Oxendine sets example for Republicans nationwide?
Republicans across the country are making Barack Obama the centerpiece of their campaigns, reports Politico, including those running for statewide offices. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, running for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, is featured prominently in the story:
The health care reform bill is proving to be an especially rich vein for mining. In Georgia, state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has turned Obama’s push for health care reform into a rallying point for his campaign by launching “YouCanStopObama.com,” a site that allows supporters to sign a petition protesting “a government takeover of our nation’s health care system.”
“With your help we can stand up to President Obama and the power grabbing, free market destroying Congress. From centralized control of banking, automaking, and now health care, Obama’s and Congress’ plan for America is a prescription for disaster,” reads the website, which features a picture of Obama that dominates the screen, accompanied by large, attention-grabbing block letters.
Of course, on New Year’s Day that very same John Oxendine sent a message out on Twitter to all of his followers: “UGA vs Michigan State in Capital One Bowl – Go Dawgs!”
A bright move, right? It allows Oxendine to curry favor with the huge Dawg fan base and prove himself to be just a regular guy. “Hunker down” and all that.
The only problem is, the Dawgs had played their bowl game a week earlier, beating Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl. The game against Michigan State happened on New Year’s Day a year ago. (Oxendine pulled the tweet, but a cached copy is available here.)
Despite a string of ethical issuess, Oxendine still maintains a double-digit lead in polls for the GOP nomination. Please, Georgia Republicans. Save yourselves and this state the embarrassment. Nominate somebody else. Anybody else.
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254 comments Add your comment
Jess
January 4th, 2010
11:46 am
Don’t like Oxendine, but I do like his message.
Bosch
January 4th, 2010
11:54 am
Jess,
Like secession? Geez.
FrankLeeDarling
January 4th, 2010
11:55 am
We all really need to pull together and do something about Georgia’s politico’s before we end up like south carolina.
josef nix
January 4th, 2010
11:56 am
Jus’ remember, though, Oxendine ain’t white!
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2010
11:57 am
Puts the “Goober” in gubernatorial, Oxendine does.
Jess
January 4th, 2010
11:58 am
Bosch,
Didn’t read anything in the article about secession. I’ll look again.
@@
January 4th, 2010
11:58 am
The health care reform bill is proving to be an especially rich vein for mining.
Given the public’s lack of support for the health care bill, maybe Obama shouldn’t have made it his number one priority. I don’t know of many conservatives who like Oxendine, but hey….he’s arming himself with the bullet dem’s gave him. Can’t fault HIM!!! for that.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
January 4th, 2010
12:03 pm
Deflect attention from obozo, trashing the US economy is not as important as football game confusion, attack, attack, bad date man, abort, abort!
robot
Outhouse Go-Kart
January 4th, 2010
12:15 pm
Tanks…signed and passed along!
josef nix
January 4th, 2010
12:15 pm
JAY
“Nominate somebody else. Anybody else.”
The floor’s open. Any nominations?
FrankLeeDarling..
“We all really need to pull together and do something about Georgia’s politico’s before we end up like south carolina.”
Hate to be the bearer of unwanted news, but we’re already there and have been for a long, long time…
Jess
January 4th, 2010
12:16 pm
I report is right.
We have a federal budjet which is being increases by 12% this year and which requires the second increase in the Federal debt cap in two months, and all Jay can think of to discuss is a republican candidate who got a football game wrong. Breaking news, Handel just gave a talk, and used a run on sentence.
Matilda
January 4th, 2010
12:16 pm
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
“Save yourselves and this state the embarrassment.” You can’t embarrass people who are too stupid to comprehend why they should be embarrassed. Oxendine by a landslide. Facts don’t matter here in Georgia, as long as the tough talk, hate, and swagger sound legit.
DirtyDawg
January 4th, 2010
12:16 pm
The only reason that ‘the public’ – whoever-the-hell-they-may-be – is against the health-care bill is that the Republicans have managed to FUBAR it to the point that ‘nobody’ likes it. Of course Dems went along with the mess until it was, indeed, unrecognizable – although we’ll have to see what comes out of the final vote.
