Fresh Loaf

Anyone who votes today (or who voted early) gets one free copy of Creative Loafing tomorrow.

Take that, Karen Handel!

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By the time Georgia polls close at 7 p.m. tonight, we here at CL will already be snookered on Diet Coke and moonshine, liveblogging in this digital Utopia about all the races up for grabs.

CL Editor Ken Edelstein will hold court at Manuel’s, staff writer Scott Henry will report from Jim Martin’s party at Park Tavern, and senior writers Mara Shalhoup and Andisheh Nouraee will monitor results and send dispatches from undisclosed locations. I’ll be in Stepford — oops, Buckhead — at the Intercontinental Hotel where the Georgia GOP is holding its fete. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask lawmakers, leave ‘em in the comments or send me an e-mail here.

Here’s a good list of key states to watch and what time their polls close. Here’s a neat-o map of the United States that shows where the presidential race stands. Here’s a place where you can win $20 of Andisheh’s money. And here’s a picture of a kitten dressed as a pirate.

Be sure to return and join us in a liveblogging celebration of America and insomnia. And if you haven’t done so already, go vote.

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This morning at approximately 7:15 A.M., someone handed out campaign literature promoting Georgia Court of Appeals candidate Michael Meyer von Bremen to voters in line at the First Christian Church in Decatur.

When I said to him “You can’t hand those out here,” he muttered something that included the words “150 feet from the door,” and continued handing out his literature.

In fact, state law prohibits campaigning within 150 feet of the polling place building. We were standing 10 feet from the building.

UPDATE: I reported this incident to Secretary of State Karen Handel’s office via its web complaint form. They called me approximately five minutes after I sent the complaint to tell me they were contacting von Bremen’s campaign.

UPDATE 2: A commenter says von Bremen was not in Decatur today. I haven’t heard back from the campaign yet, but have modified the post

UPDATE 3: Michael Meyer von Bremen e-mailed me to say that he has been in Albany since Sunday. He was NOT in Decatur handing out campaign literature today.

In the original post, I speculated that the person handing out the campaign literature might have been Von Bremen himself. After I was handed the campaign literature, I visited von Bremen’s campaign web site on my phone and saw the candidate’s photo. I thought to myself, “Hey, that’s the guy who was handing out flyers.” Two people in line next to me looked at the photo and agreed. Unfortunately, I was unable to confirm the campaigner’s identity as he departed before I could pull up the picture.

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When it comes to characterizing the way Georgia might swing in tomorrow’s presidential election, the state alternately has been depicted as sure-fire red, demure pink, ever-ambiguous gray, wishy-washy yellow and half-assed red-striped.

How close do you think it’s gonna be?

a) Toss Up

b) Leaning McCain

c) Strong McCain

d) Leaning Obama*

*Not pictured, ’cause I couldn’t find a map with Georgia painted baby blue

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Better late than never, we endorse state Sen. Michael Meyer von Bremen in the only contested Georgia Court of Appeals contest. See the rest of our Voter’s Guide and our Fulton and DeKalb Cheat Sheet.

In the Court of Appeals contest: While there are other strong candidates, Meyer von Bremen has proven himself as a fair and judicious public servant, and stands the best chance at turning over a religious right-winger’s attempt to win the seat.

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Creative Loafing regular commenters Mr. T and DaleC begged me to let them do a point-counterpoint column (actually I had to bribe them with Moon Pies). This week: the liberal Mr. T (not that Mr. T) urges you to vote for John McCain, while our conservative commenter DaleC endorses Barack Obama. I’m sure they’ll change your mind. Let them know what you think by commenting. (more…)

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OK, last Friday I ran a blog post that accused Keisha Lance Bottoms of distributing false and misleading information in her campaign to unseat Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford, whom we affectionately call T-Jack.

However, Bedford is quite miffed at my reference to him “chaining Fulton DA Paul Howard to a radiator.” I just received a missive in which he calls my description of the 2006 incident “the most absurd and egregious of any I have heard from any source.”

Bedford goes on to state that his courtroom does not even contain a radiator and invites me to check for myself.

I believe him. Fact is, I intended the radiator remark as edgy humor. There’s a rich, tawdry history of children and adults being chained to radiators in works of fiction – most recently, Black Snake Moan – and in real life. I assumed folks would realize I was kidding in a “Daily Show” sort of way. And if they clicked on the phrase in question, they would have been linked to another blog post about Paul Howard’s statement that he still bears a grudge over being handcuffed, forcibly removed from Bedford’s courtroom and placed in a holding cell.

