April 3, 2022 / Newsletter 270 |
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Save the Date
Next meeting of the Hall County Dems is
Monday, April 11, 6:00 pm
(meeting gaveled to order at 6:30)
Gainesville Civic Center
Green Street
Gainesville, GA 30501
Special Guest Speakers:
Nicole Horn, Democratic Candidate for Labor Commissioner
(click on each candidate's name for more information)
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City of Oakwood Planning Forum
What: Public forum explaining steps to updating Oakwood’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan
When: 3-5 p.m. April 14
Where: Oakwood City Hall, 4035 Walnut Circle
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Back-to-back events in Toccoa!
Saturday, April 9
12:30 – 2:30 pm NE Georgia Regional Environmental Summit, featuring Danial Blackman,
2:30 - 4:30 pm Candidate Forum (including several statewide primary candidates!)
Tugaloo Center for the Performing Arts
Stephens County High School
323 Indian Trail Road
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Upcoming key election dates:
You can request your absentee ballot for May primary now. UPDATED INFO: Elections office begins mailing out ballots on April 25.
Last day to register to vote in May primary: April 25
NOTE: New GA Voting Law requires you to be registered by this date to vote in the primary runoff (if there is one).
Early voting for May primary begins May 2.
Saturday early voting May 7 & 14; Sunday voting May 8 & 15.
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Drive Voters to the Polls
Hall County Dems have the opportunity to work with RideShare2Vote, a national organization that helps coordinate getting voters to the polls.
if you're interested in volunteering to drive people to the polls during the primaries or the general election, email Jennifer LaRose at jblarose13@gmail.com to learn more.
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Writing Wednesdays with Fair Count & VoteRiders · Fair Count
Nearly 155,000 registered Georgia voters do not have ID on file with the State. Under the State's new voting law, they will face additional barriers to casting their ballots. Join Fair Count and VoteRiders for a virtual letter writing party! You...
Read more
www.mobilize.us
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Weekly Thoughts from the Chair:
2022 Elections are no joke
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Five men walk into a Bar. They take seats around a table. The men sit eyeing each other suspiciously.
A guy sitting at the bar, sipping his beer, nods toward the men and asks the barkeeper: “Who are those guys?”
The barkeeper replies: “The one in the middle is a gun store owner that got redistricted out of his own district. The one on his right, the one that looks like a proud boy, is a crane operating constitutionalist – whatever that means. The one on the far right is a talk show host who says he wants to run a grand jury thing to investigate candidates. The one on the left is supposed to be a minister of some faith. The one on the far left is a 30 year old who apparently left the FBI after two years."
The guy at the bar says: “They don’t seem to like each other very much. What do they have in common?”
The barkeeper replies: “Those men are the five Republicans running for Congress in the 9th District.”
The beer drinker burps and then says: “Figures.”
I am having a little fun at the expense of my esteemed opponents. Of course, there is always some truth in humor.
We are recovering from the worst recession and pandemic that the world has seen in well over a century. I might note that the recovery is dramatic and commenced immediately upon the exit of the defeated and disgraced former president. While we do have significant inflation, we also have wonderful employment numbers. We’ve added 1.7 million jobs between January and March, and unemployment is near 3.6%. Wages are up 5.6% for the year ending in February.
Let me say this again — we are recovering from the worst recession and pandemic that the world has seen in well over a century! It should be a time of jubilation. We should be dancing in the streets! Masks are being discarded everywhere. In spite of a war in the Ukraine, the stock market is booming. We are getting back to what we all thought of as normal.
So what in the world is wrong? Republicans! They can’t stand prosperity! It’s very bad for Republican candidates if things are good. So, Republicans proclaim: Things are bad, very bad! If nothing bad can be found, invent something. Schools are starting to recover — find something wrong! Yes! Critical Race Theory! The sky is falling! We must save the children! What if the children discover that we have not actually treated every citizen equally or even fairly? God forbid! The children might have hurt feelings!
All the media, not just Fox Nonsense, are guilty. There are not two sides to facts. There is only the truth. People lie when they can’t abide the truth. That explains the Republicans but does not explain why the media are parroting the Republican lies. Apparently, there are many useful idiots in the media.
Mike
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Opportunities to hear from the Democratic candidates before the May 24 primary |
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The Gainesville Times published its 2022 voter guide this week, a reference for the primary and general elections in Hall County and across the state. Check it out if you still have questions about voting.
The Times also announced its initial dates for a virtual candidate forum series. As with their article coverage of this election, however, it appears they are focusing on the Republicans running against each other in the primary. While we understand that Democrats running for local office are running unopposed in the primary, it still seems as if the one-sided publicity the Republicans are receiving will benefit the eventual primary winner simply through increased name recognition. However, it will give our Democratic candidates a chance to evaluate their opponents. We've included the link to register to attend this series below.
