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Sunday, January 14, 2007
In the midst of Richardson’s troubles, a bipartisan play
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republicans may not believe it, but many House and Senate Democrats frowned at the decision by Bobby Kahn, the state Democratic party chairman, to file a salacious ethics complaint against House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
Kahn’s entrance into the fray, with a formal accusation that the GOP speaker had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a natural gas lobbyist, spoiled a perfectly good frenzy of back-stabbing among Republican ranks, several Democratic lawmakers have told us.
For that’s where the tales about Richardson originated.
That said, the ethics complaint forced House Democrats into some quick maneuvering. They had not planned to challenge Richardson’s re-election as speaker when the session opened last week, but with the charges out in the open, many Democratic lawmakers - especially female members - felt they had no choice.
House Minority Leader DuBose Porter of Dublin was nominated as the sacrificial lamb, and was predictably trounced. Then things got interesting.
It was the turn of House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter of Alpharetta, the No. 2 Republican in the House, to be re-elected to his office. State Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus, who preceded Kahn as chairman of the Democratic party, jumped to his feet and asked that the suburban Republican be re-elected by acclamation.
And so Burkhalter was.
What was that highly unusual Democratic behavior all about? It was a very public message any Republican could decode: Should Richardson’s tenure as leader of the House be cut short, Democrats stand ready to cut a deal that would make Burkhalter the next speaker.
Georgia’s new state motto: ‘Go Fish’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anyone who had witnessed the pride that Gov. Sonny Perdue took in landing the $130 million Bass Pro Shops and distribution center for Macon last year might have predicted his $19 million budget item to make Georgia a fishing paradise.
But to place a program for new boat ramps and such at the top of his State of the State speech, as the Perdue did last week, struck legislators as more than slightly odd.
In the state Capitol, where humor is quick and cruel, “Go Fish Georgia” - the name the governor put on his bid to increase angler tourism - has quickly become a giggle trigger.
All manner of items, including business cards, have shown up decorated with lures. The phrase “fish or cut bait” has become a plague.
On Friday, Casey Cagle held his first session with reporters. It had to be judged a success, given that the lieutenant governor generated a fair number of headlines the next day.
His only gaffe may have come when he casually mentioned what he called the governor’s “Go Fish” project. Both of Cagle’s pupils gravitated to the top of his skull. The lieutenant governor quickly caught himself.
“I did not roll my eyes,” Cagle said, after rolling his eyes.
His press secretary chimed in. “He was searching his memory for details,” she said.
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Plugged in: New lobbyists with tight connections
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This year’s lobbying squad at the state Capitol features a pair of newly configured, and younger, teams worth the noting.
Former House and Senate staffer Tony Simon has joined Clint Austin to form ConnectSouth. Simon and Austin were the duo coordinating millions of dollars for this year’s aggressive campaigns on behalf of House Republicans.
They represent AT&T, which will put them at the table in negotiations with the bill to ease that company’s entry into the cable TV and Internet market.
Then there’s Katie Poitevint, daughter of state Republican chairman Alec Poitevint. She’s joined the lobbying team of Raymon White and Brian Hudson, Southern Public Strategies.
Clients include the National Rifle Association, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the city of Atlanta, Philip Morris, and the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals.
They’ll be in the thick of the biggest health-related fight of the session, over the right of doctors to construct stand-alone clinics that compete with hospitals.
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