Sunday sales supporters gear up for Wednesday rally
The stakes can’t be compared with those, say, in north Africa, but supporters of Sunday package sales of alcohol are attempting to foment their own Facebook revolution.
They’re attempting fill the front steps of the state Capitol at noon Wednesday, to voice their disappointment in a decision by Senate Republicans to deep-six SB 10 on a private vote of their caucus.
The effort is being coordinated on the Georgians for Sunday Sales fan page on Facebook.
Jamie Dempsey, one of the organizers, said no groups – i.e., grocery retailers or business groups – are behind the rally. But Dempsey does bring some expertise to the issue.
He is the owner of a small Gwinnett County public relations firm and president of the Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce. Dempsey organized turnout for last summer’s passage of the Snellville referendum that allowed restaurants in that city to serve alcohol on Sunday.
“The issue in and of itself is not alcohol. The issue is more who is calling the shots when it comes to business,” Dempsey said.
State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, D-Decatur, is another one of the organizers, as evidenced by the press release:
Moreover, shopping patterns have changed in Georgia. Sunday is now the highest volume shopping day in many areas throughout Georgia.
Yet customers who enter a retail store on Sunday are prohibited from purchasing alcohol. “As a busy mom, Sundays are the best days for me to do my family’s grocery shopping since our Saturdays are filled with soccer games, birthday parties, and other family activities.
Yet, I have to make a separate trip to buy a bottle of wine,” says Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, a state representative from Decatur and mother of two.
The Capitol steps will be a busy place Wednesday. Union workers are to assemble at the same location at 4 p.m., in a show of solidarity for public employees in Wisconsin.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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74 comments Add your comment
Preacherskid
February 22nd, 2011
10:32 am
Even Alabama is letting their local Governments vote on this issue and it seems to be paying off. See below.
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20110219/APN/1102190501
DJ Sniper
February 22nd, 2011
10:39 am
Preacherskid, that sound like exactly what I expected him to say. No logic or reason behind it; just a lot of rhetoric with nothing to back it up. In other words, everybody else should follow his beliefs and others like him.
J. Davis
February 22nd, 2011
10:39 am
Sounds to me like a meeting of liquor heads and the various Chamberpots of Commerce, all of whom are interested in themselves instead of the community.
DJ Sniper
February 22nd, 2011
10:43 am
Wow. So even Alabama has the good sense to let the people vote on this. Georgia, are you listening???
Mike
February 22nd, 2011
10:46 am
The problem is our state politicians will continue to pander to the majority of voters who live OUTSIDE metro Atlanta in order to stay in power. Another problem is with these same voters who will reject progress at every time. One day it’s Sunday sales, the next day it’s legalizing gambling, and recently here in Gwinnett people railed against the privatization of Briscoe Fiele to accomodate commercial flights. There are people outside of metro Atlanta who still long for a Georgia that existed 50, 60 years ago and these people will continue to stifle progress if given the opportunity. If I didn’t have to work I, too, would attend that rally. As an adult, I don’t need some Christian telling me what to do on MY time, with MY money, in MY own home.
GA Democrat
February 22nd, 2011
10:49 am
You get what you vote for. Why are you so surprised and acting all frustrated and such? These Republicans are just a bunch of goobers who only care about themselves and have no desire to allow people to have any say in their own lives. They are ALL about BIG, iron-fisted government!
Preacherskid
February 22nd, 2011
10:49 am
@JDavis
Actually the Christian Coalition and the Liquor Store lobby are allied in this fight. The Christian coalition doesn’t want localities to be able to vote and decide this issue locally and the Liquor store lobby doesn’t want the competition on alcohol sales from the Super Markets and convenience stores.
So the Chamber of Commerce is aligned with the Super Market and Convenience store lobby.
Politics makes for strange bed fellows.
Preacherskid
February 22nd, 2011
10:52 am
@GA Democrat
I’m not a Republican. I’m an Independent. The Republicans are the ones that authored and presented the legislation. Not the Democrats. The Republicans just have no spine. Once the Christian coalition and the liquor store lobbies spoke up they wet their pants but I don’t hear any Democrats fighting for the bill either. They both suffer from the same sickness.
