Opponent slams Reed for "horrible" campaign adds

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0423metforum.html

The Republican campaign for lieutenant governor in 1998 was so bitter, so dirty, that Casey Cagle and another top Republican Senate leader each gave a $1,000 apology to the Democratic victor, Mark Taylor.

The admission from Cagle came during a Saturday debate with Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition and Cagle's Republican rival for lieutenant governor.

But Cagle said it was Reed, as a fledgling political consultant, who was responsible for a "horrible, horrible" campaign for lieutenant governor by Fulton County Commission then-Chairman Mitch Skandalakis, in which Taylor was wrongly accused of drug addiction.

Skandalakis, a Sandy Springs lawyer, was among Reed's first political clients after Reed left as executivedirector of the national Christian Coalition.

The ad that prompted the apology featured a Taylor look-alike shuffling down the hallway of what was meant to be a drug rehabilitation center. Taylor had admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in the early 1980s, but the TV spot suggested that Taylor's drug use had continued.

Taylor filed a $1 million slander suit against Skandalakis. It was settled for $50,000, and Taylor gave the money to charity.

"It's disheartening to know that some of the horrible, horrible ads that were run in this process were actually directed by my opponent," Cagle said Saturday. "They were not factual. They were downright wrong."

[Warpy]

1. Kerry needed to take a page from Taylor's book

and sue the fuck out of the Slime Boat guys and Regenery Publishing.

THINK of what subpoenas might have turned up!

Yes, politicians can sue for slander. Sometimes they can even win the suits, although that isn't really the point. The point is tying up the slanderer's resources while gaining access to his money trail.

These scumbags will just keep on coming until we take them on via the legal system. Are you listening, John Kerry?

[nickyt]

2. Thanks for this, Charlie. What goes around etc. So does Reed have

a shot at this thing, or could Cagle's charges take him down enough notches to do him in altogether?

[Jose Diablo]

4. As for Cagle

the family name 'Cagle' is pretty big here in Gwinnett county. Not sure it's the same, but Cagle here were/are large land owners from way way back. Profiting greatly during the building construction boom. Pretty deep pockets. I know the Cagle here, he lives just a couple blocks away, made a unsuccessful run for county commissioner about 10 years back. He's an OK guy. Haven't seen him around for quite a while. I don't know if it's the same family though.

Edit to remove a comment about the primary. Nor sure if we have primaries for mid terms.

I'd say Cagle is 'old' money and will stomp Reed flat.

[Jose Diablo]

3. The baptists here in Georgia are not happy that their contributions

to Ralphs political action committees actually went to support pro-gambling legislation. Who da thunk that pro-corporation people and fundamentalist christians have very much in common? I'd say there is a cooling relationship underway within the Republican camp.

It's still not clear to me that Alito and Roberts will overrule Roe vs Wade either. If I were a fundamentalist christian, I'd be put-out with the republican leadership.

[nickyt]

5. Thanks for this, Jose - I didn't know if the fundies down there had got

word of Reed's "adventures". This is all soundin' good!!