(more…)

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Perry McGuire has never argued before the Georgia Court of Appeals, is a harshly partisan politician running for a nonpartisan post, and was deemed in a State Bar poll of attorneys to be the least qualified in a field of seven candidates this year for an open seat on the Court of Appeals.

But McGuire’s likely to come in first after tomorrow’s vote. And, if he doesn’t win outright, he may be favored to win the seat in a Dec. 2 runoff. Unless you do something about it. (more…)

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WTF, AJC?

I’m not usually the one driving the anti-AJC bandwagon (that’s Sugg’s job), but over the weekend, the apparent cowardice of some unnamed editors over there had me steamed.

An AP story appearing in Saturday’s AJC describes how “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau – who must submit a week’s worth of comic strip at a time – is going out on a limb with cartoons “showing his characters reacting to an Obama victory.” If John McCain somehow ends up winning Tuesday’s election, Trudeau says, “I’ll be the one with the egg on my face.”

Still, the article says some newspaper editors are expressing discomfort with running the strip this week, quoting one who will wait until checking Election Day returns before deciding whether to run the Obama-related cartoons. But the article didn’t name any papers that had already pulled the plug on “Doonesbury.”

Well, we found one. Tacked on to the very end of the print version of the AP article is this sentence:

As for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it is giving “Doonesbury” a sabbatical next Monday through Saturday and will resume carrying the strip the following week.

No explanation; no rationale. Just a statement that the strip won’t be running in the AJC, cravenly couched behind the euphemism “sabbatical.” The paper is so gutless that, rather than make an effort to defend its decision, it seems to be hoping no one will notice.

(more…)

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Tomorrow night is poised to be one of the most historic in modern history as the liberals finally get on their way to stealing rich people’s paychecks.

And we’re liveblogging this monumental occasion! Various members of CL’s editorial team will be out and about raking muck, shoving voice recorders in politicians’ faces, and most importantly offering you — YOU! — a place to gripe, rejoice, complain and opine as the results roll in to our giant headquarters.

We’re still working on the particulars — whoever draws the shortest straw has to hang out with the Nader-ites — but be sure to visit here tomorrow afternoon as we kick things off earlier than usual.

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Jim Galloway of the AJC’s Political Insider — who did a great job as a panelist during last night’s Atlanta Press Club U.S. Senate debate/finger-pointing quibblefest — posts a memo from State Elections Boardmember Randy Evans. Evans says it could be Wednesday morning before all votes are counted.

From the memo:

Based on the most recent data, it appears that there are in fact three real reasons regarding why Georgia may not know the winner of the 2008 general election until Wednesday.

If we have a two- to four-hour line, as expected in many precincts around Georgia, it could be 9 p.m. or later before voters are done. Counties that finish earlier can start to tabulate votes immediately and some returns will come in early. However, the outcome will likely have to wait until all votes are in, and then tabulated. This could be late on Tuesday or possibly on Wednesday morning.

He then reminds us of absentee and provisional ballots. Click here to read what Evans has to say about those pesky devils.

(Awesome Vivarin car photo from RacingRoadTrip)

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If you’ve already voted but still want to get back out among the crowds, Georgia Stand-Up’s presenting you with the opportunity.

The local non-partisan “think and act” tank seeks volunteers to provide assistance, voter protection and refreshments at crowded precincts on what’s expected to be a historic Tuesday.

From the group:

The organization is issuing a region-wide call for non-profits, grassroots organizations, community-based groups, church groups, sororities, fraternities and individuals to adopt a polling precinct with high voter turnout and provide care to the voters at those locations in Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. Voter Care, a new component of the organization’s STAND-UP & Vote program, provides voters standing in long lines with pertinent voter information, refreshments, relief from standing in line, and voter protection assistance.

For more information, give Georgia Stand-Up a call at  (404) 581-0061 or send an e-mail here. You can also visit its website here.

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Bryan Terry, Sr. filed suit in Fulton County Superior Court, demanding Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel investigate claims that Sen. Barack Obama was neither born in the U.S., nor is he U.S. citizen, therefore he is constitutionally ineligible to serve as President.

“Failing to officially and publically [sic] vet the status of the citizenship claims of Mr. Obama will cast a pall of doubt on the election process and taint the election results themselves.”

-Atlanta resident Bryan T. Terry, Sr., in a memorandum to Fulton County Superior Court.

