Democratic Party of Georgia

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Release: Poll shows Carter path to victory

Polling data shows Jason Carter path to victory.

Nathan Deal vulnerable, scores high negatives in job performance.

 

Atlanta, Georgia –  A poll commissioned by the Democratic Party of Georgia and the Democratic Governors Association shows a clear path to victory for Democratic candidate for Governor Jason Carter.

 

Polling shows that Georgia voters overwhelmingly prefer a new governor:  49% surveyed want someone new, while only 36% would prefer to re-elect Nathan Deal.

 

In addition to weak approval ratings for Deal, Georgia voters also gave the governor poor job performance marks:

 

54% of Georgia voters have a negative view of Deal’s handling of jobs and the economy.

Only 31% believe the Deal has done enough to help the middle class.

52% have a negative view of Deal’s performance on education.

 

“This poll just validates what we’ve known,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter.  “Nathan Deal and his administration are bad for the economy, bad for education and job training, bad for working families, and downright bad for Georgia.”

 

After pollsters read a positive message about each candidate, Sen. Carter held a lead of 45 percent to Nathan Deal’s 40.

 

“Georgia voters are ready for a new direction,” said Porter. “And they’ll find that direction in Jason Carter.”

Chairman Porter to Deal: Time to Tell the Truth

The GOP continues to show Georgia their true values:  reward your friends, attack your critics and never take responsibility for your actions.  Governor Nathan Deal and the Republican Party of Georgia have blamed the AJC and liberals for a report of the facts.  If telling the truth bothers the GOP, then Georgians should add that to this list of troubling facts.

Fact One:  The state ethics commission has repeatedly raised the salary of Deal’s hand-picked leader.

 Fact Two:  The same hand-picked leader has been accused of making evidence against Governor Deal’s 2010 campaign activities disappear.

 Fact Three:  Governor Deal has yet to explain his REAL PAC investments from companies determined to deny health insurance to hundreds of thousands of Georgians facing sky-rocketing costs and closing hospitals.

Governor Deal and his cronies under the Gold Dome have spent the past decade driving up unemployment, giving tax breaks to their friends and ignoring the needs of our children and working families.  Georgians deserve better – a better explanation, a better leader and a better deal than the one we’ve got today.

Democrats demand an independent investigation into Governor Deal’s unexplained role in the destruction of 2010 campaign documents.  Whether it comes from the GBI or from an independent body – with bi-partisan appointments – Georgia deserves answers to these troubling questions.  The time for tantrums is over.  Now is the time to tell the truth.

 

Dubose Porter Signature

 

 

 

DuBose Porter

Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia

Senate Dems Warned of State Ethics Oversight

Senate Dems Warned of State Ethics Oversight

Henson asks for GBI-FBI investigation

Atlanta, Ga. – Sept. 19, 2013 – Georgia Senate Democrats have renewed their call for an independent state ethics commission in the wake of news that ethics investigations against Gov. Nathan Deal’s ethics have been at least mishandled and at worst covered up.

 

“Senate Democrats introduced legislation to create an independent ethics commission, but now we are asking for a GBI, FBI investigation,” said Steve Henson, Democratic Leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

 

The head of Georgia’s ethics commission is accused of improperly intervening into an ethics investigation of Deal, raising serious questions about the independence of the state panel charged with keeping watch over Georgia’s elected officials.

 

Current and former commission employees told news agencies today that Holly LaBerge ordered documents removed from the official state investigative file on Deal and met with top aides to the Republican governor while the probe was ongoing.
“Governor Deal has demonstrated a pattern of misconduct,” said Sen. Vincent Fort, Senate Democratic Whip. “From his congressional days, now through his term as Governor, Deal has demonstrated that he has a disregard for the rules. Deal vacated his congressional office under investigation and a cloud of misconduct,” said Fort.

 

“Naming your own appointees to an ethics commission when you are under investigation is simply wrong,” said Henson. “Ethics enforcement in Georgia should not be biased and controlled by the very people it’s investigating.”

