He won’t run for Lt. Governor:
Today I am fully suspending my campaign for Lieutenant Governor with the intention of seeking re-election to the State Senate.
I will always be grateful to those who have so generously supported my candidacy. I am especially proud of the endorsements from my colleagues in the Georgia General Assembly and our strong showing in the various Republican straw polls.
I was relieved to learn that the Lieutenant Governor’s surgery went well and that his doctors are optimistic about his ability to actively campaign for re-election. He has been a friend for many years, and I wish him a speedy return to full health.
I would not have entered the race had it not been an open seat, and there is no point in remaining in it as long as the Lieutenant Governor is well enough to be a candidate for re-election.
Public service is, by definition, about serving others, not the positions or titles that we want for ourselves.
Dr. Bill Sheals and Matt Reeves have agreed to serve as honorary co-chairs of my re-election campaign.
Not very surprised at this, but we sure better hope Cagle is healthy enough to campaign for Lt. Gov.
BTW, Dr. Sheals and Matt Reeves were two of the people who were planning on running for Shafer’s Senate seat.
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Strike 1: SB 31
Strike 2: HB 614
Strike 3: Allowed SB 16 to fail in his committee.
HE’S OUT… and he finally admitted it!
Strike 3: Allowed SB 16 to fail in his committee.
When the author of a bill withdraws a bill, THAT is what kills a bill, not the chair of a committee. Seth Harp withdrew the bill…therefore, no bill was in committee.
The bill was only withdrawn by the author after REPEATED delays which Shafer allowed.
Shafer continues to show class; something that Batman appears unable or unwilling to do.
“Shafer continues to show class; something that Batman appears unable or unwilling to do.”
THE BIG GOVERNMENT PARTY has refused to show ANY CLASS the last 20 years which is why we had UNPRECEDENTED levels of government growth and a shrinking of liberty.
If you and THE BIG GIVEMEMORE PARTY actually cared about the taxpayers and voters, you wouldn’t be in for the world of hurt you are about to feel.
Let me tell you something, this weekend I was talking to some people. All i did was say “LIBERTARIAN” and 10 people said “you have my interest!”
Monds will win and we’ll just have to take down Johnny if you and your big government ant0-freedom cronies can’t!
Rugby,
I could take your post more seriously if you had just called me a statist or one of the sheeple.
Icky:
As I said on FB, I sincerely wish all the best for the man, as a man.
As far as his political career is concerned, until I see some pretty drastic change (repudiation of the three stances above would be a good start), I will work as ardently as I possibly can to support any Libertarian opponent that may wish to rise against him – and I may even be willing to support a Democrat that wants his seat. I’ll ponder that on a case by case basis.
Icarus
You already know THE TRUTH, why do I need to say it?
Unless you are saying you are so BLINDED by the STATIST BIG GIVEMEMORE PARTY that you need the Libertarian truth to make you see the light?
MONDS ’10! Get on board NOW before it is trendy and everybody starts doing it! By September of 2010 there will be so many people FLOCKING to Monds and his message of liberty that we’ll need a way to SHEPHERD the people in! EVERYONE will HAPPILY and WILLINGLY join in with his message of FREEDOM AND LIBERTY! PEOPLE DON’T NEED TO THINK ABOUT HIS MESSAGE WHEN RUNNING INTO HIS CAMP!!!!!!!
rugby:
Actually, I sincerely hope that everyone who votes for Monds does so because they HAVE thought about his message and the issues.
Otherwise, they are just sheeple that happen to vote with me rather than against me.
Oh, and need I remind everyone that SB 31 in particular was something that virtually ALL of us agreed was horrible?
Put up or shut up time guys. What’s it gonna be?
What, exactly, do you feel you are able to put up, Batman?
Calm down Rugby. If you want freedom and liberty from a candidate who actually will win in 2010, try Oxendine.
“who actually will win in 2010″
So he’s come to his senses, and will finally announce he’s running for re-election to Insurance Commissioner?
“If you want freedom and liberty from a candidate (who will actually tell you freedom and liberty are only good six days of the week), try Oxendine.”
Ha!
Friday, Saturday,… Statistday…
I learned a valuable lesson today. From now on I think I’ll wait till all the filing fees are paid to decide which candidate to support.
Regarding SB 16, the Sunday sales bill, Harp wanted to vote on it at the meeting after Renee Unterman’s son killed himself but there was not a quorum. At the two meetings before that one, Harp is the one who requested delays, and at the meeting after that one, Harp withdrew the bill. Harp was the one playing games on SB 16.
