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August 2007
Some Republican thoughts on men’s room etiquette
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This comes from Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson of Savannah, the No. 2 ranking Republican in that chamber, on the topic of you-know-who from Idaho:
“Let me see if I get this right.
“A U. S. Senator admits he was in a public bathroom and bent over to pick up a piece of toilet paper that wasn’t his. Who does that? In a PUBLIC restroom? Nobody!
“He admits that his foot touched the man’s foot in the next stall. What guy does that?
“He admits that he reached his hand under the edge of the stall while a man was in the next one. That’s real strange.
“And he pleads guilty to disorderly conduct. I’d say we can skip the whole ‘innocent until proven guilty’ thing. He has admitted his guilt and should resign immediately! I don’t want him in the stall next to me and I certainly don’t want him in the U.S. Senate.
“Until Republicans are willing to get rid of our own when they fail to conduct themselves properly, we deserve the disdain of the American people.”
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Obama wants another ‘boom’ event in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ll have presidential candidates of both stripes popping in and out of metro Atlanta over the next two weeks.
The largest event looks to belong to Barack Obama. The Democratic presidential candidate is out to hold another huge rally in downtown Atlanta — this one indoors, with a relatively small cover charge.
The event is Sept. 20, the locale is the Georgia World Congress Center, and the cost of admission — in the form of a campaign contribution — is $25.
Sharing the stage will be Usher Raymond IV, the actor/singer who usually goes by a shorter handle, and former Atlanta Hawks great Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins’ presence is interesting.
The last politician we saw him with was Newt Gingrich — the two are partnered in an anti-diabetes, anti-obesity campaign.
In April, on the Georgia Tech campus, Obama drew 20,000. This September event is less about show and more about serious network-building. Among real people, $25 is a significant — though affordable — commitment. And most of those donations will be accompanied by an e-mail address and phone number.
A standard, $1,000-a-head event follows. Invitations for both can be found here and here.
On the Republican side, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is here Saturday, Sept. 8. Cobb County Republicans will be shifting their monthly breakfast meeting to McCollum Airport in order to give him a listen.
Huckabee’s appearance — his first in Georgia that comes to mind — is significant, since it will come only two days after Fred Thompson’s formal entry in to the presidential race.
In Thompson’s absence, Huckabee has been building as an alternative candidate for social conservatives dissatisfied with Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.
Speaking of Giuliani, he’ll be in Georgia on Sept. 12 and 13, with fund-raisers in Gwinnett County, Atlanta and Savannah. We’ve no details on the metro Atlanta events — but will pass them along as soon as we get them.
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A rational explanation for Fred Thompson’s dithering
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And so we wake up this morning to a Fred Thompson campaign for president, effective Sept. 6. It’ll be on the web.
Good. His candidacy, or non-candidacy, had been taking on the feeling of a bad anxiety dream — the one where you’re trying to punch out an emergency phone number, but you keep hitting the wrong buttons.
But the delay may have been more Machiavelli than Hamlet. We’ll explain below.
First, here is Thompson’s immediate itinerary:
— Thursday, Sept. 6: Des Moines, Iowa; Council Bluffs, Iowa;
— Friday, Sept. 7: Sioux City, Iowa; Mason City, Iowa;
— Saturday, Sept. 8: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa; Portsmouth, N.H.;
— Sunday, Sept. 9: Manchester and Nashua, N.H.;
— Monday, Sept. 10: Charleston and Columbia, S.C.
No Georgia stops in sight. That’ll be something for state Sens. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) and Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) — the top-ranking Fred-heads in Georgia — to address.
The press release with much of the above information also includes this sentence: “The [Thompson] committee will file our formal paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission within 15 days, the time allowed by law after Fred decided to run.”
Here’s an explanation on why that’s significant, posted on the Daily Kos.
From the date of the formal announcement, Thompson has 15 days to declare his candidacy officially with the Federal Election Commision. Takes us to September 21, 2007.
From that date, Thompson has 10 more days for his official campaign committee to register with the FEC. Takes us to October 1, 2007.
And what’s so special about October 1? It’s the start of a new FEC reporting quarter.
By delaying the filing of his organizational papers until books have closed on the third quarter of 2007, Thompson arguably will not have to file any disclosure reports with the FEC until January 31, 2008, after the Republican primaries/caucuses in WY, IA, NH, NV, FL …..
That poor financial showing that Thompson made this summer — the one where his goal was $5 million and he showed $3 million? Doesn’t look like it’ll happen again.
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Blogwatch: A view of Hillary, from Manuel’s Tavern
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The videographer Grayson Daughters, known in the blogging world as Spacey Gracey, has hooked up with the Huffington Post to produce a video political diary.
The first one was recorded Tuesday evening at the Democratic bastion of Manuel’s Tavern. See it here.
The topic was Hillary Clinton.
Most of the fodder was provided by the old Government-in-Exile group of Maynard Jackson loyalists, plus a few beer-drinking groupies. You’ll see Angelo Fuster, Tom Houck, Tom Crawford of Capitolimpact.com, the AJC’s Jay Bookman, author Paul Hemphill, and many, many more.
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Speaking of Idaho’s Larry Craig — Isakson isn’t
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
More and more Republicans in Washington are pressing for the resignation of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, over his arrest in an airport men’s room.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson won’t be one of them. He’s on the Senate Ethics Committee, and will take up the complaint against Craig that has been lodged against him in connection with the incident.
Tim Bryant, the WGAU radio host in Athens, reminded us of the fact this morning, after he had a conversation with Isakson. When the topic of Craig came up, the Georgia senator zipped his lips.
Temporarily, the committee assignment is a blessing for Isakson — a legitimate reason not to discuss a topic that has much of D.C. cringing. But if Craig hangs around long enough, forcing the committee to take up the matter, that blessing evaporates.
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Finally, Fred
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Several outlets, including Redstate, are reporting that Fred Thompson will tell supporters he’s running for president during a 4 p.m. conference call.
We’ve also been assured that this is so.
MORE DETAILS: Thompson will announce Sept. 6 via a webcast video, followed by an immediate tour of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. There will be a mid-September visit to Florida, then a rally in Thompson’s hometown of Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
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Perdue, Porter and the annual blowback on SAT scores
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today may be the day to talk about petards. As in things one is hoisted by.
Back in medieval times, a petard was a small bomb placed at the entryway or weak portion of a fortification — often via the end of a long stick. (Missiles were unavailable as a delivery system, thanks to Asia’s wise non-proliferation policy.)
“Petard” is linked to a French word for breaking wind, which might give some clue to the general explosive power of gunpowder at the time.
Nonetheless, safety and stability were not bywords when it came to fuses of the period. Accidents were common. And to say a man was “hoisted by his own petard” was to indicate that he’d been blown into the air by something intended to damage his foe.
Which brings us to SAT scores.
Back in the late summer of 2002, Sonny Perdue was yet another sacrificial Republican candidate, running against a Democratic incumbent who had proclaimed himself an “education governor.”
Then came the annual, national SAT rankings. Georgia had dropped from 49th to 50th place. Never mind that critics said comparisons weren’t fair — that greater percentages of students in some states, including Georgia, take the test than in others.
Perdue had an issue that appealed to those unmoved by Confederate symbolism. “We’re dead last in the nation in SAT scores. If that doesn’t convince you we need to try something new, nothing will, ” he said.
Roy Barnes was history.
Ever since, August and its SAT announcements have been a month of pins and needles for Perdue. Sometimes the small bombs help, sometimes they hurt.
“Like it or not, the SAT is the gold standard of educational testing, ” said Dan McLagan, spokesman for the governor, in 2003.
In 2004, when Georgia lifted itself back into 49th place — back ahead of South Carolina — Perdue declared the advancement to be “”good news.”
Last year, Georgia’s SAT scores remained the same — but the state’s ranking improved to 46th. An important, marketable piece of information in a re-election year.
This year? Georgia scores fell, but the state kept its 46th-place ranking.
The key to Georgia holding its place was the fact that national scores fell by a greater margin. “While we never like to gain ground by allowing our scores to go down, Georgia was again able to close the gap with the national average, continuing a positive trend for the sixth year in a row, ” the governor said.
In other words, Georgia kids are getting dumber, but at a pace that’s slower than the rest of America’s kids. Empirical evidence is missing, but we think it’s due to an unfair shortage of video games in our state.
House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin), who may or may not have gubernatorial ambitions in ’10, made note of the drop in test scores with a terse statement:
“I’m not surprised. This is exactly the result I was expecting but until the public wakes up and finds out the truth behind the massive public relations campaign that these elected Republicans have been waging it will continue,” he said.
Perdue’s sensitivity on the subject can be measured by the response issued by his office on Wednesday, a lengthy six-paragraph denunciation of Porter.
Perdue’s petard was much bigger than Porter’s petard.
The minority leader’s comments were “ indicative of his bigotry of low expectations and a culture of negativity among Democrats,” the governor said.
“Representative Porter’s comments yesterday were disrespectful and insulting to Georgia teachers, administrators, parents, and most of all, our high school students, who have worked hard to improve their SAT scores over the last four years.”
Besides, the governor noted, the comparison of SAT scores is a flawed game. “Approximately 66 percent of public school students in Georgia take the SAT while an average of only 42 percent of public school students nationwide take the SAT,” he said.
Read the governor’s response in its entirety on the jump.
For his part, Porter said he didn’t insult teachers or students. Just Republicans.
“Here’s a governor who has just cut a third of the students out of HOPE and he is bragging about education. He has cut $1 billion out of education funding and forced local systems to raise property taxes,” Porter said Wednesday.
“He raised class sizes after running for office on smaller class sizes, so what do you expect? “
STATE OF GEORGIA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Sonny Perdue GOVERNOR
For Immediate Release Contact: Office of Communications Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Rep. Porter Fails SAT Response Test Democrats’ reaction shows lack of belief in Georgia’s students
ATLANTA - Today Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following response to House Minority Leader DuBose Porter’s statement yesterday regarding Georgia’s SAT scores:
“For more than 130 years, Democrats like DuBose Porter and his pessimistic friends presided over an educational system that was failing our students. Our graduation rates were dismal and our rankings on tests like the SAT were dead last.
“Representative Porter’s comments yesterday were disrespectful and insulting to Georgia teachers, administrators, parents, and most of all, our high school students, who have worked hard to improve their SAT scores over the last four years.
Specifically, his comment ‘I’m not surprised. This is exactly the result I was expecting…’ is indicative of his bigotry of low expectations and a culture of negativity among Democrats.
His reference to a ‘massive public relations campaign’ minimizes the hours, weeks and months of hard work and effort that Georgia teachers, students and parents have put forth to result in closing the gap with the national average.
“Today, four and a half years after I was elected, Georgia is steadily closing the gap on the SAT national average. Since 2003 the gap between Georgia and the national average has shrunk by one-third, from a 42 point gap to only 28 points. Georgia’s minority students are even outpacing their counterparts around the nation with higher scores in most areas of the test.
“In terms of participation rates, Georgia public schools beat the national average by 20 percentage points. Approximately 66 percent of public school students in Georgia take the SAT while an average of only 42 percent of public school students nationwide take the SAT.
“Thanks to our high school and middle school graduation coaches, our graduation rates have increased by almost eight points. Georgia teachers continue to be the highest paid in the Southeast.
“As I said yesterday, despite all our gains, I will not be satisfied with Georgia’s SAT scores or ranking until these indicators become a true reflection of the quality of education that is being provided to students in our state every day.”
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Why, bless his heart: Romney learns about Southern manners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ric Mayfield of Georgians for Romney sends this video link to the Republican candidate’s fund-raising luncheon in Buckhead on Wednesday.
