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Friday, May 18, 2007
So when will you announce, Newt? And where?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier this week, on national TV, Newt Gingrich said there was “a great possibility” he would run for president in ‘08.
At the state Republican convention in Gwinnett County, he dropped what may be another hint. “If I ever do announce for president, it will be back here — it’ll be here at home,” Gingrich told reporters.
The former Georgia congressman and U.S. House speaker has been a resident of Virginia the last seven years or so.
Exactly when might he announce? Sounds like the end of September.
“We’re going to have a workshop here actually in Georgia, probably in Cobb County, on Sept. 27 — a nationwide workshop, that’s the anniversary of the Contract with America,” Gingrich said. “It’s called ‘American Solutions.’ And we’ll repeat that on Saturday, the 29th, probably in Carrollton, back where I taught originally [at West Georgia College].”
Mark the date. But in pencil.
Convention notebook: Immigration, taxes, and Fred Thompson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some stray observations tied together:
— The immigration bill is already resonating here at the state GOP convention. Not favorably, either.
Mitt Romney’s comments are below. A lime-green flyer is being passed out by NumbersUSA, declaring that “Sen. Isakson and Sen. Chambliss stand with Kennedy for largest amnesty in history.”
James Herchek of Gwinnett County stood in front of the convention hall with a placard reading, “No Amnesty: Deport pro-invastion politicians.” He pronounced himself “extremely disappointed” with the bill, which will be debated in the Senate on Monday.
— The fight over the governor’s veto of a tax rebate is playing second fiddle. State Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta) was spotted passing out a sticker that said “Real Republicans cut taxes.” She tried to stick one on the lapel of state Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), who blanched.
— Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani have booths here. But the most active is the one belonging to supporters of Fred Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator.
That booth features a petition delegates can sign, urging Thompson to jump into the race. House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart and Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson are active in the effort.
Here’s where the draft-Thompson movement at this convention gets interesting: Thompson was once a big backer of McCain for president. And McCain’s main man in Georgia is Alec Poitevint, the exiting chairman of the state party.
The group e-mailed us a list of 41 Republican leaders who have joined the pro-Thompson movement. See them here on the jump.
Georgia Republican Leaders for Fred Thompson
Former US Senator Mack & Leslie Mattingly
Sen. Eric Johnson, President Pro Tempore
Sen. Tommie Williams, Majority Leader
Sen. Chip Rogers
Sen. David Shafer
Sen. Don Thomas
Sen. Jack Murphy
Sen. John Douglas
Sen. Cecil Staton
Sen. Preston Smith
Sen. Greg Goggans
Sen. Lee Hawkins
Sen. Bill Heath
Sen. Bill Hamrick
Sen. Don Thomas
Rep. Earl Ehrhart
Rep. Ron Stephens
Rep. Ron Forster
Rep. Buddy Carter
Rep. Burke Day
Rep. Jim Cole
Rep. Doug Collins
Rep. Mark Butler
Rep. Clay Cox
Rep. Jay Neal
Rep. Sean Jerguson
Rep. Tom Dickson
Rep. Calvin Hill
Rep. James Mills
Rep. Doug Holt
Rep. John Meadows
Rep. Tom Knox
Rep. John Heard
Rep. Tom Graves
Commissioner Esther Fleming (Newton)
Commissioner Pat Farrell (Chatham)
Commissioner Jerry Brigham (Augusta-Richmond)
Councilwoman Liz Hausmann (Johns Creek)
Fmr. Sen. Brian Kemp
Fmr. Rep. Chuck Harper
Fmr. Rep. Barbara Bunn
Romney’s message to Southern evangelicals: ‘My wife and I and our five sons won’t embarrass them.’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney breezed through the state GOP convention in Duluth this afternoon with two messages for the base.
He’s suspicious of the immigration deal under discussion in Washington, and even said it endorsed “amnesty.” And, the former Massachusetts governor said, evangelicals needn’t worry about his religion.
Romney, who admitted he hadn’t read the bill, said he endorsed some facets of the bipartisan immigration bill — in particular its emphasis on border security and an employment verification system.
“On the other hand, there is a visa provision known as the ‘Z’ visa, which would say those people who are here illegally today could apply,” Romney told reporters during a brief news conference. “ It would last four years, but they could be renewed indefinitely. And there would be no end to a person being able to stay here even though they’re not here legally.”
“That in my opinion is a form of amnesty,” Romney said, to the applause of Republican delegates gathered around.
(We caught up later with U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, one of the prime movers behind the immigration negotiations. Isakson disputed Romney’s take on the “Z” visas. “It can’t be. And as he said, he hasn’t read the bill.)
Romney was escorted by House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta), who hosted a fund-raiser for Romney earlier in the day. It raised $250,000, Burkhalter said.
While he leads in polls in the early primary states of both New Hampshire and Iowa, Romney’s campaign has had a slower start in the South. Among many evangelicals — Southern Baptists in particular — his Mormon background has caused significant concern.
Asked if he had any message for evangelicals, Romney said this:
“The message is probably the same as for my Catholic friends in Massachusetts — my home state is 55 percent Catholic.