 

The governor has engaged in extension cronyism and demonstrated personal and political interest over that of the citizens.

 

Earlier this year, the ethics commission lacked the state funds to send ethics violations notices.

 

Former State Senator Connie Stokes, now a candidate for Governor, said this breach in ethics is one of the reasons is running for Governor of Georgia.

 

“The people of Georgia want a government that is accountable. Georgians want and need a leader who will answer to them, not act in their own personal interest,” said Stokes.

 

Georgia Democrats have asked for a number of ethics reforms over many years.

 

Georgia Democrats Respond to Attorney General Olens and Question Governor Deal’s Conduct

Georgia – Georgia Democrats have sent a ten-page document to elected Board of Education members throughout the state in response to the recent opinion by Attorney General Sam Olens regarding the use of public displays of support against the Charter School Amendment.  Last week, in what appeared to be an effort to influence the debate over the issue, Attorney General Olens told elected Board of Education members throughout the state that they did not have the “legal authority to expend funds or other resources to advocate or oppose the ratification of a constitutional amendment by the voters.”

Despite this ruling, the Democratic Party of Georgia found several instances of Governor Deal violating that same order, as he advocated for the Charter School Amendment on his own government website. In another instance, Deal promoted the T-SPLOST amendment that failed earlier this year. In a letter to the attorney general, Chairman Berlon asked that Olens’ look into possible ethical violations of this rule by Governor Nathan Deal.

According to DPG Chairman Mike Berlon, “The rules should be applied equally to everyone.  If the attorney general believes that public funds can’t be used to advocate for political issues, it’s not fair or reasonable to silence one’s position while the Governor advocates his own.  Let’s hope that the rules and the sanctions are the same for everyone.”

The ten-page document may be found here.

While US Gains 1.2 Million Jobs, Georgia Loses 32,600 Jobs

Georgia – New economic numbers show that while the United States has gained 1.2 million jobs since October 2010, Georgia has lost 32,600 jobs in that same period and remains one of the worst performing states in job creation. Now ten months into the Deal administration, Georgia continues a streak of 51 consecutive months with higher unemployment than the rest of the nation.

This job loss stands in direct contrast to the pledges of then-candidate Deal, who promised to “kick-start the economy” while making job creation the theme of his campaign bus tour.

Instead of addressing this issue, the Deal administration continues to blame Democrats at the national level. When asked if federal politics were inhibiting job creation in Georgia, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler stated that a “lack of leadership in Washington is a contributing factor to the overall lack of confidence in the (Georgia) economy.” Yet Butler’s explanation doesn’t address why Georgia has had higher unemployment than the rest of the nation for over four years running.

“These losses have all occurred under a Republican Administration that promised job creation. Georgians deserve better,” said Mike Berlon, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

“Instead of avoiding responsibility for the lack of job creation and criticizing any plans that aren’t their own to jump start the economy, we challenge republicans to put together a plan for job creation that makes sense and puts Georgians back to work.”

Under Deal, Georgia Becomes ‘American Idle’

Georgia is 49th in job creation under Nathan Deal; one of only seven states to lose jobs in 2011

 

Georgia – New economic numbers show that Governor Nathan Deal has failed to deliver on his campaign pledge to bring new jobs to Georgia. Latest figures show Georgia is one of only seven states to lose jobs in 2011 and ranks 49th out of fifty states in job creation since Deal took office.

Since January, Georgia has lost 8,200 jobs, more than any other southern state.  Traditional state rivals such as Alabama and South Carolina are now adding jobs, while the Deal administration presides over a flurry of job losses.

This job loss stands in contrast to the pledges of then-candidate Deal, who promised to “kick-start the economy” while making job creation the theme of his campaign.

In October of 2010, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson stated that the future governor would “serve as Georgia’s top ambassador and salesman to bring new jobs here.” Yet, more than 470,000 Georgia citizens remain out of work, comparable to the combined populations of Athens, Augusta, Macon and Warner Robins.

