The Democratic attack on Mary Norwood
Cover image of Flyer sent by Democratic Party of Georgia declaring Mary Norwood a Republican
The first sharp, negative attack of the Atlanta mayoral race hit the mailboxes of voters on Thursday, declaring front-runner Mary Norwood’s Republican past to be “the elephant in the room.”
The flyer, paid for by the state Democratic party, urged voters: ”Vote for Kasim Reed. Vote for Lisa Borders. Vote for Reuben McDaniel.”
Reed and Borders, of course, are mayoral candidates trailing Norwood in the polls. McDaniel is a fresh candidate for the Atlanta school board, apparently added to give the flyer a multi-race dimension required by campaign finance laws governing the Democratic party’s unusual decision to enter the contest.
The dominant image of the mailer can be seen above. Download the entire piece here.
Text includes the following:
Norwood’s campaign is financed by the same Republican money men who funded John McCain’s hate-filled campaign against Barack Obama, and who have given to George Bush, the Republican National Committee, Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Republican Party.
Her television ads try to hide the real facts, but since 1992 Norwood has voted for Republican candidates 70 percent of the time. She was even a delegate to the Republican convention. We can’t trust her as mayor.
Norwood opposed putting police and firefighters back on the streets to protect our community – she didn’t think we could afford it. But she had no problem spending $106,445 from a city council slush fund.
Democratic chairman Jane Kidd said the party had entered the race because Norwood was being duplicitous about her loyalties. After a Sunday debate, a reporter asked Norwood if she had voted for President George W. Bush. Norwood said she couldn’t remember — though a day later an aide said she had not.
The response of the Norwood campaign to the Democratic attack was quick and heavy.
In a TV ad that begins airing today, Norwood acknowledges her attendance at a state GOP convention in 1999 as a delegate, but “disliked it so much” she’s never been to another. “I believe in President Obama’s call for change and accountability,” Norwood says.
See the ad here:
Roman Levit, campaign manager for Norwood, said the “slush fund” spending cited by the Democratic flyer were Norwood’s legitimate expenses “to communicate with constituents.”
And as to the campaign contributions from GOP givers, Levit said “both Lisa Borders and Kasim Reed have collected donations from people who have given money to Republicans including, someone who served as former senator [and 2008 presidential candidate] Fred Thompson’s finance chair and raised Lisa over $250,000 in one fell swoop.”
“Before making false accusations, and authorizing expenditures without executive committee approval, maybe Ms. Kidd should have checked the voter file first and we would have all been spared these false attacks,” said Levit, a former state Democratic party staffer.
The Norwood campaign manager also provided this screen-shot below, which he says came from the “VoteBuilder” program used by the state and national Democratic parties to identify sympathetic voters. It scores Norwood as two-thirds Democratic and one-third Republican — or leaning Democrat:
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185 comments Add your comment
B Jordan
October 30th, 2009
11:58 am
If her’s and the other candidates’ races were reversed, the typical screams of racism would be exploding everywhere. The City of Atlanta is a cesspool of political cronyism and a drain on the state. If they can’t get their financial house in order, the state needs to remove Hartsfield Airport from their oversight. What a circus.
false
October 30th, 2009
11:59 am
Jane Kidd, a white Democrat, calls Mary Norwood a Republican. And this translates into people concluding: “At this point, it’s pretty safe to say that Black people are more racist than whites.”
Stepping back and watching this is sociologically interesting. Everyone is seeing race and racism in literally everything.
PoliticOracle
October 30th, 2009
12:08 pm
Is it true that we see conservatives claiming to be victims? Don’t cry victim, that’s what the weak do. It is amazing that all of the commenters on this website are trying to spin this into a question of race. The Democratic Party of Georgia is full of white people and it is my understanding that they are the majority.
The work the state party is doing against Norwood is party based. So stop getting on here and acting like victims and playing the race card. White people have not been oppressed in Atlanta. We ALL, black and white, are going through some tough times together and no one person should be blamed for this mess. The city council made mistakes, the mayor made mistakes, the state has made mistakes and we all know the feds role. The black people and less-affluents and the southside don’t despise the wealth of the northside, just as much as I don’t think white and affluent folks on the northside don’t look down upon those that are poor or working class.
No one (save the CAU professors) has spoken of Norwood’s race as being a factor in this race. There are many smart people of all walks of life in this city that see Norwood for what she is, AN EMPTY SUIT FULL OF RHETORIC WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS TO GET AROUND TO ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS AND EVENTS.
