9.Blogging and Facebook R Us

When you read the blog you will see why we posted the photograph. From Left to right, DuBose, Carol, Stephen(24), Guyton(20), Asa(19), and Inman(19.)


Excerpt from
“From face to Facebook”
by Richard Hyatt of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.com
(But we know it was in the hard copy newspaper as well because several people called us.)

"DuBose Porter knows his way around the two-lane roads of Laurens County, which may make the small-town newspaper publisher the last person you’d expect to run into on Facebook. There he is, though, writing on people’s walls and posting photographs like he knows what he’s doing. When he’s not on Facebook, he’s blogging. Either that or he’s updating his Web site, text messaging on his cell phone, e-mailing or recording a podcast."

DuBose has been texting for years because of his techno savvy four sons. (See photo.) If you haven't checked out our facebook pages yet, friend us. We have one facebook site maintained by the Porter family, mainly DuBose and Carol which is the actual profile that is DuBose Porter. We also have the group which is For Governor 2010 - DuBose Porter Works for Me, and a fan site, DuBose Porter. We blog, we facebook, and Guyton came home this weekend and is setting up a DuBose Porter Family Twitter account at twitter.com/porterforga so you can keep up with the entire family as we start this journey across Georgia.
Thank you Team Porter for supporting DuBose and keep telling your friends- "DuBose Porter works for Me." and keep up with him and his family on the internet.

To read more on the Columbus article go to:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/168/story/697116.html
To read more on DuBose you are already here:)

8. DuBose Porter speaks to Business Issues

When Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s health prevented him from running in the Governor’s race and speaking at the Macon County Chamber of Commerce they called DuBose Porter to take his place. As a past member of the Board of the Dublin Laurens County Chamber, DuBose realizes the importance of local Chambers to their communities. He understands the challenges and the opportunities of running a business and the importance of bringing and keeping industries in local communities.

Although he has a law degree and actively practiced for several years, DuBose has been a self-employed businessman since 1987. DuBose oversees the daily financial and production operations of a daily newspaper and eight weeklies. Making a company payroll, managing spiraling healthcare costs, along with sharp increases in production expenses, DuBose is uniquely qualified to understand the issues facing today’s business owners. Combining his hands-on experience in business, with his 27 year history in the Legislature, DuBose is able to speak with authority on the concerns of the business community and how government actually works for and often against small business.


“All politics is local and it starts at home with you.”

DuBose spoke on the struggles of running a business in this economy and how governmental decisions are impacting businesses around the state. He highlighted several issues voted on in the 2009 General Assembly session that will affect local communities and explained how important it is for Chamber members to get engaged in the process.


“Georgians need to come together and work on our foundation issues if we are to emerge from the current economic downturn successfully. In this economy we can’t afford to stay focused on the things that separate us. It is time to put the best ideas on the table and work together to move Georgia forward. Urban, rural, business owner, employee, upstream, downstream we all have the common goal of moving Georgia forward. It is time to bring our state together. .”

If your Chamber of Commerce is having a function and needs a speaker to address the economic issues facing local communities call Team Porter at 478-290-2801.
Working together we can get this economy rolling

7. DuBose Porter in CQPolitics

Many Candidates, No Favorite in Georgia Governor’s Race

This title of Greg Vadala's article is really good news. DuBose has never run a state wide race. The ones that have aren't favorites. You can always build name recognition...
DuBose Porter has been in the trenches working 27 years for teachers, law enforcement, on transportation, strengthening our human and natural resources and most importantly for the 2010 race on building our economy. DuBose's record will get him votes inside the doughnut and his life will get them outside the doughnut.

Excerpt from CQpolitics by Greg Vadala:



"(Gridlocked) Road to a Comeback?

Among the issues that could play in both parties’ primaries and the general election, the state’s chronic transportation problems could emerge in a major way. Towery said the handling of transportation by the Republican-controlled legislature has caused “a great deal of irritation among business leaders.”

Longtime Atlanta political columnist Tom Baxter, who is now the editor of the Southern Political Report, said transportation issues could give Democrats an opening to take back the governor’s mansion.

“The legislative session ended without any clarity about transportation funding,” Baxter said. “There’s a lot of widespread discontent in the Atlanta metro area with how the legislature has handled things.”

