Oconee County, GA Politics

There were nearly 200 advance voters that came into the tiny Oconee County Board of Registration and Elections building immediately south of the Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville by 1:30 pm yesterday. I would well imagine that all of them were writing in "Charles Darwin" against Paul Broun for Congress like I did, but I would be wrong in that assumption. I would also like to think they were all voting for Barack Obama for President, but considering almost every one of my Morgan Manor Estates neighbors save the Gwinns, Knights and a few others have Willard "Mitt" Romney signs in their yards, I would think that would be a mistake as well. If you would like an "Obama Y'all" campaign sign for your yard, you have a very small window to which you can get one - and I would suggest you do so right now - at either 706-769-1131 or 706-372-1062 and we are asking a $5.00 donation per sign. Obvious preference for Oconee County, Georgia residents at this ...

I have never enjoyed receiving robo-calls. I did get former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond and the newly single and former Lieutenant Governor nominee Carol Porter to record some for me in my State Legislature campaign. I doubt whether Barbara Bush is going to convince many Democratic voters in Oconee County to crossover and vote for Mitt, but I think that would do the worst for Newt Gingrich. I strongly encourage all voters to go to the polls tomorrow to support whomever they want in the Georgia Presidential Primary and remind you that you can choose a Democratic ballot and support Presidenti Barack Obama if the choices on the Republic side have no appeal. One side of me would think that Newt winning Georgia will prolong the Republican nomination process a few more weeks. Mitt won five in a row counting Washington. I am fairly certain he will have more delegates Wednesday morning. Oh yes, there is a Ron Paul rally at the Georgia Theatre 5:00 pm this Monday afternoon and there are...

Right now I am unsure who I am voting for the 2012 Republican Primary. Who do you want to win? Who will you support? Originally I wanted to do nothing more than vote for former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson to muck up the results as much as possible. Perhaps I shall vote for Ron Paul instead of supporting Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich. Georgia primary shaping up to be bruising fight | Online Athens

Friend -- I come into this election with clear eyes. I am proud of all we have achieved together, but I am mindful of all that remains to be done. I know some out there are frustrated by the pace of our progress. I want you to know I'm frustrated, too. But with so much riding on the outcome of this election, I need everyone to get in this game. Neither one of us is here because we thought it would be easy. Making change is hard. It's what we've said from the beginning. And we've got the lumps to show for it. The fight this fall is as critical as any this movement has taken on together. And if we are serious about change, we need to fight as hard as we ever have. The very special interests who have stood in the way of change at every turn want to put their conservative allies in control of Congress. And they're doing it with the help of billionaires and corporate special interests underwriting shadowy campaign ads. If they succeed, they will not stop...

  -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: karen solheim <ksolheim@hotmail.com> To: <ccdc@clarkedemocrats.com>, <ccdc-nm@clarkedemocrats.com> Subject: CCDC Save-the-date: Tuesday, January 20---Inaugural Ball Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:23:19 +0000 Dear CCDC members and friends,   Please the date of Tuesday, January 20,2009, from 8 p.m. through midnight for the  Clarke County Democratic Party 2009 Inaugural Ball to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama.   This event will be held at Trumps new facility on Milledge; will involve elegant  dining (heavy hors d'ouevres), dancing, and a grand celebration of an historic event; and is bl ack-tie optional. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale this Sunday, December 14, at CCDC Holiday Party at Nancy Denson's house. Additional information will follow.   Sincerely, Karen Solheim CCDC Vice Chair for Communication  

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 13:01:55 -0500 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: georgia@barackobama.com Subject: Vote for Jim Martin tomorrow Obama '08 Dan -- You have one more opportunity to vote for change in Georgia -- vote for Jim Martin in tomorrow's special election. Turnout for the Georgia Senate runoff is expected to be much lower than in last month's general election, so we have to make sure every Georgian ready for change stands up and makes their voice heard. Especially you. Your polling place may be different than in the general election, so look up your current polling place on the Georgia Secretary of State's website now. In a runoff election like this one, it doesn't matter what the pundits and the pollsters say -- all that matters is who shows up at the polls. The energy and enthusiasm we've seen throughout this election have proven that Georgians are ready for change. Now we just need to make ...

