With diary traffic so heavy yesterday, it looks like no one really saw our last update. So I'll repeat the important parts today.
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Sunday Edition, "Walker man seeks chance to unseat Deal".
Paul's opponent:
U.S. Rep. Deal, who had more than $350,000 in campaign cash as of April 1, last saw opposition in 2000, when he won with more than 75 percent of the vote.
I retrieved the following on Deal's finances from opensecrets:
Raised: $646,336
Spent: $349,581
Cash on hand: $357,621
Last Report: 3/31/2006
His nice little war chest puts him well above Paul's current level of funding. But Deal hasn't had a challenge since 2000 and has been sitting on campaign money for quite a few years. It'd be great to force him to spend it defending his seat.
I'm beginning to think one reason the South has abandoned Democrats is that Democrats abandoned the South. Not fielding a challenger since 2000!
More below...
"We take every campaign seriously," he said. "My constituents will find that I have one of the most conservative voting records in the Congress."
That in itself is enough reason to fight Deal.
Deal ran in Georgia as a Democrat in 1992 and won. But just after his first re-election switched sides and became a rethug. He promised to resign if he ever did so, but of course he didn't.
The 63-year-old congressman said while it's not "impossible" for someone with Mr. Blackwell's background to jump into Congress, "it would be a serious disadvantage" for the district.
Nice slam to the working people of Georgia. Everyone I have spoken to who has read the article, had the same reaction. They feel Deal just insulted them and Paul, and made the race personal. Deal is a lawyer, a career politician and a conservative, of course he thinks a working man running for Congress is a bad idea.
Among other things, he said Democrats have fought making President Bush's tax cuts permanent and have immigration policies at odds with North Georgians.
"It'll be my pleasure to debate those," he said.
Deal is correct in that Paul's beliefs are at odds with the racist views of many in the area. This is something he and I have both fought against our entire lives, and is the stain that follows us wherever we go when people learn that we are from such a place.
As for the tax cuts, I don't think there's a person in the district that benefited from them, except maybe Deal himself. It's just a matter of getting that data in front of people so they can see the truth.
Mr. Blackwell said for all Rep. Deal's experience in Congress and as a state senator he's lost sight of the needs of regular people like himself.
"He's lost touch with the real people," he said. "He's forgotten what it's like to struggle to pay your bills."
This is what clinches it for me and seems to get the most ooh's and ahh's from people. Paul certainly does have a handle on what it's like to live at that level. He's still working at Wal-Mart everyday, changing oil and rotating tires.
It's gonna be a hard fight, but I think Paul has a chance. As RBH has pointed out, "the district went from 48/36 Bush to 55/35 Dole to 70/28 Bush, before redistricting in 2001." Since then it seems about 75/25 Bush.
With Bush's falling poll numbers, with many still out of work and struggling, and gas prices climbing again, I think we have the chance to get people's attention now. I think people will be more receptive to Paul's message (and Democrats) when they see an alternative being offered that can show proof of what can be done to improve their lives and livelihood. When they see how they have been abandoned by Republicans who used their "values" against them to seize power.
We need your support now. In order for Paul to challenge Republican incumbent Nathan Deal, we need to raise the filing fee by Thursday evening. The filing deadline is noon on Friday.
So far we have raised $110.00.
Please visit the site and donate today. Time is very limited in this important race. We're counting on your support.
The site has been massively updated over the weekend with lots of info and there's still more to come.
Paul Blackwell for Congress