Instead of addressing this issue, the Deal administration continues to blame Democrats at the national level.  When asked if federal politics were inhibiting job creation in Georgia, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler stated that a “lack of leadership in Washington is a contributing factor to the overall lack of confidence in the (Georgia) economy.” Yet Butler’s explanation doesn’t address why Georgia has lost more jobs since Deal’s inauguration than nearly every other state in America.

“These losses are under a Republican Administration that promised job creation. Georgians deserve better,” said Mike Berlon, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair.

“Instead of avoiding responsibility for the lack of job creation and criticizing any plans that aren’t their own to jump start the economy, we challenge republicans to put together a plan for job creation that makes sense and puts Georgians back to work.”

# # #

Georgia Sheds Jobs; State Unemployment Rises Again

Georgia – Despite Governor Nathan Deal’s campaign promises that creating jobs would be his top priority, latest figures show Georgia’s unemployment rate has risen to 10.3%, the highest since Deal’s inauguration in January.

Georgia lost over 15,000 jobs last month alone. This job loss stands in direct contrast to the pledges of then-candidate Deal, who pledged to “kick-start the economy” while making job creation the theme of his campaign bus tour.

In October of 2010, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson stated that the future governor would “serve as Georgia’s top ambassador and salesman to bring new jobs here.” Yet, more than 470,000 Georgia citizens remain out of work, comparable to the combined populations of Athens, Augusta, Macon and Warner Robins.

Instead of addressing this issue, the Deal administration continues to blame Democrats at the national level. When asked if federal politics were inhibiting job creation in Georgia, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler stated that a “lack of leadership in Washington is a contributing factor to the overall lack of confidence in the (Georgia) economy.” Yet Butler’s explanation doesn’t address why Georgia has had higher unemployment than the rest of the nation for over four years running.

“These losses have all occurred under a Republican Administration that promised job creation. Georgians deserve better,” said Mike Berlon, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

“Instead of avoiding responsibility for the lack of job creation and criticizing any plans that aren’t their own to jump start the economy, we challenge republicans to put together a plan for job creation that makes sense and puts Georgians back to work.”

# # #

Georgia Nearly Last in Job Creation under Nathan Deal

Georgia – Despite Governor Nathan Deal’s repeated campaign promises that creating jobs would be a top priority for his administration, Georgia ranked #49 out of 50 states in job creation for the month of July and is ranked #47 in the nation over the past five year period.

In the past year, Georgia has had nine months of job loss, including a four year streak of unemployment higher than the national average. This job loss stands in direct contrast to the pledges of then-candidate Deal, who pledged to “kick-start the economy” while making job creation the theme of his campaign bus tour.

In October, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson stated that the future governor would “serve as Georgia’s top ambassador and salesman to bring new jobs here.” Yet, more than 470,000 Georgia citizens remain out of work.

“Republicans remain silent about their job record because they don’t have one,” said State Representative Virgil Fludd (D -Tyrone). “Georgia needs effective state leadership to produce a job-friendly environment.”

When asked if federal politics were inhibiting job creation in Georgia, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler stated that a “lack of leadership in Washington is a contributing factor to the overall lack of confidence in the (Georgia) economy.” Yet this explanation doesn’t address why 48 other states operating under the same federal leadership created more jobs than Georgia.

“Governor Deal and Commissioner Butler need to stop playing politics and start introducing solutions,” concluded party chairman Mike Berlon. “Georgians are hurting. We need our leaders to take their campaign promises seriously and fix our broken economy.”

# # #

Sources:
Atlanta Business Chronicle “Georgia 50th in job creation in July”; August 22, 2011.

Atlanta Business Chronicle “Georgia 47th for recent job creation”; July 25, 2011.