With all of this accessibility and the appearances, what has Norwood accomplished. We are looking at her record and it is very thin.
Mtn.man
October 30th, 2009
12:11 pm
As an escapee,from:”The City” of the south,I bleed for it,s downward spiral! Looks like the Democratic party is on it,s way to a self inflicted serious injury,on a national as well as a local front! Big organizations committ big mistakes…….in spite of their community organizer skills and proven devisive tactics!Wish I could vote! SAD!, Mtn. man
No vote
October 30th, 2009
12:12 pm
Well I will not be voting because I have only been in Georgia 1 year and don’t know enough about any of them to go and cast a vote. I will say that Norwood looks very nervous. As the mayor of Atlanta, it needs to be someone who has integrity, vision, purpose, and many other things. But she looks like if you say boo she will run. Because of the type of people she will hv to deal with and her job, she needs some back bone in her. Who ever wins I hope that they can do what is best for the city.
PoliticOracle
October 30th, 2009
12:14 pm
@Atlanta is stupid
I think ATLPRINCE is saying is, the black mayors that you people get on here and act like were the worst things to happen to Atlanta helped usher in a wave of development into the city that paved the way for things like the Aquarium – which is located in an area that was formerly a waste land.
Mike
October 30th, 2009
12:16 pm
NativeSon71 recommends a great book – Gary Pomerantz’s “Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn,” which describes several generations of Atlanta politics, specifically the contributions made by the families of Mayors Ivan Allen and Maynard Jackson.
Back then, white people looked to businessmen and black people looked to ministers to choose their candidates. Today, the two leading candidates are a white woman whose husband is a Buckhead doctor and is popular throughout the city, and a black woman who went to Westminster and is popular throughout the city. Too bad that some people don’t want to declare racial politics over in Atlanta just because their candidate is coming in second.
DMB
October 30th, 2009
12:17 pm
I feel sorry for Mary. She doesn’t deserve to be attacked like that nor should she have to defend or spell out WHO she voted for. That’s just crazy.
This will only help Norwood, people are just afraid of having a white mayor.
PoliticOracle
October 30th, 2009
12:24 pm
The Democratic Party’s attack of Norwood does not spell the demise of the party. It will actually invigorate for 2010. Its time to pick sides. John Oxendine, Karen Handel or Roy Barnes and Thurbert Baker. Atlanta has been ignored by the State of Georgia long enough. I don’t really care about Norwood’s party affiliation, but if she is a Republican or has voted Republican she needs to be honest with the people and let us decided if we want a mayor that has those affiliations.
DONT SAY YOU FORGOT WHO YOU VOTED FOR!!
Atlanta is Stupid
October 30th, 2009
12:36 pm
Yo PoliticOracle- You must mean a black mayor just happened to be in office when a rich white guy made a gift to the city. I believe Bill Campbell was mayor when Bernie offered to build the aquarium in Atlanta, and Roy Barnes was governor. Are you trying to say Bill Campbell brought the aquarium to Atlanta? No, I didn’t think you would be that stupid.
SEJ
October 30th, 2009
12:39 pm
Kirk, I went to UGA which prior to 1961 I wouldn’t have been able to do. They have never had a race restricting policy at CAU. Pull your hood off you’ll see better.
DaMan
October 30th, 2009
12:42 pm
Shirley Franklin is a joke, she has lost jobs for policemen, firemen, sanitation, almost every department in the city…lost millions in city money and has the worst assistants and department heads in any city. Atlanta is a joke..she should make a great head of some department in the Obama administration with all the other jokes. Her daughter and son-in-law sold drugs, her ex husband cheated the airport out of rent money…Yeah, they are a fine group. Must be kin to the Kings…
JayH
October 30th, 2009
12:48 pm
To GrantPark…”Amen”.
To ATLPRINCE..If Dems have had hunger pains and unemployment, for God’s sake why don’t you TRY thinking DIFFERENTLY than you have for forty years, and let free markets, tax relief, and healthy charities thrive, as the Repubs believe ? You’re with the party that enables the very garbage you despise ! (Spoken with love…)
Corey
October 30th, 2009
12:55 pm
This black man is definitely voting for Mary Norwood. What is transpiring is totally transparent, and embarrassment is to mild a word to describe this garbage. I will take all my friends to the polls, and we will be voting for Mary Norwood. First, it was the memo authored by CAU professors, and now this. Enough is enough!
kirk
October 30th, 2009
1:24 pm
LMAO! Sweeping the floors at UGA doesn’t count, SEG. You’re right, Clark Atlanta’s racism is much more progressive. Like getting a coupla semi-literate profs to write letters damning the evil white candidate. Classic liberalism.
