Heads up: WXIA/V-103 poll on mayor’s race due at noon

Norwood’s been running for mayor for 4 years and in less than a year Kasim Reed has caught up and is likely to pass her.

• Link
• Report this comment

Great underdog story – two months ago many thought Kasim Reed didn’t stand a chance.

• Link
• Report this comment

The more people look at Reed’s untenable promises, pandering and race-bating the more he will sink. Norwood’s supporters don’t pick up the phone to answer polls.

• Link
• Report this comment

Kasim Reed was the defense attorney for Cracker Barrel restaurants against class-action discrimination suits. He makes his living representing large corporations accused of discrimination against minorities and women.

Corporations are entitled to a defense, but their anti-civil rights attorneys are not entitled to lead the cradle of the civil rights movement.

Here is the link:

http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0546.html

• Link
• Report this comment

Norwood is losen the battle it sad how she dont know how to run her campaign staffer …Reed is out there getting out the vote..
I have friends coming in town from Ny and Chicago who is out getting out the early vote for November 18

• Link
• Report this comment

^hahahahahaha^ lol hahahahahaha

• Link
• Report this comment

@ Chris Murphy: Are Kasim’s promises any more untenable than Mary’s (e.g. “I’ll reinstate pay increments and expand the size of the police force but won’t raise your taxes”)? Senator Reed, to his credit, has been the only candidate that has identified revenue streams to fund his public safety proposals (reducing use of overtime, trimming the IT budget, better collections of existing obligations, etc.).

Now, compare Mary’s plan to restore the City’s fiscal health (http://www.marynorwoodformayor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=89) to the CFO’s recent letter to the Council (http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/files/2009/09/read-the-letter-PDF.pdf). At the heart of the City’s fiscal challenges are: a) an acute revenue shortage; and b) an increasingly unmanageable pension obligation. What’s Mary’s plan short on? Viable revenue generating ideas and path forward on pensions. And I emphasize “viable” as her regional equalization tax has about a good a chance of passing in the state legislature as I do becoming the starting tight end for the Atlanta Falcons. So, again I ask, whose plans are untenable?

And as for pandering, have you seen Mary Norwood at “The Beautiful” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF1cPVoCak0)? Or, the elderly black woman doing the voice-over in her ‘98 Buick ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGGgqq_ucbY)? You don’t see Kasim Reed pandering to Districts 7 and 8 like Ms. Norwood has done with black voters. Sadly, it may work as showing up at every community meeting, fish fry and neighborhood BBQ has become a proxy for being qualified to become the next Mayor of Atlanta. If showing up to everything were all it took to right our fiscal ship and tackle our public safety and service delivery challenges, I’d be voting for Mary Norwood as well; but it’ll take more than a busy body to deliver on the City’s challenges.

So, when it comes to untenable promises and pandering, no one does it better than Mary Norwood. As for the polls, I’d want to see how they look after a Reed-Norwood debate. But, unfortunately, my gut tells me that substance has taken a backseat to what really matters in the runoff: turnout. Districts 7 and 8 are coming out for Mary, and the Ralph Longs in South Atlanta will be in full force, so it’s really a question of whether the Reed camp can get their folks out again in South Atlanta and win over Lisa’s folks in 2 and 6.

• Link
• Report this comment

@ Notice the groupie silence: This nonsensical guilt-by-association line or argument you’re peddling is a distraction. Mary Norwood’s firm worked for Ralph Reed, but I’m not associating his views with hers. Why? Because when you’re providing a service you may not always see eye-to-eye with your clients. Furthermore, Ralph Reed (nor party affiliation) have nothing to do with this race.

And how do you explain the support civil rights icons like Andrew Young or groups like Concerned Black Clergy, given his “anti-civil rights” record? Further, what does this have to do with the City’s pension mess, public safety, service delivery or anything else relevant to the City of Atlanta? It’s obvious you’re more interested in distractions than you are in dealing with what truly ails the City.

• Link
• Report this comment

@Notice the groupie silence.

No one is responding, because the Atlanta Progressive News is not credible and totally in the tank for Norwood. There are two sides to every story and not many people take their news from crack-pot sources there are some stories at there that paint a sordid story on Ms. Norwood, but I’m not buying that crap either.

