One message minority voters already sent Georgia’s GOP
The GOP’s post-election listening tour comes to Atlanta today, with a twist.
Reince Preibus, the recently re-elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, is scheduled to meet this afternoon with a couple of dozen black Republicans in an “engagement and listening session” aimed at widening the GOP’s appeal. It’s an imperative bit of outreach for Georgia Republicans — the like of which the state party, despite undeniable demographic trends away from its nearly all-white voting base, has done dangerously little.
No doubt, any number of ideas will be discussed during this session. But there’s one policy that is a color-blindingly obvious necessity for any serious attempt to win over minority voters: school choice.
Just a week ago, hundreds of students and their parents and teachers braved the cold for the annual school-choice rally on the Capitol steps. As is the case every year, the majority of these students were not white.
And almost all of them will be eligible to vote by 2018 or 2020.
If you don’t know, those are pretty much the years Georgia Democrats are eyeing as the time those demographic trends will make them competitive again in state politics.
So, let’s see … we have a group of people who traditionally don’t vote for Republicans, rallying in support of a policy that, in Georgia anyway, has been promoted chiefly by Republicans.
If Georgia’s Republicans can’t connect those dots, frankly they don’t deserve to stay in power much longer.
Not least since this annual picture of their potential future constituents comes on the heels of a resounding victory in November’s elections for the GOP-led charter schools amendment. That’s particularly true in areas of the state where Republican victories are rare.
In case you missed it back then, let me repeat some statistics about how the charter schools amendment fared:
Of all Georgia’s counties, the amendment did best in Clayton (71 percent), where Mitt Romney won just 15 percent of the presidential vote.
The amendment won 66 percent of the vote in Fulton and 64 percent in DeKalb. And here’s guessing parents who vote in DeKalb have even more interest in school choice today, given the shenanigans going on with the leadership — if that’s the right word for it — of that county’s school system.
Together, those three counties accounted for about one-third of all black registered voters in Georgia. Their approval of the amendment outpaced even the healthy support for it in counties where majorities sided with Romney (56 percent).
Yet, during the present legislative session, there appears to be little chance of seeing more significant school-choice legislation passed.
Why? Because some legislators are afraid it’s bad politics.
Bad politics? A policy that wins by double-digits in GOP-majority counties, and by even more than that in the largest majority-Democrat counties, is considered bad politics?
Yes, it goes over poorly with the entrenched educational bureaucracy. But so did the charter-schools amendment. And anyway, since when does the Republican Party side with the bureaucracy over taxpayers and parents?
If Republicans are to make inroads with minorities and other groups that typically don’t vote for them, they’re going to have to demonstrate, among other things, that they will put a priority on those voters’ interests. In some cases, that means siding with those voters’ interests over the financial interests of those who are trying to maintain the status quo.
That means putting the interests of students and parents — of any race — above those of the education bureaucracy. That means understanding that public education means ensuring all of our children are well-educated, and not necessarily that all of them must be educated by a publicly run monopoly. That means arguing as passionately for giving individuals choices in education as in health care.
If they can’t do those things, they might as well give up on the listening tours.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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193 comments Add your comment
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
7:49 am
If you follow the track of our educational system decline you will note that it coincides with the rise of the teacher’s unions and increased spending. For that reason alone, it’s time to give the Charters a chance.
rwcole
February 7th, 2013
7:50 am
Even when explaining the policy, Kyle parses the truth. Republicans should start by just being honest with everyone.
rwcole
February 7th, 2013
7:52 am
The educational decline in GA coincides with the rise of the Republican party in GA. They complain about the education system here, then tear it down, then point and say, “See, I told you so.”
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
7:59 am
aesop
The real truth of the matter is that blaming public schools and teacher unions is so much fiction; if you don’t have parents that care and reinforce education as a priority in the home environment, then balming teachers is all you’ve got. Personal responsiblilty? Dig deeper… and by the way, dunce priebus is not the greatest poster boy for the republican party.
MiltonMan
February 7th, 2013
8:00 am
The democrats can keep the wastelands of Clayton, DeKalb & South Fulton. I would prefer that the poeple in these area who over and over again elect garbage to ruin their counties kept it at the county level & not elect their clowns at the state level.
curious
February 7th, 2013
8:05 am
Get Neal Boortz to give the opening speech.
UIC
February 7th, 2013
8:05 am
Of course the parents in Clayton County will buy the snake oil; it’s either that or admit that they are the problem. If these charter schools are the answer, they shouldn’t open a new school and be given the children who have parents involved enough to get them signed up for the charter. They should just take over one of the low performing schools. Let’s see how much better they do when they’re given the exact same group of children the public school was working with.
interested observer
February 7th, 2013
8:09 am
Many of the people clamoring to get their kids out of failing schools are part of the reason those schools fail. They’re not supportive of school policy, don’t demand that their kids be accountable and aren’t willing or able to provide the support and encouragement their kids need. They blame the school for their children’s failures.
They will take those same attitudes to the next school.
independent thinker
February 7th, 2013
8:12 am
Does Rinse Prepuss really think he can find a couple dozen black Republicans in the entire state of Georgia?
Georgia , The "New Mississippi"
February 7th, 2013
8:13 am
Kyle , you are totally lost…. Minorities ( Black Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Gays , Women, Poor folks, Highly educated folks ) do not vote Republican because you guys have never stood up FOR or WITH any minority on any issue that benefited THEM. You guys are all about $$$ and race. As along as a person of any minority group accepts that reality they can be a member of Team GOP. Get registered to vote and I will see you at the you at the Polls !
indigo
February 7th, 2013
8:15 am
“they don’t deserve to stay in power much longer”
Finally, as honest assessment of the Republicans currently in power!!!
I am a Democrat but, if the Party starts a further drift too far to the right, then they don’t deserve to stay in power either.
For America, centrist is the word.
charles moore
February 7th, 2013
8:26 am
The rise of unions and spending have nothing to do with what has happened to public education. I remember the instant response to the segregation of schools in the south. Immediately, white southern citizens began to establish and operate private school to ensure that the majority of white children were not integrated into the public school systems. Next, the funding of public schools were attacked; and closely attached to the funding was the systematic decline in the tax base required to support public schools. In most major southern cities; whites moved out of the city and formed new incorporated communities and took their tax dollars with them. So, when I look at the charter school movement I find just a continuation of the response to school integration. “All children can learn”…period.
Aquagirl
February 7th, 2013
8:34 am
Bad politics? A policy that wins by double-digits in GOP-majority counties
If you’re referring to the policy approved by the charter school amendment—oh yes Republicans, please run with that. African-American voters will just love the idea an appointed state commission can overrule their local elected officials. That’s worked out so well for minorities in the past. They’ll flock to the Republican banner! Now tap your ruby slippers together while you repeat that three times.
SB
February 7th, 2013
8:47 am
@MiltonMan
The democrats can keep the wastelands of Clayton, DeKalb & South Fulton. Well, Milton Man the funny thing about the “wastelands” of these heavily populated area, are some good hardworking, tax paying citizens who want the same for their community as you do yours. Now, what you need to be concerned about is those same “Republican right wing ideals” legislators that you value oh so much from coming in and corrupting this future “Milton County” that you guys want to create, its just more government, isn’t that what you have been whining about for the only the last four years?
Skip
February 7th, 2013
8:52 am
Won’t the charter schools have the same students, teachers and parents as the hated government schools?
BW
February 7th, 2013
8:52 am
I think MiltonMan’s comments simply reinforce the notion that Republicans look down on minority voters from a throne of superiority and honestly could care less about the interests. I hope that the Republican party reaches out in a meaningful way but honestly outside of school choice, I have yet to hear any policy position that would engage minorities to vote for them. The fact is that this has really always been a one party state and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. I would offer that simply attempting to see matters from someone else’s shoes before judging would be a good first step. After that stop crafting legislation at the state level with so many loopholes that the legislation allows certain income brackets to take advantage of something not meant for them.
yuzeyurbrane
February 7th, 2013
9:06 am
Kyle, anyone who spends some time around the state Capitol knows the listening tour is all pr bs. You have a point about the charter school vote but there are many other issues which are totally out of touch with Georgia’s minority communities and women. The old white men in charge will not change their ways. Perhaps a younger generation and a few losses at the polls as demographics take hold will force a change? My own guess is that it will but it will be fiercely resisted and the change will come very slowly.
JohnnyReb
February 7th, 2013
9:17 am
Litmus Test
Whether its how to manage education, transportation needs, Wall St, or whatever a test if there will be a meeting of the minds can be answered with this question.