Kendall
October 30th, 2009
1:30 pm
A vote for Norwood is a vote for sending Atlanta into a world of privatization. We don’t need a trademarked city.
A vote for Reed is a vote for thug mayor leadership of the city. We don’t need another Detroit.
A vote for Borders is a vote for smart thinking, future-forward planning, and a woman with a track record for getting things done.
Vote for LISA BORDERS!!!
Ya tu sabes
October 30th, 2009
1:38 pm
This entire race is turning into a race issue. Look at the polls. The whites are only voting for Norwood because she is the white candidate. They don’t even care about issues. Post racial. Yeah right.
RGB
October 30th, 2009
1:45 pm
Mary Norwood has saved or created 58,000 jobs.
Sherrell, M.
October 30th, 2009
1:51 pm
What I care about more than who Ms. Norwood voted for is the city of Atlanta. It’s time for a change and Ms. Norwood has my vote! Kasim Reed was Shirley Franklin’s campaign manager for her 1st and 2nd terms and that’s very frightening. By far, Shirley Franklin has been the worst mayor since I have become involved in politics. Ms. Lisa Borders seems out of touch and I think if she become mayor of Atlanta, it will be status quo.
A second Democratic hit piece on Mary Norwood | Political Insider
October 30th, 2009
2:10 pm
[...] The text doesn’t stray far from the first mail piece, which struck Thursday and can be viewed here. [...]
James
October 30th, 2009
2:23 pm
Ya tu sabes
October 30th, 2009
1:38 pm
This entire race is turning into a race issue. Look at the polls. The whites are only voting for Norwood because she is the white candidate. They don’t even care about issues. Post racial. Yeah right.
____________________________________________________________________-
And you voted for Obama because he was the best man? Right you did because he’s black. You people play the race game only when it suits you.
PoliticOracle
October 30th, 2009
2:50 pm
@Atlanta is Stupid
You’re so dumb, you don’t realize that the area where the Aquarium was built had been a hell-hole prior to the investment made by those that saw the change that the Olympics would bring. All this prosperity was fostered by two African-American mayors and a whole lot of business people, white and black, that saw great vision for this city. They put race asisde and so do I.
I could care less what color Mary Norwood is, SHE’S DUMB AND SO ARE YOU!!
List of non-black candiates that I would support over the current field any day.
1. Cathy Woolard (Former Council President and Brilliant government mind)
2. Sam Zimarrippa (Hispanic, Former State Senator)
3. Sam Williams (Atlanta Chamber of Commerce)
4. Arthur Blank (reminds me of Bloomberg)
5. Carl v. Patton (Former President of GSU and great smart growth/development mind)
DON’T BE FOOLED SMART PEOPLE!! THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THIS BLOG ACTING LIKE THIS IS A RACIAL ISSUE. THEY ARE DIVERTING ATTENION AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT (BESIDES BEING VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY) MARY NORWOOD HAS ACCOMPLISHED LITTLE OF NOTHING FOR THE WHOLE OF THIS CITY.
SHE’S PLAYING POLITICS AND SO ARE HER OPPONENTS MAY THE BEST MAN/WOMAN WIN!! THAT DOESNT CHANGE THE FACT THAT SHE’S A WEAK CANDIDATE.
STUDIES SHOW THAT SOUTHERN BLACKS ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT A WHITE CANDIDATE THAN WHITES ARE LIKELY TO SUPPORT A BLACK CANDIDATE. THAT DOESNT MEAN THAT WHITES ARE RACIST, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT VOTE BASED ON RACE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT.
MARY NORWOOD IS WEAK ON THE ISSUES AND HEAVY ON THE RHETORICAL GRANDSTANDING AND PANDERING. AND OH YEAH, SHE’S A REPUBLICAN THAT’S AFRAID TO ADMIT IT.
Vicious Truth
October 30th, 2009
2:56 pm
For those who don’t know….Jane Kidd is a WHITE WOMAN !!!!! (there’s nothing wrong with that) So race isn’t a factor just party affiliation. Back off the hate filled venom.
Angry Taxpayer
October 30th, 2009
3:53 pm
So where do you think the funding for this comes from? Could it be Mayor Franklin’s campaign contribution “residuals”?