Gubernatorial candidate Porter, who leads the Democratic opposition in the state House, said Georgia Republicans “don’t have the commitment or political will” to address the transportation problems.

A rural attorney and newspaper publisher, Porter took his critique further, accusing the Republicans of lacking leadership on education, conservation and health care issues. He said his positioning as a Democratic moderate and ties to both rural Georgia and the Atlanta business community give him an advantage over the other Democrats in the field.

“You have to have rural Georgia to win,” Porter said. “I’m the only one that can bring rural Georgia in a way that’s compatible with the needs of Atlanta.”

6. More Work, Less Hobnobbing

Hi Team Porter,


Work is what this state needs. Politicians who will stay in the trenches, address the tough issues and work it out. If Georgia had more politicians interested in working and less in amassing power and hobnobbing, we would find solutions to our problems. Start looking for the patterns.

Excerpts from DuBose Porter's speech in the opening days of the 2009 session:

" Last year, the Governor presented his state of the state address, and the session began. It was marked by bitter rivalry and what seemed to be partisan politics within the same party. There was no action taken to move forward on transportation, trauma care, or tax reform; additional cuts which amounted to one and a half billion dollars had already been stripped from our schools shifting that financial burden to our local governments and your property taxes; and with no meaningful progress on addressing the coming economic challenges, the session ended just as disjointed as it had begun.

"During that session our Democratic House Caucus became the stabilizing factor in Georgia’s state government.

"By working together within our party and with others we were able to find a consensus. We in the House came together to pass a transportation bill that would have moved Georgia forward on solving one of our state’s most crippling problems. The bill failed in the Senate and when we looked to the Governor for leadership, he was in China.

"When gas prices spiraled out of control, we called on the Governor to take bold, dramatic action. To step up to the plate and give Georgians relief by reducing the gas tax. Instead he went to Spain and our families were left here, to take the brunt of higher gas prices from which they still have not recovered.

In September, after seeing August revenue figures, our Democratic House Caucus realized the extent of Georgia’s faltering economy and we called on the Governor to bring us back into session – to give parties on both side of the aisle a chance to roll up our sleeves, fix the problem before it got worse, and do the job the people of this state elected us to do. That call went unheeded."

Did you see the pattern? Not working together, and just not working, is the underlying cause of what happened last session and what happened this session. So spread the word. Let's work for DuBose Porter because he works for us. Together we can move Georgia forward.

5. Controlling Rather Than Fixing

Hi Team Porter,
DuBose has been on radio programs in Atlanta, Athens and Vidalia. Two yesterday and one today. The key issue was "What happened to the transportation plan?"


“It was about controlling rather than fixing transportation. What happened this session was that the grasp at power trumped the citizens needs for adequate transportation. Rather than work to pass a bill that would have actually fixed transportation in our state, the only bill the Republican Leadership chose to pass gave the Governor, the Lt. Governor and the Speaker more control.
The funding bill which would have fixed transportation died in conference committee. We introduced a bill that proposed to dedicate the fourth penny of sales tax generated from motor fuel to transportation projects to help get Georgia moving again. This would not have raised taxes and solved a difficult problem.
What is truly hurting our state is the disconnect this Republican Leadership has with the families that have been hit in this economy. There are things we could do to get people back to work. Some as simple as signing a letter. Our Governor neglected to send the letter to the federal government to accept the stimulus money for construction projects by the deadline. Over 32 million dollars on construction, that could have been bid and let in April, was forced to be moved to May. A 30 day delay in construction in this economy is uncalled for. That delayed many Georgians from getting back to work. That money could have already hit payrolls and made it to the pockets of Georgians. Thirty-two million dollars into our economy was a month late coming, just from lack of sending a letter."

The session may have been a disaster, but we have had another great day.
Thank you for being on Team Porter.

