Georgia Democrats are understandably excited that a woman with brand-name appeal is seeking the Democratic nomination to be the U.S. Senator from Georgia. Michelle Nunn's father, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, remains popular in this state. Ms. Nunn's name recognition and her background as a founder and operator of a successful non-profit provide a strong foundation for electoral success in a state where the demographics are changing in a way that seems to bode well for future Democratic victories.
However, I've been looking over Nunn's website to learn more about where she stands on the issues. My first stop was her issues page on the federal budget. Unfortunately, I wasn't happy with what I found.
Washington's failure to rein in government spending is hurting Georgia's economy.
Oh boy.
...neither party is willing to make the tough decisions to put us on a sustainable path. Instead of focusing on the long-term needs of our nation, they play political games intended to score political points - not solve problems.
Really? Neither party? "They" play political games?
There's more. She devotes an entire section to "Balancing our Budget" and in the "Cutting Spending" subsection, she writes:
We must undertake bipartisan entitlement reform to preserve Medicare and Social Security
Nunn doesn't specify what she has in mind, but again, this statement was in the section labeled "Cutting Spending."
In the Jobs and Growth section of her site, Nunn tells readers that "....we must rein in federal spending,...We need to lower our corporate tax rate,...We must continue to seek trade agreements...We need to do a better job of assessing the cost of government regulations before any new ones are imposed..."
You get the picture.
Look, I'll take a Blue Dog Democrat over a Republican any day. If elected, Ms. Nunn would undoubtedly support President Obama's judicial nominations and support much legislation that we all deem critical.
However, I find it hard to work up much enthusiasm for a candidate who is running on cutting entitlements and implementing some of the other destructive, corporate-friendly policies described on her site. As a result, I'll be taking a closer look at her opponents in the Democratic primary, despite her old man's popularity.
Update: For those who believe that Georgia Democrats can win by appealing to independents and Republicans in Georgia...just yesterday, Kos wrote the following:
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.
Unless, I misunderstood his post, Kos doesn't seem to be aware that Michelle Nunn is seeking to win over mythical independents and Republicans by running on a platform of debt reduction, entitlement cuts, and and corporate tax cuts. I'm sorry, but those positions are not going to turn out the Democratic vote.