Two weeks ago Shamika Jones and her husband Elvin Caton made a decision that changed their lives.
I wish I could say for the better.But it wasn’t.
They piled their seven kids into the family’s dying AstroVan, filled the gas tank with five-dollar a gallon fuel, and began a three-thousand mile odyssey from California to Atlanta for a better life.
In Oklahoma, the drive-shaft snapped.
The four-hundred dollar repair took nearly all the money they had left.By the time they rolled into Atlanta they were on fumes and prayers.
More of the latter than the former.
Perhaps it was the prayer power that guided the van to the parking lot of the New Life Community Center Church in DeKalb County, where it sputtered to a stop with busted oil seals, power pumps, and a long list of other problems.
There they sat.
And sat.
They had no money.No food.No water.A family of nine literally stranded in Atlanta.The church could help them with meals and drinks. But like many it was not big enough to do much more at the time.
Shamefully, some of the biggest churches in the community refused to assist the family, though one did give them a turkey.
How and where they could cook and eat it was their problem.I do not presume to preach to preachers, but I’m pretty sure there’s something in the Bible about helping homeless families.Indeed I believe there was a story about a homeless guy named Joseph and his wife Mary and their newborn… J-something.But that’s another issue entirely.
When we found them the children were playing beneath the shade of a harbor oak tree next to the parking lot.It was 95-degrees of pure Atlanta summer.Yet the two year-old twins and their young siblings raced about oblivious to the heat that made me sweat the moment I got out of the air-conditioned news car.
Shamika walked over and introduced herself with the strong handshake of a former military woman.She served in the first Iraq War.
Her husband, Elvin, was sitting on a low wall with a walker in his hands.Older than she and frail with a chronic health condition he stood and offered his hand as well.It trembled slightly though his grip was good and strong.
He said he had been to Grady Hospital a day before and was treated for an asthma condition.When the family asked for help there they say a social worker threatened to take their children once she learned that they had been sleeping in the van.
Shamika told me they had been on the streets for ten days by then.They had gone to every prominent help agency in the area and gotten nowhere.Rooms and apartments for homeless families were full, and the waiting lists were six months long.
They discovered that if they were mentally ill or substance addicted or alone that there were far more opportunities for aid.But for families -of nine, no less- there was very little hope.
We ran their story that night and Atlanta wept.
People called in with tears streaming.They emailed wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs.And they opened their hearts to this family they did not know.
The very next day, Bill Heard Chevrolet in Kennesaw donated a used Chevy Suburban to the family.The man who traded it in saw it on TV and told his friend who wrote me that he had prayed a good family would get it.They did.
An elderly couple in Marietta wanted me to hand-deliver some money to Shamika and Elvin, saying that they were taught never to leave an outstretched hand empty.They were wonderful people who did not wish to be identified for their good deed.
It is enough that God knows who they are, as he does all of you who gave of your money, your food, your encouragement.
A CEO with an investment firm wrote “it would be a distinct honour and a privilege to do something meaningful for them, and thus I enquire as to whether there might be an opportunity to assist the Jones family.”
A family who lost their home to foreclosure called to offer a list of private groups that might be of service.
Martha offered a gas card.
Lauren, her prayers.
Others had harsh words for the big churches that stood on the sidelines: “I can’t understand the larger churches not helping them, yet they are raking in the money.”
New Life Community did do something.They put them in a motel for a few days while calls were made to see if more permanent housing can be arranged.The ordeal is not over yet.
The initial steps have been taken, but the race is a marathon.And Shamika Jones knows this.“I’m a fighter,” she says clutching her young twins in her arms.
There are probably some old balloons and campaign signs still lying around roadsides and campaign offices after this week's primaries. I've got a few extra thoughts lying around, too:
Now that Dale Cardwell has endorsed Jim Martin, will Martin use the former T.V. reporter in his campaign? If Martin wants to go negative on Vernon Jones, while appearing to be above the fray himself, Cardwell is one way to do it. The former WSB-TV investigative reporter targeted Jones in many of his stories--and blasted away at him during the campaign.
During his run, Cardwell brought up the complaint brought by a woman against Jones after a sexual encounter--she eventually dropped the case. Jones charged that Cardwell misrepresented how the case was handled.
Cardwell told me he'd help Martin any way he could. But both men were coy when I asked them if Martin (with or without help from Cardwell) will try to mount a character attack on Jones.
"I like Vernon," Cardwell said. "He's a nice guy. But, if you compare the track records of the two men, people can make conclusions. They don't need me to make that conclusion for them."
