A late jolt: Roy Barnes’ new ad and his bank investments
Other candidates and the Savannah Morning News are pointing out that the latest TV ad by former Gov. Roy Barnes leaves a few details out. Writes Larry Peterson:
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Roy Barnes is airing a television ad that takes aim at lobbyists – and banks that receive federal bailouts.
But the former governor – the frontrunner for his party’s nomination – was himself a registered lobbyist in 2007.
And his state financial disclosure report says he owned stock last year in five banks that received more than $34 billion in bailout loans.
The stock he said he owned in them was worth about $654,000 as of Wednesday. Since late 2008, they have paid him dividends that may have totaled almost $23,000.
In his ad, Barnes says that, as governor, he’d make sure banks don’t foreclose on a home before there are negotiations.
“Bankers and their lobbyists got bonuses and bailouts, but you lost your home,” Barnes says in the ad as video shows a family being evicted.
Viewed against the backdrop of his investments, the ad drew sharp rebukes from other candidates.
The ad in question:
Rival candidates for governor, Democrat and Republican, were happy to pile on:
“This goes to the heart of credibility,” said Democratic state House Leader DuBose Porter. “He’s got little to none. It’s another example of what he says, as opposed to what he does.”
Ben Fry, campaign manager for former Savannah Republican State Sen. Eric Johnson, was equally blunt.
“This is just typical Roy,” Fry said. “He thinks his trial lawyer-funded TV ads and slick political double-speak can cover up the truth.”
The explanation from the Barnes camp:
Chris Carpenter, Barnes’ campaign manager, defended the candidate and his television commercial.
Carpenter said Barnes, an attorney, represented a client in a zoning dispute before the Atlanta City Council.
“He didn’t do any lobbying,” Carpenter said.
Barnes was unsure of whether the law required him to register, but he did so out of “an abundance of caution,” Carpenter said.
Later, the Georgia State Bar told him registration for such work isn’t required and Barnes hasn’t registered since 2007, Carpenter said….
Carpenter said Barnes’ investments should be viewed in a wider context.
“Roy,” he said, “has owned most of these stocks for years, well before the financial crisis, and most of them are currently at a loss.“And despite owning these stocks, he still passed the toughest anti-predatory lending law in the nation.”
Barnes supported and signed legislation dealing with the issue.
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126 comments Add your comment
Chuck UGA
May 29th, 2010
10:59 am
We need Roy Barnes back in the Governor’s charir like we need a hole in our heads. Anyone who falls for his BS and votes for him is a LOSER.
Chuck UGA
May 29th, 2010
11:04 am
Keith Gardner, you are a good man for mentioning Larry McDonald, the greatest politician I have ever known. Bet that corrupt ex-KGB Soviet leader Putin knows the REAL story on that incident!
Chuck UGA
May 29th, 2010
11:16 am
Aaron Burr v Mexico,
You are a perfect example of why the mentally ill should not be allowed to cast a vote. You are suffering from wealth envy and are also an uninformed dolt. BOTH political parties are corrupt and that is NOT going to change unless we (who have a healthy, sane mind and can make an unemotional decision in the voting booth) choose new blood for elected office. Thank goodness the majority of this state will elect someone OUTSIDE the hyper-corrupt, Obama-hugging Socialist Democratic Party. Conservatives of some kind are going to rule this state for a LONG TIME to come, so if you don’t like it, you can lump it and leave.
Too tired to be mad
May 29th, 2010
2:55 pm
Note that the AJC did not dig out and publcize Barne’s bank investments.
Of course not.
He is the Obamacrat
REPUBLICANS ARE SORRY
May 29th, 2010
7:30 pm
Bill Clinton was defeated in his re-election bid for Governor of Arkansas… he came back later and won another term. If memory serves me correctly, he went on to be President…left us with record surpluses after record Reagan/Bush deficits. The republicans congress and George W erased that success and quickly left us this MESS ! WE WON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN !!!!
Give em hell Roy . Sonny and the republicans left us with record unemployment… and they didn’t bring back the precious rebel flag either , DID THEY ?????! ha ha ha…..suckers
REPUBLICANS ARE SORRY
May 29th, 2010
7:32 pm
If you want to go forward … put in (D)
If you want to go backwards… put in (R)
We’ve gone backwards long enough, Georgia.
