As some of you know, my fellow Council Member Elaine Lucas has submitted legislation to declare Barack Obama a member of Macon’s City Council. Tomorrow in committee we begin discussing the legislation. Below are a few of my amendments I’ll be submitting. If you want, suggest some in the comments:

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, we appreciate Barack Obama’s candidness in his autobiography admitting that he had snorted cocaine”
/strong
Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, we hold no ill will with regard to Barack Obama being the only member of the Illinois State Senate to speak in favor of infanticide during his tenure there”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new third Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, because of Barack Obama Americans everywhere now make sure their vehicles’ tires have adequate and appropriate tire pressure”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, with Barack Obama election and, in his own words, ”this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, prior to entering elected office, Barack Obama started his political fudraising efforts in the living room of noted domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, a man who planned to kill numerous American policemen,”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, prior to entering elected office, Barack Obama boldy admitted to attending meetings of the American Community Party with his childhood mentor Frank Davis,”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, prior to and after entering elected office, Barack Obama felt no shame sitting for twenty years in front of a preacher who referred to the United States as the ‘U-S-of-KKK-A” and preached that white America created HIV/AIDS to infect black men,”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

strongMove to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, since becoming President, Barack Obama has in one hundred days generated a larger national debt than eight years of George W. Bush, but unlike George Bush, Barack Obama’s heart is in the right place,”/strong

Erickson Amendment to the RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA HONORING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON BECOMING THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND PROCLAIMING HIM AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON CITY COUNCIL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Move to insert a new second Whereas clause to read:

“WHEREAS, proving his wisdom, Barack Obama has chosen a course of national security policy that will willfully allow terrorists now housed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to enter upon American soil,”

Some people have too much time on their hands.

A local businessman is organizing efforts in Georgia, which are aimed at ousting President Barack Obama from the Oval Office.

A group of Georgians, called Rise Up for America, recently “indicted” the president as being ineligible to serve, due to concerns related to his U.S. citizenship status.

Carl Swensson, of Morrow, is overseeing the 25 members of a common-law grand jury, or Thomas Jefferson Grand Jury, who returned the March 28 indictment.

You know, we can go back and forth on which side has more noxious crazies, etc., but let’s admit that both sides do and this is one of the most insidious forms of that craziness. These people will spend the next four to eight years totally ignoring everything else solely to fixate on this without a chance in hell of doing anything about it.

I make a motion we rename Henry County “La Mancha County”.

I support this President as much as the Democrats supported President Bush.

By the way, Meghan McCain voted for Al Gore and John Kerry and publicly debated whether she’d vote for Obama over her own father.

Just because she’s decided to ride her name to money does not mean we actually should treat her seriously. She is the female Ron Reagan.

State Sen. Gail Buckner wants to require congressional candidates to actually live in the district their running to represent:

Georgia State Senator Gail Buckner (D-Morrow) has introduced SB 35, which requires all candidates for any district office to swear under penalty of perjury that they live in the district they seek to represent. The bill does not make an exemption for U.S. House candidates, and therefore would be unconstitutional if it were enacted. The U.S. Constitution does not require candidates for U.S. House to live in any particular district, and states are not permitted to add to the qualifications for U.S. House.

Buckner was the Democratic Party’s candidate for Secretary of State in 2006. The legislation can be read here.

As far as I know, Rep. David Scott is the only member of Georgia’s congressional delegation that doesn’t live in his district. He represents parts of Clayton County and Henry County that are also in Buckner’s state senate district.

As Democrats begin preparing for next year’s midterm elections, a veteran political analyst is expressing worries about President Obama’s ability to provide coattails for his Democratic colleagues when he isn’t on the ballot.

Rhodes Cook, who spent almost twenty-five years writing for Congressional Quarterly before joining the nonpartisan Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, recently reviewed the results of the 2008 Georgia Senate Run-off and asked the following question:

. . .while the [Democrats] can turn out their large constituency with Barack Obama atop the ticket, can they do so when he is not on the ballot?

In Georgia, Cook replies, the answer is no.

Although the former Congressional Quarterly reporter cautions readers not to “draw global conclusions from a single state,” he points to the nearly fifty percent drop between Jim Martin’s November vote total and the Democrat’s December run-off total as evidence that “there were no Obama coattails without Obama himself.”

