I Won't Take a Check Until You're Getting One Too
I WON'T TAKE A CHECK UNTIL YOU'RE GETTING ONE TOO
As you know, at last week's televised Democratic gubernatorial debate in Athens, I pledged not to take a salary as Governor until the state's unemployment rate falls under 7%. This solemn promise assures Georgians that I am committed to moving our economy forward. Click here to see video of my jobs pledge, and here is a link to the full debate.
I wanted to let you know that, as a result of my debate performance, the positive response to my jobs pledge and our active web presence, I won the online poll at the popular Democratic blog www.galiberal.com with 47% of the votes – double my closest opponent and five times more votes than former Governor Barnes.
Who won the DPG Governor Debate?
Poythress 47% (100 votes)
Porter 22% (47 votes)
Baker 20% (42 votes)
Barnes 9% (19 votes)
Camon 2% (4 votes)
Total Votes: 212
Dustin Baker of GALiberal wrote, "Good job Gen. Poythress. You have served our country and our state. You did an excellent job at the debate, and GALiberal readers were pleased. Your message resonates well with the progressives in the state."
It may come as a surprise to those who didn’t see the debate, but former Governor Roy Barnes came in 4th in the voting. In his post-debate analysis last week (http://galiberal.com/?p=7480), Georgia Liberal had ranked Barnes' performance 5th among the 5 candidates. "I caution you to look at Martha Coakley, the MA Democrat that lost Kennedy’s senate seat. She lost because she took her popularity for granted. She thought she was a sure-win, and the people assured her that she was not."
Support from "web roots" activists has become crucial over the past several election cycles and was seen as a key factor in the recent Massachusetts Senate race. Knowing the importance of using a full range of new media tools, our campaign has been active on the web for more than a year. You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/davidpoythress. You can check out clips from last Tuesday's debate and other videos at www.youtube.com/davidpoythress, and you can “friend” me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/poythressforgovernor.
Won’t you take a few minutes and help us expand our outreach by inviting 5-7 of your friends to sign up for our updates or join us on Facebook or Twitter? Momentum is building, and the July 20th Primary will be here sooner than you can imagine. If you haven’t already done so, please visit our volunteer page and tell us how you’d like to help the campaign. With your help, we can keep taking our message straight to the voters and turn Georgia blue again.
NOTES ON THE GOP
Hitting the news this week was a revelation that former Secretary of State Karen Handel, who resigned in December to campaign full time for Governor, didn’t hold herself or her staff to the same standards required of other state employees. Rather than take the mandated furlough days, she says she cut her budget elsewhere. These are the kind of political maneuvers that voters are fed up with from politicians.
As additional news stories surface rehashing Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine’s questionable relationships, a new “Insider Advantage” poll of likely Republican Primary voters shows that his early lead continues to slip away – he’s now down to 25%. The most interesting figure from this poll is that “undecided or no opinion” has reached 45%, showing what I keep hearing as I crisscross the state: no one is excited about the GOP candidates.
While they keep talking about secession and Obama’s birth certificate, I am reaching more middle-of-the-road voters each day with my serious discussion about the actions needed to move Georgia forward.
DEKALB CHAMBER SHINES
Elizabeth and I had a terrific time at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Dinner held recently at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia. The DeKalb Chamber is rich in its history, and its leadership has the vision to continue to make this diverse and progressive county an attractive and friendly place to operate a business.
It was my pleasure to sit with Kevin Greiner, CEO of Gas South and one of the evening's honorees, and his colleagues; we enjoyed a great conversation about energy policy. I would like to commend Chamber president Leonardo McClarty and Board Chair Darryl Ford for their leadership and a job well done. Likewise, I wish to thank Jackie Ginn, VP of Membership, for making us feel so welcome.
TRUMPET AWARDS HERALD OUTSTANDING LEADERS
I was delighted to be able to attend the 2010 Trumpet Awards Red Carpet Event held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Many thanks to my friend and supporter Dana Shepherd for inviting me to join her and her friends Karl Nelson and Bob Thompson for a delightful evening. Created by Xernona Clayton, the Trumpet Awards recognize the achievements of African Americans in a wide number of areas. Steve Harvey received the Pinnacle Award, and Frankie Beverly was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. At this national event, several Georgians won awards - Reverend and Mrs. Joseph E. Lowery (the Civil Rights Award) and Judge Clarence Cooper (Legal Award). It was good to see General William E. “Kip” Ward (Military Service Award) again; our paths last crossed in Germany.
AIR NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS GATHER IN BUCKHEAD
Elizabeth and I always love the opportunity to visit with members of the Guard family. We had a great time at the annual Air National Guard reception, which was very well attended. We just hate that we couldn’t stay for the dinner because we had to leave for another event.
POLICE CHIEFS MEET IN ATLANTA
Last week, the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police held their legislative reception at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta. This law enforcement association consists of more than 500 police chiefs and heads of law enforcement agencies. Elizabeth and I enjoyed many lengthy conversations with these leaders from across the state, and we were so pleased our friend and supporter George Ellis, former commander of the Georgia State Patrol, was able to join us for this event.
Like the sheriffs, they are very concerned that deep budget cuts are impacting the safety of our citizens. I’d like to thank Frank V. Rotondo, executive director, and Covington Police Chief Stacey Cotton, president, for inviting me to this gathering.
ATHENS VISITS ON DEBATE NIGHT
It is always a pleasure visiting Athens, and Elizabeth and I really enjoyed spending a few moments with our supporters from the Classic City and surrounding counties before the debate. I want to thank Rev. A.R. Killian, Rev. Larry C. Fort and Ovita Thornton, Clarke County School Board member for coming out and offering their support. It was also wonderful to see our friends from Elbert County - Commissioner John Hubbard and Attorney & Mrs. John Clark. I can't call all of the names, but I want to take this opportunity to thank the 33 supporters who attended the debate and cheered me on to a great performance.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DINE AT THE DEPOT
It is the season for legislative receptions at the Freight Depot across from the State Capitol, and earlier this week we visited with local leaders who were in Atlanta for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Legislative Conference. Elizabeth and I enjoyed visiting with friends old and new. In particular it was good to see Commissioners Michael Dinkins (Peach County), Emily Davis (Baldwin County), Janie B. Reid (Putnam County) and Tom McMichael (Houston County), immediate past president of ACCG.
In addition to concerns about state budget cuts, particularly to education funding, these local leaders were wary of more unfunded mandates. I assured them as Governor I would work with them to move our state forward reversing a bad trend of poor relations between state and local government. We’d like to thank Jerry Griffin, executive director for welcoming us to this reception.
LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION HOSTED BY STATE LABOR LEADERS
Like other organizations who are closely watching the actions of the state legislature, the Georgia State AFL-CIO hosted a legislative reception this week. Hundreds of labor leaders from across the state and dozens of legislators crowded the IBEW auditorium. Elizabeth and I had a great time chatting with long-standing friends Billy Powell, Red Ethridge and Charlie Key. We love running into our great friend and supporter Rep. Bob Bryant at most of these legislative receptions. Richard Ray, AFL-CIO president, received a legislative proclamation in his honor that rightly honored his years of dedication to working families in Georgia.
All the best,
David Poythress
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