Do you think Obama’s most recent give away program where smartphones will be given to poor people is OK? BTW, the phones will come from a company owned by a big donor to Obama.
If you think the smartphone give away is OK, you will never fit in with Republicans on any subject.
CC
February 7th, 2013
9:17 am
This meeting is a waste of time. Blacks may meet with Republicans and Republicans may work toward and achieve goals benefiting blacks, but blacks will continue to vote and support dimocrat candidates. That fact is as certain as the sun rising in the east.
I can’t account for the support for the charter school amendment in Clayton, Fulton and DeKalb Counties except that the minority voters may have been mistakenly instructed by the reverends and other so-called ‘civil rights leaders’.
Road Scholar
February 7th, 2013
9:22 am
Just remember , taking the vowels out of Reince Preibus leaves you with RNC PR BS !
If they want to be more inclusive, why is the meeting closed door?
Bob
February 7th, 2013
9:24 am
Georgia , The “New Mississippi” you are totally lost…. Minorities ( Black Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Gays , Women, Poor folks, Highly educated folks ) do not vote Republican because you guys have never stood up FOR or WITH any minority on any issue that benefited THEM.”
You have a short memory, while dems were pushing segragation, repubs pushed for equal rights. A higher percentage of repubs voted for the eqaul rights amendment than dems. Dems had Klansmen like Byrd and segregationists like William Fulbright, a guy given a medal of freedom by Bill Clinton.
Road Scholar
February 7th, 2013
9:28 am
From Jim Galloway’s column today RP and others want the country and their party to be inclusive. From derogatory comments above concerning Dems, how is that working for you Kyle?
Are you really going to change the vocabulary….and the mindset.. of Aesop, Milton Man, Johnny Reb.. some of the flag carriers of your republican party on these blogs?
barking frog
February 7th, 2013
9:34 am
Too little. Too late. The party’s over.
Road Scholar
February 7th, 2013
9:36 am
Bob: Maybe in the 40’s, but my memory of the 60’s had the Dems as champions of civil rights. Remember LBJ? Kennedy? The parties changed roles in the 50’s. Yes the south was consumed by hatred and the klan, but who do those folks now support? Even in GA, past conservative dems have become today’s conservatives, and many of those still have bias in their hearts and brains…if they have them!
mike
February 7th, 2013
9:45 am
I see the repubs think this matter of school choice will be enough to sway minority voters. Do these people really think minorities especially black folks are that gullible? You already made the mistake of talking to a few invited black republicans to get ideas from. You won’t learn anything from them since they have the same old ideas as you. Sorry repubs you have a long way to go if you honestly think minorities will vote your party considering your party’s history with them. Reading some of the ignorant posts here should give the repubs an idea of how far they have to go. It isn’t the minorities repubs need to concentrate on, it’s those in your own party. Personnally I cant wait to hear their campaign rhetoric. How do you disparage people then turn around and ask them to vote for you?
MANGLER
February 7th, 2013
9:51 am
Let’s just follow the money and see how many of the downtrodden minority students end up in these privately run yet publicly funded charter schools that are being opened up in under served urban neighborhoods. It’s not like the schools are being open up in wealthier areas that tend to be more suburban or rural and they don’t offer transportation services to get to them and are receiving funding by parents and family members redirecting tax dollars from the State as a whole and funneling those dollars directly into the white christian academy of their choice to pay for students who were never actually attending public school in the first place, or anything like that now is it?
Wait, we can’t even track those kinds of statistics because the language in the bill refuses to hold anyone accountable at any level for anything?
Grasshopper
February 7th, 2013
9:52 am
I wish Preibus well; it would be nice to see more minorities support the Republican Party.
But if the freebies aren’t forthcoming from the R’s (FREE healthcare, FREE smartphones, FREE ID cards, FREE EBT cards) forget it. Not a snowballs chance.
Promises of federal largesse helped get and keep Obama elected. Unless Republicans start playing that game (and I pray they don’t) many minorities, and non-minorites alike, currently on the dole willl not give them a second look. Social issues come in second place when someone wants to take away your free government cheese.
MANGLER
February 7th, 2013
9:53 am
BTW, notice how the GOP is all for choice when it gets them to keep their kids away from the blacks and hispanics, but when it comes to a woman’s reproductive decisions or two people who happen to be in love with each other but are the same sex, choice is a 4 letter word. Hypocrite much?
jconservative
February 7th, 2013
9:58 am
I would like to see a Republican in the White House. But there are obstacles.
The 2012 presidential election resulted in women voting for Obama by 55% and unmarried women by 68%. What do Republicans need to do to reverse those numbers? Will they actually do it?
southpaw
February 7th, 2013
10:03 am
Road Scholar @9:22
What do you have left if you take the vowels out of sailfish’s “dunce” @7:59?
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
10:08 am
southpaw
Hey, does that mean you accept dunce?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
10:08 am
Maybe in the 40’s, but my memory of the 60’s had the Dems as champions of civil rights. Remember LBJ?
There’s one thing the dummycrat party will never be in short supply of, dimwits that are willing to vote for them -
”These Ne-gro-es, they‘re getting pretty uppity these days and that‘s a problem for us since they‘ve got something now they never had before, the political pull to back up their uppityness. Now we‘ve got to do something about this, we‘ve got to give them a little something, just enough to quiet them down, not enough to make a difference.”
~Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat)
Cherokee
February 7th, 2013
10:11 am
“But if the freebies aren’t forthcoming from the R’s (FREE healthcare, FREE smartphones, FREE ID cards, FREE EBT cards) forget it. Not a snowballs chance. ”
And Republicans wonder why blacks don’t vote for them – after reading tripe like this.
Kyle, of course those folks showed up for the school choice rally. They care about their children just like you and I do – but they’ve seen Republican legislators decimate the public school budgets in this state. And they’re smart enough to realize that’s not going to change anytime soon. So of course they’re looking for alternatives for their kids.
Kind of a sweeet gig you have there – Republcans decimate the public shool budgets, then point to problems in the schools as a reason that we need charter schools.
My guess is that most black parents, like most white parents, see through the obfuscation.
southpaw
February 7th, 2013
10:11 am
sailfish @10:08
I haven’t bothered keeping up with him. As such, I neither accept nor reject “dunce.” I just wanted to give Road Scholar a different perspective on removing vowels. Sauce for the goose and all that.
Cherokee
February 7th, 2013
10:12 am
Got a source for that, Aesop?
southpaw
February 7th, 2013
10:13 am
More specifically, haven’t bothered keeping up with Preibus.
zeke
February 7th, 2013
10:19 am
Blacks and other minorities, IF THEY WOULD ONLY LOOK WITH A LITTLE INTELLIGENCE AT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT LIBERAL VALUES AND AGENDA, WOULD SEE THAT CONTINUING TO BLINDLY SUPPORT THE POLICIES AND IN TURN THE PARTY OF DEMOCRATS IS DOING NOTHING TO FURTHER THEIR ADVANCEMENT OR PROSPERITY! CONSERVATIVES AND REPUBLICANS ARE THE ONES WITH THE VIEWS THAT PROMOTE AND HELP “EVERYONE”!
All they have to do is to look at the plight of the poor and minorities over the last 60 or 70 years. All the feel good, sound good policies and agenda of democrat liberal socialist that were proposed to help them, HAVE NOT IMPROVED THEIR POSITION OR ECONOMICS AT ALL, IN FACT, MOST ARE WORSE OFF NOW THAN THEY WERE THEN!!!
jconservative
February 7th, 2013
10:21 am
” A higher percentage of repubs voted for the eqaul rights amendment than dems.”
Correct. And then came the “Southern Strategy”. The democratic voters who had voted the “dems” into office changed parties and started voting for Republicans, saying that they “did not leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left them and became a “civil rights” party”.
So we had the party of Lincoln which enjoyed a solid black voting bloc change and that solid black voting bloc became a Democratic voting bloc.
But the Southern Strategy worked with 20 of the next 24 years having a Republican living in the White House.
But things change, as they always do. Now the Republicans are looking at the strong possibility of 16 straight years of Democratic presidents.
Kyle is correct in his column about school choice being a smart move by Republicans. But are Republicans going to continue to push for restrictions on the ability to vote? Republicans need to change, but will they?
Cherokee
February 7th, 2013
10:21 am
Never mind Aesop – not that you get really concerned about things like accuracy.