“. . . there is no basis for this court to issue an injunction or a mandamus or other relief against the Secretary of State. Plaintiffs’ claims are, there, HEREBY DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

-An October 24, 2008 order by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter in response to Terry’s claim.

“Way to waste your freaking time and my email storage space.”

-Conservative Georgia blogger Erick Erickson, in an October 27 post on Peach Pundit mocking Terry and others who are trying to get him to publicly support their claims.

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FiveThirtyEight, one of the most entertaining and informative online resources for this Presidential election, posts an excellent Georgia-centric rundown on the state’s demographics and political dynamics — and how the combination of the two may determine who runs the country come Jan. 20.

From the site:

Since native son Jimmy Carter was on the ballot, Democrats have found Georgia tough sledding. But with African-American turnout soaring to unprecedented levels, Georgia may be a state where the public polling models are off, and indeed Barack Obama has put last minute advertising resources into the state in an effort to both go over 400 electoral votes as well as help a rising tide lift Jim Martin’s boat against Max Cleland-smearing incumbent Saxby Chambliss.

It’s a long read, but it says Georgia’s may be one of the closest races we’ll see on Nov. 4. Definitely worth checking out.

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U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss has created an online uproar because of comments he made to a North Georgia crowd.

As quoted by Politico.com:

The Republican is outwardly confident, but there’s urgency in his voice as he tours North Georgia, trying to boost turnout in his predominately white base: “The other folks are voting,” he bluntly tells supporters.

Now, read in this context — “predominately white base” followed by “other folks” — I can see how people might see the connection. But I seriously doubt this is what Chambliss implied. Then again, the Republican incumbent — who is in danger of facing a runoff or even losing his seat to Democratic nominee Jim Martin — is considered to be running one of the most fouled-up races of 2008.

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There’s a parlor game going on these days down at Atlanta City Hall. Here’s how you play: Imagine that President-elect Obama invites Mayor Shirley Franklin to join his administration; then figure out who might move over to take her place, and who’d take that person’s place, and who’d take that person’s place, and so on.

I’d heard about this swirl of speculation a couple weeks back, but decided it would be irresponsible to write about because it’s so, well, speculative. But I’ve changed my mind because: 1) polls are predicting an Obama victory; 2) City Hall is still buzzing with this talk; and 3) the AJC has already jumped on board the speculation train.

So here goes: If Shirley heads to Washington next spring, then a special election would have to be called to replace her. The collective assumption is that City Council President Lisa Borders – who abandoned her campaign for mayor for personal reasons in mid-August – would get back into the race. In a campaign cycle lasting only a few weeks, Borders would have to be considered the front-runner due to high name recognition.

(more…)

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In the last of its Jawja polls of the day, Rasmussen says John McCain still leads Barack Obama by five points in Georgia.

Interesting tidbit:

In the latest poll, Obama now leads 53% to 44% among unaffiliated voters in the state. Last week, McCain led those voters by an identical margin. McCain leads 73% to 26% among white voters in Georgia while Obama earns overwhelming support from black voters. While men favor McCain 55% to 45%, women are split between the candidates at 49% each.

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I’ve been surprised by the unprecedented level of interest in the Fulton County Superior Court race between incumbent Judge T. Jackson Bedford and his challenger, Atlanta Magistrate Court Judge Keisha Lance Bottoms. Normally, judicial races attract little attention from the public and the news media, but this one is different, probably because some of T-Jack’s actions – such as chaining Fulton DA Paul Howard to a radiator – have brought him a measure of notoriety.

We sort of wussed out in our Voter Guide description of the race by not taking a definite stand:

We aren’t convinced Bottoms has the necessary legal background to replace Bedford, but we’re concerned about his temperament.

But now I have to say I’m concerned about the tone Bottoms’ campaign has taken. Her latest flier reads like a political hit piece on Bedford and contains some dubious claims. First off, she claims T-Jack is “under investigation for ethics violations,” and she cites your friends here at CL. Unfortunately, this statement isn’t true and we didn’t say it. What my colleague Thomas reported was that an ethics complaint had been filed against Bedford by political instigator George Anderson, whose track record with ethics filings is long and shaky. There’s a big difference between a complaint and an investigation, and an attorney like Bottoms should know it. What her flier says is patently false.

Another spurious, CL-related claim on the flier is that Bedford “allows underage strippers,” citing an article I wrote in July. This statement is misleading. Last fall, the Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance aimed at stopping women under the age of 21 from working in strip clubs. But the way the measure was written, it bars anyone under 21 from entering a nightclub for any reason – including bar workers, janitors and even members of bands booked to play there.

