Updated: Handel rips ’sex, lies and lobbyists’ at Capitol
Updated throughout again at 6:28 p.m.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Karen Handel on Tuesday said the culture of “sex, lies and lobbyists” at the Gold Dome has to end, but said the men running against her can’t clean it up because they “created the mess.”
In a speech to more than 300 women at a fund-raiser at the Westin Atlanta North, Handel said the atmosphere at the Capitol is one “where legislation passes or fails based on the size of the contribution, the lavish dinner, luxury trip. This is not public service.”
“If we are going to end this cycle of abuse and corruption … if we’re going to get real progress on the issues our state is facing, it’s going to take radical change and reform,” said Handel, who seemed to be looking toward a general election strategy with a strong attack on her opponents in both parties.
Handel is the former secretary of state who resigned last week to focus on her campaign for governor. She is the only female among seven Republicans and five Democrats running for governor. Of those 11 men, only long-shot Democrat Carl Camon and long-shot Republican Ray McBerry have not held state office.
Handel’s remarks are a clear shot at her fellow Republicans, who continue to deal with the aftershocks of the scandal-plagued resignation of former Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Paulding County), as well as an apparent U.S. House ethics investigation into U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.), and concerns raised about Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Oxendine accepted tens of thousands of contributions from people he regulates. (Oxendine later returned the money.) An AJC story also prompted the Deal inquiry.
Richardson resigned after his ex-wife told an Atlanta television station that Richardson cheated on her with a lobbyist while pushing legislation that would benefit his paramour’s employer, Atlanta Gas Light. In the wake of Richardson’s resignation, several prominent Republicans said they knew about the affair.
Handel’s speech follows an interview she gave after Richardson resigned in which she said that in 2007 she was told the best way to move her agenda in the Legislature was to hire a “young hottie as my legislative person.”
Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kidd wants to know, however, why Handel just now is making this an issue.
“Where was Karen Handel before ethics became a front-page story?” Kidd said in a statement. “Karen Handel was part of the Republican leadership that saw the General Assembly turn into a frat house, but she didn’t say a word.”
Handel campaign spokesman Dan McLagan would not identify the person who told her to hire a “hottie” as a legislative aide, but said Handel has a clear record of fighting for tighter ethics rules whether as a member of the Fulton County Commission or as secretary of state.
Still, Handel’s move Tuesday was an effort to separate herself from the overall aura of the General Assembly. Yet, she also tried to tarnish all of her opponents with the stench.
At least one opponent said the stink won’t stick. “Eric has a long and proven record of fighting for tougher ethics laws and will continue to do so as governor,” said Ben Fry, spokesman for former Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah).
Another competitor said personal attacks will not solve Georgia’s problems. “I have said that I cannot lift Georgia up by tearing other people down,” Oxendine said in an e-mail. “If you want a candidate that will resort to negative personal attacks, I am not your candidate.”
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton), another challenger for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, said Handel’s concerns about lobbyists at the Capitol only runs so far.
“I have taken less money from lobbyists that Karen has,” Scott said. ” I have already returned every contribution made by lobbyists to this campaign, and I challenge Karen to do the same.”
Handel’s strategy is risky, said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock, an expert on state politics and primary elections.
Bullock said women tend to make up a larger percentage of the Democratic primary electorate, but on the GOP side, it’s closer to a 50-50 split.
Still, he said, there is research that indicates voters often look more favorably on female candidates because “of the general sense that women are less susceptible to corrupt practices.”
But Chuck Clay, a former state Republican Party chairman and president of InsiderAdvantage, a political news and polling firm, believes Handel’s move was “smart.”
“It’s exactly what she needs to be doing,” he said. “When you’re the one female candidate and that makes you different in some respects, and you can foist that on the guys, it’s exactly what she should do.”
Yes, he said, there is some risk, and not all of the candidates deserve to be painted with that brush, but that is politics.
It also won’t hurt her, Clay said, with many male Republican voters who are as fed up with what’s happened at the Capitol as women are. And for those men who disagree, Clay said, “they probably weren’t going to vote for you anyway.”
Handel was introduced and endorsed Tuesday at the “Women for Handel” event by retired U.S. Navy Adm. Marty Evans, the first woman to command a naval station. Evans chaired a Navy task force on gender issues after dozens of women at the 1991 Tailhook Association Symposium in Las Vegas said they were sexually harassed by Navy and Marine Corps officers.
Handel used Evans’ Tailhook investigative experience to launch an attack on the atmosphere at the Capitol and what she said was the culpability of the men in the race.
“The other candidates in this race, they are the status quo,” Handel said. “They’ve been part of the good old boy network that created this mess.”
Her opponents, she said, “can’t and they won’t clean up the mess, because it is their mess, it’s their culture, the one they know, the one they’re comfortable with. They know how to work the system because they can.”
Who’s running
Republican candidates for governor:
State Sen. Jeff Chapman (R-Brunswick)
U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.)
Former Secretary of State Karen Handel
Former state Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah)
States rights activist Ray McBerry
Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton)
Democratic candidates for governor:
Attorney General Thurbert Baker
Former Gov. Roy Barnes
Ray City Mayor Carl Camon
House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin)
Former Adjutant Gen. David Poythress
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142 comments Add your comment
Tom in Roswell
January 5th, 2010
1:09 pm
Handel has Perdue’s personal stamp of approval and she has hired his scumbag press secretary and others, including the former lobbyist for the malfunctioning Diebold voting machines. She should keep her mouth shut about ethics.
shaggy
January 5th, 2010
1:09 pm
Now, that’s a soft approach. She will certainly carry Macon, after she has castrated all breeding age men.
Richard
January 5th, 2010
1:09 pm
Sounds like Handel should switch parties to me. It’s only the Republicans who consider the Gold Dome their personal frat house.
Cutty
January 5th, 2010
1:11 pm
So by Handel’s account, republicans have been controlling the state house for too long. Her solution: replace a republican with another republican. Ha!
td
January 5th, 2010
1:22 pm
Handel is a uneducated RINO. She will not win the primary contest.
Dick Freeman
January 5th, 2010
1:24 pm
Karen Handel has a track record of achieving results. She is ethically centered and an honest candiate. It is a shame that some would try to paint her with the few Republicans that have strayed – evidently no one from the other party has strayed. Yeah, right. You want ethical government lead by a person with an ethical core . . . support and vote for Karen Handel.
SouthernBelle
January 5th, 2010
1:24 pm
Wow!!! And I thought Sarah Palin set women back 100 years. Tack on another 50.