So do better and focus on where this city is headed, because whomever is elected has a mountainous task ahead. Besides the Georgia Labor Council has endorsed Mayor Reed and I’m sure they’ve vetted his professional past.

• Link
• Report this comment

Nice try to call it a distraction Morehouse Guy. But where a candidate chooses to work, and the work he chooses to do is a legitimate issue, no matter how you try to spin it.

If the Cracker Barrel case was isolated, you’d have a point. But it wasn’t and you don’t. It’s not a distraction. On the contrary, it’s a huge insight into the character of Reed, and what he believes in, that he chose to work for a firm whose main thrust was defending corporations when they trampled the rights of average working class citizens.

Are you trying to claim, Morehouse Guy, that the conscious deliberate choice of where one chooses to ply their trade, and who they choose to represent is of no bearing when the average working citizen goes to the polls?

• Link
• Report this comment

Morehouse guy and Oracle look how Norwood supporter are getting mad with you guys. Norwood is running out of false lies and everything is fallen against her campaign..I cant wait until I pick my friends up at the airport to get out the early votes for Reed. This is election will make history people are flying in to help Reed getting elected.

• Link
• Report this comment

WOW!!! Reed is collecting a list of names of groups that support him! But in actuality, Roy Barnes cannot vote in the Atlanta mayoral runoff because he’s a resident of Marietta, many cops cannot vote in the Atlanta mayoral runoff because they do not reside in the city limits, etc, etc. But I guess it’s great that he can stand in front of a camera and say he has these irrelevant non-voters’ support.

BUT GOOD NEWS!!! Mary Norwood is approaching individual voters personally in each district, instead of campaigning at associations and politico offices. Who has the better chance of winning? I’d say the candidate that has CLEARLY reached the voters one-by-one and made herself available. Where’s Mary? She’s obviously NOT in front of a camera bragging, she’s grass-rooting door by door…with people who can ACTUALLY vote in the runoff.

• Link
• Report this comment

Reed supporter, since you are so upset that the Norwood camp is allegedly lying, and since you are such a loyal supporter, please expose the Norwood camp’s lies by having Reed issue a press release saying that he did not work for Holland and Knight, and he did not represent Cracker Barrel when it was accused of discriminatory practices.

Thanks in advance for having Reed clear that up for us.

• Link
• Report this comment

I thought one of the big reasons we choose a career or job is for the pay. If I’m a lawyer, why wouldn’t I want to work for one of the best law firms in the world? NTGS and others here act like they themselves get to decide what work they do on their jobs…. Like you’ve never had a job where you did work you didn’t agree with, but did as a means to support yourself and your family. I voted for Borders earlier, but judging by the desperate measures being taken by you, my vote is slowly drifting towards Reed.

While you ask questions about Reed’s character, ask your this:

What piece of substantive legislation did Mary Norwood pass in 8 years on the City Council? Did she chair any committees, why or why not? How EXACTLY did she take on developers as she likes to claim in all her commercials? There aren’t many McMansions in SW Atl, so that doesn’t affect me that much. Showing up is one thing, showing results is another.

• Link
• Report this comment

I see lots of armchair attorneys on this blog, so a point of clarification is needed here (and I’m an attorney, so I think I know a little something of which I speak). The City of Atlanta is home to a host of large law firms. Their clients are often corporations. When you’re a labor and employment attorney like Senator Reed, you’re often going to defend these corporations. At times, as was the case with CrackerBarrel, they’re liable. At other times, they are not. Are you to impugn this man’s character simply because he works for a firm that defends corporations who are sometimes liable for misconduct? Given that logic, just about every lawyer would not be “trustful” to many of you (what if he were a criminal defense attorney? a divorce attorney?). And they likely removed references to Mr. Reed’s work because they understand how oppositional research works and the last thing a firm wants is to have the good work they do distorted by the likes of Atlanta Progressive News and other groups who know nothing of the legal profession but who would bring unwanted (and unwarranted) attention to the firm’s clients.

And, using that logic, I guess we can impugn Mary’s character because she’s worked with Ralph Reed. The same Ralph Reed that got enmeshed in the Jack Abramoff scandal, right? You see the limitations of this guilt-by-association nonsense? And taken against the backdrop of an ailing city, how helpful is this in determining who is the best person for the job? Again, it’s obviously a distraction that Norwood supporters will gladly indulge.

