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Friday, November 30, 2007
The state yanks an anti-Semitic car tag
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state Department of Revenue is taking out of circulation this automobile license plate: HA8 JWZ.
We learned it from Bill Nigut, the former newsman who is now regional director for Anti-Defamation League. But the Macon Telegraph has a full piece on it today.
Nigut says the plate was issued to Macon resident Frank Gumina, who sought out the ADL for help in getting a new plate.
We haven’t called the revenue department yet, but Nigut’s group is quoting a department spokesman as saying that the plate was randomly generated.
Apparently Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s office also got itself involved in the discussion.
The ADL is asking the revenue department to avoid issuing plates that start with H8 or HA8.
A back story on the GOP debate and taxes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One of the unremarked elements of this week’s Republican presidential debate was the subject of taxes.
The YouTube questioner was Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, who is famous for two things: 1) Insisting that GOP candidates sign his group’s pledge not to raise taxes; and 2) getting tangled up in the Jack Abramoff scandal.
Americans for Tax Reform served as a pass-through for Indian tribe money that Abramoff — then Washington’s most influential lobbyist — funneled to anti-gambling campaigns, most notably conducted by Ralph Reed. The object was to defeat competing gambling interests.
Norquist’s question was this: “Would you promise to the people watching this right now, that you will oppose and veto any efforts to raise taxes as long as you’re president?”
Signing the ATR pledge wasn’t mentioned, but the Republican candidates understood what wasn’t being said. Tancredo said sure — and thanked Norquist as if the question weren’t recorded. Mike Huckabee said he’d already signed the pledge. Mitt Romney said he was the first to do so. Rudy Giuliani said he was open to it.
Then came Fred Thompson. “Never met a tax I liked. I’ve got a tax-cut bill on the table,” Thompson said. “But I don’t do pledges to anybody but the American people.” He got some applause for his answer.
Thompson was followed by John McCain. “I’m like Fred. My pledge and my record is up to the American people, not up to any other organization,” he said. There was no mention of the fact that McCain’s Indian Affairs committee uncovered much of the Abramoff scandal, and Norquist’s involvement.
Suffice it to say that McCain and Norquist are not close friends.
Duncan Hunter was the final candidate to weigh in. “I think it would be wrong to say, ‘Absolutely, I would pledge to Grover Norquist that I would never raise taxes.’ Could have a national emergency,” Hunter said.
The final score for Norquist was four to three. He still has influence, but that clout is not as absolute as it once was.
Romney campaign names its Georgia director
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As we approach the eight-weeks-out mark, Republican presidential campaigns are finally beginning to address their ground game in Georgia.
The Mitt Romney organization has announced that Brandon Phillips, a veteran of several local campaigns, will serve as its state director. Phillips was the regional coordinator for Jim Whitehead’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP nomination for the 10th congressional district in this year’s special election.
He also worked on Ralph Reed’s unsuccessful bid to become lieutenant governor.
We’re also picking up word that the Mike Huckabee campaign is on the verge of cranking up in Georgia, with new and significant support. More on that later.
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