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If Gov. Nathan Deal wants to keep his seat in the governor’s office, he may want to start thinking about leading on issues that have an impact on people outside of his donor list. In a statewide survey of voters, Better Georgia found no strong support for Gov. Deal, primarily because of voter perceptions of cronyism and corruption along with a lack of leadership on key issues. The big surprise in our polling, however, is the impact that Gov. Deal’s weak leadership is already having on voters. In a General Election head-to-head, State Sen. Jason Carter jumped ahead of Gov. Deal, 45 percent to 42 percent. Rep. Scott Holcomb is tied with Gov. Deal at 41 percent apiece. And House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams is close to the governor’s numbers at 39 percent to his 45 percent. more » Wilcox County’s first-ever integrated prom is tonight, thanks to the leadership of the town’s teenagers. There’s a lot we could say about the prom but we’ll just let the students talk instead. Here’s an interview with two students and Democracy Now host Amy Goodman: Why two proms? MARESHIA RUCKER: Our school, when they integrated, they never did start to sponsor a school prom, so they left it up to the parents to have a prom for their children. That’s how it ended up having a white prom and a black prom all these years. But when we became juniors, we decided that we get along with everyone, we all do everything together, so there was no reason for us to have a prom that excluded any one of us. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a profile of Better Georgia in a two-column article on the front of today’s Metro section. The article shows why our work is important and reveals how we’ve already been successful. Rarely has a no-comment generated such impassioned response. After Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said he wouldn’t chime in on a left-leaning group’s push to get him to support an integrated prom in rural Georgia — calling the prodding a “silly publicity stunt” — the stance took on a life of its own. Soon, celebrities were tweeting their outrage, progressive blogs were posting updates and major news outlets were weighing in. Congressman Rob Woodall is still using last year’s talking points. It may be time for him to update his note cards. At a recent town hall meeting, the Georgia Congressman complained that many Americans don’t care about our country because they are getting a free ride. He told the group that it’s time for every American to pay taxes. I’m sure you’ve heard this argument from conservatives before. It’s the same argument Mitt Romney made before losing the Presidential election. “You know, folks mock Mitt Romney for what he said, but he’s right,” Rep. Woodall told the crowd. “Forty-seven percent of American citizens pay zero in income taxes. It’s just true.” Our friends at Georgia Fair Share recorded this video and it’s worth watching: “I don’t care if you’re paying a dollar. You need to believe that you are involved in the process, and you need to have skin in the game,” Rep. Woodall told the crowd. But wait just a minute. more »
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