You’ll be able to watch Mitt Romney speak and U.S. Rep. Tom Price eat, all at the same time.
The video runs eight minutes or so. Romney’s best line is about his education in Southern manners and the fact that the region’s people are “most gentle with their choice of words.”
“People in the South have a way of saying things. Like ‘I can’t stand you and I hope you rot in hell.’ That’s said by saying, ‘Bless your heart,’” Romney observed.
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Jones and Cardwell say yes to domestic partner benefits for federal employees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Voice, the weekly Atlanta newspaper that targets gay and lesbian readers, has an early, substantive breakdown on gay rights and the U.S. Senate race — specifically focusing on two Democrats.
Neither DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones nor former TV journalist Dale Cardwell were ready to pass judgment on the use of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the American military.
Jones says he voted for the 2004 state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Cardwell says he voted against it.
But both Democrats say domestic partnership benefits should be given to federal employees.
Here’s the gist:
In 2001, [Jones] and the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners legislated domestic partner benefits for county employees. He said he supports extending the benefits to federal employees.
“That doesn’t endorse someone’s lifestyle,” Jones explained of his support for domestic partner benefits, which differs from his stance on gay marriage.
“That just says I want to have the type of benefits that attract the best employees,” he said.
Like Jones, Cardwell pointed to the expanding number of companies that offer domestic partner benefits to employees. Cardwell says he supports offering domestic partner benefits to federal employees.
“Why in the world should the federal government be hamstrung by not being able to recruit the best candidates in any field?” he asked.
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Clark Howard and ‘undecided’ dominate a first Atlanta mayoral poll
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In what’s sure to frustrate the business leaders most interested in who will replace Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin two years hence, Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage released a poll Wednesday that shows the race to be highly unfocused.
Radio consumer guru Clark Howard leads the way with 36 percent. But he’s not a sure candidate.
Undecided comes next, with 31 percent.
After that:
— Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts at 10 percent;
— Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders, 7 percent;
— Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, 7 percent;
— Former Atlanta City Council president Cathy Woolard, 4 percent;
— State Sen. Kasim Reed, 3 percent;
— Others: 2 percent
This was a poll of 479 voters. Margin of error was plus or minus 5 percent — which means a virtual dead heat among all candidates ranking below Howard.
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No endorsement for Edwards from the man in Plains
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former President Jimmy Carter called Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards “a candidate whom I really admire,” but stopped short of an endorsement Wednesday as Edwards popped into Americus.
The Associated Press reports that the two shared the stage at Georgia Southwestern State University, Carter’s alma mater.
“I can say without equivocation that no one who is running for president has presented anywhere near as comprehensive and accurate a prediction of what our country ought to do in the field of environmental quality, in the field of health care for those who are not presently insured, for those who struggle with poverty,” Carter said.
Carter later told AP writer Shannon McCaffrey that it was too soon for endorsements — and that his comments were not meant as a criticism of other Democrats.
“I think he is a very appealing candidate, especially for rural voters here,” Carter said.
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Three sign up to replace Mack Crawford in the House
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Qualifying for the state House District 127 seat closed at noon today.
Three candidates — two Republican and a Democrat — plunked down the necessary $400 to qualify for the special Nov. 6 election to replace state Rep. Mack Crawford (R-Concord), who last month was named the new director of the statewide indigent defense system.
The district covers Pike and portions of Lamar and Upson counties.
According to Secretary of State Karen Handel, the candidates are:
Republican Jim Fletcher
711 Hill Street
Thomaston, GA 30286
Democrat Bonnie Byrd Gardner
723 Oliver Rd.
Meansville, GA 30256
Republican Billy Maddox
440 Whitfield Walk
Zebulon, GA 30295
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And that’s how the Cracker Crumbled
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After 44 years, the Georgia Press Association has decided to pull the plug on the “Cracker Crumble,” an annual evening of music and political satire that had begun to ruffle some fairly large feathers at the state Capitol.
Proceeds from the event had gone to fund journalism scholarships. GPA executive director Robin Rhodes said the decision came down to a matter of cost — not political pressure. Ticket sales had not dipped, she said, but the expense of the event had increased disproportionately.
While Democrats were ruthlessly skewered by “the Crumble” in their day, many Republicans now in power at the state Capitol have been less willing to bear the annual humiliation.
As governor, Sonny Perdue attended only once in his first five years as governor — although Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle accepted a speaking role last spring.
At the same event, the Crumble made several ribald references to House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s social life. Days later, for the first time, reporters were permanently barred from the House floor. (The speaker said the timing was coincidental.)
And we were picking up word that lobbyists at the Capitol were being encouraged not to purchase tickets for the event.
Rhodes said the GPA, which is primarily a collection of small dailies and weeklies, wants to find another vehicle for its scholarship program.
“Options being considered include a roast of a well-known political figure, a cocktail party with a live/silent auction or entertainment, an invitational golf tournament with a reception or auction and others,” says a notice on the group’s web site.
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If you say a congressman is missing, and he’s found in Afghanistan — does it count?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to know what to make of this fight that Rick Goddard has picked with U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, the Democrat from Macon.
Last week, the Moultrie Observer ran an interview with Goddard, one of two Republicans who want to wrest the 8th Congressional District from Marshall’s grasp. That middle Georgia territory should belong to the GOP, they reason — and not without evidence.
Goddard ripped into Marshall for missing debate on the farm bill in July. Not a vote. Just debate.
“What’s important is we ought to have people in Congress on duty during the discussion making sure that that farm bill represents the interests of middle Georgia.
“Our current congressman was not there. He was overseas during the debate, and I think that’s wrong,” said Goddard, a retired Air Force major general.
So Marshall was “overseas.” In the Bahamas, perhaps on some congressional inspection tour of local rum factories, was the unstated implication.
But no. Marshall, a former Ranger, was actually spending a few days with the Special Forces in Afghanistan.
Wrote Marshall in an e-mail published by the Macon Telegraph: “First of all, the General obviously doesn’t know how things get done in Congress. Before I left for my long scheduled ‘overseas’ trip, the farm bill debate was over in the ag committee — the bill was drafted and noses counted. And I knew I’d be back in time to help move the farm bill through the full House.
“But the General’s ‘overseas’ and ‘duty’ references are arguably unbecoming. He knows I was embedded with a Special Forces team in a remote base along the Pakistan border. But he just calls that being ‘overseas.’ And if he doesn’t think that’s my ‘duty’ as a member of the Armed Services Committee, the general’s not ready to represent Georgia in Congress. This isn’t San Francisco.”
Now, what Marshall meant by “embedded,” we don’t know. Here’s what he wrote about the visit. Note that he’s not a whiz at spelling.
In any case, the location alone should amount to a pass. No rum factories there — only poppy fields.
Bottom line, Goddard made a vague reference that should have been checked out before he uttered it. But he didn’t, so you drop it and move on. That’s how you deal with a gaffe, right? In military terms, you don’t reinforce failure.
Unless it’s not a gaffe.
On Monday, the Goddard campaign raised the issue yet again.
“Democrat Congressman Jim Marshall continued to dodge questions this weekend as to why he left town before finishing the House Agriculture Committee’s work on the 2007 Farm Bill,” the Goddard campaign said in a press release.
“On Friday, Marshall admitted he was the only member of Congress in Afghanistan while the House of Representatives was still in session and work remained on the farm bill.
“He then attacked Rick Goddard, Republican candidate for the 8th District, for simply asking the question as to why Marshall could not have seen the farm bill through the committee process even if it meant traveling to Afghanistan during Congress’ four week-long-summer vacation.”
What makes this a strange fight is that Goddard was brought on board to go toe-to-toe with Marshall on military issues. And this isn’t an exchange that Georgia’s military community is likely to buy into.
The only thing that makes sense is that Goddard’s tactics aren’t necessarily directed toward Marshall, but the GOP primary.
As we said, Goddard is one of two Republicans in the race. Mac Collins, who once held that seat, wants it back and so far has refused to cede the nomination to Goddard. And Collins’ base is Georgia agriculture.
We welcome other theories.
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Because you can never have too much Cynthia McKinney in your diet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You can scratch Cynthia McKinney from the Barack Obama bandwagon.
In Pennsylvania, the former Georgia congresswoman said Tuesday that black voters should consider voting for third-party candidates, according to this Associated Press report.
Said the AP:
Speaking to a sparsely attended Green Party gathering, the Georgia Democrat railed at her party and said black voters should not automatically vote Democratic, as an overwhelming majority now do.
“We have to be willing to do something that we’ve never done before so that we can get some things we’ve never had before,” said McKinney, who is black.
Now, don’t take this wrong — but she sounds a little bit like Herman Cain.
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Cleland says he’s suspended his aide after arrest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Max Cleland just called to say that he’s suspended 31-year-old aide Michael Duga until his legal troubles arising from a John Edwards fund-raiser in New England are sorted through.
“I’ve put Michael Duga on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation,” Cleland said.
See the full story here.
Duga was arrested after some bizarre behavior in which police say he sought to present himself as a member of Edwards presidential campaign.
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On John Linder and Scientology
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. John Linder rang up about an hour ago. He wanted to talk about the Bruce Bartlett attack on the Fair Tax, which we made reference to on Monday.
Most importantly, Linder wanted to explain that he and Tom Cruise are not of the same faith.
In a piece for the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Bartlett, a number cruncher for Bush No. 41, said the Fair Tax “was originally devised by the Church of Scientology in the early 1990s.”
Hogwash, said Linder, who has paired up with local radio talk show host Neal Boortz to write one book on the topic. Another is on the way. Linder and U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss also have a bill pushing a national sales tax in lieu of an income tax.
“I was just astonished. First of all, I know Bruce. I’ve been on the same stage with him. Where this Scientology stuff came from is just beyond me,” Linder said.
The congressman said he understood that another group with a similar aim — Citizens for an Alternative Tax System — had some sort of relationship with the Church of Scientology.
“But CATS has nothing to do with us. In fact, they got very angry when we started Americans for Fair Taxation, because they thought they owned the field. We just ignore them,” Linder said.
Now, we’ve heard enough charges fly back and forth about this — so we called CATS, which was founded in 1990, at its Virginia office. Glenn Wahlquist, the national director, picked up.
Is there a Scientology connection? “There was in the very, very beginning. A couple of guys who founded CATS were Scientologists. Their interest grew out of some of the church’s experience,” Wahlquist said.
The group has peaked. The organization’s phone rings at his house.
Oh, and about Linder’s religion. “I’m not now nor have I ever been a Scientologist,” he said. He is a Presbyterian elder.
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Break out the binoculars, Aunt Minney — presidential candidates rolling through
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Within a few hours, Republican Mitt Romney should be touching down in Atlanta for the first of a pair of fund-raisers. This evening’s event is at a private home.
On Wednesday, Romney will be at a fund-raising luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead — a minor step up from an appearance earlier this month at the Varsity.
The Buckhead event is headed up by House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter, Fred Cooper, U.S. Reps. Tom Price and Phil Gingrey — among many others.
Both fund-raisers are $1,000 per, at minimum.
Also Wednesday, John Edwards will be at an event in Americus, Ga., at Georgia Southwestern State University. Former President Jimmy Carter will be in attendance, it’s said.
Carter hasn’t made any endorsement in the Democratic presidential contest, and it’ll be a surprise if he does so here. However, Carter’s oldest son on Monday endorsed U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.
Jack Carter noted that Biden was the first senator to support his father in 1975. Moreover, “he was helpful in my own campaign last year,” noted Carter, who was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Nevada last year. He did not win.
