Brian Laurens is an Oxendine political operative and former front page poster at Peach Pundit.
I sent him an email earlier today and have gotten no response. Several emailers have pointed to a lot of circumstantial evidence involving the identity of RomneyGingrich2012.
When Karen Handel ran for Secretary of State against Bill Stephens, Laurens was tossed off the front page of Peach Pundit for outting Steve Handel, who had defended his wife on Peach Pundit under a user id that did not note it was him.
Laurens supported Romney in 2008, taking to the comment of Peach Pundit on multiple occasions to promote Romney. His Facebook account now lists Laurens as the “North Georgia Political Director” for John Oxendine for Governor. His Facebook page also shows him him to be a fan of both Romney and Gingrich (along with Nathan Deal, John Oxendine, David Shafer, and others).
In January of 2006, someone edited the Wikipedia entry for Ellijay, GA to note that it is “home to Republican Brian Laurens” and also edited the political entry of Congressman Tom Price to add language that Price “entered the Republican primary for the [6th District Congressional] seat and faced Cobb Countian and favorite Robert Lamutt. Price squeaked by a highly contested and very expensive primary due mainly to the Medical and Dental PACs.”
Laurens had worked for Lamutt during that congressional race as Lamutt’s political director and, ironically, had worked for Karen Handel’s Fulton County Commission Chair’s race in 2003.
I’m told by a reporter that the Oxendine campaign and Brian are denying it is Brian. That satisfies me that it is not Brian, but based on the IP address, I remain convinced someone connected to John Oxendine did it.
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GOPGeorgia
You are right, we should stick to what can be proven:
Oxendine and Deal spent more of their careers as Democrats than as Republicans. I don’t trust either of those guys.
Oxendine is before the Ethics Committee for accepting $120,000 from an Alabama businessman. There is plenty of “evidence” for you if you’re interested in looking. I feel like Oxendine would do or say anything to win and that’s not someone that I can support.
Austin Scott is walking around our state talking with voters while the good old boys are filling up my email with desperate pleas for more money.
It was a Georgia Insurance Exec using Alabama based pacs
Little E,
You make me laugh. Oxindine spent most of his career as a Dem? He’s never been elected to public office as one.
I agree that the whole pac thing stinks, but I’m not sure that he’ll be found guilty of anything or that it’s a game changer. Maybe, maybe not.
Deal did spend a long time as Dem. From 1980 to 1992, he was a Dem in the state senate and got elected to the position of President Pro-Tempore. That’s 12 years for those who have trouble with math. He has been a member of congress since 1992 and switched to the GOP in 1994. That’s 14 years as a Dem, and 15 as member of the GOP. I also count that as 29 years of public service experience.
Please explain how both of these guys spent most of their careers as Democrats. This should be fascinating.
You may like Austin Scott and that’s fine. You didn’t answer if you worked for him or not. Time will tell if campaign time was best spent raising money for a statewide race or taking a walk.
Oxendine was 32 when he took office as Georgia’s first Republican Insurance Commissioner in 1995. Nathan Deal switched parties in early 1995 after being re-elected narrowly in 1994 as a Democrat. The first time he was on the ballot as a Republican was 1996.
Given Doug’s numbers, Deal’s career as a Democrat elected official began when Oxendine was 18. Even if Oxendine considered himself a Democrat since he was old enough to vote until he became a Republican candidate in 1994, then that was 14 years as a Democrat, 7 of which was as a undergrad and law school student.
That means at max, Oxendine’s post college career as a Democrat was 7 years, age 25 – 32. He’s been a GOP elected official now for 15 years post college.
Ronald Reagan was a Democrat for a lot longer before becoming a staunch Republican. He never held office as a Democrat, but never hid his Democrat roots.
Deal’s path to the GOP is more aligned with Sonny Perdue’s, but Oxendine, while a Democrat for most of his 20s was a solid Republican by his early 30s. There are probably a lot of people who can say that.
Nice slam on The Ox Sheppie.
I know. I can’t help it. I call them like I see them.
People who use FACTS in their arguments to neutralize nonsense blow chunks.
