Macon's Tea Party

I spent about an hour this afternoon standing in a small park directly across from Macon City Hall, listening to some local leaders talk about the sorry state of affairs in Washington. In between Chris Kroc jumping around shrieking into a bullhorn, State Reps. Allen Peake, Tony Sellier, insurance commisioner John Oxendine, and bloggers Erick Erickson and Jeff Emmanuel gave some great speeches to a fairly raucous (well, as raucous as a bunch of Republicans can be) crowd.

This was just one of dozens of Tea Party protests taking place all over the state today. I was surprised by the number of people that turned out to show opposition to the way our government is spending our money. There were easily 300 to 400 people filling up the square, many waving signs that expressed their disgust with a tax system that punishes success and rewards failure.

It was interesting to see these people fired up over something. The vast majority of them were people who don't usually make time for protesting. I've always said that conservatives don't make themselves heard as much as liberals because we generally have jobs, families, and other responsibilities that take up most of our time. Most of us just want to get our heads down and get on with our jobs, making a living for our families, so we have little time for protesting even many of those things we feel strongly about. But when the leaders in Washington are preaching from on high about our duty to make sacrifices in this difficult economy, while refusing to make any cuts to the wasteful, inept, and out-of-control spending spree that is government...well, it just pisses us off.

It's good to see people waking up and expressing their opinions, but it won't be enough to wave a sign and yell Nobama! And we certainly can't use the old liberal method of subverting the political process by getting sympathetic activist judges to hand down favorable decrees on our behalf. We have to use the system as it was designed by our founders. If we believe Obama's policies to be dangerous, we have to persuade our friends and family using sound arguments and facts. We have to convince the American people that government can't do for us what we can do for ourselves. In fact, government can't really do anything well. When people start to realize that true freedom means a government that lets people keep their money as well as their rights, and allows everyone an equal opportunity at success, then we'll be able enact real "change we can believe in."

8th District Conservatives: Wake Up!

We received yet more proof yesterday that our so-called conservative democrat congressman, Jim Marshall, is in fact nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. Congressman Marshall's vote for the disgrace that has been labelled a stimulus package is not at all surprising to those of us who have followed his career closely. After campaigning as a conservative - a man who was supposedly praised by Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy - and winning the votes of many within the 8th congressional district who normally vote Republican, Marshall has shown his true colors at the very first opportunity.

Fiscal responsibility is a hallmark of the conservative mentality. Smaller, less intrusive government, and the reigning in of irresponsible spending on entitlement programs are the bedrock of any truly conservative philosophy. And yet our "conservative" congressman has cast his vote for a bill that is the very antithesis of fiscal responsibility and limited government. The so-called stimulus bill is indicative of our new president's governing philosophy, and Representative Marshall's support for this legislation reveals his true instincts toward government as the solution to all of our problems.

Our new leadership in Washington has signalled that their agenda will be one of growing government, and using tax dollars to spend our way out of this economic mess. Whether you believe that to be an effective way to bring about economic recovery is another matter entirely, but it is beyond doubt that this mentality is as far from conservatism as one can get. As Ronald Reagan said, government is not the solution, but in most cases it is the very root of our problems. Jim Marshall has shown himself to be yet another politician who says what he needs to say to get elected, and then does the opposite when he gets to Washington. Wake up conservatives, and stop sending this liberal to congress.

Chris Kroc & Macon Politics

Well Chris Kroc has certainly caused quite the stir in the last few days. He's been quite clear as to his opinion of Elaine Lucas ever since his trial period at the local talk radio show, and I don't know that too many folks would disagree with his rather quick assesment of her character. She's no Barack Obama, ladies and gentlemen...

I must say I don't particularly go out of my way to listen to his show. It's just not really my style. But I do enjoy the fact that he gets under Big Momma's skin to such a delightful extent. She is the epitome of all that is wrong with Macon politics - thinks she's much more important than she will ever actually be, and tries to bully everyone around her into submission. Kudos to Erick for standing up to her antics. Some of the stories he tells of her behavior in council meetings are just plain hilarious - or they would be if she weren't so pathetic. Let's just say my daughter had more character and a thicker skin at the age of 3 than she does right now as an adult.

I also enjoyed hearing about Chris' protest at the St. Paul AME church, as the Wrong Rev. Wright's Circus of Blasphemy rolled into town. God has a special place for so-called pastors who abuse their pulpit to spread hatred. Something tells me it's not very good place. I find it pretty appalling that our mayor would be in the same room as this man, much less praise his work as "based out of biblical scripture."