Bill
January 5th, 2010
1:25 pm
Karen is a vindictive woman who herself is corrupt.
Elephant Whip
January 5th, 2010
1:26 pm
Handel is responsible for violating the US Constitution and federal election laws in the last presidential election. She and her department were illegally profiling and hindering voters. The US Court of Appeals enjoined her and reprimanded her.
The saddest thing is that she still thinks she won the case.
Needabailout, too!
January 5th, 2010
1:28 pm
It’s just a process…she’s stepped down from Secretary of State to run for govenor…once she loses that election–she’s out of our newspapers and our lives for good. Hope she degree’d up well.
John
January 5th, 2010
1:28 pm
We better get used to it, She will be the next Governor. This state is too red for her not to be. The only thing she is doing now is getting more Democrat votes.
Rectal Bleeding
January 5th, 2010
1:33 pm
Wait…She speaks out against sleazy politics? Wow….The thought of going against bad and evil is overwhelming me.
Glen Beck
January 5th, 2010
1:37 pm
SouthernBelle – Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen cleaning, or preparing dinner for your husband?
RxDawg
January 5th, 2010
1:45 pm
“where legislation passes or fails based on the size of contributions or the elegance of a dinner trip … is not public service”
That’s enough for my vote. I’m sick of the BS corrupt politicians being bought. As far as I’m concerned every incummbent can be voted out regardless of party affiliation.
tg
January 5th, 2010
1:45 pm
I really don’t understand the hate and venom thrown at someone who has good ideas. How can you not like the idea to clean up politics in Georgia? If she had any skeletons in her closet, I would think we would have heard of them by now. Let us have a good campaign with everybodies ideas listened to!
Paul
January 5th, 2010
1:45 pm
Then again, I’d take almost ANYBODY over John Oxendine, a slick yet exceptional criminal in his own right. His now booted judge Dad taught him well, and John’s acceptance of bribes from lobbyists – errr, I mean just friends, is precious. One of John’s employees is Gwinnett Commissioner Shirley Lasseter, who also follows closely in the Oxendine pillage and plunder footsteps.
Cutty
January 5th, 2010
1:47 pm
You all seem to forget Sonny ran on the same platform. With the same aides and PR people that Handel has now. If she wants to change the tone so bad, why stick with the same people?
Power Corrupts
January 5th, 2010
1:54 pm
Handel’s living in a dream world. All the money at play will make the decisions about the governor and legislature, not an idealist running for governor. There are billions in the state budget that the legislature passes out to their “friends” and contributors as a reward for lucrative contributions, jobs, deals, etc. That will not change in Georgia, one of the most corrupt states in America.
Hello!
January 5th, 2010
1:54 pm
Loose Group
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/committees/the-loose-group.asp?cycle=08
atlin83
January 5th, 2010
1:57 pm
Handel doesn’t have “skeletons in her closet” – she has openly documented fiascos, including a federal voting rights violation. I can’t even count the times I’ve seen her on the news passing the buck on issues that are the Secretary of State Office’s responsibility – ultimately, she’s the figurehead, and the responsible party. Her probems, so far as I know, are purely political – lobbyist influence, ethics violations, civil rights violations, incompetence – no better (and maybe worse) for the state than the philandering and influence-gaming of our currently-elected leaders.
Cleaning up the Capitol is a necessity, but she’s not the one who will do it, no matter what she says. We should all know better by now than to trust politicians promising to clean things up, especially someone with a checkered past.
RUKidding
January 5th, 2010
1:58 pm
With all the trash and lies being thrown around here, Handel must be striking a chord.
Atl Resident
January 5th, 2010
2:04 pm
Who in the hell is Karen Handel? But anyway, I hope she learned on thing from Palin and that is to shut your damn mouth.
Elephant Whip
January 5th, 2010
2:04 pm
uh, tg:
“If she had any skeletons in her closet, I would think we would have heard of them by now.”
I got the procedure wrong in my prior post. Nevertheless, we don’t have to look in the closet. Her skeletons are running around in broad day light:
“The U.S. Justice Department has denied Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s appeal of its decision to reject Handel’s plan for verifying voters’ citizenship.
Handel, a 2010 Republican gubernatorial hopeful, asked the department in August to reconsider its decision to reject the system.
The Justice Department in May said the verification program is frequently inaccurate and has a “discriminatory effect” on minority voters.”
Montrell
January 5th, 2010
2:08 pm
No way that handel gets any of the African-American vote. She was trying to change rules to keep minorities from voting—another way that the powerful white people running the state trying to keep the black people down in Georgia.
Glen Beck
January 5th, 2010
2:08 pm
There are too many liberals here.
aquarius
January 5th, 2010
2:09 pm
Whether or not she would make a good governor, she is right on the money with her comment about “legislation being passed or failed based on the size of contributions or the elegance of a dinner trip.” That’s what is wrong with our entire country….the influence that lobbyists have and the greed of politicians. Nothing will ever change for the public good unless it becomes illegal for lobbyists to buy votes. But then of course I’m dreaming to think that will ever happen.
Oh please
January 5th, 2010
2:13 pm
Handel has MY vote!
Really?
January 5th, 2010
2:17 pm
People saying that Republicans caused the mess in Georgia? Unbelievable. Democrats ran things for 140 years – and there was no lack of corruption then either. This is not a party issue – this is a merely a way to try to create some news for a candidate trailing BADLY in the polls.
Yeahdefinitely
January 5th, 2010
2:17 pm
As far as the “voting” scandal goes, all she was trying to do was keep the voting process from being tainted in our state by lobbyists disguising themselves as “community organizers.” :::cough::: ACORN
LW
January 5th, 2010
2:21 pm
That whole voter verification “scandal” — somebody correct me if I’m wrong but I thought the deal was that the Secretary of State tried to verify that people who were voting in Georgia elections were actually, legally entitled to vote. Groups representing ILLEGALS objected and President Obama’s Justice Department sided with the illegals, in essence, opening the flood gates for illegals to vote in Georgia. And that’s somehow a negative mark against HER? We’re living in an episode of the Twilight Zone, people. For God’s sake, WAKE UP.
RGB
January 5th, 2010
2:26 pm
We certainly wouldn’t want to attempt to ensure that people who vote are indeed eligible to vote, now would we.
Democrats rely on prisoners, ex-cons, non-citizens, double-counting, suppressing the military vote, and counting the dead to win elections.