I found it – from 1957. Typical of LBJ – he was a pretty foul guy – with everyone.
As someone else has pointed out here already, what matters is today – not Robert Byrd’s youthful indiscretions, or LBJ’s foul language. When Grasshopper tosses out his ignorant racial slurs, and the rest of you cheer him on, I wonder why you would expect to ever win blacks to your cause?
Cherokee
February 7th, 2013
10:22 am
And then there’s Zeke – if only black people had a brain, like I do,….
Keep talking folks – you’re only digging in deeper…
Dave
February 7th, 2013
10:29 am
I don’t know that the charter schools vote evidenced a desire for choice so much asa desire for quality. Metro schools aren’t doing a good job. That’s a given. The question is what can/should be done to change the result. Grabbing on to the charter school bandwagon says nothing about the GOP other than that it is willing to pander to folks who are desperate.
yuzeyurbrane
February 7th, 2013
10:40 am
Road Scholar–thanks for your amusing observation about spelling of Reince Preibus. I’ll plagiarize that. I don’t know about his background but with a name like that I always imagined he was the little goody goody brown-noser whose parents belonged to the country club.
Politico
February 7th, 2013
10:42 am
They actually sent a message back in November.
Grasshopper
February 7th, 2013
10:43 am
Ouch.
Cherokee must be one of those living off the dole that I mentioned. Will never vote R.
And that’s the problem that Republicans face; you point out that Dems get many of their votes from promises of freebies, (and I’ll repeat) from minorities and non-minorites alike, and you get called the lovely name of ‘Racist!’
Est et semper erit.
CharterStarter, Too
February 7th, 2013
10:50 am
Amen, Kyle.
Let’s also hope our Republicans also realize they need to expand their reach into the Hispanic and Asian communities – traditional Republican values are shared with these constituencies, but the Republicans can’t seem to get their vote….
indigo
February 7th, 2013
10:52 am
Aesop
Let me guess.
You never wash your underwear because having flies is lucky.
CC
February 7th, 2013
10:57 am
Grasshopper:
“Est et semper erit”
Cherokee may require assistance here as the “public shool budgets” may not have been adequate.
Jefferson
February 7th, 2013
11:08 am
Some folks will see a soap comercial and go buy that soap.
SBinF
February 7th, 2013
11:17 am
“Reince Preibus, the recently re-elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, is scheduled to meet this afternoon with a couple of dozen black Republicans in an “engagement and listening session” aimed at widening the GOP’s appeal.”
I call shenanigans. There’s no way there are two dozen black Republicans in the state.
clem
February 7th, 2013
11:20 am
herman cain has the ego of 12;; does that count sbinf
SBinF
February 7th, 2013
11:23 am
Touche clem!
I assumed they would have to bus in more black Republicans from out of state to get the number up to a couple dozen.
But seriously Kyle, charter schools? How is that a win for the GOP? You are assuming that blacks are single issue voters. If the GOP wants to know why minorities don’t vote GOP, you need only look at the drivel coming out of the faceless conservatives posting on your blog.
“Minorities don’t vote GOP because we don’t promise them free stuff.”
What a persuasive argument, where do I sign up?!
I work a full time job, keep a healthy part time career, and am paying my way through graduate school. All this talk about makers versus takers is hardly appealing to me as a black male. So long as the GOP keep up the coded racial language, they will continue to fall into irrelevancy.
Gerald
February 7th, 2013
11:24 am
GOP, if you want ideas on increasing the number of black voters:
A) talking to blacks who already vote Republican is not the way to do it
B) you will need a broader range of issues than school choice, especially since black voters do not blame Democrats for bad public schools
bluecoat
February 7th, 2013
11:30 am
So we need to kiss up to the minorities just to get their vote,not that we really give a dam about them or their education,or livelihood.Just more deception from the republican party,kiss up to get a vote,then to hell with you.These people know better,they know the differene between the peoples party than the corporation party.
Ivan Cohen
February 7th, 2013
11:31 am
It seems to me that the Republican party has no problem when it comes to freebies dished out to those who funded the campaigns of their candidates. But blacks, latinos and others don’t have the deep pockets to make a down payment a.k.a. campaign contribution to GOP candidates. So the Republican party poops on them and has continuously done so. The elections of 2008 and 2012 was a wake-up to the Republicans. Now they realize that they cannot conduct business as usual and expect to get favorable results. Blacks and Latinos aren’t dumb, they know that the Republican party is only baiting them to get their votes and when the Republicans win, they will be thrown under the bus. Reince Preibus does not have what it takes to bridge the gap and if the black Republicans start parroting him, they won’t get anywhere with black voters.
Georgia, The " New Mississippi "
February 7th, 2013
11:35 am
Republicans continue to sign pledges with people that do not live in their state, can not vote in the districts they are suppose to represent , and pay no taxes in their state. It is called GOP Team Politics and is trying to supplant the Southern Strategy. Republicans with basic human morals in the Northeast and West do not want to be forced into becoming Johnny Rebs because of their higher educational levels. Yet they sign the pledges to get elected and then have to aide by the rules of GOP Team Politics as set forth by Grover Norquist and Fox news.
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
February 7th, 2013
11:36 am
You have a short memory, while dems were pushing segragation, repubs pushed for equal rights. A higher percentage of repubs voted for the eqaul rights amendment than dems. Dems had Klansmen like Byrd and segregationists like William Fulbright, a guy given a medal of freedom by Bill Clinton.
All of those SOUTHERN democrats are now Republicans.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
11:40 am
Welfare and food stamps, if that’s your goal in life then you should definitely vote for the dummycrat.
I can’t argue with that.
Jefferson
February 7th, 2013
11:40 am
If the GOP wants to get a working man’s vote, do something for the working man.
JF McNamara
February 7th, 2013
11:42 am
Kyle,
I see it in a similar vein, but I’m much more pessimistic. The Republicans will no doubt screw over the minorities who voted for this law, and it will be just another instance, in a long, long line of instances where minorities are screwed by Republicans reinforcing what they stand for.
Screw outreach and listening parties. Let your actions speak. Voters of all kinds vote in their best interests. Make voting Republican in my best interest and I will vote for you.
Junior Samples
February 7th, 2013
11:42 am
Here’s the problem the GOP will always have with those that are not like them.
Nobody will “come around” to your ideology, you’ll need to embrace theirs and adjust.
It’s called compromise.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
11:43 am
Maybe the Repugs should set up an academy to teach their young candidates how to construct straw men to scare their dimwit voters with?
It sure works pretty good for the dummycrats, answer honestly, how many of you libs cried for sandra fluke?
Oh wait, Republicans don’t have near as many dimwit voters, I forgot.
Never mind.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
11:49 am
Apathy is the Republicans big problem, how much more obvious can it be that we aren’t going to bother voting for two faced flip flopping northeastern big government “moderates” from liberal states that created their own health care plan?
Can I get a duh?
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
11:53 am
“I wonder why you would expect to ever win blacks to your cause?”
I don’t really think they want to.
the red herring
February 7th, 2013
11:55 am
When it comes down to the issues— responsible black voters will do as responsible white voters, latinos, etc all do. They will vote their beliefs and aspirations. Persons that want a better education will vote for it. Persons of all colors that want jobs, a better economy, a chance to succeed, will vote for the party that espouses those things. Persons of all color should learn to vote their own interests rather than voting for any color.
JohnnyReb
February 7th, 2013
11:57 am
Aesop – Romeny could have won the election if he had been willing to get dirty like Obama. Obama ran a very dirty campaign. I won’t go into details, but anyone who follows politics knows them. Romney tried to stay above it all, and he lost. He had Obama on the ropes after the first debate, but then let up, not willing to knock the guy out.
Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of hearing all this talk about what the Republicans need to do to win. What do people think, that we should be more like Democrats? Forget it. What we need to do to win is what ever it takes. Get dirty, call the opposition scum. Have a better ground game. What ever. Changing our beliefs? That’s not gonna happen.
bluecoat
February 7th, 2013
11:59 am
Apathy would be the responsibility of the party.
bluecoat
February 7th, 2013
12:06 pm
Then JohnnyReb you should elect Aesop as the spokesman(along with all his other monikers he is the champ at getting dirty,and turning others away, rather than for what he desires.
Politico
February 7th, 2013
12:09 pm
Reb
That was a nice list of excuses. Romney didn’t know who Romney was with all his changes on issues. All of them do it, but Romney beat out Kerry for flip flop king and that is bad.
And as for playing dirty, you have selective outrage to say the least.
