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GA-12: Obama Weighs In... For Barrow

by: Crisitunity

Thu Jun 19, 2008 at 1:49 PM EDT


John Barrow stands out like a bit of a sore thumb: by most measures, he's one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, but unlike the other arch-Blue Dogs, he's doing it in a district that's D+2 and where the majority of the Democratic electorate is African-American. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that he's facing a primary challenge from the left this year, from state senator Regina Thomas.

This race hasn't been getting much attention, in terms of netroots traction and certainly not in terms of money. However, the biggest gun of all was suddenly wheeled out today: Barack Obama, who cut a radio spot in favor of John Barrow. (You can listen to the spot over at Talking Points Memo.)

Obama credits Barrow for:

...standing up to the lobbyists, and the Republicans who vote right down the line with George Bush...

Hmmm... I wonder if Obama has been paying attention to the FISA fight that's going on in the Capitol as we speak, and what side Barrow's been on with that?

The question here is: is Barrow actually feeling some heat in the primary, or is he just calling in a favor as a preemptive strike (Barrow heads Obama's voter registration efforts in Georgia, and Barrow endorsed Obama back in February)?

The decision has left some of Obama's backers in Savannah disappointed. But as Matt Stoller diagnosed, it's pretty much win-win for Obama. Cutting the ad for Barrow helps him show all the Blue Dogs that he has their back, and it may help reduce the talking out of turn by guys like Dan Boren and Tim Mahoney. If Barrow wins, he'll still be less of a thorn in Obama's side with an increased progressive majority where Blue Dogs hold less sway in the House. And if Thomas somehow pulls it out, well, that's one more progressive ally for Obama's agenda.
Crisitunity :: GA-12: Obama Weighs In... For Barrow
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GA-12: Obama Weighs In... For Barrow | 31 comments
Ugh, gag me
Barrow didn't even endorse Obama until after Obama won Georgia and Barrow's district overwhelmingly.

Also, while Barrow might hold less sway simply b/c there will be more progressives, I can't imagine Obama thinks his endorsement will make him more loyal.  Look at Lieberman.  

John McCain: Healthcare for kids?  Not for a Bush-McCain America.

Isn't the D+2 PVI misleading because of redistricting?
Or is that just Marshall's district?
marshall's district is MUCH more republican
than barrow's; that is why i always argue that marshall deserves a pass(once ANY republican wins marshall's district, that district is gone FOREVER); in my view, barrow does not deserve the same pass as marshall BUT i will still take barrow over any republican(i should add that a primary against barrow is fine with me, but we all need to support the winner after the primary is over)
[ Parent ]
What I meant was does GA-12 not now include some areas
that weren't in the district in 2000 (and vice versa) which is partly the basis of the PVI?
[ Parent ]
yes
they had one of those tom delay type mid-decade redistricting deals(probably illegal, but you know republicans don't mess with trivial things like the law, such things are BELOW them)
[ Parent ]
That's the current configuration
In fact, it used to be D+5 before the mid-decade redistrict in 2006, because it used to contain Athens (Barrow's hometown, and home of Univ. of Georgia and all the lib'ruls associated with it). Marshall's district went from R+3 to currently R+8. The redistrict was designed to bounce Barrow and Marshall, but they both survived it, despite the fact that both of them were running against the Republicans who used to hold their seats (Burns and Collins, respectively).
[ Parent ]
Thanks for the clarification

[ Parent ]
Barrow's district is D+2 POST redistricting

[ Parent ]
How about Barrow as Obama's VP.
Barrow could be in my opinion a sleeper for Obama as VP. Barrow is only 53 years old, Obama is 46. a graduate of University of Georgia, later Harvard ( Obama's Alma mater ) in 1979. He is a conservative who can help obama among white male voters, he comes from a district that is heavily democratic & a state where obama wants to win in the fall. Barrow is leading Obama's voter registration drive in Georgia & across the country.  It's just my opinion.
I'm eating. Don't make me gag.


Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Barrow = Zell Miller
Seriously.  This guy is the worst Dem in the house.  He could vote with us twice as often and still get re-elected in his D+2 district.  He goes against us on all the big issues.  I hope he loses the primary.  Given the weak GOP challenger we're going to hold the seat either way this year.
[ Parent ]
He's also a terrible pol.
Despite being a right wing thug, he was barely able to hold onto his tilt Dem district in a Dem wave year.
[ Parent ]
Is Barrow
just a kinda typical moderate-to-conservative Democrat, or does he have something else interesting, such as a reputation as a maverick, or some other similar trait or notable characteristic or gimmick?

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...
He isn't moderate-to-conservative
He IS a conservative.  Barrow goes against us on everything that matters.  He has been a complete disaster in a dem-leaning district.  He's the only Dem I really want to lose his primary.  I'll take my chances suporting the AA challenger rather than this joke of a congressman.
[ Parent ]
He wasn't nearly as terrible
Last time around. I think his razor-thin close re-election really went to his head, so he has tried to out-conservative everyone else in order to be safely re-elected.
[ Parent ]
It's stupidity
His only threat this year and probably until 2012 redistricting is from his LEFT and not his right.  
[ Parent ]
Well, question though:
How much of a campaign effort did he put in in 2006, and how much effort did his 2006 challenger put in?

