This is a great way to respond to what's happened:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/...
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn on Thursday poked a bit of fun at the exposure of a 144-page series of campaign strategy memos that leaked this week. Then she used the occasion to launch her most aggressive attack yet at GOP candidate David Perdue.
“I always thought I wanted to run an open and transparent campaign,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in her first interview since the disclosure of the memos. “But this has gone beyond what I anticipated or intended.”
The memos lay out Nunn’s campaign strategy in stark terms, with detailed fundraising plans, an outline of her public relations strategy and prepared defenses to some of her vulnerabilities. The strategy describes black voters as “validators, volunteers and voters;” Jews offer a “tremendous financial opportunity.”
Republicans have used the documents to try to paint Nunn, a nonprofit executive, as a consultant-driven robot. Perdue, speaking after a meeting with the GOP delegation in Washington, said he was “fairly shocked” after reading his rival’s political approach.
“It gives you a keen insight into what the other side is thinking about the different groups in our state and, honestly, they put us as Republicans in certain boxes,” he said.
“And yet here we are with hard evidence that they are the ones who actually do some of that and not us.”
Nunn said that Republican scrutiny is an effort to “mischaracterize” her record. She said there was nothing in the documents she wanted to clarify. - Augusta Chronicle, 7/31/14
Right-wing media has been trying to make something out of nothing from this and really, not much can come from it:
http://savannahnow.com/...
Nunn’s campaign doesn’t know how the memo became public, but they say its release may have the benefit of getting several lines of attack over with quickly when voters are focused on vacations and preparing for the start of school.
“This was a draft of a document that was written eight months ago,” her campaign manager Jeff DiSantis said. “Like all good plans, they change. But what hasn’t changed — and is all the more clear today — is that Michelle’s opponents are going to mischaracterize her work and her positions, and part of what we’ve always done is to prepare for the false things that are going to be said.”
Even some Republican operatives who aren’t connected with her opponent, GOP nominee David Perdue, say the effect may be limited.
“In the greater scheme of things, I think a lot of voters are going to see it as inside baseball,” said Bill Crane, a consultant who admits to writing his share of confidential memos to candidates.
So far, Perdue hasn’t made use of the material other than to express shock when asked about it. Crane says its ultimate impact will be determined by how much money conservative super pacs spend publicizing its contents this fall. - Savannah Now, 7/31/14
Actually Perdue's campaign is trying to make a big deal about it but Nunn's supporters are pushing back:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/...
A flurry of calls from Michelle Nunn’s supporters came a day after the 144-page series of memos outlining her campaign strategy was exposed, and they used phrases like “routine” and “old news” and “a lot about nothing.”
Some spoke on record and others spoke on background. But all calls were arranged by the Democrat’s campaign as an effort to push back on further stories about the leak.
One caller was the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the leader of Ebenezer Baptist Church and one of Nunn’s most prominent black supporters. He said he wasn’t surprised that “people are trying to make hay out of it.”
“But the notion that somebody who is trying to run for the Senate actually has a plan to run for the Senate is not interesting or news to me. It’s not news – and it’s old news at best.”
Of course, this isn’t just any memo. It lays out Nunn’s campaign strategy, as of December at least, in clinical terms – certainly not the type of details you’d expect to see in the heat of a campaign. Those details were deemed noteworthy enough to be picked up by most major media outlets, from the insiders at Politico to the folks at The Washington Post and The New York Times.
That said, we agreed to hear the callers out on their argument. One veteran Democratic operative, who would speak only on background, likened it to a business plan that’s akin to “watching sausage being made.”
And Steve Labovitz, the well-connected Democratic attorney mentioned in the memo, told us he’s “shocked that this is even an issue” while praising it as one of the “better campaign documents” he’s seen.
“Getting it out is clearly a snafu, but even in football games, you see a playbook get out,” he said. “It happens. But they’re making a mountain from a molehill. And to me, it shows a well thought-out campaign.”
Organized Surrogate Pushback to Memo Leak was not included in the December document’s communications strategy section, but perhaps it’s in the update.
*
The David Perdue campaign, meanwhile, is trying to make fundraising hay from the document with an email to supporters:
Michelle Nunn’s own team admits it —> She’s “too liberal.” She’s not “a real Georgian.” And they even call her Harry Reid and Barack Obama’s “best friend.”
We interject here to note that those were among the memo’s predicted attacks from Republicans that Nunn would have to parry. We are unaware of any regular lunches with Barack and Harry. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/31/14
But Nunn wasn't all just jokes. She's starting to sound like a fighter:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/...
The Democrat pivoted to a new line of attack against Perdue, a former Fortune 500 executive. Nunn, a nonprofit executive who earlier seemed reluctant to speak ill of her GOP foe, sought to draw a sharper distinction between the two at the Macon stop.
