A point of light for Georgia Democrats

To say that the Democratic Party in Georgia has hit on hard times would be quite an understatement.  All of the major positions of power at the state level are held by Republicans and they have a solid majority in the state house and senate.  Both of our senators in Washington are Republicans as well.  Democrats have been relegated to holding a relatively small number of state and federal congressional seats from districts that were designed by majority Republicans to group their likely voters together.

But there may be one small, bright light on the horizon for Georgia Democrats.  Her name is Michelle Nunn.

Michelle is the daughter of legendary Senator Sam Nunn, who was a well-known and widely respected Democratic Senator from Georgia back when Democrats still ruled the South.  Obviously she’s getting most of her publicity, at least initially, because of her last name.  She even looks a lot like her Dad.

Having a famous father is not going to get her elected, but it gives her a certain amount of credibility by osmosis.  Polls being conducted against her potential Republican opponents show her doing very well against any of them.  But realistically those polls don’t mean a whole lot at this point and she’s facing an uphill battle in this very red state.

Ms. Nunn is still largely an unknown quantity to the public as this is her first run for public office.  Up to now she’s been working in charity organizations and is currently the CEO of the George HW Bush-inspired Points of Light Foundation.  I had no idea that whole “thousand points of light” stuff was still around, but apparently Bush was more inspirational than I realized.

She has pledged to be the same kind of politician her father was – one who puts the country first and works with representatives of both parties to get things done.  She has said that all parties in Washington, including the President, are responsible for the gridlock that has kept our government from attending to its most basic functions.  Of course it’s all just campaign rhetoric at this point but it’s a sentiment I strongly agree with and I’m sure it’s a message that will resonate with a lot of independent voters in the state.

In the end, though, her chances of winning will have a lot to do with who the Republicans nominate to run against her.  If one of their more far-right candidates like Paul Broun (who labels scientific theories on evolution and the Big Bang as”lies straight from the pit of hell”) or Phil Gingrey (who sort of agreed with the deposed congressman who said rape victims are unlikely to get pregnant) she is likely to compete strongly for more moderate voters and it could turn into a real horse race.

Leaders in the state Republican Party seem genuinely concerned, and they are considering moving up the primary election date next year from its usual time in the “dog days” of summer to late spring to increase voter turnout.  The thinking seems to be that holding a primary when more people are likely to vote will somehow favor the more moderate candidates.

In any event, barring some gross misstep or unforeseen scandal on her part Michelle Nunn has given us a shot at something none of us would have expected a few months ago – a real competitive race for an Senate seat in Georgia.

I will admit that it has been a long time since I voted for a Democrat, but I’m an independent voter and I will be watching this race closely to see how it plays out.  I’m glad Nunn has chosen to run.  Voters deserve options and elections should not be won by default.  One-candidate elections are not a sign of a healthy democracy.

A well-earned break?

I’ll be taking my summer vacation next week.  It won’t be a long one – just 4 days at the beach – but even that was something I agonized over before deciding to spend the money on it.  Like many other Department of Defense workers I’m in the middle of being furloughed one day a week right now, and based on the things our Secretary of Defense has been saying about the next fiscal year I’m afraid my job could soon disappear entirely.

Some people are more fortunate than I am though, and they don’t have to stress over taking a few days away from work.  Take the US Congress.  (Please.)

Our representatives in Washington are currently enjoying their traditional 5-week August vacation.  They get 5 weeks off with pay every year at this time, and this year they will collectively pocket nearly $9 million of your tax dollars as they enjoy a respite from all of their hard work.

There was some talk in Washington earlier this month about Congress working through the traditional August recess, given the perilous state or our financial situation.  Nancy Pelosi was ready to roll up her sleeves and work through the month, saying that taking a vacation right now “shows shocking disregard for the American people and our economy.”

I’d be tempted to agree with her if this Congress actually accomplished anything while they were in session.  All they seem to be able to do right now is pass legislation in one branch that they know has no chance of passing in the other one. 

As one of their last acts before they dashed out of town, for instance, Republicans in the House passed their 40th bill to repeal, delay, or defund Obamacare.  Would it really help the country if they stayed in town and raised that number to 45 or 50? 

They know they are wasting time passing bills that will never become law, but they seem to think that we will be impressed that they “took a principled stand” as opposed to working on legislation that might actually have a chance of passing.

When they do return from their vacation, Congress will have only nine days before the current fiscal year ends.  If they don’t pass a budget before then we’ll be facing another government shutdown.  We are also on the verge of another “fiscal cliff” where they will either have to raise the debt limit or face defaulting on the country’s debt.

Some Republicans want to use that dreaded scenario as a bargaining chip to get the Democrats to roll back Obamacare.  Others in the GOP think that’s a very poor strategy, one that has been tried before with disastrous results for the party’s standing with most voters. 

There seems to be increasing division within the Republican Party over a number of issues (immigration reform is another good example), and one wonders if we are drifting towards a one-party government.  Imagine Hilary Clinton in the White House one day presiding over a Congress where Democrats control both the House and Senate.  It could happen.

For now though expect a lot of hot air to be expended by both parties while they pretend to listen to our concerns at their town hall meetings this month and later as they play chicken with each other on the Fiscal Cliff Highway.  They will tell their constituents how hard they are fighting for them when all they are really doing is trying their best to make the other side look bad.

Because they have shown us that they really don’t care about us, the state of their country, or our future generations.  It’s all a game to them, and winning means making the other side look bad so they can jockey for position in 2014 and beyond.

Whether they’re in Washington or not, politicians these days do not govern.  They are forever stuck in campaign mode.