Fresh Loaf

Georgia Public Service Commission Democratic candidate Jim Powell — who faces Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in the Dec. 2 runoff — has a new online-only ad up on YouTube. (If YouTube ain’t your thang, Grift has it on Vimeo.)

Gotta love the floating “Bubba” heads coming out of smokestacks.

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ATLANTA PRESS CLUB PANEL: Everyone is excited about the Internet.

Last Thursday at the Atlanta Press Club, the Honeycomb Hideout of Atlanta journalism, four local masters of political webitude participated in a panel discussion on how electronic media are affecting political campaigns.

Former AJC-er and current Southern Political Report-er Tom Baxter noted how the Web allowed for a proliferation of political news outlets such as Politco and the Huffington Post. The entire panel — which included CNN.com’s John Helton, Shelby “Shelbinator.com” Highsmith and James “Griftdrift.blogspot.com” Williams — agreed the electronic media allow both facts and bullshit to go further and faster than ever, and for average people (be they bloggers, YouTubers or idiots who think Sen. Barack Obama is Muslim) to shape political debates in ways that were, until 10 years ago, limited to people with access to TV studios or printing presses.

So how are electronic media affecting campaigns? They are changing the tools, the tactics and speed without necessarily changing underlying principles.

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People, be careful. Especially women. Which I really hate saying because fear really sucks. Just be smart and be careful and maybe you can avoid being afraid.

– Christa at PecanneLog writes about a friend of hers who was robbed outside her Kirkwood home. The police officer who responded to the call told her friend that there has been a “rash” of these types of crimes, including break-ins and robbers forcing people to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Remember this budget is about choices. If we can give Delta a 30 million dollar tax break on jet fuel, we can restore 30 million in education cuts to our poorest counties.

– FlackAttack of Tondee’s Tavern points out Gov. Sonny Perdue’s recent reductions in education funding. Update: The House Appropriations Committee reinstated the funds.

Least shocking statement of the day:

I have high regard for Limbaugh.

Of course you do, dear. After all you are brothers in the belief that facts matter less fury.

– James at Drifting Through The Grift, writing about Jim “WootDawg” Wooten, Atlanta’s most favorite Orville Redenbacher impersonator.

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Why did we call GriftDrift Best Blogger in our 2007 Best of Atlanta issue?

Because he does stuff like drive to Cumming, Ga., for a public discussion forum featuring four Georgia Democratic candidates for Senate — a journey so daunting, apparently, the race’s leading candidate, DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, didn’t even bother to attend.

GriftDrift’s summary of the senatorial shindig can be found — you guessed it — on his blog.

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‘Our friend at Peach Pundit, Erick? What’s Erick’s last name? He criticized the gang or some of his people did, because we don’t talk enough about local politics and we’re not specific enough. And you know he closed up his shop Tuesday for Thanksgiving and we’re here talking politics. I want him to know that.’

– Georgia Gang’s Dick Williams, as quoted by GriftDrift. Peach Pundit was, in fact, regularly updated during the holiday week.

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A local television news investigation last week uncovered the names of more than one hundred Georgia law enforcement officials who have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). WGCL-TV found evidence that these officers sought — and in many cases received — special treatment.Offenders included both low and high-ranking officers.

– An excerpt from a disturbing story at TheNewspaper.com, quoting a WGCL-TV CBS-46 story, as quoted by Jeff Emanuel at Peach Pundit.

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“The state is being governed through the prism of a Republican primary,” he said. “When that happens, some of the more radical ideas become viable.”

-- AJC.com’s Political Insider, quoting state Sen. David Adelman, D-Atlanta. Adelman was apparently referring to the Glenn Tax.

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When the Genarlow Wilson decision came down, on that clear day of justice and rectitude, certain leaders in the Republican Party and their personal harpies in the media chose not quiet restraint but instead opted for fakery and obfuscation.

— GriftDrift gives Sen. Eric Johnson, and others like him, a piece of his mind.

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I am now listening intently, and I hope that we can curb any future instances of this egregious behavior. All my love… I miss you and hope you come out with something new for me soon.

Love you forever,
duane

— From “dear Cardigans,” Duane Moody’s open love letter to the Swedish pop band the Cardigans.

Also worth checking out, Duane’s paean to Guitar Hero III, which probably breaks some sort of blogging record for the most un-ironic exclamation marks typed by a grown man.

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Her perceived inevitably is particularly bothersome, as is the assumption that she’s the most experienced candidate (sorry Joe Biden, but a one-term senator who rode her husband’s cum-stained coattails to office is clearly more qualified than you).

— ATLMalcontent on Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“Cum-stained coattails”?

Is that what they mean when they call him the “Comeback Kid”?

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Ronald Williamson
Ronald Jones
Clarence Dexter, Jr.

— GriftDrift rebuts AJC columnist Jim Wooten’s ridiculous pro-death-penalty rant with a list of 123 people whose erroneous death sentences were eventually overturned. Three of the 123 are named above.

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Feeding government in general, and a regional (read less accountable) quasi-governmental agency with more tax dollars is similar to enabling a drunk with more alcohol.

— Jason Pye is not pleased with tax-and-spend trends in Henry County.

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An Elaborate Prank on Atlanta Drivers

— Maigh at Metroblogging Atlanta offers an apt description of the 14th Street Bridge reconstruction clusterfuck.

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That’s gotta hurt. …

— Erick at Peach Pundit on Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis getting thrown under the bus by his own public relations agent.

Last month the AJC reported that Willis falsely claimed his H. Lamar Willis Foundation was a nonprofit. In a written statement, Willis’ PR agent said he thinks Willis lied to him about the facts of the case.

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I’m not sympathetic to the Doraville City Council at this point but if you step back to view the bigger picture, one has to wonder just how small towns throughout the land are coping with losing vital citizens for months on end.

— GriftDrift goes all big-picture on us in comments on Doraville’s middle-of-the-night firing of its police chief, John King. The chief was apparently fired, in part, because he was serving in Iraq for 18 months. He has since been rehired.

Read some of the AJC’s story about the case and you see the name of Doraville City Councilman Tom Hart. You may recall that Hart was ordered by Mayor Ray Jenkins not to speak to the city’s comptroller after he allegedly said some nasty stuff to her.

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If they’re so awesome, then they might be hitting a venue that isn’t Swayze’s when they make it to Atlanta. Oh yeah, and they wouldn’t suck. And on top of that, I wouldn’t be using their CD as a coaster to help me drown my sorrows.

— Leah at Confessions of a Music Addict apparently has mixed feelings about the song “Because I’m Awesome” by the Dollyrots.

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Looking at my stat counter for the day I see that at almost 3:00am I’ve reached my normal daily total of unique visitors.Why?Because there are that many people out there searching for the keywords “Genarlow Wilson Sex Tape”.

— GriftDrift at Drifting Through The Grift on the prurient interest generated by discussion of the Genarlow Wilson sex tape.

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Personally, I really don’t get offended when I hear it used in a hateful tone, and if one of the homies says it, whatever. Tupac Shakur redefined the word for my generation (N.I.G.G.A., Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished). I think we can give words power by reacting, or over reacting. Sure most people think of slavery, oppression, and nooses, when it’s used that way as a hate word, but say what you want. I know who I am. Even so, RIP.

— My Urban Report reflects on this week’s symbolic burial of the word ‘nigger.’

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Was Huey Lewis not available? Or Mister Mister?

— CB at Rowland’s Office on the choice of musicians to entertain the MLB All-Star Game crowd.

Please click on the link, if only to see the picture.

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