Catherine Smith Joins the Kudzu Vine for her first of MANY appearances

On this September 16 episode of The Kudzu Vine, guest co-host Catherine Smith of Blog for Democracy joins David and Tim to cover a wide range of Georgia and national political developments. Smith discusses her work with Fulton County Democrats and recounts a recent local forum featuring representatives from five presidential campaigns, where Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama topped both pre- and post-speech straw polls. She also highlights her long-standing activism in both Michigan and Georgia Democratic politics.The hosts dive into Governor Sonny Perdue’s opposition to House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s sweeping tax proposal, which would eliminate income taxes in favor of taxing services. All three criticize the plan as regressive, warning it would raise costs on essential services like plumbing, veterinary care, and medical visits, and potentially even reintroduce taxes on groceries. They argue the proposal threatens local control and would disproportionately hurt working families.Turning to congressional politics, the trio reviews news that Republican Chris Edenfield is launching a challenge against Democratic Rep. John Barrow, though his moderate messaging and limited organization make him an uncertain contender. They also note a possible Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Jim Marshall by progressive activist Robert Novak.The episode’s featured guest, David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, discusses his firm’s new poll showing Fred Thompson surging among Georgia Republicans and Hillary Clinton gaining ground among Democrats. Johnson explains name recognition advantages, shifting GOP attitudes toward George W. Bush, debates over including potential candidates like Newt Gingrich, and why Georgia remains more Republican than neighboring Southern states.