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Cleland aide locked up after crashing Edwards party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man who serves as former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland’s top aide is in the hoosegow up in Martha’s Vineyard after trying to pass himself off as an official with the John Edwards presidential campaign.
The Boston Globe is reporting that the Cleland aide “has a criminal history that includes selling drugs and carjacking,” and that he “also allegedly had stolen campaign documents in his possession.” Secret Service agents participated in his questioning.
The most complete account comes from the Vineyard Gazette:.
Police say 31-year-old Michael Duga used a credential identifying himself as the chief of staff to former Sen. Maxwell Cleland of Georgia to gain access to the event.
Once inside, he purported to be a top official for the Edwards campaign to some while representing himself as a paying guests to others. According to Mr. MacDonald, the host of the event, Mr. Duga was neither.
Then there was this:
Mr. Duga’s appearance at the fundraiser was only part of his bizarre behavior over the weekend. Although police are not sure when Mr. Duga arrived on the Island, they believe he rented a room in a bed and breakfast in Aquinnah where he asked another guest if he could borrow their vehicle to find better cell phone service.
Mr. Duga then reportedly drove the vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, to the Edwards fundraiser where he worked most of the night at the front table where people purchased tickets. Toward the end of the fundraiser, Mr. Duga reportedly tried to stop a photographer from taking pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.
According to the police report, Mr. Duga got a ride to the airport with the Edwards party after the event, although he missed the flight to the next campaign stop.
Instead, Mr. Duga spent the night on the Island, and was next spotted Saturday around 8 a.m. when the Menemsha Coast Guard Station called Chilmark police to report a suspicious person on their property. Coast Guard officials later told police Mr. Duga was looking through paperwork and made some telephone calls from the Coast Guard boat house without permission.
Just got off the phone with Cleland, who has employed Duga for the last three years. Duga was by his side last month, when Cleland signed on to help a Woodstock biotech firm — the former senator’s first job in the private sector.
Cleland said that the police description of events “was not consistent with [Duga’s] behavior, character or background as I’ve known him.
“We’ll wait to see the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
Cleland, by the way, did not attend the Edwards’ party. He was here in Atlanta. He gave the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address on Saturday.
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Broun’s congressional victory was 50 percent self-sufficient
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The final lines following the final rounds of the 10th District congressional race are in.
Republican physician Paul Broun of Athens won, of course. And he’s the poorer for it. At least for now.
Federal campaign disclosures filed late this month show that Broun raised a total $413,000 for the race.
More than 50 percent of that sum — $209,000 — came in the form of personal loans Broun made to himself. As of Aug. 6, his total campaign debt stood at $230,000.
As an incumbent, Broun has an opportunity to recoup some of that. Part of Broun’s total — for instance, a July 31 contribution of $1,000 from Georgia Power — came well after his victory.
But Broun also has an ’08 campaign to fund as well — which could become expensive, given that he already has opposition in the general election, and will likely have an opponent in the primary as well.
Broun defeated former state senator Jim Whitehead, a Republican from Columbia County, in a July 17 run-off. Whitehead — the heavy favorite — raised more than twice the funds that Broun did. That’s $983,511, to be exact.
Even in the final days of the contest, Whitehead contributors included some of the biggest money players in Georgia politics, including Coke, Home Depot, and the top lobbyists and lobbying firms in the state Capitol.
Whitehead loaned himself $60,000 for the race.
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Grady’s problem: A former board member says it’s Emory
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Late Monday, a package began circulating around the state Capitol that appears sure to heat up legislative interest in the plight of Grady Memorial Hospital.
The entire contents can be found here. The most inflammatory portion is a three-page letter from Bill Loughrey, a former member of the hospital authority that governs Grady. He was ousted from the board last month.
The letter from Loughrey is addressed to state Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), author of legislation to mandate that Grady be put under the management of a non-profit corporation — as a requisite before any state funding of Grady occurs.
Loughrey disagrees. He says the root of Grady’s predicament is not its lack of a corporate structure. He says the problem is the hospital’s relationship with Emory University, which has day-to-day control over many of the hospital’s operations.
In his letter to Shafer, Loughrey claims that an audit, which has not been made public, “found that Emory was under-funding and under-staffing profitable service lines such as cardiology and orthopedics that compete with Emory-owned hospitals, including Crawford Long.”
Loughrey also claims that the audit has been kept secret, and that much of the money proposed for a Grady bail-out — in the form of a loan proposed by the authority — would go to Emory.
Moreover, the former authority member says that Emory University employees who have drawn attention to the alleged conflict of interest have been fired — and then hushed up with settlements.
We can’t vouch for Loughrey’s charges. Expect the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority to address them sometime today. But to say that Loughrey’s charges have made an impression on Shafer is to understate the situation.
In a two-page cover letter to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Shafer said Loughrey has raised “a number of very troubling issues.”
“Particularly disquieting is the revelation that Grady has not only failed to take remedial action on an audit conducted over two years ago, but that it has kept the audit secret. I have been advised by legislative counsel that the report of this audit is subject to the [state] Open Records Act, and I have asked Grady to provide me with a copy. I will be sure to advise you of Grady’s response.”
Shafer’s message, with Loughery’s letter attached, was copied to the whole of the Senate’s Republican leadership.
Loughrey served two four-year terms as a member of the authority. Until July, he had been serving as a temporary member, until a replacement was formally named.
Loughrey was dumped from the board after a bit of grand-standing, in which he took it upon himself to hand Cobb County a $4 million bill — which Loughrey said was owed by the county for its residents who had used Grady’s services. The bill was rejected.
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Playing catch-up: ‘I’ve seen this movie before,’ says Cleland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A busy weekend meant many things slipped through the cracks. One of them was former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, the former Georgia senator, who on Saturday gave the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address.
The topic was Bush’s comparison of Iraq and Vietnam last week — which made Cleland an obvious choice.
Said Cleland: “I’ve seen this movie before. I know how it ends. I know that all the PR in the world didn’t change the truth on the ground in Vietnam and won’t change the truth on the ground today in Iraq.”
Listen to his full comments here.
Drama alert: State Senate to dip into Doraville mess
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ran into state Sen. John Douglas (R-Covington) this afternoon. He’s chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
He’s got a hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 4 — that’s Tuesday week — to look into the Doraville City Council’s attempt to can its police chief, John King. Members of the parallel House committee have been invited, too.
King is an Army National Guard colonel who spent a year in Iraq, apparently much to the aggravation of some members of the Doraville City Council.
Since his firing — retracted by the mayor — King has become the poster child for guard members who say they’ve been sidelined or otherwise done out of jobs while serving their county.
Wrote Douglas to colleagues: “This is not a meeting to determine the guilt or innocence of any party, rather a fact finding meeting and an effort to get everyone in the same room for a possible solution.”
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Don’t let the door hit you, Mr. Attorney General
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An hour before President Bush announced the resignation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta was already throwing his final punches at the nation’s top prosecutor.
Not bothering to wait until Gonzales’ resignation became official, the Democrat was the first Georgian — if not the first congressman — to issue a statement venting every frustration he’s ever had with the AG.
Lewis said Gonzales “never came clean,” “never told the truth” and “encouraged the violation of civil liberties in this country” while helping Bush fire U.S. prosecutors, institute a national surveillance system targeting Americans, and other evil deeds.
“It was time for the Attorney General to go,” Lewis said.
The press release put out by Jane Kidd, chairman of the state Democratic party, was much more terse:
“It’s about time,” she said. And nothing else.
The link between the Fair Tax and Scientology?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Wall Street Journal’s opinion web site carried a Sunday attack on the Fair Tax, focusing on the bill pitched by two Georgia Republicans, U.S. Rep. John Linder and U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
It was written by Bruce Bartlett, deputy assistant secretary of the treasury for economic policy in the administration of Bush No. 41.
Many of the points we’ve seen before. This one we hadn’t:
The Fair Tax, Bartlett said, “was originally devised by the Church of Scientology in the early 1990s as a way to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service, with which the church was then at war (at the time the IRS refused to recognize it as a legitimate religion). The Scientologists’ idea was that since almost all states have sales taxes, replacing federal taxes with the same sort of tax would allow them to collect the federal government’s revenue and thereby get rid of their hated enemy, the IRS.”
Playing catch-up: Bobby Saxon enters race against Paul Broun
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens) picked up his first Democratic opponent over the weekend, as Bobby Saxon — who describes himself as a small business owner and Iraq War veteran — announced his entry into the 10th District race from his front porch in Nicholson.
Early reports indicate that Saxon is picking up where James Marlow, a Democrat defeated in this summer’s special election for the seat, left off.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Saxon told supporters he wants to “drastically change our course in Iraq.”
“I believe that we should find a way to get our troops home. However, I do not believe that we bring all our people home tomorrow and abandon all the people in Iraq,” he said.
The newspaper identifed Saxon as “a major in the Georgia National Guard, he served on active duty from 1987 to 1990, and re-enlisted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, serving another three years in Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Pentagon.”
Tim Bryant, the morning radio host at WGAU (1340 AM) in Athens, tossed us this sound clip from Saxon, who declared himself “very, very disappointed” with the results of this summer’s special election.
Half of the candidates didn’t live in the district, Saxon said, and Broun’s victory in July was nothing but an anti-Jim Whitehead vote.
Saxon’s entry means Broun have to earn his re-election — both next July and November. No Republican rival has entered the primary, but that’s sure to come.
Brace yourself for another fight over guns in company lots
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remember that huge fight this spring between Republicans in the state Senate and the National Rifle Association?
It’s back again.
The topic, if you’ve forgotten, is whether employees should have the right to keep firearms in automobiles parked on company lots. Fistfights nearly broke out last time between property rights advocates and enthusiasts of the Second Amendment.
We’re got our hands on a fund-raising “Georgia Legislative Alert” from the NRA’s branch that lobbies state assemblies around the country.
“The Brady Center and gun-ban lawyers representing major corporate interests have teamed up to wage war on law-abiding gun owners who store their firearms in their cars or trucks in parking lots during work hours,” the letter asserts.
The NRA is asking for postcards to be sent to legislators in support of H.B. 89.
This particular letter, page one and page two, urges contact with state Sen. Ronnie Chance (R-Tyrone) and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
See the postcard topic on the jump.
Dear Senator _______:
I urge you in the strongest possible way to give your vigorous support to legislation to protect the rights of law abiding workers to store firearms in their vehicles in parking lots. Don’t let the Brady Campaign and anti gun corporate lawyers destroy opportunities for Georgia citizens to go hunting or target shooting before or after work. And don’t let them undermine our Right-to-Carry law by prohibiting workers from having firearms in their vehicles. This issue is important to me—and your help on this bill will be important to me in future elections! Thank you.
Sincerely ______________
Instructions on how to hold your very own presidential rally
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This week, the Washington Post published an article about a White House manual from 2002 that explains how presidential advance teams are to keep demonstrators and the indifferent away from President Bush at public appearances around the country.
The piece said the manual “recently” came to light. Truth be told, it was posted on the ACLU web site on June 28. That kind of recent.
And so, courtesy of the ACLU, this newspaper is proud to provide you with your own copy of the Presidential Advance Manual, obtained from the Office of Presidential Advance via a lawsuit.
Kids, print this out and take it to school. Impress your teacher. Most of the pages have been redacted for security reasons, but that only increases the panache of such a document.
And what’s left can easily be applied to those upcoming class elections. For instance:
— Tickets behind the president should be reserved for those “extremely supportive of the administration.”