No Longer Republican
May 29th, 2010
9:25 pm
Can’t vote for Roy. I blame him for 8 years of the moron in office now! David Poythress is the only one who seems to understand things. He understands we have realy problems and has ideas that will help Georgia move forward. Some poster earlier was making fun of Poythress for not accepting pay as governor because he already earns governemnt pensions. Key word there is “EARNED.” He worked for them. He’s got them and now he is in a position where he wants to help his state. Is doing your job and earning your penion a bad thing? http://www.poythressforgovernor.com.
There are NO republicans that deserve a vote from anyone who actually cares about the state of Georgia and its future. Any of them will build on the mess Sonny has started. Come on Georgia…haven’t you had enough of career politicians who are only out for themselves? I know I have!
MD
May 30th, 2010
8:46 am
Jan.21,2013 obamas last day in office.
Moses Waddell
May 30th, 2010
9:49 am
Who cares? They’re all crooks…and we know it.
Christpher Collins
May 30th, 2010
12:00 pm
Karen Handel is the one that needs to be the new Governor.
U-have-my-attention
May 30th, 2010
1:41 pm
Why is King Roy doing this to the party? It is clear that he cannot win against the Republican’s primarily because of his baggage. His arrogance just will not allow him to see the forrest. Poythress and/or Porter gives us the best chance of winning, and the Republican’s know this. Please King Roy, don’t do this us!
DAN DEACON
May 30th, 2010
2:06 pm
Roy “passed tough anti-predatory lending laws”???? What a dumb+ar+ss statement. The worst predatory lending activities took place after the law passed. There was less predatory lending prior to legislation that there was after…..go figure. This just goes to show everyone what a joke Barnes is. He invest in banks and lobbies and then criticizes those two professions actions. The double talk is plainly seen and Barnes will be lame in his crusade for election.
By the way, since billions of dollars have been taken in by the Dept of Banking and Finance in Georgia to regulate mortgage companies, a substantial increase of unscrupulous and predatory lending took place. Prior to regulation and the anti-predatory legislation, there was considerably less. What happened to the billions of dollars taken in by the Ga. Dept. Of Banking and Finance?
Is this dept. just a farce and taking in all this money to only have it diverted to other areas other than protecting citizens from predatory lenders? That dept. is a joke. If they were doing their job during audits, they’d caught most of the idiots that violated the law. But, most examiners don’t know what they’re doing anyway.
tc
May 30th, 2010
2:08 pm
collins, you want a repeat of the sonny fiasco…handel cut from same cloth except that she is not a true leader
tc
May 30th, 2010
2:11 pm
DD you gotta be kidding the repubs repealed actions taken by barnes….do some research DA
DLink
May 30th, 2010
2:18 pm
The pledge reads in full: “I do hereby swear or affirm my allegiance to the Georgia Republican Party.”
But Boyd, a relative new-comer to politics whose Republican-turned-Independent campaign is predicated on his ability to self-finance, objected to the oath, which more than 150 would-be and current Republican office holders signed Monday. The businessman said he could not pledge allegiance to a party that has deviated from good policy for the sake of politics; alternatively he offered a “compromise oath,” and was quickly rebuffed by party leaders.
“They’ve left me no other choice,” Boyd said of his decision to run as an Independent after a terse stand-off with an attorney for the state GOP. “Maybe I’ll set up a Ronald Reagan Republican wing.”
http://www.redstate.com/jrichardson/2010/04/27/after-refusing-to-sign-party-pledge/
Virginia
May 30th, 2010
3:07 pm
Retired Soldier: That Democrat in Connecticut is running way ahead in the polls, so I guess that military thing doesn’t bother some people as much as you think it does! BTW, I usually vote for Democrats, but I wouldn’t vote for Blumenthal in Conn., he sounds like a complusive liar to me and we already have enough of those!!
Bobby Anthony
May 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
Did not the Nazi’s have to swear allegiance to their party? Allegiance should only be sworn to God, but I will give my vote to Poythress.
Lou
May 30th, 2010
3:26 pm
To the commenter who agreed that Barnes betrayed teachers but said at least he “admitted” it: How on earth could he deny it? His own words and actions are there in dozens of newspaper articles. You think he could deny it? King Roy had his chance and blew it by betraying teachers and most of Georgia’s citizens. He doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell of regaining his crown. Are any of the others better, either party? Not as far as I can see. If it’s not too late (don’t know the deadline), let’s hope and pray a better candidate than the current crop enters the race.