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...
[ Parent ]
Big effort on both parts
It was a top-tier race. 2006 isn't a good reference point because it was his first try in the newly-reformulated district (which didn't have his hometown of Athens in it anymore, and he was in front of a lot of voters in the rural middle of the district for the first time), and it was a rematch against the Republican who represented the district from 2002 to 2004 (whom Barrow barely beat in 2004).

He's known throughout the district now and drew only a third-tier GOP challenger, so really he shouldn't need to worry so much about his electability in 2008 (especially since Obama at the top of the ticket will boost the African-American turnout in his district for the general)... so it's wack that he's become more, not less, conservative this cycle.

[ Parent ]
Always bad
Barrow ranks 234 out of 235 for the 2007/2008 session on Progressive Punch.  He barely noses out Nick Lampson who a) is in a R+15 district and b) missed some time and votes due to surgery IIRC.  His "chips are down" rating is 31.  Barrow's career score is 68.78 which ranks a slightly better 226.  He votes worse than Jim Mattheson who represents an R+17 district and Chet Edwards who represents an R+18 district.
[ Parent ]
Lowest progressive punch score among House Dems
http://www.progressivepunch.or...

Lower than 3 Republicans, as it happens.  

And its not like, oh, there's this one issue or two issues he's conservative on.  He's just horrible across the board.

You know, a guy like Chet Edwards---whose district voted 70% for Bush in 2004---I understand that he's gotta be in touch with his district.  Pretty much any time that guy says "hey, I gotta vote this way or I lose", that's fine.

And yet Edwards is MORE progressive than Barrow.  Unbelievable.  


John McCain: Healthcare for kids?  Not for a Bush-McCain America.

[ Parent ]
New Rasmussen Numbers out of Colorado
Anyone see the new numbers for the Colorado Senate seat over at Rasmussen.

DIRECT QUOTE "Democrat Mark Udall continues to build his lead over Republican Bob Schaffer in Colorado's Senate race. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state found that the Democrat had a six six-point lead last month and has widened that lead to nine points today. It's Udall 49%, Schaffer 40%"

9 points...looking good for us in Colorado.

-zak

Maybe Colorado voters don't like Schaffer's ads...
showing Schaffer standing in front of Alaska landscape.  Also, the Abramoff connections have to be taking a toll.
[ Parent ]
the republicans don't even try anymore
Whatever happened to the moderate branch of the republican party...oh wait dick cheney shot them in the face.

-zak

[ Parent ]
Maybe
he secretly wants to get elected by Alaskans.

Ted Stevens (R, inc.) 20%
Mark Begich (D) 25%
Bob Schaffer (Colorado?) 55%

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...

[ Parent ]
oh, and back home...
Mark Udall (D) 24%
Mount Elbert (Sawatch) 23%
Mount Massive (Sawatch) 21%
Mount Harvard (Coll.) 20%
La Plata (Coll.) 11%
Bob Schaffer (R) 1%

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...
[ Parent ]
Speaking of GA...
http://www.insideradvantagegeo...

Insider Advantage Poll
McCain - 44
Obama - 43
Barr - 6

I'd almost forgotten about the role Barr could play in GA.  Georgia is his home state and he could definately take a good chunk of voters away from McCain.

!!?!!
Holy crap?!?

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...
[ Parent ]
That was my reaction
But I can't say I know much about the polling firm.  Does anyone know anything about Insider Advantage?
[ Parent ]
insider advantage is matt towery's firm in GA
(i actually know matt towery personally)matt towery was a political hack for newt gingrich for years; vicinupstate reported this earlier and i thought that was towery's group;having known towery(he is still a republican in state lege today) i told vic to be wary(vic said he thought towery's polls were legit, so i decided to do the research);well, i went to his site and lo and behold the VICE chairman of his firm is pierre howard(towery is the chairman); pierre howard is the former democratic lt. governor of GA who in 1990 won a lanslide over(guess who?)MATT TOWERY(i worked on howard's campaign and we kicked towery's ass); apparently, this is a bi-partisan firm and thus i would say the numbers are indeed legit
[ Parent ]
Hope it doesn't convince Barack to choose Sam Nunn for VP
Yuk.
[ Parent ]
We really should give Barrow a break
yes I know he doesn't even come close to a Dem voting in a D+2
district.
and yes there are Democrats in districts with a heavy Republican tilt that vote better than him(as you mentioned Matheson)
But here's the thing all those Democrats were in for an easy reelection in '06.
There were only TWO races for DEMS in the house where Democrats were actually worried about losing and both were in Georgia.
Both Barrow and Marshall probably won't survive the next redistricting process so we should keep them as they are.

I've had a feeling if Barrow didn't move rightward he probably would have lost in '06
I don't blame him as most Georgia Democrats have already seen defeat when it came to the defeat of Max Cleland in 2002 and the Republican tide which swept both state legislatures and produced another round of controversial mid decade redistricting

GA-12: Obama Weighs In... For Barrow | 31 comments

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