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DEL.ICIO.USOf an alleged Obama conspiracy, and more drama at the gas pumps
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
InsiderAdvantage has an article in which Kenneth Walker, a strategist for defeated U.S. Senate candidate Vernon Jones, alleges that the Barack Obama campaign had a hand in Democrat Jim Martin’s victory on Tuesday.
Says Walker:
“I know for a fact, as Vernon’s strategist, that there was a meeting in Sen. Harry Reid’s office with David Axelrod from Obama’s campaign, and there was an agreement Obama’s campaign would help Jim Martin with the direct mail linking Vernon and George Bush.”
Walker does not address why Obama might have thought Jones’ candidacy worth the alleged torpedo. In any case, it’s hard to conceive of a presidential presumptive’s right-hand man and a Senate majority leader from Nevada involving themselves in glossy mail-outs sent to Macon.
The Obama campaign denies any collusion. “Neither the Senator, nor the campaign, took sides in the race,” said Obama spokeswoman Caroline Adelman.
Instead, Adelman pushed a noon Obama event at an Atlanta gas station — conveniently located opposite Manuel’s Tavern.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson will be there to discuss the Democratic presidential candidate’s energy policy. No tire pressure gauges will be handed out.
This comes two days after Cobb County Republicans, including one congressman, used a local filling station as a backdrop for their political theater. Adelman insisted that the Obama press conference was not a copycat event — that it has long been on the schedule.
In Columbus today, the Obama campaign has U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop at yet another gas station.
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Comments
By gttim
August 7, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
Honestly, I think the voters had a hand in Democrat Jim Martin’s victory on Tuesday. Jones and his team should quit trying to blame others for this loss. He lost because the majority of voters did not think that highly of him as a politician.
By Katie
August 7, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Seems Kenneth Walker likes working for corrupt politicians. Remember him from Charles Walker’s office??? We do. It also seems that whatever he touches turns to crap. There was no secret meeting Kenny. You just ran a bad campaign for a bad candidate. BTW, how’s Tiffany Cochran? Oh, she left you? Bummer.
By Payton
August 7, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
Not to mention, Harry Reid is from Nevada.
By Stephen
August 7, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
The Senate majority leader is from Nevada, not Utah.
By Itwastheman!
August 7, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
Everyone….Especially losers….love to talk about the “deals” cut in the “smoke filled back rooms.” It’s always exaggerated….if there is any truth to it at all. In this case I bet it’s totally untrue. But, it makes folks who get outmaneuvered and outworked feel better about themselves!
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
August 7, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
As much as my opinion of the populace of this country (or humanity in general) has declined of late, it is not entirely unthinkable that people voting, particularly in a run off, might actually, oh I dunno, bother to read about a candidate and make a rational decision on their own instead of simply believing everything pumped at them through their mail, television set and radio.
Especially since we’re talking about a run off in which only people who actually give a #$@# about their country/state/county might vote.
By Jeremy
August 7, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this
Haha.
Oh, man, Vernon Jones is a loser. And a sore one at that.
By DeKalb Voter
August 7, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
Face it, a black person in DeKalb lost to a white male and they cannot digest this fact, they’re sooooo not use to it. Well, get use to it. I predict we may see a white male in the Office of the Mayor of Atlanta soon. You all have had two decades to screw everything up. Now, it’s time to rectify the mess and the mistakes.
By Jen
August 7, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
Manual’s Tavern isn’t in Midtown. It’s in Poncey Highland. So is the Citgo (I think it’s a Citgo…I never paid too close attention…maybe it’s an Exxon) across the street. And VideoDrome on the opposite corner.
Get your facts straight….like I did with the gas station. They sell Peroni there. That’s a good thing.
:D
By S. Dekalb Voter
August 7, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
Hey Dekalb Voter, it’s racist rants like yours that have this country screwed up. Jones deserved to lose. It has nothing to do with race, but rather his politics and personal matters. Bush is a white male, but it would be silly for me to blame race for his failures in office and say Obama will do a better job because he’s black.
By gttim
August 7, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this
S. Dekalb Voter, you are trying to use logic with a wingnut racist. That is like trying to run your car off water. It is not going to work.
By a conservative democrat
August 7, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
White people can’t stand that blacks hold high political positions or they would not mention race. When someone black mention race we are called racist. Let’s be real!
By Gunner
August 7, 2008 2:55 PM | Link to this
I have not seen the mailer that Rev. Walker is speaking of but when he said Obama would, “would help Jim Martin with the direct mail linking Vernon and George Bush.”
Um, I think Vernon Jones linked himself to Bush when he told folks that he voted for him….twice. Also I am sure that Martin’s polling showed that folks in Macon hated it so lets send ‘em some mail.
By RJ
August 7, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this
Kenneth Walker’s assertion is as rediculous as his strategy was for Vernon Jone’s campaign. Walker knows as much about election strategy as a hog does about mathematics. Both losers deserve each other.
By John Nail
August 7, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this
This is a joke right? Jones did not won because of his reputation, record and the voter’s view of it.
This type of sore loser nonsense is exactly why Jones lost…
By Randy Daniel
August 7, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
Mr. Reid is from Nevada, not Utah. Manuel’s Tavern is located at the intersection of Highland and North, south of Ponce de Leon—that’s not midtown. I guess geography was not Insider’s strong point.
By Oz
August 8, 2008 12:47 AM | Link to this
Vernon Jones lost because he didn’t hire me to write his campaign for him.
He would have won handily with me.
By Joe
August 8, 2008 4:57 PM | Link to this
Vernon’s said he voted for Bush 2 times. Vernon says he’s a conservative. So of course he wants to take down the democratic candidate because he’s really a Republican.
Its not the first time a Republican ran as a Democrat in DeKalb to win an election. Latest example being State Rep Mike Jacobs.
By Joe
August 8, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
Remember also when Vernon announced he met first with Saxby Chambliss and the rumor was that he was trying to get the Dem nod to help Chambliss.
What’s odd is Vernon via such stunts as donating to Bush and voting for him tried tirelessly to appeal to Republicans though the DeKalb Republicans were relentless in attacking him. Let that be a lesson
He probably played a bigger role in The Dunwoody incorporation than anybody.
His moving the chestnut farmhouse reaction to dunwoody cityhood was so crazed and off the point of the real reasons Dunwoody Incorporation shouldn’t happen as proposed it safely prevented DeKalb from weighing in.
By DDB
August 13, 2008 12:24 AM | Link to this
Next time Kenneth, make sure your candidate is prepared for a televised debate. That is when he lost my vote and thousands of others. He responded poorly to every question. He looked and sounded unprepared and a tad bit “urban” - “ghetto” is probably a better description. I was really disappointed in his inability to give direct answers and to at least give a prepared statement addressesing the questions. He came all this way and choked at the end of the race. Now be a good sportsman and try harder next time.