Our friend State Sen. Regina Thomas debated John Barrow tonight on Public Television in Atlanta. Unfortunately, I was not able to view this and have not found it on the internet yet. If anyone has please provide a link.
I was able to find a couple of articles this evening on the debate.
State Sen. Regina Thomas of Savannah called herself the "true Democrat" in her race against Barrow, a two-term incumbent in the 12th Congressional District.
"The incumbent has always voted with Bush and the Republicans, and look at where we are," Thomas said in a dig at Barrow's support for President Bush's signature tax cuts and his votes against setting timetables for withdrawl from Iraq.
Barrow refrained from attacking in kind, but defended himself as a congressman willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike.
"I genuinely believe that's what this country needs," said Barrow of Savannah. "And I know that's what the vast majority of the folks I represent want us to do in Washington."
Nobody disagrees with Republicans having to work with Democrats, but has John Barrow even worked with the folks in his own party is my question. We will see what the vast majority of the folks in his district want two weeks from today.
So why did Regina Thomas run was another question. Commentator Dick Bettys covered the debate also (read his version)
He said that the
The raw nerve in the debate seemed to be who's the real Democrat.
Thomas, when asked why she had decided to "primary" an incumbent and perhaps throw a Democratic seat into jeopardy, said:
"There are no safe seats and these seats do not belong to us ... I'm not pleased with the representation or lack thereof we've had in the 12th District. I'm a true Democrat."
I certainly agree with Thomas and thank her for stepping out there and taking on an incumbent with a lot of money.
To donate to Regina Thomas go to Act Blue and give what you can today. I know many people gave at the end of the quarter, but we must keep up the continuity as the Republicans are just waiting for the opportunity for us to become complacent.
In just an hour (6 pm edt), State Senator Regina Thomas will be here to answer questions and talk to us about why she's running for Congress.
Before that, I want to introduce her to the EENRblog community and let you know why I personally support her candidacy. [note: this is a personal endorsement rather than an announcement by EENRblog at this time.]
Here's a quote from Senator Thomas -- it explains exactly why I support this amazing woman from my home town:
"This country was built on the backs and at the hands and sacrifices of working-class people. My voting record is 100% for working families. To see what this country is doing to families and the working-class is an abomination. Outsourcing our jobs to foreign nations-- taking food out of the mouths of our children can not and should not be tolerated. This is the very fact that nothing will be done to bring the jobs back to America. With the national deficit being so high we do not even own America. IT IS TIME TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!"
