Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2008 > October > 13
Monday, October 13, 2008
Because this political season hasn’t been exciting enough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rev. Al Sharpton has just put out word that he’ll be in Atlanta and Athens on Tuesday as part of a “voter protection” bus tour. His press release says he’ll be seeking to register voters.
But given that the Georgia registration deadline has come and gone, Sharpton will probably move straight to his “non-partisan effort designed to eliminate voter fraud and ensure that every vote counts.”
Sharpton is to arrive at the Morris Brown campus near downtown Atlanta at 10 a.m., then will push on to a 6 p.m. appearance at Clarke Central High School in Athens.
• Full election coverage: News, photos and more
• Get instant notification of Political Insider updates: Sign up on Twitter
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment |
Looking past Nov. 4 and John Boehner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, Congressional Quarterly Weekly had a piece speculating on the future of Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, should the GOP lose an inordinate number of seats in the U.S. House.
A certain Roswell Republican is named among the “young Turks” who might participate in a rebellion:
Eric Cantor of Virginia and Jeb Hensarling of Texas come up most often on lists of possible insurgent candidates [to replace Boehner]. Cantor is the chief deputy to Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, and Hensarling is a close Cantor ally who chairs the Republican Study Committee.
Both led a revolt last month to pressure Boehner to seek changes in the Bush administration’s original $700 billion financial bailout proposal.
Other potential candidates to climb the leadership ladder include Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Tom Price of Georgia, both of whom are vying to succeed Hensarling as RSC chairman.
Boehner was just down in Georgia last week, to campaign for Rick Goddard down in the 8th District, and to headline a party fund-raiser in Atlanta.
• Full election coverage: News, photos and more
• Get instant notification of Political Insider updates: Sign up on Twitter
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment |
Voter registration, a mouse head, and the ‘08 presidential contest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Things are getting tense out there, people.
The chairman of the Pike County Democratic party says she found a cooked, severed mouse head in a take-out meal after a confrontation with the husband of the restaurant owner — who allegedly accused her of registering “gutter scum” for the coming Nov. 4 election.
“Without saying it, he was referring to black people in no uncertain words,” she said.
Melissa Wade, who owns a local four-wheeler dealership, has filed a complaint with local law enforcement authorities, and has gone to the local health department. Zebulon police released a one paragraph summation of the incident this afternoon.
Police said Melissa and Jimmy Wade “found an unsavory and unsanitary meal” in their to-go order. By telephone, police confirmed that the unsavory addition was a mouse head.
Steve Goforth, the manager at Ruth’s Restaurant in Zebulon, was adamant that his establishment had done no wrong and violated no health codes.
“She’s a Democrat and there were some Republicans in here who jeered her,” he said to my AJC colleague John Hollis. “And she got angry.” Goforth hinted at legal action against Wade. “This is our livelihood,” Goforth said.
Zebulon is a town of 1,300 about an hour south of Atlanta. Pike County as a whole is Republican, and went 77 percent for George W. Bush in 2004. But the Democratic push to sign up new voters, fueled by presidential candidate Barack Obama, has filtered even down to Pike County.
Wade, a white, 38-year-old Air Force veteran, has been signing up voters at the local grocery store, the convenience store, the local high school. A deputized registar, Wade said she did drop off a single absentee ballot form at the local jail, but told the inmate not to apply if he had a felony conviction.
The Pike County Democratic party had in the past used Ruth’s as the location for its monthly, Thursday night meeting. There was no meeting last week, but Wade dropped in anyway, to redirect any stray Democrats, and to order some take out for her ailing Republican husband, who owns a local tractor dealership.
Oscar Purvis had always been cordial before, Wade said. “He had let me know in the beginning he was a Republican,” she said. “And I can respect that. Everyone in this country has the right to have their views.”
But this Thursday was different. Wade thinks that Republican John McCain’s declining fortunes in the presidential campaign have resulted in frustration among the GOP rank-and-file.
Wade said she was preparing to pay for the meal she intended to take home to her ailing husband when Purvis confronted her.
“They do not deserve the right to vote, they shouldn’t be allowed to vote,” Wade recalled an angry Purvis saying. Wade said she responded that it was a free country and that everyone had a right to vote. There was no jeering from patrons, Wade said. Purvis was the only one who spoke to her.
Wade thought the matter was over until her husband opened his meal later that evening and made the gruesome discovery atop his green beans.
The Pike County Health Department was closed on Monday for Columbus Day. Neither Oscar nor store owner Ruth Purvis could be reached for comment on Monday morning.
Wade concedes that the severed head could have come from a can. But she also said that life can be hard for a Democrat in rural Georgia. She said her children go to a local private Christian school, and often endure teasing about the family’s politics — but nothing like this.
“They’re upset, too. My husband’s upset. Local Republicans are upset. They know it’s wrong,” Wade said. The Pike County Democratic party has no plans to return to the restaurant.
• Full election coverage: News, photos and more
• Get instant notification of Political Insider updates: Sign up on Twitter
Permalink | Comments (136) | Post your comment |
Another Martin ad attacks Chambliss on the economy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tondee’s Tavern this morning unveiled a new ad by Jim Martin, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.
Again, Martin hammers Republican incumbent Chambliss on the economy. The formal debut of the 30-second spot will come at a 3 p.m. press conference, but you can see it below.
The key question of course, is how much money Martin has to spend on television. You also have to wonder when Chambliss will hit back. And how.
• Full election coverage: News, photos and more
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