Danny
January 5th, 2010
2:31 pm
Republicans been running the south for decades and it seems as we are still stuck in the 1800 down here. It’s time for a change but another racist republican is not going to do it! The state of GA is still a southern confederate state that will look out only for those who are wealthy and have been for generations. They are not concerned about the welfare of others or if it will do economically well
Just A Grunt
January 5th, 2010
2:31 pm
Wow, must be a lot of Oxendine supporters in here today. I think the Ox is feeling the heat and when somebody starts talking about the business as usual under the Gold Dome sooner or later folks are going to question some of the sweetheart deals he has gotten over the years.
I haven’t really decided this early on anybody to support in the governors race, but I have made up my mind on some I won’t. Oxendine is the top of that list. I am keeping an open mind regarding Karen Handel and others like Nathan Deal and even Ray McBerry.
RGB
January 5th, 2010
2:35 pm
I wonder if “Danny Boy” is his favorite song.
Just A Grunt
January 5th, 2010
2:40 pm
Uh Danny Boy you need to do a little research before mouthing off with your carpet bagging race baiting comments. Sonny Perdue is the first Republican governor in GA since reconstruction. It is the Democrats, you know the ones who opposed Civil Rights in the 60’s who have been running the south for a long time.
Look up Lester Maddox. Here is his wiki page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Maddox
Elephant Whip
January 5th, 2010
2:42 pm
LW, Really?, et al.:
It’s not minorities, etc., alone that said Handel was trying to implement a practice in screening voters that was unconstitutional and illegal. It was the Department of Justice and the Federal Courts.
By the way, the DOJ was full of Bush appointees at the time.
Do your research and don’t confuse this with the Voter ID case (in which the federal district court essentially forced the state to change illegal legislation, and then, once the legislation was no longer illegal, dismissed the case).
Yeahdefinitely
January 5th, 2010
2:44 pm
You know it’s funny how Republicans catch all the blame for the recession when it was Democratic legislation that caused it. Has everyone forgotten about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Pelosi and almost all of the other Dems in Congress held stock in those companies and then they passed legislation allowing people with bad credit to buy houses with loans on inflated interest. The Dems lined their pockets with the money from that debacle, and look what happened. Nobody could pay. Now we are all suffering. But, oh yeah, that racist Republican from Texas caused the whole thing single-handedly, huh? Just like our new Democratic leader is going to come in and fix everything single-handedly. Hello, this is reality calling!!!
Fauntle-ROY BARNES
January 5th, 2010
2:45 pm
Karen, honey. Fetch me a lemon for my spring water.
Cheryl Hillman
January 5th, 2010
2:45 pm
Karen Handel is the TRUTH NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH SO HELP ME GOD, and i’m a demorcate.
Bill
January 5th, 2010
2:49 pm
Her comments are right on the money. It would be nice to know where she stands on issues as well. She has proved her self less scary than John Oxendine, that leave a little ways to go to get my vote.
Just a grunt,
Most of those democrats who ran the south for so long are now republicans.
Quickster 82
January 5th, 2010
2:50 pm
It seems everyone on this blog has their mind made up one way or another. Handel may be the best candidate we end up with. We could certainly use Change and the Change we have isn’t working too well yet.
Mr. Grumpy
January 5th, 2010
2:50 pm
LW — YOU Wake UP. It was Bush’s Justice Department that first started investigating Ms. Handel’s “mishandling” (pun intended) of Georgia’s new voter registration procedures she was proposing. It came right out of the Republican Playbook on how to reduce the number of minority voters they knew would not vote for their candidates. Ms. Handel’s system threw out the baby with the bath water, because in far too many cases, people who were legal voters were denied their right to vote, hardly a cause to celebrate. So, you get your history straight.
And as for allegations that the Democrats’ 135-year control of state politics resulted in corruption problems, too, bear in mind that the Republican leadership who has controlled state politics for only the past 8 years has far surpassed the depth and degree and amount of corruption that Democrats EVER committed. Not even Democrats achieved the level of corruption your Republican buddies have managed to achieve in a far, far shorter period of time. They couldn’t even find within the ranks of House leadership under Richardson anyone who could take over from him without continuing the sad story of Republican corruption. And the surface has only been scratched. If all the truth comes out, Georgians will want to hang everyone of those sons-of-b!+($<s.
aps
January 5th, 2010
2:51 pm
Montrell. The black vote in Georgia only counts in city of Atlanta elections.
Vote No
January 5th, 2010
2:53 pm
Ray McBerry is the ONLY conservative in the race.
Limited, Constitutional Government.
Support Ray McBerry in 2010
jsc3
January 5th, 2010
2:54 pm
Republicans have been running the South for decades? Are you serious? To be sure, for the last decade or so they have been dominant, but Sonny Perdue is the first Republican governor in over 100 years, and in general, a Republican couldn’t get elected in Georgia as a dog catcher until some time in the 1980s, after the popularity of Ronald Reagan caught on. In the 1950s and 1960s, all those Southern governors and legislators you saw railing against integration and the Civil Rights movement were Democrats, and it was certainly not just in Georgia.
I am personally independent (not Republicrat), and I lean more toward the Libertarian party if pressed to choose. Generally, I support the idea of showing all the incumbents to the exits – at local, state and Federal levels.
Bottom Line
January 5th, 2010
2:55 pm
The bottom line is, of course the Democrats in Georgia did not, do not, want to use any type of legal identification at the polls. If we the citizens were/are issued and required to present identification at the polls the Democrats could not vote the same Black person 3 or 4 times all around the Atlanta metro area. Karen Handel wanted to stop these acts but of course as you read the Democrats aren’t about to allow that.
LW
January 5th, 2010
2:56 pm
Elephant Whip, I took your advice and did a little Googling and Handel, it turns out, didn’t implement the voter verification program. She attempted to ENFORCE it.
“As required by law and ordered by federal courts in October 2008, the eligibility of new applicants to register and vote is checked against the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) and Social Security Administration databases to ensure that individuals registering to vote report similar information. If information in these databases does not match information reported on the voter registration form, the applicant is asked to clarify the information. Additionally, if the applicant previously reported to DDS that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, that person is asked by a registrar to provide proof of citizenship.
Prior to the November 2008 General Election, Secretary Handel sent letters to 4,771 voter registration applicants whose records at DDS indicated they were not U.S. citizens, asking them to provide documentation of their citizenship. As of March 2009, 2,148 of these applicants still have chosen not to resolve the question about their U.S. citizenship.”
