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Progressive politics in the peach state.(Georgia, USA)
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A message from the Editorial Board 8 Nov 2024 1:27 PM (5 months ago)

It has come to our attention that Senator Jon Ossoff doesn’t appear to understand the basic rules of Democratic Party of Georgia officer elections. In his defense, he’s not the first to make this strategic error and probably won’t be the last.

Recently, he allegedly sent a text message to Congresswoman Nikema Williams, who currently also serves as Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) Chair, asking for her resignation as DPG Chair. 

When I say recently, I mean the day after the Democratic Party’s first Black woman nominee for President was defeated. Beyond the bad timing, the optics of yet another white man attempting to push aside an accomplished Black woman isn’t a good look for Democrats. Anyway, this isn’t how it works. For the benefit of the “Senior Democrat in the state”, here’s a brief tutorial on DPG officer elections.  

Nikema Williams was elected chair by voting members of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s state committee in 2019. In 2023 she was overwhelmingly reelected to serve another four year term. Throughout her 20+ years of service to the Democratic Party of Georgia, she’s been among the party’s most popular and effective leaders. For more than two decades, she has served with distinction, and continues to do so. She is beloved by her Congressional constituents and party members alike.

In years gone by, the Democratic governor selected the state party’s chair. Since losing the governorship in 2003, it has been the responsibility of the DPG state committee, and only the state committee, to convene every four years to elect the chair and officers. As a sitting US Senator, Jon Ossoff is allowed one vote in this process.

Although Senator Ossoff’s distinguished position is acknowledged, as is his right to express his opinion, party rules do not empower him to appoint or dismiss duly elected DPG officers. Even if they did, there is no cause.

Our suggestions to the “Senior Democrat” would be as follows. First, stop acting out in ways that are both destructive to the party and your reputation among its most faithful members by attacking a popular chairwoman. Next, identify candidates for party offices you believe are a) suitable and b)willing to serve. Finally, when the state committee convenes for elections in 2025, help your preferred candidates prevail. This is the process. Follow it.

Doing anything else is unhelpful and undignified.

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Thank you Vice President Harris 6 Nov 2024 3:56 PM (5 months ago)

I’ve been voting for a long time, but have never been more proud to cast a vote for a candidate than I was for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris’s 2024 campaign for President was historic in many ways, but chief among them was the unprecedented speed and agility with which she turned a hail Mary pass into a competitive race, in an impossible 100 days. When Joe Biden was finally convinced to step down at the 11th hour and 59th minute, Harris inherited a hand-me-down campaign in disarray, denial, and down by double digits in some states. She hit the ground running and was nothing short of brilliant. It was a joyful celebration of the best in us. We could not have asked for more. Yet some did.

What’s most clear from the election results of November 5, 2024 is that no matter how good you are, the demons of misogyny, racism, and bigotry are always waiting to claw you back down. Truth is dead and the patriarchy is alive and well and taking a victory lap. Women are still second class citizens in the USA, so we must plan accordingly to protect ourselves. Until it’s time for cleanup on aisle 47, assuming there’s anything left to clean up.

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Sketchy Goings On- in the 11th Congressional District 7 Jun 2024 12:48 PM (10 months ago)

I just received an email from the Cobb Democratic Committee, a petition is being circulated by them to limit their support of the Democratic 11th CD candidate Katy Stamper. But as you’ll read, it will not result in her losing her spot on the ballot. This is only possible if she willingly removes herself, Sandra Bullock style. However, *cough* that seems unlikely.

I doubt that Rep Loudermilk (R-Tour Guide) is worried about losing his seat, to anyone, especially a Democrat, which makes this whole sordid episode so strange. The Congressman has $329,933 on hand, and welp Katy has a cute $16,231. She spoke with Martha Zoller, you see if this makes any sense to you.

“On March 8, 2024, Katy Stamper qualified to be on the Democratic ballot as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 11.  Georgia law prevents political parties from refusing to qualify a candidate that meets the Georgia and Federal Constitutional Requirements.

Then, Stamper won last month’s primary to be the Democratic nomination. Since then, a petition to oppose Stamper has circulated among the counties that have any part of Congressional District 11, which includes Cobb.A successful petition does not have the ability to remove a candidate from the ballot as the nominee. It means that County Committees are no longer required to support the candidate in their printed mailers and literature or at events; and they can actively oppose them and support another candidate as a write-in (fyi: because Antonio Daza lost a primary election, he is barred by rule from being such a write-in alternative).