I like our mayor. His response to the little email spat between Erick and Elaine was an example of good leadership, and I think he's been great for this city. But I've lost a great deal of respect for him since his endorsement of Barack (he was eeyunspiiiired!), and now this utter nonsense on a man who literally foments hatred and division. From the pulpit. I expect better from him, and I suspect that deep down he knows what a scumbag this guy is.

Ah, the politics of MacTown. Such a magical place. Full of wonder.

Jim Marshall, Democrublican

My congressman, Jim Marshall, has always been a pretty bright guy. He realizes that the district he represents is extremely conservative. He managed to get elected to congress due to his popularity in Bibb County and Macon, where he also served as mayor, and has survived the republican ascendancy of the last decade mainly by distancing himself from his own party.

His last win, however, was by a very narrow margin, despite the GOP bloodbath of 2006. As Erick pointed out last week, his district has now been redrawn to pretty much mirror what it looked like when Saxby represented it. I believe Saxby, despite polls that show his current campaign relatively close, is still fairly popular in this district. Whether that will help Marshall's opponent, Rick Goddard, remains to be seen, but as I pointed out several months ago, it wouldn't take much to bring Marshall down.

Even in the 2006 election - a disaster for the GOP nationally- Collins [Marshall's 2006 opponent] only fell short by 1752 votes, or one percentage point, after running a fairly lackluster campaign. The problem is that Goddard, or any candidate for this seat, needs to make significant gains in Bibb county, where Marshall received nearly 60% of the vote, in order to win the seat. So far, Marshall has too much support from voters in this area who otherwise tend to support conservatives. Proof of this can be seen in the results for Governor in this same election. Sonny Perdue won over Democrat Mark Taylor by 1881 votes in Bibb County. Overall, 18,954 Bibb County voters chose Perdue, while only 13,893 voted for Collins.

Jim Marshall has been running ads all over television and radio - something he has not really done in the past. This suggests that he is at least somewhat concerned about his chances this year. His latest ad is, quite frankly, hilarious. It's been airing on the local radio station, which broadcasts conservative talk shows like Boortz, Limbaugh, and Hannity all day long. In the ad, Marshall brags about his endorsement from the NRA (a poor decision by the NRA, despite his support for gun rights), and even claims that "conservatives Gordon Liddy and Rush Limbaugh have praised" his record as a congressman.

The ad is basically claiming that Marshall is just as conservative as Rick Goddard, and is clearly aimed at the conservative talk radio market. The problem is that Jim Marshall is no conservative. His sponsorship of the biggest gift to union thugs in history alone proves that. The bottom line is that he knows he has to pretend to be conservative to keep his job, voting with the GOP on Democrat initiatives that he knows will pass anyway, and hiding behind the liberal leadership that HE helps put in place.

Wake up conservatives! He may vote with the GOP sometimes, but he puts people like Pelosi in charge of the House, and indirectly advances his party's liberal policy agenda no matter how he votes. I feel a letter to the editor coming on...

Where is Jim Marshall?

I'm a little confused. Our allegedly conservative Democrat congressman, Jim Marshall, claims to support exploration for domestic energy sources. And yet, we're now into the second week of the energy protest in the House, led by two of our truly conservative Georgia congressmen, and Rep. Marshall is still on vacation. Imagine the incredible message that would be sent to the Democratic leadership, as well as the voters of the 8th district of Georgia, if he were to cross this party line and join the demand for a vote on energy exploration.

But Rep. Marshall, by promising to vote for offshore drilling if given the chance, while simultaneously refusing to support multiple efforts to bring such votes to the floor, illustrates exactly why the voters in our district can no longer afford to be represented by anything other than a true conservative. We have allowed the charade to continue for far too long. Selectively casting "conservative" votes from behind the liberal agenda of his own party's leadership is not the kind of representation this district deserves.

You can bet that Rick Goddard would be in Washington right now, demanding that the views of his constituents be heard, instead of hoping that this all just goes away. Help the conservative 8th district secure conservative representation by contributing to Rick Goddard right now.

This is awesome...

This was a brilliant move by the House GOP on Friday, and it continues today...

After already barely passing a resolution to give themselves a five week paid vacation, the Democrat Congress sneakily adjourned for the day in a craven attempt to escape Washington without a real vote to address America’s high gas prices and energy security. It also, they laughed, would silence Republican members from discussing America’s energy security and independence on the record after votes...

Led by Tom Price (Patriot-GA), Mike Pence (Patriot-IN), Lynn Westmoreland (Patriot-GA) and Henry Brown (Patriot-SC), what commenced as a spontaneous expression of American outrage at Speaker Pelosi and her party’s refusal to hold a vote and help working Americans, soon became a historic Republican “Speak-In” unmatched in U.S. House history...