Further, anyone notice how my substantive critiques of Ms. Norwood posted at 12:04 were ignored? Why? Because Norwood supporters know that if it’s a debate on the issues, their candidate loses. Plain and simple. Their response? Make it about “trust.” Tie Kasim to Bill Campbell, Maynard Jackson and Shirley Franklin and you’ve got all you need to know. If you can’t see this tactic, you’re either willfully refusing to do so or you’re cynically trying to undermine Senator Reed’s candidacy (or just politically naiive).

How could you ignore his legislative record (a much more accurate depiction of what he’ll do as Mayor than the law firm he works for)? Notice, this conversation is not about the substance of Senator Reed’s candidacy or his record, but about nonsense. I can appreciate the Norwood supporters though — throw up enough smoke and knock on every door and you can fool enough voters into supporting you. Honestly, I can’t blame Ms. Norwood as it’s the low voting IQ of most Atlantans that, I think, is largely responsible for support of a candidate with a untenable set of priorities and an anemic legislative record who may be on the cusp of taking on an ailing City (despite being a part of the status quo that has brought the City to it’s knees — Ms. Norwood supported that pension vote that has put the City’s finances in a bind and voted to create the public safety furloughs, etc.). Nice try, Norwood supporters, but you know you’re weak on the substantive issues that should drive your support for her candidacy.

• Link
• Report this comment

Cutty the main thing here, is that of all the law firms a person with the talent of Reed could have chosen to work for, he made the conscious deliberate choice to work for one whose major thrust, as I understand it, was to defend corporations who willingly engage in discriminatory practices.

As you claim that most people chose a job, is for the pay, then is it not legitimate to ask to what lengths Reed will go for the pursuit of money? How, in order to pursue his own personal goals, will the average working citizen be affected is a legitimate question to ask, as he has legally opposed the average working citizen in the past as a major thrust of his legal work.

Conversely, your questions as to what major legislation did Norwood pass, what committees did she serve on are questions that Norwood would do well to fully address.

• Link
• Report this comment

@ Jackalope: You’re missing my point. That’s long been the inuenndo surrounding Ms. Norwood’s campaign (who she’s done robocalls for; notice that’s been a difficult set of information to find as well, my friend…wonder why? But then again, is that relevant? I don’t really think so), as rumors swirl around all of the camps. My larger point — it’s a distraction (though I’ll find the links you’re looking for). Again, this is not about the issues that we all agree are important for the next mayor. Further, you’re not going to address the lack of substance we’ve seen from Norwood’s campaign. For that matter, no one is because you and I both know which candidate has shown a better grasp of Atlanta’s challenges (despite one of them being a current Councilperson) and a more viable vision for the City.

And, to answer the “concerns” some have about Senator Reed’s employment, your job as a labor an employment attorney isn’t solely to “defend corporations who willingly engage in discriminatory practices.” You draft employment agreements, ensure compliance with ERISA, OSHA, immigration laws and a host of other labor issues. Much of what Senator Reed has done as an attorney has been transactional dealing with entertainment clients (as you’ve seen from the racist, hip-hop oriented entries on this blog throughout the political season concerning Mr. Reed’s former clients in the entertainment industry). Further, the more important employment, for the purposes of this race, is his employment in the public interest as both a Representative and Senator. Why can’t we keep this conversation substantive and issue-driven? All this Holland and Knight talk is a distraction from the issues.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hello. This is Matthew Cardinale, News Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. Unlike some, I always use my real name when posting comments. The truth is, we’ve been working with an insider to the Reed campaign for some time, and they confirmed to me that the Reed campaign is using paid staff to anonymously comment on this blog, including Tharon Johnson, Rashad Taylor, Reese McCranie, and others. They have a list of daily talking points that they mimic over and over in the comment section–pretending to be an average Atlanta voter–as soon as they receive the Google Alert in their inbox. I think that’s deceptive of them.

Second, I am so proud of the fact-based, original news that we have provided to Atlanta readers for almost 4 years. In fact, we will be celebrating our 4th year on November 23, 2009. We have covered stories that no one else has dared to cover and provided a voice for the working poor, homeless, disenfranchised, etc. We have produced over 540 original news articles, including many exclusives. I stand by every word we have ever printed.