— “All presidential events must be ticketed or accessed by a name list. This is the best method for preventing demonstrators.”
— “Work with the Secret Service and have them ask the local police department to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in view of the event site or the motorcade route.”
— “The formation of ‘rally squads is a common way to prepare for demonstrators by countering their message…The rally squad’s task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform.”
— “As a last resort security should remove the demonstrators from the event site. The rally squads can include, but are not limited to, college/young republican organizations, local athletic teams, and fraternities/sororities.”
— “For larger rallies…at least one squad should be ‘roaming’ throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems.”
— “Remember avoid physical contact with demonstrators! Most often, the demonstrators want a physical confrontation. Do not fall into their trap! Also, do not do anything or say anything that might result in the physical harm to demonstrators.”
In other words, crying out, “Seize them!” is inadvisable, unless approved by a senior member of the advance team.
Now, go forth — and good luck with your own campaigns.
Well, he’s not the Obama Girl, but……
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Vernon Jones is becoming something of a Youtube addict, this time with a message on Iraq. See it here.
The sound of dentists and lawyers drilling: Another confrontation between the House and Gov. Sonny Perdue?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday to prevent the booting of two dental outfits from the state Medicaid and PeachCare programs for kids.
The state Department of Community Health responded by announcing that it’s looking into charges of “poor care delivery” by one of the dental providers — Kool Smiles, which says it serves 71,000 Georgia kids whose parents can’t afford dental services.
The charges include, in the words of a press release: “unusual patterns of patient restraint”(such as use of restraining boards for children) and sedation vs. Traditional Pain Management (usage of Nitrous Oxide or IV sedation) compared to other dentists and normal averages.”
See the entire press release on the jump. The DCH refused all further comment.
We’re in hardball land here.
The DCH press release was in response to a State Capitol presser called by Kool Smiles. See an earlier post on the topic here.
State Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta) is the chief litigator, officially representing a group of parents who might have their access to dentists cut off. He was also was the master of ceremonies at the Capitol event and had these details:
— The suit was filed an hour or so ago in U.S. District Court in Rome. (I’ll post a copy when I can);
— The lawsuit seeks class action status and a temporary restraining order;
— The general accusation is that the two health management agencies charged with oversight of Georgia’s Medicaid and PeachCare programs are cutting off legitimate recipients to pad their bottom line.
But here’s the interesting part: Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Department of Community Health has given the green light for these management companies to do what they did. The state agency is named in the federal lawsuit.
Lindsey says the governor and his minions aren’t mean. They just aren’t up on the right facts. Said Lindsey: “They, too, are a victim because they have been deceived by the two [Care Maintenance Organizations].”
Short of an immediate fix via the lawsuit, Lindsey said he was nearly certain the Republican leaders of his chamber, along with GOP senators in the Senate, would take up the cause of poor kids with cavities when the General Assembly convenes in January.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2007
CONTACT: Amanda Seals
DCH Statement Concerning Possible Class Action Lawsuit Regarding Medicaid Dental Services
No child in our Medicaid or PeachCare for KidsTM programs has lost dental benefits or been dropped from the program due to the contract disputes between Kool Smiles, P.C. and the care management organizations (CMO), Peach State Health Plan and WellCare of Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) will thoroughly investigate all the allegations received from parents/guardians of patients and other dentists concerning poor care delivery received from Kool Smiles, P.C.
The Department will also investigate allegations and concerns reported to DCH including but not limited to:
— Patterns of “over-utilization of services” and questions raised about the appropriateness of care delivered;
— “Unusual patterns of patient restraint”(such as use of restraining boards for children) and sedation vs. Traditional Pain Management (usage of Nitrous Oxide or IV sedation) compared to other dentists and normal averages;
— “Over-utilization of stainless steel crowns” in children compared to other dentists and normal averages;
— “Lower use of preventive care” (i.e.: fewer sealants used to prevent cavities per patient treated) compared to other dentists;
— “Over-utilization of X-rays” compared to other dentists and normal averages
The adequacy of the dental networks for both Peach State Health Plan and WellCare of Georgia are closely monitored and assessed by DCH.
In March 2007, the DCH Inspector General began an audit of Kool Smiles, P.C., which precedes the current contract termination between the CMOs and the provider. Until the audit is complete, the Department will offer no comment on that investigation.
DCH offers no comment during pending litigation. If included in the lawsuit, the State of Georgia will be represented by the Attorney General’s Office. Inquiries should be directed to the AG’s office.
According to Georgia Families records:
24,000 or five percent of current WellCare of Georgia members have received services from Kool Smiles, P.C. since implementation of the Georgia Families program 20,500 or seven percent current Peach State Health Plan members have received services from Kool Smiles, P.C. since implementation of the Georgia Families program
But conservatives are better at GameBoy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you lack ammunition to bring to today’s water-cooler meeting, there’s this:
A new Associated Press poll says liberals read more books than conservatives.
Pat Schroeder, a former Colorado congresswoman and president of the American Association of Publishers, explained that conservatives prefer bumperstickers:
“The Karl Roves of the world have built a generation that just wants a couple slogans: ‘No, don’t raise my taxes, no new taxes,’” she said.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Schroeder was “confusing volume with quality.”
The AP-Ipsos poll found 22 percent of liberals and moderates said they had not read a book within the past year, compared with 34 percent of conservatives.
Among those who had read at least one book, liberals typically read nine books in the year, with half reading more than that and half less. Conservatives typically read eight, moderates five, the poll said.
By slightly wider margins, Democrats tended to read more books than Republicans and independents. There were no differences by political party in the percentage of those who said they had not read at least one book.
Where to find Vernon Jones’ TV ad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many thanks to Peachpundit for locating the youtube version of Vernon Jones’ TV ad. It’s been running Sunday mornings on “Georgia Gang” on WAGA-TV (Fox5).
The odd thing about the 30-second spot is that it doesn’t mention the words “Democrat” or “for U.S. Senate.”
A fight over dental care for kids is headed to court
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Get ready for yet another legal fight over health care.
Two health care groups, WellState and Peach State, handle many of the patients treated under the government-financed Medicaid and PeachCare programs.
They in turn had contracted with two other outfits to provide dental care: Kool Smiles, which served 71,000 children annually at 10 offices across the state, Help a Child Smile, a mobile program that treats 30,000 kids a year.
Kool Smiles and Help a Child Smile have now been dumped by both health maintenance groups.
But one of the dental groups, Kool Smiles, isn’t going quietly. It says the two health management organizations are out to cut costs by depriving kids of dental care. The companies argue that other dentists in its network can pick up the slack, and that patient care won’t suffer. The state Department of Community Health agrees.
At a press conference at 12:30 p.m. today, Kool Smiles will announce a class-action suit to block the severance of its contract.
Kool Smiles has lined up some impressive clout. House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta) wrote this in an op-ed piece last week:
“Officials with the [Care Maintenance Organizations] claim that other dentists will step in to see these patients, but that’s questionable. Kool Smiles had been treating 24 percent of the children under Medicaid and Peachcare.
“What’s even more infuriating is that the CMOs made this policy decision without consulting the General Assembly which funds the program. The state invited providers such as Kool Smiles into Georgia to run this managed care dental service for low-income kids. Now it is telling them to take a hike.”
Republican state Rep. Ed Lindsey of Atlanta is litigating the class-action case.
The Hollywood beat: Carter, Nunn and Thompson on film
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Movies are the topic of the day. Call it the Gore-ification of American politics.
Former President Jimmy Carter is going to the Venice International Film Festival this month. On celluloid.
Carter’s the topic of a documentary centered on his book about the Middle East: “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid.” The film’s title is “Jimmy Carter Man from Plains.”
You’ll like this: It’s was directed by the same fellow who directed “Silence of the Lambs.”
Likewise, many are noting the 2005 film convergence of Republican presidential maybe Fred Thompson and third-party presidential maybe Sam Nunn.
Here’s a Newsweek column that marked the HBO debut of “Last Best Chance,” a 45-minute docu-drama sponsored by Nunn’s Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Wrote Jonathan Alter:
“The film stars Fred Thompson, who apparently understands that he has more power to save the world as an actor playing the president on screen than he did as an actual senator from Tennessee.
“It lacks special effects (too expensive) and a satisfying ending (too unrealistic), but effectively offers an all-too-plausible scenario of how a Russian scientist desperate for cash could provide highly enriched uranium through middlemen to Arab jihadists.
“’So, American Hiroshima begins,’ says one terrorist. “
When you can drag Georgia’s political elite down to Perry in 101 degree heat, you’ve got clout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Perry —If you were anybody in politics on Tuesday, and you weren’t at the beach, then you were at the state fairgrounds for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss was the big draw. He made no news, but spoke on No Child Left Behind, the ag bill before Congress, PeachCare, and Iraq.
He made a brief mention of his experience with the immigration reform bill, and continued to express surprise at the heated emotional reaction the issue generated. But he was over and done with the volatile topic in a heart beat.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson were also on the stage. Again, no news. But Cagle did have an interesting line when he described Isakson as his “first mentor in the state Senate” — given that both men are now turning over the possibility of running for governor in ’10.
Perhaps the biggest news from the luncheon was in the audience. About 1,400 attended, emphasizing the growing clout of this statewide organization of businesses — as opposed to the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, which had more say-so in the state Capitol when it was controlled by Democrats.
Politically, the most important presence may have been judicial: Five members of the state Supreme Court showed up, along with six members of the state Court of Appeals.
The Supremes included Harris Hines and Robert Benham, both up for re-election next year, plus Carol Hunstein, Hugh Thompson, Harold Melton, and Hugh Thompson.
The only two missing justices were Leah Sears and George Carley — both were out of the country.
Hunstein probably bears much responsibility for the 100-mile drive the court made. She weathered a re-election challenge backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year — by obtaining serious support from within the Georgia chamber, thereby splitting the business community.
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Canadians have always been a suspicious-looking lot
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In Quebec, President Bush sat down Monday for some friendly conversations with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.
The three-way summit was under the guise of something called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, a compact intended to allow the three nations to address mutual problems on health, security and commercial issues.
The meeting sent a bolt of — well, to say “paranoia” would be too loaded. Let’s say, “extreme concern.”
Bush’s meeting sent a bolt of extreme concern through the ranks of hardcore opponents of illegal immigration in Georgia, who held their own gathering at the State Capitol even as Bush held his.
D.A. King and two state legislators, Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville) and Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica), led the way in condemning the Mexico-United States-Canadian event as a secretive kabal to loosen borders and allow illegal immigration to flourish.
“I have been very aware for a very long time that a lot of the governmental and media elite have a goal of open borders. That goal has not changed. It has just been blacked out and gone underground since 9/11,” King said.
In other words, the Security and Prosperity Partnership is the Trilateral Commission of the new century. The purpose of the SPP is to “integrate and deeply integrate the United States of America with those two nations,” said King.
Just as the first President Bush was suspected of collaboration with internationalists on the TC, the second Bush is suspected of colluding with the two other members of the SPP. One-continent government versus one-world government. The son’s ambitions are smaller.
King reminded the two dozen people in attendance of Bush No. 43’s roots, reading a line from a speech King said W. made as a candidate in 2000 in Miami: “By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.”
The news out of the noon presser:
First, King has formed a new group, called Americans for Sovereignty.
Secondly, King displayed a letter signed by 22 members of Congress, including U.S. Reps. Tom Price of Roswell and Phil Gingrey of Marietta. “The SPP process…is being conducted in a secretive manner with a view to ‘harmonizing’ U.S., Canadian and Mexican policies…in ways that may actually undermine our security and sovereignty,” the missive said.
