no matter how poor the representation.