Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Jim Powell

Make sure you tell all your friends to get out and vote on December 2nd, and support Jim Powell so Democrats will have at least one seat on the Public Service Commission. Otherwise, we will have only Republicans determining how much our utility bills will be. Can’t be a good thing.

Dave Southern

Democrats of Camden County

From: jim@list.jimpowellforgapsc.com [mailto:jim@list.jimpowellforgapsc.com] On
Subject: Watch Jim's Debate for Public Service Commission

Dear Friends,

Jim's debate will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting tonight at 7:00 pm.

--
Thanks,
George

George Preston Birchby
Campaign Manager
Jim Powell for Public Service Commission

172 Stonebrook Drive
Demorest, Georgia 30535
678.644.8355

Visit us at www.JimPowellforGAPSC.com

JUST VOTE JIM ON DECEMBER 2, 2008!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE RE: SENATE RACE

Think maybe the NeoCons might be running scared?

Please check out the article I read at NewsMax.com:
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/chambliss_obama_georgia/2008/11/09/149440.html?s=al&promo_code=70D7-1

ELECT JIM MARTIN

The NeoCons just don’t get it that Americans are sick and tired of the slimy politics of the Bush administration, specifically, as laid out by Carl Rove and his henchmen. But then, since Saxby Chambliss was so tied to the administration, what could we expect except that he would follow their lead. Please read and watch the attached and get good and mad! Mad enough to go out and do whatever you can to get rid of Saxby and his ilk. They’re on the run, so let’s not let them regroup. Defeating Chambliss will go a long way toward giving President Obama the filibuster-proof Senate he needs to carry out the things that America has indicated it wants done. I am send along an article about how the other side sees the Georgia Senate race and how it scares them that Saxby is close to losing. Look for it.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County



Ps; Thanks to Reeney Adams for sending these articles along.
********************************************************************************

An interesting article in case you missed it:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/10/111652/51/486/658532

Hope you and Rick have a great Veteran's Day!
Best regards, Mike.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

DEMOCRACY FULFILLED!

Look at President-Elect Barack Obama and you see what democracy SHOULD look like. He is our next president because he came to us, the citizens of the United States and inspired us. He challenged us to confront the future and change this wonderful country for the better. He didn’t fill us with a puffed-up pride that translates to the big lie that says we’re better than anyone else simply because God gave us the gift of being born in the United States. He told us the truth about ourselves and our country; we are a great nation, but we have the potential to be even greater; we have warts, but we have the capacity to correct and overcome them; we have a divided nation, and we cannot unite until we learn how to love each other as ourselves.

I have been waiting for decades for a great leader to emerge and carry forward the dreams of all the great leaders of the past. HE IS HERE!

I have never been as emotionally spent as I was last night at our headquarters when the headline flashed on the CNN screen, BARACK OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES! The feeling is still hard to describe. But I think part of the feeling was because of the company I was keeping at the time. I looked around the room at all the people I have come to know over the past four years, many of whom I now consider some of my closest friends and confidants. But as emotional as it was for me, I knew full well I could not comprehend how it must have felt for my African-American friends. I only read about the struggles they went through over the years, while they lived it, and in many ways, are still living it. I think last night must have felt like a second emancipation experience to these dear friends. I looked around and I saw many tears, and I cried , too. The funny thing is, I felt like I was being freed as well, and I haven’t been able to quite figure that out yet. Maybe it has to do with being shackled with an administration that I felt couldn’t care less who I was or what I thought. Being ignored is kind of like being oppressed, isn’t it? Whatever the dynamics, I am now free of that bunch who would turn this country into a kind of dictatorship if they could. But they were stopped, at least for now, by the perceptiveness and the wisdom of the American people. The people said “ We see through your lies and deception, and we’re bringing this to a stop right now!”

But if there’s one thing we should have learned about the right wing of the Republican Party over the past 30 or 40 years, it is that they are persistent; they will regroup and they will reorganize, and they will return with new ways to try to undermine and alter our government. Today, I noticed FoxNews was on in the clubhouse at Osprey Cove, and the entire time I was there, the only people talking were Sarah Palin and Carl Rove. The day after the most historic election in history, and FoxNews devoted their air time to Palin and Rove. Unbelievable! So count on it – they are not about to change or quit.

