Nathan Deal: ‘I understand Georgia’s pain’
The Insider offers you a quick-and-dirty transcript of the conference call that Republican nominee for governor Nathan Deal held with supporters this morning, to calm angst over articles dealing with his financial situation.
GOP nominee for governor Nathan Deal addresses reporters Wednesday. Aaron Gould Sheinin, asheinin@ajc.com
The message Deal was trying to send:
– The loans he co-signed on an outdoor store were made to support his daughter and her husband, which any voter should understand;
– He is not insolvent;
– Intimations that his debt, $2 million of which will come due in February, have any bearing on his ability to govern are out of line and of a political nature;
– If anything, his financial troubles mean that he understands the pain of the average Georgian;
Overall, the remarks are similar to what the Republican nominee told reporters on Wednesday. I’ve placed in bold the two paragraphs that are likely to quickly show up in news reports. Otherwise, Deal’s remarks below are untouched:
”Good morning. This is Nathan Deal.
“I want to thank all of you for being on the call this morning. I wanted to talk to you about something that has developed within the last week with regard to financial obligations that my wife and I have.
“It’s the kind of issue that sometimes, of course, surfaces in the midst of a political campaign. I believe that one of the responsibilities of parents is to help their children. And several years ago, our middle daughter and her husband, who – they’d both been traveling all across the country on their jobs – wanted to be closer to home, since they had the youngest of our grandchildren.
“My wife and I decided that we would help them in that venture. They were opening an outdoor store in Habersham County. Everything was going very well – as it was going with a lot of things in our economy at that time.
“But suddenly, of course, the economy turned. And that downturn is the worst we’ve seen in more than a generation. It obviously has taken down some of the largest banks. It has taken down some of the largest businesses, some of the largest insurance companies all across our country — and certainly hundreds of thousands of small business people across the country as well as right here in our state.
“Unfortunately, my children were caught in that same process. They’re store had to be closed. My wife and I had agreed to guarantee the loans for that undertaking. We’ve always believed that a responsibility of a parent is to help their children, and we certainly intended to do that.
“The obligations are certainly outstanding, and we are in the process of addressing those obligations. The press would have you believe we are insolvent, and that is far from the truth. We have assets that are going to be liquidated, including the place where the business was in operation, as well as other assets that we are willing to sacrifice in order to live up to our obligations.
“We believe that’s the responsible thing to do. Now, of course, on top of all of this is the implication that this in some way should have something to do with the governor’s race. I, quite frankly, don’t think that it has. I believe, if anything, this is an illustration of the fact that you need a governor who understands the pain that Georgians are facing.
“And certainly, many, many Georgians are facing the same kind of problems that my family has incurred in this business venture. Now, I’ve made investments over the years. Some have been good, some have been bad. This was an investment that was made on behalf of a child, and I think when you try to help your children, that’s probably always the right thing to do.
“Now, we’re going to live up to our obligations. It has nothing to do, in my opinion, with this campaign. The press would perhaps have you believe that this is an indication that I cannot govern this state. I tell you that it has nothing to do with that.
“In fact, I believe the fact that I understand the pain of Georgians is all the more important as I enter the governor’s office.
“Now, yesterday, I believe there was another article about another business venture that I’m involved in – a small business that is a very successful business. Something that my partner and I started from scratch.
“Like any small business, if you are a stockholder, you are sometimes asked to be guarantors on a loan for the corporation. That’s exactly what those loans are. The assets of the corporation and the assets that we own as individuals for the business far exceed any of those obligations.
“The loans are performing loans, and it is a profitable business. There again, this is simply an effort to divert attention away from the campaign for governor. And I want to tell you that I appreciate the fact that many of you have been reaching out to me and my wife, and to our family.
“We thank you for your prayers and your words of encouragement and support. And I want you to know that from the beginning of this campaign, that I’ve been attacked. And I think the reason is that the other party understood that I was the strongest candidate, the one most likely to win the governorship of this state.
“And, of course, the polls still continue to indicate that, and have consistently indicated it throughout the entire campaign. We intend to go forward with strength. We intend to provide the kind of leadership that Georgians will expect from a governor. We will do it on our personal level, and we expect to do it at the state level as well.