GOP/Tea Party Budget Would Cost 9.5 Million Jobs; More than 225,000 in Georgia

Atlanta, GA – In advance of tonight’s GOP Presidential debate, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Mike Berlon released an estimate of the number of jobs which would be lost in Georgia as a result of the Republican Party’s presidential candidates support for extreme economic policies.

A new analysis conducted by the Democratic National Committee concludes that the balanced budget amendment called for in the plan, if in place in 2012, would result in the loss of 9.5 million American jobs and over 225,000 lost jobs in Georgia. This enormous loss of jobs could sink the U.S. into the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression.

This new analysis looked at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) August deficit projections for 2012 ( $991 billion deficit with CBO options for Iraq drawdown, extension of all tax provisions and Alternative Minimum Tax indexing and accounting for the so-called “Doc” fix), and used the conservative Romer-Bernstein rule of thumb that 1 percent of GDP equates to 1 million jobs. The report concludes that if the plan were fully phased in in 2012 and nearly a trillion dollars in federal spending was slashed, the balanced budget amendment would cost 9.5 million jobs nationwide.

In essence, the balanced budget amendment envisioned by the Tea Party plan would cut spending so deeply as a percentage of GDP that it would grind the economy to a halt and devastate middle class families and small businesses. And, because of the amendment’s strict requirements for deep cuts, hard spending caps and a two-thirds majority to raise revenue, Congress would be virtually helpless to reverse the negative effects of these Tea Party Republican policies. Despite these negative consequences, every Republican presidential candidate, courting the extreme Tea Party vote, has come out in favor of a balanced budget amendment to the constitution or the Tea Party plan which contains one.

State Chair Mike Berlon releases the following statement regarding the impact of extreme GOP-Tea Party policies on the state of Georgia:

“9.5 million American jobs and 225,000 jobs here in Georgia. Possibly a second Great Depression and devastation for the middle class, small businesses, students and seniors. An economic morass that could last generations. Ending Medicare and slashing Social Security. That’s the price Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and the rest of the Republican Party are willing to pay to appeal to the most extreme and narrow elements of the Tea Party. There’s not a Democrat or Republican in this country who doesn’t think we need to get our fiscal house in order, but what this crop of Tea Party-loving Republicans has signed on to would lay ruin to our country and is beyond irresponsible.

“The drastic cuts to education, health care, infrastructure, research and development, higher education, Social Security, Medicare and job training supported by Republicans would cost us millions of jobs if the plan were fully implemented in 2012 and would ensure that we aren’t making the very types of investments we need to create jobs and be globally competitive in the 21st Century. The Republican approach is like setting dynamite to your home to fix a leaky faucet – and these poor policy choices are the result of a Republican Party which has turned over an increasing amount of power to its Tea Party fringe.

“Americans want real solutions to the problems we face and they want a plan to create jobs in the short term and lay a foundation for long term economic prosperity. What Republicans are proposing falls flat on all fronts.”

# # #

Report summary (PDF) at http://my.democrats.org/DNC-report

Georgia “A Mess” Under Complete GOP control

Georgia – From tax dodges to undelivered subpoenas, the state of Georgia is in a mess unlike any the state has seen, contend loyal Democrats across the state.

The report of GOP House Speaker David Ralston’s house lien due to unpaid taxes is only the latest scandal in Georgia; his taxes have been late on this home for the past four years.

“It was reported earlier this month that subpoenas were about to be delivered to Governor Deal demanding his testimony under oath for ethical violations,” said Jeana Brown of Wayne County. “Instead, Republicans forced out the employee trying to deliver the subpoenas.”

Other under-reported scandals include:

“Crops are rotting in the fields of south Georgia because no one is around to pick them,” said Dr. Lowell Greenbaum of Richmond County. “Georgia’s future is being cut short.”

“Republicans have made a mess,” said Eric Gray, Democratic Party of Georgia spokesperson. “Hall County might close nearly every public park on Lake Lanier, while State Rep. Bobby Franklin suggests that tornado-ravaged Georgians who request federal assistance are ‘worshipping a false god’”

“It’s hard to watch our proud state being torn apart,” concluded Gray.