By the way, the DOJ is full of Obama appointees now, Captain Obvious.
woww
January 5th, 2010
2:57 pm
Not a real big politcial follower her but I do like what she says.. She is right….There is too much corruption going on in all of Politics….Wheter it is white or black. time for someone to state the obviuos. She will get blasted because she is a female. I am a male and I HATE all of the Democrats/Republicans in all offices they lie cheat and steal….there is not one of them that is for the majority of the voting public….but what she says is correct .. She will be killed over it though….Most voting public is not qualified to really know hat goes on…..same ol same ol according the above posts….
Tom
January 5th, 2010
2:59 pm
Hey, Karen! It will be impossible to rid the Dome of LIES before Sonny is gone.
Vote'm OUT
January 5th, 2010
3:00 pm
VOTE all incumbents OUT any political office. This is a start!!! We must VOTE all incumbents OUT of office!!!
joe
January 5th, 2010
3:01 pm
why would we elect someone without a college education to run the state. it makes no sense to me.
Tom
January 5th, 2010
3:02 pm
Vote No, McBerry’s a nice guy but he has no chance. The last thing anyone wants after all these years of Sonny is a THEOCRAT in the Governor’s Mansion.
Give me a TRUE fiscal conservative and social libertarian and you’ll get my vote!
smallbusiness woman
January 5th, 2010
3:02 pm
I have attended several events where I have met many of the governatorial candidates and had a chance to speak with them one on one. Karen Handel is the ONLY one who has discussed in some detail with me how she can help ME and other small business owners in our state. With 90% or more of the jobs created in this state by small business owners, I can see Karen has a good hold on what our state needs to move forward. I have studied her record and am impressed with what she has accomplished so far in her political career. I have also met and talked with her husband Steve. They have a solid relationship and she has his help and support in her run for Governor. As a woman small business owner in our state, she has my vote and I hope to have the opportunity to see what a woman will do in this office where so many men have failed.
Nocumentum
January 5th, 2010
3:02 pm
If anyone really wants to shake-up politics in this state (and it darn well needs a good shaking), vote for David Poythress – he’s the only decent person running.
Tom
January 5th, 2010
3:04 pm
Joe, why would Sonny keep appointing someone without a college education to THE BOARD THAT OVERSEES COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES???
Seriously, for which job would the requirement of a college degree seem more relevant?
The General
January 5th, 2010
3:05 pm
Handel seems the most palatable from a rather lack-luster bunch of candidates. Oxendine, on the other hand, is just plain bad news. If you want things in Georgia screwed-up beyond recognition, then let Ox do it for you.
Vote*
January 5th, 2010
3:07 pm
Any thing will be as good as the warmed over Democratic we have had for the last eight years.
Even OlRoy and the Cobb delegation would be a change.
Concerned Voter
January 5th, 2010
3:07 pm
I’ve take a poll of the blogs so far. I only see three votes for Handel. That’s not good. There’s no way in Hell Georgia will elect a woman for Governor. If they don’t have something on her now. They will before the Primary
Sarah Palin's Rack
January 5th, 2010
3:11 pm
It’s time for a change!
Money Rules
January 5th, 2010
3:14 pm
Oxendine has long been in the pocket of big insurance—he’s got his hand out for every big corporation in the state looking for inside deals / access.
disillusioned
January 5th, 2010
3:17 pm
Karen Handel is just another politician. Any attempt on her part to portray herself as an outsider is complete fiction.
She lost my vote the day she resigned from the position she ran for to pursue one she liked even better. What happened to all of her campaign promises made regarding the Secretary of State position? “…never mind…”
Complete the job you were elected to do, THEN try seeking another position.
And for the record, a large number of today’s Georgia Republicans (including Governor Perdue) are yesterday’s Georgia Democrats. It’s the trendy thing to do.
EAGLE
January 5th, 2010
3:20 pm
Let get this Democrat ruling the South issue aside, it was the Dixiecrats who became Republicans in light of civil rights that ruled the old south.
Vote No
January 5th, 2010
3:20 pm
Tom @ 3:02
That’s what they said about Rubio in Florida.
I’m not giving up. I sent $25 last week. I’m 40 and never gave one cent to any candidate. Now I not only give a little money, more importantly, I donate my time and labor.
Not Falling For It
January 5th, 2010
3:20 pm
Don’t fall for it! Karen Handel is another pandering, slick talker with no substance like Sarah Palin. As if she hasn’t already benefited from the “good ole boy network” herself…please. Her “ambitions” (or qualifications) aren’t that strong for her to go from county commissioner to Secretary of State and then Governor all in a matter of what…a few years??? PLEASE!! That has “good ole boy” connections written all over it. She hasn’t done anything worthwhile in her career to justify a run for governor…let alone the hold the office itself.
All she’d need to do is change her name to “Pat” and you’d never know the difference. Don’t try and play up being a little hen in the rooster house…I’m not falling for it! I hope the voters of GA won’t either!!
Danny
January 5th, 2010
3:22 pm
Ok just to be clear. In todays realm republicans = racist and conservative and dems = liberal and progressive. Living in Atlanta for over 15 years and coming from Philadelphia, I can truly say that I can see the smoke screen.
I have seen the Northlake/Tucker area going from thriving is now deserted and neglected. Businesses have left, Parisians moved out of the mall and the mall once looked upon as a more glamourous complex now can be compared to a flea market, the business signs look 50+ years old. However this area has wealthy neighborhoods which is in majority old white republicans. They don’t want anything new, they don’t want any change, they want it all to only work themselves. They don’t go out and spend money with businesses, they don’t fuel the stores.. it is only the young people that will do that. They wanted to shut down nightlife because it would destroy the property value, but I guess having deserted businesses, neglected buildings, ran down facilities helps boost the property value?? Isn’t that what happened to Atlanta? Atlanta once was a talked about city with lots of entertainment but now everybody is crying broke? Well I guess if it doesn’t attact tourism and foreign people, you don’t really make money. Anyways we all know that Georgia and the south are still stuck in the 1800’s and is as racist as can be and far away from progress as long as you put those republicans in office that have been running this state
Elephant Whip
January 5th, 2010
3:24 pm
LW:
Watch out with the “Captain Obvious” comment; you can’t even find the obvious.
(1) The US District Court said Voter ID law was okay. This case started before Handel was in office.
(2) Later, after the Voter ID thing was over, Handel implemented a system that used the least reliable information to knock voters off the list of eligible voters off the list. The federal courts and the Department of Justice made her stop doing this because it was illegal and unconstitutional.