Said King: “I am …curious about the lack of signatures from anybody else in the Georgia delegation.”
Now should that — or should it not — cause some extreme concern among the five other members of the Georgia GOP delegation?
One last time: Karl Rove on Max Cleland and the 2002 race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You can’t be surprised by the fact that, when Karl Rove made the rounds on Sunday for his final round of interviews as President Bush’s top in-house political advisor, Max Cleland was there to haunt him.
Here’s a snippet of the Associated Press transcript from “FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace”:
WALLACE: All right. There are a few big raps against Karl Rove, and I want to give you the…
ROVE: Only a few?
WALLACE: Well, yeah. In any event, we had to winnow them down.
ROVE: Thank you.
WALLACE: And I want to give you an opportunity to give your side on a few of them.The first is that with unprecedented national unity after 9/11 that you decided to turn the war on terror into a campaign issue.
And Exhibit A in that is an ad that was run in the 2002 Senate campaign against Max Cleland, a Vietnam veteran who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam. Let’s take a look.
BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
ANNOUNCER: America faces terrorists and extremist dictators. Max Cleland runs television ads claiming he has the courage to lead. He says he supports President Bush at every opportunity, but that’s not the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Now, I understand that as the chief strategist to the president, you weren’t sitting there writing ads in Georgia for Max Cleland or against Max Cleland, but were that and other attacks on Democrats, turning the war on terror into a campaign issue, just in 2002 — was that a mistake?
ROVE: First of all, you’re right. They did that ad. The White House didn’t. It would be — surprise you, but we’ve got better things to do than write television ads in Senate campaigns in Georgia.
I do think it’s important to look at the context of this. Senator Cleland was running a television ad saying that he supported the president on homeland security, when he was one of the senators who was blocking the passage of the homeland security bill because of a special interest provision that would have allowed the labor unions to organize the Department of Homeland Security.
You know, we have — John Kennedy set in place a policy in the early ’60s that said that government departments connected with national security had the right to declare certain parts of those agencies off-limits to union organizing. This was signed into law by James Earl Carter.
And what the homeland security bill had was a provision that would undo that for the Department of Homeland Security.
WALLACE: Forgive me. I don’t want to re-fight the Cleland race in Georgia in 2002. I want to ask a bigger question, though, because this was far from the only time that you called — you — called Democrats soft on terror.
Let’s take a quick look at some of Karl Rove’s greatest hits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROVE: Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding to our attackers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROVE: When it gets tough and when it gets difficult, they fall back on that party’s old pattern of cutting and running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Now, Democrats are clearly far from blameless in all of this, but should you and the president — we’re talking now just a year after 9/11 and ever since. Should you have made the war on terror something that unified the country, not divided it?
Isakson on a run for governor: ‘I’ll be on the ballot in ‘10 — I just haven’t decided where’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an article in Sunday’s Marietta Daily Journal, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson gave what we think is the first indication from the man himself that he’s giving some thought to a run for governor in ‘10.
The link to the newspaper this morning has some sort of glitch, but here’s the quote:
“I love the state of Georgia. I’m going to be on the ballot in 2010, and where I am on the ballot depends on what I decide after the 2008 elections are over.”
Clear enough?
Second thoughts on Sam Nunn: Audio, outakes, and nuclear war
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even now, Sam Nunn is a man of paragraphs trapped in a sound-bite world.
Not that he talks to excess. Compared to two Georgia contemporaries, Jimmy Carter and Newt Gingrich, Nunn is a walled-in Cistercian monk under a vow of silence.
But when he does speak, the former Georgia senator has always tended toward detail and nuance - the very characteristics that he says are missing from the ‘08 presidential debate.
Possibly you saw Sunday’s article on Nunn and the fact that he’s turning over the idea of a third-party or independent run for the White House next year.
The piece was based on an hour-long interview, and by necessity much was left out - mostly Nunn’s extended comments on foreign and defense policy.
I’ll catch you up on the leftovers below. But first, feel free to listen to these extended, edited sound clips from the interview:
On running, beginning with his conversations on the topic with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg;
On what’s missing from the ‘08 presidential debate;
On Iraq. “Fiasco” is only the start;
Now for the outtakes:
- Nunn, who helped oversee the rebuilding of the U.S. military in the post-Vietnam period, fears that American forces may be headed toward a similar slump as a result of the extended fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He pointed specifically toward the loosening of rules that permits the acceptance of some recruits with criminal records.
“It’s in good shape today, but there’s a huge threat to it right now. I think were moving back to period of the ’70s where the quality and deterioration started feeding on itself,” he said. “We’re not there yet. But that’s where we’re heading.”
- He sees no easy solution to the dilemma of Iraq. “If I had a magic answer, I would certainly not withhold it. I think the options - none of them are good. all of them have their downside. I think we have to get out of the civil war without pretending that we can immediately get out of Iraq,” Nunn said.
Getting out tomorrow isn’t an option. “We have something like 44,000 track vehicles over there. It would take, probably, 12 months - nothing but flying C-17s and other cargo aircraft back and forth to get them out,” he said.
A new Iraq policy should have three priorities, he said. The first is preventing the Sunni-Shi’ite conflict from spreading throughout the Middle East. Then, complete the training of Iraqi forces. And step in whenever genocide rears its head.
“Although it’s really not accurate, we’ve given the impression in the world that the military is our primary and only tool. And the military are the first ones to say that we can’t be the only tool. There has to be a whole array of tools in the arsenal,” Nunn said.
- Another issue that could propel Nunn into a race for the White House is nuclear weaponry. Over the past several years, Nunn has argued that the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rise of terrorism, and the development of high-tech conventional weapons have made nuclear stockpiles passé.
Here’s a speech on the topic he gave in June to the Council of Foreign Relations. Print it out and keep it on your desk. You’ll impress the boss.
Nunn wants a ban on the small, tactical weapons that could soon become targets for increasingly sophisticated terrorists. But he’s also argued that it’s time for both the United States and Russia to back off the hair-trigger alerts that - on mere suspicion - could send flocks of nuclear-tipped missiles into the other country’s camp.
It has, Nunn said, “become nutty.”
The former senator says he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin this last month: “Why is it in the United States’ security interests for the president of Russia to have only four or five minutes” - that’s the time it takes for a missile fired from the Bering Sea to strike - “whether to use your nuclear weapons because you think you’re under attack by the United States?”
About Putin.
The United States has announced that it wants to set up a missile defense shield in Europe that would protect it from Iran, using silo and radar stations in Poland and the Czech Republic - old Soviet territory.
That’s raised Putin’s suspicions that the operation is really aimed at Russia. If not, he said, then put those first-alert stations on Russian soil to prove it.
Nunn says that might be a good idea. “That’s something we ought to take them up on. We ought to take them seriously,” he said.
More pressure for Grady: Shafer shops bill mandating hospital be run by non-profit corporation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) is directing his colleagues to a web site he’s had set up, featuring his legislation that would require the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority to contract with a non-profit corporation to manage Grady Memorial Hospital and its operations.
The site is www.reforminggrady.org.
“Changing the form of governance is a necessary first step and not a bargaining chip for state aid,” Shafer said this morning, via e-mail.
In a letter to other state senators, posted on the site, Shafer has this:
“This nonprofit form of management is almost universally recognized as the most efficient and effective way to manage a large urban public hospital. It is widely used throughout the country and has been voluntarily adopted by every other county hospital authority in the metro Atlanta area.
“The lone holdout is the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, which operates Grady Hospital and Grady Health System.”
On Wednesday, the Fulton County Commission withheld some much-needed cash from Grady, but promised funds if the hospital authority took the steps toward a new management structure.
Here’s a link to today’s latest AJC story on Grady.
Moving pictures, with sound
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ric Mayfield of Georgians for Romney sends this link to about five minutes of video of Mitt Romney’s visit to Atlanta on Wednesday. Click and enjoy.
Heads up, Fred: Mike Huckabee is snaring your audience
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scott Johnson, the strictly neutral chairman of the Cobb County GOP, was among those checking out Mitt Romney at the Varsity on Wednesday.
He’s got no dog in the presidential hunt, at least publicly. But Johnson had this bit of news:
Mike Huckabee, who finished a surprising second behind Romney in the Iowa straw poll, will be addressing Cobb County Republicans at their monthly breakfast on Saturday, Sept. 8.
Huckabee also has appearances in Georgia on Sept. 22 and 23, though I’m not sure they’re campaign events. One is an appearance at First Redeemer in Cummings, one of the largest Southern Baptist congregations in the state.
Mitt Romney in Atlanta: On naked dogs, immigration and his stock in embryonic stem cell research
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mitt Romney had an advance peek at the pop quiz.
The presidential candidate breezed into a packed room filled with hundreds of hotdog-eating Republicans at the Varsity on Wednesday, and was immediately put to the test.
House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter, Romney’s highest ranking supporter in Georgia, hit him with four questions about Varsity lunch counter vernacular:
A) What’s a chocolate milk with shaved ice?
B) What’s a hamburger with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise?
C) What’s a naked dog walking?
Romney aced the test. The answers were, in order, a P.C., or pure chocolate; a glorified steak; and a plain hot dog to-go. The candidate freely admitted the fix was in.
“If that wasn’t a set up, I don’t know what is,” he told the crowd — many of whom were obvious supporters.
But some in the crowd weren’t. They were among the large pocket of Republicans still without a candidate, and for them Romney’s test was a bit more serious.
At least a dozen or so supporters of the Fair Tax crowd showed up, though they weren’t able to question the candidate about his lack of support for a shift from an income tax to a national sales tax.
Pat Gartland, the former head of the Georgia Christian Coalition, also came to listen. “I just wanted to hear what he had to say. I don’t know anything about him,” Gartland said. The room was so packed that he was forced to stand outside.
And at least one spy from an opposing camp showed up. Rusty Paul, a former state GOP chairman who supports Rudy Giuliani, just happened to be driving past the Varsity at lunch time and decided to duck in for a hot dog. Really.
To the crowd, Romney delivered red meat — primarily aiming his barbs at Hillary Clinton, but also sending a few the way of GOP rival Giuliani. And he delivered a glancing blow to President Bush.
“The question is are we going to turn left, with the policies represented by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards,” Romney said.
“When Hillary Clinton is talking about the economy, if you listen carefully, she’s saying she wants to raise taxes on individuals and raise taxes on corporations.
“She’s says we’ve been an on-your-own society. She wants a shared society, a we’re-all-in-this-together society. So it’s out with Adam Smith and up with Karl Marx,” the former Massachusetts governor said.
Romney promised to “end the death tax forever,” and declared that “people of moderate and middle income” ought not to be taxed on their savings.
On the issue of health insurance, he condemned Democrats for wanting to increase government involvement, but his comment also appeared directed at the current administration: “I don’t want the guys who managed the [Hurricane] Katrina clean-up running my health care system.”
Romney also kept up his running war with Giuliani on immigration, though he didn’t mention his Republican rival by name.
For the last week, Romney has pointed to a New York City policy adopted by Mayor Ed Koch in 1989 but extended by Giuliani during his terms as mayor, in which city workers did not provide information about illegal immigrants they came in contact with federal authorities.
“Let’s end this sanctuary city thing,” Romney told the crowd. The Giuliani campaign has pointed out that three Massachusetts cities have similar policies — and that Romney has expressed no objections about them.
“As a governor, I’m not responsible for what cities do,” Romney told reporters after he’d finished shaking hands. He accused Giuliani of trying to “obfuscate” the issue.
On other topics:
Romney said he wasn’t ready to commit to the CNN/youtube debate. The Democratic version this month featured questions from real people — and one, about global warming, from a snowman.