But, Cardwell continued, "I'm disappointed that the media did not do a background check on any of these candidates that were running for a very important office. It's the media's job to vet candidates and tell people things they need to know. The media didn't do its job this time."
Martin also did give a direct yes or no when asked if he'll try to raise personal questions about Jones.
"The voters know both of us, and know our background, and what we've done; and certainly that's an issue," Martin said. "But our main issue is changing the policies of the Bush Administration, and defeating Saxby Chambliss."
Jones, who dismissed Cardwell as "irrelevant," seems ready for an attack if it comes. But the question is whether he'll have the money to pay for response ads on TV--if Martin uses that medium for an attack. If Martin feels he's trailing Jones, he'll have to decide whether he wants to go that way--possibly risking his reputation as a man who's above some of the nastier parts of politics.
*******
Speaking of journalists-turned-candidates, it was a bad night for the profession. Cardwell's was the most high-profile defeat; but there were several others. Ann Kimbrough, a longtime reporter for the AJC and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, eventually became one of Vernon Jones's top aides in DeKalb County. But she couldn't turn that into a term as his successor as C.E.O. Kimbrough finished a distant third in the five-candidate field--just ahead of another veteran journalist, Steen "Newslady" Miles, a former colleague of ours at 11Alive--and a former State Senator.
During our webcast at Manuel's Tavern on Tuesday night, a couple of the politicians from both parties had a little laugh about the journalists' oh-fer this year. It's a little different when you actually have to talk policy, they told me. And, while Cardwell went straight from TV to a campaign, both Kimbrough and Miles have experience in political office, too--yet they didn't fare any better than he did.
After watching that, I told Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) and Rep. Melvin Everson (R-Snellville) that they both have my permission to hit me over the head if the words, "I am a candidate..." ever escape my lips.
P.S. One journalist did chalk up a triumph. Dunwoody Crier publisher Dick Williams, a former news director here at 11Alive, was a major advocate for the creation of the City of Dunwoody. That proposal passed overwhelmingly, after a long--and often personal--fight among some of the area's political and community leaders.
*******
One final note from our webcast at Manuel's. We were in one section of the tavern; others were occupied by victory parties for several legislative candidates--all of them Democrats. But, when some of the celebrants stopped me to talk about the night's results, they didn't want to chat about Martin vs. Jones, or John Lewis's easy win in the fight for his seat in Congress.
Nope. These Democratic Party supporters were gushing about a Republican battle: Congressman Paul Broun's stunning rout of State Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) in a battle for Broun's seat. Now, Paul Broun is a very conservative guy; but the Democrats I talked to at Manuel's were ecstatic about his victory. They weren't just surprised by his overwhelming margin--some were positively giddy. The reason had nothing to do with abstract things like ideology: at least some of these folks (not the Democratic candidates themselves) expressed an intense personal dislike for Fleming, after crossing swords with him at the Capitol for the last few years.
It's something we forget sometimes in all the talk of issues and strategy. House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, one of Fleming's closest friends at the Capitol, said he felt very badly for him after the results came in. As Keen put it, "In the end, all politics is personal."
A Republican at an Obama event?A former state G.O.P. chairman, no less?Yep, there was former state Sen. Chuck Clay, mingling amiably with Democrats like Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin as they waited outside the gymnasium.
Clay had brought along his reason for being here:his 9-year-old son, Alex, who told me he, Alex, was an enthusiastic Obama supporter.His father told me he had to use his connections from his Senate days to get tickets—since he wasn’t exactly on the Obama campaign’s contact list.
Clay said the key for a McCain win in Georgia is to emphasize substance and contrast that with what he called Obama’s “sizzle.”Energy is important, he said, but McCain should not try to compete with Obama’s wattage.But Clay predicted McCain will win the state.
Alex had a different prediction.“Obama,” he said.When I asked him why, Alex said bluntly, “McCain’s too old.”
8:45 A.M.
It’s a mostly young crowd inside the gym; but, still, the campaign appears to be making concessions to the early hour.Unlike most campaign events-- where staffers pump up the musicto ear-endangering levels to get everyone going—this crew seems tohave decided to keep it bouncy, but quiet.They’re clearly excited; but saving their energy.
As for the audience members themselves, they’re mostly chatting quietly among themselves.As I mentioned, the majority are young folks.But there’s a good number of grey heads here, too.It’s a racially-diverse crowd, too; but the majority is African-American.
9:00 A.M.