I got this Batman,
Icarus,
Another LPGa affiliate will become official tonight thanks to batman… he also brings another principled voice to the table, another watchdog for the people and a fellow lover of liberty that will be giving his time, energy and money wanting nothing personal in return but a chance to see his state and country better off after his efforts… all done with no guarantee.
I’ll be grateful for a hundred or so more batmen/batwomen.
I heard a rumor from numerous sources Casey may still drop out and Shafer is waiting for that announcement to jump back in.
Once again I like Casey and in no way did I post this as a slight against him. I just thought it is important for voters to understand possible options.
“……who will actually tell you freedom and liberty are only good six days of the week.”
So Ox doesn’t want you getting hooched up on Sunday. That REALLY inhibits your freedom and liberty, huh Icky?
“Nothing brings more pain than too much pleasure; nothing more bondage than too much liberty, (or libertinism.)” Benjamin Franklin.
Thank you for clarifying that having liberty all seven days of the week is too much, Grit.
Ox must be so proud to have you leading the rapid repsonse team.
Hmmmmmm……..So you’re advocating since it’s a question of “liberty”, that you can drive with an open container of alcohol, I suppose. And are you also open to selling alcohol retail 24-7?
If I was a Republican, I’d be concerned about holding the seat now.
Say what you will about the state of the Democratic Party in our great state, but like others have mentioned on here, disc problems are no joke.
As someone who has experienced a similar problem and knows many who have had back surgery, while the surgery might of gone well, recovery is no joke. I’ve always been told it’s not the surgery, it’s the recovery period that is so worrisome and difficult. I know people who have had successful surgery and end up in worse pain months later than they had before the surgery!
If the Democrats do not field a top tier opponent, then Cagle will probably be fine, but let’s say someone like a Thurbert Baker, Mike Thurmond, or a staunch Conservative Democrat like State Senator Tim Golden jumps in, then what? Tim Golden is the type of Democrat that can win in our state. He’s not part of the liberal wing of the party and I doubt anyone can make a coherent argument that he is a liberal. His base is in the southern part of our state and mostly rural, not Atlanta-based.
Shafer’s decision to step down due to his friendship with Cagle apparently shows how close they are and that’s great that they’re that close to each other. However, I also think it shows a clear lack of leadership on Shafer’s part. If Shafer truly was the leader he described in one of his emails announcing his run:
“To listen to our speeches during campaign season, there is little disagreement among us. We all articulate a belief in the conservative ideals of low taxes, limited government, free enterprise and personal responsibility. What we need is leadership that will bring us together to advance these ideals.”
then he would have stayed in the race.
I’d argue to those that say “oh it’s not a big deal”, well, disc trouble is a big deal. It’s a pain you do not know until you experience it. Which, Cagle’s trouble is apparently more in the upper back/neck, and most of the people I know with back trouble have had problems with the lower discs/tailbone/legs.
I kind of wonder if, as close as they are, maybe this was Shafer’s plan all along. Maybe he did it to get his name out for a statewide run in 2014. Cagle said he’s fought with this for years, and if he and Shafer are as close as its been made out, then Shafer likely knew.
Oh yeah, Ickie……Being how retailers would be forced to open on Sundays to be competitve, they would now have the “liberty” of more expenses incurred with the same amount of revenue earned, which would in turn give the smaller retailers another opportunity to flex their freedom by being allowed to shut down in an already tough economy. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, Ickie!
I’m sure Obama is proud to have you on his rapid response team as well.
If you want a real example of someone’s liberty being squashed, why don’t you champion the people of Bergen County, New Jersey where you can’t buy anything on Sundays….
Threadjacks on this thread are officially over.
If you wish to talk about all things libertarian, or continue some tortured logic about the great and powerful (and masculine, can’t remember to say masculine) Oxendine, please feel free to do so here:
http://www.peachpundit.com/2009/05/04/the-true-grit-is-an-idiot-and-batman-can-continue-to-claim-relevance-here-open-thread/
BTW….not splitting hairs…..but Rugby started with the Monds praise. I just gave you another opportunity to slam Ox again, as per normal.
Dark Knight, I talked with Shafer about 16 being withdrawn. He was surprised and had nothing to do with it.
tocallaghan:
Sadly, he has a history of such ‘surprises’. This isn’t the first time a Sunday Sales bill has failed to make it out of his committee.
Furthermore, such a statement is exactly what you would expect from a politician in regards to a prominent line of attack. Not saying that makes the statement categorically untrue, just that it makes it suspect.
