“Karen Handel has demonstrated the strength, courage and leadership in business and public office that we desperately need in the next Governor of our great state of Georgia. Karen is not only the best candidate to win the nomination and take on Roy Barnes and the Democrats in November, but she will also be a wonderful Governor for our state.”

Read all about Tom’s endorsement here.

Columbia County Straw Poll a Big Win for Karen

Following a spirited debate in Columbia County on Saturday, Karen won an important straw poll. Obviously the attendees liked what they saw and heard. The results were:

Handel: 36%
Deal: 32%
EJ: 27%
Ox: 4%

The Columbia County Young Republicans organized the event and they are to be commended for barring Ray McBerry from attending. They made a conscientious stand in denying a platform to this man who does not represent the values of the Republican Party and the people of Georgia.

Help Continue the Momentum

The addition of Congressman Price to our team is just another indicator that Karen clearly has the momentum in the race. Nathan Deal is clearly worried, as his response was to attack Tom Price’s integrity and charge Karen with an old, untrue statement. We will see more of this as our opponents get more desperate.

We need your help to respond to the attacks that are coming. Please make a donation to Karen today. Your contribution will help us spread Karen’s message of job creation, ethical leadership, cutting spending and improving education.

Thank you for your support of Karen Handel for Governor.

Press Release from David Poythress:
Last July, I called for former Governor Barnes to rethink his decision to run for Governor. In a Friday radio interview on WGAU (1380AM) in Athens, Democratic Party of Georgia chairwoman Jane Kidd agreed when she said “…for the good of the Party, let’s keep the competition down to as few candidates as possible.”

What’s become clear over the last nine months is that more and more Democrats realize that we need to nominate a candidate who can win in November. Roy Barnes may be the frontrunner, but he cannot beat the Republican nominee.

The points I mentioned last summer hold true today. The state’s teachers haven’t forgiven or forgotten how he insulted them, and they stand ready to enthusiastically vote against him again. The Georgia GOP is so excited about their nominee facing Roy that they have already launched an anti-Barnes website reviving the “King Roy the Rat” image. And, although he claims to be “listening,” Barnes still doesn’t realize that Georgians aren’t buying his reinvention tour.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that he proved he could have a $20 million fundraising lead and all the advantages of being an incumbent and LOSE when he handed the GOP their first keys to the Governor’s office in over 150 years.

The recent polling results show him trailing or even with nearly every Republican candidate, dropping down to the mid-thirties – a far cry from the overwhelming lead in the polls he used to enjoy!

I hope Kidd can convince Barnes to not destroy the Party for the second time in less than a decade. With so many critical issues facing the state and reapportionment looming, the stakes are too high for the Party to take a chance on him again. And he’s brought no new energy or ideas to the campaign so far.

In short, we need a candidate with proven leadership and commonsense solutions to our state’s critical problems. I believe I am the only Democratic candidate with a strong record that can withstand the fierce competition of the General Election.

So let me repeat my sentiment from last summer:

“For the good of the Party, I hope that Roy Barnes realizes that there’s still time for him to change his mind so we can avoid a divisive primary. Ironically, the only sure-fire way to prove that he has changed is for Roy to put Georgia’s needs before his own ambition and stay out of the race for Governor.”

January 25, 2010

Dear Affiliate:

Overstock.com values your advertising efforts on our behalf, and we hope to be in a position to continue our business connection for years to come. However, we are writing to inform you the Colorado state
legislature has introduced a bill which puts our continued relationship in jeopardy. HB 1193 (Concerning the Collection of Sales and Use Taxes on Sales Made by Out‐of‐State Retailers) was introduced on January 22, 2010. We are told the bill is moving quickly. This bill is modeled on a bill first passed in New York. The legislation attempts to establish responsibility for collection of sales tax for out‐of‐state retailers if those out‐of‐state retailers use Colorado‐based affiliate advertisers. We believe such bills are not only harmful to business, but unconstitutional and contrary decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

More importantly, if HB 1193 passes, Overstock.com will have to sever relationships with Colorado Affiliates before the bill becomes law. We have done this in each state where such legislation has passed: New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island.However, in at least 3 states last year, the voices of local affiliate advertisers were heard. They pointed out that such legislation was unconstitutional, would be bad for local business and would not increase state revenues. Those bills were either not passed or vetoed by informed governors.