“These are still difficult times for many Georgians. And I’ll be a governor who has a perfectly reliable understanding of those challenges that Georgians continue to face. And I’ll be a governor who will work very hard to help make their lives better.
“Theses are the kinds of things, unfortunately, that are the dark side of politics. I think it is extremely regrettable when anyone tries to bring a candidate’s family into a political campaign.
“My children have suffered and will continue to suffer the consequences of an effort where they put all of their strengths, all of their time, all of their energies into trying to be a successful small business. That’s what Georgia ought to encourage.
“That’s what has made our state and our country strong – people who are willing to invest their lives, invest their own fortunes, and invest their futures. I am proud that my children were willing to take this venture. My wife and I still stand behind them. We’ll live up to our obligations, and we will move forward.
“I thank you for all that you’ve done. I ask you to continue to work very, very hard. November 2 is coming quickly. This is the kind of campaign where people need to understand that our state has great strengths. Just as families and individuals have suffered the consequences of a downturned economy, so has our state.
“The lessons that all of us learn from that are the kind of lessons that will not only make families and individuals, but will make our state stronger. That’s the kind of leadership I’ll provide. Thank you once again for all of your support, thank you for your prayers. Let’s get out and work extremely hard. That’s what my wife and my family and all of us are going to do…..”
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303 comments Add your comment
Peachy
September 17th, 2010
3:10 pm
I see nothing wrong with what Barnes supposedly “did” to the teachers. If you are not a good employee, teacher, state worker, garbage man, then why should you be allowed to keep your position. Isn’t that what he was trying to do, cut out their tenure. And as far as the flag, GET OVER IT! It’s said and done, and no governor in their right mind would tackle that issue again.
After all, those two things did cost Governor Barnes his job. And then look what we got, Eight years on a downhill slide.
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
3:12 pm
No question there are too many crooks with the Dems and GOP and they all need outing.
In this case however we have the chance not to elect a crook right here in GA.
No where near!
September 17th, 2010
3:14 pm
I say agin, Barnes took the flag that pissed off a bunch of white people and to make up for it, he voted against MLK’s holiday which pissed off a lot of black people. People, this is the way a lawer works his Bullsh-t ways! Put a rich man in office and he and all his rich friends will get richer. Put a poor man in office and he will help the poor people
Elephant Whip
September 17th, 2010
3:15 pm
Peachy:
All tenure means is that the teacher was one step above an “at-will” employee and the school had to show why it was firing the teacher.
Given the extremely political nature of teaching/education, it was designed to protect a teacher from the whims of an administrator who did not like the way the teacher taught US government or literature. With tenure, the administrator would have to show evidence that the teacher was ineffective, not simply fire the teacher because the administrator did not like the teacher’s politics/religion/scientific theories/gender.
Peachy
September 17th, 2010
3:18 pm
well thank you Elephant Whip
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
3:23 pm
no where near:
ok so Barnes pissed off different people on different issues, that is going to happen in a state like ours where there are so many viewpoints, in fact it shows him to be balanced in your illustration,
td
September 17th, 2010
3:26 pm
Elephant Whip, Judge shopping. Why was the lawsuit brought in Rome instead of Atlanta? Cox and Perdue said this is not the perfect bill but we can live with the changes made by the most liberal federal judge in the state. Why did Barnes come out after the federal agreement and still say that the bill would still suppress the black vote and the only solution would be to remove the entire bill?
Smokyboy
September 17th, 2010
3:27 pm
Ok, I’ve had it with “But suddenly, of course, the economy turned”! Quit blaming the economy for the failure of that business!! It was a terrible, isolated location to begin with. Did you not learn from the first time when you sank more money in to it? The second time? The third?
“My children have suffered and will continue to suffer the consequences of an effort where they put all of their strengths, all of their time, all of their energies into trying to be a successful small business”
I visited the store on 3 occasions. (Yes, I DID learn my lesson after the third time!) On all 3 occasions, I waited at least 10 minutes before I was asked if I needed any help. On all 3 occasions the employee was very short, lackadaisical, and rude. On the 3rd trip I told my wife this place won’t make it. It didn’t. Please, please, quit blaming the economy. If this is how he “does business”, this is not the person I want for Governor of Georgia!!!
td
September 17th, 2010
3:30 pm
Elephant Whip, “All tenure means is that the teacher was one step above an “at-will” employee and the school had to show why it was firing the teacher.