(3) All that junk you quote is about Voter ID.
(4) The appointees at the time of the last presidential election, which occured after all of this happened, could not have been Obama appointees.
Now, that is the obvious, which you apparently cannot grasp.
Don Juan
January 5th, 2010
3:25 pm
Wow! After reading this blog, I see why Georgia ranks so low in education.
Yeahdefinitely
January 5th, 2010
3:27 pm
Don’t worry, Concerned Voter. Our next governor will be female and Republican!
Cutty
January 5th, 2010
3:29 pm
So by Handel’s method of thinking, anyone can go from County Commissioner to SOS to running for Governor with no college degree and without the help of the ‘good ol boy network’. Yeah right.
MAH
January 5th, 2010
3:29 pm
Karen Handel needs to stop talking out of both sides of her mouth. She will pander to, and then backstab, anyone in order to politically advance. I still have the letter she wrote me after her campaign for Fulton Commission Chair back in 2003, when I was on a glbt non-profit whose support she knew she needed in order to do well in Midtown and other progressive areas beyond Buckhead and North Fulton. She came to the AIDSWalk that year and promoted how gay friendly she was. We saw how quickly she turned on the gay community. Now she knows she can’t win without crossing some moderates over to her direction. How appropriate she turns on the Republicans at the Gold Dome.
She’s quite savvy despite being barely a high school graduate, huh?
Oh please
January 5th, 2010
3:29 pm
Elephant Whip,
Why would Karen Handel need to force the vote Republican when this state is notoriously red and has been for years?
Tom
January 5th, 2010
3:31 pm
Vote No…any idea what went down between McBerry and Jenny Hodges?
LongtimeGOPer
January 5th, 2010
3:35 pm
Women need to understand that the reason we’re in the Republican Party is that we want to get this country back to the good old days — when family values were paramount and women knew their place. Karen Handel represents what’s wrong with our party — we let camaflaged feminist women hold office and minorities like Michael Steele run the party operations in Washington. Time for true Republicans to get them back in their place.
Computer Literate
January 5th, 2010
3:35 pm
Have you ever tried to match two independently collected computer databases of the same names? If so, you would realize that there will be a large number of errors because people spell their name in different ways at different. Handel did her best to disenfranchise honest citizens — have you seen many prosecutions for voter fraud in this Republican state lately? As such, she can take her place with the great segragationists of the past, right up there with Senator Bilbo and the other slack-jawed racists of yore. No wonder Erick Erickson and Redneck State love her. Give me one of the other Republicans — I’ll take a simple crook over an ugly racist anyday.
Marcos
January 5th, 2010
3:41 pm
So NOW she is concerned about these issues?! Where have you been for the last decade or so Karen?
party crasher $325,000.
January 5th, 2010
3:41 pm
maybe glen richardson will donate the $200,000 he has stashed in his pac to karen. Otherwise, what will he do with the money? And, all you people hating on karen need to get a life.
Rein in those lobbyists -- after you have their cash | Political Insider
January 5th, 2010
3:43 pm
[...] My AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin has the details here. [...]
ricky greenway
January 5th, 2010
3:45 pm
Handle is right i have a personl who works there and she said sex is a big thing there. she lost her husband to for cheating.somebody need to look in to it.
songbird
January 5th, 2010
3:47 pm
Yes, the Democrats ran this state for 140 years and the Republicans for the last 8. I can’t tell any difference. The Republicans certainly haven’t made any improvements to anything since they took over. In fact, traffic is worse, the schools are worse, etc……..
Someone please tell me one major accomplishment of the Republican party since they took over.
jack bull
January 5th, 2010
3:49 pm
racist? how in the world is trying to get people who vote have a valid i.d. racist? seriously, everyone who votes should simply have some kind of state issued i.d. to do so. plain and simple. it seems that the folks that are on the short end of the stick when it comes to numbers are the ones who have the problem with this. it’s really simple, present an i.d., vote one time, go home, and watch for the results..who in their right mind has issues with this?
Just A Grunt
January 5th, 2010
3:50 pm
When liberals can’t scream racism they try an paint with a broad brush and play guilt by association. We witnessed it in the mayor’s race in Atlanta. Kasim Reed’s supporters didn’t want to call Mary Norwood a racist, just because she was a white woman, so they spread the bogus story of her being a Republican. It worked.
Why don’t liberals want women in politics? They shunned Hillary, blasted Sarah, derided Condoleeza Rice, tried to smear Mary Norwood and now they are attacking Karen Handel. You know what, I may just vote for all females in the next election cause liberals seem to be scared of them.
It doesn’t explain how Nancy Pelosi got where she is though.
Michelle
January 5th, 2010
3:52 pm
It would be simple if corruption was confined to one political party. It isn’t. Check out former Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina. Corruption spans all boundaries. Democrats historically ruled the South, and during and after the 1960’s liberal era, many switched and became Republican. The Religious RIght exists because it’s the way most folks were raised down South and in the heartland, with little culture and social activity other than church.
We need more strong, honest women and mothers in government. It really doesn’t matter which party, as long as they don’t sell themselves in any way, or compromise their integrity for the sake of lobbyists and/or organizations, whether criminal or not.
(She also shouldn’t fire her government-employed brother-in-law because he divorced her sister.)
Women will care more for the grandchildren, and what kind of messes and opportunities our generation will be leaving behind. Cleaning up messes is where women shine brightest.
Jimmy Carter
January 5th, 2010
3:52 pm
Georgia desperately needs a governor with integrity, honesty, a comfortable sweater and a pleasant smile.
Yeahdefinitely
January 5th, 2010
3:53 pm
Longtime GOPer – You are just a Democrat in disguise trying yet again to tarnish the image of the Republican party. I have to admit this crop of Dems in the modern era have been very successful at their number one goal: “Bring Down GOP”. The problem is that they forgot that politics isn’t supposed to be about competition. It is supposed to be about representing the best interests of the people.
ComputerLiterate – Are you serious? I have never spelled my name any way other than the way it was given to me. Only forgers, identity theives, and illegals sign their name differently. Last I checked, those would be the people NOT entitled to vote.
Change in Georgia
January 5th, 2010
3:54 pm
The republican party have mess this state up, now they telling on each other. Karen Handle is going to mess up the repbulican party doing the election.
Watch the Republican voters going to come out and vote for Roy Barnes.
