Gov. Nathan Deal and Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter meet at an education forum hosted by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators in Atlanta on Monday. Kent D. Johnson, kdjohnson@ajc.com
The event, the organizers insisted, was a forum – not a debate.
And yet that’s what Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and Democratic challenger Jason Carter turned it into – in front of members of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
and we’ll have more details below. But for the moment, let’s focus on one of the more revealing moments of the 45-minute confrontation.
In his closing remarks, the Republican incumbent may have explained his impatience with the paralysis inflicted on school systems by local political figures. Think DeKalb County.
Said Deal:
"It is important that we not play politics with education. My parents lived through politics in education, and I know what that means. My family had to move because of politics in education. I don't want educators of today or tomorrow to have to deal with that kind of situation."
Both of Deal’s parents were educators. His mom taught first grade. His dad was a vocational agriculture teacher. The governor was born in Millen, in southeast Georgia – but was raised in Sandersville, 50 miles to the west. We understand there may have been a possible run-in with the politically powerful Gillis family. But when we asked Deal to explain, he refused:
"What I was saying, though, is that we have to be very careful that we don't let politics ingrain itself too much into the education system. I think we've come a long way since then. We don't need to have those kinds of situations reoccur. I'm not saying that they are now. I'm just saying I have personal experience in what the effects of it can be."
It’s time to do some crowd-sourcing. Ladies and gentlemen, someone out there knows the rest of the story. Urge him or her to give us a shout.
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After Monday's education forum, Democrat Jason Carter also gave his most complete answer we've heard to the question he hears just about anytime he attacks Gov. Nathan Deal's education budgets: Why he voted three times for the same cuts he's now criticizing.
"If he believes that we made major mistakes in the funding of education, then I think he should explain his votes on education," the governor said during the event.
The state senator said a special task force on education that he and a handful of other Democrats organized took him on a spirit-shaking trip to classrooms across Georgia. Said Carter:
"I believe in bipartisanship. Those budgets, most of them passed unanimously. You've got to have a budget. I led that task force on education and I went out there and sat with teachers and educators in rural Georgia and saw the impact of the cuts. After you've done that, after you've talked to enough people, I couldn't justify voting for that budget ever again."
We asked whether that meant he would make the case that he voted for the previous three budgets in the spirit of bipartisanship.
"Yes. You know, you've been down there. Those budgets pass unanimously. But at the end of the day, once you see the impact of what the governor's budget does, I couldn't do it anymore."
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There was a heated exchange at Monday's forum about Gov. Nathan Deal's use of the word "spared" when he said he protected the school system from deeper cuts his first three years in office.
With many schools forced to furlough teachers and shorten their school calendars during the height of the budget crunch, Democrat Jason Carter intoned, "most of the parents I know would be shocked to hear they have been spared of the cuts."
The governor elaborated on that after the forum. Said Deal:
"I don't know that they know what other state agencies have had to undergo, that other state agencies have seen severe cuts, and that we have spared K-12 education from budgetary cuts at the state level and actually increased K-12 funding at every single level. And sometimes that doesn't translate down to the classroom."
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Not invited to Monday's PAGE event was Libertarian Andrew Hunt, who offers these educational thoughts on his campaign website:
Second, we must implement technology and emphasize math, science and creative thought processing so our high-tech companies never have to import our scientists and engineers from outside of the United States, and the top talent coming from our higher education system remains here. Utilizing existing technology, we can improve educational opportunities by accessing knowledge and effective teaching systems that already exist. We have talent here in Georgia and education is the key to unlocking that talent.
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When President Barack Obama lands in Atlanta today, expect Jason Carter, the Democratic candidate for governor, to be anywhere but at the airport hangar. Don't expect to see Michelle Nunn either.
Both were featured speaker at Michelle Obama's get out the vote drive last week. But when her husband
, he's steering clear of a potential photo op that Gov. Nathan Deal and his allies would use in the final stretch of the campaign.
Both the Democratic campaigns say that's because the Obama event is an official visit, and that only ranking officeholders were invited to show.
Still, Deal spokeswoman Jen Talaber noted that Carter "doesn't seem quite as excited to have his longtime friend" come to town.
"No Obama fundraisers. No excited tweets. I'm sure the president will miss him when he arrives in Atlanta," she added.
Wonder what she means by excited tweets? She posted a few from the candidate's timelines, including the one on the right.
The retort from Carter spokesman Bryan Thomas also comes your way via Twitter:
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U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, who was defeated in the GOP primary for Senate and so will be leaving Congress this year, may have a less-than-peaceful exit.
The Athens Republican is being investigated for alleged but unspecificed ethics violations. From Roll Call:
"The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee," the statement reads.
The quasi-independent Office of Congressional Ethics referred the Ethics Committee on July 31, but only on Monday was Broun's name made public. The office would not discuss the nature of the ethics inquiries, but the referral means there is substantial reason to believe they found a problem.
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Oftimes, when a former U.S. president endorses a Republican Senate candidate in Georgia, the fellow who set the entire thing up gets none of the credit. Consider this a correction, Eric Tanenblatt (top row, left):
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Over the weekend, state Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, opened up a debate on corporal punishment with what sounded like a defense of Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back whose whipping of his son has resulted in a charge of child abuse.
On Monday, Kendrick posted a clarification on her campaign website. In part:
As additional details and facts emerge on the Peterson case, we must all reserve judgment about the validity of his actions. The allegations against him are severe and should not be diminished based on anecdote or conjecture.
As I stated in my Facebook comments, if the allegations are true then his actions turned from corporal punishment, which I support, to physical abuse, which is indefensible. Parents hold the superior obligation to protect their children, even from themselves. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.
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There are no coincidences in politics. On the morning that National Right to Life endorsed Republican Rick Allen, the Augusta businessman, in his effort to unseat U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Augusta, the National Republican Congressional Committee launched this back-to-basics TV spot aimed at Christian conservatives:
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Forbes magazine notes the one-year survival of "Bitter Southerner, a political/literary website shepherded by former Georgia politico Chuck Reece:
Regional artisans producing everything from clothing to music to food and drink have approached "Bitter Southerner" to feature their wares. These tinkers, tailors and barkeeps want to tap into the twang-laced indie sensibility of its community.
"Our readers, members and subscribers not only live in the South, but come from every continent save Antarctica," says Reece. "There's a big Southern diaspora. We've connected to an authentic Southern state of mind."
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