All Posts Tagged With: "Regina Thomas"
Meet Georgia’s ‘Aggressive Progressive’
I first learned about Georgia State Senator Regina Thomas when I received a communication from Democrats.com. In their email, they targeted Democratic Congressman John Barrow, of Georgia’s 12th District (whom they call a ‘Bush Democrat’), for removal and endorsed current State Senator Regina Thomas, an ‘Aggressive Progressive,’ as his replacement. Out of 17 substantive bills, Barrow has voted with his Republican counterparts 12 times, including “yes” votes on continuing to fund the war in Iraq ($163 billion to Bush), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which granted retroactive immunity to the telecom companies and significantly broadened George Bush’s spying powers, and habeas corpus. In a district that is 45% black, Barrow votes like a southern right-wing Republican.
Regina Thomas was elected state senator via special election on January 11, 2000. She has served in that capacity since that time and is known as ‘a voice for the voiceless,’ and a tireless champion for those in need. She is committed to moving Georgia forward in education, health care, the environment, energy and security. Prior to serving as state senator, Regina served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1995 through 1998, where her efforts were focused on education, children’s issues and welfare reform. She also served as assistant majority whip in 1997-1998. I recently caught up with Regina for a quick interview.
D: So, Regina, I know you’ve been busy. It’s nice to finally catch up with you.
R: Nice to finally speak with you also! Well, I’ve been on the road. I’m sorry you couldn’t reach me the other day when we planned to talk , but I was traveling and I guess I didn’t hear the phone!
D: Oh, that’s absolutely no problem. I understand you’re busy. So, tell me about John Barrow’s votes, and why he’s being targeted for removal from office by his own party.
R: Well, you know he voted in favor of continued funding of the Iraq war as well as the new FISA bill, which is an affront to our rights, a violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. However, it doesn’t end there. Barrow also voted against the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and taxing the oil companies’ windfall profits. As I travel around the state, what I’m hearing is that the 12th district has been neglected; he is not in touch with his constituents, 45% of whom are black. He will not be going back to Washington in the fall!
D: How is it that Barack Obama came to support Barrow, even to the point of producing a radio ad with him which, I might add, resulted in some outrage against Obama?
R: It’s called politics. Barrow is a superdelegate who threw his support to Barack Obama early on. That’s the way it works.
D: Can you give me some history of how Barrow even got elected in this district to begin with?
R: Well, in 2004, there really wasn’t a choice. Barrow was involved in a run-off against a Republican. At the time, we really didn’t know much about John Barrow, but he was a Democrat, so we voted for him. In 2006, nobody ran against him on the Democratic side, but the Republicans fielded a candidate, so Barrow was supported by the Democrats and was returned to office.
D: Ah, so now there’s a real choice for Democrats, and her name is Regina Thomas.
R: Exactly. I work for the homeless and disadvantaged children. I’ve campaigned for the environment, for an improved school system, all the things that matter to the people in John Barrow’s district. I’ve been there and I’ve heard their concerns and what they want their Congressional representative to champion, and John Barrow is not paying attention to the needs of his constituents.
D: When I spoke with Shirley Golub, who ran against Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco’s 8th District primary, she was lamenting the fact that the media coverage was dismal, even the progressive media didn’t cover her campaign. How is it going with you?
R: It’s the exact opposite with me. I’m getting a lot of press down here. I’ve been in the local paper almost every day, I’ve been on the radio and on television. The New York Times even called!
D: What does your day look like today? Is this a typical day in your campaign?
R: Well, Comcast has set up a forum for all the 12th District candidates, Republican and Democrat. However, I received a message from Comcast saying it was postponed.”
D: Better be careful with Comcast.
R: Well, I called some of the other candidates and they say it’s still on. I might just show up.”
D: I would. You know Comcast has been in hot water lately on many issues.
R: Yeah, well since I cannot confirm this and since I have some material to drop off up that way anyway, I’ll just show up.
D: Well, good luck. The next time I speak with you, I hope to hear how the forum went! And I hope to be speaking with you after your victory on July 15th!
R: Thanks very much. Talk to you soon!
Postscript: I spoke with Regina yesterday about the Comcast forum. She told me that John Barrow chose to pass on the forum. Therefore, her participation was cancelled by Comcast. The Republicans running in Georgia’s 12th District were allowed to go on. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Comcast must give Thomas equal time because she is running in the same Congressional race as the Republicans who participated in the forum. John Barrow, however, has elected not to participate.
Target - Bush Democrats: Steny Hoyer
The Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot, as usual, by just about handing George Bush — a failed president with a horrendous legacy, a man whose approval rating is the lowest it’s been since they started keeping such statistics, a leader who is the architect of the most unpopular administration in American history — everything he wants. George was given two gifts this week, courtesy of line-crossing Democrats, or what we like to call “Bush Democrats.”
Gift No. 1: Another $163 billion to continue the illegal occupation of Iraq. How generous of our imperial leader and his submissive minions on Capitol Hill to give the new administration a financial running start at continuing on with this absurd war. As if the poor slob who gets elected isn’t inheriting enough problems. This country is in a colossal mess thanks to the last eight years of inept and misguided ideological-driven leadership.
Gift No. 2: A FISA Act that not only gives Bush and the Telecoms retroactive immunity, but also expands his spying powers. It doesn’t get much better than that for a president who blatantly broke the law and committed an impeachable offense. Luckily for all of us, this bill has been approved only by the House. When it moved to the Senate late this past week, Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) managed to prevent it from being rammed through by delaying a vote until after the July 4 holiday. He released this statement:
“I’m pleased we were able to delay a vote on FISA until after the July 4th holiday instead of having it jammed through. I hope that over the July 4th holiday, Senators will take a closer look at this deeply flawed legislation and understand how it threatens the civil liberties of the American people. It is possible to defend this country from terrorists while also protecting the rights and freedoms that define our nation.”
Nevertheless, the chief architect of this travesty, in concert with President Bush, was none other than Democrat Steny Hoyer. He now holds the dubious title of “Bush Democrat.” The propaganda machine was churning out the crap the other day as Hoyer described this as a compromise that not only
gives the government what it needs to protect us against terrorism, but also puts safeguards in place to guard our rights. The bill is anything but. What the bill stands for is a total cave-in by a spineless Congress. Bush and the Telecoms get their retroactive immunity and we reward a president-out-of-control by giving him expanded spying powers. By doing so, the House has legitimized his law-breaking warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. It was not our government’s finest hour by any stretch.
In addition to electing a gridlock-proof majority (as opposed to the slim, ineffectual one-seat majority they have now), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is targeting the “Bush Democrats” for removal. On the House side, they’ve identified John Barrow of Georgia’s 12th District as someone to replace. For the record, Barrow crossed the aisle on both votes. The DSCC is instead supporting State Senator Regina Thomas.
However, let’s make sure Steny Hoyer is on the list. The spirit of bipartisanship is a wonderful thing. I understand the need for being able to work across the aisle with others. However, the two parties were never intended to be a mirror image. The Democrats look like Republican Lite. We need Democratic party members who will STAND UP to the Republicans, not STAND WITH them.
BIG TOOTHED SMALL NEWSPAPER.
The Concord, New Hampshire newspaper took a big bite out of Romney’s chances there calling him a “disquieting figure,” the New Hampshire newspaper’s editorial board said he looks and acts like a presidential contender but “surely must be stopped” because he lacks the core philosophical beliefs to be a trustworthy president. Its anti-endorsement is its first and generally rare for any newspaper.