34 sheriffs have switched their endorsement from incumbent Sam Olens to Democratic challenger Greg Hecht. This bipartisan group includes ten Republicans. It is not surprising since Greg Hecht destroyed Sam Olens in the debate. The current mealymouthed AG is more suited to filing tax or real estate briefs than actually prosecuting any corruption or ethics cases.
“Sheriffs want an Attorney General who is going to prosecute corruption and enforce the law, and has the experience to back it up.” said Hecht. “I prosecuted cases myself as an assistant District Attorney, and I’m proud to have the support of these sheriffs.”
Hecht has a press release with all the names on his site.
A recent poll showed the race tightening. The SurveyUSA poll conducted for WXIA in Atlanta showed Olens leading Hecht 46 percent to 43 percent, within the margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. If more voters knew what a spineless Attorney General we currently have with Olens, Greg Hecht would win in a landslide. As a less well-known race however few know anything about either candidate and will vote purely on party not quality which is a shame and why Georgia is in the mess we are in.
If you care to learn more about Monsieur Olens, I encourage you to read Meet your Attorney General Sam Olens The video of the debate is also on that link.
As attorney General, Olens is using public money to settle whistleblower lawsuits making allegations that, at minimum, embarrass the administration and, at worst, may involve more real abuse. Olens regards his ‘authority’ as robust enough to use public money to buy people’s silence but too puny to investigate the truth. That is a disgrace, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat that should make you mad as hell. You want to take back our star, voting out Sam Olens is a great place to start.
Sam Olens may be a really nice and great guy and I bet I would even be his friend if I met him in real life. But he is simply not suited to be an Attorney General. It really is that simple. He is far more suited to be a mid-level bureaucrat or corporate attorney that writes briefs. He is not a prosecutor, he is dispassionate, he has no desire to stand up to cronyism or ethics violations. Some people follow the letter of the law and some attorneys understand the spirit of the law as well. The fact that he is such a nice and personable guy afraid of offending or fighting is precisely why he sucks as an Attorney General. He is more concerned about being liked and not making enemies for future offices that he is afraid to do his job. His fallback answer in the debate on marriage equality for example showed his inflexibility and cowardice. No state Attorney General has to defend unconstitutional laws. No doubt from his answers how he would have handled segregation or miscegenation laws in Georgia back in the day.
Hecht’s reply to that obtuse thinking was “We are not to defend unconstitutional laws,” Hecht added. Hecht was paraphrasing one of President George W. Bush’s solicitor generals, Olson, one of George W. Bush’s solicitor generals. In 2009, Olson joined with David Boies, who he faced off in 2000 in the Bush v. Gore case, to challenge California’s Proposition 8 law banning same-sex marriage, winning the case and bringing marriage back to California.
Sam Olens is the type of attorney you would hire if you had a contract dispute or needed tax advice. Greg Hecht is the kind of attorney your would want to have as an Attorney General if you are disgusted that Georgia is dead last in corruption, want protection for consumers and the middle class, care about protecting children, and care about someone willing to finally take a stand and fight against public corruption. Sam Olens is the status quo. Greg Hecht is the possibility of a much better future.
I encourage you all to read my extended article and watch the debate. If you had to hire an attorney to represent you in a trial in front of a judge and jury, ask yourself after watching the debate who you would hire. Mealymouthed Owens or a warrior like Hecht?
A final message to the remainder of Sheriff’s and indeed any and all police agents or voters in the state that haven’t seen the light yet. Wake up and smell the coffee ladies and gents. Sam Olens is not the AG you want in office. Please do your due diligence and educate yourselves on why we so desperately need to send Sam Olens packing. He may be the golden boy when it comes to Georgia Sunshine laws and for that we are all grateful, but that doesn’t excuse the sorry job he has done as it relates to all the other duties and responsibilities of his office that have been neglected.