Bill Frist is out..

Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced today that he is not running for President in '08 (See Frist Says He Does Not Intend To Run for President in 2008 ) Wch ith George Allen losing his election, he is basically out as a candidate for President as well. I wonder what southerner on the Republican side will run. Alabama Governor, Bob Riley, was considered a potential candidate but due to Democrat Jim Folsom Jr. Winning the Lt. Governor's race, I seriously doubt Riley would run and leave the possibilty of handing the governorship over to a Democrat. I wouldn't be suprised if Judge Roy "nutjob" Moore throws his hat in the ring. I think the Christian Coalition was taken out to the wood shed and whipped badly this year and he would run for vindication.


Everyone has heard Newt Gingrich's name float around and I've heard Sonny Perdue's as well (See Sonny Perdue for President????) . I had a conversation over Thanksgiving that I've been seriously thinking about all day. If Newt Gingrich runs, does this hurt Clinton's chance in the primary. If Gingrich is in the race, will Democrats start thinking about the Clinton scandals and wonder if Hillary can beat him in the General or will it energize her campaign more?

I don't see another viable candidate in Tennesee or Florida. I doubt Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour would run. South Caroline Governor Mark Sanford said he will absolutely not run. None of the Southern Senators strike me as a presidential candidate.

Personally I want to see Roy Moore Run and everyone else from the South sits out this round. When he loses, he makes a public announcement refusing to endorse the nominee and the GOP loses more of the evangelical vote.

The only other scenario in the GOP Primary that I would love to see is Condi Rice run. There will be multiple stories about her being dubya's mistress. Can we say conflict of interest? A President appointing someone they have an affair with to a cabinet level position...Secretary of State at that. I don't think Mcgreevy has anything on this affair..It just reminds me of something else.

I'm Moving

Hey all,

I have officially moved to a new site.. You can check out the new A Mad Democrat blog at www.amaddemocrat.com. Feel free to to email with your suggestions on how I can make the blog better

A Change in my blog

Pretty soon my blog will undergo a serious makeover including a domain name change. While I am changing the look of my blog, I am also looking to change the content.

My plan is to develop new goals of the blog. It will still be political in nature and I plan on covering major issues in Georgia but I want to also steer the blog in another direction. I want to talk more about social issues as well particularly those pertaining to the African American community. I want the content to become more interesting and grasp a more widespread audience. there will be more frequent posts, hopefully daily. I am trying to develop a system and format to go by where my blog will attract the normaly lefty blog readers but also attract a new breed of blog readers and bridge the gap between the blogosphere and the African American community.

Any suggestions?

Sonny Perdue for President????

At the end of the 2004 elections, I read an interesting article ( I must have deleted it because now I can't find it) about Perdue running for President in 2008. Now you have right winged blogs and the AJC discussing the possibility of Perdue in '08. I really believe Perdue is going to run so my questions are:
1. How long is it before we hear his announcement?

2. Do you think he has a chance of winning the nomination?

There are 2 things that really stick out that make me think he is going to run. He made at least 1 trip to Iowa during the campaign and just weeks before the election he was visiting the church of the Head Neo-con In Charge, Jerry Falwell. He's also taken the ethanol pledge I think that it would suck for Dems in Georgia if he runs and gets the nomination, vp nomination, or campaigns heavily for the nominee. I think he has a great shot at winning the nomination. At this point, he is the anti-McCain and Guliani and Bill Frist screwed up with the Right over the stem cell debate. Before anyone starts, I have seen comments on other blogs and i declare may a virus that causes your computer explode strike anyone if they comment about people from the South being intellectually challenged.

Is anyone challenging Pelosi?

Ok,

So there has been a big hoopla over current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi supporting Congressman Murtha for House Majority Leader over Congressman Steny Hoyer. First I have to admit I am a supporter of Congressman Hoyer for Majority Leader.

My real question is why is no one else running for the Speaker of the House position. There were so many moderate and conservative Dems on the campaign trail vowing that they would not support Pelosi or that they would "keep their powder dry" on the endorsement of someone as Speaker of the House.

I'm really surprised that the Blue Dogs didn't put up a candidate to run against her but I guess stranger things have happened.

My Post Election Blog

The election came with mixed emotions. Democrats did great Nationally but in Georgia some things were a little disappointing. On the bright side all statewide Democratic incumbents won with the exception of public service commissioner David Burgess and he is in a runoff. John Eaves was elected chair of the Fulton county commission and Robb Pitts retained his seat on the commission as well. We didn't lose any US House Seats either. The State House and the State Senate races weren't horrible either. We didn't take them back of course but it wasn't a complete butt kicking.

I am proud at some of our candidates and I tip my hat to them. To Jim Martin, you ran one hell of a race. I was disappointed to see you lose but I feel good knowing that your campaign gave their all.

To Denise Majette, after reading your emails, I understand the problems that happened and cannot blame you for some of the shortcomings of the campaign.

