Georgia voters have the power to kick corruption in the face in two key, statewide races on Tuesday. We tend to talk about political corruption as the triad of bribery, cronyism and nepotism. In this age of Citizens United, I’m adding deliberate misrepresentation in media. [icopyright one button toolbar]
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Deal v Carter
In 2010, the U.S. Representative Nathan Deal (R) resigned from Congress on March 21, 2010, “just minutes before the ethics committee faced a deadline to act in his case.”
Why was he being investigated? His chief of staff “used his official House email account to contact Georgia state officials” about retaining state money for a vehicle inspection program that yielded “$150,000 a year” for Deal. A program that Georgia Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham decided to shut down because it cost almost as much to operate as the revenue it brought in.
Yesterday’s voters elected him anyway.
Today’s voters should cringe when learning that Governor Deal’s actions to get elected in 2010 have cost the state more than $3 million (not counting the related court costs).
More ethics wranglings. Surprised?
The state of Georgia has had to pay $3 million “to settle three lawsuits, and a threatened fourth, brought by former [ethics] commission employees who claim they were fired or forced from office” as part of an ethics investigation related to Deal’s campaign in 2010.
Desperation leads to Hail Marys and the Georgia GOP exhibits just that with this corrupt (intentionally misleading) message circulating last week: electing Democrat Jason Carter as governor would “essentially hand Barack Obama a third term here in Georgia.” Carter (the grandson of Jimmy Carter) is running against incumbent Governor Deal.
How, pray tell, would electing a Democrat as governor of Georgia be tantamount to a third term for President Obama? The “third term” reference seems deliberately designed to prey upon FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) among those who cringe at the thought of our current president.
They should be cringing at the thought of returning Deal to office.
Nunn v Perdue
This corruption runs deep.
Jay Bookman at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lays out the use of public power for private gain involving not only the current Republican gubernatorial candidate, David Perdue, but his first cousin, former Governor Sonny Perdue.
In April 2011, four months after leaving office, Sonny Perdue, along with David Perdue, Trey Childress and Heidi Green — all appointed to political office while Perdue was governor — created Perdue Partners, LLC “a global exporting business focusing on importing, exporting and trucking operations through the port” of Savannah.
Just one of the acts of crony capitalism was Sonny’s appointing David to the Georgia Port Authority board of directors. From the AJC in July: “While on the board, Perdue took votes on tens of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure improvements designed to streamline and improve transportation at the [Savannah port]. They included $1.5 million to pave one terminal and $77 million for ship-to-shore cranes.” David did not file required ethics disclosures while on the ports board.
I’ve detailed the steps these four took to set the stage for a private business – on the taxpayer dime – while serving as public officials.
Then there is this corrupt (intentionally misleading) “pants on fire” claim, from a Perdue ad attacking Nunn: “Michelle Nunn’s own plan says she funded organizations linked to terrorists.” Even Florida Republican Neil Bush panned that ad. (Note: no Nunn ad has been labeled pants on fire by PolitiFact Georgia.)
Crony capitalism. Nepotism. Corruption.
Georgia voters have a clear choice on Tuesday.
Shades of Caesar’s wife. Good ol’ boy politics shrouded with hints of corruption.
Or a new slate.
:: A more detailed version of this post is published at the HuffingtonPost.
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com