Bringing out the big dogs, Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:45:35 -0500 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: info@barackobama.com Subject: Change for Georgia Obama for America Dan -- Jim Martin is fighting to bring change to Georgia and to Washington. But he can't do it without you. The runoff election for the U.S. Senate is coming up on Tuesday, December 2nd. There's not a lot of time left, but you can still have an important impact on this race. Will you make a donation of $25 or more to support Jim Martin, Georgia's candidate for change? Jim Martin is a Vietnam veteran, a fighter for the middle class, and a leader who will work hard to rebuild our economy. He's committed to good-paying jobs, affordable health care, and quality education for Georgians and all Americans. You helped build an incredible grassroots movement in the Peach State. Now's the time to put it to use by supporting candidates like Jim Mart...

What more needs to be said? I voted in advance today. You can Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week in advance of the December 2nd Run Off Election. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:02:35 -0500 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: georgia@barackobama.com Subject: Volunteer for change in Georgia Obama '08 Dan -- What you do in Georgia in the next two weeks could bring change to your state and to Washington. Jim Martin is facing a runoff election for the U.S. Senate. The unprecedented organization you've built in the Peach State can help give him a fighting chance to bring change to Georgia. Sign up to volunteer before the December 2nd special election. On November 4th, Americans voted for change. You can help continue that momentum. A victory here in Georgia will strengthen our ability to make change happen. Get involved now and help elect Jim Martin in these final two weeks: http://ga.barackobama.com/garunoff Thanks, ...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Can you help GOTV for Martin on Saturday? Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:58:44 -0800 (PST) From: Carl McGrath <carlmcgrath@yahoo.com> Reply-To: carlmcgrath@yahoo.com To: Carl <CarlMcGrath@yahoo.com> For details and to sign-up, follow this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gsx2qw Please disregard if you have already replied to me on this. Thanks!  Carl  Carl McGrath 1031 Simonton Drive Watkinsville, GA 30677-2579 (706) 769-3400

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:37:13 -0500 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: autoresponse@esmtp.change.gov Subject: Take a look The Obama-Biden Transition Project   Dear Dan, 62 days. That's how much time we have left to prepare for the Obama-Biden Administration that will bring the change Americans demanded so strongly in this past election. President-elect Obama has set a high bar for the Transition team: to execute the most efficient, organized, and transparent transfer of power in American history. As a co-Chair for the Transition, I want to tell...

Subject: [oconee] GOTV for Martin on Saturday Nov 15 Well-stated, Erika! This Saturday we are partnering with Black citizens of Greene Co. to get-out-the- vote for Martin and Powell. Also in the run-off for Greene Co. is a key school board position.  So far, we have 10 Oconee Co. volunteers signed-up for Saturday!!! And we need at least 10 more. Join us. We will work out of a staging location set-up in Greenesboro with wireless internet and a phone line. We will be doing phone banking and door-to-door canvassing with lists of registered democrats. Each volunteer can choose to do phone banking and/or canvassing. Canvassers will carry applications for absentee ballots. Whenever it's possible, we'll send canvassers out in biracial teams. For more details, including driving directions and how to sign-up, follow this link http://my.barackoba ma.com/page/ event/detail/ gsxd73 Carl McGrath 1031 Simonton Drive Watkinsville, GA 306...