You may want to make your voice heard on the matter. Currently, we have information that the bill is on the agenda of the House Appropriations Committee for hearing Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at
8:30AM. It is uncertain if the Committee will hear public comment at the meeting, but they may, and you may want to attend the hearing. If you cannot, but would like to voice your opinion, you may do so by contacting the bill’s sponsor Rep. Jack Pommer (jack.pommer.house@state.co.us; (303) 866‐2780) or your local legislator.

Again, Overstock.com values your work, and we are confident that, like other states recently examining and rejecting this legislation, Colorado will also see that this bill is bad for business and bad for Colorado.

Respectfully,

Jonathan E. Johnson III
President
Overstock.com, Inc.

Full script:
EYES ONLY

The Rat vs. the Ox

GIRLS VOICE:
Heeeees back…..
NARRATOR:

He can’t let go of the idea of power

His liberal, anti business, anti, education, anti agriculture policies were rejected by Georgia
But…

GIRLS VOICE:
Heeeees back….

NARRATOR:
He admits he did not listen to Georgia

He admits he was impatient with Georgia

He admits he did not want to explain things to Georgia

He wanted everything his way

He alone changed our flag

He alienated our teachers

He expanded our government

And now?

GIRLS VOICE:
Heeeees back….

NARRATOR:
For even more.

Who is this that let all this happen?

Who let our beloved state collapse by keeping his special interest friends and Party in power?

Who put politics ahead of the people?

Some just call him King Roy – the Rat!

He did let the power of the Gold Dome go to his head

He did forget the people

But, he did not forget the lust for power

Who can stop King Roy –the Rat?

Who is strong enough to defeat King Roy – the Rat?

Who is strong enough to protect Georgia from King Roy – the Rat and his liberal big government policies?

THE OX

The Ox has been on duty for Georgia

When there was disaster – the Ox was there. Strong enough to fix the problem, graceful enough to care for the people.

When Georgians need an advocate for consumers – the Ox was there. Strong enough to right the wrong graceful enough to care for the people.

When Georgia needed a champion for conservative government – the Ox was there. Strong enough to oppose the special interest, graceful enough to care for the people.

THE OX

Loud enough to say NO to King Roy – the Rat

Graceful enough to have a servants heart and care for the people

The Rat is back to bring liberalism to Georgia.

The Ox is the one who is strong enough to stop the rat.

The Rat is back to raise taxes

The Ox says that may work in California but not Georgia

The Rat is back to oppose Georgia teachers and students

The Ox says that may work in New York but not Georgia

The Rat is here to open Georgia up to the Obama liberals in Washington DC

The Ox says Obama may want that but Georgia does not

The Rat is here to expand state government

The Ox says that may work in France but not Georgia

VOICE:

It has been asked what is stronger than the Ox? Georgia conservatives know when it comes to protecting us and fighting for the Ronald Reagan philosophy of Faith, family, and freedom only The Ox is strong enough for Georgia.

Georgia knows the real question is who is stronger than the rat and Georgia knows only The Ox can stop the rat.

The Ox: strong.conservative.values

You can choose different backgrounds and really take some time to create a meaningful, yet totally anonymous message to the recipient. I can only imagine the frequent bloggers and commenters over at Peach Pundit would love to use this service on certain gubernatorial candidates.

With all due respect and appreciation for the Supreme Court of Georgia, I am deeply disappointed in the decision today to reject the challenge to touch-screen electronic voting machines,” said John Oxendine. 9/28/09

Team Ox, here’s my advice, don’t pull any punches. There are plenty of undecided Republicans out here (ME)… Show us what you have.

Oxendine said he respects the work being done by Governor Perdue and like many Georgians he realizes there are no easy answers. “I do not wish to criticize the Governor and continue to offer my support in these trying times,” said Oxendine. 9/28/09

Speaking of candidates for Governor…
Is Karen Handel still running? I don’t think I’ve seen a press release in months. Did Austin Scott ever stop running across America like Forrest Gump? Has Roy Barnes accepted a cage match fight with David Poythress? Does Ray McBerry have any money left?