Now this could really make the GOP primary in the Georgia U.S. Senate race interesting:
http://thehill.com/...
Citizens United is endorsing Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) in the crowded Georgia Senate primary.
The nod from the conservative group will give the Tea Party favorite a boost — and establishment Republicans new reason to be concerned about the race.
Establishment Republicans have publicly fretted about Broun winning the primary, fearing he might not be the party's best candidate in a general election.
The congressman regularly refers to President Obama as a socialist and communist, and has said evolution and the big bang theories are lies "from the pit of hell."
Democrats have a strong recruit in former charity executive Michelle Nunn (D), the daughter of ex-Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), and are hopeful a messy Republican primary could give them a chance at winning the contest.
The seat is currently held by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), who is retiring.
A win by Democrats in Georgia would make it much tougher for Republicans to win back the Senate in 2014.
Citizens United is giving Broun $15,000 for the race — $5,000 each for the primary, primary runoff and general election, the maximum allowed under the law. It called Broun the "only true conservative" running in the primary. - The Hill, 10/8/13
Broun will need their money more than ever to win the crowded primary, the runoff and for the general election. And this is good for Team Blue because Michelle Nunn (D. GA) would have an even better chance of winning this seat agains a lunatic like Broun. By the way, Broun's been out cheering on the shutdown and trying to scare people about Obamacare:
http://www.businessinsider.com/...
National Review's Robert Costa reports that many House Republicans already hate John Boehner's debt limit plan, which they haven't seen yet.
And he has a choice quote from Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) about why he's not prepared to raise the debt limit just yet:
“America is going to be destroyed by Obamacare, so whatever deal is put together must at least reschedule the implementation of Obamacare,” he says. “This law is going to destroy America and everything in America, and we need to stop it.”
It's one thing to oppose Obamacare. It's quite another to believe it will "destroy America and everything in America." As Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Avik Roy, a strong opponent of Obamacare, wrote last month:
The idea that we had a free-market health-care system before Obamacare, and a socialized one after, is completely and utterly incorrect. In 2010, before the passage of Obamacare, U.S.-government entities spent more per capita on health care than all but three other countries in the world. Obamacare adds to that spending by around 10 to 15 percent. Not good, to be sure, but not the whole kit and caboodle either. - Business Insider, 10/7/13
While Broun is out being an idiot, Shanon Meade, a 32-year old mother and activist, has launched a PAC called More Women In Congress and she is excited to help Nunn become the next U.S. Senator from Georgia:
http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/...
What are some female campaigns coming up that you are excited about?
Well, we are excited to throw our support behind both Alison Grimes of Kentucky and Michelle Nunn of Georgia! It was also great to see Joni Ernst of Iowa decide to run, though it looks like an impossible road between her and the nomination. And the primary between Nancy Mace and Lindsey Graham in South Carolina is going to be a lot of fun to watch. If we can expand our donor base we are considering supporting Nancy Mace in that race. Three promising women candidates in the deep south is quite a sight for sore eyes.
Which existing female lawmakers out there are you excited about seeing run for higher office?
I would love to see Elizabeth Colbert Busch run again. She has such a passion for South Carolina, and I feel like she would serve them with every ounce of energy she has. And of course Alison Grimes, again, has done a great job serving Kentucky as their Secretary of State, and Michelle Nunn served the public as President of the Points Of Light foundation and Hands On Atlanta for years, so they both obviously have a heart for service. - InTheCapital, 9/25/13
And Artur Davis, the former Congressman from Alabama and Democratic turncoat is warning the Georgia GOP to take Nunn seriously as a candidate:
http://www.ajc.com/...
“Michelle Nunn’s a very strong candidate for two reasons. I assure you by the end of the campaign, people will know that she’s Sam Nunn’s daughter. And Sam Nunn will make a lot of ads for her. More importantly, Sam Nunn is going to be talking a lot about the kind of senator he was. Sam Nunn was a conservative Democrat when you had a lot of those. He knew how to work with both sides, and he represented Georgia in a way that most Georgians felt proud of. That’s going to be a huge asset for her….
“Second of all, Michelle Nunn does not have a voting record. She’s not going to be casting votes in Washington. She’s not going to have to run from the campaign trail to make a vote on the floor of the House and go back home and explain….
