Drifting Through The Grift: A Simple Question

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

A Simple Question

What the hell is Thurbert Baker thinking?

12 comments:

Rusty said...: This should have been a poll with answers like:

A) That people will forget about that whole "Genarlow Wilson getting thrown in prison for a consensual blowjob while I didn't do jack shit about it" thing.

B) That Georgia is, like, totally ready for a black governor dude (water bong sound).

C) That I'll ride Roy Barnes' coat tails all the way to the governor's mansion! Oh, wait...; Wed Apr 01, 04:21:00 PM
Sara said...: He authorized the appeal from the order granting habeas relief, and made sure Wilson stayed in jail while that order was on appeal. Those were discretionary decisions he did not have to make. I hope people remember.

In response to the "simple question," he is clearly thinking that 2008 showed the power of a black candidate in a primary. But he should also remember that Vernon Jones found that power was greatly diminished in a runoff, and this race is shaping up to be a certain runoff with so many people considering running.; Wed Apr 01, 04:36:00 PM
Jmac said...: To be fair, I think you're dramatically underestimating Baker for two main reasons ...

- Genarlow is inside baseball. Not to suggest it wasn't a serious issue, but it's inside baseball;

- Baker's assembled a good team and has built up some strong networks that folks are going to underestimate throughout the process.

Not saying he'll win, but I do think he's the guy to beat in the primary. And, quite frankly, he'll be a tough candidate in the general.; Thu Apr 02, 08:50:00 AM
griftdrift said...: What's tough? 45%?

And I don't think Genarlow Wilson is as inside baseball as you think. If I were running opposition against him I'd hammer him on it at every turn.

What's the best political story? The simplest one.

Hows this for simple?

Thurbert Baker had the power to remove the shackles of injustice and return a young man to his mama but instead kept him behind bars so he could appear "tough on crime".; Thu Apr 02, 09:38:00 AM
Blackjackk said...: Pursuant to the ongoing discussion about the respect the blog community receives/doesn't receive, it will be interesting to see how this issue comes up in the campaign. Because I have to agree with Jmac that it is inside baseball. The local bloggers like yourself and Sara who were on the issue early and often kept it on the radar.

Can the blogs have a real affect here? Because it may get lost in the pre-runoff campaigning.; Thu Apr 02, 10:18:00 AM
Sara said...: I think it seems inside baseball to us, but there are certain communities in Georgia that were very plugged into the Genarlow Wilson case...and Thurbert Baker needs those people to win the primary.; Thu Apr 02, 10:20:00 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm with Rusty, Sara and Grift on this. This story had legs, and still does. All the new PEW numbers about how high our incarceration rate is, this is one of those pretty darn good examples that folks in GA do understand.

He also supported Hillary- and that will be a issue for some.; Thu Apr 02, 11:33:00 AM
Sara said...: The best thing that Baker has going for him is nobody else in the field can really say they did anything to help out Genarlow Wilson. Those in the legislature who really took up for him and tried to push through the legislation aren't on the ticket. So nobody can really claim the moral majority on this issue. Particularly folks like Poythress and Barnes, who weren't in a position to do anything or even to take a public stance on the issue. But I don't remember DuBose Porter exactly taking to the well to stand tall for Genarlow, either.; Thu Apr 02, 11:58:00 AM
Jmac said...: I'm not necessarily disagreeing with y'all on the merits of the argument - or that it won't become an issue - but I'm not entirely sure how much of an issue it will be.

My thoughts are ...

- It's a primary issue, which largely would have legs in the African-American community. Given that Baker is vying to be the first African-American governor - and will probably find support among statewide African-American leaders (with indications that Michael Thurmond might come out for him and, also, I think Barnes will back him too) - I would suggest that this issue will bother some, perhaps many, but it won't be enough to cancel him out (particularly if Poythress runs to the center-right to appeal to, in my opinion, unwinnable rural voters).

- Plus, as Sara noted, I don't think his opponents (or potential opponents) want to make this an issue or have the ability to make it an issue (now whether or not blogs and the media can is another story).

- If Baker endures the general election, it doesn't matter ... shoot, it might make him more appealing to some conservative voters.; Thu Apr 02, 12:27:00 PM
griftdrift said...: I'm going to have more about this next week. And it's probably going to be one of those times I piss off the Democrats.; Thu Apr 02, 03:46:00 PM
Jmac said...: And it's probably going to be one of those times I piss off the Democrats.

Um, OK?

I don't think anyone isn't arguing that the stuff about Wilson case won't be a valid issue worth scrutinizing (or that the AG's office was right), or that you're not entitled to point out what you feel are flaws with Baker's candidacy.

Disagreements happen. It's no biggie ... unless your last name is 'Erickson' upon which you threaten armed revolts in Washington and aim to slash and burn anyone who speaks ill of Saint Sarah.; Thu Apr 02, 04:06:00 PM
griftdrift said...: My thesis will not be based on Genarlow Wilson.; Fri Apr 03, 01:35:00 AM