So don’t change a thing. Let me know how it works out.
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
12:12 pm
jreb
Sorry, but romney threw everything but the kitchen sink at obama to win and really getting voters in a critical swing state mad as hell by trying to say jeep was moving production to china. In the end, he and ryan lost because they never would divulge the specifics of their plan and too many people were not willing to take a leap of faith. They already did that with bush and look how the country ended up – bankrupt!
JDW
February 7th, 2013
12:25 pm
Preibus is going to conduct a “engagement and listening session” when the real answer lies in moving the Republican Party from the Right Edge back towards the Center. It is going to take action not listening. Of course getting Rush, The Tea Party and the DeMint’s, Bachmann’s and Norquist’s on board is about as likely as pigs flying.
As for school choice…more window dressing. The issue is quality not choice. My guess is all those voters either A) Had no clue what the potential ramifications of the vote could be and B) were just so fed up with the “progress” of the last 10 years in Georgia they just had to do something.
But I do think you are right on with one statement…
“If Georgia’s Republicans can’t connect those dots, frankly they don’t deserve to stay in power much longer.”
They can’t and the over/under is 6 years.
Jefferson
February 7th, 2013
12:26 pm
Change or die, the way of the world.
JDW
February 7th, 2013
12:27 pm
O and Kyle…relative to the over/under see JohnnyReb at 11:57…maybe it’s 4 years.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
12:30 pm
JohnnyReb – Same thing goes for mcCain. We need a candidate that is not afraid to say what he believes in. If you don’t have enough courage in your convictions that you have to hide them so the heathens and sodomites don’t mock you, even though they will anyway, what kind of leader would you be? People can see that and don’t feel represented. Almost ten million of them this last time around.
Just think for a minute the things that are “safe” to talk about nowadays versus the things that aren’t. homosexuality? birth control? any other manner of sickness they are so proud of these days? Your a hero. Are we a better nation because of this? In our children’s faces with it, too?
Now try saying something about Creation, the most obvious concept there is in the universe, you get sneered at by the deviants. Why should you even care about them? Paul Harvey and Chrysler sure didn’t and a lot of people noticed that breath of fresh, beautiful air amidst the avalanche of debauchery.
The next auto I buy is going to be a Chrysler.
Politico
February 7th, 2013
12:36 pm
“The next auto I buy is going to be a Chrysler.”
Fiat and the Italians say “thank you”
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:39 pm
What teacher’s unions do we have in Georgia, Aesop?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:40 pm
From Business Insider:
Only five states do not allow collective bargaining for educators, effectively banning teachers unions. Those states and their SAT/ACT rankings are as follows:
South Carolina – 50th
North Carolina – 49th
Georgia – 48th
Texas – 47th
Virginia – 44th
Meanwhile ground zero of the union battle, Wisconsin, is ranked 2nd in the country.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/states-where-teachers-unions-are-illegal-2011-2#ixzz2KEhmnDdi
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
12:43 pm
School choice looks like a winning issue for the Repubs. Dems hate it when they can’t keep people under their thumb and hence their heated opposition to anything that gives their constituents freedom and most of all choice- cept in regards to abortion of course. Then they just love choice.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:44 pm
Creation, the most obvious concept there is in the universe
…and unicorns…obvious
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:46 pm
School choice looks like a winning issue
When it’s your choice that wins out. Not everyone gets their choice. Life isn’t as fair and rosy as the Cons would lie their tails off to make the gullible believe.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
12:46 pm
Finn McCool,
Statistical analysis fail. Demographics has more to do with those numbers you cite than anything else. Those southern states you mentioned tend to have much larger minority populations and minorities lag in ACT scores. Wisconsin meanwhile is lilly white including a good sized German American population which places a high emphasis on education.
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
12:47 pm
doom
Funny how the repubs hate welfare but loves their corporate welfare, loves that they do.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
12:49 pm
Do you think Obama’s most recent give away program where smartphones will be given to poor people is OK
The lie that just won’t die. The republican zombie machine strikes again –
Your lie received a “Pants On Fire” rating – but it still lingers…..
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
12:49 pm
Finn McCool,
Sure buddy. Why don’t you try telling those poor black kid’s parents that life isn’t fair and that they don’t deserve choice and opportunity. See if you don’t get whacked upside the head for your racist efforts to keep them down.
Jefferson
February 7th, 2013
12:50 pm
Dodge = soap, roflmao
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:51 pm
Give it 5 years for the whole charter school thing to play out and everyone who voted for it will see it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing….
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
12:55 pm
This is why minorities, the younger generation, and women are running from the republican party as fast as they can.
Internet chatter claiming that Obama gave cell phones to welfare recipients contained a tiny grain of truth: The federal government does have a program to subsidize phone service for low-income people. That program, though, existed long before Obama became president.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
12:57 pm
finn – From your article
Update: A commenter points out this fact uses test scores from 1999.
Wanna try again?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
12:59 pm
Thulsa, then why isn’t Mississippi, Louisiana, and Maryland in the list of the top 5? Even Alabama, Delaware, and Tennessee aren’t in that top 5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_African-American_population
You can’t blame it all on the minorities. Though I know that you would like to.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
1:00 pm
Those southern states you mentioned tend to have much larger minority populations and minorities lag in ACT scores
Debunking Lie #1 — Southern states do NOT have a bigger population than Northern and/or Western states. California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois debunk that theory right there.
Debunking Lie #2 — ACT is predominantly taken in the south, but is NOT the predominant test that AA students take (especially if they wish to go to a college OUTSIDE of the south).
Lies, Damn Lies, and Political Lies. ……………..
getalife
February 7th, 2013
1:03 pm
I guess Kyle was not invited.
The gop house say no to immigration so this tour is a waste of time.
Middle Man
February 7th, 2013
1:05 pm
Black voters. People who believe they have some say so in the workings of the world around them, who are interested enough to vote and to be concerned about the education their children receive. Obviously they support school choice. Otherwise, their children, who go to school with children whose parents don’t care about education, or much of anything else, are stuck in schools with children who have no interest in acting like white folks, i.e., studying and making good grades. This “common interest” with white suburbanitess is not enough to make a black folks change their political stripes. While it is a nice notion, it is quite naive. If you don’t believe this, go speak to the counselors at these schools. Have a conversation with someone affected by a failing school in Clayton or in the city of Atlanta. Until you do so, your opinions are ignorant and useless.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
1:05 pm
Aesop, the 2007 data isn’t much better.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:09 pm
Finn McCool,
Who knows why the statistical disparities exist between all 50 of the various states. You would have to look at numerous stats of all 50 to account for various differences in all sorts of things but one thing is certain and that is that demographics would factor more heavily than whether or not the state’s teachers have collective bargaining or not.
For you to draw the conclusion that a state like Wisconsin has better ACT scores simply because they have collective bargaining is beyond silly. You need some help in statistical analysis and in understanding the differences between cause and effect and mere correlation.
And no. I’m not blaming minorities for everything. Just stating that its a known fact that for various reasons minorities score lower on standardized testing and so that is going to skew the stats in states with heavy minority populations.
Lynnie Gal
February 7th, 2013
1:09 pm
“That means arguing as passionately for giving individuals choices in education as in health care.”
Oh, Kyle, you mean “excluding” individuals from receiving education? Just the way Republicans want to exclude individuals from receiving healthcare and labeling it as “choice”? The Republican stand on healthcare is that healthcare is only for those who can afford it. It means saying no to a public option so that money will flow directly to the Insurance Industry. It means saying no to Medicaid expansion that the rest of the U.S. citizens will have. Governor Deal has turned down Federal money for the working class to receive assistance to obtain healthcare in Georgia. So, I suppose in Republican-Speak, the “choice” in public schools means, as it does in healthcare–to deny an individual an education unless a family can afford it.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
1:12 pm
finn – Then why did you skip over it a cut and paste the 1999 scores?
Trust me, I already know the answer.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:14 pm
“Debunking Lie #1 — Southern states do NOT have a bigger population than Northern and/or Western states. California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois debunk that theory right there.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_African-American_population
Oh noes! Someone’s bogus claim just got eviscerated by the FACTS. Libs never do let the facts get in the way of their arguments.
independent thinker
February 7th, 2013
1:15 pm
Debbie Do Right —-They are Ronnieraygunphones- The Republican’s patron Saint started the subsidized phone program. You will not get the intellectually challenged cons to admit that. That’s why it is called the stupid party by one of their own.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
1:15 pm
Funny how the repubs hate welfare but loves their corporate welfare, loves that they do.
