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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A coming together, ever so slowly — but loquaciously
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue and House Speaker Glenn Richardson appeared on the same public stage last week in Paulding County — the first time they had done so since the colorful ending to the legislative session in April.
Tuesday produced more evidence of rapprochement.
Richardson has proposed a dual funding mechanism to establish an emergency care network — and help Grady Memorial Hospital. One source would be hefty fines on “super-speeders” — which the governor proposed, unsuccessfully, last year.
A bigger source, as Richardson has pitched it, would be a $10 fee on license tags.
In a press conference on another topic, after the governor congratulated the speaker for finally agreeing with him on the increased speeding fees, Perdue made news. He didn’t reject Richardson’s idea of increased tag fees.
“I certainly agreed with the speaker that I would be willing to consider that. I don’t know that I gave him an acquiescence of agreement at that point. I’m not prepared to do that today,” Perdue said.
Acquiescences of agreement are hard to come by, as anyone knows. But we must have faith.
Baby steps. Baby steps.
Revised commentary from a more careful Andrew Young
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young was on WAOK (1380 AM) this afternoon.
In an interview with Shelley Wynter, Young elaborated on his decision to support Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.
The Clinton campaign can breathe easy. He didn’t talk about the video that came to light over the weekend.
Young said this:
“I say to [Obama], run as well as you can, and I will give him as much money as I can, but I had been committed to Hillary Clinton — in fact, I knew Hillary Clinton before I knew Bill Clinton. She and my wife worked together on the Children’s Defense Fund. She was down in Mississippi in the ‘70s and early ‘80s.”
And he said this:
“The thing about Southern governors, and the thing about Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton — they have grown up basically in the black community.”
Wynter compared the experience that Bill Clinton had in ’92, and the experience that Obama has now. “Why does he have to wait?” he asked.
“He doesn’t have to wait. He’s not waiting. You’re trying to make me argue against Barack,” Young said. “I’m supporting Hillary, because right now, before you can do anything, the economy has got to be straightened out. Now, Bill and Hillary helped to straighten out the economy after [Ronald] Reagan left us in deep debt.
“Hillary and Bill together — and basically, they have been a team, as Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn were a team, as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were a team. Democrats have tended to marry smart women, and their women have helped them in decision-making.”
Said Wynter: “Republicans marry good women, too.”
Young: “No, no.”
Wynter: “The ones that like women.”
But Young ignored the joke — an unsuccessful attempt at humor, on camera, is what got him in trouble over the weekend.
“No, I’m simply saying that I made a choice a long time ago, that I wanted Hillary Clinton to be the president,” Young said. “I made that choice before she said she was going to run. Charlie Rangel and I have been good friends. Charlie Rangel was the one who encouraged her to come up to New York to run for the Senate.
“She’s the only one right now that I don’t think Republicans could beat.”
MSNBC on Strategic Vision poll: Huckabee leads in Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MSNBC has got its hands on a Strategic Vision poll that will be released tomorrow, showing that Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has grabbed the lead from Fred Thompson in Georgia.
Strategic Vision is a Republican-oriented public affairs firm in Atlanta.
“Huckabee grabs the top spot with 23%, up from just 5% from the same poll conducted in October. Thompson polls at 20%, down from 39%. Giuliani receives 17%, down from 20%.”
On the Democratic side:
“Clinton has lost six points but still leads, with 34%. Obama’s polling remains unchanged at 27%.”
Margin of error is 5 percent on the Republican side, and 5.5 percent on the Democratic side.
Addendum: We’ve now got the entire note that Strategic Vision put out on the poll. See it on the jump.
Atlanta, GA/December 12, 2007 - Strategic Vision, LLC, a public relations and public affairs agency, announced the results of a three-day poll of 800 likely Georgia voters. The poll has a margin of error of ±3 percentage points. In the poll, 368 (46%) Republican voters were surveyed; with 328 (41%) Democratic voters surveyed; and 104 (13%) Independents and other party affiliation polled.
The poll found that 56% of respondents approved of Governor Sonny Perdue’s job performance, with 34% disapproving, and 10% undecided. Senator Saxby Chambliss received a 53% approval rating with 34% disapproving, and 13% undecided. Senator Johnny Isakson received a 58% approval rating, with 33% disapproving, and 9% undecided.