To the State Party, particularly Pat, Annie, and Tahir. I understand the hard work you all put in this season and no matter what anyone else says I think you all did a great job. After all, you aren't miracle workers and it will take time to rebuild the party. We really can't expect huge victories over night. To the DCCC, I saw all of the independent expenditures that you all made on behalf of John Barrow and Jim Marshall and thank you for investing in Georgia.

To the statewide candidates that won, Congratulations! You are our party and now it rests on your shoulders.

To all of the new Dems in the House and Senate, good luck better you than me in that type of environment.

To Alisha Thomas-Morgan, thank you for being who you are and standing up against many people for what is right. I listened to you on WAOK on Election Day and I don't think I could have articulated my views any better than you did.

To those who blame Cathy Cox for Mark Taylor's defeat, I think you should take a look at GA election law and realize that her hands were tied and anyway how can one person be responsible for a defeat like that, let's be real the big guy lost in a big way we just need to suck it up and move on.

To the College Dems in the AUC, thanks for your hard work on the campaign invasion in Harold Ford, we worked hard and played hard.

In closing I must say it feels great to be a Democrat and I must leave you with a quote from Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney's Concession Speech "Electronic Voting is a threat to our Democracy"

RUMSFELD IS GONE!!!

Ok before I can blog about the election I have to say that there is reaking News that Rumsfeld is Resigning as Sec. of Defense. I guess Democrats beat up on him too bad this election. I AM SO HAPPY TO BE A DEMOCRAT!!!!!

Election Day

I'm out campaigning for John Eaves today. Despite the rain people are still going out to vote. Almost every house I go to, the person answers the door with an "I voted" sticker on. Despite the cold wet weather, I'm excited!!!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

SEX!!!!

Now that I have your attention, Don't FORGET TO VOTE TODAY!!!!

When are tv ads annoying?

Ok. I know that its less than a week before the election and maybe I'm just burnt out from reading and watching so much political stuff but I just have to discuss this.

So its 11:52 pm and I'm doing my nightly ritual of lying in the bed and watching roseanne until I fall asleep when I see the new sonny ad with zell miller. Who really wants to see a political ad at that time of night. Honestly at this time, the last thing I care about is politics. I just want to watch roseanne and designing women in peace so I can get my 5 hours of sleep before my day begin.

What do you think? Have I had a political overload or do I have a valid point?
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Georgia Invades Tennessee

Join College Students from Georgia and the entire South as we invade Tennessee for the Harold Ford for US Senate Campaign. Students will be leaving Atlanta Friday and will be returning Sunday. Hotels and transportation will be covered by College Democrats of America. Take part in a historic race that will help Democrats take back the US Senate. If you are interested, please email Javier Brown at javierabrown@gmail.com or call at 678-683-6089 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so hotel reservations can be made.


THANKS!!!

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON PEOPLE?

Here we go again. The AJC is reporting that Mark Taylor has a new proposal. The Death penalty for repeat child molesters. I do agree that child molesters are sick and twisted individuals but do we even have to get on the death penalty debate?

It's beyond disgusted now... I'm pissed.

Congressman Barrow responds to Max Burns Ad

Congressman Barrow responds to Max Burns Ad claiming that he supports Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants. I think it's a great ad. What do you think?

Former Texas Governor Ann Richards Dies

Washington Post is Reporting the former Texas Governor Ann Richards passed away today after a battle with esophogeal cancer. They have a great article that I encourage everyone to read.

Who Gives a flip if Cathy Cox will be at the State Convention

Ok.

It's really stupid to sit around and discuss whether or not Cathy Cox knew or didn't know the date of the State Convention. Honestly people, she is not the nominee so does it really matter if she will be in attendance. How many votes will be gained from Cathy Cox making an appearance to a room full of the core activists of the party. Let her take her vacation with her family

GEESH People!!!

I'm disgusted

If you haven't seen Mark Taylor's new ad, you can click here and see it for yourself. Maybe I'm too liberal (although I don't really consider myself a liberal) but this commercial makes me want to vomit. Is ending parole really a great part of a campaign platform. I just think that we can come up with a more comprehensive approach to solving crime than locking people up for years without any type of rehabilitation.

Are we still Democrats people?

Alabama Lawmaker tells Christian Coaltion to "Go Straight to Hell"

And today my friends.. I am proud to say I am from Alabama.

The Birmingham News is reporting that State Rep. Alvin Holmes (D-Montgomery). Told the Christian Coalition to go straight to Hell.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

MONTGOMERY - The Christian Coalition of Alabama claims allegiance with heaven, but a Montgomery lawmaker on Monday told the group's leader to go some place warm and fiery.

Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, responding to the group's annual political questionnaire, asked the Coalition President John Giles to first answer questions about casino-interest money the group received and other matters.

"Until you answer these three questions, Go straight to hell," Holmes wrote

Click here for the entire article.

John Edwards Calls for immediate Iraq withdrawal.