Another mindless slogan that has absolutely no grounding in reality. Wall Street owns obozo.
This^^ is what we want to compete for? Blooming idiots? I’ll take a pass.
Aquagirl
February 7th, 2013
1:21 pm
Oh noes! Someone’s bogus claim just got eviscerated by the FACTS.
Debunking lie #3—if you’re not African-American, you’re not a minority. Of course Thulsa knows this but slinging out stats on AA is another one of those toss-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink moves.
Nice try Doom, but that was some mighty obvious slithering.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:23 pm
Aesop,
The libs are lying, misrepresenting, and cherry picking stats again to fit their narrative? No surprise there.
Politico
February 7th, 2013
1:26 pm
“The libs are lying, misrepresenting, and cherry picking stats again to fit their narrative? No surprise there.”
Exactly. That has never been done by any right leaning blogger, talk show host, or Op Ed writer.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:29 pm
Aquasilly,
Nope. I just used black at first because it was the simplest and easiest data to find. Add in other minorities and it still holds true that the southern states still in general have larger minority populations. Now California is only 57% white but is 13% Asian. And as we know Asians also skew the stats because they perform higher than whites on standardized testing if my memory serves me correctly.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
1:30 pm
Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel, seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian airspace from its eastern border with Afghanistan, and that it’s capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.
Absolutely no reason to send a drone into Iran in the first place. I guess the brilliant liberals don’t know that we have satellites that can read license plate numbers. Well, unless you were wanting to give the technology to Iran so that they could use it on us. It’s kinda like giving Egypt to the muslim brohood, giving Syria to al qaeda, removing all the missiles pointed at Russia, shrinking our Navy………
Politico
February 7th, 2013
1:37 pm
“Well, unless you were wanting to give the technology to Iran so that they could use it on us”
If you are going to post something stupid, may as well go big. As usual, she did.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:38 pm
“Funny how the repubs hate welfare but loves their corporate welfare, loves that they do.”
You mean like Solyndra and other failed green projects under the Obama administration? Aint nothing quite like Dems throwing away taxpayer money on pipe dream projects.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
1:46 pm
politico – Why didn’t they blow it up after it crashed? A Tomahawk can fly through windows, remember? How did it even survive the crash enough for them to get a good look at it?
Your vote for this freak obozo aids and abets the enemy.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
1:47 pm
Neither the secretary of defense nor the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke to the secretary of state during the 8-hour attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. At a Thursday hearing in the Senate, Republican Ted Cruz asked both Leon Panetta and Martin Dempsey, “In between 9:42 p.m., Benghazi time, when the first attacks started, and 5:15 am, when Mr. Doherty and Mr. Woods lost their lives, what converations did either of you have with Secretary Clinton?”
“We did not have any conversations with Secretary Clinton,” Panetta responded.
It must not have been 3 in the morning, eh?
Aquagirl
February 7th, 2013
1:49 pm
Nope. I just used black at first because it was the simplest and easiest data to find.
That’s a reasonable point. I withdraw my prior argument, your Honor.
Politico
February 7th, 2013
1:49 pm
And she doubles down
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
1:51 pm
Aquagirl,
Simple is easy. And of course Doomy do like the path of least resistance.
Grasshopper
February 7th, 2013
1:51 pm
“Only five states do not allow collective bargaining for educators, effectively banning teachers unions. Those states and their SAT/ACT rankings are as follows:
South Carolina – 50th
North Carolina – 49th
Georgia – 48th
Texas – 47th
Virginia – 44th
Meanwhile ground zero of the union battle, Wisconsin, is ranked 2nd in the country.”
You can do all sorts of fun things with statistics…http://www.census.gov/
South Carolina – White 68.4% Black 28.1%
North Carolina – White 72.1% Black 22.0%
Georgia – White 63.2% Black 31.0%
Texas – White 80.9% (Hispanic 38.1%- Defined as white) Black 12.2%
Virginia – White 71.3% Black 19.8%
Wisconsin — White 88.4% Black 6.5%
The sad truth is minorities are less educated in this country for a variety of reasons. That’s what needs to be fixed.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
2:03 pm
independent thinker
February 7th, 2013
8:12 am
Does Rinse Prepuss really think he can find a couple dozen black Republicans in the entire state of Georgia?
____________________________________
Maybe…
http://www.gabrc.com/Photo_Gallery.php
Aquagirl
February 7th, 2013
2:04 pm
And of course Doomy do like the path of least resistance.
So do I, that’s why I can’t rag on you for that post—I digs me some shorthand, Aqua do.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
2:06 pm
Georgia , The “New Mississippi”
February 7th, 2013
8:13 am
Kyle , you are totally lost…. Minorities ( Black Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Gays , Women, Poor folks, Highly educated folks ) do not vote Republican because you guys have never stood up FOR or WITH any minority on any issue that benefited THEM
______________________________________
Did you ever look at the voting rolls for the CRA?
Vote totalsTotals are in “Yea–Nay” format:
The original House version: 290–130 (69–31%).
Cloture in the Senate: 71–29 (71–29%).
The Senate version: 73–27 (73–27%).
The Senate version, as voted on by the House: 289–126 (70–30%).
[edit] By partyThe original House version:[16]
Democratic Party: 152–96 (61–39%)
Republican Party: 138–34 (80–20%)
Cloture in the Senate:[17]
Democratic Party: 44–23 (66–34%)
Republican Party: 27–6 (82–18%)
The Senate version:[16]
Democratic Party: 46–21 (69–31%)
Republican Party: 27–6 (82–18%)
The Senate version, voted on by the House:[16]
Democratic Party: 153–91 (63–37%)
Republican Party: 136–35 (80–20%)
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
2:07 pm
“The sad truth is minorities are less educated in this country for a variety of reasons. That’s what needs to be fixed.”
Well at least we can all agree that it needs to be fixed.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
2:12 pm
JohnnyReb
February 7th, 2013
9:17 am
Litmus Test
Whether its how to manage education, transportation needs, Wall St, or whatever a test if there will be a meeting of the minds can be answered with this question.
Do you think Obama’s most recent give away program where smartphones will be given to poor people is OK? BTW, the phones will come from a company owned by a big donor to Obama.
If you think the smartphone give away is OK, you will never fit in with Republicans on any subject
__________________________________
Do you have a link to this? I Googled, but couldn’t find it.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
2:14 pm
Road Scholar
February 7th, 2013
9:22 am
Just remember , taking the vowels out of Reince Preibus leaves you with RNC PR BS !
_____________________________
You do plan to credit JHM for that right?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
2:24 pm
You can always tell on teh blogs which writers have recently watched a Lord of the Rings/Hobbit film.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
2:26 pm
Aint nothing quite like Dems throwing away taxpayer money on pipe dream projects.
kinda like the Cons engineering a project to turn Iraq into a functioning Democracy? Sure Dems voted for the war it was a sales snow job by the Cons all the way…billions of dollars later makes Solyndra small potatoes
williebkind
February 7th, 2013
2:27 pm
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
2:07 pm
That is so true and to add misery to that number extract those that made it to college on an athletic scholarship. Some did great in college but most took the easy courses but they now have a degree.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
2:28 pm
SBinF
February 7th, 2013
11:17 am
“Reince Preibus, the recently re-elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, is scheduled to meet this afternoon with a couple of dozen black Republicans in an “engagement and listening session” aimed at widening the GOP’s appeal.”
I call shenanigans. There’s no way there are two dozen black Republicans in the state.
_______________________________
http://gabrc.com/Home_Page_EEAX.html
http://cascade.patch.com/articles/conservative-summit-in-georgia#photo-8981539
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
2:28 pm
Well, unless you were wanting to give the technology to Iran so that they could use it on us. It’s kinda like giving Egypt to the muslim brohood, giving Syria to al qaeda, removing all the missiles pointed at Russia, shrinking our Navy……
kinda like giving Iraq all those weapons back in the 80’s so they could fight Iran? That would NEVER be used on us, would it?
Politico
February 7th, 2013
2:28 pm
“I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings,” Ailes, 71, said of the former vice presidential candidate
Guess Roger doesn’t think she is hot anymore.
td
February 7th, 2013
2:53 pm
The leftest code pink people are looking like fools in the CIA hearing and Diane Feinstein just stopped the hearing to clear the room and get the wacko’s out. Are not you progressives so proud?
independent thinker
February 7th, 2013
2:55 pm
That Black Guy- They look like extras to me. Anyway Mr. Prepuss sure kept the dark faces hidden at that circus/convention in Tampa he hosted. Now he wants to draw them out of the closet?