And what about Georgia - Georgia, and especially Southeast Georgia, still doesn’t get it, and I’m not sure if the current generation here will ever get it! Like the sand gnats, Jack Kingston is still with us. But at least sand gnats are simply annoying. Jack Kingston is really annoying, but he’s also embarrassing and a hindrance to progress in the district he’s sworn to serve. For at least two more years, he will be one of the biggest impediments to the Obama administration.

So in the midst of our joy, we must come to realize that the election is really just a small first step. We have a monstrous amount of work to do. But the good news is, we’ve shown it can be done! I took today off, because I was just emotionally and physically drained. I would like to take the next week off, too, but there’s simply too much that HAS to happen:

- First, there’s a runoff between Jim Martin and Saxby Chambliss. We must recall all the troops and mobilize them to take advantage of this second chance to rid the Senate of one of George Bush’s biggest hacks.

- We need to take advantage of the momentum the Democratic Party gained over the past year or so. If we don’t capitalize on that right away, the momentum will dissipate and all those new, excited voters will disappear on us.

- We need to reorganize the party and bring in a new batch of leadership, so we are not starting from scratch every election cycle.

- We need to identify and cultivate candidates for every spot at every level.

- We need to elevate the status of the Democratic Party in Camden County, to prove that we are the party for the PEOPLE, not the people in power.

So tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I will be at the headquarters in Kingsland at 9:30am to meet with anyone who cares to show up, to begin planning for the runoff. That’s job one. We can also begin planning how we’re going to tackle the other issues I named above. I know we’re tired. I know we’ve done a great job on the election and we’d like to savor that for awhile, but reality just won’t allow it for now. Come on over and help us sustain the momentum.

Thank you all for all you have done and all you will do.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

Thanks from Bill Gillespie

Bill Gillespie asked me to pass this along to all of you who helped in his campaign. Bill is an excellent candidate who I hope we can convince to take on Kingston one more time. There are so many things that need to be done in this district and it is so obvious that Bill has such a better grasp of what those are than does Kingston. There were also many conservatives who, when you spent time talking about it with them, agreed that Kingston really had not done that much for his constituents. We must continue to expose the sham that is the Kingston record, and Bill Gillespie is the best candidate we’ve yet seen to show the people what is really possible in coastal Georgia. This is a campaign that needs to continue non-stop.

Dave Southern
*******************************************************************************
From: Bill Gillespie [mailto:bill@billforgeorgia.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 1:15 PM
To: Dave Southern
Subject: Many thanks!
Importance: High

Please thank the Camden Co. Democratic Party for me for all the help! And to both of you -- many thanks again for all the support and encouragement! I have no regrets. I think we ran the best small campaign we could. The experiences, causes advanced and friends made were well worth it. We helped the Democratic Party in the 1st Congressional District continue its positive growth! It is now time to come together as Americans to fix these tough obstacles.

Thanks again for being a big part of our success! Hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

BILL

--------------------------------------------------------

Bill Gillespie

Bill For Georgia

P.O. Box 820

Tybee Island, GA 31328

www.BillForGeorgia.com

(912) 507-8278

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Run Through the Tape

We’re on the brink of an historic election, and most of you have been an integral part of making it happen. Just think of the history-making components of this election:

- Bobbie Kennedy prophesied in 1968 that we might see a black man as president in 40 years. Who really thought that could happen?

- A woman is on the ticket of the Republican Party. Not much of a candidate, but a woman nonetheless.

- A woman came within a whisper of being at the very top of the Democratic ticket.

- George Bush, after 8 years of neo-conservative recklessness, brought the country to economic ruin, destroyed the image of America abroad, tried to turn the country into a virtual dictatorship, trying to rule the United States instead of leading it, created the greatest divide between the super-rich and all others in the nation’s history, sold out our natural resources to the highest bidders or those to whom he owed the biggest political debts, and left almost 20% of homeowners with a mortgage higher than the value of the home itself. After all this, this very morning I read that the Bush administration is pushing to rush through a glut (over 90) of additional deregulation mandates and legislation that will take years to undo. And still, over 20% of Americans believe he’s doing a good job. The historical part of this is that Americans are again proving that, even if it takes them a while, they’ve seen through the screaming and railing of the neo-conservative hysteria, and are ready to take back the reins of government from a very dangerous political threat.

- The U.S. stands on the verge of becoming a three-party system; Democrats, True Republicans, and the Neo-conservatives.

- Bill Smith went down in flames, a remarkable achievement for Camdenn County, GA.

- Georgia is actually still very much in play for the presidency.