Face it, Oxendine is a complete panderer. He’s playing to the right so he can get elected to an office that will allow him to make far more than he’s making now – I mean insurance companies throw around a lot of money, but they’re pikers compared to ‘the rest of the bribers’. And for those that don’t know, that Bowl Game foul-up is simply an indication of what this man pays attention to…now if you asked him who’s gonna win a Tony Award or something, he’ll be all over it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that he’s not even being honest with himself, much less whomever he considers his constituents.
getalife
January 4th, 2010
12:17 pm
Um, Obama is not running but it is all the gop can do.
We know they can’t govern and gave us the w depression.
Do you really expect a different outcome?
Bosch
January 4th, 2010
12:19 pm
Jess,
It wasn’t in that article. Jay’s written about his views on secession before.
DirtyDawg
January 4th, 2010
12:20 pm
Hey people, the reason the Fed budget is exploding is because those wars in the middle-east are finally on the books…along with the cost of saving the economy from total collapse from your man geedubya.
md
January 4th, 2010
12:21 pm
The health care bill is all about perception, much like the recession. 90% of americans still have jobs and many haven’t been directly affected by the recession. A large percentage of those same americans also have health insurance, and will not be affected by the bill except in the wallet.
Wallets tend to be a voting point for most voters, on both sides. The numbers are stacked against the dems.
md
January 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
“along with the cost of saving the economy from total collapse from your man geedubya.”
Ever done a jigsaw puzzle that had one piece?
There is never only one person or party at fault when it comes to government, it is one giant puzzle of screw ups.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
January 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
A FREEZING cold front swept over much of northern China on Sunday with snowstorms snarling traffic and air travel, while some of the coldest temperatures in decades were forecast for coming days.
Such temperatures are believed to be the coldest in the capital in 40 years.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr, damn, when is this “global warming” deal supposed to start?
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
I’m not affected by this race, but the tactic I would bet is one we will see repeated elsewhere.
Could not the DNC mount an effective ad campaign that seeks to ridicule these claims and make the case that if Republicans can’t take issue with policies, they’ll make something up? Democrats were on to something when they said they’d establish a ‘truth center’ to counter Fox opinion entertainers misrepresentations (altho they said it applied to the entire network). But, they did not do much with that except concentrate on one or two hosts. And then they seemed to retreat, if not surrender, in their proclaimed war.
But this is different, it picks a viable target (Republicans) and could be an effective strategy. If they’d just follow through with it.
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:30 pm
The Republican Party in Georgia is Oxendine. The GOP has pandered to just that mentality and now it comes home to roost.
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:30 pm
DirtyDawg
[[the Republicans have managed to FUBAR it to the point that ‘nobody’ likes it. Of course Dems went along with the mess ]]
I thought the Democratic talking point was Republicans said only ‘no’, they didn’t bring anything to the table and everything we see in the bill is the result of Democrats fighting amongst themselves? How can a party that’s in the majority, leadership role ‘go along’ with a minority party who is somehow in charge of writing legislation?
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:31 pm
Hey Bosch!
12 days to go….
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:32 pm
Taxpayer
Whenever I hear “Oxendine” I think “Oxycontin.” Is there a connection?
Wait, is it one treats pain, the other is a pain?
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:33 pm
“There will almost certainly be full negotiations but no formal conference,” the House staffer says. “There are too many procedural hurdles to go the formal conference route in the Senate.”
One reason Democrats expect Republicans to keep trying procedural delays is that the Republicans have signaled their intent to do so. On Christmas Eve, when the Senate passed its bill, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell memorably vowed in a floor speech that “This fight isn’t over. My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law.”
“I think the Republicans have made our decision for us,” the Senate staffer says. “It’s time for a little ping-pong.”
The Democrats need to get the job done and leave the GOP where they belong — in the loser column with their “Nays”.
josef nix
January 4th, 2010
12:34 pm
PAUL
Unmentionable calls him Oxydol!
Mrs. Godzilla
January 4th, 2010
12:36 pm
I have read quite a bit about the GOP running on a “repeal health care”
platform.
Go for it!
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:37 pm
josef nix
Maybe Oxendine could use a shot or two of Oxyclean? (Cue Wicked Witch of the West: “I’m melting…. melting…)
getalife
January 4th, 2010
12:39 pm
Oxycontin.
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:40 pm
Mrs. Godzilla
I think that’d be a mistake, as when people find all the beneficial elements (preexisting condition and no drop when sick) they won’t be too happy. They need to learn from what Democrats did when they said they’d repeal all the Bush tax cuts. They found out many low and middle income families benefited greatly and they finally modified their position to repealing the cuts for the superduper rich.