Hillbilly D
February 7th, 2013
3:00 pm
In some cases, that means siding with those voters’ interests over the financial interests of those who are trying to maintain the status quo.
My advice would be for them to get in touch with the blue collar/working class people. In my opinion, that’s what Reagan understood that the current group doesn’t. The so called “Reagan Democrats” are what put him over the top and he was smart enough to know that and to keep it together. As soon as he was out of office, that lesson was lost on much of the party leadership.
Former (D)
February 7th, 2013
3:05 pm
All these so-called minority groups band together to vote Democrat. Each seperate group are self absorbed, entitled zombies. Collectively you band together to ruin this country, while individually you couldn’t care less about the other minority group. You say you do, but you don’t. I have witnessed the hypocrisy and the backstabbing within the liberal ranks. The Dems need to think about the recession, the boom and then the bust. This is the future of your party.
The Democrats are all about the quantity of the vote, not the quality of the voter. That is why I switched to the Republican party. As socialism rises in this country, this once great nation is falling into oblivian. Coincidence? This is progress?
sailfish
February 7th, 2013
3:08 pm
“My advice would be for them to get in touch with the blue collar/working class people”
Unfortunately, republicans don’t really represent that group nor do their policies favor that group either; they mostly are aligned with the very rich.
Hillbilly D
February 7th, 2013
3:13 pm
sailfish
They haven’t figured that out and that’s the source of their current difficulties, in my opinion.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
3:21 pm
Doom @ 1:12: Oh noes! Someone’s bogus claim just got eviscerated by the FACTS. Libs never do let the facts get in the way of their arguments.
FYI Doom, in case you didn’t know, there are more minorities than AA’s — i know, i know, it’s a shock; but its true.
Using just YOUR theory though, (that only AA’s are minorities), your claim is still crap. From your link – below are the southern states black population:
1 Mississippi 1,074,200
2 Louisiana 1,452,396
3 Georgia 2,950,435
6 Alabama 1,251,311
Total population — 6,7238,342 (six million, seven hundred twenty eight thousand, three hundred forty two)
The states that I mentioned:
13 New York 3,073,800
14 Illinois 1,866,414
15 New Jersey 1,204,826
27 California 2,299,072
total population – 8,444,112 ( EIGHT million four hundred forty-four thousand, three hundred forty two).
Looks like you’re wrong. AGAIN. Imagine that!
indigo
February 7th, 2013
3:24 pm
Aesop – 1:30
And, of course, you believe everything the Iran leadership says, right, brilliance?
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
February 7th, 2013
3:29 pm
Looks like you’re wrong. AGAIN. Imagine that!
That is a daily occurrence for her.
I would think she is used to it by now.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
3:29 pm
TBG: Do you have a link to this? I Googled, but couldn’t find it.
Yep — here it is, it’s called Poltifact and that bullcrap that whats-its-face was posting got a pants on fire rating.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/oct/31/adam-putnam/putnam-obama-campaign-gives-free-cell-phones-suppo/
Internet chatter claiming that Obama gave cell phones to welfare recipients contained a tiny grain of truth: The federal government does have a program to subsidize phone service for low-income people. That program, though, existed long before Obama became president.
ODS is alive and well.
Tony
February 7th, 2013
3:30 pm
@MILTONMAN
minority values, desires, and dreams are no different from yours. This article is about finding out how to bridge the gap and get more minorities to consider the republican party.
AS LONG AS THE LOUDEST VOICES OF THE PARTY SOUND LIKE YOURS, YOU WILL NEVER GET A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF THE MINORITY VOTE. THE DIRECTION OF THIS COUNTRY SUGGEST THAT YOU MUST GET RID OF YOUR ANGER AND HATE OR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL BE REGIONAL WITH LESS AND LESS INFLUENCE OVER FEDERAL DECISIONS!
THIS IS JUST SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU SAY SUCH CRUEL AND HATEFUL THINGS!
CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT STARTS FROM WITHIN SIR!
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 7th, 2013
3:37 pm
So we can call them “Bush phones” now?
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
3:42 pm
Only five states do not allow collective bargaining for educators, effectively banning teachers unions. Those states and their SAT/ACT rankings are as follows
Whats so funny about the whole “bad, greedy, money grubbing teachers” diatribe is this:
When the repubs finally get their way and end ALL public schools and implement the new “pay your own damn elementary schools, etc”; who are they gonna find to TEACH these kids?
I mean, they’ve humiliated, distorted the records of, and harrassed teachers to the point of extinction; so who would even WANT to teach school, (for probably WAY less money than what they’re getting now), in a pay/go society?
Or, is that their diabolical plan all along? No schools+, no teachers+, dumb kids= dumb populace!
Dumb populace(s) mean more republicans in office wreaking the environment and using wide stances to proclaim their victories!!
Its all becoming clearer…………………
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
February 7th, 2013
3:48 pm
So we can call them “Bush phones” now?
It won’t work — republicans will SWEAR its just made it up, and are just blaming Bush.
md
February 7th, 2013
3:50 pm
“Of all Georgia’s counties, the amendment did best in Clayton (71 percent), where Mitt Romney won just 15 percent of the presidential vote.”
And this is the county that kept electing the most dysfunctional school board in the country…….
md
February 7th, 2013
3:52 pm
“It must not have been 3 in the morning, eh?”
No, it was 3 in the morning, she just didn’t answer the phone…..makes that commercial that much more comical…….or sad.
md
February 7th, 2013
4:02 pm
““Only five states do not allow collective bargaining for educators, effectively banning teachers unions. Those states and their SAT/ACT rankings are as follows:
South Carolina – 50th
North Carolina – 49th
Georgia – 48th
Texas – 47th
Virginia – 44th
Meanwhile ground zero of the union battle, Wisconsin, is ranked 2nd in the country.”
You can do all sorts of fun things with statistics…http://www.census.gov/”
Yes you can…..now dig a little deeper and get back to us on the percentages of the school kids in each state that actually take the test. Comparing SAT scores by themselves means nothing without also factoring in the participation rates.
It’s not hard for that battle ground of Wisconsin to have higher SAT scores when only 5% of their kids are taking the test……..
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/sat-scores-by-state-2011
md
February 7th, 2013
4:05 pm
“You can do all sorts of fun things with statistics…”
And it bears repeating that you did…..it’s called distortion of the facts…..
Douglas
February 7th, 2013
4:17 pm
Blacks will NEVER vote Republican. As long as I can remember they have cast 90% or more of their vote to Democrats. If the Democrat candidate is black, then it’s in the 94 to 96% range.
Nothing can change that. The economy was terrible and had been for years on election day after 4 years of a Democrat as president; yet, the blacks voted in the 94% range for Obama.
Republicans waste time and money trying to persuade ones who cannot be persuaded. The Democrat party has the black vote in its pocket and always will.
CC
February 7th, 2013
4:24 pm
“Blacks will NEVER vote Republican.”
Yep, the ‘Massa’ won’t let them stray from the plantation . . .
Dusty
February 7th, 2013
4:39 pm
The day is cold and dark and dreary.
It rains, and the wind is never weary.
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at each gust, the dead leaves fall.
H.W. Longfellow
The day is cold and dark and dreary.
It rains, and the wind is never weary..
The bank still clings to the mortgaged wall.
And the national debt weighs upon us all
Dusty
Jefferson
February 7th, 2013
4:50 pm
Reasonable people can come to reasonable conclusions under reasonable conditions, unless you are a republican.
Dusty
February 7th, 2013
4:59 pm
Oh that’s heavy, JEFFERSON, heavy! Did you think of that all by yourself?
It’s seasonal to be reasonable so let’s be considerate while we commiserate..
Hillbilly D
February 7th, 2013
5:07 pm
The day is cold and dark and dreary.
It rains, and the wind is never weary..
But I’m here warm and dry
Sitting on my reary
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
5:20 pm
independent thinker
February 7th, 2013
2:55 pm
That Black Guy- They look like extras to me. Anyway Mr. Prepuss sure kept the dark faces hidden at that circus/convention in Tampa he hosted. Now he wants to draw them out of the closet?
___________________________________
I saw them in Tampa, why didn’t you?
Some were even on stage speaking.
That Black Guy
February 7th, 2013
5:21 pm
DDR, I figured that’s what he was talking about. Just wanted to see if he would actually source his claim.
