No Diversity in Statewide Offices? Mandate It The Way Democrats Do

Longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Maria Saporta recently lamented on the lack of diversity in Georgia's statewide elected officials after the November 2nd elections.

Let this sink in.

We have gone from having a diversity among statewide leaders serving as constitutional officers in terms of women, Democrats and African-Americans to a total “good-ole-boy” administration.

This happened while Georgia is becoming a more diverse state in terms of African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians with more than half of its population being women. The election outcome can lead us to question the whole notion of representative democracy.

Saporta, Maria (2010-11-3). Election means that all of Georgia’s top leaders will be white male Republicans. Saporta Report. Retrieved on 2010-11-7.

I suggest, in an entirely facetious manner, that Georgia pass laws similar to Democratic Party rules that mandate racial and gender diversity among the state constitutional offices.

What am I talking about?

Well, just in case you didn't know, the Democratic Party requires that their committee members be evenly divided between men and women. Democratic Party rules also say that if a racial group constitutes 20% or more of Georgia's registered voters, then that racial group is guaranteed one of the Party's four vice-chair positions.

So let's apply that to the state of Georgia.


Let's pass a law that says membership in the General Assembly must be evenly divided between men and women. Let's pass a law that says if blacks make up 20% or more of the state's registered voters (and we do), then we are guaranteed one statewide office.

Does that idea sound stupid? It should, and that's the point.

Diversity for the sake of diversity always fails because someone's always going to walk away pissed off.

White folks will be pissed because they feel they're being punished for being white. Black folks will be pissed because not enough people who look like them are holding office. And women will be pissed for the same reason black folks are pissed.

Segmentation of our American society is divisive, and we need to move away such practices.

Quote of the Day: the Andrew Young edition

"Slavery didn’t break up the black families as much as liberal welfare rules"

-Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young speaking at the Carter Center November 1st.

I agree with Andrew Young's comments, but allow me to take it a step further.

Welfare makes blacks dependent on the government; and that dependence is used as a political tool by the Democrats to maintain their party's stranglehold on the black vote.

Every two years, the Democrats roll into the black community with claims that if Republicans take over, they'll cut section 8; they'll cut food stamps; they'll cut Medicaid; and they'll cut a host of other social welfare programs that poor blacks depend on to make ends meet.

Blacks, in turn, get whipped up into a frenzy and beat a path to the voting booth so they can protect their government checks from the "evil" Republicans.

Once the Democrats get elected, they institute welfare rules that make it nearly impossible for blacks to get off welfare, thus maintaining the cycle for another two years.

I've always felt that LBJ's Great Society programs decimated the black community. Up until then, blacks were self-reliant. We didn't rely on the government for everything. Blacks made do with what litle they had.

LBJ's liberal welfare policies single-handedly ended the era of self-sufficiency in the black community and ushered in a new era of slavery. But this time, the master is the government.

Democratic Governors Association: "We congratulate Governor-elect Deal"

The following is a press release from the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) reacting to the results of Georgia's gubernatorial election:

Gov. Jack Markell, chair of the Democratic Governors Association issued the following statement tonight regarding the Georgia gubernatorial election.

"In one of the toughest political environments a party in power has ever faced, and despite running a strong campaign, Roy Barnes was unsuccessful tonight. Roy's deep commitment to the working families of Georgia is abundantly clear, and we commend him on his years of service and wish him well in his next endeavor."

"We congratulate Governor-Elect Nathan Deal on his victory and wish him well in moving Georgia forward."

Republican Governors Association: "We welcome Roy to run again in 4 years"

The following is a press release from the Republican Governors Association (RGA) reacting to the results of Georgia's gubernatorial election:

The Republican Governors Association congratulates Governor-elect Nathan Deal on his election as governor of Georgia. Deal defeated Roy Barnes, who was running for governor for the fourth time. The Republican Governors Association was a key investor in Nathan Deal’s victory, spending a total of $6.5 million on the race.

“While beating Roy Barnes the second time wasn’t as much fun as it was the first time, it mattered just as much,” said RGA Executive Director Nick Ayers. “His policies and ideas are poison to the people of Georgia. Nathan Deal will govern Georgia with conservative values and lead us forward to an even brighter future. But, we welcome Roy to run again in four more years.”

The Republican Governors Association was a key investor in Nathan Deal’s victory, spending a total of $6.5 million on the race. The RGA ran 10 TV ads and spent $225,000 online and gave $1 million to the state party helping to finance both mail and TV ads.

Republicans Add To Majority In Georgia General Assembly

Lost amidst the GOP sweep of Georgia's statewide officers Tuesday was news that Republicans picked up three seats in the state House and one seat in the state Senate.

November 2nd, 108 Republicans were elected state Representative and 35 were elected state Senator.

Notable pick-ups for the GOP were the House seat held by out-going Democratic leader DuBose Porter, the defeat of Democrat incumbent Lee Thompson in Gwinnett County and Jason Shaw winning his father's seat down in Valdosta.

In the Georgia Senate, no incumbent Democrat lost. However, the state Senate seat held by Agriculture Commissioner nominee J.B. Powell is now in Republican hands.

The expected partisan breakdown in the 2011 Georgia House of Representatives is 108 Republicans, 71 Democrats and 1 independent. The breakdown in the Georgia Senate is 35 Republicans and 21 Democrats.

Georgia Unfiltered Projection: Deal Elected Governor, Republicans Sweep State

With 63% of precincts reporting, it's hard to envision Democrat Roy Barnes holding Republican Nathan Deal to less than the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Georgia Politics Unfiltered is projecting that Nathan Deal will win the gubernatorial election without a runoff, and that the Republican ticket will sweep the state's constitutional offices.

Election Night Live Blog

Barnes Bids for Republican Votes in Pre-Election Email

Less than 24 hours before the polls open on Election Day, Democrat Roy Barnes is attempting to win support from the unlikeliest of sources. . .

. . .Republicans.

In an email sent Monday morning, the Barnes campaign urged Republican voters to "split the ticket."

"Ever since Nathan Deal's scandals and corruption have flooded the press, Republicans from all over Georgia have come out in support of Roy Barnes," the Barnes email reads. "They know that there's nothing fiscally conservative about Nathan Deal - a man who uses his taxpayer office for personal gain, who votes to increase the national deficit by $9 trillion, who funnels campaign contributions into his own pocket and who borrows millions of dollars and then hides them from his ethics reports.

"Tomorrow, stand up at the polls for fiscal conservatism, for family values and for Georgia. Go ahead, split the ticket. Vote Roy Barnes," the email concludes.

The latest poll on Georgia's gubernatorial contest shows 84% of Republicans lining up behind party nominee Nathan Deal.

Quote of the Day: the Matt Towery edition

" If Barnes and Deal end up in a runoff, there are two things you can be sure of. One, it will become a national bloodbath. And two, I’ll be checking into the nearest asylum. "

-Insider Advantage Chairman & CEO Matt Towery

Me too, Matt. Me too.