Given that the mailers came out just after the 25th of October (a filing deadline for local races and campaign sources and uses of funds), for which Franklin would have to file – I’ll make a big wager on this one – Franklin is funding the hit pieces! She gives the money to the Dem party on the 26th of October and we won’t see it until after Jan 1 (the next deadline for disclosures).
So why would Franklin do it – she doesn’t want Mary opening the books after she is gone.
Poll: Norwood at 45 percent, Reed at 25 percent | Fresh Loaf
October 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
[...] Reed and even the Georgia Democratic Party have accused Norwood of being a Republican. Norwood, who invited the criticism after she said earlier this week [...]
Get all the info
October 30th, 2009
5:02 pm
Why is Norwood taking donations from Michael Bowers?
http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/mary_norwood_gets_donation_from_anti-gay_republican/
RGB
October 30th, 2009
5:49 pm
Update: Mary Norwood has saved or created 72,814 jobs.
Check back often for updates.
The Mighty Whitey
October 30th, 2009
6:16 pm
This mayoral contest is black and white. Everything else you hear is background noise.
Wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air for Reed to have a campaign ad that simply and honestly said–”Vote for me cause I am Black.”
TMW
Here’s the Democratic Party mailer labeling Norwood a Republican | Fresh Loaf
October 30th, 2009
7:43 pm
[...] mailers that allege mayoral candidate Mary Norwood is actually a Republican. Jim Galloway’s got photos of the other. SpaceyG also provided a link to [...]
IdaHere
October 31st, 2009
4:13 am
I DON’T GET IT! WHAT IS RACIST ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES? WHY IS IT THAT MARY NORWOOD DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO KNOW THAT SHE IS REPUBLICAN? YES, WHY??? WHY ARE ALL OF HER SUPPORTERS ON HERE TRYING TO MANIPULATE AND TAKE ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE REAL ISSUES AT HAND? DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT WE BELIEVE THAT FOLKS ARE GOING TO RUN OUT AND VOTE FOR MARY OUT OF SYMPATHY???
PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO COVER-UP THE REAL ISSUE, THAT MARY IS A VERY WEAK CANDIDATE THAT WILL DEFINITELY SET THIS CITY BACK IF ELECTED. SHE IS NOT GOOD FOR ATLANTA! WHY? PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF HER RECORD FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS AS ATLANTA CITY COUNCIL, POST 2.
YES, SHE WAS ALL OVER THE CITY, IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT REPRESENTING HER DISTRICT, BUT DISTRIBUTING TRINKETS WITH HER NAME AND COLOR SCHEME (Hence out front with name recognition)! ALTHOUGH SOME MIGHT THINK WAS SMART, IT WAS VERY DECEITFUL BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT DOING THE JOB SHE WAS ELECTED TO DO! AS A COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, DID SHE EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AT CITY HALL? WAS SHE REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE OR LOOKING OUT FOR HER OWN INTEREST? DO YOU THINK SHE WILL BE ANY DIFFERENT AS MAYOR? IS ALL YOUR VOTE WORTH TO YOU IS A BLUE & WHITE PILL BOX AND A MEAL AT THE BEAUTIFUL? PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
WELL THINKING PEOPLE WHO REALLY CARE ABOUT ATLANTA, BLACK, WHITE, HISPANIC, ARE NOT FOOLED BY THE RHETORIC AND EMPTY EXCUSES!! WE ARE NOT FOOLED BY ALL OF THE OUTSIDERS BLOGGING HERE ABOUT RACISM. WE KNOW WHAT HAS BROUGHT ATLANTA THUS FAR, AND WHAT IT TAKES TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD!
TO THE NEW ATLANTANS, WELCOME! HOWEVER, STUDY BEFORE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS OR BEING TAKEN IN BY FOOLISH COMMENTS SUCH AS MENTIONED ON THIS BLOG! THE REPUBLICANS KNOW THAT THOSE FLYERS ARE GREAT STRATEGIES FOR THIS RACE BECAUSE THEY SPEAK THE TRUTH!! HOWEVER, THEY ARE GREAT FOR CASTING BLAME AND CRYING VICTIM! THEY HAVE NOT STOPPED CAMPAIGNING EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST BIG TIME A YEAR AGO! BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY IS BECAUSE OF THE DEMOCRATS! THEIR strategy is if they repeat it enough, people will believe it! SOUNDS VERY FAMILIAR ON THIS BLOG? PLEASE FOLKS GET ON THE BLOG, SAY YOU ARE A DEMOCRAT BUT SWITCHING BECAUSE YOU ARE EMBARASSED THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS CALLING OUT SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN DECEIVING THE ELECTORATE!! PLEASE FOLKS GET ON THE BLOG AND SAY THAT YOU ARE BLACK, CRITICIZE AND DOWN RATE THE FORMER BLACK MAYORS AND SAY THAT YOU ARE FED-UP AND THEREFORE VOTING FOR THE WHITE CANDIDATE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE CALLED A RACIST??? PLEASE BLOGGERS SAY THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING DOWN THE TUBE AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK! IN THIS FRENZY, SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT ABOUT THE OTHER CANDIDATES, BECAUSE THE GOAL IS TO GET THE PEOPLE TO THINK THAT SO MANY OF US ARE AGAINST THIS OUTRAGEOUS, RACIST, DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES??? The more we repeat it, we might even convince the blacks, and Democrats that the Republicans are their best friends!
