Posted on 02/26/2017 12:37:15 PM PST by upchuck
The headlines this week read: "Republican Lawmakers Face Hostile Town-Hall Crowds" in the Atlantic, "GOP Town Halls Are Getting Flooded with Angry Constituents" in Mother Jones, and "Angry political meetings ignite US town halls" in the Financial Times.
The network and cable news stories are no different, highlighting congressional Republicans facing fiery, sometimes volatile constituents either unhappy with their congressional members or still burning from the November election results.The question is, will these dramatic events have the same disruptive impact that the Tea Party had on Democrats in 2010? Or are these just people unhappy with Donald Trump's election as president?
Thankfully, a ruby-red Republican House district once held by Newt Gingrich — one that Republicans have consistently won ever since by 60 percentage points, but that surprisingly went for Trump only narrowly over Hillary Clinton — is about to let us know. Between April and June, the Georgia congressional district will be the first real test of whether these congressional town-hall meetings, capturing so many national headlines and so much airtime during Congress's winter recess, are real and meaningful where it counts, at the ballot box.
Yes, Georgia will hold the first congressional race since Trump won the presidency — a special election on April 18 that will choose a successor for Health and Human Services Secretary and former congressman Tom Price. The date likely will be extended, however, because of the unusual field of 18 candidates, according to Kyle Kondik, political analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "All of (them) will run together in a 'jungle' primary on April 18," Klondike said. "Assuming no one gets over 50 percent — very unlikely in such a huge field — the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff on June 20."
Not really. This is not a referendum on Trump no matter what some writer says
Paid, demorat bussed-in drones are the loud mouths at Republican town hall meetings.
It's like how the media tried to tell us the Scott Walker recall thing in 2012 was a "bellwether" for the 2012 election. Obviously not; had nothing whatsoever to do with anything other than the one individual race, just like this here special election in Georgia.
if not lying, the media is being lazy.
Agreed
This district was redrawn recently. North Fulton is more conservative than the rest of that county but only by a little. Lots of liberals there. Also true in De Kalyn and Gwinnett.
This is more a test of how far north the line have moved
I think they like to make drama
Interesting that it is the exact same analysis by the AJC under a different by line
Is she part of that district?
Get ready for voter fraud galore in this district.
So many darn illegals and dead republicans turned demoncrat in N Fulton.
With Cobb, Gwinnett, and Douglas County turned over to the liberal onslaught of GA, I can see myself moving out of this state in the next 2-3 years.
Its a bright red district and the run off participants will make sure that is known if the Dim o crat gets in the runoff. This is just another chance for the media to pass fake news trying to convince everyone the district will suddenly turn blue.
Let ‘em riot and break stuff. After a few cities are destroyed, start referring to the democrat party as the “Party of Violence” or “Violence Party.”
Many carpet bagger immigrants from the Rust Belt are Democrats from Detroit, Flint, Chicago, Cleveland, etc. Nobody is asking them to think about why GA and TX have so many jobs and the Rust Belt has none.
Furthermore, the GA Republican Party seems to be both closed to new blood, and asleep at the wheel. It seems to have in leadership many former Sam Nunn Democrats who flipped to save their own political fortunes and not because they hold Republican beliefs.
Mid March the Party chooses County Leadership. Then there will be a contest for State Leadership. FR lists well over a thousand FReepers in GA. How many of them are involved in steering the party the right direction? If we are not involved, we cant whine.
Within the Tom Price District, Karen Handell has the name recognition. She made her name as a social/religious conservative. But in a special election like this, who turnsout wins. And who turnsout depends on a good ground game more than anything else. If all the Trump enthusiasts were to unite behind the same candidate and run a ground game, they would demonstrate to the party organization that they need to be taken seriously.
To do this they must unite with the Cruz and Carson type conservatives against the Kasich/Nunn types. They must focus on deregulation that creates jobs, tax cuts that create jobs, ACA reform that creates jobs.
Thanks, Bob. I was considering posting on this, but held off.
First, those disrupting are organized, at least from what I have seen, on meetup.com. I saw, by accident, that they were planning on doing this to my State Senator’s Townhall mtg. Called and gave him a heads up. These are known folks around here.
I came here from TX so to me the pubies are still blue. The State only went red in 2002. We have pubies in my House district that are horrifically progressive. Many of them lined up behind an openly progressive (Think NAPAWF, SAPHA, NACCHO, Interfaith) muslim-brotherhood linked candidate for a City Council race. She was even in the Republican Leadership class at the time. Her husband privately outed her along with another from the Indian/Muslim community. She works for John Eaves. You can’t make this stuff up. I was the campaign mgr for the person running against her. We won, but it was 60/40. Disgraceful.
If the Fulton Co. party elects Craig Kidd VP we are sunk, I kidd you not. :-) See above paragraph.
Only one person running for District 6 has a proven record of self-imposed term-limits, good governorship, backed by top GA Trump people, and can self-fund. That is former Sen. Dan Moody. Karen may have the name/glitz from the Komen stuff, but Dan is quietly solid. Not knocking Karen or anyone else running.
If we are to get behind anyone Moody is my man.
Hey, I’m doin’ my part.
I’m the delegate for my precinct.
Maybe some insider information?
Of the candidates can you rate the Republicans by how conservative they are?
Eighteen candidates filed to run in the race. They are as follows:
Judson Hill (R) (former state senator)
Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan (R) (Cobb County economist, Muslim)
Bob Gray (R) (Former Johns Creek Councilman)
Dan Moody (R) (former state senator)
Karen Handel (R) (former Secretary of State and Susan G. Komen For the Cure executive who engineered a ban on funding for Planned Parenthood in 2012.)
Bruce LeVell (R) (head of Trump’s diversity coalition, once led the Gwinnett GOP)
David Abroms (R) (business executive and former Congressional aide.)
Keith Grawert (R) (A U.S. Air Force pilot and Dunwoody resident who wants to ‘return public service to Washington.’)
Amy Kremer (R) (A Republican Tea Party activist)
William Llop (R) (A Sandy Springs accountant who said he will run as a “financial expert” who can help reduce the federal debt.)
Kurt Wilson (R) (A Roswell small business owner)
(democrats)
Ron Slotin (D)
Jon Ossoff (D)
Ragin Edwards (D)
Richard Keatley (D)
Rebecca Quigg (D)
(independents)
Alexander Hernandez (I)
Andre Pollard (I)
Notes: while president Trump may have had a narrow victory there, Tom Price (R), the incumbent, beat the Democrat by 61.7% to 38.3%.
The candidates are from four different counties, so I think anyone would be hard pressed to know where all are at, politically, just from the standpoint that people live in different areas of the district and follow different people, issues.
My fear is that the many Republican candidates so split the vote that we wind up with two Dems in the runoff. We need to unite before the April special election behind a Republican candidate.
I am not sure this is possible.
The one thing we have going for us is that Republicans traditionally have better turnout for off year elections and such, and this is like an off-off year election.
This election is to replace Tom Price. The district covers the northern suburbs of Atlanta and is solid conservative. The candidates had to file by last week, and from what I’ve seen, none of the candidates have national promenance, so I don’t see how it can be a referendum on Trump, other than I doubt that anyone who doesn’t support his positions will get past square one.
All I need is instruction. I am ready to serve.
You will have to do the research and you have the credentials to lead a successful faction.
But of course I will work as directed.
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