Haines for Congress Blog

After the Debate

The debate was fantastic last night; about 130 people turned out to watch the Democratic candidates talk about their ideas, issues, and experience. In my (admittedly biased) opinion, Doug won in a landslide.

Topics in the debate covered a wide range of issues. There were the major issues: jobs, the economy, foreign policy, health care, and education. In addition, we were able to talk about some issues that don't get the attention they deserve, like keeping military bases in the 12th District open, electronic voting, and the Athens Clarke County rental registration ordinance.

The Athens Banner-Herald has this to say.

And the University of Georgia's newspaper, The Red and Black, wrote this.

Anyone at the debate last night? Let's hear your opinion!

Martin Matheny

Debate Tomorrow!

Tomorrow night, Wednesday March 24, Doug Haines will be participating in a debate for the 12th District Democratic Primary candidates. Please come out to support Doug!

When: Wednesday, March 24

Where: University of Georgia Chapel, North Campus

For directions or more information, call us at 706-355-3235, or email [email protected]

Thanks to the UGA Young Democrats for hosting this forum!

Martin Matheny

Meetup Tonight!

Stop by Jittery Joe's in Five Points (1210 S. Milledge Ave., Athens) tonight and meet Doug at our biggest meetup yet! We'll be talking about the campaign, the issues, and new volunteer opportunities.

Hope to see you there!

Brittany Freeman, Field Director

Illinois Primary Tomorrow

I just wanted to plug a candidate that I believe in, Barack Obama.

The primary is tomorrow, so if you live in Illinois, please vote!

Doug Haines

Open Thread

Take it away!

One More News Piece

From Connect Savannah. This piece concerns Doug's trip last weekend to Savannah. Read it here.

Martin Matheny

Haines Campaign in the News

We've gotten some great coverage in the local and national news media lately.

The Athens-Banner Herald wrote about our poll.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has some comments about blogads.

As does the Athens Weekly News.(You must have a subscription to view the whole article)

Finally, The Hill points out Max Burns' vulnerability in GA-12.

Martin Matheny

Poll: Haines Only Democrat Leading Burns

Recently, our campaign commissioned a survey of the voters in the 12th District. We were very excited about the results, and we hope you will be too. Here's the press release!

Athens – March 10, 2004 – A new poll released by Doug Haines’ Congressional campaign reveals that Max Burns (R-GA) is extremely vulnerable and could easily lose his seat to Democratic challenger Doug Haines in November. The poll, commissioned by the Haines campaign in early February, surveyed voters throughout the 12th Congressional District and was conducted by Cooper and Secrest Associates, a polling firm located in Washington, DC.

The survey shows that former State Senator Doug Haines of Athens holds a commanding lead (51% to 37%) over Burns in the 12th District. Of the candidates, Haines is the only contender who leads Burns.

In the four-way Democratic Primary, the poll indicates that three of the four challengers are statistically tied. However, in a two-way matchup between the two leading candidates, Haines and Athens-Clarke County Commissioner John Barrow, Haines leads Barrow by 8%.

Alan Secrest, president of Cooper and Secrest Associates summed up the survey’s findings. “A talented and progressive Democrat with Doug Haines’ background and experience will take out this placeholder incumbent, Max Burns, and hold this seat for Democrats for years to come.”

Cooper and Secrest Associates has surveyed voters for candidates across the country. In Georgia, they have worked for many candidates, including: Sam Nunn, John Lewis, Denise Majette, and Thurbert Baker.

What Should Our 'Great Goals' Be?

MoveOn.org has created an interesting new forum asking for participants' ideas on what ought to be our country's "Great Goals" in the coming years. The forum itself is a bit unwieldy, and posters are wandering off point more often than not, but the high level of participation points in a very positive direction: i.e., beginnning to talk about the goals progressives want to set for ourselves beyond the obvious -- getting rid of Bush -- as we look toward the future. Conservatives always have something of an advantage when it comes to talking about goals because, in a very fundamental way, they don't really have any goals beyond protecting the status quo, and they can couch their arguments against change in simplistic terms that are easy to transmit via Neanderthals like Rush at the same time that they frighten people away from new ideas with their vivid, apocalyptic language of anxiety, fear and hatred. The progressive list of great goals is often more complex and harder to communicate in our sound-bite society: it takes more time to explain to someone how incremental steps in energy conservation can reduce our dependence on foreign oil more quickly, efficiently, and permanently (and create jobs in the process) than putting up a few drilling rigs in the arctic. So it strikes me that talking about our "Great Goals" ought to include a discussion not just of what those goals are, but also of the kinds of arguments we need to make to the other half of America that will be compelling enough to make them listen. -- Dan Cabaniss

Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology

From the Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform

http://CJReform.org

Tell Your Judiciary Committee Member America Needs the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act!

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss will play a key role in deciding if the full Senate will ever vote on the Innocence Protection Act (IPA). Tell Sen. Chambliss that America needs the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act by visiting:

http://www.cjreform.org/grassroots

On November 5, 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act (S1700), which contains the latest version of the Innocence Protection Act. The bill, which had 250 House cosponsors and passed by a vote of 357 to 67, is an important step forward for victims of crime, who want to be confident that the system accurately identifies real perpetrators, and for innocent people, who might otherwise be sentenced to death.

S 1700 would:

**Enact the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program, providing $755 million to test the backlog of over 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence awaiting analysis in our nation's crime labs.

**Create the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program, which authorizes $25 million over five years to help states fund post-conviction DNA testing and the preservation of DNA evidence.

**Authorize grants to states for Capital Prosecution and Capital Defense Improvement, which will be used to train, oversee, and improve the quality of death penalty trials as well as assist families of murder victims.

DNA testing can help prove some people innocent or guilty; however, in most cases, there is no biological evidence to test. The federal Innocence Protection Act, which is now Title III of the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act, would help ensure death penalty trials are fair and accurate from the start by improving counsel standards in capital cases.

Tell Sen. Chambliss that America needs the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act by visiting:

http://www.cjreform.org/grassroots

Thank you for your support. Please pass this call to action on after you've sent your free fax. With your help, we can make the Innocence Protection Act the law of the land this year!

http://cjreform.org/register/r-goupdate.vtml

1725 Eye St NW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC 20006

202-638-5855