A fake TV ad aimed at Roy Barnes’ legal career
The ladies and gentlemen at the Republican Governors Association have posted a faux TV spot ridiculing the legal career of Democratic nominee for governor Roy Barnes:
1-888-KING-ROY from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo.
The Internet-only parody directs viewers to this website – different from roybama.com, launched last month by the RGA – which attacks the civil and criminal cases handled by Barnes and his Marietta law firm.
“There’s a lot of money to be made getting the guilty off the hook!” the website exclaims, noting the locally famous 1980 Cobb County trial of Kyla Bennett, accused of conspiring to murder her husband and trucking company partner, James Robert Bennett. A jury acquitted her. Barnes was her attorney.
Other clients – public officials accused of wrongdoing, and an accused child molester — are also mentioned.
“Roy Barnes may have failed as a governor, but there’s no doubting that he’s thrived as a trial lawyer,” said RGA spokesman Chris Schrimpf. “His fellow failed Democrat and trial lawyer friend, John Edwards, must be proud.”
Until Tuesday, Schrimpf was in the employ of Gov. Sonny Perdue as a press spokesman.
At a Thursday afternoon press conference about ethics legislation, Barnes was asked about the attack on his profession. He said:
”I haven’t seen the website. With bated breath I will go and look at it. But I make no apology – lemme tell you something – I make no apology for defending, for exercising the rights under the Constitution of the United States and making sure the system works.
“Do I apologize for representing somebody in a civil matter? As opposed to, generally, big banks, big insurance companies? Somebody that generally has no voice? Absolutely not.
“I’ve represented doctors, and I’ve sued doctors. I’ve represented lawyers and I’ve sued lawyers. I’m sorry that they have taken this tack. Because I honestly believe in the Constitution of the United States. Apparently they do not.”
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41 comments Add your comment
J
September 9th, 2010
6:13 pm
Shows how desperate Deal is that in 2010??? in Georgia??? he has to stoop to such levels.
Business Man
September 9th, 2010
6:51 pm
Man, I wish they would run that ad for my firm, they made him sound great. There is nothing wrong with a lawyer being good at what he does. I am still voting for Nate, but more stuff like this and I may change my mind.
Matt D.
September 9th, 2010
6:58 pm
Barnes is unethical and he is a lawyer, but I repeat myself.
There is a sickness in GA
September 9th, 2010
7:11 pm
Wow, a lawyer that worked hard for his clients and Republicans say that is a bad thing. I guess Deal and the RGA don’t support hard working Americans.
Also, I thought we were all innocent until proven guilty…so if a jury acquitted Ms. Bennett what exactly did she get off the hook of?
Best for Georgia
September 9th, 2010
7:20 pm
Lots of folks talk trash about lawyers..until they need one. And judging by the investigations into Nathan Deal’s “deals,” I bet he has a lot of lawyers on retainer at this point.
WAW
September 9th, 2010
7:24 pm
And you admit that you are a Christian, a Georgian, an American but most of all you are proud to be a Republican? White Trash!
Matt D.
September 9th, 2010
7:30 pm
WAW, I guess that makes a lot of dems black trash?
There is a sickness in GA
September 9th, 2010
9:10 pm
@Matt D. I’d say it’s half and half, maybe a little less on the federal level…different sides same coin. Difference is “black trash” as you call them, vote for their interests. White trash vote against them.
CourtneyF
September 9th, 2010
9:43 pm
Dear King, could you represent my friend, Damon, in a minor traffic violation incident? Red panties will be sent to you……awaiting your reply.
pn
September 9th, 2010
10:24 pm
Deal may need a lawyer of Barnes’ caliber some day.
nocumentum
September 9th, 2010
10:34 pm
You don’t like lawyers and don’t believe people are entitled to a defense when they are charged with a crime and facing prison or death, then the next time you or your son or your daughter gets arrested, call Nathan Deal – maybe he can get you a sweetheart deal with the government; good luck.
dealornodeal
September 9th, 2010
10:36 pm
Isn’t Deal a lawyer also?
pn
September 9th, 2010
10:46 pm
Not the caliber to make $5 mill/yr. apparently
eatmotacos
September 9th, 2010
10:58 pm
Nathan Deal makes Sonny Perdue look like a choir boy. The electorate in Georgia would give the intellectually challenged people featured on Leno’s “Jay Walking” a run for their money any day. I think that Al Capone, representing either party, could be a viable candidate for Governor of Georgia.
Romegaguy
September 9th, 2010
10:59 pm
Did Nick Ayers hire a trial lawyer when he got that DUI a couple of years ago?
Martha
September 9th, 2010
11:58 pm
Matt D needs to get a life! Hope he never needs a good attorney.
Wake Up People!
September 9th, 2010
11:59 pm
Chris Schrimpf…..another of Sonny’s kiddie moron advisors. The stupid piece points out that Roy Barnes is an outstanding lawyer. I think Barnes strives for excellence. Since taking over for Barnes, I think Sonny and the Rebublicans have been content with mediocrity…..and worse in most areas of state government. This race is as much about wasted time and resources from Sonny and Republicans more than a race about Deal and Barnes. Georgians were MUCH better off eight years ago!!!
Ralph
September 9th, 2010
11:59 pm
Roy hasn’t done anything that Nathan hasn’t done as a trial lawyer. He has just been a lot more effective and successful about it.
Bubba
September 10th, 2010
1:28 am
Republican staff folks just can’t resist taking shots at lawyers who represent people instead of corporations. That must work in Republican fundraisers and even Republican primaries, but there isn’t much indication that it sells well beyond the hard core Republican base.
Ba Ba Barbara Ann
September 10th, 2010
1:31 am
Whoever put that together needs more adult supervision.
mike
September 10th, 2010
3:07 am
Did you expect anything other from Deal’s people. Deal’s folks have yet to answer why he resigned from Congress because of an ethics investigation. At least Barnes worked for his money.