Dusty
February 7th, 2013
5:22 pm
OH dear! Oh dear! The end is near!
And that is what I do so fear.
The blog doth:say, “Now– Show All”
But nothing shows up here a’tall!
Kyle doth say : After while, crocodile!
Rushin’ ’round just aint his style.
So minorities, please go and vote
We need your help. Let debt be smote!
(Smote? I quote: Knock it down!)
Hark! The dinner bell doth sound!!
Dusty
February 7th, 2013
5:25 pm
Hillbilly
Oh deary!! Your reary?? You make me cheery! Said so sincerely!
Andrew DiMartino
February 7th, 2013
5:27 pm
To all those saying that the Republican Party has never and will never stand up for minorities and women: The republicans are the reason for civil rights, and that is an undeniable fact. The reason you say that they do not stand for minorities is because democrats OVER represent minorities and women. They lie about the “war on women” and how republicans are racist just because they do not give them entitlements and welfare. I am a member of the Libertarian Party, and this is the main reason why I will never vote for a democrat in my life.They are the champions of the oppression of minorities and the redistribution of wealth, and they will be for years to come.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 7th, 2013
6:48 pm
Outgoing transportation secretary: America is one big pothole right now
Another 800 Billion down the drain, courtesy of the big spending liberals.
Michael H. Smith
February 7th, 2013
6:51 pm
“the entrenched educational bureaucracy” is more committed to the democrat party than the ethnic minority you cite Kyle, therein is lies the reason.
You and I are on the same page, reading the same lines on this issue Kyle. The “entrenched” and the democrats they vote for year after year see what is behind our scheme to “educate” the minority Kyle and they don’t like the looks of the idea of losing political power to a minority people they can no longer “indoctrinate” and thence politically control.
Let the money follow the student.
md
February 7th, 2013
7:18 pm
A little reary for the dreary makes one cheery………
Wilbur
February 7th, 2013
8:37 pm
When you talk about education, the educrats always trash the parents. I am betting that does not wash well in areas in which the charter school amendment won big.
billy ray
February 7th, 2013
9:02 pm
You actually could have cut the statement off at “frankly the Republicans do not deserve to stay in power much longer” ; that would have been a truism and one of the rare statements that I agree with you on.
Thulsa Doom
February 7th, 2013
9:27 pm
Good grief. I guess Debbiedoright couldn’t figure out that we were talking about percentages and not absolute numbers. Jeez.
Jack ®
February 8th, 2013
5:39 am
The GOP can win the Black vote in Georgia if they follow the same rules as the Democratic party: promise everybody everything they want and to hell with anybody that disagrees.
Cutty
February 8th, 2013
7:09 am
Yeah, w Kyle and his bloodhound gang here, its no wonder us minorities aren’t voting for the GOP in droves.
MiltonMan
February 8th, 2013
7:25 am
“Well, Milton Man the funny thing about the “wastelands” of these heavily populated area, are some good hardworking, tax paying citizens who want the same for their community as you do yours.”
That is pure BS. If they want the same as me, then they would make sure their schools are the best in the state, they would make sure their children are respectful and do their homework, they would elect decent people to to the school boards, etc., etc.
None of this is evident in these areas.
md
February 8th, 2013
7:38 am
“None of this is evident in these areas.”
Agreed. Those in poorer communities still have the choice to make their lives better. I understand that some can’t afford to paint their homes or even buy a mower, but when one goes into areas where trash is just scattered through the yards it’s evident they don’t much care about making the choices.
MiltonMan
February 8th, 2013
7:40 am
“Meanwhile ground zero of the union battle, Wisconsin, is ranked 2nd in the country.”
Gotta love that 3rd-grade level lib logic. They bash cons for lack of inclusivity of blacks the “throw” out a fact that includes a state with one of the lowest percentages of black residents.
Also, libs when trying to convince us of your “facts” here are a couple of hints: (1) Become familiar with correlation vs. causation. E.g., if a teachers union is implemented here in Georgia there is absolutley zero guarantee that are students would all of sudden become smarter. (2) Quit using a single variable to win an arguement when there are mutliple variables involved with many outcomes.
MiltonMan
February 8th, 2013
7:44 am
“but when one goes into areas where trash is just scattered through the yards it’s evident they don’t much care about making the choices.”
Reminds me of the story on the local news about 5 years back when residents were complaining in an Atlanta neighborhood about “their” street and homes being flooded due to a clogged street drain. The inspector came out the next day to discover that the drain was clogged due to trash that people had thrown on the sidewalk. As opposed to cleaning up the trash, the people blamed the city for not cleaning it up.
Lee
February 8th, 2013
7:51 am
Back in the 60’s, the Democrat/Communist party realized that blacks could be easily manipulated into voting as a block by offering them a few trinkets such as welfare and affirmative action. The traitorous Kennedy brothers further sealed the deal with the ill-advised Immigration Act in the 60s which opened the floodgates for third world, non-white immigration.
Until the politically correct whites overcome their mental illness, this country will continue it’s death spiral into oblivion. They better hurry though, because the Dems are wanting to legitimize another 30 million Democratic voters through their amnesty program. Get that passed and this country will be beyond critical mass.
As the prophetic Nikita Kruchev said back in ‘61, “We do not have to destroy America with Missiles; America will destroy itself from within.”
Today, most of America’s major cities have vast expanses of “no man’s land”, with gangs, drugs, dilapidated houses and building, and a populace waiting for a handout. California is essentially bankrupt. We’ve spent trillions occupying a couple of countries in the middle east.
And neither the Dims and Repugs have a clue…
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 8th, 2013
7:54 am
I’m guessing that occurred in one of those voting precincts that went 99% Obozo.
Parasite losers.
Grob Hahn
February 8th, 2013
7:56 am
The democrats are ejecting white people from their party. Where will they go? Republicans have little chance of impressing non-white voters. Instead they will continue to alienate their core white voters by chasing minorities who hate them for being white. I’m beginning to think republicans might just be as stupid as democrats say they are. Demographics being what they are in the US the only way to win an election is to appeal to the majority. How will appealing to the minority happen for them? Only by acting like democrats and giving away lots of “free” stuff. The pragmatic changes this country needs will not take shape under these conditions. So we are headed for a crash that will domino around the planet. For what?
Grobbbbbbb
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 8th, 2013
8:42 am
“Republicans have little chance of impressing non-white voters”
—————–
That’s extremely insulting to non-whites, as Republicans stand for free markets, free people, personal responsibility, and achievement based on merit. Your implication that minorities are fear or oppose these things is really quite breathtaking in its bigotry.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
indigo
February 8th, 2013
8:44 am
Milton Man – 7:40
Actually, its not the job of a teacher’s union to make students smarter.
In fact, that is not the teacher’s job either.
MiltonMan
February 8th, 2013
9:00 am
“Milton Man – 7:40
Actually, its not the job of a teacher’s union to make students smarter.
In fact, that is not the teacher’s job either.”
Yes, I realize that. I was responding to one of the posts from a lib who was bashing me & “trying” to make the arguement that teacher unions = smart children.
indigo
February 8th, 2013
9:10 am
Milton Man – 9:00
I understand.
It seems that libs as well as cons can sometimes have very fuzzy thinking.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 8th, 2013
10:41 am
Republicans stand for free markets, free people, personal responsibility, and achievement based on merit
What a bunch of BS. I need waders in this blog.
1) A Republican has never seen a “fixed” market he or she didn’t like. They like it to be free as long as it is benefiting them and then add some limitations when things don’t go their way.
2) free people? LOL. As long as you are white, heterosexual, christian, and male you should be free to do anything you want, right?
3) Personal responsibility. Yeah, until they really screw things up. 9/11, Iraq, prescription drug plan. The classic example is the journalist asking W if he ever made any mistakes or would change anythng he had done and the guy not being able to come up with a single example.
4) achievement based on merit? LOL
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 8th, 2013
10:44 am
When I think of Christianity in a good way, I never think of Republicans.
When I think of Christianity in a bad way, I always think of Republicans.
Let the poor people rot, don’t give anyone worse off than them any healthcare or help. Don’t reign in the money lenders as they bleed us dry. Get your own damn fish and loaves and leave mine alone.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 8th, 2013
10:46 am
Spend more on military than the next 28 countries COMBINED but raise a stink when someone tries to offer its citizens healthcare or a school lunch.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
February 8th, 2013
10:50 am
Looks like someone wee-weed in Finn’s Wheaties this morning.