# # #

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 28 2011

 

Contact: Eric Gray

(678) 278-2108

Communications Director

[email protected]

 

GOP Immigration Policy = Labor Shortages + Rotting Crops

This item by J.P. Green was originally published on May 29, 2011.

Georgia is often classified with the reddest of states, not without some reason, even though a third of the voters are people of color. But the new Republican Governor Nathan Deal has just signed into law a bill which could push some white rural voters, thoughtful farmers in particular, into the Democratic column.

The reason is nicely encapsulated in the title of Jeremy Redmon’s Atlanta Constitution article “Farmers Tie Labor Shortage to State’s New Immigration Law, Ask for Help,” which explains:

This month, Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 87 into law. Among other things, the law punishes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants here. It also authorizes police to investigate the immigration status of suspects they believe have committed state or federal crimes and who cannot produce identification, such as a driver’s license, or provide other information that could help police identify them.Georgia’s agricultural industry — the largest in the state — vigorously opposed HB 87 in the Legislature, arguing it could scare away migrant workers and damage the state’s economy

 

The consequences thus far, are less than impressive, according to Redmon:

Migrant farmworkers are bypassing Georgia because of the state’s tough new immigration enforcement law, creating a severe labor shortage among fruit and vegetable growers here and potentially putting hundreds of millions of dollars in crops in jeopardy, agricultural industry leaders said this week….Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, said he has been in close contact with Labor Commissioner Mark Butler and Agricultural Commissioner Gary Black about the shortage, calling it the most severe he has seen. Hall said it’s possible state officials could hold job fairs to steer some of Georgia’s unemployed workers to these farm jobs, which pay $12.50 an hour on average. The state’s unemployment rate is now at 9.9 percent.

Farmers, however, say they often have little luck recruiting Georgia residents to work in their fields because it is temporary, hot and physically demanding. To recruit more workers, some farmers are offering signing bonuses, Hall said.

The law doesn’t take effect until July 1 but is already making migrant Hispanic farmworkers skittish, said Dick Minor, a partner with Minor Brothers Farm in Leslie in southwest Georgia who says he is missing about 50 of his workers now, threatening as much as a third of his crops.

Some farmers who work in Georgia’s $1.1 billion fruit and vegetable industry are now reporting they have only two-thirds or half the workers they need now and for the weeks of harvesting to come, Hall said. Farmers said the full extent of the shortages won’t be known until the coming weeks as they harvest their remaining crops, including watermelons and sweet corn. Hall estimated such shortages could put as much as $300 million in crops at risk this year.

 

Georgia’s pain may translate into Florida’s gain, reports Redmon:

Manuel De La Rosa, who recruits workers for Minor’s farm, confirmed many migrant workers are skipping Georgia for other states, including Florida. He said these workers became afraid after they heard Hispanic television news programs comparing Georgia’s new law to a stringent one Arizona enacted last year.”Some of the people who were coming over here to [pick] cucumbers said: ‘No. They are going to catch us. They are going to put us in jail,’ ” said De La Rosa, a U.S. citizen. “Some of them were going to try another state where they have not passed this law yet.”

 

While white southern voters have often displayed a singular genius for voting against their own economic interests, the sheer idiocy of Republican immigration “reform” in Georgia and other states should give rural Georgians pause the next time some Republican leader prattles on about GOP pro-business creds. Redmon adds:

Meanwhile, the state’s Republican labor and agricultural commissioners are discussing issuing a joint statement in the coming days about what they intend to do about the labor shortage, a Labor Department spokesman confirmed Thursday.

No doubt Georgians await the next edition of GOP business acumen with baited breath, while state consumers may not be too thrilled with expected price hikes at the supermarket, courtesy of the Republican Governor and legislators. Here’s hoping Georgia Dems call them out.