There are still otherwise respectable people who defame me and many others like me who witnessed the 2020 election up close and have reported that it was handled as honestly and fairly as any election in our history and much more securely than under the paperless system of the past. These two ladies were subjected to vile attacks through the despicable words and actions of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump and their minions. Here in Floyd County I watched dedicated elections workers, who when Donald Trump frantically tried to overturn the election, were likewise bullied and threatened. Shame on ANYONE who continues to spread hateful and blatant lies. I sincerely hope that Giuliani and Trump and others who, like them, knew better, will at some point be brought to justice through our judicial system.
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| Judge: Fulton election workers’ defamation suit against Giuliani can advance |
(Here is a post that includes links to my other posts about the 2020 election process in our county)
And once again Trump knocks us out of the headlines. Y'all just remember the headlines that would have been the big news but for Trump's instigating cannon fire on Fort Sumter ---
Jim Curry
Well, at least Trump made America Great Again. He ushered in Democratic control of the House, Senate and the White House for at least the next two years.
Bruce A. Day
In Biden's words, "this is a f***ing big deal..."
Jean Filson Linos
Absolutely!!!
Margo Ash
Yes, we do.
Buff Hartnett
Believe me, it was good news! The alternative would have made yesterday even more horrific.
Paul Culotta I so agree about Wendy Davis!
Ruth Demeter
Jeff Adair I knew Terrell would love these 
. Thanks for your help!
Help America have a Senate that works! Empower the moderates again in American politics. A 50-50 Senate means the Jon Testers, Mitt Romneys, Chris Coons, Lisa Mulkowskis, etc will have more say. Compromises will happen. The Senate will deliberate once again. There will be no McConnell kingpin to gum up the works.
https://fb.watch/hyha6xL1FU/
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| Click to watch a creative Warnock ad... |
Sheila and I voted today... she deposited her home-completed paper ballot in the official dropbox at our Elections Office. I cast my vote at the same time and place in-person. Two more votes for a Senate that works. Two more votes for Senators who will work for Georgia rather than themselves. Two votes for senators who are NOT gazillionaires. Two votes for a Public Service Commission candidate who will actually represent the interests of Georgia consumers rather than just the interests of Georgia Power and other utilities. Two votes for:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien
If you are among those of my dear friends and family who remain in the thrall of Donald John Trump you may as well stop reading here. I realize now that you will not be convinced by anything I can say. We now know that the "Fifth Avenue" of the supporters Trump referenced applies not just to NYC but to the "Fifth Avenues" in Rome Georgia and most other cities and towns in the country.
I have long admired this good man. Now, barring something strange, he will be our nominee to reform the American presidency --
David Matheny
You're on the edge of your seat...
Jeri Carter
It's 10:19 PDT, and WA State is still neck and neck, with Bernie up by .2% and 67% of the vote reported.
Comments:
Terrell Shaw
Biden leads in MO
ND too early.
David Matheny Sometimes pronounced "Miss Hippie."
David Matheny A "Delta Dawn!"
Comments:
Terrell Shaw
I love Joe and I believe he will make a great president, exactly the sort of level-headed, big-hearted, dependable patriot, and national statesman that we need to follow the chaos and discord of the Trump era.
BUT... mavericks like Bernie Sanders are vital to American republicanism, pushing and pulling at the mainline Democrats. So I am thankful for Bernie and wish him well. Keep being the squeaky wheel for economic justice, Bernie!
David Matheny Could it be "Grand" Win for Biden. Or will it be a dizzying ride through the "Rapids?"
Anne Edwards Langley I think Bernie got the votes because some people did not like the Clintons and some did not want a woman president.
Terrell Shaw
I just wish she could have been really known by the voters. We allowed the hard right with the Russians to define her as someone she has NEVER been.
Howard Smith
Terrell Shaw Trump and the hard right will define Biden even worse. His vote to support the Iraq war among other old issues, family matters, his mental state will all be attacked. There is nothing off limits. And, with all due respect to Michelle Obama, when they go low, Biden’s campaign has to attack Trump. He has to be called out to win the undecided voters. This is going to be a really dirty campaign and Joe cannot just play nice.
Terrell Shaw Howard Smith yes, and the same would have been true of Bernie, or Amy, or Pete, or ??? Plouffe says we must assume that a very few votes per precinct will make the difference. We need to be united NOW and we need to scatch and claw till the last polls close in Alaska & Hawaii.
Terrell Shaw
The turnout is encouraging though.
Howard Smith Terrell Shaw As much as I support Bernie, he would have lost the undecided older voters in a number of critical tossup states. These older voters lived through the cold war and the word socialism is a dirty word to them even though they support medicare and social security. They are moderates. That is simply a reality.