The DNC talking points memo seems to be a bit nasty as well.
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
February 8th, 2013
10:53 am
Ann Coulter has a good column on this same subject today, where she points out that the situation for the GOP is not as bad as the government media and the Dems would have you believe.
http://www.anncoulter.com/
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
10:59 am
Well, I tell you, I’m glad we only got minority voters to worry about. Have you been reading the news? How about these doozies??
In New Guinea, they just tortured and burned to dead a twenty year old mother because they decided she was a WITCH.
IN Florida, they are hunting for PYTHONS in the Everglades. Those things are big!
In Georgia, they are offering a big piece of North Georgia to Tennessee if that state will give us a little piece of property for a pipeline. WHAT PIPELINE? Water, oil or booze? (Where do you live, Hillbilly? I worry. )
In California the police are hunting for a …POLICEMAN! He’s not a nice one, I tell you!
New England is preparing for THREE FEET of snow. Shiver my timbers!
So today is not “worry about elections day”. I gotta go remove any hex signs, set a snake trap, lock the doors and stack up some firewood. Just in case, you know.
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
11:03 am
Finn is not thinking at all. I decided that after reading his 10:44 and his 10:46. Having a bad morning, Finn?
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
11:08 am
Careful, RAFE.
Democrats will be burning Ann Coulter at the stake. They are a bit incendiary this morning.
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
11:15 am
In Georgia, they are offering a big piece of North Georgia to Tennessee if that state will give us a little piece of property for a pipeline. WHAT PIPELINE? Water, oil or booze? (Where do you live, Hillbilly? I worry. )
Won’t effect me but piping water down to Atlanta from Tennessee is about the dumbest damn idea I’ve ever heard. First of all, Tennessee has no reason to agree to such a thing, second of all, the cost to pump water (yes you have to come up over the mountains) would be astronomical, third, if you think you’ve had trouble with lawsuits with Alabama, include the Tennessee River and you can add Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi to the mix for sure and possibly even everything downstream on the Ohio and the Mississippi.
The wise thing would be for Atlanta to just learn to base its economy on something besides uncontrolled growth and sprawl.
Of course, it don’t really matter to me, what state my home is in, ’cause it’s my home and home is where I’m going to stay. I’m sure every other state has just as many crooks running it, as Georgia does. It’d just give me a new bunch to cuss.
snoqualmiefalls
February 8th, 2013
11:23 am
Georgia… too small to be a country… too large to be an insane asylum..
Just love Georgia politics where cons are conned on a daily basis.. Yup.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
February 8th, 2013
11:28 am
You’ve gotta love it when a liberal blogger based in (or wishes he was in) Washington state disses another state.
‘Course, it just proves he knows little about the state he disses, which shows in his every post.
Kyle Wingfield
February 8th, 2013
11:34 am
Fyi, there’s a new post upstairs.
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
11:39 am
Well, HILLBILLY, I knew I’d get the straight facts from you. I’lm not that familiar with the terrain except to enjoy a visit to enjoy the wonders. But I want to ask you: What area of Georgia exactly do they want to exchange for a small piece of Tenn “wasteland’?
Would there be a reservoir with the pipeline? Is there a great volume of water in Tenn. we would tap into?
I think you know much more about this that many under the gold dome. Have they gotten your viewpoint? I hope so.
Just wondering ’cause Atlanta is not going to cut back. Is there anything deep ;underground that we can tap into that would not ruin present water levels?
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
11:56 am
Georgia… too small to be a country… too large to be an insane asylum..
Actually, James L. Petigru’s original quote involves a different state.
Dusty
All I saw was something about “roads and rail lines”, so basically, they’d be swapping nothing. They seem to not realize that Tennessee has access to the ocean already, via the Mississippi River.
As far as folks under the Gold Dome, I was once having a general discussion about water with my local rep. He started all this about the Tennessee River and I just looked at him and told him “That’s the dumbest damn idea I’ve ever heard”. He didn’t have much to say after that.
As far as underground, that’s just prolonging the inevitable. What do they do when they suck the acquifier dry? Here’s a link to acquifiers in the Southeast. Notice that they all belong to other states, as well as Georgia.
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1440&bih=785&tbm=isch&tbnid=78g1qSfeM4jPNM:&imgrefurl=http://coastgis.marsci.uga.edu/summit/aquifers.htm&docid=RCd5I3xISJkI1M&imgurl=http://coastgis.marsci.uga.edu/summit/images/ga_aquifers.jpg&w=615&h=1500&ei=oi0VUZb2FMHLqgGC54GwBA&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:0,s:0,i:85&iact=rc&dur=354&sig=103273934425368330063&page=1&tbnh=171&tbnw=70&start=0&ndsp=28&tx=46&ty=27
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
11:56 am
Forget that link and use this one
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/FS-010-96/images/fig1.gif
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
11:57 am
Geez this is the link for the Southeast
http://coastgis.marsci.uga.edu/summit/images/ga_aquifers.jpg
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
12:05 pm
One final link. This is a map of river basins in Georgia. One quick glance at this will show you what Atlanta’s water problem is. Most major cities, especially the oldest ones grew up around water, either on the coast, where a large river ran into the ocean (New Orleans, New York, etc) or where two or more large rivers meet (Pittsburgh, etc) or on the Great Lakes.
Atlanta was built by railroad people, whose only interest was in building a railroad and not in how the city would sustain itself. It was built in 1836/37, as Terminus. Most of the folks up here in the Hills, predate that date, in Georgia, often by 50 years.
http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/publications/files/html/B1385/images/Ma1_RiverBasins.JPG
The Flint and Chattahoochie basins, combine to be part of the Apalachicola basin, in Florida.
Anyhow, Dusty, hope that answers some of your questions.
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
12:25 pm
Thank you, HILLBILLY
I thought you would have good info. I will have to look at those aquifar maps again, maybe get one son to tell me more about what I see. He’s got a degree in geology which he doesn’t use much. I can’t get a feel about where lies the most water or how long it would last and things like that. It’s probably all there for me if I give it more study.
Keep after those government contactsl They need to talk to someone who knows what is going on from actual facts and living in North Georgia.. Good luck with that. But… Tennessee may not even give this proposal the time of day…
md
February 8th, 2013
12:50 pm
Dusty….GA is trying to play nice with TN to see if honey works better than vinegar. I’d guess it stems from the fact that GA got cheated out of it’s share of the water many moons ago due to error:
” The border issue is being raised now because Georgia has a water shortage. If the border had been drawn accurately, a small part of the Tennessee River would lie inside Georgia, giving it access to much more water than it has today. ”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amapple/3583667471/
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
12:50 pm
Thanks again, HILLBILLY, for the river basin map. After looking at it for a quick review, I wondered about the Ocmulgee and Flint river basins. Are they not large enough to share any water or uphill doesn’t work?
If everybody was as informed on our water sources as you are, we probably would know how to answer problems better. You have helped so much to make it interesting. I plan to spend more time on this subject.
I had some sturdy ancestors too. Over in middle South Carolina most of them. I grew up on the sandhills (the “old coastline”) with plenty of pine trees and only a trickle of the Edisto River a few miles away.. Farther back in history, my “folks” lived outside Charleston. Plenty of water there.
I
Dusty
February 8th, 2013
12:57 pm
MD,
Maybe you are right about the “honey” in this project. Too bad that the “error” has been in place so long.
The sound of giving up a good strip of land for a small piece of desolate property for a pipeline just doesn’t “sit” well. Maybe a bad solution is better than no solution. The beat goes on!!
Hillbilly D
February 8th, 2013
4:34 pm
md
No, I’m not trying to play nice with Tennessee. Even if that small strip of land is in Georgia, it’s still not logistically and economically feasible to bring water to Atlanta from there. It’s an exercise in futility and political grandstanding, in my opinion.
As for the surveying error, that happened long ago. Whenever I’ve been involved in a land line case, in court, they always say, “it’s what’s on the ground that counts”, not what’s on paper. That’s were the concept of “adverse possession” comes in, which comes up in land cases in court, all the time.
Dusty
The thing about the Flint and Ocmulgee River basins is that Atlanta is at the head of them. That’s were streams are small and the water volume is, as well. That’s basically Atlanta’s problem with the Chattahoochie, it’s too far upstream and too close to the head of the watershed. It’s basically just in a bad place to be a major city. Atlanta has a smaller watershed to draw from than any major city, except for maybe some of those desert cities out west. You think fights over water rights are something here, try looking at those out west and their fights.