“That gives her an enormous amount of freedom as a candidate. Now, she’s got to figure out how to navigate Obamacare. Right now, 60 percent of Georgians say they don’t like Obamacare. She’s going to support Obamacare as the Democratic nominee. But she’s got to figure out a way to talk about what’s going to be the single biggest policy issue in this campaign….” - Atlanta Journal-ConStitution, 9/24/13
Nunn has her own backing for this race:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/...
ActBlue, a Democratic-oriented PAC, collects contributions from individuals who have earmarked the funds for specific candidates or committees, is averaging $5.4 million a month in receipts this year through the end of August.
During August the PAC reported it raised $4,138,075 and disbursed $3,440,291, with $3,246,338 being forwarded to candidates and committees. The PAC had $9 million in cash on hand at the end of August.
The PAC sent $697,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; $613,554 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; $113,058 to Democracy for America; $102,593 to Off the Sidelines PAC; $85,525 to Nunn For Senate Inc. (candidate Michelle Nunn, D-Ga.); $76,764 to Romanoff for Congress (candidate Andrew Romanoff, D-Colo.); $76,447 to Progressive Change Campaign Committee; $63,650 to Hagan Victory Fund (Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C.); $55,272 to Alison for Kentucky (candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, D-Ky.); and Hagan Senate Committee Inc. (Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C.); among others. - Roll Call, 9/23/13
And Nunn has been bashing Broun and his GOP colleagues for the shutdown:
http://www.macon.com/...
As our citizens watch in dismay and frustration, our political leaders in Washington, fight political battles to score points. Our congressional system of governing is literally broken. But there is a reservoir of hope -- Congress simply needs to turn to the example of their constituents.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been running the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service which mobilized four million volunteers annually. I have seen the best of America in our volunteers as they apply creativity and collaboration and civility to getting things done.
I have seen how people overcome differences on the PTA school board to achieve results for their kids and how they wrestle with tough problems and then reconcile differences to advance the causes of community hospitals.
As I travelled across Georgia, I saw this spirit of collaboration in abundance. I witnessed how the folks in Columbus have put aside political differences to transform their downtown and create an extraordinary water park on the Chattahoochee. The citizens of Macon have worked across sectors to provide a better place for kids in need at the Georgia Industrial Children’s Home. In Athens, businesses, individuals and faith-based organizations collaborate to create a Habitat neighborhood for working folks who can now enjoy safe and affordable homes.
People in Georgia don’t shut down or take issues to the brink. Instead, they apply innovation, hard work, empathy and determination to get the hard work done and make lives better. - Michelle Nunn (D. GA), The Telegraph, 10/7/13
By the way, received an e-mail today from Nunn's campaign and she raked in the campaign contributions big time:
I've got some great news to share, and I wanted you to be among the first to know:
After tallying the data for the end of the third quarter, I'm proud to report that we not only met but also far exceeded our goals. Thanks to our strong grassroots-powered campaign and the investment of more than 6,700 donors, we raised over $1.7 million in just ten weeks!
We set a record for a Georgia start-up Senate campaign in our first quarter, both in the amount of money we raised -- and most importantly -- the number of people who helped us do it by volunteering their time, effort, and dollars. The excitement and energy we've tapped has been truly inspiring.
We are off to a great start. With your continued support, we can inspire and mobilize Georgians to bring innovative problem solving, civility, and leadership to Washington. We have a tough and challenging road ahead, but I know that with the partnership of thousands of friends like you, we can create real change for our state and our nation.
Will you spread the word about our campaign's strong early momentum to your friends and family? Click here to share this graphic on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/...
Last week, I had the privilege of participating in the 23rd Annual Hands On Atlanta Day, joining several hundred volunteers and children at Parklane Elementary. Twenty years ago, I worked with Richard and Debbie Goldsmith to get this tutoring program started, and it is remarkable to see it still going strong. Richard and Debbie volunteer almost every Saturday alongside friends and neighbors, young and old, to make a difference for students. My son Vinson and I tutored one of the third graders, practicing our multiplication tables and conducting a science experiment with magnets. When I asked our student what her message would be to the volunteers that had come out to help, she said, "Keep coming back, please."
This seems like the perfect message to all of our volunteers. I would ask of you to "keep coming back" to our efforts over the next 13 months to win this election. Together, we can win, and we can make a real difference for all of Georgia's families.
Thank you for reading and responding to our emails, and thank you so much for all of your help and support.
Michelle
You can click here to share the graphic:
https://www.facebook.com/...
And if you would like to donate or get involved with Nunn's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.michellenunn.com/