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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Joseph Lowery comes out for Martin, with a tongue honed to an edge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At his West Peachtree Street headquarters, in a somewhat noisy basement, Jim Martin on Wednesday assembled the forces he hoped would push him across the finish line of the Democratic race for U.S. Senate.
Richard Ray, president of the AFL-CIO was one. The Rev. Tim McDonald, the former leader of Concerned Black Clergy, was another. And there was a relative newcomer, the Rev. J.A. Milner, pastor of Chapel of Christian Love Baptist Church in Atlanta.
All were dwarfed by 86-year-old Joseph Lowery, a founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. But on this day, the good reverend’s credentials from the Civil Rights era didn’t matter nearly as much as his standing as Barack Obama’s No. 1 cheerleader in Georgia.
In the delicate, biracial atmosphere of a Democratic race in Georgia, Martin has had to be extremely careful of how he draws a distinction between himself and the DeKalb County CEO. Even in the run-off, references to Jones’ colorful and controversial personal life have been off-limits.
Instead, Martin has repeatedly referenced the two votes that Jones has confessed to casting for George W. Bush, in 2000 and 2004.
But that may not be enough to defeat a relatively popular black politician in a primary dominated by African-Americans.
The key argument that Martin is likely to press over the weekend is that having Jones at the top of a Georgia ballot would whittle Barack Obama’s already-dicey chances of winning Georgia’s 15 electoral votes down to nothing.
In other words, Martin will try to force Democrats in Georgia to choose between Obama and Jones.
Lowery was the beginning of that argument. Click here to listen to a four-minute sound bite of what he said.
Lowery never mentioned Jones by name, but the language was still brutal:
”As we anticipate the election of a visionary president of these United States in November, we must be keenly aware of the need to send to the Congress men and women who share the vision of the president and the platform from which attempts will be made to enact laws and establish policies.
“We believe Jim Martin, candidate for the U.S. Senate, and consistent Democrat, meets that standard, and shares that vision. We cannot afford to send to the Senate a zig-zag, so-called conservative Bush supporter who by his own admission, not only voted for Bush one time, but after having an opportunity to review his leadership for a quadrennium, voted for him a second time.
“If I sit in my swing in my backyard under the old oak tree in an electrical storm, and lightning strikes me one time, lightning can be blamed. But if the storm comes back, and I return to that same swing under that same tree, I have to assume responsibility for lightning striking me.”
When asked point-blank whether he thought Jones as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate would harm Obama, Lowery added this.
He said:
”Irrespective of that, I think Jim Martin’s presence will enhance the possibilities of victory for the Democratic ticket. And that’s our concern.
“We believe that Jim Martin brings a consistency. He readily pledged to support whoever the party nominates for Senate, while his opponent was hesitant. Reticent. Which is characteristic of his zig-zag, inconsistent, so-called conservative, Bush look-alike, be-alike, wannabe position and posture.
“Hello? Does that answer your question?”
And if that wasn’t enough, Lowery took umbrage at that mailer that Jones sent out, which inserted his image into an Obama moment. “I think those who play tricks and act slick, that’s the politics of the past,” Lowery said.
No matter how sharp the cuts, Jones can’t be seen tangling with an elderly hero like Lowery. The DeKalb CEO issued a short but classy statement:
“I respect Joseph Lowery - I stand on his shoulders and I wish him well,” he said.
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Suspecting that Mother Nature might be Libertarian, Barr folds on Wiccan issue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a certain amount of humiliation that comes with running as a third-party candidate for president.
The federal deficit, loose nukes, angry Muslims, the economy — these are topics that the major party candidates are asked to address.
But if you’re Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, there are times when your campaign must seem like a never-ending Star Trek convention, with no Scotty to beam him up.
This is a recent blog entry on Dispatches from the Culture Wars:
I got to ask Barr a question I’ve wanted to ask him for quite some time. He’s repudiated and apologized for many of his previous positions and I asked him if he would repudiate his absurd anti-Wiccan crusade of 1999, when he wanted all Wiccans banned from the military. He said yes, with a bit of hemming and hawing.
He said that he had reports from several military leaders that Wiccans doing rituals on military bases were causing problems and that’s why he did what he did, but that since that time it’s become clear that there are no problems with allowing Wiccans to serve and to practice their religion on military bases like any other religion.
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Wanted: Congressional chief of staff with lower-than-usual salary requirements
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens) has resigned — two weeks after his boss’ impressive win in the GOP primary, and one week after news broke that the same boss has already spent most of his yearly budget allowance.
This comes from The Hill in Washington, a newspaper that covers Congress:
J. Aloysius Hogan, Broun’s chief of staff, was in charge of the Member’s Representational Allowance (MRA), which was depleted because of franked mail, according to sources. The franked mail, which was sent to constituents, may have helped Broun in his recent primary win.
Earlier this month, sources said that Broun’s MRA was so low that the lawmaker would have to cut staff. At the time, Broun’s office said it was unaware of any possible cuts…..
Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House Chief Administrative Officer, said, “Although we have seen MRAs dip this low before, what makes this situation unique is that it went so low so early in the calendar year.”
It was unclear at press time what the office planned to do in order to pay staffers, who could be furloughed if the problem is not resolved quickly. l