“Governor Perdue and Senator Isakson remain the most popular figures in Georgia,” said David E. Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of Strategic Vision, LLC. “Their popularity transcends political lines and is consistent through all sections of the state.”
In a potential Senate match-up between Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and Democrat DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, Chambliss led 57% to 27%; with 16% undecided. In a potential match-up between Chambliss and Democrat Dale Cardwell, Chambliss led with 57% to 25% for Cardwell, and 18% undecided. In a potential match-up between Chambliss and Democrat Rand Knight, Chambliss led 58% to 23% with 19% undecided. In a potential match-up between Chambliss and Democrat Josh Lanier, Chambliss led 58% to 22% with 20% undecided.
“At this point, Senator Chambliss is well positioned for re-election and is particularly strong in South and North Georgia,” said Johnson. “The base Democratic vote at this point appears to be between 25% to 30% starting off which will pose a challenge for the Democrats to expand upon, especially as Georgia’s Senate race will not be targeted by Democrats due to races with more potential in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine, Virginia, New Mexico, and Nebraska.”
President Bush’s overall approval was 39% approving, 45% disapproving, and 16% undecided. When asked if they approved of the President’s handling of the economy, 41% approved; 44% disapproved; and 15% were undecided. When asked if they approved of the President’s handling of the Iraq War, 39% approved; 45% disapproved; and 16% were undecided. When asked if they approved of the President’s handling of the war on terrorism, 53% said approved; 38% disapproved; and 9% were undecided.
“The President’s poll support is far lower then what one would expect in a state like Georgia for a Republican despite making gains since our October poll,” said Johnson. “Much of this low support is due to dissatisfaction among Republicans except on the issue of defense.”
When asked if they favored an immediate withdrawal of United States military forces from Iraq within 6 months, 41% said yes; 46% said no; and 13% were undecided.
“The number of Georgians who favor an immediate withdrawal from Iraq decreased slightly since our October poll,” said Johnson.
When Republicans were asked if they viewed President Bush as a conservative in the mode of Ronald Reagan, 7% said yes; 79% said no; and 14% were undecided.
“The President continues to be in trouble with his conservative base as demonstrated by this question,” said Johnson. “Rank and file Republicans feel betrayed by the President and feel that he has deserted from the conservative path. Republican candidates now barely mention the President’s name and instead invoke the name of Reagan. Yet, as of now, none of the presidential candidates have been able to convince Republican voters that they fit the Reagan tradition.”
When asked if voters approved or disapproved of the way Congress is handling its job, 16% approved; 74% disapproved; and 10% were undecided.
“For Democrats the good news should be that the President’s poll numbers are so low in a Republican leaning state like Georgia that it may affect Republican candidates. Yet the flip side is that voters don’t approve of the Democratic Congress which could hurt incumbents like John Barrow and Jim Marshall,” said Johnson.
When asked if they thought Georgia was headed in the right direction or wrong direction, 54% said right direction; 33% said wrong direction; and 13% were undecided.
When Republicans were polled on whom they would support in 2008 for the Republican Presidential nomination, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee received 23%; former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson received 20%; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani received 17%; Arizona Senator John McCain received 11%; former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney received 10%; Texas Congressman Ron Paul received 4%; Congressman Tom Tancredo 2%; California Congressman Duncan Hunter 1%; and 12% undecided.
“The Republican race remains extremely volatile and appears that it could be heavily influenced by earlier contests,” said Johnson. “Huckabee has surged among social conservatives and also with young voters. Thompson has tumbled dramatically in Georgia as he has in other states. Georgia would appear to favor a candidate like Huckabee over Giuliani. The other trend that is worth noting is that McCain is recovering slightly in Georgia as he is in other states and could be boosted if he were to win New Hampshire.”
When Republicans were asked how important it was for their presidential candidate to be conservative in the mode of Ronald Reagan, 56% said very important; 24% said somewhat important; 5% said not very important; 7% said not important; and 8% were undecided.
“With 80% of Georgia Republicans viewing it as being important, that their presidential candidate is a conservative in the mode of Ronald Reagan, the key to victory in the primaries will be appealing to that constituency,” said Johnson. “At this time, Huckabee appears to be persuading Republicans that he is that man, as Thompson did in October thus belying the volatility of this race.”