Barnes got my vote
jack bull
January 5th, 2010
3:55 pm
duh,,sex, money, and drugs..that’s what makes the world go around…in that order..that will never change..she’s getting hers too, i guarantee it.. tiger got his, obama’s getting his(it will come out soon, and yes, she/they will be white).. i just call it like it is..
Sporty Black
January 5th, 2010
3:58 pm
As an Independent, I inform you that Handel is not good for the Repulican party (or Georgia). Anyone that starts off devisive (on gender of all things) will go down in flames pretty quickly. She is too busy trying to prove she is a woman. Well we can already see 200lbs of woman so she she need to focus on the issues. Getting a piece of booty on the side is not an issue, IT’S JUST SEX.
By the way, ‘LogtimeGOPer’ is killing your party faster than Handel ever would.
Money and Sex
January 5th, 2010
4:02 pm
Take it from me–those Ga legislators are getting more good sex on the side than Tiger Woods! These hot lobbyists are selling everything to get those georgia taxpayer dollars for their companies. They are paying big tabs at restaurants, hotels, resorts, fishing trips, hunting trips—-anything to get the contract and get themselves a big fat bonus!!!! Life’s great in the Ga legislature—money rules —- money talks! Nothing else matters.
Piso Mojado
January 5th, 2010
4:03 pm
Republican leadership over the past 6 years or so has ruined this state. God help us all if this bimbo gets past the primaries.
Rick
January 5th, 2010
4:06 pm
Danny,
I agree with you 100%. Georgia is one of the least educated states in the Union. Sonny Perdue is a wretched governor, and, now this hillbilly wants to “stay the course.” LOL
jay
January 5th, 2010
4:07 pm
At this point in the Governor’s race, I like Karen best.
However, I hope she has more than this one issue to campaign on.
Oxendine and Deal should remain in their current offices. The pay is guaranteed and the dirty laundry can stay where it is.
Elephant Whip
January 5th, 2010
4:11 pm
Given the ignorance about Ms. Handel’s prior work as the Secretary of State, I can see how she would be elected here.
Please, read up on what she has done in office.
(1) Voter ID Law: all she did, if anything, was serve as a mouthpiece in federal court to explain how the legislature, having been caught red-handed trying to institute a new poll tax, actually changed the law and put forth an effort (which it would not have done unless sued) to tell people how to register in order to save some remnant of the statute and save face.
(2) Purging Voter Rolls: AFTER the Voter ID Law survived, Handel tried more maneuvers by using the least reliable information about voter identity to purge voter rolls. The United States Goverment found this to be illegal and discriminatory via the Federal Courts AND the Bush-appointed Department of Justice.
Why she tried to purge voter rolls this way is not the issue; if the state is so securely republican, what was her concern? But that doesn’t really matter. Out of ignorance or intentionally, she and her department violated the US Constitution and they were enjoined from using her system.
Why do you people want someone who cannot properly apply the law to be the Chief Executive Officer in this state?
Handel for Governor 2010
January 5th, 2010
4:16 pm
Handel is the best!
songbird
January 5th, 2010
4:19 pm
I’m still waiting for someone to point out one major accomplishment of the Republican Party in this State……
professional skeptic
January 5th, 2010
4:26 pm
Don’t hold your breath, songbird. If I had to choose between the under-educated Handel and John Oxendine the sleaze bucket with the crooked judge for a daddy, I’d choose Handel. Of course, I’m still waiting for a good candidate from either party to join the race (I might not want to hold my breath, either.)
Woohoo
January 5th, 2010
4:27 pm
Karen, you just got one locked-in vote from me!
BillGill
January 5th, 2010
4:39 pm
Ms Handel is honest, a formidable person who’d make a good Governor but I can’t vote for her because she’s republican.
WhatASkank
January 5th, 2010
4:41 pm
This mere high school cheerleader needs to get an education before telling me or anyone else what to do.
AF
January 5th, 2010
4:42 pm
I am one of those bleeding heart liberals. And, I am watching Handel because I think she has some good stuff.
Her handling of the voting issues was not so bad. Explanations of what happened to foul up the reporting to the feds made sense to me. Have any of you tried to run an operation where thousands of pieces of data have to be entered and transmitted to another system? I can so see happening exactly what happened to her – human error and misunderstandings.
She is feisty. She has strongly held beliefs and she fights.
We all know she is right about the lobbyists running the government. Doesn’t matter which party has the most seats in the assembly – it is the lobbyists in charge either way. If she can cut down on influence peddling and vote purchasing by the lobbyists, she would be the one who could make a difference.
Lets see how this plays out.
Good Government
January 5th, 2010
4:45 pm
The Help Americans Vote Act (HAVA) required citizen verification of registration rolls. Karen was complying with HAVA. She was standing up for our democracy to ensure that only legal citizens were registering AND voting in our elections.
Democrats and Liberals are trying to throw HAVA out – it’s the only way they hang onto power. If that happens, granny bar the door, illegals will be voting en masse and we can kiss this country goodbye forever.
RedTornado
January 5th, 2010
4:48 pm
If someone actually listened to the people of the state and not accept a dime from a lobbyist, they have my vote. Politicians treat us as we are stupid, and yes some us are. Take me for example, I fell for the whole change thing. It’s still the same. Spend, spend, Spend. Tax, Tax, Tax. Can someone get elected without lobbyists and people expecting something in return for their contribution. I guess you don’t get the top job without paying people back that got you their.
Tom
January 5th, 2010
4:49 pm
Several years back when Handel was Fulton County Commission Chairwoman, I wrote two letters to her complaining about specific circumstances surrounding instances regarding my mother and ambulance service responses (actually, lack thereof). I never received any kind of acknowledgement from her, her office, or anyone else in Fulton County government, much less any actions regarding my complaints. I used to support Handel; now I wouldn’t vote for her for any office.
lovelyliz
January 5th, 2010
5:21 pm
Don’t you realize that anything can be forgiven as long as you believe in the neo-cons, uber-capitalist, right-wing version of Jesus Christ
Ray Goff
January 5th, 2010
5:29 pm
Handel is no nonsense and what we need as a leader. Now shut up and go vote for KAREN HANDEL. Go Dawgs!
tc
January 5th, 2010
5:38 pm
while maybe well intentioned she does not possess the political acumen to lead the state at this time. nor do most of the other repubican contenders. they will have to rely on political advisors ie lobbyists to run government and they are major contributors to the problems we find ourselves in.