Bill Pelfrey Jr Howard Smith we support Social Security and Medicare because we paid into the program for 40+ years. It is our money not a socialist giveaway
Howard Smith
Bill Pelfrey Jr It is obvious you don’t understand the concept of democratic socialism. These are not private sector programs run by for profit companies. These are government programs, run as a mandated collective, intended to benefit as many seniors as possible. You should go back and look at the history of the debate about social security and Medicare. In both cases the political right called them “socialism”. It is amusing that today so many of you on the right now reject than argument. I doubt you would also call our public school system “socialism” either, but guess what...Maybe, you’d be more comfortable with the term social democracy. A rose by any other name....
Judi Borgo
Howard Smith People also need to understand that Trump is a threat to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As a capitalist, I understand that businesses large and small need a pro-business climate to succeed. Many of Trump’s deregulations have been regressive, threatening decades of efforts to clean up our environment. His main concern is to cater to the needs of Wall Street. The stock market is important, but it is not the whole of the American economy. The coronavirus may steer many would-be investors away from stocks and give even experienced investors a reason to re-think their choices. As for Trump, he is a deal maker out for himself. Notice how he courts the Saudis and Putin. After he leaves office, he sees promise for deal-making with them. Afghanistan and Syria? They are poverty-stricken, war-torn countries. No future there for any Trump hotels.
People need to wake up to who this man is - and I use the term loosely.
Howard Smith
Judi Borgo I could not agree more.
Terrell Shaw
It has been my contention for years that everyone falls somewhere on a socialism/capitalism scale. The closer a society is to either extreme the less liberty for the people -- plutocracy and serfdom on one end and communism and another sort of serfdom on the other. Maximum liberty resides somewhere near the middle. I think the founders expressed a near perfect description of the purposes of government in the Preamble...balancing individual liberty with the welfare of all.
So I am for robust capitalism tempered by regulation and taxation to protect the liberty, the environment, the health, and the general welfare of all.
Karen Suzanne Wilkes Terrell Shaw well said.
Howard Smith Terrell Shaw I agree with you. I have always believed what has made us, at least up until the recent past and present, the most successful nation on earth is that we have not been wedded to any one particular approach to problem solving to better our lives but have preferred pragmatism....we attempt to do what advances our progress the most. We support free enterprise AND government intervention. We have zigzagged forward toward that "more perfect union. It is not a perfect model but it is better than that practiced in any other nation. As an aside, Elizabeth Warren probably grasp this notion as well as anyone running. Unfortunately, since the Reagan presidency our politics have increasingly moved right, to the detriment of the general welfare and common good. We are in need of a course correction.
Judi Borgo
Terrell Shaw Yes! A leader of any entity will meet the people where they are. This person does not shake a finger in the faces of the poor, elderly or sick and say, “Get over yourself. Here’s how you need to be - preferably like me. Shame on you for (fill in the blank).”
Not to say a leader shouldn’t inspire people to do their best, to reach upward, but poverty is all some people have ever known. They don’t have access to healthy food, decent healthcare or job networks. Strengthening public education would be the best investment this country could make right now. Also, offering low-cost health and/or insurance to those in need.
Dan Bolton What an night , I am glad to see my few bucks I could in helped
Judi Borgo
As much as I am pro-Joe, I agree with pundits such as James Carville and David Brooks that he has to hit Trump hard with what he (Joe) stands for. It’s not enough to say his top goal is to beat Trump. He must also claim very confidently what he will do for the people of this country who believe Trump cares about them. Healthcare is a monumental issue at this time, but will it be in November? I don’t think he will take black voters for granted, but he must also continue to cultivate college-educated women. There are also women who voted for Trump in 2016 who don’t like or respect him and their votes are up for grabs. I get that candidates rely on their bases, but Trump is trying to cultivate minority voters. Joe needs to one-up him.
Howard Smith Absolutely. He has to call Trump out for who he is and what he has done and everytime Trump hits him he has to hit back and keep hitting. Trump will do his best to overcome his negative image by trying to make Biden's look worse. Biden can't let him get away with that. And, he should not be lured into just defending himself. He must attack Trump and there are plenty of areas of attack...women's issues, children in cages, his attack on ACA, farmer's going bankrupt, coal jobs keep disappearing, Mexico has not paid a penny for the wall, handling of the coronavirus, his taxes, Putin, etc. And, hit him personally as he will hit Joe. He is so vain, He says he is the most fit president ever and is a fit 175 lbs! Challenge him to stand on scales before a debate, call him out for his fake tan, his incoherent speech, how much he's cost us playing golf at HIS resorts. When he insults, insult back. No one stands up to his insults. Stand up to him and hit back again and again. Don't let up. He makes news with his insults, make news back.