On the Democratic side, New York Senator Hillary Clinton led with 34%; Illinois Senator Barack Obama 27%; former North Carolina Senator John Edwards received 12%; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson received 5%; Delaware Senator Joseph Biden received 2%; Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd received 1%; Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich 1%; and 18% were undecided.
“Clinton’s lead has declined significantly since October but Obama has not closed the sale nor able to increase his support in Georgia,” said Johnson. “Older African-Americans continue to be the cornerstone of Clinton’s support.”
When Democratic voters were asked what they most looked for in a presidential candidate, charisma, experience, or ideology, 32% selected experience; 28% selected ideology; 25% said charisma; and 15% were undecided.
Karen Handel jumps into the U.S. Supreme Court case on voter ID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Secretary of State Karen Handel has jumped into voter ID case headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, filing an amicus brief in support of the state of Indiana, which passed a law similar to one approved in Georgia.
Handel specifically addresses the criticism that, in focusing on voting at the polls rather than absentee voting, Indiana is being selective in its approach to the problem of voter fraud.
“A Legislature is not required to solve all possible evils at once and may choose among various alternatives, even if the chosen alternative will not completely eliminate the evil,” she wrote.
“The legislative choices made by Indiana, like the similar choices made by the legislature in Georgia, should be respected by this Court, particularly because the burden on the voter, if any, is slight. The partisan litigation which has erupted over photo ID requirements cannot substitute for the give and take of the legislative process that produces a state’s laws.”
Read the entire document here.
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The water war you never heard about
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not many people know that the three-state eruption of hostilities over water this fall was preceded by a smaller skirmish this summer.
Not between Georgia and Florida, or Georgia and Alabama. But between Gov. Sonny Perdue and the downstream city of Columbus.
In a July 6 letter, the governor informs Mayor Jim Wetherington that he’s picked up on some distrust within Columbus ranks over the state’s ability to do right by the city.
Columbus, you see, planned to file a separate lawsuit against the U.S. Corps of Engineers over the flow of water down the Chattahoochee River.
Wrote Perdue:
“The environmental permits needed by Columbus for water supply and wastewater discharge have been issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and the flow in the Chattahoochee River has been sufficient to meet those needs…
“While I cannot divulge the content of confidential mediation discussions, I can assure you that Columbus’s needs weigh prominently in my mind and will be protected in any interstate agreement.”
It’s worth noting here that in correspondence, the governor addressed the mayor as William J. Wetherington. They do know each other. Perdue sacked Wetherington four years ago, when he ran the state prison system.
But to continue. In his July 10 reply to the governor’s assurances, Wetherington agreed to hold off on the city’s lawsuit until city and state officials could confab in Atlanta. They did. But apparently not to Columbus’ satisfaction.
On Aug. 1, Wetherington informed the governor that his city was moving forward with the suit.
The governor replied two days later:
“I remain in the view that Columbus’s entering the current litigation or commencing new litigation against the Corps at this time is not in the best interests of Columbus or the state….
“I am deeply disappointed that my personal efforts and those of my staff do not appear sufficient to dissuade you of the notion that separate litigation by Columbus against the Corps is warranted.”
The governor copied ever member of the Columbus delegation in the state Legislature.
Because it was a bastion of Democratic support and fund-raising in 2002, Columbus was given the cold shoulder by Perdue early in his tenure. Discretionary funding became so discrete that it nearly disappeared.
Only recently had relations shown signs thawing.
And now — global warming be damned — it looks like Columbus must endure another cold spell when the Legislature meets in January.
Why Huckabee is surging, according to the NYT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A fresh New York Times/CBS poll of voters nationwide posits why Mike Huckabee is enjoying the spotlight:
“Republican voters across the country appear uninspired by their field of presidential candidates, with a vast majority saying they have not made a final decision about whom to support.”
“Not one of the Republican candidates is viewed favorably by even half the Republican electorate, the poll found.”
About Democrats, the article says:
“More Democrats also see [Hillary] Clinton rather than [Barack] Obama as someone who can unite the country.”
And this:
“Forty-four percent of Democratic voters say [Bill] Clinton’s involvement will make them more likely to support her.”
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