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Monday, April 2, 2007
Tonight’s homework: Tell us what happened at the Fulton County GOP convention
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re a die-hard Republican, you probably know that county conventions were held last month, in part to select delegates for the statewide gathering in May.
But even if you’re a die-hard Republican, you’ve probably got no idea what the heck happened when the Fulton County GOP got together.
Frankly, we don’t know, either. We’re seeing e-mail fly back and forth and around and back, but can’t get a straight take on the cause of it all. We weren’t there.
The only thing we know is that some relatively prominent Republicans are now calling for a reconvening of the county convention for a re-vote. A mulligan, in other words.
So, yes, we’re begging: You eyewitnesses please post a straight-forward account of what happened at the Fulton County GOP convention.
Lay off any name-calling, and activate your blogger objectivity. State libel laws apply. Just give us a linear, blow-by-blow account of what went wrong at the convention, and what the concerns are.
If we get enough, we’ll sift through the best and repost them later this week for a full account.
And many thanks for your help.
Those who get bounced, teach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Walking through the Sloppy Floyd building at lunch-time, and who should walk up but a tie-less, grinning Teddy Lee, the former executive director of the State Ethics Committee. He was just here to look up a few old friends.
You’ll remember that Lee was bounced when the state ethics board decided a new change in direction was in order. Mind that, 14 months later, no one has yet decided what direction that is — except that certain people in the State Capitol think it should be traveled with as little state funding as possible.
What’s Lee doing? The Villa Rica resident is a teacher at Douglas County High School, teaching Brit Lit and World Lit. And helping to coach the mock trial team. He’s got spring break off this week.
So Teddy Lee is inspiring a new generation of lawyers. Scary thought, that.
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Meet James Marlow: He’s a Democrat running for the Tenth, and he’s anti-Iraq
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re told that, over the weekend, a majority of 21 county Democratic chairmen in the Tenth District endorsed James Marlow, a first-time congressional candidate from the world of high-tech business.
Marlow is to formally announce his candidacy on Tuesday in Lincolnton and other spots in the district.
From the outset it looks like Marlow intends to force Republicans in the race, primarily state Sen. Jim Whitehead, to talk about Iraq. Marlow says he wants a quick but honorable end to the conflict there.
The June 19 special election to fill the vacancy left by the late U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood is officially non-partisan, though the conservative district tilts heavily toward the GOP.
At least two other Democrats have expressed interest in the contest: Augusta Attorney Evita Paschall and Terry Holley, a teacher and jeweler who ran against Norwood last year.
But Democrats at the top of the state organization have insisted on the need to rally behind a single candidate. The vote by county chairmen may indicate that Marlow is that candidate. That, and the fact that his campaign is being run by Jeff DiSantis, former executive director of the state party, and by Emil Runge, the former party spokesman.
Judging from the biography on his web site, Marlow may also have some of his own money to put into the race. The bio says he owns his own Internet firm.
The Tenth District race, scheduled for June 19, will be the first federal contest since Republicans lost Congress in 2006. Republicans have pretty much cleared the field for Whitehead, a close friend of Norwood and a state senator from Evans.
Early fund-raising literature indicates that illegal immigration will be Whitehead’s issue. On Iraq, he supports President Bush’s strategy.
By contrast, here is what Marlow is saying on his web site, under the topic of national security:
“I will vote to support efforts that strike at our enemies when necessary. The defense of our nation is my top priority.
I promise to support our troops. That means not putting them in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong numbers. It means taking care of them when they return home wounded. It means providing them body armor when in the field and shielding for Humvees.
I will work everyday to bring our involvement in Iraq to an honorable end as quickly as we can, while also protecting our national interests in the region and the world.
I support the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. We must establish clear goals for our military involvement in Iraq.”
Sounds like the attorney general has put Isakson on the fence
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Chicago Sun-Times had this to say about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Sunday:
Lawmakers impatient to hear Gonzales’ side of the story said the attorney general needed to explain himself quickly — or risk more damage to his department.
Gonzales is to testify on Capitol Hill on April 17.
If lawmakers don’t fully believe Gonzales’ explanation, his ability to run the Justice Department ”would be very difficult,” Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said.
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