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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Red meat, and the meaning of the phrase, “Sock it to me”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sixty-one years ago, Helen and Joe Martin of Atlanta named their second-born son James Francis.
But as is often the case in politics and fraternities, Republican Casey Cagle has decided that his Democratic rival needs a nickname. By Nov. 7, Martin will be known as “Liberal Jim.”
As if you didn’t see that coming.
Cagle put out an attack ad this afternoon. He doesn’t quite accuse Martin of crimes against humanity, but comes close.
Says the ad: “Liberal Jim Martin fought to keep Boy Scouts and prayer out of our schools, but voted against making it a felony to sell drugs near them.”
Asked for a response, Will Martin, the Martin campaign spokesman and Eagle Scout, answered thusly: “Casey Cagle is trying to change the subject. He doesn’t want to defend his own record of fighting for powerful interests.”
Which means it’s left to us to explain exactly what’s going on.
The big question for Republicans next Tuesday - perhaps the only question - is turnout. Will the base show up? We talked about that with Cagle last week. This is what he said:
“The reality is, this is still a two-party state. And with a third party candidate, you have the dynamics that you could potentially be in a run-off. So we’re working very, very hard to the finish line to ensure that we don’t have a run-off.
“No one knows what the turnout is going to be. The truth is, with everything going on in Washington, we’ve been fairly insulated from it - but it doesn’t mean we’re going to have huge turnouts. There’s not an overriding, huge reason for people to go to the polls in mass numbers. We’re working very hard to get our base turned out.”
That’s what his ad is about.
Now on to another topic that can only be understood by people of alive during the primitive age before cable TV.
Three days ago, the trio of candidates for lieutenant governor participated in statewide debate on GPTV. Jim Martin said Republicans had reformed the state’s Medicaid system into a crisis.
Now, to get the joke, you first have to admit that Cagle - with no ideological slight intended here - resembles a young Richard Nixon. Lean body, narrow nose, five o’clock shadow, the receding hairline.
This was Cagle’s reply: “Are there problems? Sure. Are the problems going to be corrected? You can bet your bippy.”
It was an LSD flashback. Goldie Hawn in a bikini and fake tattoos magically appeared. Shades of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.”
Now speaks the sister, and she’s still mad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Carol Hunstein campaign, reacting to rival Mike Wiggin’s demand that TV stations stop running her attack ad, has produced a statement from the unnamed sister’s lawyer, Todd McLeroy of Cullman, Alabama.
It’s one more wrinkle in the race for state Supreme Court justice. We offer below some quick excerpts:
“Mike Wiggins’ sister is a life long resident of Cullman. She is a respected citizen, homemaker, wife, mother of three, and member of the board of a Christian school.
“The litigation with her only brother was perhaps the most difficult and painful period of her life. She does not want to relive any part of that time by becoming involved in her brother’s campaign for a position on the Georgia Supreme Court.
“However, she has authorized me to state that the affidavit she filed in February 1999 is true, and she stands by what she said then.”
Among other points by the lawyer, according to the Hunstein campaign:
“Mr. Wiggins was not close to his mother. When she had her stroke, Mr. Wiggins had not had much contact with her for some time. His sister was the primary care giver.
“Mr. Wiggins removed all of the money in her mother’s bank account after she went into a coma. His sister, as a result, could not pay her mother’s bills. Mr. Wiggins’ sister was forced to establish a guardianship and borrow money against her mother’s house to pay for her care.
“After learning about the mortgage, Mr. Wiggins’ started a court fight in which he went through four sets of lawyers and litigated in many different courts.
“Eventually, there was a settlement in which the sister agreed to allow him to become their mother’s guardian. There was no “victoryâ€? for Mr. Wiggins. His sister simply gave in, deciding she did not want to fight with her brother about her mother’s money. A key part of the settlement was a court order preventing Mr. Wiggins from ever contacting her again.
“After he became guardian, Mr. Wiggins asked the court to put his sister in jail because she had not returned their mother’s family photographs, a few personal items, and a few pieces of inexpensive furniture. She had kept the items because of her fear Mr. Wiggins would burn them. After a court hearing, the judge refused to jail Mr. Wiggins’ sister.
“After their mother died, Mr. Wiggins’ sister learned that he had changed the beneficiary on an insurance policy that their mother had maintained on her life from his sister, who had been the beneficiary for about 15 years, to Mrs. Wiggins sister. Mr. Wiggins used the money to pay his lawyers. While his sister tried to challenge what he had done, she eventually gave in to avoid having to deal with him.
“During the course of the litigation, Mr. Wiggins did not display the temperament expected in a judge and had difficulties dealing with all the other professionals in the case, including opposing counsel and the lawyers who were appointed by the court to serve as his mother’s guardians at litem.”
