Political Insider

By CobbDem

April 10, 2007 4:09 PM | Link to this

I’ve met Terry Holley. Several times. I’ve even been to his jewelry store. He’s a lovely, nice, generous man and a good neighbor. But he’s a TERRIBLE candidate.

I don’t understand why he can’t figure out that people have met him, like him, but DON’T want to support him for this race?

Is it so hard to accept that you’re good at other things, but that you have a stubborn streak a mile wide that is preventing you from taking good advice? Winning, highly paid political consultants told him to raise money. He didn’t. Strategists told him to stop wasting his time at county chair meetings - all 25 of those folks were already voting for him. He wouldn’t. Vendors told him to focus on paid communications to swing voters. He refused. And he lost MISERABLY. His own campaign manager turned on him so badly it’s going down in the history books of what NOT to do to your staff.

Terry, we love you. We really do. Please, for your own good, get out of the race. Leave it to someone who’s willing to run a professional campaign, work hard to raise money, and actually do some polling and LISTEN to the folks in the district.

By HAHAHA

April 10, 2007 4:11 PM | Link to this

Amen to that.

Get out of the race, Terry. Focus on where you’re needed: your 10th Congressional chairmanship, your county, your business.

By MichelleB

April 10, 2007 4:17 PM | Link to this

Oh, and those folks at the Democratic Party of Georgia who thought it was a good idea to “handle” the strategy for the 10th Congressional race?

BAD IDEA.

You ran over some good people. You p** off some great future candidates. And you embarassed those of us who genuinely care about this race. All to pump up your own egos. It’s a shame.

By GetAClue

April 10, 2007 4:37 PM | Link to this

Ok, the thing about the Democratic Party was funny.

Especially since there is more than one Democrat in the race.

What exactly did they accomplish with all their meddling in a federal race? Do you think the Republican Party did as poor of a job? I don’t think so!

Of course, the folks over there are all over 18 years old, so that may have something to do with it. And at least one or two of the Republican party employees have actually worked on a winning campaign in Georgia. Pesky details!

By ItBurns

April 10, 2007 4:38 PM | Link to this

(Sigh)

Terry Holley just makes me sad.

From the outside it seems like anyone who wants to run should be able to. And I agree with that.

But it’s just so embarassing to watch him do so many things that are just strategically so ill-advised. Can’t someone help him out a little? Save him from himself?

By SwollenHead

April 10, 2007 4:40 PM | Link to this

Y’all are gonna get poor ol’ Terry thinkin’ he’s a real threat in this race with all your trying to get him to quit.

He’s going to think you’re scared of him.

Wouldn’t that be a hoot!

By aquariusrizing

April 11, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this

Look, Terry was given every opportunity, every hint, every single chance to choose between tenth district chair and candidate. He not only refused to do so, but even called a meeting under his auspices as 10th district Chair, immediately followed by a meeting for his campaign. All after being told numerous times that other candidates were being sought for the race.

All we want is a competent candidate that will play w/the DPG at least to the extent of giving us the data they get.. so that we don’t have to keep creating the wheel when we go to run anyone in the 10th.

It’s all about the data, and Terry didn’t do his job at any level as a candidate last time. He also bullied some folks into supporting him for the Chair position, even though there were obvious concerns about his being both candidate and Chair… conflict of interest kind of problems.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I feel good about the end of this poor guy’s career (he’s even been replaced at this point as Chair by former 12th District Chair Barbara Sims) because he IS a good guy, without the SKILLS it takes to win in an easy race, much less pull together a district from pretty durn near scratch.

We shouldn’t put GOOD GUYS who MEAN WELL thru service to the party for which they are not right. We hurt them, their supporters and families, and ultimately the party when we do.

Terry should have been less ambitious, less talkative, much less pushy to people he didn’t even know, and worked a lot harder at his lower ranks in the party as he came up the ladder. Then he might have a clue and have avoided this whole tacky mess.

I don’t know Marlow well, and probably never will. But I will be working for him, and all I ever did for Terry was vote for him… and that because I am a Democrat, not because he had a friend call and ask me for his vote.

At least Marlow is attractive, and we need an attractive, smart, assertive and monied (time will tell on that one) person to help us build a team in the 10th… so that we find every potential Democrat we can, and hit them with targeted messaging, and wind up in the run-off.

Now there’s a strategy!

Woo Hoo!

aquariusrizing

By GA10DEM

April 12, 2007 11:11 PM | Link to this

The sad truth is Terry learned nothing from his previous run and I would be surprised if the FEC and others don’t come calling asking questions about his previous campaign. Terry never was willing to do the things required to build a real base and refused to listen to those closest to him who were advising him to take steps to fix his campaign. As the previous post indicated he treated his campaign manager so badly last time it is a wonder anyone would wish to help him out. Sad part is that guy still remains Holley’s biggest personal contributor according to FEC records. I understood that he was an old friend who quit his job and left his family for several months to try to run Terry’s campaign but found Terry would not listen to anyone but Terry. A sad end to what could have been a promising career for Holley but I would guess he will stay in this race if only to get smacked around again and embarass his family again.