Category Archives: Georgia

Jefferson Long: Great Moments in Republican History

Jefferson Long

 

On July 4, 1867, the Georgia Republican Party was established, and one of its founders was Jefferson Long. He was a former slave who learned to read and write on his own, and became a successful tailor in Macon after his emancipation.
Georgia’s re-entry into the Union was delayed because the state legislature refused to ratify the 14th Amendment. When that happened Long was elected to Congress in 1870, but four of his black supporters were killed on election day by white mobs. Long was the second African American elected to Congress, and the first black man to speak on the floor of the House of Representatives. He warned his colleagues of the atrocities being committed by white supremacists.
He said federal troops should not leave Georgia because of the “danger of KKK outrages”. Long was the last black Congressman elected from Georgia until Representative Andrew Young (D) won a seat in 1972.
Long was also elected Republican National Committeeman and was a delegate to the 1872 and 1880 Republican National Conventions where he supported the nominations of U.S. Grant and James A. Garfield.

Andrea Saul: 2012 Winner — The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Andrea Saul

Andrea Saul of Dalton, Georgia is the National Press Secretary of the Romney for President campaign. She is back home tonight where she will be guest of honor at a Romney fundraising reception. The former Governor has produced a special video for the event praising Andrea.
Dalton is the “Carpet Capital of the World,” and Andrea’s parents are industry pioneers. She is a 2004 graduate of Vanderbilt University and worked for NBC in Athens, Greece, during the Olympic games.
Saul, 29, served as Director of Media Affairs for the 2008 McCain campaign where she coordinated radio and television appearances.
In 2009, she was press secretary for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and had the same role for 2010 Senate candidate Carly Fiorina (R-CA). Why is the event sold out? Because everyone in Dalton knows Andrea will be the next White House Press Secretary and a major national figure.
You can read more about the contest rules and background at: The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Orit Sklar: 2011 Winner — The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Orit Sklar, 26, is a columnist for PajamasMedia and commentator for CNN’s Newsroom. A native of Mount Vernon, New York, she remained in Atlanta after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a civil engineering degree.
In 2006 she sued the university for bias and unconstitutional speech policies, and won the case in federal court in 2008. Sklar was then an officer of the College Republicans and president of the Jewish Student Union. She outlined for the court the clear bias against conservative organizations.
For example, all 17,000 Georgia Tech students were informed about Barack Obama’s 2007/2008 visits and solicited to volunteer for his campaign. The notification came in an official message from the Dean of Students.
Her action received high praise from Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, and she was asked to testify before the Georgia State Senate. Needless to say, the Republican controlled Georgia Senate was not amused, and the Lt. Governor called the university president. The federal court order and inquires by the Senate lead to major changes on campus.
All university manuals were re-written, and the school held a first amendment symposium on the 4th anniversary of the lawsuit. The keynote speaker was Orit Sklar.
In addition to CNN, Sklar is also a panelist on Fox 5 Atlanta’s weekly political television show, The Georgia Gang, and is a frequent guest speaker at conservative conferences.
She often writes about America’s popular culture, millennials and Israel. She was the co-recipient of the 2009 Ronald Reagan Award from the American Conservative Union.
On her blog, Orit says “The recent success of Georgia Republicans has been due to the unpopularity of Obamacare, the rise of the Tea Party and hard-working campaign staffs. My generation overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in 2008. In order to defeat Obama in 2012, it is imperative we incorporate and mobilize young people.”
You can read more about the contest rules and background at: The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

BOOK REVIEW: "The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South, 1932-1968" by Kari Frederickson, 336 pages, UNC Press


Reviewed by Gregg Hilton
This is an important and thought provoking book. The author is a professor of history at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and her effort resulted in the Harry Truman Book Award from the Truman Presidential Library. She is a liberal but there is no bias in her account of this period.
The Dixiecrats (or southern Democrats) were predominantly conservative, but the movement also included many racists. She accurately quotes them and that was enough to prove her point. Her account begins with Franklin Roosevelt’s election in 1932, but as she readily acknowledges, the Democratic Party’s Solid South really began with the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Continue reading →