The Democratic Party of Georgia’s Bylaw 1.07.01 states:
“The Democratic Party and its County Committees may endorse or oppose a Democratic candidate in a federal or state election upon receiving two-thirds approval from the elected members of a County Committee and two-thirds approval from the State Executive Committee, followed by a two-thirds approval from the State Committee.”

Here are the substantive parts of the petition (we have clipped out the procedural parts to shorten the length of this email a bit). Emphasis will be added to help you skim if you would like:

Katy Stamper, Voter File VANID 4987848, classifies the candidate as SR-Strong Republican.  The candidate’s voting history demonstrates little interest nor participation in Democratic candidates over the years.

I’ll keep ya posted, but I’m pretty sure they’ll find the plenty of folks to sign on to this petition.

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Once again, the GAGOP has failed the citizens of Georgia 30 Jan 2021 3:32 AM (4 years ago)

The election of this hateful woman is proof.

Georgia Republicans have failed by even allowing her to qualify for office. Now, paralyzed by this physical manifestation of 20 years of underfunded education, cynical voter suppression tactics, and regressive policies that wink at white supremacy, they act like children who really, really screwed up. As usual, everyone pays the price for their negligence and ineptitude. Thankfully, Democrats have the courage to take action while the good old boys stand by with fingers in butts.

Next week, Congresswomen Nikema Williams and Sara Jacobs will introduce legislation to formally censure Greene over her remarks supporting the assassination of current and former elected officials.

“Congresswoman Greene’s comments and actions are dangerous, unpatriotic, and a clear threat to every Member of Congress. It would be irresponsible for us to allow her to use the ‘People’s House’ as a platform to peddle discredited conspiracy theories that only fan the flames of hatred and violence,” Williams and Jacobs said in a statement.

WSB TV

And Rep. Jimmy Gomez has drafted a resolution to oust Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress.

The California Democrat announced on Wednesday that he planned to introduce a resolution to oust the conspiracy-theory-peddling Republican from Georgia after recent news reports revealed that Greene had previously called for violence against Democrats on social media.

Politico

A two-thirds majority is required to expel a member from the U.S. House, which means Gomez’s resolution will fail without Republican votes. It’s time for the GAGOP to put on their big boy pants and help send this woman home to whatever hole she crawled out of. For all our sakes, do not fail Georgia again.

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Did Barry Loudermilk’s actions indirectly contribute to the death of a constituent? 10 Jan 2021 5:13 PM (4 years ago)

RawStory reports the Kennesaw, GA woman trampled to death during the Trump Insurrection on January 6 was Rosanne Boyland, 34. She was among four Trump supporters who died Wednesday inside the Capitol while violently attempting to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s win.

Boyland’s family blames the president, as reported by WGCL-TV.

Friends and family say Boyland had become consumed with QAnon conspiracy theories and hatred for Biden, and they lamented they’d been unable to stop her from going to Washington or obsessing about online conspiracies.

I’ve never tried to be a political person but it’s my own personal belief that the president’s words incited a riot that killed four of his biggest fans last night and I believe that we should invoke the 25th amendment at this time.

Although Donald Trump is chiefly responsible for weaponizing supporters in an attempt to subvert the will of the voters, Representative Barry Loudermilk, Boyland’s elected representative, deserves equal condemnation for the seditious role he played in the failed coup attempt on January 6. Loudermilk’s vote to stop certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election, even after violence broke out, was a dangerous and destructive act. 

If it’s true that Rep. Loudermilk does “not have full confidence that the Georgia electors truly represent the voters of Georgia” then he should resign immediately.

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147 Republicans Voted to Overturn the 2020 U.S. Election Results. 6 of them are U.S Representatives from Georgia 7 Jan 2021 6:51 PM (4 years ago)

Remember the names of these seditious pieces of work:

Rick Allen
facebook | twitter

Earl L. “Buddy” Carter
facebook | twitter

Andrew Clyde
facebook | twitter

Marjorie Taylor Greene
facebook | twitter

Jody Hice
facebook | twitter

Barry Loudermilk
facebook | twitter

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