“People came to recognize that I’m not running for pastor-in-chief. That the reason I’m in this race is to win a secular position, that the values that I have are as American as any in the nation.
“My wife and I and our five sons will not embarrass them. The kinds of values which we share, people in the South will warm to. I don’t think Americans anywhere choose their candidate based on what church they go to. That’s what people in other parts of the world do.”
Suddenly, this GOP convention is about immigration
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The weekend, statewide gathering of Republican activists here in Gwinnett County has taken a sharp turn — away from chatter over Gov. Sonny Perdue’s veto of a property tax rebate.
We’ve been told that U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss both will devote their speeches and time at the convention to selling the immigration compromise that both men have signed onto.
You saw below that U.S. Reps. Tom Price and Phil Gingrey, both Republican, have come out against the deal. In another sign of trepidation over the deal, 10th District congressional candidate — who has based nearly his entire campaign around opposition to illegal immigration — has done the same.
Whitehead, also a Republican, is calling it “amnesty, pure and simple.”
“With passage of this bill, America would be a nation of laws no more”, says Whitehead in a statement he put out this morning. “If we don’t enforce immigration law, what other law will we not enforce because some people don’t like it or think it’s fair? The people of my district don’t like income tax, and don’t think it’s fair. If this amnesty bill passes, how can I, as their federal representative, tell them in good conscience to continue to pay income tax?”
Barack Obama’s list of supporters in Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Barack Obama’s campaign in Georgia has released its list of supporters. Possibly this is an overstatement, but it looks like they trend toward the more youthful middle of the Democratic party — with notable exceptions like Joe Lowery.
See the entire list on the jump.
Georgia General Assembly
Stacey Abrams: State Representative, DeKalb
David Adelman: State Senator, DeKalb
Roger Bruce: State Representative, Douglas, Fulton
Gloria Butler: State Senator, DeKalb, Gwinnett
Gail Davenport: State Senator, Clayton, Henry
Karla Drenner: State Representative, DeKalb
Virgil Fludd: State Representative, Fayette, Fulton
Gloria Frazier: State Representative, Burke, Richmond
Craig J. Gordon: State Representative, Chatham
Lynmore James: State Representative, Macon
Emanuel Jones: State Senator, DeKalb, Henry
Sheila Jones: State Representative, Cobb, Fulton
Darryl Jordan: State Representative, Clayton, Fayette
Randal Mangahm: State Representative, DeKalb, Rockdale
Alisha Thomas Morgan: State Representative, Cobb
Howard Mosby: State Representative, DeKalb, Henry
Ronald Ramsey: State Senator, DeKalb, Rockdale
Robbin Shipp: State Representative, DeKalb, Fulton
Pam Stephenson: State Representative, Dekalb, Rockdale
Doug Stoner: State Senator, Cobb
Ed Tarver: State Senator, Richmond
Brian Thomas, State Representative, Gwinnett
Curt Thompson: State Senator, DeKalb, Gwinnett
Stan Watson: State Representative, DeKalb, Henry
Local Officials
Joseph Bacon: Mayor, East Point
Lisa Borders: City Council President, Atlanta
C. Jack Ellis: Mayor, Macon
Gwen Keyes Fleming: District Attorney, DeKalb
Paul Howard: District Attorney, Fulton
Larry Johnson: Councilmember, Atlanta
C.T. Martin: Councilmember, Atlanta
Lee May: County Commissioner, DeKalb
Ceasar Mitchell: Councilmember, Atlanta
Clyde K. Mitchell: Councilmember, East Point City
Mary Osborne: Alderman, Savannah
Ivory Young: Councilmember, Atlanta
Religious Leaders
Dr. Michael A. Battle: President of the Interdenominational Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr.: Dean, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, Morehouse College
Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley: Senior Pastor, Progressive Baptist Church
Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, Jr.: Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics, Emory University
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale: Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church
Rev. Dr. Matthew Vaughn Johnson: Senior Pastor, Christian Fellowship Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery: Civil Rights Leader
Bishop E. Earl McCloud, Jr.: Ecumenical Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Lester A. McCorn: Senior Pastor, Faith A.M.E. Zion Church
Rev. George Moore: Senior Pastor, Saint Philip African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Anthony Motley: Senior Pastor, Lindsay Street Baptist Church
Rev. Craig L. Oliver, Sr.: Senior Pastor, Elizabeth Baptist Church
Dr. Kenneth L. Samuels: Senior Pastor, Victory Baptist Church
Rev. E. Dewey Smith, Jr.: Senior Pastor, Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church
Dr. T. DeWitt Smith, Jr.: President, Progressive National Baptist Convention
Dr. C.T. Vivian: Civil Rights Leader
U.S. attorney in Macon landed on list of those to be sacked?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
McClatchy Newspapers is reporting that the federal prosecutor in Macon “landed on a proposed firing list weeks after the White House and Justice Department traded notes about the potential for voter-fraud cases in central Georgia and Appalachia.”
Maxwell Wood, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, declined comment. Read the story here.