Wow, I am watching the Republican party implode every day in new ways I could never imagine. This is a letter to our Congressman from a constituent in the 10th District of Georgia. Will all this increase the turnout on either side of the aisle? Of course I think it will help the Democratic candidates of Jim Powell and Jim Martin. Three full time Obama staffers (two moved in since the General Election) are in Athens alone so let's see what we can get done. I think the Republican Party have provided a once in a lifetime opportunity here so we damn sure need to take full advantage of it. Keep talking about Paul Broun. I think there were four letters to the editor today and Jay Hamilton of Oconee County wrote a great one yesterday in the Athens Banner-Herald. The Oconee Enterprise wrote a very good story about Carl McGrath, Barb Eza and Patricia Priest volunteer efforts for the Obama campaign in Oconee County in different ways. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton could be another great c...

Here is some good news from the Barack Obama staffers coming to town to help us elect Jim Martin as our next United States Senator Tuesday, December 2 and maybe before with advance voting. Here are some concrete things you can do to make it happen. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: ksolheim@hotmail.com To: ccdc@clarkedemocrats.com; ccdc-nm@clarkedemocrats.com Subject: CCDC FW: Martin for Senate Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:17:15 -0500 Dear CCDC members and friends, Please see the email message below from Natasha Patel about what is happening in Clarke County concerning getting Jim Martin elected to the Senate! Get involved! Sincerely, Karen Solheim CCDC Vice Chair for Communications ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Natasha Patel [mailto: npatel@georgiaforch ange.com ] Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 4:38 PM To: Natasha Patel Cc: Vineeth Hemavathi; Marshall.High Subject: Martin for Senat...

Some of you loyal and faithful readers might think I have lost my mind, much like Dr. Broun, but what you have to understand is that if the Oconee County Democratic Party ever stands a chance to really hold an equal footing with the Republicans around here, we need the continued antics, horrible statements and general idiocy of a buffoon like Dr. Broun to drive the masses in our direction. So I hope he continues to suffer from foot in mouth disease and compares President Barack Obama to Hitler, calls him a Marxist, and continues to make a mockery of himself and the local GOP. Although it has been seen by many different people on a variety of different websites, I felt obliged to include Dr. Paul Broun getting named the Worst Person in the World for the second time by Keith Olbermann last night. Keep it up, Dr. Broun, please continue with your ridiculous statements.

Max Cleland served with distinction in the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations. Tammy Duckworth is another fine Veteran deserving of appointment to the Obama administration. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:11:11 +0000 From: info@votevets.org To: danmatt@hotmail.com Subject: Veterans Day Action Supporting Cleland and Duckworth tammymaxpetition Dear VoteVets.org Supporter, On the 11 th Day of the 11 th Month each year, we honor all those veterans who came before us.  This year, as in recent years, we also honor the newest generation of war veterans.  Today is not a day for partisan politics, it's a day for the nation to come together as one to honor those who sacrificed for our nation, in uniform. This year, however, we also have a tremendous opportunity to honor two of the greatest veterans this nation has ever seen.  With the incoming administr...

Now can we get President Obama to help elect a Congressman we won't be so embarrassed by like Dr. Paul Broun? About Barack Obama Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

 Carl and Elaine were biking by my house yesterday and I gave him my last Jim Martin for US Senate yard sign. We swapped stories about yard signs, chalk art and assorted post-election bliss. It is good to know that Barack Obama for President staff Natasha Patel is staying here in Georgia on orders from the National Office to help us organize and remove Saxby Chambliss from office and put Jim Martin in the US Senate.   Subject: Martin Runoff Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:39:41 +0000 All, Just in from Natasha - see her message below.   It's time for Chamblis to go! Let's do what needs to be done to win Georgia's U.S. Senate post for Martin so we can help President-Elect Obama with his new job! Carl McGrath 1031 Simonton Drive Watkinsville, GA 30677-2579 (706) 769-3400 From: Natasha Patel <npatel@georgiaforchange.com> Subject: Martin Runoff To: "Natasha Patel" <npatel@georgiaforchange.com> Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 9:14 AM Hi Everyo...

  Last December ... Obama at the Holiday Inn on Merle Hay Road on a very snowy night.  Dumb luck - showed up late but got "rope line" seats and we were the first to meet him as he worked the line ... and signed the postcard Christmas card the campaign had mailed to our house.