- Saxby Chambliss stands on the verge of defeat.

As little as one year ago, how many of these things would have been thinkable? If even one of them were so it would have been historic. Yet, here we are, one weekend away from the election, and all of these things have come to be, and there’s even more, too numerous to mention here.

But so what? Well, the job is still not finished. The black man still has to actually be elected, Georgia hasn’t yet actually turned blue, and Saxby Chambliss and Jack Kingston stand ready to obstruct anything Barack Obama proposes to rebuild the country. Many votes have been cast, but none have been counted yet. We can’t exhale for five more days, and then hopefully, we can sigh a breath of relief and get to work making it all happen with a Democratic administration and legislative branch to support it. There are still thousands of votes here in Camden County that have not yet been cast. There even some minds that have yet to change. And we only have five short day with which to work. These are probably the five most important days of the campaign, and then we can relax. So let’s not let down our guard; let’s, as they say in running track, run through the tape. Otherwise, we could get caught in the last two yards of the race.

We will be calling and walking right into Tuesday, and we need every body we can get on the phone or on the streets between now and then. If you still haven’t worked in the campaign, this is your chance to make that right. If you have, you’re especially important since you have the experience, and can help those who haven’t. But the bottom line is, we need you to step up NOW! This is the final stretch, your last chance to get our country back on track, and you can then say you helped make it happen!

One last thing - something I try to avoid bringing into the mix; go to church on Sunday and pray for your country.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Meet Jim Martin

MEET JIM MARTIN AND HELP SEND HIM TO THE SENATE

Georgia Democrats are fortunate to have a man of the stature of Jim Martin to put up against Saxby Chambliss in the race for the US Senate. Chambliss showed his colors in his disgusting campaign Max Cleland, when he stooped to questioning Max’s patriotism. He proved that despicable display was just part of his nature, when, once he got to Washington, voted almost in lock step with Mr. Bush’s dangerous administration.

Now we can replace Chambliss with a man of character, one of the truest gentlemen I have ever met in politics. Honest and accessible, Jim is exactly what we need to return the United States to respectability. Jim will be in Brunswick Wednesday, October 29 as part of his bus tour, and I understand Bill Gillespie, our candidate for Congress, will be with him. Join us as we form a carpool to meet and greet these two great representatives of the Democratic Party. We will meet at the Party headquarters at 500 West King Avenue in Kingsland at 6:00pm. We complain because southeast Georgia doesn’t get enough attention from major candidates, so here’s our chance to show our appreciation for them making the effort to come see us. Let’s turn out in big numbers and help send these guys to Washington!!

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

Monday, October 27, 2008

ONLY KINGSTON!



Just when you think Jack Kingston is as low and despicable as he can get, he outdoes himself! First, he cancels out of the debate scheduled for Savannah two weeks ago. Then he calls on Thursday or Friday to announce he has to cancel the Georgia Public TV debate scheduled for last night. But, guess what? When debate time comes, there’s Jack!! What a pleasant surprise! He found a way to break away from the demands of serving the people in his district and show up at the debate after all. What a wonderful public servant we have in Jack Kingston. Right? Well folks, I for one am not buyin’ it. I think the scam was in place the whole time!

Jack made another ass of himself in Brunswick a couple of weeks ago, and he didn’t want to risk another implosion on a state-wide broadcast. But he was getting so much flack about chickening out a second time that he had to show up. So how can we cut our losses, Jack asked himself. Well, we’ll just cut the viewership! We’ll say we’re not coming, people won’t plan on watching, watch parties will be cancelled, and we’ll show up unexpectedly, but the viewership will be a third or less than expected. What a concept! Let’s go with that!!

Spread the word to everyone you know, because that’s about the only way for it to get out, considering the politics of the news outlets in this district. But we can flood them with letters anyway, and see how many might slip through. It’ll be good for your mental health, too.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

From: christie@billforgeorgia.com [mailto:christie@billforgeorgia.com]
Subject: Atlanta Press Club Debate--Sunday

Please distribute this photograph from the Atlanta Press Club Debate. Bill Gillespie did a fabulous job representing THE PEOPLE against Jack Kingston!

