Josh Lanier is a native of Statesboro, GA, but has spent the last few decades in Washington and the world. Born in 1952, he served the Army in Vietnam, and then worked for Herman Talmadge. He also served as a lobbyist for organizations like Cable TV and consulted with small businesses. In 1984 he became a trustee for the Presidential Yacht Trust and helped lead the restoration of the U. S. S. Sequoia. In 1998 he went green and helped start a company that specialized in water and air treatment, through which he gained international experience and business associations. In 2006 he retired and returned home to help take care of his mother. He has been writing a screenplay in his free time, but that may change in January.

Josh recently formed an explorartory committee to help him decide sometime in mid January whether or not he will join the race to become Georgia’s next U. S. Senator. You can watch his video and find out more about what he hopes to offer the people of Georgia.

Josh thinks (and I do too) that the number one problem with politics in America is money. It takes too much to get elected. It is supplied by people who expect something in return and while this influence of money is perfectly legal, it is also perfectly corrupt. Amen brother!

Okay, Josh, so how the hell are you going to get elected? Well, maybe he isn’t, but if he does he has made a committment to do it the right way. The right way is with a “Clean Campaign.”

This is an idea that deserves our closest attention. Most of us gripe about the money in politics. We know it is bad. It corrupts just about everything it touches in Washington. It completely supplants the power of the people who can give $100 to a candidate with the lobbyist who can funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to a candidate with a few phone calls.

This is how Josh has pledged to run his campaign:

1. Conduct an exploratory period with “seed” donations not to exceed $100.

2. If the high exploratory period objectives are met, the Committee will “qualify” the next step by receiving 500 $5 contributions for individuals in every Congressional District in Georgia, plus 2,000 additional $5 contributions for individuals throughout the state.

3. Once “qualified” the Committee will raise additional funds for the Democratic primary election solely from individuals in amounts not to exceed $100. Under the “Clean Elections Now Act,” these primary funds would be public funds and no additional fundraising would be required.

4. The Committee will abide by strict formulas in the “Fair Elections Now Act” for spending in the primary and general elections.

The “Fair Elections Now Act” isn’t law, not yet anyway. The Act (S. 1285) is a bipartisan effort by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) to change the way elections are funded. You can find out more about it at the Common Cause website.

So how will the candidates that reject the money compete with the Saxby Chamblisses of this country? They will have a hard time until the Fair Elections Now Act and similar state legislation becomes law. But the truth is, when states require candidates to run clean campaigns, it works. It works in Arizona. And in New Jersey. We need to get it here in Georgia.

My hat is off to Josh that is going to set the example, win, lose or draw!