If anyone still does not believe our article about Reed’s work for two law firms as a corporate attorney representing Cracker Barrel, big real estate, big health care, and big construction interests against apparently victimized workers, here at the links on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records database:

1:96-cv-00174-JTC
Wilson v. Parsons Brinckerhoff, et al
filed 01/24/96 closed 03/31/98
https://ecf.gand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iquery.pl?277797914461827-L_580_0-0-79393

1:96-cv-02340-GET
Swann v. The Hayman Company
filed 09/11/96 closed 05/27/97
https://ecf.gand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iquery.pl?277797914461827-L_580_0-0-81757

1:96-cv-03384-MHS
Smith v. ATC Healthcare, et al
filed 12/19/96 closed 09/16/98
https://ecf.gand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iquery.pl?277797914461827-L_580_0-0-82568

1:97-cv-02472-GET
Baker v. BMG Distribution, et al
filed 08/27/97 closed 10/19/98
https://ecf.gand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iquery.pl?277797914461827-L_580_0-0-87897

4:99-cv-00001-HLM
McDermitt, et al v. Cracker Barrel Old
filed 01/04/99 closed 12/16/05
https://ecf.gand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iquery.pl?277797914461827-L_580_0-0-121806

You may have to register to view these cases. Look under “Attorney” for the attorney listings. Mr. Reed is listed as Mohammed Kasim Reed, attorney at Paul Hastings Janofsky.

Yes, our Board of Directors has endorsed Mary Norwood in the General and of course maintains that endorsement in the Run-off. Plenty of publications make endorsements (Creative Loafing, Sunday Paper, the former Southern Voice); the AJC may have wimped out this year but that’s not our problem. We were the only publication to endorse Norwood it’s true.

But we have now run articles critical of all 3 major candidates-
Lisa Borders Influential Supporter is Republican Politico
Those Reed supporters loved that one, they were on this blog posting that link every day. Reese McCranie told me himself that article “gave me talking points for days.”

Norwood Defends Personal Voting Record after DPG Attack Mailer
Remember that one? Where Ed Lindsey later thought he was the least radical Republican and Kyle Wingfield was concerned about Norwood’s analogy involving cocaine?

Ok, so now all of a sudden it’s Reed’s turn to face some scrutiny and the Reed camp has no good defense so they attack the messenger.

At APN, we are proud to reach over 8,000 readers a day, with another 5,000 on email distribution. Thank you so much for your interest in APN. We have so much at stake this election, and we have endeavored–through questionnaires and full-length interviews–to provide our readers with as much information as possible so they can make an empowered, meaningful choice this election.

Best,
MC
http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com

• Link
• Report this comment

Thanks ISSUES …..Look Mary Norwood are running scared now they dont have anything to say what Mary Norwood is going to do for Atlanta they upset the way Norwood is running her campaign I wonder why the polls show Reed leading now. Norwood is a nice lady but she we need someone with a backbone and Mary Norwood is so weak she can’t handle this tough city. Norwood supporter thats all you know is crackel barrel I dont even eat there so I dont care what goes on with crackel barrel I care whats going to bring Atlanta together to stop crime, jobs, recreation center, pot holes, homeless..Mary Norwood have not prove to me what she did for 8 years to bring our city back on track.

• Link
• Report this comment

Okay, so I’m guessing every corporate attorney in Atlanta is persona non grata to some of you on this blog as this could be a point of contention for any corporate attorney. Assuming we continue with the “corporations are evil” line of thought, I’m guessing you all aren’t big economic development types either despite national and local double-digit unemployment. Go figure.

And you’ve mentioned nothing of Mr. Reed’s pro bono work. Attorneys from these big, evil large law firms given thousands of hours of pro bono work to the City, and unfortunately, they go unnoticed. Have any of you (including APN) done any investigations as to his pro bono work? Again, he chose to be a labor and employment attorney and they do more than defend against discrimination claims. You fundamentally misunderstand what it is labor and employment attorneys do. Now, what exactly does this have to do with his plan to add more cops, generate more revenue or enhance city service delivery? Oh yeah, it has nothing to do with that.

