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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Speak not but good of the dead. Sort of.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Like any other profession, politics has its generational shifts. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Rev. Jerry Falwell represented the opening charge of conservative Christians into Republican politics.
Some among the next generation of evangelical leaders have questioned what they see as both the narrowness of the conservative moral agenda, and the excessive loyalty to a single political party.
On the day of Falwell’s death, not a lot of this is being voiced. But you can see a hint of it in the statement below from Jim Beck, leader of the Georgia Christian Coalition:
“At the recent passing of Rev. Jerry Falwell, many of us in the conservative movement are given pause to consider his life.
“The Rev. Falwell was like any person, with faults and talents, virtues and vices. You could never doubt his passion and love of the Lord, and the Christian Coalition is unforgettably grateful to him for his legacy of perseverance in encouraging Christians to have a voice in their government and an active interest in promoting sound leaders and legislation.
“Although there were times when we questioned his approach, nevertheless he has had a powerful impact on America that will not be forgotten. (Emphasis ours.)
“We will continue to be in prayer for Rev. Falwell’s family.”
Minutes later we caught up with Beck by phone, and he went into a little more detail.
“Like all of us he was imperfect, but he held a mirror up to our society and made us take a good, hard look at it,” Beck said.
When Falwell came on the scene, Beck said, Christians had the sense that “For the first time, you could say some of the things you’d been thinking.”
Some of the comments Falwell made later in life, such as his ascribing the blame for 9/11 to feminists and other liberal groups, “we could have done without,” Beck said.
But in an interesting comparison, Beck said he saw little difference between those comments and some recent statements by former President Jimmy Carter. Aging leaders, he noted, have a tendency to “say something a lot more outrageous in order to remain relevant.”
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Rudy comes to town tomorrow, to steal thunder from Gingrich and Romney
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has made a last-minute decision to hold a Wednesday “town hall” meeting in Atlanta, to capitalize on any gains made during tonight’s GOP debate in South Carolina.
It’s a noon event at Oglethorpe University on Peachtree Road, in the Talmadge Room of the Emerson Student Center.
Both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are already scheduled to be here this week, at events surrounding the state GOP convention. See this post below.
First thoughts on Jerry Falwell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the man who helped doom Jimmy Carter’s second term, had been on the political scene so long that he seemed permanent, like a living room sofa.
We first ran into him better than 20 years ago, when he was in full swing as the leader of the Moral Majority — forerunner to Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
The fellow behind Falwell was a guy named Ed McAteer, a former Colgate-Palmolive salesman — from Memphis, if memory serves.
In 1978, McAteer, a Southern Baptist, linked up Howard Phillips, head of a then-prominent Washington lobby group called Conservative Caucus, and this relatively unknown television preacher named Falwell.
The meeting led to the founding of Moral Majority a year later.
“I remember the exact words that Jerry said to me, ” McAteer said. “He said, ‘Ed, I can’t get on TV and talk about SALT II.’
A few years later, McAteer said, “I hear these people talk now, and you’d think they all had political science degrees.”
In ’85, we talked to Falwell about the upcoming presidential campaign, and conservative suspicions of then Vice President George H.W. Bush.
The Moral Majority leader used the occasion to illustrate the mellowing of the Religious Right. And it sounds much like what’s being said in GOP circles today.
“Many of us already have determined that George Bush should be the next president,” Falwell said. “To think that conservative Christians would be walking toward and behind George Bush five years ago was unthinkable.”
“We all like Jack Kemp. But most of us are realists, and we believe that unless something of a spectacular nature occurs in the next four years, George Bush is the heir apparent, ” Falwell said.
Robert Brown for mayor of Macon: A clue to Jim Marshall’s intentions?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We told you yesterday that Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown was leaving the Legislature to run for mayor.
But we can be a bit slow sometimes, and the larger implication didn’t really sink in until this morning. This could very well mean that U.S. Jim Marshall has decided to give a race against U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss a pass.
Brown is a close ally of Marshall. Brown ran the Marshall campaign in 2002, and was part of Marshall’s inner circle in ‘04 and ‘06.
Macon is the largest population center in the 8th District. As mayor, Brown would be of little help to Marshall in a statewide race. But he would be an immense help to Marshall if the congressman should decide to stay put and weather the next several Republican storms.