Reapportionment: Mapping The New Congressional Districts

New York has lost two seats and it is likely there will be some combination of the districts of Democratic Reps. Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney and Gary Ackerman. The last time New York had 27 House seats was in the early 1820s, when the chamber had 181 seats. The two upstate districts with the heaviest population losses are in the western part of the state and are represented by Democratic Reps. Brian Higgins and Louise Slaughter. With a Democratic Governor and state Assembly and a GOP Senate, expect each party to lose a district.


Yesterday’s release of the Census Bureau data allows the 2012 Congressional reapportionment process to begin. Drawing the new maps will be the subject of considerable speculation for the next six months. The GOP will gain at least six seats, and they are practically assured of pickups in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Utah. Also, several vulnerable Republicans will see favorable territory added to their districts.
The liberal Huffingtom Post does not agree with this assessment. Their current headline article is “Reapportionment Not Necessarily Good News for Republicans” by Robert Creamer. He is the same author who wrote their analysis explaining why Democrats would keep control of the House. Continue reading →

Georgia Votes on Tuesday: Top Republicans Want to Eliminate State Income Tax

The final debate in the Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary was held last night. Front runner Karen Handel was represented by an empty podium because she refuses to appear on stage with Ray McBerry. The primary election is on Tuesday, and a run-off is expected to be held on August 10th. From the left are State Sen. Jeff Chapman, former Congressman Nathan Deal, former State Sen. Eric Johnson, Ray McBerry and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine. Photo by Ruth Malhotra.


The Georgia Republican gubernatorial primary will be held on Tuesday but no candidate is expected to receive 50% of the vote. That will result in an August 10th run-off election between the top two finishers. Continue reading →

A Christmas Present for Republicans: 10 New House Seats in 2012

The population report released by the Census Bureau on Wednesday afternoon was excellent news for the Republican Party. This is the last report the Census Bureau will make prior to next years count. The data shows Americans are continuing to relocate in low tax and business friendly sun belt states where new jobs are being created.
The high taxes and burdensome business regulations of the Northeast and the Midwest are once again resulting in significant population losses. The next official population count will be released a year from now, and the changes will be reflected in the 2012 election.
At a minimum the population shift will most likely mean 12 seats will shift from the north to the south and west. My prediction is that the 2012 election will result in a 10 seat House gain for the GOP. I am basing this on the new census figures, as well as the analysis provided by Polidata and Election Data Services.
A census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790, and it is a Constitutional requirement.
In the past year alone, Texas grew by 478,000 which is almost the size of a Congressional District. The Lone Star state is expected to receive four new districts as a result of the upcoming census. That could change and the alternative would mean three new seats for Texas and two for Arizona.
To win control of Congress in 2010, Republicans would need to gain 11 Senate seats and 40 House seats. A 25 to 30 seat House gain in 2010 could well lead to control of the House of Representatives in 2012. Washington is the only Blue State to gain a Congressional District, and it is far from certain Democrats will win the expected new seat in the suburban Seattle area.
Who ever is in charge of the states in 2011 will be drawing the new Congressional District maps, and once again the outlook is favorable for Republicans. In Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and Texas — Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion. In Nevada, Democrats control both chambers, while a Republican is governor.
Based on the data in new report the probable gainers and losers in the next election are as follows:
Probable Gainers:
Texas (4)
Arizona (1)
Florida (1)
Georgia (1)
Nevada (1)
North Carolina (1)
Washington (1)
South Carolina (1)
Utah (1)

Probable Losers:
Ohio (2)
New York (1)
Illinois (1)
Louisiana (1)
Massachusetts (1)
Michigan (1)
Minnesota (1)
Missouri (1)
New Jersey (1)
Pennsylvania (1)
Iowa (1)