Sucking up in Augusta
July 8, 2008 at 11:38 am by Scott Henry in NewsThe Augusta Chronicle has published an endorsement of 10th District Congressional candidate Barry Fleming that, in its breathless admiration and over-the-top prose, is nothing short of an editorial blowjob:
Fleming, a former assistant district attorney, has led an exemplary personal and professional life. Besides his unassailable credentials, Fleming flashes the eloquence of a prosecutor and the moral persuasion that made Charlie Norwood a legend here and in Congress.
It shows in the accolades Fleming has earned in just a few years in the halls of power – awards from Georgia’s cities, hospitals, district attorneys, family advocates and more.
And if anyone in Athens is wondering about his loyalties, he has two degrees from the University of Georgia.
Urp. I think I’m going to be ill.
Fleming became majority whip in the state House when the Republicans took over because Majority Leader Jerry Keen wanted a reliable henchman to help him carry out dirty work, such as Keen’s draconian – and unconstitutional – sex-offender bill.
The Chronicle cites Fleming’s support from the Medical Association of Georgia as a sign of his leadership. Well, of course MAG endorses Fleming – it’s payback for his role in the “tort reform” legislation that’s helping the insurance giant line its pockets.
And the paper touts Fleming for trying to “empower prosecutors.” That’s a nice way to describe one of the most shameful and irresponsible bills of the last few years. Here’s how we described it when we gave him a Golden Sleaze Award last year:
The Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out Award
To Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem
At a time when other red states are announcing moratoria on executions and DNA evidence is being used left and right to spring people from death row, Barry “Widowmaker” Fleming wants to grease the path to Georgia’s electric chair.
The majority whip offered a bill to scrap one of the fundamental tenants of American criminal justice – unanimous juries – in order to allow folks to be put to death even if not one, not two, but three jurors were opposed. The Headsman of Harlem made it obvious that his bill was tailored to soothe his discontent with the recent case of convicted murderer Wesley Harris, who received a life sentence instead of a date with Old Sparky because of two holdout jurors.
Anyway, the most interesting part of the Chronicle piece is the reader commentary that follows the editorial. A number of folks have been turned off by Fleming’s slime campaign against incumbent Paul Broun’s distant personal past, as typified by his debate attacks. Just judging from the online debate, it seems increasingly as if this race is up for grabs.
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