-GETTING TO KINGSTON-

I got a lot of responses from my email asking everyone to write or call Jack Kingston demanding he step up to his responsibility to his constituents and take part in debates with Bill Gillespie. They all tried to email Kingston and were informed his email address has been “updated”. (Now, if we could just get Kingston updated) So you can still get to him via the internet in one of two ways; you can go to his website at http://kingston.house.gov and use the “contact Jack” tab, or, send it directly to http://kingston.house.gov/ContactForm

If he gets covered up in emails and phone calls, I really believe it can make a difference, even to this arrogant guy. It was a flood of protest that caused him to finally return the $17,000 he received from Jack Abramoff, remember? Also, contact all radio stations and newspapers to make sure the word is out on to the entire electorate. We have GOT to get this guy out of there!

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

PS: Isn’t it odd that a congressman would have his email address changed in the middle of an election year?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

CAMDEN COUNTY DEMOCRATS - CONTACT JACK KINGSTON

CAMDEN COUNTY DEMOCRATS - CONTACT JACK KINGSTON

Since our embarrassment of a congressman made such a fool of himself in the “debate” at the Brunswick News, he has cancelled out of the rest of the scheduled debates against Bill Gillespie, who so obviously had a broader and more progressive view of the Georgia First Congressional District than the incumbent did. It is important that he not be allowed to just sweep it under the rug as he so often does when his foot fills his mouth. It is up to us and all non-rightwingnuts to inform all the voters in the First District that our village idiot refuses to face Bill, who he knows can whoop him if the word gets out across the District. Below are the key addresses of his offices and his email. Let’s fill up all his inboxes and demand that he account for his refusal to answer to his District’s voters for his actions, his inactions, and his childish behaviors over the past 14 years. Debates should be requirements for incumbents up for re-election and we need to let him know we demand his appearance or know the reason why not.


Kingston’s email:

Jack.kingston@mail.house.gov

Kingston’s addresses:

1 Diamond Causeway
Ste 7
Savannah, Georgia 31406
Phone – 912-352-0101


805 Gloucester St.
Room 304
Brunswick, Georgia 31520
Phone – 912-265-8010
Posted by DoCC at 8:26 PM

Cancelled Debate

Captain Courageous Kingston has again demonstrated his concern about debating Bill Gillespie in front of a large audience. This is the second consecutive debate he has cancelled out on. Every voter in this district should flood him with emails/letters to compel him to stand up like a man. Backing out on debates is the equivalent of simply not showing for a job interview. What a disgrace this clown is!!!!

Dave Southern

*************************************************************

From: Bill Gillespie [mailto:bill@billforgeorgia.com]

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Jack Kingston, Congressman, GA 1st CD -- Cancelled the Sunday, Oct 26th, Atlanta Press Club Debate, which was to air live on Georgia Public Television! This is so unfortunate given our National, State & District Issues. Where is the leadership? Kingston "the 16 year Incumbent" owes his constituents answers. This is totally unacceptable. We will try every major News outlet to rectify this cheapening of our democracy. I am willing to address the issues any time and any place. We need this prior to Nov 4th.

Jack also cancelled for the SSU Debate on Oct 17th. What is he afraid of -- his Destructive Record & Extreme Views, our National Deficit, the Financial Collapse, Lack of Economic Opportunity, a failed Educational System, an Un-popular War, Loss of Respect Internationally as an Nation, Erosion of the Middle-Class, Increased Un-Employment, Increased Poverty, Lack of Job Security, Lower Property Values, Jobs with no Benefits, Out-Sourcing of America etc..., etc....


We deserve better! It is our public duty to vote out this incumbent. You can still help to fund our commercials, advertising, and direct mail.

BILL GILLESPIE

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Help Barack in Florida This Weekend

Dear friends,

In Florida, it's already Election Day.

People are voting by mail and Early Voting began this week.

Florida is a crucial battleground state that could once again decide the outcome of this election.

That's why this weekend, Saturday, October 25th through Sunday, October 26th, Obama supporters from across the country are traveling to Florida to reach out to voters.

Will you Drive for Change and take a short trip to make a big difference?

http://my.barackobama.com/CometoFL

The Florida Campaign for Change is hard at work reaching out to undecided voters.

Polls show an incredibly close race here. But there are still far too many people who don't know enough about Barack -- who he is, where he stands on the issues that matter most, and his plan to fix the economy.

This country can't afford four or eight more years of George Bush's failed policies.

Since face-to-face contact is the most effective way to grow this movement for change, your work could mean the difference between winning and losing Florida -- and that could be the difference between winning and losing this election.

Sign up now to come to the Sunshine State this weekend, and invite your friends and family to come along:

http://my.barackobama.com/CometoFL

With two weeks until November 4th, we can't afford to sit on the sidelines.