Libertine
February 22nd, 2011
10:52 am
Actually, I believe every state that borders Georgia has Sunday package sales. Is that not correct?
Preacherskid
February 22nd, 2011
10:54 am
@Libertine
You are correct.
Ghostrider
February 22nd, 2011
11:00 am
*** Jerry Luquire ***
AKA – Osama Bin Laden
freidenker
February 22nd, 2011
11:06 am
prepare for the biggest spin of all time. if the capitol steps are not absolutely packed to the point of spilling out into the streets, blocking traffic the thumpers and spinless repugs will say, “see, there is no support for this bill”. sit back and watch. and, will the local media give this any coverage? they have been somewhat timid on their coverage, i think. …loved J.C.’s entry at the beginning. if you missed it check it out.
c-bear
February 22nd, 2011
11:10 am
Oxendine, another fine example of the palm-greasing back-scratching, self-entitlement, elitist demeanor that permeates Georgia’s Theocracy. The crooked apple doesn’t fall far from Ga’s Apple Tree. Can you say No Sunday Sales one more time please?
DJ Sniper
February 22nd, 2011
11:11 am
Libertine, the only 3 states that have a total ban of off-site alcohol sales are Georgia, Indiana, and Connecticut.
DJ Sniper
February 22nd, 2011
11:14 am
Mike, you are so correct in your last post. There are plenty of people here in this state who seem to be terrified of progress and will do whatever they can to keep Georgia stuck in the past instead of moving forward. It’s absolutely mind boggling that our elected officials have focused on rural Georgia for so long and pretty much ignored metro Atlanta.
Patrick
February 22nd, 2011
11:16 am
Perhaps they should take the gold dome off of the capital building and replace it with a steeple?
Preacherskid
February 22nd, 2011
11:18 am
@Patrick
That’s awesome!
freidenker
February 22nd, 2011
11:25 am
@Patrick
BEST comment i’ve ever seen dealing with ANY aspect fo GA politics. SWEET!
Ghostrider
February 22nd, 2011
11:29 am
@Patrick
That’s Beautiful…says it all.
DW
February 22nd, 2011
11:32 am
AMEN patrick.
Sid
February 22nd, 2011
11:35 am
count me among those who are less concerned with whether I can buy on sunday than HOW this has gone down! I’d like to be able to buy on sunday and clearly the status quo is an unconstitutional “gift” to the religious right but having spent the last 20+ yrs working around it (buy sat, go out or {GASP!} just not drink on sunday) I think I’ll get by…
now, on the other hand – cowardly hiding behind a closed caucus & refusing to let the voters know WHO is caving to the religious right? THAT DOG WON’T HUNT! there WILL be a price to pay in the next election & if the repub leadership won’t let us know who we need to be targeting then we’ll have to start WITH THEM! once we get “leadership” that will at least disclose individual votes then we can work our way down the chain of command & eventually get enough votes to implement the will of the overwhelming majority & repeal a law that the courts should have gunned down years ago…
c-bear
February 22nd, 2011
11:37 am
Liqour store lobbys need to get with the game. Their spoiled brat position will only burn them in the end. Don’t patronize organizations/stores that are against your beliefs and desires. When I’m in Florida, it is Winn-Dixie and Walgreens for me… Liquor store monopolists will go the way of 8track tapes – and good riddens. Time for the Liquor Lobby to fall from power (as well as the Christain Coalition). The time has come to pay the piper
DJ Sniper
February 22nd, 2011
11:48 am
Patrick, you are SO on point with that!!!
Mike
February 22nd, 2011
4:19 pm
@DJ Sniper, thanks for the kudos. Moving forward, anything on a ballot that Republicans are in favor OF I will be voting AGAINST. If they’re afraid of making decisions then they aren’t going to get any help from me; I’m not voting in favor of anything they say will be good for GA, period. If they need my extra penny for transportation they aren’t getting it; the good Christians in this state can continue to sit in mind numbing traffic as far as I’m concerned.