And to answer your question of whether “Reed [is] committed to using that ability to benefit the average working citizen of Atlanta”, check his legislative record: http://www.kasimreed.com/meet-kasim#record. Care to dispute this? Check Ms. Norwood’s website for her legislative accomplishments (http://www.marynorwoodformayor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=113). Now, compare Reed’s actual legislation to Mary’s “advocacy” or “working with” city agencies. Now, there’s nothing wrong with working with these folks, but legislators live and die on the legislation they produce. Mary’s simply a much less effective legislator. Also, realize that Senator Reed has done his work in a hostile, Republican state legislature. His record on behalf of ordinary Atlantans is pretty clear. I’m hoping people see how this Holland and Knight piece is a distraction.

• Link
• Report this comment

Dave Walker for Mayor!

• Link
• Report this comment

Morehouse Guy, I have no problems with you saying that Norwood has been an ineffective legislator, if you define strictly as legislation that has been passed, or committees that have been lead or served on.

It’s up to the Norwood camp to make the case as to why she hasn’t done more with the limited power she has had, and what she will do with the leverage she will have if she becomes mayor.

Those are questions that should be addressed for sure.

• Link
• Report this comment

That was well said Morehouse Guy. I am not an attorney and I don’t know all the nuances either, but if one of my three employees sue me I have a right to defend myself.

the bottom line is, Norwood and Reed are in a horse race and I think Reed is better positioned to take his voters to the polls. It’s all about turnout and having the right GOTV team is critical to this process.

Reed had a small army out on general election day and I’m not sure Norwood has the resources or know-how around her to make it happen.

• Link
• Report this comment

As I stated over the weekend, Norwood has a spotted history and was a pals with Bill Campbell during his time as mayor. It wasn’t until he was unpopular that she distanced herself. Clair Muller was pushed by Maynard Jackson, who was a fine man and great friend of my father’s, and he was a strong proponent of Atlanta, period. For him there was no white or black, just ATLANTA. Its very odd that everyone has gotten amnesia, or maybe those that know the true story won’t share. This town was a sleepy little city prior to the likes of William Hartsfield Ivan Allen, Sam Massell and Maynard Jackson. These men had vision and they were able to see beyond race, in many instances. It is my opinion that, many whites in this city (including some of my own friends) want a white mayor for optical purposes and this is inherently wrong. And it is for this reason that I feel Norwood will lose this election. There are some black voters that will support Mary Norwood, because they truly have a connection to her and there are even some whites that have that same connection. There are a lot of whites that have legitimate concerns about where the city is headed and there have been some failures with past administrations, but Mary Norwood’s skin color is not the answer and that is the wrong direction to head in. I must say that I didn’t know much about any of the candidates in the race prior to January, but once I started paying attention to style and substance I learned a lot. I initially liked Lisa Borders the most, but it was always unclear as to whether she was truly committed to the task at hand. Norwood always struck me as a bit unprepared and loud. She seems to be a gadfly that lacks the proper focus to really lead in a meaningful way. I just get uneasy with the thought of her sitting at the helm. She seems nice and I have even had some good conversations with her at a social event or two. My biggest concern with Norwood is her populist attitude. It seems that she is too easily swayed by the people, who don’t always understand the greater issues that some times give way to unpopular decisions. I just don’t know if Mary Norwood would be capable of leading Atlanta to do the right thing, even if it were unpopular. She doesn’t strike me as that type of leader.

This leaves us with Kasim Reed. Honestly, I was very concerned with him as a candidate before. My concerned lied in the fact that he seemed to be a Johnny come lately and that is definitely not the type of mayor Atlanta needs to get out of this morass. But as I paid attention more and more, he seemed to have a grasp of the issues and he has run a heck-of-a campaign. I mean 40 points in three months, that is impressive. I like his proposals and I think he has the right understanding of what lies ahead.

I want him to committ to greater ethics reform, to avoid Lamar Willis and Ceasar Mitchell incidents. I also want him to committ to a more open procurement process in the city. Blacks are not the only ones that have benefited from contracts. so please don’t take my comments as race-baiting. I remember the days when William Hartsfield’s wife had a “real” no-bid contract at the airport and King and Spaulding handled all of the city’s legal work.

This is just my two cents for the day. Maybe i’ll post again later. I’m not going to begin to suggest on this thread who people should vote for, because that is still an American right that is private but I will say please be smart about your vote.

• Link
• Report this comment

“My biggest concern with Norwood is her populist attitude. It seems that she is too easily swayed by the people”

I think we could use a little more of that, actually.

• Link
• Report this comment