Best Person You Love to Hate

Back in the olden days (2007 or so), we genuinely liked Maconite Republican blogger ERICK ERICKSON, even though the only political issue we've ever agreed upon is the correct spelling of "America." Nonetheless, we admired his smarts, willingness to break ranks with the GOP and early mastery of a new medium. But sometime in 2008, Erickson began earning notoriety for lobbing partisan bombs. He declared jihad against any Republicans who criticized risible ignoramus Sarah Palin. He called Michelle Obama a "Marxist harpy," compared a White House spokesperson to a Nazi, called a sitting Supreme Court Justice a "goat-fucking child molester" and joked about greeting census workers at the door with a gun. Despite turning his name into a blogospheric synonym for gratuitous personal attacks, Erickson's star continues to rise. And since no publicity is bad publicity for right wing pundits, CNN even gave Erickson a regular gig. www.peachpundit.com less...

We all knew he had goofy hair and was a terrible driver. But until JOHN OXENDINE began running for governor, we didn’t realize just what kind of Christian conservative whack-job our state insurance commissioner seems to be. Since he launched his campaign, Oxendine has publicly opposed Sunday alcohol sales; proposed that MARTA be privatized; made a video in which he promises to run Planned Parenthood out of business; advocated Georgia’s secession from the United States; and plumbed new depths of banality through Twitter. Favorite Ox tweet: “We finished the nursery for baby Jake. The room is Confederate Gray. Reminds me of why I am running.” Were they out of Antebellum Apricot at Pottery Barn Kids? Anyway, with each fresh lunacy, the Ox has become the most entertaining Georgia political figure since former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones, and is certain to keep us smiling — until we actually have to go to the polls. www.johnoxendine.com. less...

Pro sports stars can get away with a lot without losing the fans’ love: cheat on their wives, drive drunk, consort with hookers, make lousy rap records, etc. But for many people, abusing and torturing animals is on par with child molestation. The things MICHAEL VICK did to dogs are so disgusting and sordid that it’s impossible to look at the guy the same way we used to. Vick has failed his Falcons teammates, effectively wasted our entire football season and deeply embarrassed his adopted city. less...

Well, if it isn’t our own John Sugg, then it has to be Atlanta’s contribution to big-league talk radio, NEAL BOORTZ. Whether Boortz is trumpeting his Flat Earth Society views on global warming (yeah, sure, Neal, it isn’t happening), frothing up generalized hatred against Muslims, or demagogue-ing the idea of a national sales tax to rip off middle-class Americans, he’s still an essential listen ... if only to know what the other side is thinking. We’ll at least give Boortz points for his willingness to tackle sacred cows and to bandy about big ideas — no matter how wrongheaded he is about them. Unlike most talk-radio blowhards, he’s had an impact on at least one policy debate by doggedly advocating the sales tax (which he incongruously calls “Fair Tax”). Besides, if we couldn’t hear this particular Cox Enterprises employee bloviating each morning on AM radio, our blood pressure might drop to an unhealthy level. less...

When she kicked off her quest to become governor last year, Georgia Secretary of State CATHY COX had everything going for her. She’d raised more money than Mark Taylor, her Democratic primary opponent, and had a 10-point lead in the polls as late as October. Then, her campaign manager was caught doctoring Taylor’s bio on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia — and Cox allowed herself to be bullied by Taylor’s people into firing him. Headed downhill, she pressed the accelerator by ticking off liberals and conservatives alike when she waffled repeatedly over the gay marriage issue. Through it all, Cox failed to capture voters with any innovative or inspirational ideas. She came off as if she had no stomach for what it took to play with heavyweights. We still think the woman from Bainbridge is a promising leader, but only if she’s picked up the right lessons from her unimaginative and unsure run for governor. less...

Baby-faced super-Christian RALPH REED is running for lieutenant governor, and while the campaign is Reed’s first bid for public office, he’s said to have his eyes on the White House. Scary. Reed is a cutthroat behind-the-scenes political street fighter who’s claimed he put enemies in “body bags” and led the Christian Coalition to national prominence. The former plagiarist — he was banned from UGA’s student newspaper for copying lines from an attack on Gandhi — returned to the state as a political consultant following claims that a company with close ties to him over-billed the coalition. Now Reed is up to his neck in allegations that he fought the development of Indian casinos with money provided by their competitors. How presidential.
www.ralphreed.com.

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We have to hand it to CHOICEPOINT. The company spent years buying information on virtually every American while assuring privacy advocates that the information was safe. Yet all it took was a Nigerian crook posing as a legit business to compromise information on 145,000 Americans. Did ChoicePoint offer a full accounting of the scandal? Yeah, right! The company waited months before ’fessing up to a security breach. Then, when CEO Derek Smith finally talked, he said, “We didn’t expect organized criminals would attack us with this sophistication.” Derek, they used a fax machine! ChoicePoint shares tumbled, but before the scandal went public, Smith managed to sell thousands of shares, netting $13 million.
www.choicepoint.com.

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