Dirty Dawg
September 10th, 2010
3:35 am
Deal and his handlers seem to be counting on voters having a higher opinion of crooks than lawyers…good luck with that. To them I say, ‘Are you that stupid or do you think that we are?’
The Centrist
September 10th, 2010
5:47 am
So this is where some of the Kock Brothers money goes. What a waste.
GB
September 10th, 2010
6:56 am
Interesting. The transcript renders Barnes’ words as “lemme.” I think I see a trend. Some time back Obama was quoted as saying he was “gonna” do something or other.
In informal, conversational speech, everyone takes shortcuts and neglects to pronounce every phoneme. No one really says “let me” or “going to.” Usually, however, quotes spell out the words even if they are not said the way they are spelled.
Well, I am gonna move on to something else. Lemme point out the word “tact” toward the end of the quote. Did Barnes say “tact” or did he say “tack”? The context clearly calls for the latter.
Matt D.
September 10th, 2010
7:46 am
Martha, I have a life, and much of the time I was dealing with lawyers. My negative feelings towards lawyers are a result of that portion of my life. I must admit though that I have known three honest and ethical attorneys. The sad thng is that those three were the only ones I was sure of out of literally hundreds.
Lawyers for Barnes
September 10th, 2010
8:05 am
Deal is disgrace and I cant wait until he go to trial..Deal you better quiet because your court date is coming up soon.
David
September 10th, 2010
8:21 am
I’m not crazy about Deal, but, Roy Barnes? Come on, folks! Barnes will say or do anything to get elected. I have dealt with him for years. He is ten times more corrupt that Deal could ever be! He’s just a little more slick and polished!
David
September 10th, 2010
8:23 am
surprise, surprise! the lawyers are backing Barnes? who would’ve thunk it? that should tell you all you need to know.
Reverie
September 10th, 2010
8:30 am
Being conservative is not a sickness as it has been implied here. In fact I think Conservatism may have saved this state’s bacon. If half of the giveaway legislation proposed had been adopted the state of Georgia would be on the hook for way more giveaways than they are now. As it stands we still have to ween the non-producers off of the government teat.
Mike
September 10th, 2010
8:32 am
Lawyers are part of the problem. They’re all money hungry & will sue anybody. Just look at their ads on TV. Whoever said “Ninety-nine percent of the lawyers give the other one percent a bad name” was right. Barnes is no different. He was in it for the money first & “…for defending, for exercising the rights under the Constitution of the United States and making sure the system works” was secondary.
WE have lost our way
September 10th, 2010
8:35 am
If Deal needs a good lawyer to represent him in his defense; I know one who is well qualified to handle all his legal problems,that man is ROY BARNES. FYI the majority of law firms in this state are backing Deal.Lawyers are a majority of Repubs.
ANGRY AS HELL
September 10th, 2010
8:35 am
By the time the U.S. Department of Justice gets through looking through Nathan’s dirty business dealings, he’s going to need a lawyer like Roy Barnes to defend himself. If Barnes is not available, Nathan could always hire Mike Bowers, our former State Attorney General and Perdue Republican, who has both litigated against Barnes and partnered up with him on cases. We all wish we had a good lawyer like Roy Barnes when our fat is in the fire.
This may come as a surprise to the RGA and little pimps like Chris Schrimpf but the U.S. Constitution doesn’t say anything absurd like “only innocent people should receive representation in court.” Heck, the RGA and punk Schrimpf should know — given the nunmber of Republican politicians and business people who’ve been prosecuted for criminal and civil misconduct.
CHIEF OF SMOKE
September 10th, 2010
8:54 am
Why is Roy running from President Obama he contributed the maximum anount allowed when he ran for President.
Last Republican Left
September 10th, 2010
9:03 am
I don’t get the point of the ad. Roy Barnes is bad because he is good at his job? It was also painfully obvious that the producers took single words or phrases from Roy’s speeches and spliced them to fit their intentions. Who knows what Roys was saying when he said “many many class action lawsuits …”
That was a pretty ameturish ad. It certainly missed the mark with me and helped push me closer to a vote against Deal.
Peachy
September 10th, 2010
9:33 am
Enter your comments here
Matt D.
September 10th, 2010
11:58 am
The greatest problem with the cost of healthcare comes from lawyers. I am convinced that there is no medication prescribed that doesn’t have a team of lawyers on alert to file suit for you. Tests that aren’t needed are done so that doctors can protect themselves from malpractice suits. As the costs of healthcare soar, the lawyers laugh all the way to the bank. There are also those who specialize in slp-and-fall, auto accidents (One call, that’s all) and any number of other “percentage cases”. Tort reform? Forget it! The Trial Lawyers Association have greased the palm of every politician who will take their slimy money, and that is most of them.
Backroom Deal
September 10th, 2010
12:43 pm
At least he has a career.
Deal has been living off the public in Washington DC for decades.
Real Athens
September 10th, 2010
3:04 pm
Nathan Deal is an attorney – albeit a crummy one. Does he really want people to start digging into his past as a “country” lawyer in Hall County?
Not only is he a crook, he’s stupid too.
Real Athens
September 10th, 2010
3:05 pm
Matt:
The greatest obstacle to affordable health care is insurance companies. Period.
Hypocrisy › Blog for Democracy
September 11th, 2010
1:01 am
[...] the RGA went up with a website bashing Barnes for daring to practice law. How original. Among other gems, the site exclaims, [...]
DoninTococca
September 14th, 2010
9:04 am
I’m always suspect of columns written by liberal Democrats who always are “enlightening” readers about Republican office holders and seekers. Barnes will prove out to be another expensive Democrat looser in November!