The warmup begins with Jacob Klein, a young regional field director hitting the stage.The volume instantly jumps.“Are you ready to welcome Barack Obama, the next President of the United States?????” he yelled.The youngsters in the crowd jumped to their feet and screamed “Yeeessss!!”Then, the chant:“Yes, We Can!Yes, We Can!”
Klein asks the kids to volunteer to work for the campaign, the way he did.He also tells them to register new voters, by forming volunteer teams, holding house parties, and organizing voter registration drives.He asks them to raise their hands to commit to doing that in the next 10 days.Hands go up everywhere.As Klein continues his speech, the crowd quiets again.So, he asks, “Are you still ready????”“Yeeessss!!”
After Klein leaves, there’s another lull; no other warmup speaker follows him.The kids in the crowd look for something to do.As “Celebrate” pours out of the P.A. system, one of the video cameramen begins to sway and shimmy on the risers above the crowd.The kids notice and scream for him to keep going.He does, to wild applause.I should note here that I don’t know who he is.He’s not one of the 11Alive guys.Neither Stephen Boissy nor Al Ashe (nor I) can move like that.Perhaps our third camera person, Charles Olmstead, has it in him.But I can’t find him to throw down the challenge.
9:30 A.M.
The kids have decided they don’t need warming up.They start the Wave, then follow that with a chant, “O-bam-a!! O-bam-a!!”Meanwhile, some of the older African-American state political leaders, who had originally endorsed Hillary Clinton, are making the rounds.I spot State Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), and Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.Both had been on the stage with Sen. Clinton when she visited the World Congress Center just before Super Tuesday.
The crowd has quieted again, for the moment.But now, everyone is on his or her feet, ready to burst when the candidate comes in. The campaign apparently picked this hall because it holds 2,500 people. They may not have quite that many, but they're close.
9:40 A.M.
Obama hits the stage, to the usual rock star welcome.He seems even more relaxed than he did back in September, when he spoke to a bigger and louder crowd at the World Congress Center.
There are a few interesting moments right from the start.The Senator calls on the Rev. Joseph Lowery to take a bow—but Lowery is not there.“He must have snuck out the back,” Obama chuckles.
He then asks for cheers for some of Georgia’s Democrats in Congress.There’s respectful applause for Sanford Bishop and Hank Johnson, followed by a much quieter hand for John Lewis, who initially supported Hillary Clinton.I’m not sure whether Lewis is here; he does not appear to be.David Scott, another former Hillary supporter, gets much warmer applause than Lewis did.But John Conyers (D-Michigan), the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, gets a bigger, rowdier cheer than any of the Georgians.
11:00 A.M.
From the start of his speech, it’s clear Obama is reaching out to the Republicans and independents in what many pundits are calling “the mushy middle.”He opens on the economy, and what he calls “the middle class squeeze.”The Illinois Senator outlines a mixture of big spending on big new ideas (infrastructure improvements and alternative energy)—combined with personal responsibility and some ideas that Georgians have heard from their Republican state leaders.
For instance, Obama said Washington should involve more religious and church groups in government social programs—provided they observe the separation of church and state.Sounds a lot like the faith-based initiative measure repeatedly pushed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-Georgia).Obama makes a point of saying this is not a new idea for him.
On education, he called for more spending to develop vocational educational programs for kids who aren’t college-bound.Georgians will recognize that, if they’ve heard House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) push his BRIDGE program.
Obama argued he’s always been a progressive; but he insisted he’s also advocated ideas like the last two.“People who say I’ve been flip-flopping haven’t been listening to me,” he said.
But he gets his biggest applause when he returns to the familiar Democratic theme of criticizing the war in Iraq.Obama reiterated his plan for a careful pullout within 16 months of taking office.“Don’t be confused.I will bring the Iraq war to a close when I am President,” he said; to wild applause.
3:00 P.M.
Republicans have finished their press conference to respond to Obama.State Rep. Jill Chambers (R-DeKalb County) and Rufus Montgomery of the Georgia Black Republican Council make their appeal to the center, too.John McCain, they say, has the experience and the good sense to cut taxes and end the war in Iraq in a responsible way.
Montgomery, who said he did not hear Obama’s speech, openly questioned his sincerity on faith-based initiatives.He called Obama’s proposal an effort “to try to co-opt what President Bush has done with faith-based communities (at) the eleventh hour.”
Montgomery rejected Obama’s claim that he has been working on partnerships between the faith community and government for years.