Given the extremely political nature of teaching/education, it was designed to protect a teacher from the whims of an administrator who did not like the way the teacher taught US government or literature. With tenure, the administrator would have to show evidence that the teacher was ineffective, not simply fire the teacher because the administrator did not like the teacher’s politics/religion/scientific theories/gender.”
Now we agree on something, so why did Roy try to take this away from teachers?
Peachy
September 17th, 2010
3:34 pm
Even though Georgia does not have a “Teacher’s Union” so to speak, they have the Georgia Association of Educators (I think that is the name) which is a very large and powerful group. Barnes didn’t stand a chance between that group and the flaggers. I think he was trying to do the right thing, but it cost him the election. I would have thought lessons had been learned in this last eight years. Integrity is something that is very hard to earn and easily lost. It seems like a lot of the people around the state have forgotten what integrity even means. And to even consider voting for someone who can’t manage their own funds to manage the states is absolutely unbelievable to me. The addition of Mr. Deal appearing to have some memory problems too is just a bad combination.
Mike
September 17th, 2010
3:39 pm
NO NATHAN, it means we need a Governor to get us out of this mess, not one that can’t make good business decisions and tries to cover up his financial issues!!
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
3:40 pm
td – i stand corrected and apologize. However, it makes no sense to run this early voting so far out from the actual elections day, and I would not run it more than a week. Anybody know how much extra staff (taxpayer $$) is required to accommodate this early voting, this long, and this early?
td
September 17th, 2010
3:43 pm
Peachy, The teachers and the flaggers were not mad because of what Roy did they were mad because he stood before them and told them he was not going to do what he ended up doing. That is called a bold face lie and is the reason so many went to the polls to vote him out of office. He has now went before the teachers and told them no more furlough, I will give you a 6% raise every year and will re instate all of the state money for your special certifications. These promises will cost between 1 and 3 billion dollars. How is he going to pay for it? Do you think the citizens (Republican controlled legislature) is going to raise our taxes this much so he can keep these promises and do you think he already knows this? I can hear him now say that I tried to keep my promises but the republicans did not let me. It is just another bold face lie he is telling to get elected. Now where is the integrity in this?
Mike
September 17th, 2010
3:45 pm
This state has been run by an idiot that has taken care of himself more than its people. He has incressed his worth while in office. Made laws allowing him to avoid paying taxes. Borrowed money with very little assets to back the loans. YOU GET THE PICTURE! Now we have another one wanting us tax payers to allow him to get out of debt and use his position to profit enough to buy land and what ever else he can do to make money. PLEASE PEOPLE DON’T DO IT!!!
td
September 17th, 2010
3:46 pm
Paddy O, I agree with you 100%. I think we should shut school down one Friday, leave the polls open all weekend and that is when you vote. No absentee voting(exception military) and no early voting. If you can not make it to the polling place, show id and vote then you do not deserve to vote.
No where near!
September 17th, 2010
3:48 pm
No Jonathan, It shows a man who at one time backed Obama until the polls showed Obama falling like a rock in water and now he distances himself from that and he also said the new health care reform law could be “financially devastating” for Georgia. Talk about Zig-Zaq-Zell how about Bounces-Boy-Barnes!
Bobby 59
September 17th, 2010
3:54 pm
@td – You say your family came to Georgia in the 1840’s; from your posts I would suggest that y’all start dating outside the family!
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
3:56 pm
td thanks for the history on what happened, seems like Barnes boxed himself and obviously should not have gone back on his word however it seems like he at least was trying to fix things,
as for the promise to pay the 6% money that is fair enough to me, thats called politics and is a smart move him trying and showing its the Republicans that block anything that requires money to fix our states education system,
The point is Barnes is trying to make the state better and Deal is just trying to line his own pockets. Barnes may have had some hiccups (who wouldn’t trying to keep everyone happy) but at least he is not a crook like Deal.