Martin sought to spur Democratic turnout in the runoff by tying himself closely to Obama. He argued that he would be a loyal supporter of the new president, with one flier declaring: “Jim Martin for Senate, Don’t Stop With Barack.”

Obama, for his part, cut a radio spot and recorded a robo-call for Jim Martin. In addition, the President kept most of his Georgia campaign offices open and also sent volunteers to supplement the Martin campaign operation. Still, the Georgia Democratic U.S. Senate nominee went down in a crushing 15-point defeat on December 2nd.

Cook notes red flags should be raised by Democrats across the nation looking to learn lessons from Jim Martin’s drubbing at the hands of GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss.

Martin’s loss to Chambliss came amidst voter turnout that almost matched the number of votes cast in the state’s 2006 gubernatorial election.

While nearly 4 million Georgians cast ballots in the presidential voting, only 2,137,956 participated in the Senate runoff. That is nearly identical to the number who cast ballots in the state’s 2006 gubernatorial election (2,122,258)–a race that was won handily by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue.

“Voter turnout in 2010 will undoubtedly be much closer to these lower numbers than the higher presidential turnout figure,” Cook says.

There’s a simple question being asked here.

Are there any coattails being provided by Barack Obama?

Without Obama appearing atop the ticket or directly involving himself in a campaign, can Democrats continue their recent string of electoral victories?

Rhodes Cook responds that the jury is still deliberating on Obama’s skill to mobilize his party’s base to “turn out for a midterm election in which he is not on the ballot.” And that, Cook says, gives Republicans hope for a quick comeback from the political wilderness.

To view Rhodes Cook’s research on this subject, please read the January 29, 2009 column “The Georgia Senate Runoff: The First Shot Of 2010?.

The ATF is assisting in the investigation:

Investigators in Forsyth County are still pursuing leads in a fire that destroyed the home of a supporter of President Obama.

They have confirmed that the blaze at the home of Pamela Graf was intentionally set but are not releasing any specifics, Steve Anderson, chief of investigations for the fire department, said Tuesday.

Graf’s home burned Jan. 18 after she left town to attend Obama’s inauguration. Racially charged graffiti was sprayed on a nearby fence.

Despite unprecedented levels of security at last week’s Presidential Inauguration, a serious breech occurred allowing Congressman Jack Kingston to sneak in and snap several photos of the event which you can see here.

In the living room (that’s me to the right of Charles Krauthammer):

Thanks to the Presidential Inaugural Committee for providing a copy of the speech in advance of its delivery.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Tomorrow, we will witness one of the great events in human history. Yes, an African-American will be inaugurated president for the first time since America’s founding — and I’ll get to that momentarily — but that’s not what I’m referring to here.

What I’m talking about here is far more underrated, and far more consistently historic. You see, tomorrow we will witness that rarest of political occurrences: the peaceful, non-dynastic transfer of power over the mightiest country in the world, yet again, from the outgoing leader of the past eight years to the incoming leader of at least the next four.

The fact that America’s transitions from president to president are so regular, so peaceful, and so orderly has led us to take for granted this occurrence which, in the context of human history, is an incredibly rare and spectacular event.

This is far more rare, and far more amazing, an occurrence than we ever give it credit for. The ancient pioneers of democracy whose tradition we are carrying (and building) on were not able to continue such a tradition.

The legendary democracy of classical Athens, for example, took over a century to establish, then underwent fits and starts during its century and a half of existence, ceding preeminence to tyranny after Solon’s early 6th century tenure, to an an oligarchy during the late-5th century Peloponnesian war, and ending in Macedonian monarchy after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.

Rome’s fragmented republican system lasted longer (around 400 years if the traditional founding date of 509 BC is accepted), but it endured more upheaval and violence than the halting Athenian system, finally ending in the 3/4-century long inferno of repeated proscriptions, tyrannicide, and seemingly endless civil war.

Barack Hussein Obama’s accession to the presidency is not being met by military mobilization, riots, or widespread conspiratorial assassination attempts. In fact, it’s not even being met with the protests, the threats of violence, and the widespread claims of “he’s not my President!” which were directed at the last recipient of presidential power eight (and again four) years ago, when we came the closest we have in living memory to breaking our historic cycle of peaceful, non-antagonistic transitions.

