Oconee County, GA Politics

After a pre-meeting meal at the new far-too-fluorescently bright Dickey's Bar-B-Que at Butler's Crossing, State Senate candidate Sherry Jackson and US Congressional candidate Bobby Saxon both made appearances at the Oconee County Democratic committee's regular monthly meeting at the Courthouse's Grand Jury Room Thursday evening. This may be the last meeting in the Courthouse as it has been rumored to be meeting in the Courthouse Annex down on Highway 15 once again in November. Jackson spoke of her background in Walton County and her first job washing dishes for $1.25 an hour in the Walton County Hospital in Monroe. She received scholarships from the University of Georgia and the Law School here, and her Law School professor Sarajane Love walked in right on cue. Saxon spoke at length and passionately about his faith, his roots in Oconee County and his duty to his country in the National Guard in Iraq and elsewhere. He has been campaigning hard from Hart County to August...

Here is some interesting information about the race between Dr. Paul Broun, Jr. and Barry Fleming for the U.S. Congressional race in the 10th district of Georgia. Not sure if this appeared in the Athens paper yet, but the comments are particularly embittered from an Augusta angle. Another well written story from Blake Aued at the Banner-Herald.

Tire store marketing employee James P. Mason of Jefferson intends to enter his name on the ballot of the 10th district U.S. Congressional election here in Athens (and Augusta and north to the border), and I think his long shot independent candidacy will have equal effect on the Republican or Democratic candidates. I salute the former Marine who served his country in Afghanistan who has taken on the established parties. We shall see how effectively young Mr. Mason markets himself in the rather disjointed district stretching from the Central Savannah River Area to the Mountains of North Carolina with a dip in Watkinsville and Washington-Wilkes. Only one thing is for certain, Nicholson resident Bobby Saxon should have talked to his fellow Jackson County veteran in Mason and figured out why (or at least what is prompting him) he is going to run. Conventional political wisdom would prescribe that the Mason wild card will siphon off some votes from both sides of the aisle, but probably hur...

I vomited in my own mouth when I heard NewsTalk 1340 WGAU AM's Tim Bryant being manipulated by State Senator and Congressional wannabe Barry Fleming today on his Fleming's many arrows and barbs, but it set the tone for the nasty words rising faster than the gas prices. Fleming did blast Broun about not wanting to save the Ag Research Center in Athens. Nice try Barry. The J. Phil Campbell Jr center is only in Watkinsville, not Athens, and if you think there is a big stink between folks from Augusta and Athens in the Whitehead meltdown last year, wait to you hear some folks from Oconee and Clarke going at it. Broun won't go to bat to try and get some congressional pork to save the agriculture facility. That pretty much decides it that I cannot vote for Broun ever again. If you are going to play on the team, you need to know the rules The gist of Fleming's phlegm this time was that Broun wants to do bong hits with your kids and sell porn pictures of them as well. Of cour...

Some of our elected leaders have shown their lack of leadership and foresight again on issues important to all residents, not just folks in Oconee County. 10th district U.S. Congressman Dr. Paul Broun wants to outlaw all women's reproductive rights (which is surely doomed to fail and be another huge waste of time and effort and tax payer money) and State Representative Bob Smith can only complain about Athens - Clarke County's watering ban (not realizing his own county has basically done the same - excellent take on this at Jonathan McGinty's must-read-daily Safe as Houses ) and not stand up for the Navy School's transition to a new campus of the Medical College of Georgia. Blake Aued points out how one of Broun's prospective primary opponents in Barry Fleming is already being led down the path of pitting Augusta versus Athens in the whole Medical College of Georgia debate.

Now that Georgia State Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson has deservedly been kicked all over the state for his ridiculous radical tax taking away local control over how our school boards spend our money, he has found a much easier target to take pot shots at . Those evil activist judges are trying to spend our tax money faster than the G.O.P., so let start some committee to try and impeach the Judge in the Brian Nichols multiple murder case. Never mind that the issues are largely independent and mutually exclusive, but let's throw Harlem state rep and 10th District Congressional candidate Barry Fleming under this bus as well by naming him the chair of the committee. Could not possibly have anyone from Atlanta, re: a Democrat, chairing something where we - the rich White Republican party - can get as much political mileage as possible. Fleming is the well funded Republican opponent of our Oconee contrarian Congressman Dr. Paul Broun for the GOP nomination next year. This shou...

State Representative and newly announced 10th district congressional candidate Barry Fleming belched forth all the typical platitudes short on specifics on the conservative gab-fest on 1340 WGAU AM right now. I wish I could come up with something insightful, but instead I am reaching for the trash can. Barry Fleming wants to do away with local control over our government, i.e. the Glenn Tax, and I hate paying property taxes as much as the next homeowner, but I do not want some bozo in Atlanta or Washington dictating how the city of Watkinsville and Oconee County can use our tax money. PS Barry Fleming just went third person in reference to himself.

According to the fine folks at Georgia Politics Unfiltered , Augusta State Representative Barry Fleming has filed with the FEC to run against Dr. Paul Broun, Jr. for the Republican nomination for the 10th District Congressional seat, the seat once occupied by the late Dr. Charlie Norwood. Fleming was widely rumored to be running last go round but was supplanted by Jim Whitehead, the man who lost to Broun in the special election. If he learned anything from Whitehead, Fleming will be spending a whole lot of time in Clarke County keeping his mouth shut about wanting to blow up UGA. At this point either candidate, Broun or Fleming, will face Bobby Saxon in the November election. Broun showed some degree of political acumen by showing up in Saxon's hometown of Nicholson the week after Saxon's announcement at his home on Water Works Road to field complaints by local business owners about the pitch of the Bypass around that small town. Now can Broun actually make roads move? I kind...