Democratic Party of Georgia Chairwoman Jane Kidd is telling county party leaders to quit talking trash about John Barrow.

The Savannah congressman has angered many liberals over the years, but for some activists, voting against health care reform was the last straw. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., recently visited Barrow’s district to talk up HCR, and Barrow is facing a challenge from former state Sen. Regina Thomas on his left flank.

From the Associated Press’s Russ Bynum:

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party is telling local party heads to silence their criticism of U.S. Rep. John Barrow, a Savannah Democrat facing opposition in next month's primary election.

The third-ranking Democrat and highest-ranking African-American in the U.S. House, James Clyburn, is paying a little visit to Augusta.

The trip isn’t a friendly one. Clyburn is coming to talk up the new federal health care reform law. Rep. John Barrow, the Democrat who represents Augusta, voted against it. Says The Politico:

Clyburn’s aides insisted that his Tuesday visit isn’t about messing with Barrow, and they noted that the veteran South Carolina Democrat has endorsed Barrow for reelection. But while Clyburn makes plenty of campaign contributions and appearances for Democrats who oppose him on major issues, sources said he has said in private that Barrow should suffer consequences in the primary for voting against health care and other Democratic priorities. …

Rather than merely vote with the Republicans, John Barrow might become one.

Barrow, the Athens-turned-Savannah congressman, is contemplating a party switch, according to The American Spectator, a conservative magazine. (Hat tip to Peach Pundit.

Such are the pressures on Barrow that some Georgia Republicans now believe that the Democrat may be contemplating a switch to the GOP, which would set up a divisive situation much like that in Alabama's 5th District, where national Republican support for party-switcher Parker Griffith has enraged grassroots GOP activists.

The author notes that five Republicans are running. None of them are the caliber of a Max Burns. The national GOP is not targeting this district anymore.

University of Georgia law student Russell Edwards says he is strongly considering running against U.S. Rep. Paul Broun.

Edwards is a third-year law student originally from Peachtree City and a volunteer with Organizing for America, a grassroots Democratic organization. He co-founded Pull the Plug, a political action committee devoted to defeating Broun that has held community forums on health care and the economy across the district.

Expect an announcement within the next week or so. Qualifying approaches.

Turning attention to our former congressman, the New York Times has a package of stories today about how Blue Dog Democrats’ constituents are reacting to their health care reform “no” votes. One of the six articles deals with Rep. John Barrow, D-Used to be Athens.

It’s official, John Barrow is a “no” vote.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgia Rep. John Barrow says he plans to vote against the health care plan being pushed by President Barack Obama.

The Democratic congressman from Savannah, who had been undecided on the issue, said in a statement Friday he supports reforming health care overall. But Barrow says he can’t support the bill scheduled for a vote in the House this weekend.

Barrow says the president’s proposal would place too heavy a financial burden on working families and would threaten to overwhelm Medicaid in Georgia. He also says the bill isn’t tough enough on insurance companies.

Rep. John Barrow cast a lonely “nay” vote today against a college football playoff system.

From the Associated Press:

“The bill, which faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee, with one audible ‘no,’ from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.

"'With all due respect, I really think we have more important things to spend our time on,’ Barrow said before the vote, although he stressed he didn’t like the current Bowl Championship Series, either.

A group called the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is running ads in Georgia’s 12th District targeting Rep. John Barrow, D-Savannah, for his vote against health care reform.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which claims 250,000 members, said in a news release it raised $20,000 online to run ads criticizing 10 of the 39 Blue Dog Democrats, including Barrow, who voted against the bill.

The August District Work Period is underway.

Formerly known as the August recess, congressmen will spend the next few weeks attending to the care and feeding of voters, trying to sell the president’s health care plan/rile up opposition to said plan/dodge rotting fruit/hide from cell phone cameras.

In this area, Rep. John Linder, R-Norcross, will hold a town-hall meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Piedmont Regional Library in Winder and another at 10 a.m. Aug. 19 at the Walton County Library in Monroe. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, has one scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville (the only other one is in Evans, I’m afraid).

Blogger Johnathan McGinty chastised Rep. John Barrow, D-Savannah, for voting against the compromise health-care reform bill Democratic leadership worked out with the Blue Dogs.

Says JMac: “Stay classy John.

”Maybe if we stick in an anti-flag-burning amendment on the final bill, you'll vote for it. Perhaps if there's a rental registration portion of the final document.

”What a coward.”

At the Democratic health care forum I attended last week, the audience booed the former Athens-Clarke commissioner when his name came up.

U.S. Rep. John Barrow is taking a survey to find out how his constituents feel about health care reform. The Obama Administration is going to make sure he finds out.

Barrow, D-Used to be Athens, and other Blue Dogs are threatening to hold up the bill, and the survey is probably intended to give him some cover with the Democratic leadership. But they aren’t going to let him off the hook easy.

Barrow is one of the targets of a new Democratic ad on health care reform, CNN reports.