“I think it’s fine to have questions from the public. I think the snowman is a little less than the level of dignity you expect in a presidential televised debate,” Romney said.
The candidate also addressed a story in today’s Boston Herald, which had this first paragraph:
“Despite his “pro-life” campaign pitch, former Gov. Mitt Romney owns stock in two companies involved in embryonic stem cell research, a controversial field of study he previously cited as the reason for his rightward shift on abortion.”
Said Romney in Atlanta;
“My investments have been held in blind trust. Which means I have not directed where they invest, nor do I know where they invest,” the former governor said. “I did not direct my investments, nor did I know of my investments. The trustee of the blind trust has said that he will endeavor to make my investments conform to my positions.”
Kathy ‘with a K’ hops on the Giuliani bandwagon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rudy Giuliani campaign for president let slip this morning that it had pocketed the endorsement of Kathy Cox, the two-term Republican state school superintendent.
She becomes the first statewide-elected official, Republican or Democrat, to join up with a presidential campaign.
“His commitment to provide a high quality education to every child in America… will bring the same success to the country that he brought to New York City,” Cox said of her GOP candidate for the White House.
Feel welcome to consider the timing of this announcement. Mitt Romney, Republican victor of the Iowa straw poll, hits the ground in Atlanta in a matter of hours, for some hot-dogging at the Varsity in downtown Atlanta.
Look for illegal immigration to be the topic of the day.
Romney in town to serve up ‘dogs with some Iowa mustard
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Mitt Romney effort in Georgia shifts from fund-raising to flesh-pressing at noon Wednesday.
The Republican presidential candidate will be passing out free hotdogs at the Varsity in downtown Atlanta. He’s guaranteed a yellow-jacketed mob of starving grad students from Tech.
This is Romney’s first public event in Georgia, part of a 14-state tour this week to capitalize on his first-place finish in the Iowa straw poll this weekend. Florida and South Carolina are also on Wednesday’s agenda.
Polling information in Georgia has been scarce. A mid-July poll by InsiderAdvantage put Romney at 9 percent, behind Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.
But as of July, Romney had raised more Georgia money than any presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican.
And regardless of Wednesday’s Varsity event, he’s still got Georgia on his mind as an ATM, with fund-raising events scheduled here on Aug. 28 and 29. No details on those yet.
When trying to pin down Jack Ellis, you have to be continent-specific
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Deep in August, the political news is scarce. So please send a thank-you note to the city of Macon for keeping the rest of Georgia entertained.
Mayor Jack Ellis’ flirtation with international diplomacy continues to stir the pot. The Telegraph reports that two Macon city council intend to block the mayor from taking any advantage of his recent declaration of solidarity with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
They plan to introduce a resolution to forbid “city funding of travel to any country certified by the U.S. Secretary of State as not fully cooperating with counter-terrorism efforts or designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
Ellis couldn’t be reached for comment. He’s in Africa.
Towery: Vick, too, is working toward a plea agreement
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage has these sentences about Falcons quarterback Michael Vick up on his web site:
“Informed sources told InsiderAdvantage that Vick’s attorneys had been working to gain a plea agreement that would potentially result in a sentence of mere months rather than the possible years he could serve in prison if found guilty of the charges.
One source said that the Vick legal team’s strategy was to keep the severity of the Falcons quarterback’s sentence to a minimum in hopes that he could “in a year or so” return to the NFL. But sources also told InsiderAdvantage that any return would likely “not be as a Falcon.”
Blogwatch: ‘Gays for Giuliani’ is a big hug for someone trying to keep his distance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A sector of America’s gay rights community is showing its fun, Machiavellian side.
Last week, a group out of New York, “Gays for Giuliani,” put up a 30-second video spot up on some major Internet sites, soliciting funds to have it broadcast on TV in South Carolina, home to some brutal GOP competition for president.
Atypicaljoe.com is making sure it gets Georgia exposure as well.
The video, which originated on the Huffington Post, is a series of a tongue-in-cheek endorsements by characters that appear designed to inflame Christian fundamentalists. All sorts of puns intended.
“I am so grateful for Rudy for the domestic partner plan that he has implemented in this city, because I have had no less — no less — than five domestic partners,” says one character with tinted glasses, swathed in what appears to be a tablecloth.
The thinking, from what we can tell, goes like this:
Rudy Giuliani has angered some in the gay community for backing away from some of his pre-presidential commitments.
But withdrawing support from the candidate isn’t much of an option. Losing even a healthy sliver of gay and lesbian admirers can’t compare with the advantages of securing the Republican base. A loud break-up, in fact, might help Giuliani with conservative Christians.
So instead, the embrace. The jilted group makes sure that those essential to a Republican victory in the South know just how much Giuliani means to gay voters.
On why a Rove resignation isn’t what it seems
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Keep in mind that Rusty Paul, the former state GOP chairman and current Sandy Springs councilman, is on board with the presidential candidate of Rudy Giuliani.
Even so, he’s got a good line:
Paul says that we may be on the verge of a convergence. Fred Thompson has delayed his entry into the contest for the White House so long, and states are so hot to move their primaries forward, that we could have an Iowa caucus and a Thompson announcement on the same day.
Okay. Maybe it was funnier when he said it.
On the topic of Karl Rove leaving President Bush’s side, Paul said no one should get too excited about the move. This doesn’t mean that Rove won’t remain one of the president’s top sounding boards.
“He can reach him by phone in Texas as easily as he can pick up the phone and call him four doors down,” Paul said.
Paul sees Roves’ departure from the White House as an expansion of his potential role in the 2008 presidential contest, rather than as a diminution of his role in the Bush administration.
“The missed story is what Rove has done to the presidential contest before he left,” Paul said. “McCain, Romney, Giuliani — Rove has placed key people in each of the major campaigns. Now he’ll be able to go out there and maneuver, control, manipulate — things that have an impact in each of the campaigns.”
Paul says he’s got no beef with Rove. “From the point of view of political acumen, he’s one of the best out there,” Paul said. But does worry that Rove has succumbed to a gunslinger’s credo of prefering the large fees a campaign can offer, at the cost of ideology.
When court officials are at the defendant’s table, something’s wrong
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Investigations into the goings on near the Florida border are heating up.
We told you in July about the scrutiny that one of rural Clinch County’s most powerful politicians, Superior Court Judge Brooks E. Blitch III, was getting.
The local county commission claimed Blitch had usurped its control of the county budget by holding back thousands of dollars in court fines and fees and dictating how those funds are spent.
Blitch, you’ll recall, is the husband of former Democratic state senator Peg Blitch of Homerville.
At the close of last weekend, one subject of the investigation, Clinch County Clerk of Court Danny Lecesse, pleaded guilty to mail fraud.
Also Friday, Berrien County Sheriff Jerry Brogdon resigned after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, for giving a .22-caliber pistol back to a felon, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.. The sheriff of neighboring Lowndes County temporarily has taken over law enforcement duties — a fairly rare circumstance we’re told.
Given the stuff that’s happened on the north end of Georgia, in Towns County, we may be in the middle of yet another cycle of misbehaving sheriffs. And judicial officials, too.
Isakson on ‘10 race for governor: Been there, done that?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It wasn’t exactly a no, but a weekend piece by Walter Jones of Morris News Service had an interesting line from U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Asked if he were planning to run for governor in ‘10, the first-term senator said this:
“I did that once. I am very happy in the United States Senate.”
Chambliss: Why I voted against the S-CHIP legislation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, the Gainesville Times had a Q&A with U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss discussing his re-election, immigration reform and other topics.
Democrats have tried to generate some heat over Chambliss’ vote against an expansion of a federal-state program to offer health insurance to the children of the working poor.
Here’s Chambliss’ explanation:
The Times: Last week you and Sen. Isakson voted against the SCHIP legislation which funds Georgia’s PeachCare program. What was the reason behind your vote?
Chambliss: Johnny (Isakson) and I wound up voting against it because of three reasons. One, they spent way too much money. They’re going from capping the program at 250 percent of the poverty level to 300 percent and allowing waivers for up to 400 percent.
Instead of insuring a family of four with an income of $30,000 to $35,000, like Georgia does, New York has an application for a family of four with an income of $80,000. I don’t think Georgia taxpayers ought to be subsidizing a family in New York making $80,000 a year.
At the same time, it’s a very sensitive issue because the PeachCare program works. What Johnny and I supported was an amendment that would increase spending by $10 billion over the current $25 billion level. It would expand PeachCare to the point that every uninsured child in Georgia would have coverage and we could do it without raising taxes.
The second reason we voted against it was they wanted to raise taxes, albeit on cigarettes and cigars. But raising taxes is raising taxes. If the increase in cigarette taxes achieves its desired result, you’re going to see revenues start coming down and we know who’s going to pay that tax if the program is going to continue. The American taxpayer is going to pay it.
The third reason we voted against it was that under the current program that has been in effect for 10 years, 14 states have asked for and gotten waivers to insure adults. Most of the adults are the parents of uninsured children. But some states, like New Jersey and Indiana, have covered uninsured adults. This is a children’s program designed to cover children. It’s not a welfare program.
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Voting with their feet: Rivers of new people creating their own revolution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Never mind what the civic do-gooders say. The most important political statement an individual makes doesn’t have to involve the mouth or the ballot.
For many, it’s all about the feet.
Numbers turned up last week showing metro Atlanta in the midst of a revolution by moving van. The city of Atlanta, from the spring of ‘06 to the spring of ‘07, gained 12,600 new residents — its largest spurt of growth in 30 years.
A good number of the Atlanta newbies are probably not African-American.
Another, separate set of numbers showed that, over the last six years, the Republican bastion of Gwinnett has edged closer to becoming a county in which a formula of black, Hispanic and Asian residents form the majority. Whites made up 67 percent of Gwinnett’s population in 2000, and as of 2006 comprised 52.5 percent.
The implications aren’t lost on anyone, whether Democrat or Republican, white, black or something else.
Last November, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon, was easily elected to his 10th term in Congress. What many didn’t notice was the fact that white voters cast 51 percent of the ballots in the contest for the 5th District, which covers Atlanta, a bit of Clayton County and a slice of west DeKalb.
“It’s not spoken about much, but there are concerns that we will lose, as African-Americans, our political base, which has largely been the city of Atlanta for major leadership within the state,” Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said this summer.
Many white Republicans feel Franklin’s pain, and struggle with it. And not just in suburban Gwinnett.
Woody Thompson is a quiet, blue-eyed real estate man of short and stocky build. Until 2004, he was a two-term Republican county commissioner representing the southwest corner of Cobb.
Thompson was defeated by Annette Kesting, an African-American and Democrat who tapped a growing number of black voters who have moved into an area once famous for its support of segregationist Gene Talmadge.
So you could call Thompson a casualty of the moving van revolution. But he’s not ready to be declared roadkill. He wants another go at Kesting. Last month, the lifelong, 60-year-old Republican joined the Democratic party. He’ll challenge her in the July primary.
“Obviously, the constituency out here has changed considerably,” Thompson said over coffee in a local shop. “I want to be able to identify with folks and get them to listen to me. I know what people are looking for. Basically, they’re looking for responsible leadership.”
Efforts to catch up with Kesting last week were unsuccessful. Let’s assume that she would call Thompson opportunistic.
But it is significant that Thompson was welcomed into the fold by David Wilkerson, the first African-American chairman of the Cobb County Democratic party.
While Mayor Franklin in Atlanta worries about the future of her city, it has fallen to Wilkerson, a 38-year-old certified public accountant, to prepare his party to take control of once thoroughly Republican Cobb County. Not next week, not next year, but soon.