Shafer’s committee approved the Sunday sales bill in the 2007-2008 session. It got a “do pass” recommendation but died in the Rules committee which never scheduled it for a floor vote.
This year, Harp was the one who kept requesting delays and then finally withdrew the bill. He requested two delays and then withdrew the bill right before Shafer called the vote. The only delay not Harp’s fault was the meeting after Renee Unterman’s son’s suicide. There was no quorum.
Maybe somebody’s trying to tell you something.
Icarus,
First you bait with acusing batman of having no class, after he was talking about Shafer and legislation he supported or killed, then Rugby baits with a sacastic Monds and Libertarian comment and we defend ourselves and our positions… and we’re accused of threadjacking, wtf.
btw… I do agree with you on beating up of Ox is apt to any thread.
Another BTW,
I actually had high hopes for Shafer at the beginning of the session when he was pushing the Zero Based budgeting (the LPGa came out with official support of it). But then came the BIG business and BIG government stuff (some were the one’s DKB mentioned). I know of many libertarians that normally vote in the GOP primaries were “classless-ly” switching their support from Shafer to Johnson in the Lt Gov race because of it.
Actually the threadjacking charge was directed at me as well, but hey, keep playing the victim about a blog thread.
True Grit
Stores would not be forced to be open on Sundays, they would be “FREE” to close if they wish. Keep in mind they pay for that business to be there on Sundays whether they are open or closed. The only real expense would be employees, which is usually one or two. They also have the freedom to only open for a few hours if they choose.
Problem is, no one will let them make that choice for themselves.
BTW – Freedom comes with Personal Responsibility so stop with the stupid remarks like “you can drive with an open container of alcohol”.
If Ox was concerned with businesses closing he would be working to help ALL the autobody shops that are closing due to the Direct Repair Programs that he ignores! He is still Insurance Comm., right??
I wish they’d focus on getting rid of the requirement that contact lens wearers have to get a $80 exam each year, even though it’s really not necessary.
True Grit
You should read what Kellie wrote to understand why many of us are upset at the GOP. I do not what the thought police from the right or the left!
John Konop wrote: “I heard a rumor from numerous sources Casey may still drop out and Shafer is waiting for that announcement to jump back in.”
John, I’m thinking along the same lines. Especially when I read Shafer’s statement that “there is no point in remaining in [the race] as long as the Lieutenant Governor is well enough to be a candidate for re-election.”
And if he just happens to decide he’s not well enough to be a candidate for re-election any longer… well, well, well.
Bill Greene
That was a very good point and a keen eye for reading between the lines.
Kellie – case in point: Chik-fil-a. Closed on Sundays — because they CHOOSE to be — yet doing a booming business overall. Good for them.
JK&BG,
Cagle is not going to drop out of the race for LG. Shaffer did what was best for him in returning to the Senate and whats best for our Party in not running against a very popular incumbent.
Conspiracy theories aside the real story here is the fact that since CC will have no Primary opposition it frees up a large chunk of cash for the other statewide races.Like it or not cash is king in politics and its going to be harder to come by this cycle than any other in a long time.
Harry – are you kidding me? Contact wearers really are required to do that by the government???
Bill Greene:
I’m still convinced they put some kind of addicting substance in their food, but hey, whatever works!
Bill,
Yes. The industry lobbyists made it happen.
Bill – yes, you must get a prescription every year for contacts, and to get said prescription you have to get an eye exam.
Now the question is – How much of that is law, and how much is the eye-doctor equivalent of the AMA outlining best practices.
My understanding is, it’s the law. At least that’s what the opticians tell me.
Georgia Judge
As I said I like Casey but I would bet you right now that he is not running for LG. And if I am right the faster Casey announces he is not running is in the best interest of his party.
Good Lord. If that really IS law, then how about we ask Shafer to write a bill REMOVING that from the law, since he’s staying in the Senate now? THAT would get him some grassroots support!
Why would ANYONE vote for such a stupid law?????
Thanks Kellie……Whenever you or Ickie disagree with someone, the personal attacks come out…..We can always count on you and you never let us down.
Freedom does come with personal responsibilty….. So does that mean we should legalize everything that you think won’t hurt anyone else and give everyone the responsibilty to just say no in the name of taxation and freedom?
JK, you would lose that bet and Im betting you are making this poor propisition based simply on heresay and nothing else.I may be wrong and you may actually know Cagle and have it straight from him that he is not running,but I dont think this is the case.
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