Wilda
May 30th, 2010
4:09 pm
Barnes along with his stooge Bobby Kahn, stage managed what might have been the most partisan, gerrymandered redistricting in the history of the USA. As his legislative leader said at the time, “it’s partisan right down to it’s toenails”. You bet we remember King Roy.
He was an arrogant, pocket lining jerk who has been funding the Obama wing of the democrat party in GA for years. We don’t need him back in office. Ever.
Bill Orvis White
May 31st, 2010
7:33 am
Let’s ask the “big picture” question of these candidates. Will any of them expand and defend the installation of more nuclear and coal-fired plants to power up this growing state? Will any of them allow offshore oil drilling off our coast so that we can be a player on the world stage to supply Earth with a much-needed resource? Will any of them take a tough stand on illegal immigrants who are taking our jobs and sending their earnings back to their motherlands? Will any of these candidates institute a voucher program for education so that I can choose where to send my kid to school? Will any of these men or woman actually stand up to the ever-expanding federal government by saying no to Obamacare and Cap and Trade? Will any of the gubernatorial candidates fight to not only keep our Georgia military installations intact, but actually lobby to create more of them? Will any of these people say NO to union boss thugs and kick them out of the state? Will anyone make Georgia an English-only state?
Right now, I’m not buying any of it. They all talk the talk, but once any of them get in there, they won’t follow through.
If I were elected, I would have a 90-day rule to pass all of the aforementioned items. If those items, didn’t get passed, I would stand in front of the General Assembly and perform mandatory “Force Vote Sessions” to implement everything on my plate into law. No more negotiating. No more wiggle room. No, no, no! I’m tired of great state like Georgia kowtowing to the feds and in the end, only losing power.
Burroughston Broch
May 31st, 2010
10:20 am
Another Wizard of Oz ad – pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Roy Barnes suffers from the politician’s disease – I am smarter and more industrious than the voters, so I can tell them anything and they will blindly believe it.
tc
June 1st, 2010
7:31 am
bow, why don’t you and your drill baby drill crowd get down to the gulf and help with the cleanup?
Bill Orvis White
June 1st, 2010
1:20 pm
@tc
I’m in Hattiesburg and will head down in a few weeks to volunteer if President Hussein Obama can’t fix his mistake.
History will prove that Lil Hussein and his helpers are totally incompetent and that his predecessor made all the right moves.
In 50 years, you’ll be thanking GWB for the ridding the world of evil and increasing the need for a much-needed resource that powers your car.
You’ll also be thanking GWB for safer streets and the freedom to worship the Lord Almighty whenever and wherever you choose. You see, tc, GWB made the hard decisions that Bubba Clinton, Jimmah and now Lil Hussein were scared to make. Check back with me and thank not only GWB, but me as well.
God Bless,
Bill
wesleywhatwhat
June 1st, 2010
4:05 pm
roy barnes is the smartest guy to occupy the governors mansion in a long time.
i just hope that we vote him in again, we vote out the right wing nutters so we can get something done…
Curious
June 24th, 2010
3:47 pm
1) What exactly did Roy Barnes, as governor for GA in 1999 -2003, do for educators? I can’t find specifics.
2) If the answer is “very little”, anybody want to guess why he’s sucking up to one of the largest groups of GA voters?
3) If anyone can give me a legitimate answer with PROOF (not opinion….I want documentation and websites), I’ll rethink my vote this fall. Right now, all I can think of is his transportation reform for 4 years. Just curious.
BILL KINSLAND
July 21st, 2010
12:29 am
I think Roy Barnes’ campaign people need to emphasize his hard work as governor to pass the “2002 Georgia Fair Lending Act” (GFLA). It was a landmark piece of legislation which would have put a stop to the crooked subprime ARM lending that led DIRECTLY to the financial crisis we now endure.
We should also point out that the REPUBLICAN Bush Administration used so-called “Federal Pre-emption” in January, 2003 to undermine the law by exempting virtually all Georgia banks, thrifts and subsidiaries from the GFLA. (Where were all the “States Rights” whiners when this happened!!)Then in March, 2003, REPUBLICAN Governor Perdue and his REPUBLICAN legislature completely undid the GFLA so that lenders could
“flip” all their worthless subprime loans for securitization by big-time
investment banks….and the rest is history as they say!
Let’s put Roy Barnes back in the Governor’s Office so we can bring some justice for borrowers and some REAL consumer protection…something REPUBLICANS oppose with a vengeance!