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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Bob Barr on CNN: He wouldn’t be surprised if Obama carries Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After his appearance at Georgia Tech this afternoon, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr headed down Techwood to CNN for a conversation with Wolf Blitzer.
In this bit, the topic was Barack Obama’s potential in the state:
Barr: I think we’ll do very well in Georgia. We’ll get several percentage points at any rate, and I think that Senator Obama is going to fool a lot of people, surprise a lot of people. I’ve talked with a lot of those folks that have voted early, early voting that we now have in Georgia, and while we’re getting our fair share, Senator Obama is getting by far the lion’s share of those early votes.
Blitzer: So are you saying that Obama will carry Georgia?
Barr: It wouldn’t surprise me at all, Wolf.
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So what Spot leaves in your yard could be called campaign literature
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ben Smith of Politico.com has an item up on sign wars in Georgia.
Good photo to go with it, and he says — from D.C. — that we’re getting pretty desperate here:
My Georgia correspondent writes, “People are now covering their signs in roofing glue or dog poop, almost hoping that someone will try to grab one. One guy I know is working to run an electric current through his sign. I, on the other hand, have placed a note on my sign, warning anyone that every sign they steal will be replaced by a new sign, thereby making another $8 contribution to the Obama campaign.”
Really. Dog poop?
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Scott and the DCCC take out some anti-Honeycutt insurance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the current climate, you might find this surprising, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has felt it necessary to lend a hand to U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta, to help him fend off a Republican opponent.
The weapon of choice: A 30-second ad attacking GOP candidate Deborah Honeycutt for her support of the Fair Tax. The ad, which you can see below, also seeks to make sure that voters know Honeycutt, who is African-American, is also a Republican.
The 30-second spot will begin running Friday. It’s partially funded by the DCCC, but the Scott campaign is taking responsibility for the content. My AJC colleague Ben Smith says that Scott has ordered 60 spots from WSB for $71,300.
The ad will be followed up by a series of radio interviews on metro Atlanta stations with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic majority whip and arguably the most influential African-American in Congress.
The 13th District is considered heavily Democratic. Honeycutt ran in 2006, but took only 31 percent of the vote.
A Democratic strategist told us the that the primary reason the DCCC is assisting Scott is that she’s raised a boatload of money— about $4.3 million.
That’s more than any candidate seeking a Georgia seat in the U.S. House this year. That includes all incumbent GOP congressmen. Congressional Quarterly put Honeycutt on its list of top 10 fund-raisers, though not on its top-10 list of those with cash on hand.
But Democrats are also worried that Honeycutt has been able to fudge her party identification, we’re told. Hence the picture of the Riverdale physician with a bespectacled President Bush.
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Reining in some out-of-bounds talk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Democratic blogger Amy Morton in Macon has set everyone there astir with an e-mail sent by a staffer to state Sen. Cecil Staton, which urges officials in that city to make plans to combat violence on the night of the Nov. 4 election:
Wrote Zach Johnson:
If you remember, following the election of Mayor Jack Ellis downtown Macon faced substantial celebratory damage and it is my fear that if Obama/McCain wins or loses we could face even greater issues this election. With the City’s recent crime issues, I strongly feel that you all need to huddle with the Mayor, The Chief of Police and well as the Sheriff to put together a contingency plan for potential election night issues.
The e-mail was sent on the Republican senator’s account, and time-stamped at 1:26 p.m. Wednesday. But Staton left for China on Tuesday, to look at that country’s mag-lev rail system, and had no hand in it, his wife Catherine Staton assured the Insider this morning. He still doesn’t know, she said, and certainly does not approve.
Johnson said he wrote the e-mail, as a constituent, after watching a TV news account about communities in other states preparing for disruptions that night. “It was not a racial issue at all,” Johnson said. “It could happen whether McCain or Obama wins.” The staffer apologized for not composing the suggestion on his personal e-mail account.
Speaking of reining in some out-of-bounds behavior, take a look at the YouTube clip below, showing a Oct. 21 confrontation with Barack Obama supporters at a Sarah Palin rally in Nevada.
In the video, Palin supporters shout, “Vote McCain not Barack Hussein, Vote McCain not Barack Hussein.”
What’s significant is that the video clip, and a condemnation of the behavior, appeared on the blog of David Brody, chief correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network founded by Pat Robertson.
Wrote Brody:
I mean there are already these Muslim rumor emails out there and with his middle name being Hussein and the fact that he is African-American, you really have a potential powder keg situation. Doesn’t all of this have to stop? Talk about “beyond the pale.”
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