Tomorrow’s inauguration of the 44th President of the United States (and the first African-American president) will demonstrate two things above all else:

1. That America, its citizens, and its leaders still respect the rites of democratic succession to such a degree that, for the 42nd time, we have had our electoral say and as a result power is changing hands peacefully, with (despite the far Left’s paranoid claims of the last eight years) no armies being marched on The Mall and no last-ditch attempts being made by the outgoing leader to hold onto power or to keep the presidency within his dynastic line; and
2. That the idea of racism as an institution imposing a glass (or steel) ceiling on the level to which African-Americans can rise is as dead as Nathan Bedford Forrest himself.

Building on #2 above, allow me now to change gears to address the race issue.

The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America shows once and for all that the identity politics and categorical identification and treatment of Americans according to race, religion, and gender — which has for so long been a key tool in the Left’s political toolkit — is both outdated and irrelevant.

With the swearing-in of a racial minority to the highest office in the world, attempts to supposedly make up for past transgressions by implementing race-based quota systems, rather than actually allowing minorities to succeed on their own merits without the cloud of racial favoritism and “white guilt”-induced pity hanging over their heads, should be recognized as the irrelevant mechanisms of outcome equality that they are, and should be left by the wayside with “separate but equal” and other similarly outdated doctrines.

America as a whole crossed the threshold into a largely “colorblind” society years ago. Unfortunately, as is their wont, politicians and government (particularly on the left side of the aisle) have lagged far behind their countrymen in this area, and have continued insisting on identifying, categorizing, and regulating Americans by their race and gender, rather than by their common humanity.

This will not immediately cease to be the case with tomorrow’s inauguration — but it should, and, with the accession of an African-American to the presidency for the first time in U.S. history, there is no longer any excuse for it not to.

I’ll be on the Kudzu Vine show on Blog Talk Radio tonight at 7:00 PM.

We’ll be talking about the Legislative session thus far, Bush, and some fellow named Obama who I gather will be sworn in this week as President or something .

Per the AJC:

An Atlanta civil rights icon will play a very visible role in the historic and star-studded inauguration of Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president.

A congressional committee announced late Wednesday that the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a stalwart of the civil rights movement and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will deliver the benediction.

Today, I witnessed history as the fifteen electors appointed by the state Republican Party and elected by the people of Georgia cast their votes for John McCain and Sarah Palin. To quote Georgia elector John White, “The November 4th election did not elect a president. Until we finish our business here today, this election is not over.”

Well, that business is now completed and we can finally close the book on the never-ending story that was the 2008 presidential election.

Now I must admit that as I walked onto the floor of the state Senate, my presuppositions of the Georgia GOP included the expectation that the state’s 15 electors would be a bunch of old, overweight, balding white men. It surprised me to learn that of Georgia’s 15 electors, six were women and three more were minorities (African-American, Asian-American and Latino).

I was surprised because what I saw today ran contrary to everything I’ve ever heard about the Republican Party.

I was always told that the GOP was racist; that they didn’t like black people. I was always told that the Republicans were sexist; that they wanted to keep their women in the home doing the only two things that females are good for, housework and bedwork. I was always told that Republicans were xenophobic; that they wanted to keep Jose from coming across the border.

In short, the Republican Party that I saw in the state Senate chambers today did not reflect the Republican Party that existed in my mind for most of my life. I expected a bunch of good ol’ white boys ruling the roost. Instead, I saw them in the minority.

It was an eyeopener and no mistake.

So while I look forward to a vigorous campaign in 2010 and (hopefully) beating the brakes off you guys, I have a new-found respect for the GOP because today I saw fifteen Republican electors that truly looked like Georgia.

As prescribed by the Constitution, federal law and the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the fifteen electors representing the state in the electoral college are scheduled to meet today under the Gold Dome at high noon. There, they will formally cast Georgia’s fifteen electoral votes for Arizona Senator John McCain thus bringing to a close the seemingly unending 2008 presidential campaign.

