Whether Nathan Deal or Jason Carter wins, campus carry loses
One side note of last night's debate between Gov. Nathan Deal and Democrat Jason Carter was about the controversial expansion of gun rights both supported. Both candidates explained why they were reluctant to support legislation that would give more leeway for permitted gun owners to carry their weapons on college campuses.
Said Carter:
"We fought hard to bring Republicans and Democrats together in order to tackle a tough issue. I believe in the Second Amendment. I always have. And my record in the state Senate has been entirely consistent with that. I do believe that we can do more to ensure that we are tackling the true problems of gun violence. And I do not believe that we should ever see guns on college campuses."
Deal's response was a little more nuanced, but fairly definitive:
"I do not believe we need guns in college areas where alcohol is being consumed and where there are ball games and things of that nature. But I do hope we will have a chance to work with the General Assembly to find a way to make sure college students are not going to continue to be victimized. And we see those kinds of cases continue to grow in our state."
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A weekend catch-up: At Jack Kingston's barbecue outside Savannah on Saturday, one of the parade of speakers -- before David Perdue and Sen. Ted Cruz arrived -- was Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens. Here's what he had to say about Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Michelle Nunn: "That's not really her name. She's using that name to ride her daddy's coattails."
We don't need a fact-o-meter to call "pants on fire" on this one, often repeated by partisans. Mary Michelle Nunn is her legal name. She did not change it when she married Ron Martin. This is a fairly common thing noawadays.
Nunn said about her name in July:
Nunn said she was well established professionally when she married 13 years ago. "It really, frankly, didn't occur to me to change my name," she said.
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Americans For Prosperity, the conservative grassroots organization funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, revealed it is spending $145,000 so far on the Georgia Senate race on ground work and mailers promoting David Perdue and bashing Michelle Nunn.
The Washington Post recently took an in-depth look at AFP's ground game for November and beyond.
On the opposite side, a group that Georgians don't generally see operate has taken Nunn's side. From MSNBC:
With Democrats increasingly pinning their hopes on Michelle Nunn winning a Georgia Senate seat, Planned Parenthood is among the groups sending reinforcements. For the first time, the organization's advocacy and political arms are jumping into the race with digital ads and direct mail to about 75,000 voters in the Atlanta area.
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At another Sunday debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club, U.S. Rep. John Barrow became the only prominent Democrat we've seen so far to denounce the Georgia Democratic Party's mailer evoking Ferguson, Mo., to stoke turnout. Said Barrow:
"I thoroughly disapprove of it. I'm disgusted by its tone and its implication. I did not have an opportunity to approve of it beforehand and I do not condone it afterwards. demflyer2
"Listen, I know how to talk to folks in such a way as to try and bring people together. Whether it's on an issue as divisive to some folks as gun control or immigration reform, I feel like I have the ability to bring folks together. That's what's needed.
"You can't do that unless you can work in a bipartisan fashion. And that flier appealed to the worst of us and not the best of us. And that's why I don't approve of it or condone it."
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Albany Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop ventured South to aim to sway a tight Congressional race in the Florida panhandle, where Democrat Gwen Graham is looking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland. From Saint Petersblog:
"We believe in fiscal responsibility and are very, very excited about the prospects of Gwen Graham coming to Congress and working with us to bring the members of Congress together," Bishop said. "Gwen Graham is a consensus builder by profession and by nature and she has strong DNA."
Graham is the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla.