As listed under the calendar section above, 9th District Democrats are holding a candidate forum in Toccoa on April 9th. Click HERE to RSVP. This will be a great opportunity to hear several candidates running for these statewide and local offices:
- GA09 District House Representative,
- Lieutenant Governor,
- Secretary of State,
- Attorney General,
- Agriculture Commissioner,
- Insurance Commissioner,
- State School Superintendent,
- Labor Commissioner,
- Public Service Commissioner (Districts 2 & 3),
- State House Districts 8, 29, 32, 100, and
- State Senate District 50.
GPB's podcast "Political Rewind" on Friday included panelists Patricia Murphy (politics reporter & columnist for the AJC), Dr. Andra Gillespie (political science professor & director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory), and Dr. Tammy Greer (political science professor, at Clark Atlanta University). It's worth a listen!
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Political Rewind: Constitutional carry nears finish...
Friday on Political Rewind: It is the end of the final full week of this year's General Assembly, with the session's last day on Monday. What is going on with last-minute legislation? Among the bills that could still make it to the governor's...
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www.gpb.org
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REGISTER
The Times Candidate Forum Series
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Virtual Events | Gainesville Times
Don Cantrell, Aubrey Glencamp and Will Wagner share their experiences with cancer diagnoses, the support they received from family and friends and how they stayed positive during cancer treatment.
Read more
www.gainesvilletimes.com
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Your voter guide for 2022 election season in Hall County
Several local and state seats are up for election this year, including top ticket races like governor and U.S. Senate all the way down to local board of education seats. This is your guide to voting this season, including key dates, how things...
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www.gainesvilletimes.com
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Democratic Party of Georgia 2022 Ballot Questions
The following are the questions that the state Party proposes to add to the May 24 Democratic primary ballot:
1. Should the United States remove obstacles to economic advancement by forgiving all student loan debt?
2. Should all Georgians have access to paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child?
3. Should every three- and four-year-old in Georgia be given the opportunity to attend a high-quality preschool free of charge?
4. Should Georgia voters have the right to gather signed petitions to directly place questions on the ballot, whether to change the law or poll the public?
5. Should families earning less than $150,000 per year receive an expanded tax cut to help cover the costs of raising kids?
6. Should the State of Georgia expand access to health care for over half a million Georgians by utilizing federal funds to expand Medicaid?
7. Should the state of Georgia expand voter access by increasing early voting opportunities, allowing same-day voter registration, removing obstacles to voting by mail, and installing secure 24/7 ballot drop boxes through Election Day?
8. Should marijuana be legalized, taxed, and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older, with proceeds to go to education, infrastructure, and health care programs?
9. Should the state of Georgia offer incentives for the development of clean, renewable energy sources to support America's energy independence?
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We need our members to speak out!!!
Our community needs to know that there are people in Hall County who aren't brainwashed by the right, who aren't afraid to speak out in support of addressing climate change, who are concerned that so many Georgia politicians are all in on overturning elections, and who believe all people deserve respect.
Make your voice heard.
If you'd like us to help with a letter to the editor, email hallcountydemocrat@gmail.com and put "letter to the editor" in the subject line.
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State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)
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PLEASE NOTE: Any articles we post about 2022 Georgia Democratic candidates in contested primary races are intended to keep you informed. They are not an endorsement of any candidate. |
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Georgia elections bill gutted in committee vote
The Senate Ethics Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to remove controversial proposals from a Georgia elections bill, taking out provisions to allow GBI fraud investigations, make paper ballots public records and restrict election funding. The...
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www.ajc.com
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Georgia GOP talks about not silencing different views...
The GOP loves to talk about how its members are silenced for having differing views. One wrong opinion will have you censored and cast out of society for life: canceled and ostracized.
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news.yahoo.com
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How lawmakers plan to revamp Georgia's behavioral health ...
Georgia's mental health system will get a revolutionary upgrade with a massive bill set to become law. It just needs the governor's signature after unanimous final passage Wednesday. Why it matters: The state consistently ranks at the bottom...
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www.axios.com
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Stacey Abrams leans into Medicaid expansion as new bid...
When Stacey Abrams ran for governor in 2018, Brian Kemp's advisers worried that she'd carve a path to victory by pulling off a dual narrative of being both an icon of the left and a pragmatic consensus-builder to middle-of-the-road voters.
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www.ajc.com
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National News (Some links may require a subscription)
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Judge: 'More likely than not' that Trump 'corruptly...
A federal judge said Monday that former President Donald Trump and right-wing attorney John Eastman may have been planning a crime as they sought to disrupt the January 6 congressional certification of the presidential election.
Read more
www.cnn.com
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January 6 committee sends message to DOJ as it...
Members of the House select committee investigating the insurrection at the US Capitol voiced their frustration with Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice on Monday, as they voted unanimously to recommend two former...
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www.cnn.com
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Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe to look at rally...
The criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has expanded to examine the preparations for the rally that preceded the riot, as the Justice Department aims to determine the full extent of any conspiracy to stop Congress from...
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www.washingtonpost.com
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Russians used Ukrainian children as 'human shields'...
Russia has been accused by Ukraine of using children as "human shields" while regrouping its forces, as the first horrifying witness accounts from the newly liberated town of Bucha, near Kyiv, emerge. Ukraine's attorney general is gathering a...
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www.theguardian.com
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