Among the state’s fifteen electors are Peach Pundit contributor Clint Murphy, Ford dealer Allan Vigil, Georgia Republican Party Chair Sue Everhart and Republican National Committee member Alec Pointevint.

Their marching band will take part in Obama’s inaugural parade:

The Austell high school will march with school groups from across the country and members of the military from the Capitol to the White House following Obama’s swearing in ceremony.

They were chosen from nearly 1,400 applicants by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

I spoke yesterday via phone with RNC Chairman Mike Duncan. I had recorded the call and intended to post it as a podcast but alas the recording didn’t work. Nevertheless I’ll relay the detail of our conversation as accurately as I can.

Duncan was obviously pleased with the results of Tuesday’s runoff which saw Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss win a second term. Duncan sees this victory as the first victory of the 2010 election cycle and praised the combined efforts of the RNC, RSCC, the Ga. GOP and the Chambliss campaign. Volunteers from 43 states traveled to Georgia as well as numerous RNC field staff. Over 500,000 voters were contacted either by phone or by a knock on their door in the five days leading up to the runoff. The RNC also made use of web advertising and email which helped them mirco-target known Republicans.

I asked Duncan if he thought the election of Barack Obama meant the country had moved to the left or if it was a rejection of how George Bush and the Republicans had governed. He mentioned that there were “strong headwinds” blowing against the GOP in 2008. Continuing opposition to the War in Iraq coupled with the severe economic problems which manifested themselves at the end of the campaign created a very tough environment for McCain and other Republican candidates.

As for the ongoing debate over the future of the Republican Party, Duncan said he’s “been around long enough to see us on the mountain top and down in the valley,” and whatever we do we certainly should not abandon our core principles. A return to basics is in order he said.

Duncan was familiar with the proposals put forward by a group called Rebuild The Party. He said he welcomed the input and found many of the proposals intriguing. He then went on to tell me that the RNC currently makes use of Twitter, Facebook, and that the combined email list of the RNC and the McCain campaign matched Obama’s email list. It’s an “apples to apples” comparison he says, because the DNC gave way to the Obama campaign as far as an email effort in concerned. He admitted they should have done a better job at promoting their online efforts.

Duncan has not announced whether or not he’ll seek another term as Chairman of the RNC. CNN reports he may make his mind up as early as this weekend but he told me he had “unfinished business” in the form of the Senate race recount in Minnesota and this Saturday’s Congressional elections in Louisiana. Since it’s doubtful the Minnesota recount will wrap up this weekend, I suspect it might be a while before Duncan makes any formal announcement.

This is really funny.

Zealous guardians of his words and his likeness, the family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is demanding a share of the proceeds from the sudden wave of T-shirts, posters and other merchandise depicting the civil rights leader alongside Barack Obama.

Isaac Newton Farris Jr., King’s nephew and head of the nonprofit King Center in Atlanta, said the estate is entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in licensing fees – maybe even millions.

“Some of this is probably putting food on people’s plates. We’re not trying to stop anybody from legitimately supporting themselves,” he said, “but we cannot allow our brand to be abused.”

I didn’t realize MLK, Jr. was a “brand.”

This reminds me, now that Obama is elected, will the race pimps be joining the unemployment line? Was that why Jesse Jackson was crying on election night?

In a document publicly released today, but prepared on November 7th, outlining the Obama adminstration’s transitions and possible cabinet picks, Shirley Franklin’s name appears as a potential HUD Secretary.

Sam Nunn appears as a potential Secretary of State, but not a potential Secretary of Defense.

Max Cleland appears as a potential VA Secretary

The former Georgia Senator will lead the effort for Obama:

Nunn will lead a large transition office at the Pentagon that also includes former Clinton Navy secretary Richard Danzig and former Clinton-era Pentagon comptroller Bill Lynn, officials said. They spoke on condition of because the Obama transition office has not announced the names. The announcements are expected later this week.

UPDATE: Obama’s people say hold on a minute.

Is it a prelude to him becoming Secretary of Defense?

President-elect Obama has hired former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn to help shepherd his Pentagon transition, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Nunn, a former Georgia senator and veteran Democratic defense adviser, was once rumored as a potential running mate for Obama. Transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Nunn will perform “an informal senior adviser role throughout the defense transition process.”