Barnes and Deal play petty politics instead of talking policy

This year's gubernatorial race continues the trend of negative campaign ads, with the most vicious attacks coming in the final weeks until November. Local newspapers are trying to counter them with their "truth-o-meters" (will be interesting to see if the public scrutiny tempers negative ads in future campaign cycles). The conventional wisdom is that these negative attacks work, which is why candidates invest so much money into them. The success comes in large measure from diminishing citizen confidence in elected officials over time and lessening the desire to vote more each cycle. Is it possible then, for candidates to lessen voter appeal for their opponent without being personal or partisan and focusing on the real issues people care about (and policy proposals to solve them)?

Let's take the case of Democrat Roy Barnes' attacks on Republican Nathan Deal's well-publicized financial woes. Should the inability to manage personal finances raise questions about fitness to tackle the state's budget? Yes. Does the appearance of a Congressman getting sweetheart financial deals in personal business matters lead many voters to the conclusion of  “politics as usual?” Yes.  

I know, I know. Political consultants and politicians will tell you that negative ads work and Barnes is taking the right approach by pointing out these failings to voters in the most direct terms possible. The logic goes that these ads fire up the most committed voters (ensuring they turn out at the polls) while diminishing the appetite for others to vote. I am all for firing up the base. But it is the increasing number of people turning away from the electoral process that concerns me. These citizens are growing tired of negative ads. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times – people want solutions to the problems in their lives, not rhetoric and partisanship. But that’s mostly what they receive and are giving up on elected officials as a result, seeking other opportunities to make a difference in local communities.

Young people are particularly concerned. According to a recent Rock the Vote poll, “an overwhelming majority (83 percent) still say they believe their generation has the power to change our country, yet 59 percent say they feel more cynical about politics than they did two years ago.”

So let’s return to the Governor Barnes example. What could he do differently to critique Nathan Deal and the Republicans in a direct, stinging manner that is based upon issues and not petty politics? I call it the “Georgia Mushroom Cloud Ad.”

Political junkies and Baby Boomers will recall the nuclear bomb “Daisy Ad” President Johnson ran in 1964. The ad was so shocking at the time that it was run once and then never saw the light of day again. But the message was sent loud and clear – “I am the candidate who will keep you safe from nuclear attack.” It was issues politics in a manner that literally blew through the clutter. 

Now imagine the following Roy Barnes ad:

Camera pans in on a south Georgia farm that is empty, filled with tumbleweeds as words fill the screen (with voiceover) pointing out how Republicans (in control of all levels of Georgia government) failed to create comprehensive plans to manage the state's water. At the same time, we lost ground in the tri-state water wars, putting the case in Congressional hands and possibly meaning less water for our state – impacting availability of potable water, diminishing development, etc.  

The camera then moves to a classroom and kids in complete anarchy because no teacher is around to provide discipline or direct their learning. Add a voiceover and words filling the screen pointing out how Republicans were in charge of government during teacher furloughs and the drive for fewer days of actual classroom instruction – the lowest since the 1960s.

The camera then pans to a metro Atlanta highway that looks like a literal parking lot with a voiceover and words on screen pointing out that the Georgia General Assembly failed to pass effective, comprehensive transportation reform the past eight years and only approved a measure this session which will have little impact until voters decide on plans in 2012. 

The ad ends with the camera panning to a highway sign that reads, "the last person out of Georgia, please turn the lights out." 

The point for voters is that the issues they care about, and those that will impact our quality of life and ability to sustain an economy against Southern competitors, were not addressed the last eight years of Republican leadership. Do you want more failed policies or prefer getting Georgia back on track? These ads would allow Barnes to "attack" and be critical but actually outline the issues we face in Georgia, not just the same old financial deals voters expect from their elected leaders anyway – Barnes’ seemingly only point of differentiation in ads. 

Barnes’ ads are more of the same and will continue to harden voters’ cynical attitudes towards the political process and their feelings that politicians don’t care about bettering our lives. And ultimately, these ads and the ones produced by Deal will ensure voter turnout continues to remain low as demonstrated by the 21 percent participation in this July’s Primary Elections. Barnes and Deal fail to provide concrete proposals of how they would solve these critical issues and instead leave more Georgians disenchanted with politics, turning them away from the civic process.

Take action today by signing this petition that calls upon politicians to “talk policy and not petty politics!”  

The Inactive Middle and Georgia's Future

By Michael Mills

A friend and I were recently discussing the challenges facing Georgia as we attempt to create jobs in an ever-increasingly competitive environment. He bemoaned the lack of political leadership as the impediment to real solutions and we began to handicap the upcoming General Elections and what that meant for the future of our state.

My friend believes the agenda won’t be changing much sense the “vast majority of Georgians are Republicans, or at least conservatives.” I rebuffed the statement, stating a majority of Georgians identify themselves as independent of either political party even though they might lean more towards "Democrat" or "Republican" one year to the next. Gallup data actually show that Democrats hold a 3 point “leaning” affiliation lead over Republicans (electoral turnout is one explanation for Republicans currently holding a decisive legislative advantage) in Georgia at this time.