4. Only 28% of Voters Identify as Republicans

This report just in:

Down to only 28%- Republicans are getting Fewer

Among registered voters, 28% call themselves Republicans, a decline of five points since 2004 and only a point above a record low level of Republican self-identification in 16 years of polling by the Pew Research Center, found in March 2008. Nearly four-in-ten voters (38%) identify as Democrats and 34% self-identify as independents. These data are based on more than 28,000 interviews conducted during 2008 prior to the election. Among voters who now identify as Republican or Republican-leaning, roughly two-thirds (68%) identify themselves as conservative, and of the conservatives, three-quarters think the party should turn further to the right. While a majority of moderates and liberals within the party advocate a centrist approach (66%), they make up fewer than a third (31%) of Republican voters overall. As a result, 60% of all Republican voters support a more conservative direction for the party. Read more

This report released today may be found

http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=757

The numbers are not for Georgia alone, but we are seeing a trend. 2010 is looking better all the time.

3. DuBose Isn't the Only One

From Tim Golden in the Atlanta Journal Constitution::

Since the Republican Party assumed majority control of state government six years ago, Georgia has been sliding backward in almost every area that the governor and Legislature can influence

Our public schools have suffered from $2 billion worth of cuts in state Quality Basic Education funding, causing higher taxes on local property owners to make up the difference.

Manufacturing jobs have been lost by the hundreds of thousands.

Rural health care is on life support because of drastic cuts in Medicaid reimbursement.

Our transportation system’s failure to keep up with a growing population has gone unaddressed.

Seeking to recruit bio-medicine and related technology businesses and retaining academic leaders in the field of science is becoming more difficult.

And fiscally irresponsible policies during better economic times have left Georgia especially vulnerable to the recession, causing an unprecedented $3 billion budget deficit.

But as poorly as the legislative majority has performed since 2003, the 2009 session would have to be considered the worst in recent history. And that’s saying something.

Consider that from the first day of the session back in January, finding a solution for the transportation funding crisis was the state’s No. 1 priority. In metro Atlanta, drivers sit for hours in traffic, causing untold losses in productivity. In rural Georgia, we are at least 10 years behind the curve in making the road improvements needed for economic development.

The Senate voted Feb. 3 on a transportation funding plan, one of the first actions we took this session, calling for a one-cent sales tax to be voted on, collected and invested on a regional basis. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, insisted on a statewide sales tax to finance a predetermined list of transportation projects in selected areas.

But the two houses were unable to work out a compromise plan, primarily because the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker were preoccupied with pushing through separate legislation to give them tighter control over transportation revenues and road-building decisions. For the second year in a row, helping Georgians get from point A to point B more efficiently was doomed by misplaced priorities at the top of the executive and legislative branches of government.

Regarding the new budget passed for fiscal year 2010, there is no question this was a difficult year because of the revenue shortfall, and cuts were inevitable. But the failure to beat back the governor’s insistence to eliminate homeowner tax relief grants will cost the average Georgia homeowner $200 to $300 on our next local property tax bill.

Partisan politics also reared its ugly head in the budget process when the Republican majority decided to withhold needed funding from districts represented by Senate Democrats because we had the audacity to offer a budget amendment that would have kept the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in operation by reducing spending on a new luxury resort on Jekyll Island.

The lowlights of the 2009 session don’t stop there. The Republican majority couldn’t go without passing a few more unfunded mandates on counties and cities, while still prohibiting them from making their own decisions on Sunday alcohol sales. Thankfully, the House stopped a Senate bill outlawing potentially lifesaving embryonic stem cell research, but this is a battle we now have to fight year after year.

Georgians don’t expect much of the Legislature when we go to Atlanta each year. They do want us pass a budget that meets basic needs such as education and health care while respecting taxpayers. They want us to focus on the major problems, like transportation funding and unemployment. They want us to put public policy over partisan politics.

After the 2009 session, I wouldn’t blame them if they start expecting less and less.

> Sen. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta) is chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

The Democratic Leadership and their members are still listening to Georgians.

Stay tuned for updates on the following: (This was a facebook entry this morning by DuBose)

DuBose Porter Just had interview WGXT Atl. with Randy Cook/ talked on transportation/ how the Republican leadership focus was grabbing power/ not getting us out of gridlock/ I"ll post some notes from it on the blog/ on way to Atlanta to meet with caucus leadership to recap the possible special session since Republican leadership botched this one/ that means wasting more of your $/It is the economy/ more later at porterforga.com

1. TEAM PORTER Tells It Like It Is

Hi Team Porter,

Welcome to the first day of DuBose Porter's race for the office of Governor of Georgia.