WELL FORGET IT!! ANY POLITICAL STRATEGIST WOULD SAY, GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! EVEN MY INTELLIGENT REPUBLICAN FRIENDS ARE SAYING “WELL DONE!” YES, WELL THINKING ATLANTANS (in the city) KNOW THE REAL ISSUES AND KNOW THAT WE MUST RISE AGAIN AND MAKE SURE ATLANTA REMAINS A GREAT CITY “TOO BUSY TO HATE TOO BUSY TO BE TAKEN BACK 100 YEARS.
NOT ABOUT RACE, NOT ABOUT POLITICS, ALL ABOUT MOVING ATLANTA FORWARD NOT BACKWARDS!! ABOUT CARING, SHARING, KNOWING, AND VOTING!!
YES WE CAN! YES WE WILL! YES ATLANTA WILL REMAIN THE CITY TOO BUSY TO HATE!!
Marc G
October 31st, 2009
10:31 am
White people don’t seem to get it, to understand, that to many Black citizens, attending the Republican Convention puts you in a league far worse than the run-of-the-mill Repub voter. You’re hardcore Republican if you go to the CONVENTION! Again, to MANY Black people, this says you are DEFINITELY not a friend. And if this sounds weird to whites (and the few Black Republicans on here) then you need to read a history book. The problems Black people have had in this country, from slavery to Jim Crow to Katrina have come primarily at the hands of people (and their predecessors) who call themselves Republicans and who vote Republican.
I’m Black and I’m never fooled or persuaded only mildly annoyed when I read the ultra-conservative AJC blogs. I have never voted Republican. Why would I? It’s obvious that they are racists (even if they do have a few Black supporters). The Democrats of Georgia aren’t a whole lot better but Kasim Reed hasn’t been attending Republican Conventions. This is Georgia for pete’s sake! You can’t be a Republican down here and then expect Black support. Read a friggin history book.
IT’S AN INSULT!!!!
Norwood is the white candidate. Whites are voting for her because she’s white. Fine. No change there. Whites always vote for the white candidate if they can. This is the history of this country. Whites vote for the white candidate if it’s a white/Black race. Can’t really change people. And Norwood is the white candidate so we’ll see next week, I guess.
AJC Deleted Pro Norwood Comments
October 31st, 2009
2:54 pm
Very surprised to see that either Jim Galloway or the AJC is deleting the polite and pro comments that we have submitted about Mary Norwood’s mayoral campaign and the fact that she is a very qualified candidate.
The AJC is very biased and exerts control over the polite comments about Norwood, but allows negative, racist comments to be published about Norwood. The AJC is just a political machine funded by advertising and your subscriptions.
Buh Bye AJC!
LOD_NYPD
November 1st, 2009
1:32 pm
If white professors had called upon teh white community to vote for the white candidate, would that be racist?
The reason I ask is: “The memo, written by political science professors William Boone and Keith Jennings, warned that black Atlantans need to act quickly to thwart a Norwood victory and maintain black political control of the top job in the city.”
Source: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/01/white-candidate-scrambles-vote-attitudes-in-atlant/?page=3
OKGA
November 20th, 2009
11:31 am
I’m voting for Norwood because of this sloppy attack for the GA democratic party (yeah, I want my donation $ back too, chumps). Well, and because she’s the only candidate who seems to have realistic, plausible reactions to all of the problems going on in Atlanta. You want more of the incompetence & cronyism from Mayor Franklin? Vote for Kasim Reed. You want actual change? Vote for Norwood.
West Park Hill Resident
November 28th, 2009
10:16 am
I am a tried and true Democrat and have contributed to Mary’s campaign and find Lisa Border’s and the other Demos as being incorrect and destructive. We need a change!