The real problem with fixing our state isn’t ideological – at least along party lines. The challenge is that the vast majority of Georgians are tuned out and choosing to pull a lever for neither party. They’ve given up hope our “leaders” will solve problems, ultimately believing neither party cares about making Georgia a better place, or certainly offering needed reform to get us there. Election turnout, while showing slight gains the previous years, still remains ridiculously low. Only about 1.1 million Georgians (or 22 percent of active registered voters) cast ballots for governor in the 2010 Primary contest this past July.

In the end it appears the vast majority of Georgians believe the old political adage that there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats. And that is increasingly proven to be true when you look at outcomes under both parties’ leadership.

Look at the “Big Three” issues facing Georgia: water, education and transportation. Other than offering vouchers, is there really much difference between Republican or Democratic “solutions?” Both want to improve student performance and increase teacher accountability but offer few differing, revolutionary ideas. As for transportation, both parties want to reduce gridlock generally but offer few tangible policies for doing so (note: a main difference is that one party favors roads over rail). And both want to find a settlement with our neighbors (Alabama and Florida) to ensure Georgia can continue to draw water as desired and needed from Lake Lanier and other sources. But neither offers even the most basic comprehensive solutions for making sure our water quality and quantity remain appropriate to continue life as we know it into the foreseeable future (forget it if the expected population growth continues across metro Atlanta the next 25 years).

Consider the actual “accomplishments” of both parties in Georgia and you will see that the silent, electorally inactive middle is correct. Is Georgia's academic performance better today, after eight years of Republican leadership, from when Roy Barnes was governor? Have Georgia students moved from the bottom two in standardized testing to middle of the national pack (a rhetorical question, obviously)?

Are we any closer to a water solution today than when Democrats led? Quite the opposite. Things have gotten so bad that the fate of negotiations are about to go to the experts in Congress to decide.

And what about transportation – MARTA, GRTA and Cherokee transportation systems are seriously reducing service or shutting down all together. The legislature kicked the can this year, punting regional transportation planning decisions to voters in 2012. That means needed projects won’t get underway from any new funding for three to five years at the earliest.

We continue to lose ground in education, job growth and economic competitiveness to neighbors like Charlotte who put light rail through the city in just a few years. And neither party will own up to that fact, study the problems and offer real and sometimes difficult solutions to get us back on track. In the end, perhaps the “middle” is right, we suffer and the system fails to work because the quest for power, fundraising and partisanship take priority over actual problem solving. 

So in the end, as I told my friend, Georgia’s policy future isn’t so gloomy just because of a leadership vacuum that exists at the capitol. Citizens allow this inaction and ineffectiveness to continue by sending the same folks back to the “Gold Dome” regardless of the party next to their name on a ballot. And actual voters aren't solely to blame here, those sitting on the sidelines are just as guilty.

But there is hope. Each of us can make a difference by taking action – any kind of civic action: go to the polls; write a blog; or contact a candidate, legislator, governor or Congressman, telling them your idea for fixing our state and then holding them accountable through their term (and at the polls in the next election cycle, if necessary). Those aren't plattitudes - making your voice heard and holding elected officials accoluntable is how problems are solved - look at cancer funding (thanks Lance Armstrong), global warming (thanks Al Gore and your PowerPoint presentation) and health care (well, maybe nobody is to thank for tackling that mess).

In the end, we all win with more participation (perhaps “we” doesn’t include current politicians in this scenario). But all of us suffer (perhaps “all” doesn’t include politicians in this scenario) when the vast middle remains silent. 

Welcome to Georgia Polis

Welcome to the first post on our new blogspot - Georgia Polis.
By Georgia Polis Founder Michael Mills

Georgia electoral participation and overall civic engagement continue to decline, while cynicism is on the rise. People do care about the world around them and how government seeks to solve our existing problems. But participation wanes because we do not have an ingrained civic compass, lack information and are turned off by rhetoric and partisanship that fails to touch or improve our lives. We must engage and empower people in the civic process to ensure greater prosperity for all Georgians. Our leaders must rise above rhetoric and political partisanship to create and pass common sense legislation that results in a more prosperous state.

This can only be accomplished by electing leaders who put Georgians first and are also held accountable for moving our state in the right direction. To do this we must increase citizen knowledge, connectivity, civic desire and action in the community and political arenas. That’s why we are launching Georgia Polis: to increase public understanding of key issues and politics, and drive civic action in communities across our state.

This site will evolve into an online network but the foundation will be regular non-partisan issue content from authors covering the full ideological spectrum. And we will also create a civic marketplace that promotes community and non-profit events and opportunities for involvement.

Come back often, join the discussion and make sure to take action.