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DEL.ICIO.USBlogwatch: Where’s the Democratic road-rail plan?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Decaturguy goes after his own partisans this week with sharp posting on transportation at Atlanta Public Affairs:
Where is the voice of the Democratic Party of Georgia on this issue? Where is our “leadership” in the General Assembly. I just did a search of “Dubose” and “Porter” on Georgia Daily Digest and I did not see anything of any substance in the results.
And he’s supposedly the minority leader in the House. Are you telling me that the minority leader of the House, a newspaper man himself, can’t get a story written in any major Georgia newspaper all session that mentions his name? What in the hell is he doing down there?
Comments
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By alex
March 7, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this
he is the wrong guy to lead the democratic party & they need someone who isn’t afraid to stand up for the party like a (d) robert brown, or a (d) alan hartwell.
By HB
March 7, 2007 3:03 PM | Link to this
I can’t find an Alan Hartwell on the House list. Do you mean Alan Powell of Hartwell? Wasn’t he one of the coward Dems who voted in favor of the new House rules that resulted in committee hawks a couple of years ago? Yeah, he’s done a great job of standing up for the party. DuBose Porter and Calvin Smyre are doing good work, but with the rest of the party so eager to roll over to please the Speaker, there’s only so much they can accomplish.
As for the rail issue, should Rep. Porter be the voice of the party on this one? Shouldn’t it be someone whose home district might be serviced by commuter rail? If the party wants to support rail, then it should be a suburban Democrat that speaks out with the backing of party leaders. The question shouldn’t be where is Rep. Porter on this. Where are the representives of the citizens who would benefit most from commuter rail?
By Trackboy1
March 7, 2007 5:12 PM | Link to this
Yes, of course DuBose Porter should be a leader advocating mass transit. But GA Dem’s are spineless. Better rail options help bring in more tourism money, which benefits the entire state. The Lovejoy train to Macon to Savannah…that’s going to bring in tourists. A real rail system in the metro area frees up some of the hideous traffic congestion which affects the price of everything.
Rural GA Dem’s blocked MARTA and real mass transit for years, and metro are Dem’s let them get away with it. Mass transit should be a no-brainer for the so-called party of the working family. But in this state, we are stuck with Dem’s without a clue.
By HB
March 7, 2007 7:18 PM | Link to this
It still should be a metro area rep speaking out for it as I said before with the backing of party leaders, including Rep. Porter. You are correct that it will help the whole state, but the most direct impact will be on Atlanta suburbs, not the rural areas. Someone from those areas will have more credibility and presumably will be fighting for something his/her constituents want.
Should an Atlanta rep lead the charge on an agricultural issue? Helping agriculture benefits the whole state, not just rural areas, so reps from urban areas could find good reasons to support such measures, but it would make more sense for rural rep to be the voice for the cause with support from the party as a whole.
The real problem is there’s not enough support for mass transit in the areas where it should be built. There’s a reason MARTA stops at the Cobb and Gwinnett lines — the majority of voters there don’t want it. That’s why their Republican reps will fight so hard to prevent it. You can’t blame rural Democrats for not fighting to spend huge amounts of money on something far from their home districts to build something unwanted.
The real solution is to build support among voters for rail, especially in the suburbs it would serve. If enough people want it and make it an election issue, it will happen.
By RJ
March 7, 2007 9:19 PM | Link to this
For the wondering souls, the Democrats in Georgia are in the rebirthing process. They are doing the smart thing…let the people see and feel the effects of the leadership they have chosen.
Unlike the Georgia Republicans, at least they do not suffer from the illusion of inclusion.
By TROLL
March 7, 2007 9:49 PM | Link to this
I’m sure Dubose would like nothing better than to be able to get on a fast train in Dublin and get off a stone’s throw from the Capitol. However, I’m sure representing a County with 600 miles of unpaved roads with citizens seeing no pavement in sight for their neighborhoods, it would not be a wise political move for his re-election to the House.
Now, this might be a ripe time for him to forget about his house seat and go for the Governor’s office as a conservative, (which he is) Democrat.
By south ga conservative
March 9, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this
dubose porter is a good legislator & he should run for governor in 2010 if jim marshall or j.b. blythe doesn’t run. and democrats like tim golden of valdosta, jeannette jameson of toccoa, carl von epps of lagrange, steve thompson of norcross, & michael meyer von bremen are the type of democrats that could lead the party back to power. and long legislators like george hooks of americus, lynmore james of montezuma, bobby parham of millegeville, & bob hanner of parrot & gerald greeme of cuthbert should use their world of experience & leadership to help bring the party back to dominance.
By DuBose for Guvna???
March 10, 2007 3:05 PM | Link to this
DuBose for Guvna??? Bill Campbell would literally get more votes than Porter. Porter has been a big part of a losing team for a few years now. When a sports team loses and loses, does it keep the same captain?
By DuBose for Guvna???
March 10, 2007 3:06 PM | Link to this
DuBose for Guvna??? Bill Campbell would literally get more votes than Porter. Porter has been a big part of a losing team for a few years now. When a sports team loses and loses, does it keep the same captain?