Silver linings - Midterm election 2014

From Adam Griffin:

The first in surely a lot of maps to come. This shows the increase in the Democratic or Republican performance for Governor & Senate between 2010 & 2014.

First of all, I'd like to say as a Coordinated Campaign leader in Whitfield and the First Vice-Chair for WCDP, I'm immensely proud of our team and all we did, and the hard work is visible in the numbers!

[A bit of bragging/silver lining] In the Gubernatorial race, Whitfield County swung more (tied with Rockdale) to Jason Carter than ANY OTHER COUNTY IN THE ENTIRE STATE (We both got some bragging rights here). Whitfield went from 22.9% for Roy Barnes in 2010 to 28.6% in 2014 (D +5.7)! We held Deal below 67%, which is the best showing in Whitfield for a Gubernatorial, Senatorial or Presidential Democrat since 2000. In the Senatorial race, we moved the needle from 20.5% in 2010 to 24.1% in 2014 (D +3.6). That was a bit below the average swing in the state to Nunn, but we still did well in improving our totals for this part of the state.

We made over 2,000 calls, knocked on several hundred doors, deployed 2,500 mailers, sent out 15,000 robocalls, somehow beat the Republicans at the silly sign game, and had plenty of other interactions to help GOTV for Jason, Michelle and others. In the end, this boosted the number of Democratic voters in the Gov race from 3,725 to 4,501 (D +776) and the Sen race from 3,301 to 3,807 (D +506). I set a personal goal in the Gov race for Whitfield to deliver 4,500 votes (which I thought a bit unrealistic at the time); made it by 1!

I'd just like to close this out by saying that having a solid county party apparatus in place is crucial to accomplishing what we want to in this state in the future. If you don't currently have one, then build it. Use data and modern technology to get the job done, and combine with it common sense and retail politicking. Get the staleness out the way, and always be willing to ask for help. Over the past four years, myself and several others have worked very hard to convert what was just a few people getting together once per month into a real political party with dozens of people that can affect change (or at least for now, begin moving the needle back in the left direction). It'll still be a long time before Whitfield County is anywhere close to flipping, but if enough of the counties like ours begin to make movements like what Whitfield did tonight in the Gov and Sen races, then we'll have a Democratic sweep come 2018. And I have a feeling that if we keep it up and move forward as one, then Northwest Georgia won't be getting ignored for much longer.

Tom Phipps Recognized as 2014 Rakkasan of the Year

September 20, 2014 is a grand occasion.  First it's the birthday of my brother Chris.  Second, it's the day our father, Tom Phipps, will be recognized as Rakkasan of the Year, by the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association.  Dad is an active member of American Legion Post 112 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 112 in Dalton, Georgia. 

Biography of Tom Arthur Phipps

            The following eventful experiences were pivotal in the development of Tom’s faith and growth for service.

            Tom Arthur Phipps was born November 27, 1930 in Akron, Ohio. His parents, Leonard F. and Myrtle B. Phipps who were born and reared in Georgia, had gone north for work during the Great Depression. They brought their family back to Georgia in 1937.

            Tom graduated high school in 1950 at Mount Berry School for Boys in Rome, Georgia. While at Berry, he studied the “Life of Jesus” and became a Christian in 1949. After discharge from the Army in April 1953, he started Junior College on the G.I. Bill and entered the ministry, both in 1954.  Tom earned an A.B. degree from Mercer University in 1959, a Master of Education degree from the University of Georgia in 1975, and finished a Course of Study in Theology at Emory University in the 1980s.

            Tom met Jerri Caldwell while in Junior College and they were married in 1957. They have two children – Cheryl Dawn and Christopher Shawn. They have three grandchildren. Jerri also has degrees in education from Mercer University and the University of Georgia. Both are retired teachers. Tom taught Junior and Senior High School for twenty-one years while pastoring Baptist and Methodist churches. He retired from the ministry in 1998 after getting a pacemaker in 1997.

           Tom was drafted in April of 1951. He took basic training at Camp Breckenridge, KY and jump school at Fort Benning, GA. He was then shipped out to join the 187th Airborne R.C.T. “Rakkasans” at Camp Chickamauga in Beppu, Japan. Tom was assigned to Medical Company and sent to Tokyo for aidman training. He pulled periodic duty in the camp dispensary.  While in Japan, he joined a small Bible group of troopers lead by Chaplain Dr. Robert Rayburn. Chaplain Rayburn and Sergeant Joe Kamikawa were vital mentors for Tom.

            The 187^th returned to Korea at Taegu where they barely missed another combat jump. They were then sent to Koji-Do Island to “fix a mess.” Tom served at Koji-Do in a medical tent directly in front of “Compound 76.” He helped treat Rakkasans first, then POWs outside of the tent.  Tom served in Kumwha Valley in patrol action. He served on one night patrol to help recover Lester Hammond’s body. Tom rotated out of Korea in 1953.

            Tom served in the American Legion during the 1990s as a baseball manager and coach, as well as post and district chaplain. Since then he has been serving by transporting veterans to V.A. Clinics. He has greatly enjoyed being Golden Rakkasan chaplain and learned much from career troopers who fought in all three of the following wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.