Ok I know this post is late but I couln't go by without posting this. The Associated Press is reporting that Sen. John Edwards was in New Hampshire last week and called for an Immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The former senator from North Carolina told reporters America should "make it clear (to Iraqis) we are leaving, and the best way is to start leaving. We should take 40,000 combat troops out now."

I believe that the best thing we can do is to start gradually withdrawing to A. Ensure more cooperation for coalition forces and B. Ensure that the Iraqi Government begins to take more control of the situation.

Black America Must Confront AIDS

This is a must read Washington Post Op-ED by Julian Bond.

By Julian Bond
Monday, August 14, 2006; Page A13

It's been 25 years since we first learned of a disease that was killing a handful of white, gay men in a few of our nation's largest cities -- a disease that later became known as AIDS. But lulled by media images that portrayed AIDS mainly as a white, gay disease, we looked the other way: Those people weren't our people. AIDS was not our problem. It had not entered our house.

We had our own problems to deal with, so we let those people deal with their problem. But that was a quarter-century ago, and a lot has changed. Now, in 2006, almost 40 million people worldwide have HIV, and 25 million are dead. And most of those who have died and are dying are black. That's not just because of the devastation the pandemic has wreaked upon Africa.


The face of AIDS in the United States is primarily black as well. The majority of new HIV infections here are black, the majority of people who die from AIDS here are black and the people most at risk of contracting this virus in the United States are black. AIDS is now in our house. It's now our problem, and we must come up with solutions.

This week, a historic contingent of black leaders will attend the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto to put AIDS in our community at the top of the national agenda. All of black America must do the same. Every African American must stand with us, take ownership of AIDS and fight this epidemic with every resource we have.

I realize that what we are proposing may seem an overwhelming task. But we know it can be done. When AIDS hit the gay community, its members couldn't afford to wait for the government to save them; instead they worked to save themselves -- in part by using tactics and strategies out of our civil rights playbook. AIDS is a major civil rights issue of our time.

We cannot wait for the government to come and rescue us either -- that help may never come. Part of our response must be to eliminate the rabid homophobia that lives in our schools, our homes and especially our churches. Our inability to talk about sex, and more specifically homosexuality, is the single greatest barrier to the prevention of HIV transmission in our community. Intolerance has driven our gay friends and neighbors into the shadows. Men leading double lives -- on the "down low" -- put our women at extreme risk.

We must also overcome our resistance to safer sex practices that can help prevent the spread of AIDS, and we must ensure that our young people know exactly what AIDS is and how to protect themselves against it.

For black America, the time to deliver is now. We're calling on leaders to lead. The AIDS story in the United States is partly one of a failure to lead. Prominent blacks -- from traditional ministers and civil rights leaders to hip-hop artists and Hollywood celebrities -- must immediately join this national call to action to end the AIDS epidemic in black America.

We're calling on black America to engage in a coordinated campaign with concrete, measurable goals and objectives and real deadlines. Each of us must identify strategies and activities that match our unique niches and capabilities.

We must build a new sense of urgency in black America, so that no one accepts the idea that the presence of HIV and AIDS is inevitable.

We're calling on black America to get informed about the science and facts about AIDS. Knowledge is a powerful weapon in this war.

We're calling on black Americans to get screened and find out their HIV status. I have -- it took 20 minutes and was bloodless and painless. Knowing your HIV status and the status of your partner can save your life.

We're calling for a massive effort to address the disproportionate impact this epidemic is having on black youth, women, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men.

We must also pressure our government and elected officials -- at local, state and national levels -- to be far more responsible partners than they have been. We must lift the federal ban on funding for needle exchange programs, which have been proven to slow the spread of AIDS. We must also work with elected officials to promote comprehensive, age-appropriate, culturally competent AIDS prevention efforts that give young people the tools they need to protect themselves.

We must heed Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning, originally meant for others but right for us now: "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

The writer is a professor at American University and the University of Virginia and chairman of the board of the NAACP.

The Primary is over.. My questions for the Georgia Democratic Candidates

Everyone is using today to talk about Run-off Results. Instead, I am choosing to use today to ask our nominees a series of questions to prepare for November.

1. Who is the Field Director for the campaign.

2. If you don't have a field staff or director, do you plan on hiring one?

3. Will the actual campaign be developing and executing their own comprehensive field plan independent of the state party and outside organizations?

4. Will you try to run to the right on issues to avoid the debate on serious matters and principles of our party?

5. How many volunteers and interns do you have now and do you plan on recruiting any more any time soon.

6. Do you have any plans for Voter Education Registration and Mobilization on college campuses?

7. What are your plans for targeting and GOTV in the African American Communities.

8. Does your campaign hae a staff that is diverse in race, age, gender, and sexual orientation?

9. Do you plan on making any unified apperances in the near future with the entire slate of statewide Democratic nominees.

10. How seriously do you take the blogosphere and how actively do you plan to participate in it?


I think these are serious questions that each campaign needs to be asking in staff meetings right now.