Elect our Brightest to office
January 5th, 2010
6:13 pm
If Handel is elected our eductational system will fall a few spots below South Carolina. She does not have a college degree and has made it to her current position by getting special favors. Wonder how she got those favors, sure wasn’t because of the intellect that she brings to the table.
Appalled
January 5th, 2010
6:17 pm
I was in a meeting with Handel when she served on Fulton County Commissioners. Our group was from a small neighborhood with concerns about growth. Handel told us she NEVER took overcrowding of schools and traffic congestion in consideration when she voted. She then proceeded to yell at one of my neighbors. Evil woman – we’re in deep trouble if she’s elected. Her discriminatory remarks against men prove that she’ll say anything to get elected – not very smart to attack any one group even if its’ men. Just like Palin, bails on her position to further personal agenda. Embarrassing.
Aaron Gould Sheinin
January 5th, 2010
6:25 pm
If I might interject here for a second, I’d like to congratulate everyone for the level of discourse today! I haven’t had to delete a single comment. Nice work everyone.
Good Government
January 5th, 2010
6:39 pm
Thank goodness for Karen Handel! She is the type of leader that this state needs!
It’s almost too much to believe that there is leadership like Karen Handel on the horizon. I think she will work quite well with Speaker Ralston.
WhatASkank
January 5th, 2010
7:32 pm
Karen smells like a wet dog….in heat.
lovelyliz
January 5th, 2010
7:38 pm
Haven’t we heard these claims of piety from politicians before? Unless Handel really is what she claims to be, she will be just another self-rightoeus politician
Tom in Brunswick
January 5th, 2010
8:15 pm
If Handel hates lobbyists so much, why has she taken so much money from them for her campaign? She is a shameless hussy!
JD
January 5th, 2010
8:30 pm
David Poytress blasted the lack of ethics among the state leadership long before it was “fashionable”. Jeff Chapman took a strong and principled stand against the attempted giveaway of Jekyll Island to a politically connected developer. So Karen Handel is wrong about everyone else running for governor coming up short on ethics.
Green green
January 5th, 2010
9:25 pm
“I have taken less money from lobbyists that Karen has,” [even more longshot than Ray McBerry Rep. Austin] Scott [R-Broke] said. ” I have already returned every contribution made by lobbyists to this campaign, and I challenge Karen to do the same.”
Hey I personally like Scott but lobbyists got more sense than to blow a wad on a little foal. Next time though, after he gets a little slicker … and decides to take lobbyist money ….
Good Government
January 5th, 2010
10:35 pm
I spoke to soon on the clean hands of David Ralston — it appears he is using Dave Simons as a fundraiser. Corruption hangs around him like death at a funeral home…
KFG
January 5th, 2010
10:38 pm
I hope the good people of Georgia have the sense to nominate Karen Handel for Governor. What we need is someone who will get the job done and not play games. This state is slipping and it’s going to take serious leadership to bail it out.
And what’s this with Eric Johnson claiming to have a long record of ethics? He turned a blind eye at absolute corruption as Chairman of the Ethics Committee by failing to investigate the Richardson Ethical Allegations which we all know turned out to be horrible and were known by everyone. Not to mention the slug that Johnson has on his payroll – Dave Simons.
green green
January 5th, 2010
10:47 pm
@kfg, EJ, being in the senate, can’t investigate Richardson in the house. I believe the person you’re looking to (rightfully) blame is one Mr. Joe Wilkerson.
Libby Tarian
January 5th, 2010
11:52 pm
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that Karen Handel has broken her campaign promise to ensure that the electronic voting machines count votes accurately. GA is ranked last on voting systems & procedures. The Secretary of State’s office has been sued, and the case is now before the GA Supreme Court. For more information, please visit http://voterga.org .
SWGA Politics » Karen Handel: Pot, meet Kettle
January 6th, 2010
6:28 am
[...] Karen Handel had what has been described as a very successful event with more than 500 women in attendance (it was a “Women for [...]
Stand Waitie
January 6th, 2010
8:46 am
Gimme a break!! The biggest mess in politics is the socialist/marxist/communist/liberal/democrat/anti-American coalition who are trying to destroy the Grand Republic. I don’t care much for Handel, but Republicans are pikers compared to the aforementioned bunch.
handel's elephant
January 6th, 2010
10:02 am
handel, like the others, is in the pocket of big money lobbyists—she’ll be passing out taxpayer money to her “friends” like candy at halloween! Another phony in government—it never ends. But people keep voting for “change” and “a new way” and get the same corrupt “leaders.”
GoOx
January 6th, 2010
10:13 am
My man Ox is the only person in the race without ethical challenges.
wtf
January 6th, 2010
10:29 am
Lobbyist reporting is a joke. The State Ethics Commission is a joke. It has no teeth because the AG’s office, including T. Baker, drag their feet in moving anything through the pipeline. Also, if you think lobbying firms don’t just have “regular people” individuals, making the contributions for them, you are really disillusioned.
wtf
January 6th, 2010
10:32 am
No, John Oxendine is not “ethically challenged” he is ethically crippled!
kelley
January 6th, 2010
10:38 am
I can’t believe anyone who knows Handle could use honest in the same sentence with her. I watched her on the news. The only thing she said truthfully is she’s not a boy. Come on, she IS the choice of Perdue. She worked for him in his office. She is an ambitious venomous vindictive woman. Perdue put her where he wanted her, he put one of his “other girls” in Fulton county superior court. as a reward for her favors. It is ‘I’ll wash your back, you wash mine” break out the loofahs.
Will she stop the corruption under the Gold Dome, she IS the corruption. Will she stop the lies under the dome, only if she doesn’t speak again, will she stop the sex, well maybe, look at her, she’ no cougar. Phirah maybe, cougar no.
Ernest
January 6th, 2010
1:31 pm
A few years ago, former Fulton County Sheriff “Jackie” Barrett’s “missing funds” fiasco and the absolutely horrible, “third world” filthy, unbelievably overcrowded, and often deadly (medical care for the severely ill was practically non-existent and several persons died as a direct result of a lack of medical care) conditions at the Fulton County Jail were very big news (remember, most persons being held in jails have not been found guilty of any crime, they are awaiting trial). I closely followed the federal case concerning the jail conditions, which was assigned to Judge Marvin Shoob. As Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Karen Handel coldly attempted to PREVENT any improvements to conditions at the jail and she also strongly opposed providing compensation to, among others, a Vietnamese inmate who was to have been held at the jail for not more than three days, yet because he spoke no English (the deputies NEVER attempted to contact an interpreter) and because the extremely lazy and ignorant jailers claimed “his paperwork was lost”, the poor man was wrongly kept in jail for SEVENTEEN MONTHS! After observing Karen Handel’s many inhumane and disgraceful actions during that case, it is clear she possesses no common decency or human compassion whatsoever. To refer to Karen Handel as a “sociopath” would not be stretching the truth. Karen Handel actually plans to run for governor?! BEWARE : KAREN HANDEL is Georgia’s ILSE KOCH!