“If you look at our experiences , our aspirations, the issues that we’ve embraced, you’ll see a real contrast. I have a record of focusing on trying to make a difference in peoples’ lives and actually solving problems and working across the aisle and embracing the fact that people on both sides of the party divide have good ideas if we work together. And you won’t hear any of that from David Perdue.”
She then took a shot at Perdue’s boardroom background, including a reference to his tenure at Pillowtex the failed North Carolina textile company that shuttered shortly after he left, leaving thousands out of work. (He has said he only realized the firm’s dire straits after he took control.)
“It’s somewhat ironic to me that David Perdue’s allies are running ads against me when in fact David Perdue has made 20 times my salary at the same time he has been outsourcing jobs, laying off workers and running up debt on his companies. Whereas I have a record of creating and growing an organization, making hard choices but making that organization stronger and more effective by every measure. I’m happy to make that contrast.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/31/14
This is the exact narrative of this campaign. In the blue corner you have Nunn, a successful CEO of a renowned charity organization that has made serious impacts in people's lives. In the red corner you have Perdue, a stimulus loving, Wall Street bailout support, equal pay denying job outsourcer. This is the real distinction between the two candidates and this is the message that has to be hammered into people's heads. Luckily the People For the American Way are up with ads in Atlanta targeted towards Latinos going after Perdue's background:
http://www.peachpundit.com/...
A progressive group has launched a negative radio ad campaign against Republican Senate candidate David Perdue. The ad, running in Spanish and English, is aimed at Hispanic voters. According to a press release, it began running in metro Atlanta on Wednesday.
The ad claims Perdue took advantage of employees while working in the private sector, and complains about his stance on immigration reform. This is the script:
The more I learn about Republican David Perdue the more scared I am and the more I realize that we need to be united on our vote against him this coming November.
Since working in the private sector, David Perdue has been exploiting workers.
And now as a candidate to the Senate, he wants to do the same: He wants to allow companies to send jobs abroad, where they pay salaries so low, they are ridiculous!
Here, he opposes an increase to the minimum wage but he agrees to raise taxes for workers!
And do you know what he says about immigration reform? That it’s a waste of time.
The Republican David Perdue does not fight for workers and won’t fight for us!
That’s why we have to unite and defend our jobs, our community, and vote against David Perdue and the Republicans!
The ad and campaign are notable for several reasons. The ad is one of the first, if not the first being run by a third-party group targeting Perdue in the general election. It is also likely the first time ad space is being purchased on Hispanic media in Georgia for a U.S. Senate race. The ad’s themes show the way the Republican Senate candidate will be portrayed through November: as an out of touch business executive who took advantage of his employees and who will do the same in the Senate.
According to Georgia’s Secretary of State, Hispanic voters made up less than 2% of Georgia’s electorate in 2012. While changing demographics and an effort by Democrats to register additional Hispanic voters may increase this percentage in 2014, this statement by UNO Georgia Managing Partner Anibal Torres sounds a bit optimistic.
“It is no surprise that national organizations and local campaigns are paying close attention to the importance of the Latino Vote….it has long been our view that Latino voters could tip the scale for democrats in this mid-term cycle.” - Peach Pundit, 7/31/14
This is exactly the type of campaign I want to see in this race. Plus it sounds like Perdue is flip flopping on this:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/...
David Perdue had to run against Washington and its dreaded “career politicians” in order to capture his party’s U.S. Senate nomination.
But he needs them to win in the fall and become an effective senator, which is why he made the rounds Wednesday on Capitol Hill for a series of possibly awkward meetings, starting with the man he defeated in a rough nine-week runoff, Jack Kingston. The Perdue campaign passed along the accompanying photographic evidence of the meeting.
We’re unaware of any visuals from Perdue’s sit-down with Georgia Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In a primary season debate Perdue vowed not to vote for McConnell to remain as leader.
Chambliss said McConnell called Perdue the day after he won the runoff and they discussed Perdue’s pledge, and the issue arose again in person Wednesday. But they’re cool, Chambliss reports:
“They were very forthright and David made it very plain he’s going to support the Republican leadership and that’s not an issue and we’re moving on.”
So, we asked, did Perdue say he would vote for McConnell for leader?
“I don’t want to put words in his mouth … but he was very clear with the Leader that he’s going to be a team player.”
Now, one can still pledge to work with McConnell and vote against him. And if McConnell is re-elected there is no real challenge expected to his leadership perch. Still, the tone change is noteworthy. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/31/14
I hope you're all ready to fight because I sure am. We can beat Perdue, Nunn has a great narrative and is ready to go. Lets help her win and turn Georgia blue. Click here to donate and get involved with Nunn's campaign:
http://www.michellenunn.com/