GA-12: Thomas Cleans Up In Debates

Next week is not going to be that fun. We're going to see a total capitulation from Democrats on FISA and telecom immunity, and the unitary executive, its theories legally discredited, will remain pre-eminent. The way that we're going to restore accountability is by defeating the Democratic enablers who are fundamentally conservative and reactionary, and who team up with Republicans to undermine progress and subvert the rule of law. July 15 is our first test, as Georgia Rep. John Barrow faces State Senator Regina Thomas in a district where African-American primary turnout could top 60%. Barrow is a conservative who voted to fund endless war and to eliminate our privacy on FISA, the Patriot Act and a host of other issues. Howie Klein has been following this race with interests and notes that Thomas gave it to Barrow at a recent debate:

The Democratic primary challenger to U.S. Rep. John Barrow accused him of dragging his feet on reducing gas prices and supporting illegal wiretapping of Americans during a televised debate Tuesday.

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 withdrawal from Iraq [...]

Thomas also attacked Barrow for his recent vote favoring passage on an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, intended to balance privacy rights while protecting the U.S. against attacks.

Thomas said the legislation gave telecommunications companies immunity from prosecution for illegal wiretapping of American citizens. Barrow denied that's what the act does.

"It gives the intelligence community the tools they need to follow up and track the bad guys while protecting the civil rights we're all about in the first place," he said.

Thomas called Barrow's answer "smoke and mirrors" and insisted the legislation "will still allow the government to violate the right to privacy of American citizens."

This was followed by another debate where Thomas explained plainly and simply that Barrow was a Bush Dog who favored endless war. Barrow is being helped by corporate PAC money and his Establishment buddies. This is not going to be an easy race - Barrow has a ton of built-in advantages - but it's a beginning in the fight to have a voice for ordinary people in the Congress.