On Tuesday I attened the annual fundraiser held by the Democratic Party of Georgia known as the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. This is the premier annual fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Georgia. This year's honorees were former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders who was Governor of Georgia from 1963-67, and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. The evening began around 5:30pm with a reception at the Hyatt Hotel downtown. The event was attended by a "who's who" of the Democratic Party. There were elected officials, staffers, candidates, supporters, and many active Democrats. It was networking at its best. I worked the room letting people know that I'm a candidate for State Senate in District 35.
I recall a very special moment when I met former U.S. Senator Max Cleland. We were at the sink in the men's restroom and I said hello and he turned and said hello and noticed my button. He replied, "so you are running for State Senate in District 35? I replied yes I am. "He said that's Kasim Reed's district?" I said yes, right now. I reached out to shake his hand, which is a natural reflex of mine while talking and meeting anyone. I wasn't thinking about the fact that his right arm is amputated. So at that moment he opened his arm for a hug. I gave him a hug and he went on to say that "organization wins elections, from day one to election day."I really appreciated those words. It's ironic because prior to entering the restroom I was asking a person I met about volunteering and telling him that we needed volunteers to handle certain tasks that we had planned to do throughout the campaign. It was a special moment that I won't soon forget. Senator Cleland is an American hero, a giant in Georgia politics, and overall a great citizen.
The dinner was very nice. It was complete with a live band, introductions and acknowledgements of Assembly members, and other elected officials. I enjoyed the conversation at the table and met some great people. The keynote speaker was Phil Bredesen who is the Governor of Tennessee. I enjoyed his words. He particularly spoke about a period in which he was briefly being considered for secretary of Health and Human Services. He told us that because of some difficult decisions he had to make to maintain healthcare in TN, the organization MoveOn. org started a campaingn again him being nominated. He wanted to emphasize not that this is a bad organization but that our party has to embrace all types of Democrats and be willing to work across the isle with republicans as he does in TN. I agree. The current make up of the Georgia Senate is 22 democrats and 34 republicans. We are a long ways from a majority and I believe that in an effort to get legislation passed the next State Senator from District 35 will have to be a consensus builder. I'm a Democrat and a consensus builder. Moreover, I believe in working with people who don't necessarily agree with me. This thinking has been the cornerstone of a lot of the success I've had in service organizations, college, fraternity, church, and political groups. As the next State Senator is District 35, I will listen to the people. I'm the "man of the people" candidate who goes from one neighborhood meeting to the next. I will get the people's work done by hearing their concerns and representing their feelings in the legislature. Finally, I think that I possess the skills of negotiation from my experience as a franchisee and memberships in several organizations. I will be able to respectfully debate the issues and gain the support needed to provide for District 35.
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