“What did he do when he was in the Illinois State Senate?Where has he encouraged faith-based programs in the past?” Montgomery said.“He wasn’t talking about this during the primaries.I think it’s a calculated political move.”
It’s interesting—but not surprising--to note that some of the most passionate language on both sides came when they debated issues that appeal to independent and Republican voters.For the first time in years, the Democratic presidential nominee is not conceding any votes—not even those of religious Republicans—to the G.O.P.And the Republicans are fighting back, to keep their coalition together.
Georgia is hardly the only ground where this contest is being fought.But, because of the other dynamics here—a large African-American vote, and the possibility of a strong showing by Libertarian Bob Barr—this state will be one of the most hotly-fought battlefronts.Don’t be surprised to see both major party candidates again.
As I write this, I'm sitting in the McEachern High School gymnasium, with several hundred young people and a pack of reporters, waiting for Senator Barack Obama to appear for what's billed as a Town Hall meeting.
It's a very different crowd from last night at 103 West, where donors paid a minimum of $2,300 just to get in. The ticket price is different, too: if you were lucky enough to get one in time, the McEachern event is free.
The location of this event is symbolic, too. McEachern's community is diverse; but it's located in the middle of a very Republican area of Cobb County. By coming here, the Obama campaign is serving notice that nowhere in Georgia--and not even Georgia itself--is beyond reach.
This audience is symbolic of where the Obama campaign hopes to win, too. Yesterday, State Sen. Kasim Reed (D-Atlanta) told me that he thinks an Obama victory will have to come from the thousands of new, young voters who've registered--young voters of all races. Reed said this generation of voters isn't as influenced by race as previous generations were. Reed made it clear Obama will make a concerted effort to reach those young voters all over the country. He predicted a big African-American turnout for Obama in Georgia; but he said that won't be enough for a win--important as it is. He said the push over the top will have to come from the young.
Republicans seem to think so, too. State Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) mentioned new voters prominently in his speech at a gathering of McCain supporters yesterday in Atlantic Station. Rogers promised a vigorous McCain drive to reach the new voters. The message: Obama's performance doesn't match his rhetoric; McCain is the man with the experience and competence to actually make change happen.
But another Georgia Republican, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, said the McCain campaign has another group of voters it must reach, too: its own base. Georgia went for Mike Huckabee in the Super Tuesday primary; Huckabee recently released a statement, urging Georgia Republicans to turn out for McCain. In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Chambliss seemed to admit that some parts of the base have yet to be convinced to work enthusiastically for McCain.
Chambliss also gave credit to Obama for running what Chambliss called "a good campaign in the primary." Referring to new voters, Chambliss admitted that Obama is the main draw for them; he said it's now up to the McCain campaign to show them they have a better choice.
Back to the Democrats for a moment: At the Obama fundraiser at 103 West, I noticed a number of rather large SUV's pulling in (I was in and out of our truck, so I don't have an exact count). It seemed a bit ironic, given the party's emphasis on green themes this year.
As for what went on inside, there was a pool reporter: Aaron Gould Sheinin of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here's the summary he e-mailed to the rest of the press corps late last night:
Obama spoke before about 300 donors at 103 West, on West Paces Ferry. In his remarks, which lasted about 20 minutes, Obama, wearing a dark grey suit and pale blue tie with white shirt, thanked friends and supporters, including Sen. David Adelman, Kirk Dornbush, Gene Duffy and the Rev. Joseph Lowery. Martin Luther King III was apparently there earlier but had left by the time Obama spoke.
Obama referenced Martin Luther King Jr. several times, specifically mentioning King’s warning of forgetting “the fierce urgency of now.” “I was reminded of what Dr. King, said, the fierce urgency of now. That there is such a thing of being too late. And I believed that moment was almost upon us.
We’re involved in two wars, one I think never should have been authorized and never been waged, in Iraq. In part because it distracted us from a war I think we have to win, in Afghanistan, and the Taliban have gotten stronger and those who have killed 3000 Americans have been able to regroup.”
He presaged his event tomorrow morning in Powder Springs by speaking extensively of the need this generation of Americans to make things better and more economically secure for the next generation. Other issues that were common: energy policy, the need to keep America at the fore of research and development.
“That’s why I’m running for president of the United States of America, and that’s why I intend to win right here in the great state of Georgia.” He referenced Georgia often.
“But it starts right now. Right here in Georgia. One of the premises of our campaign is we don’t just intend to win, we want a mandate.
