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Thursday, February 1, 2007
Second thoughts on Sonny Perdue for vice president
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As promised, here are the most thoughtful comments from yesterday’s post on Sonny Perdue’s potential as a vice presidential candidate in ‘08.
And we have to say, y’all are a pretty tough crowd. You’ve left it to us offer the most positive comment on Perdue’s possibilities. It came from a GOP stalwart, who’s met Dick Cheney, knows Sonny Perdue well, and has been hunting with both. “Sonny’s a better shot. If he wants you dead, you’re dead,” he said.
Here’s the best of what was posted, as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
From jatlanta:
One idea that lends itself to Sonny Perdue as a Vice-Presidential potential is that he is the exact opposite of Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney’s approval ratings must be around the same level as Jack Abramoff right now. Sonny, instead of being an ideological driven politician, with an impervious belief system, can really be seen as most vice-presidents are, pretty harmless.
With the international resumes of McCain and Giuliani, a vice-presidential nominee with foreign policy credentials might just get in the way. If Romney is the guy leading the charge, then Perdue might not be much help.
From Sunshines Bright
I can’t say I am really keen on Sonny being a heartbeat away from the presidency, myself. He has such an affinity for his ol’ Democrat buddies, that I would be very concerned about his influence in appointing Dems to high positions in the Courts and to other government agencies…as he does in Georgia.
From Great Unmentioner
The first virtue of a vice president is to present no problems. Sonny has answers for Florida land deals, Oaky Woods and PeachCare problems? How nice for him. But who wants the questions?
Sonny is simply not in the top 10 or even the top 25 to the sort of person who would have any influence on such a decision. He’s just not in the ballpark. (Governors are not particularly attractive vice presidential prospects to begin with).
From RJ:
Perdue’s unavailability to the media, except for carefully staged appearances, is mostly attributed to his misinterpretation of the meaning behind his impressive re-election victory, a departure from his commitment to open government, and an uncanny fear that he will be questioned about his land dealings and customized tax break. The high likeability and trust factors Perdue enjoyed during the campaign are disappearing with each new revelation and his arrogant indifference to media questions about his ethical lapses.
‘Family Day’ update: Richardson said he’s not making the calls on security
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s enough to give a blogger a swelled head.
Just before 8:30 a.m., we posted the item below in which Tasso Knight, the labor lobbyist, said his efforts to reserve space at the state Capitol on “Family Day” had been thwarted.
By 11:30 a.m., House Speaker Glenn Richardson had taken the issue to his chamber.
Family Day is Saturday, Feb. 10. It’s a Republican effort to open up the Capitol to real people. But then you get into problem of defining who those people really are.
Said Knight: “Arriving at the Capitol today, I was very disappointed to learn that the Speaker of the Georgia House had taken away our reserved time for our Working Family Day gathering and press conference. The state representative that had secured the steps for us was contacted through his office by the Georgia Building Authority and told they were revoking the reserved time at the request of the Speakers office.”
Richardson says it ain’t so. “There’s apparently some question as to whether I got involved in that — I didn’t know anything about that ‘til this morning. I’m not involved in the decisions about how many people get in the building, how many people get to stand outside — where they get to stand. We have experts, professionals in charge of that,” the speaker said from his lectern.
With that, in an unusual break in decorum, the Speaker then introduced Georgia Patrol Capt. Al Wilson, who’s in charge of Capitol security. Speaking to the chamber, Wilson took responsibility for ordering that the Capitol and its grounds are to be cleared of protestors — or those with separate agendas.
“The campus itself we’re going to reserve for the family members and the families who come to enjoy the Capitol,” Wilson said.
But the captain wasn’t specific about who’s family, and who’s not.
A stem cell turnaround: UGA looking for venture capital
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Talk about a single year making a difference. One year ago, religious conservatives at the state Capitol had put their weight behind a bill that university academics feared would criminalize certain types of embryonic stem cell research.
The measure died only after the state’s economic development strategists rang every alarm bell at hand.
This morning, the Athens Banner-Herald says the University of Georgia is scrounging for investment capital, to keep in Georgia what could be one of the most important developments in stem cell research.
Last week, the AJC reported that UGA research Steve Stice had discovered a procedure to quickly manufacture billions of embryonic stem cells that develop into nerve and brain tissue — a process that could shorten by years the search for cures to debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injuries.
Stice’s Athens-based company, Aruna Biomedical, has a technology licensing agreement with the UGA Research Foundation that will allow the firm to market and sell the cells, with the university getting a cut.
But the Banner-Herald says the state of Wisconsin, right now the center of embryonic stem cell research in the U.S., is trying to lure the company away.
For sale: Wooded lot, with bass pond possibilities
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Quick. Call your real estate agent.
Environmental lobbyists at the state Capitol were on cell phones and PDAs this morning, trying to get a jump on developers in one of the biggest potential land grabs that Georgia’s seen in a while.
MeadWestvaco, the packaging company, had just announced that it plans to sell 300,000 acres of forest land — nearly half of it, 145,000 acres, in Georgia.
The trouble is, no one here is exactly sure where the property is. Possibly around Columbus. Sounds like Oaky Woods, Part II.
A red-letter day for Vernon Jones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Diplomacy has never been a strong suit for DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones. State Sen. Dan Weber, a Republican, sent Jones a letter confirming publication of the necessary legal ads for legislation to incorporate Dunwoody.
Jones, of course, doesn’t like the idea.
The CEO marked up Weber’s letter like as if he were an English teacher and sent the corrections to the AJC. Read the full story here.
Blogwatch: Republicans say Saturday isn’t a day for labor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A posting on the web site maintained by the DeKalb County Young Democrats tells us that Republicans have moved to keep labor activists from crashing their Family Day party at the state Capitol on Feb. 10.
This is the note from Tasso Knight, the labor lobbyist and leader:
“Arriving at the Capitol today, I was very disappointed to learn that the Speaker of the Georgia House had taken away our reserved time for our Working Family Day gathering and press conference. The state representative that had secured the steps for us was contacted through his office by the Georgia Building Authority and told they were revoking the reserved time at the request of the Speakers office.
“I then went to a state senator and asked if they would request the same time reserved for the Capitol steps and they were told by the building authority that no request would be taken by anyone to reserve the steps on Family Day.”
We called the people at the office of House Speaker Glenn Richardson. They denied all culpability. “It’s not us,” said Richardson spokeswoman Clelia Davis.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has offered Atlanta City Hall as a substitute rallying point.
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