This campaign is going to be a little different from most you have experienced because Team Porter will be including you in on every aspect of the campaign. Although DuBose Porter has been a Public Servant for over 27 years, he has never hired a consultant to tell him what he ought to say.
We realize, eventually with a state wide race to run it will take a team of media buyers, schedulers, volunteer coordinators, managers and pollsters, but the team that matters most to DuBose is you.
He tells it like it is. He listens to the people. He studies their issues and then he brings his core values to his decision making process. He represents.
That is why he has been able to stick to the core of true Democratic issues like job creation, education, law enforcement, natural resources, health care and yes, even tax reform for 27 years in his rural district.
He does this by listening to what the people have to say and by staying true to his core values. A value system based upon faith, his years in Scouting, and principles of leadership learned from running a small business in a town where everyone knows your name.
If a canned politician, spun within an inch of his life, is what you expect in a Governor’s race, get ready for a new day in Georgia.
If you want to know the man you vote for- where he is coming from and where he wants to go, stay tuned to Team Porter because DuBose Porter works for you.

2. Enough is Enough: Porter files to Run 4-6-09

DuBose Porter announces Run for Governor in 2010

“This year’s lack of leadership on transportation and personal grabs for power at the expense of the people convinced me to throw my hat into the ring.”

Dublin – House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) announced that he is officially running for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election. He released the following statement today:

After this year’s failure to pass a transportation funding bill by the Republican leadership it has become apparent that if Georgia is to move forward there will have to be a new vision coming from the Governor’s office. Smaller government is good, but not when its goal is to dismantle transportation, law enforcement, and education. These are vital services that must be maintained if Georgia is to move forward with America.

The Governor and his leadership team have used this economic downturn as an excuse to dismantle these fundamental programs; programs on which our entire economy rests. This session we sponsored HB 356 which offered up a way to find an expected $1 billion in uncollected revenue without raising taxes a dime. HB 356 would have implemented a new point of sales policy exactly like Alabama. This Governor and his leadership in the House and Senate chose to turn this money down because it would have funded a lot of the programs they chose to cut. Programs our citizens needed.

The Governor and this leadership were cutting the funding to the QBE funding formula, which goes to our schools, and law enforcement when we had money and now they have added transportation to their list. “This year’s lack of leadership on transportation and their personal grabs for power at the expense of the people convinced me to throw my hat into the ring.”

It is obvious that reduced law enforcement is not a way to grow quality of life, and access to a quality basic education is vital to positive growth. In the immediate future we see job opportunity through services and technology. Our people will have to be able to meet the requirements for these jobs. They also will not be keeping the same job for life, but will have to be able to retrain quickly. Without adequate educational opportunity that will not be possible.

Transportation is another foundation service for government and is a key to a prosperous future. We don’t need to cut MARTA rail to the airport. We need to extend it. The message cutting MARTA, when the money is there, sends potentially damaging signals to future investors in Georgia. We have to start thinking of the future.

My youngest sons, the twins, are now freshmen at UGA and it seems as if this session’s lack of leadership has coincided correctly with my timing for running for state wide office.

I realize a Democrat will have a hard time in what is seen as a red state. However I believe Georgia will look at the issues and if they find a candidate that represents their core values they will be willing to vote for a change in the Governor's office. My work on the issues will carry me in Atlanta, but according to the pundits from the far right to the far left, it will take a candidate with my core values to connect with those outside of Atlanta.

My district, Laurens and a small part of Johnson County, closely resembles the demographics of the state as a whole. In my last race I won by 76% over a Republican candidate who was a 10-year city council member and a vice president of a bank. I was able to do that because I listen to my people. My t-shirts always read, “DuBose Porter works for me,” because I never forget who sent me. The title is ‘Representative.’ I represent. I listen well. I bring all the people to the table. I learn as much as I can on the topic from all sides and then lead. I remember my Scout Oath. I bring in my faith. I think of the Georgia I want my four sons to live in and I remember our state motto of wisdom, justice and moderation. Listen. Learn. Lead. You aren’t constantly in the press with that style, but it works best to move projects forward if you can lose the ego and share the credit.