“We want a mandate for change and we’re not just going to run in the same old states and have just everything hinge on Florida. Not going to go down that route again. We’re going to have a whole bunch of different ways we can win because we’re going to compete here in Georgia, we’re going to compete in North Carolina an d Virginia. Y’all saw me in Montana and North Dakota. We’re up in Alaska. We’re going to try and transform this political map. And the reason we can do it is not because of me. It’s because of you, because we have a mobilized electorate we have not seen in a very long time. I don’t want anybody here to feel complacent. This is going to be a very tough job."
Later, at Michael Coles’ house in Buckhead, at a gathering of about 35 top donors, Obama said he believes the race in Georgia is tied, as it is, he said, in North Carolina and Virginia. Later, I asked a press aide what he based that on, and she said she did not know for sure but would find out. She said it was NOT based on internal polling.
Friday, 6/27/088:15 P.M.Governor Sonny Perdue took the next step in his journey toward a comprehensive transportation plan today.The Governor spoke to the Commuter Club, a project of the Cumberland Community Improvement District.They were celebrating their 100th van pool; an effort to get folks in the congested Cumberland Mall area to share the ride to work.Leaders of the Community Improvement District said it had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.Governor Perdue took the opportunity to sketch out the beginnings of the plan he hopes to submit to the Legislature next year.One of the highlights:start work on the commuter rail line from Atlanta to Lovejoy; but the Governor said the numbers of potential riders justify continuing the rail line past Lovejoy to Griffin.While warning fans of heavy rail that there’s no single solution to Georgia’s complex traffic problems, the Governor said he’s also willing to look at other proposed rail routes. He didn’t mention them by name; but the Brain Train from Atlanta to Athens comes to mind.As he has before, Perdue extolled the virtues of telecommuting, flex time, and car/van pools.He had some enthusiastic support from the van poolers in the crowd.Candace Haynes commutes from Fairburn to her job with an insurance company in Cobb County.She’s a member of that 100th Commuter Club van pool.She’s only been pooling for about a month; but she told me she loves it—first, for the savings over driving her SUV.“On the average, about five to six thousand dollars is what I’ll save per year,” she said.“I was spending anywhere from $120 to $160 a week, gassing up—just to come to and from work.”Haynes said van pooling has made her a more relaxed person when she arrives at work.But she admitted she hasn’t completely kicked the car commuting habit every day.“Even for myself, just doing the day-to-day, we’re so reliant on our cars in the Atlanta area,” she said.“We’re wanting to own things, and wanting to run our own errands.You have to buckle down.”Candace Haynes doesn't drive much on Georgia 400. But folks like her--making changes in fits and starts--appear to be the reason why 400’s traffic volume remains amazingly constant.State Road and Tollway Authority Chief Operating Officer Teri Slack met me at the toll plaza, where the state keeps a count of the volume on what was once called the Alpharetta Autobahn.Slack said there’s been a slight drop—about 1.7%--in the 400 volume between May of 2007 and May of 2008.But she couldn’t definitely say that gas prices are the reason.Slack noted that most of the decrease in 400 traffic is happening on weekends—the time when the D.O.T. has been warning people to stay away from downtown because of the Connector construction.Perhaps that—and not gas prices—might be the primary reason for the drop.“Are you able to say, based on these numbers, that—at least on 400—people are driving any less because of gas prices?” I asked her.“I cannot say that definitely, no,” she replied.“Does that surprise you?” I asked.“No, it doesn’t surprise me,” Slack replied.“We are a commuter road, and people do need to get to and from work.It’s nice to see that people are working.”“They could car-pool, though,” I said.“They could, yes,” she said.So far, it appears, the car pool idea is only slowly taking hold on Georgia 400.Slack did have one suggestion about how Georgia 400 commuters could save gas without getting out of their cars:buy Cruise Cards so they don’t have to stop and idle in line at the cash lanes.Which brings us back to Governor Perdue.One Democratic State Senator told me he’s ready to work with the Governor on a mix of alternative transit; he’s anxious to see what Perdue proposes to the Legislature in January.The transportation plan will spark a fight that more than likely won’t be Democrat vs. Republican.It could be urban vs. rural, or Atlanta vs. the rest of the state.Three times, the Governor said there is no single answer to Georgia’s transportation problems—“we can’t leave anything off the table,” he repeated.He might have been aiming that at some mass transit fans, who are skeptical of ideas like toll lanes and public-private roadbuilding projects.But, he could also have been talking to those who’ve relied on roads as the only practical way to get around a big state like this.No matter what gas prices do for the rest of this year, January will be very interesting at the State Capitol.