By the numbers, Cobb is now 40 percent Democrat. Democrats won a second district seat on the seven-member county school board last year. Wilkerson wants to add a third next year.
By 2012, a presidential cycle away, Wilkerson thinks Democrats will be ready to compete countywide.
People ebb and people flow, and power follows them. Metro Atlanta has broken away from the black urban/white suburban political structure that defined it for so long. But this is still the South. And if the geographic boundaries are fading away, others remain.
“You can’t avoid the race issue. It’s not good or bad, it’s just the way things are. It’s fact,” said Woody Thompson, the new Democrat. “Sure, some people are going to get a vote because they’re one color or the other. It’s just an issue I’m going to have to deal with.”
Heads up, Paul Broun: Barry Fleming’s saying suspiciously nice things about Athens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Newly elected U.S. Rep. Paul Broun may have already picked up his first Republican opponent.
State Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem, the House majority whip, on Friday told Athens radio host Tim Bryant of WGAU (1340AM) that he’s “exploring” the idea of entering next year’s GOP primary.
Listen to the sound clip here.
“I know I think I have the leadership credentials and support from friends and my family. During the last election, I became concerned like a lot of citizens did, about the geographical barriers that maybe were built up in the district,” Fleming said.
On the live interview, Fleming — a lawyer and resident of Augusta — took pains not to pull a Jim Whitehead. No bad jokes about blowing up the University of Georgia or its often-Democratic environs. Just the opposite, in fact.
Fleming borrowed a line from Lewis Grizzard. “If you’re good and go to church on Sunday, when you die you go to Athens,” he said.
Fleming says he’ll be sampling opinions over the next several weeks before he makes a decision.
Never mind the hair color. The roots are the same.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each fall, Sadie Fields hosts a fund-raiser to finance her group’s activities, whether it’s called the Christian Coalition of Georgia or — now — the Georgia Christian Alliance.
Last year, it was Ann Coulter, the doubter of John Edwards’ sexuality. This year, it’ll be another blonde: the calmer, more introspective Laura Ingraham, the radio talk show host and author of “Shut Up & Sing: How the Elites in Hollywood, Politics…and the UN are Subverting America.”
Ingraham will be plugging a new book at the Oct. 6 event. Tickets are $65. Click here for more info.
Maybe Hugo will send him a lovely parting gift. A barrel of crude, perhaps?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Macon Mayor Jack Ellis, with only a few months left to serve, has sent some big love to oil-rich Venezuela.
According to the Macon Telegraph, the mayor couriered a declaration of “solidarity” to Hugo Chavez, the nationalizing president who’s out to replace Fidel Castro in the hearts of young revolutionaries.
Ellis — who raised eyebrows with his recent conversion to Islam — says he made the declaration in his dual capacity as mayor of a middle Georgia city and vice president of tourism for the World Conference of Mayors.
Chavez apparently read the proclamation on the Sunday broadcast of his weekly TV and radio show, “Alo, Presidente.”
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.
Balfour named vice president of legislative group
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) was elected vice president of the National Conference of State Legislatures on Wednesday at their annual meeting in Boston.
The NCSL is a fairly significant group, a kind of bipartisan clearinghouse for vetting many of the bills that come up in individual state legislatures each year.
The election of Balfour — who in Georgia is chairman of the all-powerful Senate Rules Committee — as vice president puts him on track to be named president of the NCSL in two years.
Here’s where it gets a bit strange. A kind of rival to the NCSL (though many have dual memberships) is the American Legislative Exchange Council — which pitches itself as a much more conservative organization.
State Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), chairman of the likewise all-powerful House Rules Committee, served as the leader of that organization in 2005.
Ehrhart got some face time with George W. Bush with his job. Balfour’s position is bipartisan. So he may still get time with a president.
Sounds like a crack job for our state Legislature: A ban on droopy drawers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last night, Julius Stroud of Monroe County, a military retiree, spoke for an entire, baffled generation.
He asked his county commission — think Forsyth, Ga., down I-75 way — for a prohibition on young men who can’t keep their pants pulled up. Stroud wants an amendment to the county’s indecent exposure law, according to today’s Macon Telegraph.
“When I see these young men with their pants down on their hips or lower with their boxer shorts showing, or sometimes the tops of their butts, I tell them to pull them up,” he said. “Most of them do. I’ve done it enough, they see me coming, they pull them up. But some don’t. They just look at you.”
Stroud didn’t say anything about punishment, but I’m thinking suspendered sentences.
Commissioner Jim Ham perhaps had the most pertinent question: “Would this also cover plumbers?”
Sam Olens in Cobb: Speaker’s tax plan would suffocate home rule
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s Marietta Daily Journal, Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens takes a polite shot — but an shot nonetheless — at House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s plan to convert the entire state to a sales tax system centralized by the state Capitol.
This may be the first detailed objection hung out for public debate by a local (and Republican) government official, so pay attention.
Some excerpts:
The basic tenets of this proposal…undermine “home rule,” granting much control to the General Assembly in determining the levels of services local governments ought to provide its citizens. If Richard’s House Resolution 900 / “The GREAT Plan” passes, the General Assembly will adopt a formula for determining the revenue available to each and every local government….
Should the state dictate:
— Whether a school system can offer Advanced Placement courses, magnet schools, International Baccalaureate degrees or other specialized programs?
— The salaries for school teachers, policemen, etc., despite differences in the cost of living?
— The level of parks and senior service programs, whether to establish a drug court or work-release center, or other services to improve the quality of life?
—Which zoning applications should be approved, in order for the local government to obtain the additional dollars to serve said projects? (Absent funding to provide for additional services, the plan could discourage new development to our state.)
How will the formula take into account:
— The differing costs for right-of-way for road projects?
— The service levels needed by local governments with significant job centers, which need more public safety employees during the day than communities with lower day-time populations?
— The existing exemption for Cobb residents 62 and over who currently pay no school property taxes?
— That Cobb County, for instance, handles fire service for three of our cities, and that our service delivery strategy, approved by the Department of Community Affairs, permits for many other sharing arrangements to optimally provide for city and county services?
Surprise. Your governor’s a Unix geek who hates decisions based on emotion and politics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hmmm. On one day, Dick Pettys with Insider Advantage posts an article with this headline: “All of a Sudden, Glenn Richardson seems to be the ‘idea man’ in Georgia.”
On the next, Gov. Sonny Perdue rolls out a program to help small businesses provide employees with health insurance. It’s the first peep we’ve heard out of him in a while. The timing is extraordinary.
Even more extraordinary is the cutting loose of a long-held secret by the governor: He’s a Unix nerd who — back in the day — often edited his own code. It says so in a forth-coming article on the governor in CIO, a trade magazine for information tekkies.
See it here, but we offer this excerpt from a Q&A below:
CIO: What made you think that running state government like a business was a good idea? And what does IT have to do with that?
Perdue: The primary business principle I wanted to bring [to state government] was fact-based decision-making. Heretofore, I think our state had been run on a lot of emotional, political, “who’s-in-power” decisions rather than on data.
I don’t consider myself particularly gifted from an intuitive standpoint. Therefore, I have to rely on data and facts to make decisions.
I look at data as a compass, not as a map. We know that we want a more educated, healthy, growing and safe state, but what are the data points that we need to achieve those things?
The metrics in our state were in very poor shape. The very fact that a state — now, it’s a $20 billion business — did not even know how many automobiles it had, who was driving them, what were they being used for; that we had no consolidated database of the property we owned-from the perspective of a CEO or manager, if you don’t know where your fixed assets are and what their return on investment is, you have no basis on which to make decisions for the future.
I think the voters of Georgia felt disenfranchised. They believed that decisions were being made capriciously and arbitrarily based on politics rather than on sound principles. I think that was a distinction that I offered: a commitment to make decisions that would be customer-friendly, results-driven, data-driven, and serve people.
Gingrey to Iraq: The feet of U.S. troops aren’t nailed to your ground
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Kemper, our guy in Washington, fielded a phone call from U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) today from Pakistan.
Gingrey had just finished up his fourth trip to Iraq, and said he warned Iraqi leaders that American weariness with war may soon force a downsizing or withdrawal of U.S. troops, leaving the Iraqis with little time take control of their own security and government.
“I told them they didn’t have a whole lot of time left to make these benchmarks,” Gingrey told Kemper. “Just because of war fatigue and politics … they’ve got to be sure they can defend their country.”
Gingrey, a Marietta Republican and supporter of President Bush and the war, said he’s seen increased cooperation from Iraqi militias and progress in the training of Iraqi police and its new military. “Things are better,” he said.
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) was on the trip with Gingrey, but the Savannah congressman was still flying home Tuesday and unavailable for comment.
Kemp has $10K in his pocket, and no clear intentions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former state senator Brian Kemp of Athens has raised more than $10,000 — but still hasn’t decided whether he’ll run against Republican incumbent Ralph Hudgens in next year’s primary.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he told the Banner-Herald newspaper. “Some people sent along checks anyway trying to encourage me.”
Kemp had begun making preparations to enter the state senate early this year, after Hudgens announced his intention to run for the 10th District congressional seat.
But Hudgens later backed away from that race, leaving Kemp and many others more than slightly grumpy.
Another courtroom showdown for voter ID law
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Republican officials have gotten their wish — a speedy, semi-resolution to one of the legal fights over Georgia’s voter ID law.
U.S. District Court Judge Harold L. Murphy has ordered up a trial for Aug. 22 to judge the merits of a federal lawsuit, according to today’s Rome Tribune.
A state lawsuit was ordered dismissed in June. Secretary of State Karen Handel has stated her intention to implement the law, which requires voters to present a government-issued photo ID when they vote, for the Sept. 18 special elections.
Think of the federal trial as a middle chapter in a not-so-good book. Both sides are sure to appeal a contrary decision.
Blogwatch: The GOP field and the Fair Tax
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After the weekend debate in Iowa, State Sen. David Shafer of Duluth gave voice to some of the internal dialogue occurring among Republicans vis a vis the ‘08 presidential contest.
On his blog, Shafer wondered at the poor reception the Fair Tax has gotten among three of the four Republican leaders:
I knew that Governor Huckabee supported the Fair Tax. I did not realize that Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney had all ruled it out.
Giuliani’s answer to the Fair Tax question, in particular, was disappointing. He expressed puzzlement over the Fair Tax’s ”complicated” details.
“When Tom Tancredo suggested that the ex-mayor read the Fair Tax Book written by Neal Boortz and John Linder, Guiliani shouted out that he already had, prompting Tancredo to wonder aloud why he was still having such difficulty understanding the details. I wondered the same thing myself.
I am hopeful that Fred Thompson will embrace the Fair Tax when he enters the Presidential race. When he was in Atlanta last month, he indicated that he was open minded.
Says Newt: ‘Odds are significant’ the Democrats win the White House
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re a betting man, you have to like Democrats’ chances of taking over the White House next year, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said early this morning.
“The odds are fairly significant that that the left will win next year. My personal bet is that it’ll be a Clinton-Obama ticket. I think they have a very high likelihood of winning,” Gingrich told business leaders at a gathering of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce.
This from a fellow who, just three months ago, was fending off scores of when-will-you-announce questions about his own presidential aspirations. Gingrich didn’t address the question directly on Monday.
But politicians chomping at the bit to run have three things in common: A slimmed-down figure, a tan suitable for TV cameras, and well-coiffed hair. Maybe not John Edwards-style hair, but well-barbered nonetheless.