If it was Handle, Barnes would be having a much harder time.
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
4:02 pm
no where near: and what about Deal changing parties, thats not flip flopping,
both Deal and Barnes are not ideal for sure but Deal has crossed the line with his behaviour
we should call him ‘Nathan Steal”
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
4:05 pm
gm: what do you care how a globe of inferior humans think about you? I would consider their thought process to be faulty and without merit.
No where near!
September 17th, 2010
4:12 pm
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ I going to the Football Blog where the action really is! As long as the Democrats are in charge, there will be no chance to get the sorry ass people in this country to even try to get a job even if there was one. Set on your porch and drink something from a bottle wrapped in a paper bag. Oh, I will just have four more babies by three different fathers and I will be set up for the next 18 years!
fed up
September 17th, 2010
4:12 pm
No ordinary citizen could secure the loans that he received. This is a scam at the highest levels! Shame on Mr. Deal and the republican party for not putting forth a better candidate. The party of family and moral values is bankrupt!
Mark
September 17th, 2010
4:13 pm
Did the bank that made the original loan get bailed out by the government? Where did all that money go? This thing smells all over.
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
4:16 pm
Out of interest nowherenear why do states with Democratic Governors have a much higher average wage, higher education level and lower divorce rate than states run with Republican “traditonal conservative values” ?
Is it luck or what?
lke67
September 17th, 2010
4:16 pm
“The loans he co-signed on an outdoor store were made to support his daughter and her husband,”
And he couldn’t see after the 2nd or 3rd loan that good money was just being thrown after bad? I mean that is the whole reason Community Bank & Trust was shut down was due to unethical lending practices. And I quote the AJC’s own article:
“it became apparent that the bank lacked management depth.” The inspector general’s report knocked Community Bank for lacking internal controls over its lending operations, “which likely contributed to inappropriate lending activities that were associated with substantial losses.”
http://www.ajc.com/business/cornelia-bank-doomed-by-608537.html
So the man that wants to govern Georgia couldn’t even see the Bank he was dealing with was suspect. I could go on and on about the crazy spin he’s put in that statement, but I was just wanting to make a point and remind everyone what his platform is……”FISCAL CONSERVATIVE”
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
4:17 pm
Mark: The bank that made the loan went bankrupt and cost GA taxpayers 135 million!
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
4:19 pm
Nathan Deal crookeder than the crookedess snake in Hall county………and thats crooked………….
Patty
September 17th, 2010
4:27 pm
Let’s make sure he is prosecuted.
What a Deal
September 17th, 2010
4:28 pm
First Mr Deal is under investigation for ethics, then he was supposed to be a power businessman but come to find out he is broke and a bad businessman. Putting this guy in charge would be the worst thing we could do to our troubled state.
Piney Woods Pete, Jr.
September 17th, 2010
4:33 pm
There is a solution to this sad mess. yes, nathan misled us all. Take out the fact that he tried to help his daughter – that is what most any father would do. He can not halp what happened there. But he knew about the loans, he knew about his own business loans and he knew he was taking income from a business. He failed to disclose all this and when he was just about to be labeled the Charlie Rangle of the GOP, he left congress in the dark of the night with his tail tucked between his legs to run for governor. He should have come clean then – he may still have been the nominee but at least all voters would have know what they were ultimately voting for. Now he can’t leave the ticket or republicans will have no one to vote for. So keep him on the ticket but make the face of the race Casey Cagle. All republicans redouble their efforts to elect Nathan with the agreement that once elected he will take the oath of office and then immediately resign and Lieutenant governor Cagle will assume the office of Governor. At least he can begin governing from day one while Deal will not only have to learn about state government but at the same time devote much of his personal time to defending and attempting to straighten out his own personal mess. So either vote for Nathan with the agreement he will leave and Casey Cagle can be governor or have Roy Barnes 4 more years. It is a simple decision if nathan will finally man up and do the honorable thing.
hoyt28
September 17th, 2010
4:34 pm
He should have been honest about all of this in the beginning, now who will trust him.
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
4:38 pm
But then Cagle with have to deal with his issues and they ain’t pretty either…………….
