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Thursday, January 25, 2007
As Soggy Sweat once said, it’s just the liquor talking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s nothing like alcohol to set the tongue wagging. First this way, then that way.
Last week, in his now-famous interview on Q100, Gov. Sonny Perdue was asked about S.B. 26, a bill to permit grocery stores to sell beer and wine on Sunday.
“I don’t support that, and I don’t know whether it will pass the Legislature or not, but it’ll have a pretty tough time getting the last vote,” the governor said.
But today, Perdue again tried to soften those comments. He was just “having fun,” he told an Associated Press reporter.
The governor didn’t contradict himself. But he admitted it is “not respectful for a chief executive to talk about vetoes.” Perdue might have also said that the venue he chose for his first comments on the issue - an FM radio station geared toward young adults - also raised eyebrows among lawmakers.
We rarely assign homework to chief executives, or legislators, for that matter. But tonight we must make an exception.
Liquor and the South have a strange and wonderful relationship. Opposition is permitted. So is advocacy. Even waffling serves a purpose.
But let all be done with eloquence. Weak, half-hearted language — even in pursuit of fence-straddling — shows no respect to the lobbyists who have poured so much coin into the fight, on both sides. For it is the liquor store owners who have allied themselves with church-goers to keep Sabbath Day check-out counters free of beer and wine.
Thus we point to the example set in 1952 by Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr., the Mississippi legislator whose famous speech on distilled spirits could serve as an inspiration to many in our state Capitol.
Memorize and be prepared to recite tomorrow. Said Soggy:
“You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.
“If when you say whiskey you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.
“But;
“If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman’s step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life’s great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.
“This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.”
Do keep in mind that Soggy Sweat served only one term.
Nothing puts the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional like a family reunion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two years ago, to celebrate the GOP consolidation of power at the state Capitol, Republican leaders ordered up “Family Day,” when legislators could bring their spouses and kids to the state Capitol on a Saturday morning, to watch how government really works.
It wasn’t a complete disaster, but it came close.
Brian Nichols had gone on his courthouse rampage only a day earlier, a few blocks away. He hadn’t been caught.
Moreover, Republicans had just rammed through their new Voter ID bill past incensed black and Democratic lawmakers. Bewildered families saw state Rep. Alisha Thomas launch into a civil rights anthem from the well, as newly elected House Speaker Glenn Richardson hammered her down.
Then there was the Republican discovery that their promise of free food and a picnic on the Capitol lawn had consequences.
The nearby Shrine of the Immaculate Conception let it be known that the Catholic church’s shelter would be closed for the day, and that its homeless regulars would likely stop by for a chat with lawmakers to discuss the issues, and to sample the menu.
The House Republican Caucus persuaded the church to keep its shelter open. In exchange, the politicians supplied a Saturday of free food later that spring.
All of this to say that Republicans enjoyed the first “Family Day” so much that they’re going to try it again. Circle Saturday, Feb. 10 on your calendar. We’ll bring the baloney-and-butter sandwiches.
Do you prefer them with the crusts? Or without?
According to the strategy memo, Rudy wanted Bernie Marcus to head his Southern campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As of last fall, GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani was leaning upon a particular Home Depot founder in Atlanta to spearhead his all-important Southern strategy.
The campaign dossier belonging to the former mayor of New York City disappeared last fall, but resurfaced this month in the New York Daily News. On Wednesday, politico.com put up the entire 137-page document for all to see.
The battle plan includes several references to Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, whom Giuliani apparently wanted to serve as the chairman of his Georgia and his operations in the Southeast — which has become the base of the national GOP vote. References elsewhere indicate Giuliani also eyed him for his campaign’s executive committee.
If the above has indeed come to pass, the leadership of the state GOP is in a three-way split. State Republican chairman Alec Poitevint has declared for U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Eric Tanenblatt, former chief of staff to Gov. Sonny Perdue, has lined up many other Georgians in the Bush circle behind Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.
In the Giuliani strategy document, Marcus’ name appears on a list of priority calls for the presumed candidate — “RWG” in much of the text. Beside Marcus’ name is a short note: “Hold for confirmation from Ken Langone.”
Langone is also a co-founder of Home Depot, whom Giuliani apparently had settled on for the co-chairmanship of his New York City operation.
So far as we know, Marcus has not publicly declared himself for any of the 17 presidential candidates in both parties. But an association with Giuliani would make sense.
Marcus and other Home Depot executives are major financiers of Republican causes. Last May 18, at the height of the tumultuous GOP primary for lieutenant governor, Giuliani came to Atlanta to host a fund-raiser for Ralph Reed.
Marcus was a major backer of the Reed campaign.
On the same day Giuliani whipped through town for Reed, he also had a small event for himself.
It was a “cigar night,” according to the campaign document. The co-hosts were pro football hall-of-famer Fran Tarkenton and Jim Stephenson, who sits on the board of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority — and was a big donor to the Reed campaign.
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