(more…)

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Mike Dobbins, a former City of Atlanta planning commissioner who now teaches at Georgia Tech, urges voters say ‘no’ to Amendment 2.  If approved, the amendment would allow school systems to participate in tax allocation districts. CL recently endorsed Amendment 2 — click here to see why.

There has been a lot of misinformation spread about TADs and what the constitutional referendum is about. Its supporters have been using tax-generated funding to lobby, and I would say mislead, the public to try to get us to vote for it. TADs allow local governmental jurisdictions to sell bonds to pay for public infrastructure in designated areas where disinvestment and blight bring down the neighborhood and discourage private investment. The bonds are supposed to be paid back from the tax value increases generated by development supported by the improved infrastructure. Many advocates imply that without a yes vote TADs won’t be available to local governments to induce prospective developers’ investment.

But TADs are still available. It’s just that the school portion of anticipated tax value increases must be dedicated to school purposes. So voting no on the referendum doesn’t jeopardize TAD programs; it only reduces the amount of proceeds available.

(more…)

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… but it was just a vote of Atlanta Public School students. According to an APS press release:

Obama crushes McCain
in APS student mock election

More than 17,000 students in 70 Atlanta Public Schools participated in a national mock election Thursday, chosing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama over Republican rival John McCain by a margin of more than 17-to-1. …

Obama garnered 15,798 votes or 92 percent of ballots cast, compared with McCain’s 910 votes or 5 percent. Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney won 99 votes, independent Ralph Nader won 62, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party won 59 and Libertarian Bob Barr won 45.

Of course, 86 percent of Atlanta Public School students are black, and African-Americans nationally are polling around 98 percent for Obama. I wonder what the mock vote would have been in Cherokee County.

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The polling organization says incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic nominee Jim Martin 48-43. It also says if Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley’s support remains consistent, a runoff is likely.

Says Rasmussen:

Senator Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic challenger Jim Martin by five percentage points in his bid for re-election in Georgia. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race finds the Republican incumbent with 48% of the vote and Martin with 43%. Libertarian Party candidate Allen Buckley picks ups seven percent (7%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.

But, under Georgia law, a candidate must win at least 50% of the vote or face a run-off election in December.

If Buckley’s support stays at current levels, it would be difficult for either Chambliss or Martin to win the majority needed to avoid a run-off. It is also possible, however, that some Buckley supporters may choose instead to vote for one of the major party candidates.

A week ago Chambliss was ahead by just two points, the closest the race has been all year and the highest level of support for Martin, whose campaign has spent roughly half-a-million dollars on attack ads against Chambliss over the past month. Just three weeks ago, Chambliss held a six-point lead.

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So what if Libertarian Allen Buckley got enough votes to keep both Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin from topping 50 percent in the Nov. 4 election? They’d face each other in a Dec. 2 runoff. But which candidate would have the advantage?

It depends on the conventional-wisdom theory you go with.

CW theory #1: Incumbents often lose when they’re forced into runoffs, because people who supported the other candidates are more likely to swing their support to another challenger than to support the status quo.

CW theory #2: Republicans generally win runoffs in Georgia because whites go back to the polls in higher proportions than blacks. (more…)

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With just days left before votes are to be counted, Barack Obama is rolling out a new ad about the economy that’s slated to air in Georgia and North Dakota .

Here it is:

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Georgia Democrats are calling for Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel to extend advanced voting on Saturday and Sunday after computer glitches caused a reported 500 people to wait two hours in line at a Fulton County polling place.

State Rep.-elect Rashad Taylor, D-Atlanta, says poll workers at the Adamsville Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta told him voter check-in machines couldn’t access the Secretary of State’s system shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday night. When he arrived at the rec center to assist poll workers, Taylor — who was joined by Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders, Councilmember C.T. Martin and City Council Clerk Rhonda Johnson — says he saw an estimated 500 people still waiting to cast ballots.

“A few days ago, there was a problem connecting to the system,” the representative-elect says. “This time, there was a problem with the system.”

(more…)

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Dave Willis has produced a profoundly odd PSA encouraging North Carolinians to vote in next week’s election.

What’s odd about it?

It’s as if a real PSA and a fake PSA were unintentionally edited together.

Some among you might recognize actors Rene Dellefont, George Faughnan, Mary Kraft, Matt Stanton, and Dan Triandiflou, as well as musician and performer Jim Stacy.

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