Cato
September 17th, 2010
4:47 pm
Deal is letting his daughter take the full blame for a decision in which he had great input. Many investor/parents make poor decisions but all good ones will take their fair share of the consequences and shield the children by bearing some of the blame. This guy just hung his poor daughter out to dry by saying over and over it was all her’s.
DP
September 17th, 2010
4:59 pm
hoyt28, if he’d been honest he’d have said his salvage business had a sweetheart no bid contract with the state, he bought his residence in Gainesville at less than market price in a sweetheart deal and he was able to use his clout to get a $2.4 million loan on a business venture that was clearly failing. How do you think all that would have gone over?
He’s going with the age old strategy for scandal ridden politicians now. Deny deny deny. Obfuscate, lie, spin, wrap yourself in God and family, talk about how the press is lying about you and try to change the subject by hammering your opponent with attack ads. Hope you don’t crash in the polls badly enough to cause the Party to step in and tell you to step aside as a candidate.
Lynn43
September 17th, 2010
5:00 pm
What Mr. Barnes “supposedly” did to teachers has been blown way out of proportion. Even when he ran against Perdue, much of what was said was half truths political jargon promoted by the Republicans. Over time, his “sins” have grown just like a game of gossip without evidence to back them up. Yes, he wasn’t a sweetheart to teachers, but he was much better than what we’ve seen the last 8 years.
There is a republican agenda to destroy the public schools, and if Deal signed his allegiance to this party, then this is his agenda, also. If voters mistakenly think that Mr. Barnes was bad for education, with Deal, the worst is yet to come.
Lynn43
September 17th, 2010
5:05 pm
I forgot a question. Where can I find the information where Mr. Barnes has promised a 6% raise? In over 30 years as a teacher in Georgia (6 years retired), I never received a 6% raise.
Blago
September 17th, 2010
5:08 pm
I was in Congress with Nathan Deal before I ran for Gov of Illinois. I feel your pain too – Blago (former Rep and Gov).
clear choice
September 17th, 2010
5:09 pm
Stick a fork in Nathan… he’s a Done Deal.
I suspect there’s a whole lot more than Casey Cagle let on as to why he decided not to run for Governor. If the GA GOP is going to learn anything about this Nathan Deal fiasco, it’s that they should fully vet their candidates.
Turning a blind eye is not going to cut it anymore (or, so I hope).
catlady
September 17th, 2010
5:19 pm
Did he disclose any of these loans on his financial reports? No? I didn’t think so! And you say you trust him?
catlady
September 17th, 2010
5:30 pm
If you model yourself after Deal’s family values, I feel very sorry for your family!
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
5:35 pm
Jonathan – you research that yourself? The key question is budget deficits – NJ, NY, MI, CA, have HUGE deficits that Obummer helped plug & prevent the government unions from suffering wage loss/layoffs.
GOPIDIOTS
September 17th, 2010
5:42 pm
You GOPERS are really crazy and you believe anything….
Who was President (and VP) when the economy tanked, mortgages were out of control, and got us into 2 wars that cost us our surplus and thousands of American lives while their buddies got rich? BUSH & Cheney
Who has cut teacher and state workers pay while spending millions on a bass lake and tournament? PERDUE
Now you want to let Deal run GA and run it into the ground? At least we know Roy doesn’t need the money! Nathan Deal will try to use the office of governer to get out of financial trouble. Duh! He already got caught in Washington doing that exact thing. In fact, he had to resign to keep them from coming after him. How could you vote for this idiot?
But, you elephants are the same group that will vote for Sarah Palin in 2012 as if she could run this country. She has no clue. Deal is corrupt. Sonny is greedy.
And all Obama wants to do is to help EVERYONE! That’s his only agenda….
Insane how you could read this stuff and see their actions and STILL vote for these knuckleheads!!!
lol you guys are incredible…. Your party created this MESS in 8 yrs and yet you have given Obama 2 yrs to clean it up. Total idiots….
Dirty Dawg
September 17th, 2010
5:44 pm
No damn way we’re gonna let Deal win, then resign so that the other ‘chicken-man’ take over…God knows we’ve had enough of that kind of ‘goober’ leadership. Deal will have to have been sworn in beforehand and we’ll be sure to have the peckerwood in jail before that.
