Brutal and I like it:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/...
Democrat Jason Carter unleashed a new line of attack against Republican Gov. Nathan Deal after the release of a federal report showing that only Mississippi has a worse unemployment rate than Georgia.
Carter’s campaign rolled out the above video and quickly arranged a telephone press conference to target the governor over the report, which documented more than 370,000 unemployed workers in Georgia – an increase of 17,000 from the previous month. Carter, a state senator, called the increase shameful and repeated his call for more a renewed focus on education.
“Georgia has every ingredient to be a powerhouse but we’re not putting them together in a way that makes sense. And the governor doesn’t get it,” said Carter. “He’s still declaring victory and that, to me, is unacceptable.”
Deal’s campaign said the July increase is due to temporary seasonal layoffs, such as school bus drivers who have gone back to work. Deal spokeswoman Jen Talaber said Carter’s agenda would only be harmful to the economy – “job-killing tax hikes” was the phrase she used. The Democrat has said tax increases are off the table but hasn’t said specifically how he would boost education funding.
Carter, for his part, said he would support incentives and tax breaks for companies moving to Georgia or expanding operations here, but that he would spurn what he called Deal’s “grab bag” philosophy for those perks. He also pledged to ensure more incentives for smaller businesses, though he offered no specifics on how he would do that. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/18/14
Deal of course tried to defend himself and attacked Carter but Carter wasn't having any of it:
http://jacksonville.com/...
“Gov. Deal’s low-tax, pro-jobs approach has worked, and we’ve become the No. 1 place in the nation in which to do business,” said Deal’s spokeswoman Jennifer Talaber. “Carter promises major spending increases and more government. That means job-killing tax hikes.”
But Carter said that hasn’t been enough. He pointed to the 45,000 students who left technical colleges after Deal scaled back the HOPE Grant, saying many of them could be filling the chronic openings for welders, engineers, computer programmers and motion-picture crews.
Asked by reporters how he would boost hiring, the Democrat said instead of economic development based on financial incentives, he would invest in education, arguing that employers would be inclined to bring their plants to a state with a long-term focus.
“We have to invest in our people. That’s the backbone of any economy,” he said.
He acknowledged that his recipe might not immediately result in jobs.
“Am I saying that I will go out there and hire a bunch of people in the short term? No,” he said. - Florida Times-Union, 8/18/14
Education funding has been another big issue Carter's been hitting Deal on:
http://www.times-herald.com/...(The+Times-Herald+%3E+Top+Stories)
Jason Carter, Democratic candidate for governor, says the current administration is “trading in the future” by short-changing education – something he pledged to stop, if elected.
Carter was the keynote speaker for the annual Atkinson-Arnall Dinner at the Newnan Centre on Friday night. The Coweta County Democratic Party is named for the two Democratic governors from Coweta County, William Yates Atkinson and Ellis Gibbs Arnall.
Carter said Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican seeking a second term, has cut money year after year from public school budgets, and he said the state is paying a price for that now. Although the number of students in the state has grown, there are 9,000 fewer teachers than five years ago.
Two-thirds of Georgia’s systems have cut the number of instructional days, and most have increased class sizes. A total of 91 school districts have had to raise taxes because of the state cuts.
A keystone of Carter’s platform is having a separate budget for education, which would be put together first – with other programs being handled in a second overall budget. “That’s what it means to have a priority,” he said.
The HOPE Scholarship, once a model for similar programs across the nation, has been gutted, Carter charged. - Times-Herald, 8/17/14
High unemployment rate and ethics scandal are both hurting Deal's chances giving Carter a serious shot here. Lets keep the momentum going. Click here to donate and get involved with Carter's campaign:
https://carterforgovernor.com/