IS BARNES CHICKENING OUT OF BEACON DEMOCRAT GOV. DEBATE?

Former Ga. governor Roy Barnes (D) says he's doing a lot more listening these days. We can't verify that claim, but we can tell you this: he wants no part of a real debate with his top tier opponents where he can't control the environment -- at least at The Beacon.

After first failing to confirm a date (as reported last week) The Beacon editorial staff secured an agreement with the other Democrat candidates in the race -- Thurbert Baker, David Poythress and Dubose Porter -- and then offered the Barnes camp the opportunity to choose any date for the debate they wanted within a 45 day window.

It took them a week to respond to the offer, at which point they declined again, this time using this lame excuse, sent to us via email from Barnes campaign scheduler Brinkley Serkedakis: "We wanted to go ahead and let you know that we are not able to offer you additional dates at this time. After looking at your website, it appears that you view these debates as a for-profit enterprise, and we are unable to participate with that being the case."

Huh? For profit? We lose a small fortune every time we put one of these debates on, which we do as a service to our readers and the communities we serve. The $10 or $15 ticket prices help defray about half the cost of doing one of these events the right way.

After we confirmed that "charging admission" was the Barnes camp's only issue, we called their bluff, and told them, "OK, just to accommodate the former governor, we'll eat the whole cost ourselves, and make it free to the public."

The response from the Barnes camp: silence. Not a word. Perhaps we'll get a date next week. But you have to ask this question: what's Barnes afraid of?

Maybe he's waiting for the AJC to host a debate, so he can continue his love affair with the downtown editorial liberals who fawn all over him at every given opportunity, like aging women over an aging Elvis.

As for us, right now his campaign mascot should be the Marietta Big Chicken.

PREDICTION: VERNON JONES UPSETS HANK JOHNSON IN 4th

You can call him Vernon, you can call him VJ, you can call him Mr. Jones, but soon you'll likely be calling him congressman. That's right, we're predicting that former Dekalb County CEO Vernon Jones upsets Hank Johnson and wrests the Democrat nomination away from the incumbent in the Georgia's 4th Congressional District. The grand irony is it's Cynthia McKinney's old district. The only thing Jones and McKinney have in common is their skin color. All parallels between the two end there. The district takes in southern and western Gwinnett County, where it bumps up to Roswell, Rockdale County, and most of Dekalb.

Jones is like a cat with nine lives. He keeps rising from the political dead.  He's fresh off beating back a lawsuit for reverse discrimination where a jury of his peers exonerated him, and we're told he's raised $50,000 in the two weeks since the trial ended as a result. He's knows the district, and his voter base. Don't forget that Jones garnered 40.5 percent of the statewide primary vote in his 2008 U.S. Senate campaign on the first ballot, only to lose to Democrat machine candidate Jimmy Martin in the August run-off.

But two factors prime him for the win. One is Johnson and some of the bizarre comments he's made of late, putting his effectiveness into question. Second is Jones' message. He's an evangelical conservative with a mantra for job creation running in a district where unemployment is a major problem. We project he'll build a coalition of conservatives, evangelicals, working families and the truly unemployed, leaving Johnson with the hard core McKinney base and the DeKalb Cadillac liberals -- not a majority. If Jones gets to Congress, he'll likely vote some of the time with the GOP. If the Republicans come close to taking control of the U.S. House in November, Jones could get a boatload of goodies for his district if they need him to caucus with them. Either way, Jones over Johnson will be the upset of July.

Baker toppling the Big Chicken will be the upset of August.

BEACH LEADS D-56 MONEY RACE

If money talked, D-56 GOP Georgia Senate candidate Brandon Beach would be hoarse by now. Beach led the financial donations race by raising $27,425 in the quarter ended Mar. 31, bringing his total donations to over $130,000. His war chest totals $92,000 in cash on hand.

About a quarter of Beach's contributions came from political action committees from outside of the metro.

Beach defended his PAC cash, saying it's from real people that live in the district who contribute to the associations. "I have built up trust and solid relationships over many years with businesses, entrepreneurs and residents," Beach said. "Their financial support is a reflection of their trust in me", he offered.

When questioned further about the influence of the PAC money, Beach went right on offense. "It is unusual for associations to be contributing to candidates involved in a three way primary race. I am proud and honored for the generous financial support I have received so early in the process. I believe it’s a testament to my message, my clear bias for action and my record of achievement."

Alpharetta Councilman David Belle Isle, once considered a dark horse in the race, but moving up of late, collected a respectable $6,200 for the three-month reporting period and has $33,000 in the bank.

Belle Isle said his donations were overwhelmingly from residents who live in the district, pointing out that he has more total donors than his two rivals, and the most who have given $100 or less. He maintained those donors would continue to contribute, while some of Beach's had tapped out at the maximum allowed by law.

"My support comes from local residents, not special interests," Belle Isle said.

HEY ALBERS: SHOW ME THE MONEY

In last place was upstart candidate John Albers, who raised an anemic $700 from just two contributors. But Albers said not to worry. "I have no concerns about fundraising," Albers maintained. "I have many events planned and will self-fund to lead the pack and not be beholden to anyone but the families of Georgia."

Albers loaned his campaign $100,000 last year, but he plays a shell game with his campaign money. For two consecutive reporting periods, Albers put $45,000 in his campaign account the day before the financial disclosure deadline, and then took it out the day after. So it looks like he raking in $45,000 for each reporting period, but it's an exaggerated claim, as it’s the same money that goes in and out.

When questioned about the practice, Albers claimed it was not uncommon. "I do it for the interest. You don't make money in a campaign account," he claimed.

But why move it in and out, then? Why not just keep it an interest-bearing fund until you need it? We calculated his interest on it for the quarter was around $250.

NASH: "ALBERS AN EMPTY SUIT?"

While Beach and Belle Isle wouldn't speculate on Albers' financial "now you see the money now you don't" campaign accounting practice, Al Nash, campaign chairman for Beach for State Senate shared his theory with us when contacted.

"John Albers is a nice fellow who talks a lot. But when it comes down to it, there's not much substance in his actions. Either you're self funding you're campaign, or you're not. Either you're raising money, or you're not. Either you have 900 volunteers, like he claims, or you don't. There were 300 people at a GOP event in Roswell today and Albers didn't have a single volunteer there. I guess not one in 900 could make it. A lot of his claims don't just add up," Nash said.

"Where I come from, we call that an empty suit," Nash concluded.