Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2007 > August > 09
Thursday, August 9, 2007
PSC chairman will have to prove himself a long-distance commuter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A legal challenge to the Athens residency of Bobby Baker, chairman of the state Public Service Commission, will get its day in court. Morris News Service reports that a trial for the civil suit has been scheduled for Sept. 10 in Fulton County Superior Court.
Says the article:
“Two Georgians, including Thomson resident Roger Dozier, filed the complaint last year, arguing that Baker spends most of his time at a DeKalb County home that’s listed in his wife’s name - not at a townhouse in Athens.”
Dozier lost to Baker in 2004.
And we can all trust Big Tobacco: Polls say Marshall, Barrow in good shape
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some slightly dated but good news has surfaced for Georgia’s two beleaguered white Democrats in Congress.
A bill to fund and expand the federal/state health insurance program for the children of the working poor passed the U.S. House early this month, 225 to 204.
The measure would fund the expansion through an increase in tobacco taxes.
That had Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, pulling out many of its stops in July. The company did some aggressive polling in several congressional districts across the nation, including two in Georgia - the 8th and the 12th.
Both are held by Democrats - Jim Marshall of Macon in the 8th and John Barrow in the 12th. Each has had to fight tooth-and-nail to keep his seat over the last few cycles. Each will have to fight again next year.
The tobacco company polling indicated that, one year out, the two congressmen were in pretty good shape. Marshall had an approval rating of 70 percent in his district, compared to 49 percent for President Bush. See the details here.
Barrow had an approval rating of 61 percent in his district - with Bush approval at 47 percent. See the details here.
In general, voters in the two districts showed great discontent, with 50 percent in Barrow’s district declaring that the country was on the wrong track. Forty-six percent in Marshall’s district said the same.
Take a stroll through both pdfs. Not only will you catch the straight political numbers, but you’ll see how a company researches and frames an argument - real-life, “Thank You for Smoking” stuff.
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Dear Mitt: We’ll have the frosted orange, thank you.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican Mitt Romney, who now has raised more money out of Georgia than any other presidential candidate, makes a pit stop in downtown Atlanta next week.
At high noon on Wednesday, Romney’s got a free event at the Varsity on North Avenue. The invitation says “join us for lunch.”
Dunno if that means he’s buying the chili dogs.