Jonathan
September 17th, 2010
5:45 pm
Paddy O you are changing the subject. I asked why Republican governed states have much lower wages, lower education standards and higher divorce rates.
This has been the case for the last 30 years and has zero to do with Obama. It was the same under Bush and Regan.
So please answer the question?
hl
September 17th, 2010
5:46 pm
Deal would better serve the folks in GA who still support him by releasing all his tax returns. He obviously cannot pay back his loans on his current salary. I don’t want to vote for someone that declares bankruptcy while in office. You just have to wonder what else he is hiding.
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
5:46 pm
lets look – your daughter asks to borrow $$ to start a nice idea business – a Cabelas knock off, with local flavor. She had never run a retail store, nor has her husband (assumption – now -we the people actually want to know how much of a bozo was Nathan Deal). What do most parents do? Offer their kids 5, maybe 20 thousand – start up money. Once the business is thriving & they want to expand, we can help some more – that would be the logical process. Deals daughter & hubby? They build a free standing 14000 square foot store in the middle of nowhere, with no customer base. It appears they spent 2 million to build & stock the store. The land & METAL (crap, cheap) building are worth $700,000 (not really – its been on the market for what? 14 months?) did the stock & interior really cost 1.3 million? Then, two years later, the business needed another infusion of cash – that is almost impossible IF THE ORIGINAL STOCK RETAIL had been paid for. Has anybody here been to that store? How nice was the interior? REally a Cabelas/Bass Pro shop knock off? The $$$ was squandered, no matter HOW YOU CUT THE BALONEY.
Thus – do you want a man who squandered this kind of money on a dumb business venture running this state? DO YOU? Barnes IS NOT A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT – he is a white Dixiecrat – which mean financially conservative, socially conservative. The teachers in this state are hosing the taxpayer – how many are making over $60,000 in your local BOE? With 2 months off in summer, 3 week long vacations scatter throughout the year – and, many still need a parapro to teach 20 kids – this is an unsustainable business model – which is why many teachers have been laid off, and class sizes have increase. You connect this with sweet heart medical care and great retirement, and you have a sector of government employees feeding at the trough – one of the three legs MUST be adjusted.
ATF
September 17th, 2010
5:50 pm
Deal finagles around things, hides; sometimes, apparently, lies; he claims an openness that he doesn’t give. He didn’t disclose what he was supposed to disclose when he was in the House and he has hidden information he should have disclosed as he was running for governor.
I voted for Handle. I can’t vote for this guy. Barnes was no worse than Sonny and probably no better. But, I am voting for him.
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
5:50 pm
Prove it, buddy. One explanation – a whole lot more farmers. I am pointing out to you that A) YOu have not proven your assertion; B) It is not entirely pertinent – low wages usually equal low taxes (hence the government question – the government employees in GA make what % of the pay that NJ government employees make? – your research abstract should address this to provide CONTEXT). Where would you rather be poor? The eighth floor of a NY public housing tenement or a single wide in Carroll County on an acre of land?
Where would you rather own a 1600 square foot house? Montville, NJ or Tallapoosa, GA? Property tax: Montville, NJ: $10,000; Tallapoosa, GA: $1600.
Sir, you are being grossly disengenous, and – you most likely know it.
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
5:53 pm
GOP idiots – I doubt Palin would do as many stupid things as Obozo/Obummer. At least she has some executive position experience. Obozo has spent ooodles of $$ – how much in your hometown?
Paddy O
September 17th, 2010
5:56 pm
GOPidiots – Clinton got lucky – created an entire new industry on his watch – Bush had a recession after 9/11 – did he blame Clinton? NO, he took something called responsiblity. Did Clinton punish the guys who bombed the WTC in 93? Bombed 2 of our embassies? Bombed Cole? NO, NO, NO. Bush took on the job that Clinton failed to do. The economy was going great in 2006 – until the Democrats took Congress – you remember that, no? Personally, I don’t need Obozo’s help – that is NOT American to run around begging the government to cover your inept ass – it is natural for liberal, and I would say most federal democrats are liberals.