Perhaps it was the 7 a.m. hour, but Gingrich had none of these. He was, however, very sober when it came to the GOP dilemma. Here’s a five-minute sound clip with many of his comments. The pen-scratching you hear is my fault.
As more Republicans are doing, Gingrich pinned much of the blame on the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“The problem you have right now is that the party and movement that best understands reality have not delivered on fundamental change. And the election of 2006 was in essence a punishment to Republicans — it was a performance election, not a values election,” the former Georgia congressman said.
“The Republican challenge is, until they get past being Bush, they have an enormous difficulty in getting people to open their minds. Six months ago in the polling numbers, [Republican Rudy] Giuliani was ahead of [Hillary] Clinton. He is now behind. He’s the strongest Republican in terms of popular vote, whether you’re for him or against him,” Gingrich said.
The Republican strategist singled out what he called President Bush’s inability to communicate with the public about Iraq.
“We cannot get him to master the art that Reagan had and that Lincoln had, of talking to the American people in a form in which they are comfortable,” Gingrich said.
“So my first advice to the President was, ‘Don’t say anything anymore. Keep quiet.’ Let General [David] Petraeus and [Iraq] Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker to speak for the country.’
“And then the Democrats in Congress have to decide are General Clinton and General Reid and General Pelosi really more knowledgeable than General Petraeus. It’s very hard to go to the country and say I’m going to abandon the Americans in Iraq. It’s very easy to go to the country and say George W. Bush is wrong.”
Gingrich said the proper thing to do is to share the burden of Iraq with Democrats. “First thing I’d do is make it their problem,” he said, by risking the leaks and offering full, weekly briefings to Congress.
All that said, Gingrich left himself an escape hatch.
“Anybody who thinks anything is decided completely misunderstands how fluid this country is. And everything I just said could change dramatically by September or October of next year, if you have the Republicans take the right strategy, or if the Democrats fail to take the right strategy,” he said.
And about these whispers of a third-party ticket that pairs New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg with former U.S. senator Sam Nunn of Georgia: Gingrich said he saw no way for it to succeed.
“It’s a little hard for me to imagine Nunn doing something as radical as running on a third-party ticket,” Gingrich said.
Vernon Jones: Up on the air, in two fashions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Was making the trip down to Georgia Southern University on Saturday. Lo and behold, Vernon Jones stared down at me from a high-flying billboard on the right side of I-16 outside of Dublin.
Now I’ve just finished the Sunday morning coffee and the “Georgia Gang” on WAGA. And there’s Jones again, in a 30-second TV spot touting his accomplishments in DeKalb County.
As of June 30, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate reported $154,403 in cash on hand. Not a large sum. But it’s clear he’s not afraid to spend the little he’s got.
The candidate who wins South Carolina gets the drumstick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I can’t pretend to have made it down to the Democratic state committee meeting down in Macon today, but I can tell you one bit of major news coming out of it:
State Democrats have laid plans to hold a juiced-up, massive Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner timed to go off a week before the Feb. 5 tsunami of presidential primaries in Georgia and 22 other states.
It’s a delicately timed thing. The dinner will be Jan. 30, one day after the South Carolina (and Florida?) primary. “So people should be in the neighborhood,” said communications director Martin Matheny.
At the same time, it’s also seven days out from Feb. 5. In terms of delegates, Georgia can’t compete with California, New York, and Texas. The candidates left in the contest will want to spend their last days there. But early in the week, perhaps they can spare an hour or so for at least one more state in the Deep South.
Presidential candidates won’t debate, but will be asked to speak. As if you could stop them.
The chief object of the dinner has always been to raise money for the Democratic party’s annual budget. Last May, tickets to the dinner were $200.
But Matheny said they’d like next year’s event to be something of a turn-out contest among whatever campaigns have survived Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Party officials want to pack a large hall, and so will drop the ticket price to $100, possibly lower.
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The NYT looks at the Giuliani-Ailes relationship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s one of the more important political pieces out there today, a New York Times look at the relationship between Roger Ailes, former political consultant and head of Fox News, and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Don’t dismiss it as a Democrat-on-Republican attack. If you’re a fan of Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney, this has got to be a concern.
Here’s a taste:
Roger Ailes and Rudolph W. Giuliani have been pulling for each other for nearly two decades.
Mr. Ailes was the media consultant to Mr. Giuliani’s first mayoral campaign in 1989. Mr. Giuliani, as mayor, officiated at Mr. Ailes’s wedding and intervened on his behalf when Mr. Ailes’s company, Fox News Channel, was blocked from securing a cable station in the city.
This year, they were tablemates at the White House correspondents dinner, which Mr. Giuliani attended as a guest of Fox’s parent company, the News Corporation.
Now these allies and friends find themselves on largely uncharted political turf. Mr. Giuliani, 63, is a leading Republican candidate for president. Mr. Ailes, 67, is head of Fox News, the pre-eminent media outlet for likely voters in a Republican primary.
Kind of like the A-Team, but without the jewelry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hill newspaper in Washington reports that U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Sharpsburg is the founder of something called the Floor Action Team, or FAT squad — a small group of Republicans out to wreak havoc on House Democrats through their superior knowledge of parliamentary tactics. And, maybe, invisibility rays.
Here’s the gist:
Hoping to stop the Democratic majority in its procedural tracks, this band of 16 lawmakers is committed to learning parliamentary procedure inside and out.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) founded the FAT team based on his experience in the Georgia state legislature, where he learned how the minority could use obscure rules to make life difficult for the majority party.
“We have gone over parliamentary procedures, the rules of the House, debate, amendments, second-degree amendments … points of order, all those technical things,” he said. “Because if you don’t learn those, I don’t think you can be an effective legislator.”
Cathy Cox toppled by those who hate E-ballots? Not a lot of proof there.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The anti-electronic voting machine crowd was gathered at the state Capitol today to talk about their lawsuit to block use of the current system of binary vote-counting in Georgia.
That wasn’t unusual.
But then Garland Favorito, a leader of VoterGA, issued a warning to politicians who might be tempted to stifle a yawn. Former secretary of state Cathy Cox, “beyond a shadow of a doubt,” was denied the Democratic nomination for governor last year because of her dismissal of their concerns, he said.
When pressed by reporters to back up his claim, Favorito and Mark Sawyer, head of Defenders of Democracy, backed off some. Sawyer said he only had “anecdotal” evidence of their impact.
According to my colleague Carlos Campos, Sawyer pointed to a cool reception Cox got at a speaking engagement at a library in Decatur.
Favorito said he estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of Democrats in the primary either voted for Taylor or simply refused to vote for Cox based on their opposition to electronic voting.
Former Cox campaign manager Chris Riggall declined comment on the groups’ claims. But someone needs to respond for him. The Cox campaign had many problems, including a candidate who never developed a compelling message. Cox’s fumbling of the gay marriage issue didn’t help.
But to say that paper ballot enthusiasts did to Cox what Confederate enthusiasts did to Roy Barnes is a bit of a stretch. I knew flaggers. Flaggers were friends of mine. Mr. Favorito is no flagger.
Alan Dershowitz takes up the flag for Charles Walker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First he defended Claus von Bulow of Rhode Island. Then he was ready to go to bat for O.J. Simpson of California.
Now, he takes up the cause of former Senate majority leader Charles Walker of Augusta, Ga.
A Walker family spokesman says Alan Dershowitz, who likes to be known as “the best-known criminal lawyer in the world,” has agreed to join Walker’s legal defense team for a trip to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Walker was convicted two years ago of tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Last month, a three-judge panel of the 11th rejected Walker’s claim that the trial judge improperly reinstated four white men as potential jurors after Walker’s defense team had used their strikes to eliminate them from the jury pool.
Walker wants the full 11th Circuit to take up the case.
Giuliani campaign taps Ronnie Chance as its Georgia co-chair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rudy Giuliani campaign today announced that state Sen. Ronnie Chance (R-Tyrone) will serve as co-chairman of its Georgia campaign. He’ll share duties with House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
That’s been out unofficially since last week, of course. This is the official ribbon-cutting.
Chance is the only Georgia state senator signed up with Giuliani. Most of his Republicans are waiting for Fred Thompson. And waiting, and waiting.
The Giuliani campaign has one full-time staffer in Georgia, but won’t be expanding that much until Thompson tips his hand.
Chance, a public affairs man, worked for U.S. Rep. Mac Collins, and was a top field hand for the Georgia campaign of Bob Dole in 1996.
Vernon Jones on the Fair Tax
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential possibility Fred Thompson may be waffling on the Fair Tax.
But Democratic senatorial candidate Vernon Jones isn’t hedging. Or mostly isn’t. Tim Bryant, radio host for WGAU (1340AM) in Athens, sends this clip from his morning political show:
“I support the idea of a Fair Tax. I certainly believe though, that people in America should know about it,” Jones said. “A lot of times, the devil’s in the details.”
Obama and at least one Clinton headed this way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The SCLC is putting out the word today that they’ve snagged Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for a Saturday dinner in downtown Atlanta, part of a weeklong celebration of the organization’s 50th birthday.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks to the group on Monday afternoon. The two other leading Democrats, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, have expressed interest, but have not committed.
They’ve got until Aug. 8 to show up.
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Dietary secrets of ex-presidents plumbed! Ice cream? Peach ketchup?!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I confess. Al Gore’s right. Journalism has become more about gossip than news.
I can no longer resist the lure of whatsherface — the child star turned booze hound. An anorexic bottled blonde with a hotel chain connection means more to me than all of Darfur.
But because I’m paid to stay on topic, I’ll let you in on this deep political secret: Former President Jimmy Carter went to McDonald’s twice in five days. Isn’t that just like him?
And Bush No. 41 has kinky tastes in condiments.Which explains Bush No. 43’s need for an authoritative father figure.
Here’s the straight poop from the Roanoke, Va., Times:
Jimmy Carter was seen at the McDonald’s in Hillsville Thursday and again at the Golden Arches in Salem Monday afternoon, just off Interstate 81.
Carter had a grilled chicken sandwich, side salad and plain ice cream at the McDonald’s in Salem, workers said. The manager didn’t remember anything else about the meal, because she left the receipt at home. Carter did wait in line.
A spokeswoman for Carter would not comment on why the 39th president stopped twice in the area.
Carter is the second of three living former presidents to take in the tastes of Southwest Virginia’s dining.
Former President George H. W. Bush visited Three Lil’ Pigs in Daleville last year. The restaurant has a metal plate on the chair where Bush sat.
Bush and his crowd downed nine meals, paid a $71.63 tab with a $100 bill and took no change.
Bush took a special interest to the restaurant’s peach ketchup.
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Looks like rough sledding ahead for Richardson’s tax plan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle was in Savannah on Tuesday, and dropped in on the local newspaper to express his doubts about House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s plan to convert Georgia from a state fueled largely by property taxes to one fed by a state-administered sales tax.
(Newspaper columnist Bill Shipp was much more blunt in a piece today.)
In Savannah, Cagle told the Morning News that he doesn’t think your average lawn guy or cleaning woman is prepared to act as a tax collector for the state. “A lot of people who are in services … are not set up to collect and remit taxes,” he said.
Taxes on manufacturers’ purchase could drive up retail prices. Senior citizens, exempt from some property taxes in many counties, could see their taxes go up.
Cagle was asked if he were implying that Richardson’s proposal wouldn’t work. “I’m not drawing that conclusion,” the lieutenant governor said. “I’m just saying these are the questions that need to be answered. You draw whatever conclusions you want from the questions.”
And the conclusion we draw is that passing the Speaker’s new approach to taxes won’t be a high priority with Cagle come next January.
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