Judi Borgo
Howard Smith That’s it. And he has to be armed with credible information, which Trump never is.
Terrell Shaw Judi Borgo Yes! Hit back but with cold, hard, calm facts. And then pivot to how his experienced capable patriotic TEAM will bring us out of chaos to competence and out of discord to find some unity even if it means some compromise.
George Barton I just wish we would pass the torch of freedom to a new generation, Yang or Mayor Pete that will be alive in 2050? What is the point of passing the Presidency to another senile old fart?
Howard Smith
I don't disagree with you but that is not our choice now. We have a choice between Trump and somebody else. I will vote for somebody else.
Terrell Shaw First of all I represent that!
Second I wish the 22nd amendment had never been passed because the American who would have the greatest credibility to return our presidency to honor and competency would be Barack Obama. I wish we had a younger woman or man who could have fit the bill this time around, but that didn't happen. I can proudly support Joe. (He ain't senile and he will have a diverse and young team.)
Howard Smith I know someone else who opposes the 22nd Amendment...Trump.
Terrell Shaw Howard Smith I don't like to think that jerk agrees with me about something. In this case, if that's so, I'll bet we have different reasons. All things being equal I am always gonna come down on the side of expanding democracy rather than limiting it.
Howard Smith
Terrell Shaw And, as you know this is an issue, given gerrymandering, given Citizens United, given voter suppression, given today's media, given the power of incumbency on which we will never agree. I want term limits for all elected positions and an age limit for judges.
Terrell Shaw I despise the idea restricting me from helping elect the best person for the job, as you know, and sometimes that's the guy who is already in the job. We have term limits; they are called elections. So yes, we'll havta just agree to disagree.
We DO need reforms --- Ranked choice voting would help solve a lot of problems. We need some sort of standard regulation of redistricting to reduce partisan gerrymandering. Citizens United needs to be overturned by the Court or by amendment. If you are 18 and an American citizen you should automatically be registered to vote. I hope Ruth Bader Ginsberg lives to 120+ and dies as she issues her final opinion.
Comments:
Howard Smith
I am a Sanders supporter because he is far more progressive than Biden in his politics and I am a liberal. So are the majority of younger voters. Sanders dominates with that group still. Biden is seen by us as representing establishment politics. But, whether you are a liberal Democrat, a moderate Democrat, a conservative Democrat, we have a common enemy. We must unite to defeat Trump. Because what divides us is not nearly so important as the singular goal of turning away from this increasing corrupt and authoritarian president. We must come together and unite behind our nominee. We must.
Buff Hartnett
Sorry, not ready yet! Let the process play out, let the debates roll. I felt betrayed by the DNC in '16. A lifelong Democrat, a faithful voter, I am thinking about going independent if the party continues to attempt to manipulate its members rather than respect them.
Terrell Shaw
Buff, honestly, I do not understand how the DNC or "party" has manipulated anything. Bernie got his way pretty much with procedures this year. The voters -- the voters! -- have gone with Joe. I like Bernie and appreciate his role in pushing the envelope, but I want Joe as president instead. That's why I voted for Joe. With Joe we will have a more Bernie-like platform than ever before! It may not be the full-Bern but it will be CLOSER to that than 2008, 2012, or 2016. There is not that much difference between them. For example, Joe was out front on universal healthcare and wants to add a public option (That will be a tough sell in a divided Congress and maybe even with a Democratic senate if we manage that.) I beg you to accept the fact that the base is not quite ready for the full Bern but IS moving that way AND that it will certainly be better than giving Trump another four years to wreck things.
Buff Hartnett
Terrell Shaw , I just feel to many people weighing in before we've heard enough. We must beat Trump, but a good policy debate or two could surely do no harm in the midst of primaries. Let all the party members weigh in first! This no doubt arises from being a Californian, art least until this past ely
Buff Hartnett
Past primary. Let every voice be heard
Terrell Shaw
I really liked the tone of both Joe's talk last night AND Bernie's today. I want the issues discusssed, yes! But we must be one soon. This election is too important. And as I said, Bernie is right that the progressives have won some of the arguments and moved the party toward some of his positions.
Buff Hartnett
Terrell Shaw I just don't hear the fat lady singing yet.
Terrell Shaw
She is definitely warming up her voice, though.
Buff Hartnett
Heart over head this time
Howard Smith
Vote blue no matter who!
Jeri Carter
And as of today, Biden's leading in WA State, a state Bernie *owned* in 2016.
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Joe Biden's quiet and heartfelt talk in victory tonight is the closest thing I remember to what I imagine the Fireside Chats were. I truly believe this good man, who often misspeaks and stumbles over his words, is just the sort of patriot and heart we need at this critical point in our history. This is indeed a battle for the soul of our republic. Please join me in sending a little contribution to the Biden campaign and adding your name to his volunteer list. There are things we can ALL do. Just a few votes per precinct may make the difference.
