Martin Scores Endorsements Of Rev.
Joseph Lowery, Organized Labor
By Dick Pettys
InsiderAdvantage Georgia
(7/31/08) Organized labor along with one of the patriarchs of the
civil rights movement endorsed Jim Martin on Wednesday in his battle
with Vernon Jones for Georgia’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination
in the Aug. 5 primary runoff.
The backing of big labor, which went to fourth-place finisher Rand
Knight in the primary campaign, could give Martin a boost in getting
supporters to the polls in an election otherwise expected to excite
little interest. And the symbolic value of his endorsement by the
Rev. Joseph Lowery steals at least a little thunder from Jones among
black voters, a key Democratic constituency group.
Jones, the retiring DeKalb County CEO who styles himself a conservative
Democrat, has campaigned as a fervent supporter of Barack Obama
and has ripped Martin for having voted for John Edwards in Georgia’s
Super Tuesday primary in February. Martin says he’s an Obama
supporter now, and has ripped Jones for twice voting for President
George W. Bush.
Lowery, 86, former president of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference and, himself, a fierce supporter of Obama, appeared at
a news conference with Martin in which he put his seal of approval
on the former state legislator and ex-DHR commissioner as a man
who shares Obama’s vision.
“We cannot afford to send to the Senate a zig-zag, so-called
conservative Bush supporter who, by his own admission, not only
voted for Bush one time but, after having an opportunity to review
his leadership ... voted for him a second time,” said Lowery.
Without naming Jones by name, he said Jones has espoused opinions
and positions that are not in line with those embraced by the Democratic
party’s nominee-in-waiting.
A Jones campaign spokeswoman issued this statement for the candidate:
“I respect Joseph Lowery. I stand on his shoulders and the
shoulders of all who came before me and I wish him well.”
Also endorsing Martin at the news conference was the Georgia State
AFL-CIO.
Lowery was asked during the news conference if he was concerned
that Jones, as the Democratic nominee for Senate, could jeopardize
Obama’s chances in Georgia.
“Irrespective of that, I think Jim Martin’s presence
will enhance the possibility of victory for the Democratic ticket,
and that’s our concern,” he said. “We believe
that Jim Martin brings a consistency. He readily pledged to support
whoever the party nominates for Senate while his opponent was reticent,
which is characteristic of his zig-zag, inconsistent, so-called
conservative, Bush look-alike, be-alike, wanna-be position and posture.
Hello?”
He said Jones had been seeking his endorsement, too, through “persistent,
consistent, insistent telephone calls to me.”
Nevertheless, he said this when asked if he would support Jones
if he is the victor next Tuesday:
“Yes. Over Chambliss? Yes.”
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