We can't do this without you.

Thanks,

Florida Campaign for Change


Paid for by Campaign for Change, a project of the Florida Democratic Party (www.fladems.com), and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Buckley's Son: 'Sorry Dad, I'm Voting for Obama'

Camden Democrats;
Reeney Adams sent the attached article. Seems like the clearer thinkers among conservatives are abandoning the McCain bus, and unlike the rest of the right wingnuts, they can supply good reasons for their decisions.



Buckley's Son: 'Sorry Dad, I'm Voting for Obama'
The son of the late conservative thinker William F. Buckley is endorsing Barack Obama, though he still considers himself a conservative.

In an article entitled, "Sorry Dad, I'm Voting for Obama," on The Daily Beast, Christopher Buckley writes that Republican John McCain has betrayed his principals. McCain has changed positions on important issues, made promises he cannot keep, endorsed unworkable policies, and selected the inexperienced Sarah Palin as his running mate, Buckley writes.

The Arizona senator has lost his bearings, according to Buckley, while Obama has found his. Obama has demonstrated in the campaign that he has a "first-class temperament."

"I've read Obama's books, and they are first-rate," writes Buckley, a novelist and columnist for National Review, the conservative magazine his father founded. "He is that rara avis, the politician who writes his own books. Imagine.

"He is also a lefty. I am not,'' concedes Buckley. "I am a small-government conservative who clings tenaciously and old-fashionedly to the idea that one ought to have balanced budgets. On abortion, gay marriage, et al, I'm libertarian.

"But having a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect. Obama has in him, I think - despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rhetoric - the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for."

What the moment is not calling for, according to Buckley, is the Alaska governor McCain has chosen as his replacement if he is incapacitated or dies in office. Buckley joins other conservatives - columnists Kathleen Parker and David Brooks - in harshly criticizing Palin over the last week. Brooks, a conservative columnist for The New York Times who was hired for his first job by Buckley's father at the National Review, has called Palin "a cancer on the Republican Party."

Buckley points out that he has written admirably about McCain and has known him since 1982. He has long thought that McCain would be great president. He also points out that McCain bravely supported the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq when Obama and other feckless politicians were "caterwauling."

"But that was - sigh - then. John McCain has changed," Buckley writes. "This campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic. A once-first class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget 'by the end of my first term.' Who, really, believes that? Then there was the self-dramatizing and feckless suspension of his campaign over the financial crisis. His ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?"
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A Conservative for Obama

ATTENTION CAMDEN COUNTY DEMOCRATS!!!

The next time someone says to you that they’re going to vote for John McCain and Sorry Pallin’ because they’re good conservatives, show them this article by a True conservative leader. Since around the middle of Bush’s first term, I’ve been telling people that his crowd are not conservatives, they’re right wing ideologues, and there’s a huge difference. True conservatives have a positive slant to their beliefs and their messages. Ideologues always, always, bring a message of fear and intolerance. Now, even true conservatives have had enough of the drivel that spills out of the neocons of 2008. Wick Alison is not just any conservative. He is the editor in chief of the National Review, the leading conservative publication for many decades. So please read the editorial below, absorb its points, and carry the message to any friends you may have that claims to be a conservative.
Dave Southern
*******************************************************************************
Subject: The National Review's Editor Endorses Obama
A Conservative for Obama

My party has slipped its moorings. It's time for a true pragmatist to lead the country.
by Wick Allison, Editor In Chief, The National Review

THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S.
Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no
political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why
I am a conservative and what it means to me.
In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for
Goldwater. My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the
conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later, I was
invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I
later became its publisher.

Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a
recognition of the fallibility of man and of man's institutions.
Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it
represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the
benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of
time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes,
doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to
test any political program against actual results.

Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of "oughts." We ought to do
this or that because it's the right thing to do, regardless of whether it
works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling
good rather than doing good.

But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political
programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts-a solution for
which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the
nation went to war-led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in
the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative"
credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that
once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of
government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using
conservatism as a mask.

Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity
about making the world "safe for democracy." It is John McCain who says
America's job is to "defeat evil," a theological expansion of the nation's
mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth.

This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced
financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral
authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make
worse.

Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the
maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still
hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the
ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on
many issues. But those don't matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a
deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama's books (which,
it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without
realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me
comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have
a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.

Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as
McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an
ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am
convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American
national interests are directly threatened.

"Every great cause," Eric Hoffer wrote, "begins as a movement, becomes a
business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." As a cause,
conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a
complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the
instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Breakdown of Early Voters by Ethnicity and Gender

Camden Democrats,
We’ve been telling people to vote early, and these first returns from the past week gives us some big reasons why we should continue stressing this. Prior to the next early voting week of October 27, you can still request absentee ballots, and we need to encourage people to do that. In addition, and this is VERY important, we have done an incredible job of registering new voters, but many may not know all the rules about voting protocol. First, it is important they know where their voting precinct is located, and second, it is extremely important that they know NOT to show ANY campaign shirts, buttons, or other paraphernalia. If they have bumper stickers on their cars, they must park at least 150 feet from the polling place. If they violate any of these rules they will be turned away until they correct the violations. We know what will happen if they are turned away; they simply will not return to vote, and that is not what we want to happen. Things are looking very bright at the moment, so let’s do everything we can to ensure all our hard work to this point bears lots of fruit.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

*****************************************************************************
Breakdown of Early Voters by ethnicity and gender
Wednesday, October 1, 2008From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Political InsiderBy Jim Galloway

Has the Obama surge begun? Nearly 40 percent of early votes cast by African-Americans
As of Monday, 135,412 ballots had been cast in Georgia for the Nov. 4 general election, whether by absentee or early in-person voting.

Nearly 40 percent of those voters — 53,160 — have been African-American, according to the office of Secretary of State Karen Handel.

It is this kind of intensity, driven by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, that has worried Georgia Republicans and stirred the hopes of Democrats in the state.
As of Aug. 31, African-Americans, the most reliable demographic in the Democratic base, made up 29 percent of those registered to vote. However, their participation rate in elections traditionally is several points lower.

After a full week of early voting statewide, the highest performing counties are: DeKalb, with 14,560 votes cast; Fulton, 10,599; Gwinnett, 7,952; Cobb, 7,021; Chatham, 4,771. All have significant minority populations.

Matt Carrothers, spokesman for Handel, said in addition to the 135,412 ballots already cast, another 105,526 have been mailed out but not returned.

Handel wants at least 1 million Georgia voters to cast early ballots, and it’s easy to see why. If, as expected, 85 percent of the state’s 5.5 million voters head to the polls on Nov. 4, Georgia’s 3,000 polling stations could be overwhelmed.

Granted, the math says that each station would only have to handle a little more than 1,500 over a 12-hour period, but people aren’t spread out like that.

Because Georgia is a state covered by the Voting Rights Act, with a history of racial discrimination, officials are required to take into account whether their actions affect the ballot rights of minorities.

To do that, the race and sex of all voters is requested upon registration, but giving it is not mandatory, according to Handel’s web site. This is the only demographic information obtained and, since voters aren’t required to register by party, the only clue that analysts have about who is voting.

Here’s the complete breakdown of advance voters offered by Handel’s office:
— Black female: 32,865;
— Black male: 20,295;
— White female: 40,860;
— White male: 36,958;
— Female Asian-Pacific island: 239;
— Male Asian-Pacific island: 188;
— Female Hispanic-Latino: 304;
— Male Hispanic-Latino: 253;
— Female Native American: 12;
— and Male Native American: 10.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

GET BILL GILLESPIE ELECTED TO CONGRESS!!

Many of you have had the opportunity to meet and speak with Lt. Col. Bill Gillespie, as he has spent an inordinate amount of time and attention here in Camden County since he began his campaign almost a year ago. Camden County is not the biggest county in Bill’s congressional district, but he has been here at least once a month, and in some instances, much more. He spent the entire Fourth of July weekend here, one of the busiest, and therefore, one of the most important weekends of a political campaign.

Bill recently spent a full day in Camden, meeting privately with leaders in government, education, business, and community/military partnerships. As a result, he has an excellent feel for the needs and opportunities that Camden County represents. Over and over, he heard a similar comment from practically every one of these leaders; because of its unique location, its unique transportation systems, its skilled labor force (especially true of naval retirees who decided to make Camden County their homes), and its wonderful year-round weather, Camden County should be attractive to a wide variety of companies looking to relocate. Yet, in spite of the boom in some other counties here in southeast Georgia and northern Florida, any increase we’ve seen in new businesses is primarily in the service sector. In fact, this sector is so overloaded, that restaurants must bring in workers from out of the county. During the course of these conversations with our leaders, several of them seemed to have an “Ah Ha” moment, as the focus always seemed to end up on lack of leadership by our senatorial and congressional representatives. Jack Kingston has been in Washington for over 14 years now, and other than a few new defense contractors based at Kings Bay, what significant new business has he landed for Camden County? Quick, quick, a show of hands! What? No hands? Well, no businesses either!