Scott LaFata
January 6th, 2010
2:10 pm
I am amazed with all the negative comments here on someone who has done a great job for Fulton County and the citizens of Georgia. She will make a fine Governor. Her conservative approach to governing and reducing the waste in State Government will benefit us all. All the complaints against her role of attempting to verify voters citizenship just show ignorance of the rampant voter fraud that exists propagated by the highly esteemed ACORN folks fed nationally by the Chicago Richard J. Daley Political Machine.
Ernest
January 6th, 2010
2:14 pm
Most politicians in Georgia could not even hope to pass the pre-employment screening standards which are required of regular state employees. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS EVER IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE “SERVED” A TERM IN ANY ELECTED OFFICE OF ANY DESCRIPTION! I’M FED UP WITH ALL THE CORRUPT, LYING PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS and THE MINDLESS IDIOTS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEIR PAST, YET STILL BLINDLY SUPPORT THEM! To continue electing the same old professional crooks to office time after time, then actually expecting the situation to improve is just as insane as viewing a film multiple times and expecting the ending to change!
Ernest
January 6th, 2010
2:29 pm
Scott LaFata – You obviously possess little to no first hand knowledge about what Karen Handel ACTUALLY did as Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners! Read the transcripts of the meetings over which she presided, then speak with those who have had business dealings with her. I despise ACORN as much as everyone else, but to focus only on Handel’s attempts to verify the citizenship of voters does not make sense. If you are saying that Handel is correct half as often as a broken clock, then I believe that would constitute a fair assessment of her performance.
Interested
January 6th, 2010
2:47 pm
I’m thinking of opening a brothel in Atlanta, near the capitol. I’d be rich in a week!!
Dave
January 6th, 2010
2:52 pm
Amen Ernest. I refuse to vote for anyone in office, however the general populous continues to run head long into tax slavery by voting these morons back into office election after election. Morons? I spoke to soon, Nediots more like it. (Nediots = people who need the intelligence level of an idiot).
RUKidding
January 6th, 2010
3:15 pm
Like I said yesterday, looks like Handel has struck a cord. Pretty interesting to see the lies that people make up to attack a leader that has a proven track record of success.
Good Government
January 6th, 2010
3:58 pm
AMEN RUKidding…
My Man Ox
January 6th, 2010
4:47 pm
My Man Ox is the only one who would install a thunderdome at the Capitol.
Get a Grip, Karen
January 6th, 2010
5:29 pm
I am dismayed at the way in which Karen Handel has broad-brushed all of her competition as unethical and as part of a good old boy network. I know two of the candidates personally, Senator Jeff Chapman and Representative DuBose Porter, and they are two of the most ethical men I have ever met. Chapman, for one, is anything but a good old boy, and has consistently stood for his principles, going against the party line when necessary. I would imagine that there is at least a modicum of ethics among the other candidates as well. Handel talks a good game, but for my money, the candidates who are holding elected office and have chosen to fulfill their commitment to those offices and to the people who elected them stand head and shoulders above those candidates who have bailed to “focus on their campaign.” Bull. They have dropped out so that they can continue fundraising throughout the legislative session. Porter, Chapman, and Scott have the courage to hold their seats, do their jobs, accept the financial handicap, and honor their constituents. I’d love to see a woman governor in Georgia someday, but this one? I don’t think so!!
professional skeptic
January 6th, 2010
5:41 pm
Well, that tears it. After his post from today at 10:13 am, I have concluded that GoOx is a parody blogger along the lines of Redneck Convert, only he hasn’t yet risen to RC’s level of expertise in the fine art of caricature.
He had me on the fence for a while, but that last line of his removes all doubt.
professional skeptic
January 6th, 2010
7:56 pm
The latest dirt on John Oxendine– just another corrupt GA politician whose services are routinely bought and sold.
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/21977561/index.html
eqjustice
January 6th, 2010
10:47 pm
All good [Republican] women, mothers, and female politicians should forever remember Martha Mitchell, what she endured, her untimely death and destruction–– compliments of the Republican Men’s Club. Karen Handel would do well to brush up on the history surrounding this American tragedy.
eqjustice
January 7th, 2010
11:22 am
(This is great!) Maybe Oxendine and his upper crust contributors will have the power and influence to get a Hollywood movie made about Glenn Richardson’s glamorous, exciting, hot Southern love affairs, and make Georgia a splendid and desirable place for any conservative, Lord lovin’ politician to live.
Burnt by her before
January 7th, 2010
4:21 pm
Having worked for the witch, I can tell you that she only has her interest at heart. She could give a crap less about any of you. Of course she seems nice, she’s a politician. She is the most evil and vendictive – arrogant person I have ever met. If you are not pouring money into her campaign, you are not even a citizen.
Austin Scott Responds To Karen Handel; Returns All Gifts From Lobbyists — Peach Pundit
January 7th, 2010
5:34 pm
[...] State, but also seemed to be cutting some old ties with some very strong rhetoric covered in detail here. I attended one of the events and will be composing some thoughts on it as soon as time allows. In [...]
georgia voices
January 9th, 2010
7:22 am
We encourage Karen Handel (and other candiates) to look into the “Lies and Lobbyists” of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and encourage the introduction of new legislation that would no longer enable the misuse of state and college Foundations’ funds by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Legislation that that would bring back some form of accountability by the Board of Regents to someone other than themselves.
When confronted with these facts, Governor Perdue stated in his August 10, 2009 email response that “Georgia’s Constitution reserves to the Board of Regents the exclusive authority to make such decisions. See Ga. Const. Art. 8, Sec. 3, Para. 1(c).”
We encourage you to take a moment to read what the Board of Regents’ “exclusive authority” has allowed them to do with your tax and donation dollars for years. Article by Jim Walls (former reporter at the Atlanta Journal) via Atlanta Unfiltered: University execs’ deferred pay, often hidden, tops $7 million on October 5, 2009 —
Link to full story:
http://www.atlantaunfiltered.com/2009/10/05/university-execs-deferred-pay-often-hidden-tops-7-million/
And there is more…..much more.