The 2014 Democratic primary will be held here in Georgia on Tuesday, May 20th. If the media get its way, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn’s daughter, Michelle Nunn, will become Georgia’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. If she becomes our nominee, then of course, I’ll support her during her general election campaign and vote for her in November.
But if Michelle Nunn becomes our Democratic nominee here in Georgia, that would be a shame. Here are some selected quotes from a recent MSNBC.com piece (emphasis mine):
“The 47-year-old daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn is running as an earnest, pro-business centrist in a solidly red state, drawing national attention and raising millions of dollars.”
“‘[My father] can’t remember a single bill he was involved in that didn’t have bipartisan support and Republican co-sponsors,’ she explains.”
“Nunn is quick to point out that she was ‘one of the first people to come out’ for a delay of the individual mandate after problems emerged with the website. When asked whether Obamacare can ultimately succeed, she neither defends nor attacks the law wholesale, declining to cast judgment on it one way or the other.”
“Like her father, Nunn considers herself a deficit hawk and says Democrats haven’t been flexible enough on entitlement reform. She personally supports gay marriage but agrees with the Supreme Court that the definition of marriage should be left to the states.“
“And when she openly sides with Democrats, she’s careful to couch her support in terms that conservative voters might find palatable: No additional food stamp cuts—but tackling hunger will require ‘public-private partnerships,’ not just federal money.”
“’I think both parties have some responsibility for the partisan gridlock, so we need people who are interested in finding common ground,’ she concludes.”
“
But Georgia is a RED state! Only a center-right Democrat can win in November!”
Has Georgia elected more Republicans than Democrats? Obviously. But does Georgia have more Republican voters than Democratic voters? No, it does not.
Kos explains (emphasis mine):
In Georgia, Democrats estimate that there are nearly 600,000 unregistered African Americans. Romney won the state by 300,000 in 2012. Compounding the problem, Democrats also estimate that about 600,000 Georgians who voted for Obama won't turn out in 2014 on their own initiative to vote for Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn.
But you don't hear Democrats talking about appealing to southern rednecks with Confederate flags anymore. There are more base Democrats in Georgia than conservatives. If we get them to vote, we win. It won't be easy, but sure beats trying to win over mythical independents and Republicans.
So how do we motivate Democratic voters to show up in November? Is it by nominating a candidate who is collecting millions from businesses and Republicans, blaming both parties for the dysfunction in Washington, and running primarily on reducing the deficit and “reforming” Social Security and Medicare?
Supporting Michelle Nunn in Georgia’s Democratic primary because we believe that only a center-right candidate can win here contradicts this fundamental truth that we’ve learned about elections over the past decade… The party that turns out the most voters gets the most votes.
How do we turn out Democratic voters in Georgia? The same way that we turn out more voters anywhere else. Run on expanding Social Security, protecting Medicare benefits, creating a public option, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, raising the minimum wage, enacting immigration reform, and creating jobs by reinvesting in our infrastructure and hiring more teachers, police, and firefighters. We do it by running as Democrats. That’s why, for me, it would be a sin to cast my ballot for Michelle Nunn in the Democratic primary when we have strong progressive alternatives, like Branko Radulovacki, who we can run instead.