I think there’s two very simple reasons why this is so:
1) Jack Kingston is beholding to businesses that have no fit with the economy or the business environment of Camden County. Just check online and see who his big corporate contributors are, and ask yourself if they really are a fit with Camden County. So then why do they support Jack Kingston? Because he pays off for them with his efforts in Washington. It has nothing to do with what’s best for the First Congressional District of Georgia or Camden County, Georgia. It has everything to do with returning the investments his big, out-of-state contributors have made in keeping Jack Kingston working for them in Washington.

2) Jack Kingston hasn’t had an original or creative idea in the 14 years he’s been up there! He can’t see what new industries, what new technologies, and what new skill sets are going to make up the next-generation business giants. He’s too focused on what’s good for him now.

Bill Gillespie CAN see the future for Camden County and for all the other counties in the First District that have been declining or stagnant over the past decade. He sees what will be needed to attract the future to Camden County. He knows what we have to offer, and how to connect those attributes to the companies that are looking for precisely those attributes. Bill realizes that the economy of a county in southeast Georgia usually revolves around one, or maybe two major employers. Bill also knows who the companies are that are looking for what southeast Georgia has to offer. His success in the U.S. Army has honed the leadership skills he can bring to make these connections happen. Bill Gillespie is the leader we’ve been looking for in southeast Georgia, and we need to work as hard as is required to make him our congressman!

Tomorrow night many of us will be gathering at our headquarters at 500 West King Avenue in Kingsland to watch the first Presidential debate. I am asking every person who attends to take at least one Bill Gillespie yard sign and as many Bill Gillespie bumper stickers they can carry as they leave to go home. These yard signs are particularly impactful, and generally, we’ve done an OK job of getting them out in the neighborhoods. What I’m asking for now is to make sure the signs are placed along major thoroughfares like route 40. Find a high-visibility location and make sure it is not violating any ordinances about right of ways, and if it’s on private property, that the owner gives permission. With the number of members we now have, we should somehow be connected to every property owner along route 40, so let’s get it done! We should have enough bumper stickers to be on every Democrat’s car in Camden County, too. Let’s get them on!

We have rented a 50” Zenith TV for the headquarters so we can watch the debate, which will help Barack Obama get elected president. But that’s only part of the job. We also must give Barack the Senate and Congress he needs to get his progressive programs enacted. Bill Gillespie will be a great asset to Barack Obama. Make next week GET EXCITED ABOUT BILL GILLESPIE WEEK by getting up the signs!

Be at the headquarters no later than 8:40pm tomorrow night so everyone will be in their seats when the debate begins. Bring your favorite folding chair, a beverage or two of your choice, a snack, and get ready to cheer on Obama.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

Monday, September 22, 2008

Jim Powell Endorsed by PSC Incumbent Angela Speir

HIAWASSEE, Ga. - Jim Powell, Democratic nominee for Georgia Public Service Commission, District 4, has received the endorsement of the current holder of that office, Commissioner Angela Speir.

Speir, a Republican, said she wholeheartedly supports Powell’s candidacy because of his superior qualifications and commitment to stand up for Georgia consumers, which she said are more important than political party affiliation.

“I endorse Jim Powell for the Public Service Commission because he is the best person for the job,” Speir said. “Jim is knowledgeable and ethical. He understands that public service is about serving the people and making honest, fair decisions on their behalf. I have worked tirelessly on the Commission for the betterment of our state. I am proud to support Jim because I know he will do the same.”

Powell said, “I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of Commissioner Angela Speir. During her service on the PSC, she has made the interest of consumers her top priority and has taken a stand on numerous occasions for open government and ethical conduct on the part of the commission. I also intend to follow Commissioner Speir’s example by earning Georgia voters’ support in this election against a career politician who is beholden to the special interests and lobbyists who are financing his campaign.”

Powell, a first-time candidate for office, retired in February 2007 after 35 years of public service. He served as a Senior Executive with the U. S. Department of Energy, managing a number of initiatives and a budget of over $300 million, and as the Southeast Regional Director, based in Georgia. Jim and Karen, his wife of 37 years, live in Hiawassee. They have two adult sons and two adorable granddaughters.

