“Barnes, Deal search for ways to win independents” plus 1 more |
| Barnes, Deal search for ways to win independents Posted: 21 Aug 2010 12:01 PM PDT The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Akash Patel has a decision to make. The 29-year-old software engineer lives in Buckhead and is one of the most valued commodities in Georgia's race for governor: a truly independent voter. As Democrat Roy Barnes, Republican Nathan Deal and Libertarian John Monds circle the state in search of support in November, voters such as Patel are a must-have. Patel thus far has more doubts about Barnes and Deal than reasons to vote for either. And if neither Barnes nor Deal steps up, Patel is prepared to look elsewhere. "I am looking at third parties as well," he said. "I'm not worried about throwing away my vote." Reaching independent voters in Georgia is a delicate act. In a state where Republicans have dominated recent elections, even self-avowed independents tend to lean to the right. A poll conducted just before the July 20 primaries for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Newspaper Partnership found that 37 percent of registered voters refer to themselves as Democrats; 33 percent said they were Republicans; and an additional 30 percent said they were independents or identified with another party. Independents in the poll tend to give lower approval ratings to incumbent Republican officials and institutions -- such as U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and the Republican-controlled General Assembly -- than their GOP brethren. They were less supportive of the tea party movement. But they also had only a slightly higher opinion of President Barack Obama's job performance. Independent voters indicated they are just as concerned about jobs and the state of the economy as other voters. But the poll also found that independents' opinions on issues skewed toward the GOP position in nearly every instance. Teresa Rosche Ott, a "40-something" Web developer in Douglas County, does. Like Patel, however, she has yet to find a reason to vote for either Deal or Barnes. "I'm not going to say they're one and the same, but those two are such a case of the lesser of two evils," Ott said, adding that she would "definitely vote for Mr. Monds." Barnes has downplayed party labels, going so far as to be critical of Republicans and Democrats. He's come out in favor of an Arizona-style immigration law and was campaigning in South Georgia when Obama visited Atlanta. He has sought the middle, Barnes campaign manager Chris Carpenter said. "Three things are found in the middle of the road: white lines, roadkill and successful politicians," he said. Deal, meanwhile, has sought to emphasize his positions on the economy, jobs and spending while downplaying so-called wedge issues that dominated his runoff campaign. This amounts to tailoring their message for the audience, said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University and an expert in electoral politics. Barnes, Abramowitz said, has perhaps the steeper climb. "The only way you can win a statewide election as a Democrat in this state is by pulling in a large share of the independent vote and even getting some Republicans," he said. "The Democratic base isn't large enough to win. And, especially in a midterm election where the national tide is clearly favoring Republicans, Barnes has to overcome that." With independents in Georgia trending toward the Republican viewpoint, Barnes must track toward the center-right to attract those voters, he said. Deal, meanwhile, must be sure to attract socially moderate but fiscally conservative independents who might get turned off by his focus in the primary and runoff on abortion, immigration and gay rights. He doesn't have to change those positions, Abramowitz said, just take care in how he talks about them. "He might want to tone down some of the rhetoric," Abramowitz said. "He certainly doesn't want to be raising questions about Obama's birth certificate and things like that. But, otherwise, his strategy is to try and unify the Republican base and pull in enough conservative voters to win, and that's been the formula for success in Georgia." Shelly Powell of Dallas is one of those independent voters who leans Republican. The 41-year-old home school mom said she doesn't believe she could vote for a Democrat. But, she said, Deal was far from her first choice. "He still isn't," she said. "Neither candidate, in my eyes, is a representation of the people of Georgia," she said. Powell thought there were better candidates in both the Democratic and Republican primaries, but if this is the choice she has, she said she'll choose Deal. Barnes was already "fired" from the job once, she said. "The people of Georgia didn't like him then. What makes them think that he's going to govern any differently?" she said. Barbara Lane of Marietta is in much the same situation. She said she's more "ideologically aligned" with Deal, but she rejects Deal's attempts to link Barnes to Obama or other national Democrats. "A Democrat in Georgia is not a Democrat from California," said Lane, 38, who is pursuing her master's degree in education from Georgia State University with plans to go into teaching. "I know Roy Barnes isn't a frothing-at-the-mouth liberal. If he comes forward and says, 'Look, this is what I'm going to do and this is how it could work,' OK, I'll listen to you. The same applies to Deal. I will support the man who has the best plan to address the state's issues." Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said his candidate doesn't have to change much at all. "This is a Republican state in a Republican year," Robinson said. "That certainly plays to our advantage." Deal, he said, will focus on jobs and other top issues. "Nathan has been very clear throughout the primary and we will be through the general; the state's top four priorities are public safety, education, transportation and, increasingly but unfortunately, health care." Robinson said Deal doesn't need to temper his thoughts or positions on social issues because they are thoughts that a majority of Georgians share. Barnes, too, believes he already has the message that will resonate with independents. "We need to continue to appeal to the common sense of the vast majority of Georgians," said Carpenter, Barnes' campaign manager. "They want their leadership in the state to deal with the critical issues that are facing us: jobs, education, water, transportation. Roy has been talking about those issues since he started the campaign, and we'll continue to talk about those in the general election." Yet if Barnes and Deal stumble or don't convince voters such as Patel and Ott that they have a legitimate plan for Georgia, Monds is ready to vacuum up those votes. "The voters you're talking about are really those who are upset with the status quo, and they're fed up with what they've seen in the elected officials of the past," Monds said. "They are looking for other options. I talk about things that people aren't used to hearing but want to hear about." The AJC needs your help AJC reporters are looking for voters who are willing to be interviewed on the record about their decision-making process in state elections. If you are willing to be interviewed, please fill out the following short survey: https://ajcnews.wufoo.com/forms/the-ajc-needs-your-help/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 20 Aug 2010 10:02 PM PDT South Carolina's long line of job seekers soon will have a new tool to help them hunt for work. On Aug. 30, the state Department of Employment and Workforce will debut a new website, www.SConestop.org, that is a virtual one-stop shop in the search for a job. It will serve the same function as a the agency's 38 offices across the state. Employers can use it, too. "We've had other job search engines in the past, but we wanted something more modern, more on the cutting edge of technology," said John L. Finan, the employment agency's executive director. "I think all of our customers, both job seekers and employers, are going to see a dramatic improvement and a much more effective system." The new website allows online job searches to be conducted from one site instead of going to different places, said Courtney Nowak of the state Workforce Development Program. "So instead of subscribing to all of these other search engines, when you register at S.C. OneStop, create a resume and start searching for jobs, you're not only looking at the jobs that the agency has recruited on the site, you're looking at jobs that are coming from search engines all over the nation," Nowak said. People already registered through S.C. JobLink will be automatically transferred to the new site, she said. Job seekers will be able to access the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any Internet connection, including handheld devices such as an iPhone or a BlackBerry. Users also can use Resume Builder software, which is searchable by employers, or import an existing resume. Registration is free. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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