Jeri Carter
DONE, Terry, and I couldn't agree more.
David Matheny
The Down Ballot Candidates all over the nation are breathing easier.
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If anyone runs into a Biden/Buttegeig/ Warren/Bernie /Bloomberg etc button that I don't have, I'd love a crack at it... especially if it is specifically Georgia-related. I have more Carter items than those for any other candidate. (I do not collect unAmerican buttons, so I have no interest in buttons for the Putin ticket.)
Terrell Shaw
Sure!
Ray Langley
Terrell Shaw I have a Barry Goldwater button
Ray Barton
Terrell Shaw I have a “LBJ for the USA” button.
David Matheny
Vermin Supreme was a local candidate from VT... (no, not Bernie.)
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It is time for progressives to coalesce around a candidate who can win big. It is a vote of states not people; Joe puts more states in play. And Joe has the best chance of bringing more Senate and House and state candidates with him. Vote Joe!
Terrell Shaw
John Hickman I’m hoping we see some coalescing today and some more after SC? Whadya think? Any chance Amy or Pete or Tom or ??? Will bow out? Maybe my guy if he falters in SC? I am scared frankly. This last time I saw what I see now was 72... the hard left was so excited abt McG!!!
John Hickman
Terrell Shaw I am with you. When I met McGovern long after he lost I didn't sense the sort of charisma that Sanders is said to exhibit. He just seemed a sincere man who might have been out of depth. We might not see much attrition until Super-T. Biden and Warren both look seriously wounded to me.
Terrell Shaw
Sadly yes.
Jenifer Beaver
It is time for Biden to drop out of this race. Passed time actually.
Terrell Shaw
Jenifer he is still our best shot in my opinion. He did well today.. hope he can win SC and have mo for Super Tuesday.
Jenifer Beaver
He will not beat Trump.
Amy Durham Mendes
He didn’t do well — he was tied for a distant second.
Terrell Shaw
Jenifer Beaver who do you think can? Sanders is the longest of long shots, I think Biden’s our best chance, then Klobuchar, then Warren.
Jenifer Beaver
Sanders can do it. I still think Pete can. I said this about Sanders in 2016. I made a prediction that came true and I didn't want to be right. But I was. If democrats ignore the primaries and nominate Biden, then I don't want to hear another word complaining about the electoral college. To say Sanders is the longest of long shots is to be completely tone deaf.
Terrell Shaw
This tone deaf fella watched the 1972 election. Btw... Hillary got the most votes. If Bernie gets 50% plus one he’ll have my support, till then I want someone who can compete in places like GA, OH, AZ, PA, Wi etc
Jaki Day
Not counting any of the top three out yet.
Jeri Carter
I still think a Joe Biden-Stacey Abrams ticket is the way to go.
Paula Graves
Sanders just swept Nevada.
My mail in vote is just sitting here gathering dust because I can’t figure out who to vote for in the primary. I have liked Biden, but he has had so much crap thrown his way and it reminds me of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. I’m not sure if he will be able to rise above it. I feel the same about Warren. Again, I really like her and the work she’s done in politics, but the whole Native American thing won’t go away. I don’t know enough about the others. I’m thinking Sanders and maybe (fingers crossed) Warren as VP. I wanted a Warren/Sanders ticket in 2016 so I’ll take that again.
Terrell Shaw
Paula Graves he ‘swept’ with the help of the Russians and less than half the vote of those activists who go to caucuses in Nevada. (I hope this is the last cycle with caucuses) Hillary won Nevada in the general election, Sanders might but might not. Biden would win NV almost certainly. Sanders cannot compete in GA, Biden would likely lose GA too, but the Trumpists would have t fight for it. Again this a fight for states , all the other candidates give us a better shot in 2016 red states than Bernie does. Think of what a second Trump term would do to our republic.
Dan Bolton
I am a Biden fan but I am going to be honest I am going to wait to after SuperTuesday, I was told to mail them in by the 19th but I was going to drop them by there. I am am sure not voting for Sanders so it is anyone else situation If Joe is in For Georgia I am voiting for him.
Paula Graves
Absolutely! I’m voting for anyone who gets the nomination.
Jeri Carter
Terrell Shaw , he also "swept" Nevada in a caucus environment where many wanted to vote for someone else, but because their choice didn't make the cut, ALL the votes were automatically assigned to Bernie. Many news reports of people frustrated by the process, and by not being able to have their voices represented in the final tally. A straight one-person one-vote count would have seen a much broader distribution of the vote. If we don't like the electoral college, why the HELL are we still caucusing?
Jo Ann Thompson
Here Here