So if Republicans campaign, targeting seniors and those with family members on Medicare that they’ll restore the half trillion in cuts and will work to fairly pay doctors and hospitals for treating seniors, not cut it and plan no increase in the next decade, they could have a viable issue.
AmVet
January 4th, 2010
12:41 pm
Yep, the conned sure do love their criminals, unindicted or otherwise.
The unanswerable question is why do they hate their children and grand children and great -….
Go Dawgs! As in go work for a Ga. Tech grad!
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:42 pm
Whenever I hear “Oxendine” I think “Oxycontin.” Is there a connection?
Wait, is it one treats pain, the other is a pain?
I think the way that association thing works is via a natural progression. Hence, Oxendine -> Oxycontin -> Limbaugh -> GOP. From there it just continues to go down hill.
Jimmy Carter
January 4th, 2010
12:42 pm
So Jay, if the Republicans nominated another candidate, would you seriously considering voting for him/her? Doubt it. Just admit it, you have a problem with EVERY elected Republican. Well, maybe not Olympia Snowe.
Jimmy Carter
January 4th, 2010
12:43 pm
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:42 pm
Much the same way your analogy goes downhill.
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:44 pm
Mrs. Godzilla
January 4th, 2010
12:36 pm
I have read quite a bit about the GOP running on a “repeal health care”
platform.
Go for it!
I sure hope they do as well.
Jenifer
January 4th, 2010
12:45 pm
Debunking lies about the health care bill.
http://healthcareforamericanow.org/site/content/fight_the_smears
Mrs. Godzilla
January 4th, 2010
12:46 pm
Paul
Huge Mistake….that’s why they’ll do it anyway.
Re: The Medicare “campaign”, possibly, but it requires a real working knowledge of the system as it existed with a clear understanding of how the cuts will affect each person individually….too complicated and it won’t fit on a bumper sticker.
Taxpayer
January 4th, 2010
12:48 pm
Jimmy Carter
January 4th, 2010
12:43 pm
Much the same way your analogy goes downhill.
Considering where it led to, the faux Jimmy, that is, I’d say my analogy was right on target. Unless you are willing to declare yourself a devout Democrat. Are you willing to make that declaration, faux Jimmy.
josef nix
January 4th, 2010
12:48 pm
Jenifer…
Care to define crackers?
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:49 pm
Mrs. Godzilla
Oh, I think a simple “Democrats cut half a trillion dollars from your Medicare. We’ll put it back” would work.
Mrs. Godzilla
January 4th, 2010
12:51 pm
Paul
Your car must have a much bigger rear end than mine…….
Jenifer
January 4th, 2010
12:53 pm
“Jenifer…
Care to define crackers?”
The majority of native Georgians.
josef nix
January 4th, 2010
12:54 pm
Jenifer
“The majority of native Georgians”.
Of all races, creeds, and colors?
Paul
January 4th, 2010
12:56 pm
Mrs. Godzilla
Good point. That’d have to be the talk show talking point.
Jenifer
I thought ‘crackers’ was a racist term?
Jenifer
January 4th, 2010
12:56 pm
“Of all races, creeds, and colors?”
Oh yes.
Jenifer
January 4th, 2010
12:57 pm
“Jenifer
I thought ‘crackers’ was a racist term?”
Who told you that?
Road Scholar
January 4th, 2010
12:57 pm
Whiner, one more time, the global warming issue has to do with climate change, not temperatures directly. It has to do with the severity of storms, like the early cold spell in Atlanta and elsewhere. Like the heavy rain/lack there of in different parts of the world.
Southern Comfort
January 4th, 2010
12:58 pm
Is this the same Oxendine that, as Insurance Commissioner, estimated that $250 million in damages was done by the floods last year even as people still struggle to repair their homes?
Doggone/GA
January 4th, 2010
12:58 pm
Road Scholar…save your breath. He knows all that, but if he admits it then he has to let go of one of his treasured lies.
Jenifer
January 4th, 2010
12:58 pm
“Is this the same Oxendine that, as Insurance Commissioner, estimated that $250 million in damages was done by the floods last year even as people still struggle to repair their homes?”
One and the same.