And so it will continue!

House Republicans will be rearranging schedules, flying thousands of miles, and refusing to take a paid vacation. Instead, the GOP will take to the House floor every day to ensure the voice of Americans’ is heard; there is a vote to make our country energy secure and independent; and keep America the greatest nation on Earth!

Excellent work from our Georgia boys, Lynn Westmoreland and Tom Price! Paul Broun, unsurprisingly, was also a part of the original 'revolution.' Funny, I don't see our 'conservative' congressman Jim Marshall on the list...

Rob-uht Reich-uht

I love the guy's accent - a typical southern Democrat - and I have no doubt Mayor Reichert is going to be very good for our city. But I have to address the Obama endorsement. I listened to an interview our mayor gave this morning on the local radio show, with Erick and Ron - Mr. Kroc has not been back, and couldn't help but notice that Mr. Reichert has a serious case of 'Chris Matthews Syndrome.' When asked, at the prompting of a listener, why the mayor has so enthusiastically endorsed Barack Obama, his answer was pretty typical of most Obama supporters.

He was eeyuhn-spiiiiired!

No mention of what The Chosen One plans to do once elected, and not one thing about the specific policy positions he thinks Obama will support. But then that stuff's so boring, isn't it? Why would anyone want to know anything specific about Barack's plans for our nation? His following has become cult-like in every way. We are called to put our faith and trust in the Obamessiah's will for our lives...

I especially like the mayor's reference to JFK. He claimed that he hasn't been this inspired by a politician since Kennedy's "Ask not what you country can do for you..." speech. Ever since he heard that speech, he's been a loyal Democrat. It's more than a little ironic that the Democrat Party and it's nominee have adopted a philosophy that is completely at odds with such a statement. The vast majority of Democrats would love nothing more than to have us all completely dependent on government for our every need. Don't like paying for healthcare? Let the government provide it, and everything else while we're at it. That sounds a lot like "asking what your country can do for you."

Of course, someone has to pay for it all, and that's where the 'evil' rich folks come in. They're the ones who aren't supposed to "ask." It's no wonder none of his supporters will talk about his policies. They either don't have a clue as to what they are, or realize that they're the same policies that have failed time and again. Socialism doesn't work, and those of us who care enough to vote know it.

Dubya in Georgia

The president stopped by yesterday afternoon to throw his weight behind the GOP's effort to unseat Congressman Jim Marshall in the 8th Congressional District. At this point, I'm not so sure how much Bush's presence helps any Republican candidate, but as the Telegraph points out, it's pretty much become a tradition for the president to visit the 8th District every two years.

I really like Rick Goddard, and will of course support his candidacy. If anyone can unseat the popular Jim Marshall, he can do it. I just don't think the timing is right for this challenge, though. The last two races against Marshall were incredibly close, and had Goddard been running instead of Mac Collins last time, we may have seen a different result. But we have to remember that Congressman Marshall has been holding onto this seat, albeit by the skin of his teeth and only because he generally votes as a conservative, throughout a period of overall Republican dominance. If we weren't able to unseat Marshall while the GOP brand was hot, I don't see it happening now that the Republican name is not well liked.

The only ray of hope lies in the fact that Georgia has been bucking the national trend away from Republicans. Even in the 2006 election - a disaster for the GOP nationally- Collins only fell short by 1752 votes, or one percentage point, after running a fairly lackluster campaign. The problem is that Goddard, or any candidate for this seat, needs to make significant gains in Bibb county, where Marshall received nearly 60% of the vote, in order to win the seat. So far, Marshall has too much support from voters in this area who otherwise tend to support conservatives. Proof of this can be seen in the results for Governor in this same election. Sonny Perdue won over Democrat Mark Taylor by 1881 votes in Bibb County. Overall, 18,954 Bibb County voters chose Perdue, while only 13,893 voted for Collins.

The task for Rick Goddard's campaign is to convince more of those Bibb County voters that they are best represented by a true conservative. There is no question that the district is conservative - Marshall has, on the bigger issues, voted as a conservative throughout his tenure - but Goddard needs to highlight where he has strayed. His support for liberal party leadership, and his votes on other issues that didn't get as much publicity (he was a co-sponsor of the ironically named "Employee Free Choice Act") need to receive attention. Goddard also needs to remind voters in this area that Marshall constantly has to go against his own personal liberal views in order to accurately represent his district, whereas a true conservative can be trusted to fall back on his core beliefs for difficult decisions.

This will be a difficult race - Marshall already has a big lead in fundraising - but we need to get behind Rick Goddard. Go to his site and contribute, or better yet, contribute through Slatecard today.