Facts are BAD things, Sheppie. VERY BAD THINGS. In no definition of any blog does the word “fact” appear. Stop using facts.
don’t use logic either. It just pisses people off.
You don’t usually have to worry about Bill using logic, Kellie.
LOL
I can’t use facts and I can’t use logic? Take away humor and I’ll have nothing to say!
We’ve got to keep the humor. It’s the only reason I read this stuff; without it this would be a very sad site.
Rethinking things though, I may have been a little hasty. I suppose you can take away logic, facts AND humor and I could still post. Trouble is, at that point, I’m only able to use sarcasm.
Sarcasm is humor to me.
Sure it is.
I invented sarcasm!
Bill, you may have perfected sarcasm, but that’s a far cry from inventing it.
Right, like I’d be thumping my chest if I invented sarcasm.
I’d be thumping my chest if I invented sarcasm.
Ronald Wilson Reagan used to be a Democrat. I bet you voted against his sorry, turn-coat @ss as well, didn’t you?
And Reagan was a Democrat longer than he was a Republican too.
And, the relevance to the price of eggs in South Georgia would be…?
I have been working along side Brian for a couple months and consider him a friend of mine. I cannot find it in me to believe he is behind this at all and I think the fact that his name is being slandered based on theory is tacky. Unless there is concrete proof then why start gossip? Its a blame game. Sounds to me like someone is trying to distract his viewing audience from his own mistakes by posting this story and pointing a finger at an “easy target”, as Brian has been referred to as, and I find the whole thing completely backwards.
As far as the attacks on the Oxendine campaign, I believe they have handled everything thrown at them with great tact. When you are the front runner the attacks are constant and harsh and as a whole they have all done a great job at staying focused.
SammiGirl
Should you not also add to your post this is a paid political add from the OX TEAM?
“I believe they have handled everything thrown at them with great tact. ”
Really? Would you care to define tact? And bonus points if you can you use it and blame the AJC in the same sentence.
The liberal AJC has clouded your vision of the tact that The Ox’ campaign just exudes!
in the face of numerous attacks, likely originating from the mongering mudslingers at the ajc, it is very impressive how the ox campaign has refrained from physically hurting anyone and how the entire staff, including the new campaign manager continue to exchange oxygen abd co2 with eas and grace…
if that is not tact, i di not know what is
Q: Uponst whom shall I whoop?
A: The political consulting industry
I hold all of y’all personally and partially responsible for the sad state of affairs in our Nation, our State, and our GOP. To candidates: You have the right and responsibility to “Just say NO” to your political operative (POLYP) when confronted with clever trickery.
Campaign funding reform, disallowing legislators to pick their voters vis a vis redistricting, and focusing campaigns on the many pressing issues are prerequisites to actual change. Instead of the ABSURD pap yammered about above.
Political consulting industry – Murky, costly, unregulated, unknown to most, and yet, a dangerous necessity to become a lawmaker.
Kingmakers, Inc. history will not treat y’all well.
Speaking of Sarah Palin…::)) (Sorry, Brian I know nothing about this cloak and dagger activity being spoken here. I would, however, be disappointed if you are the ghost writer for any messages I receive from ‘ John Ox.’ without disclosing your identiy.
Can I change the subject folks since ultimately Georgia politics will be affected by Sarah Palin’s decision one way or another with her absence from the national scene or her advocacy of even local or state candidates. This is what I wrote for my blog on her resignation. Hope you will check it out. http://www.stellalohmann.com
Or, you could just go over to the Sarah Palin thread on here that was posted just so we could prevent this kind of thread jack:
http://www.peachpundit.com/2009/07/03/sarah-palin4th-of-july-open-thread/
That’s why I started it. Thanks Ickie!
Stella! STELLA!!!!
So, anyway…Icarus, at least we were able to quickly find the new post to this thread. At least Stella didn’t stick it way up on some obscure REPLY post.
Is anyone else waiting on the big reveal from Erick on RomenyGingrich12?
How about Erick doing “the big reveal” on who “Ewerickson” is?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Peer_review/Karen_Handel/archive1
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