Likewise, Marshall would be of great help to Brown. The synergy is already there.
Falwell unconscious, taken to hospital
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This just rolled out of the Associated Press:
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell was found unconscious in his office Tuesday and taken to the hospital, a Liberty University executive told a newspaper.
Ron Godwin, the executive vice president of the school, told The News & Advance of Lynchburg that Falwell was found unconscious after missing an appointment Tuesday morning. Falwell arrived at Lynchburg General Hospital around noon, the newspaper reported on its Web site.
When contacted by The Associated Press, Godwin said he couldn’t talk at that time.
This week’s consumer guide to candidate spotting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, this may be the optimum season for spotting presidential candidates in Georgia — perhaps the best this year.
We’re talking five White House wannabes — three Republican and two Democrat — in metro Atlanta on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, circling around a Democratic fund-raiser and a state GOP convention.
Plus one surprise appearance by a candidate’s spouse early next month.
The question is how much money you’re willing to spend in order to get the autograph on your program, or even stand in the same room.
Politician-spotting is much like collecting baseballs. Minor league signatures can be had for cheap. Established names demand big cash.
Consider this your consumer guide.
State GOP chairman Alec Poitevint has caused some rumbling in the ranks with his decision to bar all presidential candidates from addressing 1,500 or so delegates who will gather in Gwinnett County on Friday and Saturday.
Presumably, the decision was made to put more focus on local party unity, and the election of Sue Everhart as the party’s first female chairman. (Instead, the decision has pretty much guaranteed media emphasis on the party’s fight over the budget. Ah, well.)
Because of this rule, Newt Gingrich, the non-presidential candidate, will address the GOP convention delegates at the opening event. Yes, that’s the same Gingrich who on Monday declared that his candidacy was “a great possibility.”
Consumer rating: Two-and-a-half stars. Tickets for the 7 p.m. dinner are $75, with seats still available. But you have to brave rush-hour traffic in Gwinnett to get there on time, and it’s a massive room. Bring your binoculars.
Two other presidential hopefuls will be at the fringes on Friday. John Cox, a little-known GOP candidate with Chicago roots, will be hanging around the convention much of the day.
Consumer rating: One star. Personal contact with the “fair tax” advocate is almost a guarantee, but Cox’s fortunes are so dim that Fox News and the GOP in South Carolina haven’t included him in tonight’s debate.
Mitt Romney, the final presidential wannabe in the Republican camp, has three events Friday around the GOP convention. We have details on two.
At noonish, the former Massachusetts governor has a luncheon at the 1818 Club on Sugarloaf Parkway — $2,300 for the VIP reception, and $1,000 for just the lunch.
Then at 3 p.m., Romney has scheduled a 30-minute, free hand-shaking session with GOP delegates in the convention hall.
Consumer rating: Five stars, if you’ve got the cash. Or delegate credentials.
On the Democratic side, John Edwards is the keynote speaker at the state party’s Jefferson-Jackson Day fund-raising dinner on Thursday. Tickets are $200.
A same-day luncheon featuring Elizabeth Edwards has been cancelled — due to a scheduling conflict, we’re told.
Consumer rating: Three stars. Yes, we know Democrats are charging more than Republicans for dinner. But the room is likely to be much less crowded, which enhances the possibility of a personal brush with greatness.
On Saturday, Hillary Rodham Clinton is in town for what we’re told is a pair of fund-raisers. We have details on one. It’s at the Atlanta home of Caribou Coffee CEO Michael Coles. As with the Romney fund-raiser, the price is $2,300 for close contact, and $1,000 for watching from a short distance.
Consumer rating: Five stars, if you can afford it.
Note the names on the Clinton invitation detailing a “host committee in formation.” They include Attorney General Thurbert Baker; Columbus attorney Jim Butler; Jimmy Carter associate Stu Eizenstat; Clinton intimate Vernon Jordan; Valerie Jackson; former state Democratic party chairman Calvin Smyre; former Coke executive Carl Ware; and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
We don’t know whether an appearance on that list constitutes an endorsement. Well let them explain themselves to Michelle Obama next month.
The wife of Barack Obama has a fund-raiser in Atlanta on June 6. Here are what specifics we have. Tickets are $1,000 for a VIP reception, and $250 for the cheap seats.