On July 15, Powell received 85 percent of the statewide primary vote to earn the Democratic nomination.

For more information, visit http://www.jimpowellforgapsc.com/.

DEBATE WATCH PARTY

Camden Democrats;
The first of the three presidential debates will be held Friday evening, September 26. At this time, I do not know the time for the debate, but there will be plenty of advertising between now and Friday. The Democrats of Camden County will have a debate watch party at the party headquarters at 500 West King Ave. in Kingsland. We want a big crowd there to watch Barack Obama in his first opportunity for the American voters to have a face-to-face comparison between him and John McCain. These debates will probably decide the issue for anyone who has yet to make up their minds, so we Democrats are extremely confident about our candidate’s chances.

Please come out and watch with fellow Democrats, bring a folding chair just in case, a snack or two, and something to quench your thirst. We’ll have ice on hand. This is going to be an exciting event, and one in which we can take a lot of pride. Watch for the time, and then be sure to be at least twenty minutes early so we can get everyone seated and still for the beginning of the broadcast.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Democrats not motivated by race at festival

Dear Editor, I am writing in response to Michele Marano's letter of Sept. 10 describing the local (Barack) Obama campaign as a "racial campaign."Allow me to share the facts with you. Marchers in the Catfish Festival Parade were Camden Democrats. The campaigners in the parade said, "Democrats of Camden County." If someone along the parade route reached out for a flyer or asked for one, they were given a flyer.

The flyers were from the Democratic Party of Camden County with a stamped message regarding the grand opening of our headquarters. The Democratic flyers, not Obama flyers, were given to anyone who showed an interest in receiving a flyer.Democratic campaigners and marchers have been treated disrespectfully in past parades by some citizens watching the parade. For example, they have been called vulgar and obscene names, spat upon, and some parents have told their children not to take beads and pulled their children away from campaigners simply because they were Democrats.Every effort was made to ensure the campaigners did not experience "some of the same." The actions of the campaigners were in no way racial actions. I would like to invite you to visit the Democratic Party Headquarters, Highway 40 near Dollar General in Kingsland, and witness racial diversity first hand.Information regarding Obama and our local Democratic Party has been mailed to Ms. Michele Marano.


Reeney Adams

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Game On!!

Camden County Democrats;
Labor Day is traditionally the official kickoff of the general election campaign, and the Democrats of Camden County did it in style! We had a great turnout of marchers in the parade in Kingsland, and an even greater turnout for the official opening of the Democratic headquarters at 500 West King Street in Kingsland. During the day, close to 200 people came by to meet other Democrats, have some good eats, and sign up to volunteer their time. Congressional candidate Bill Gillespie, Mayor Kenneth Smith of Kingsland, and our own Kelvin Blue, candidate for Tax Commissioner, were some of the dignitaries who participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

I want to thank all the people who made this day possible, like Dawn and John Bowen, John King, Robert Cummings, Nelson Cummings, MacArthur Hill, Searcy and Kelvin Blue, Ed Sprouhl, and Richard Hellesto. This event showed just what Democrats can do when they get excited and get involved. Stay tuned for more events coming up. We will be discussing these at the next monthly meeting on September 9th at 7:00pm, at our regular meeting in the annex building next to the county library. Bill Gillespie and Tony Harrison, candidate for Superior Court Judge, will be our special guests.

I saved the best for last. Many of you know how hard our very special friend and guide from the Obama organization, Sonia Hinson, has been working for us and with us here in Camden County. She has been the manager of, and the inspiration behind the voter registration drive in our county. Sonia and her volunteers brought in 30 new registrations yesterday alone, so our total so far has now topped 400! That is phenomenal! BUT SONIA IS NOT HAPPY!! She has established a goal of 800 before October 6th, and will not be satisfied until we get there. We have only 33 days, including 5 weekends, to make Sonia happy. LET’S MAKE SONIA HAPPY! Volunteer for one of Sonia’s registration teams and help put us over 800. You will find it to be one of the most gratifying things you will ever do. Call Sonia at 404-66-6693, or the party phone at 912-882-7840, or me at 912-882-1313, and help make Sonia happy!

It’s a special time to be a Democrat in Camden County! Thank you for making it so.

Dave Southern
Chairman, Democrats of Camden County