Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2007 > December
December 2007
Broun on eating a lion: “Not very tasty”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Athens Banner-Herald this weekend announced its newsmaker of 2007.
The paper picked hometown Rep. Paul Broun, a Republican who surprised Georgia’s political class when he beat nine other candidates this year to replace the late Charlie Norwood in Congress.
There’s a full Q&A with Broun about his election, his faith and his upcoming battle to keep his seat next November.
But Broun also answers a few priceless questions about his big-game hunting and the animals he’s killed, stuffed and, to the chagrin of fellow lawmakers, moved into his Capitol Hill office, including a full-grown Kodiak bear.
Here are a few favorites:
B-H: You eat everything you kill. What does a lion taste like?
Broun: It’s not very tasty. It’s really chewy.
B-H: What’s the best-tasting game you’ve had?
Broun: It’s the warthog. It is truly pork.
But Broun told the paper that entering Congress has forced some serious changes in his hunting habits and diet.
“My diet has changed a lot,” Broun said. “I don’t have time to eat dinner or eat supper. Oftentimes I eat a bag of peanuts for lunch and a bag of peanuts for dinner.”
And we all know that there’s no sport to hunting peanuts - especially when there’s a bowl of them in your front office.
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English-only workplace not so popular
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Rep. Tom Price, a Roswell Republican, introduced legislation earlier this month that would allow employers to require their employees to speak English - and English only - on the job, our best guess was that it would be overwhelmingly popular in his conservative district.
But a voluntary poll on Price’s congressional web page offers a bit of a surprise.
Price’s “Poll of the Month” asks, “Should employers have the freedom to require employees to speak English on the job?” Some 47 percent of those who responded favored it. But 53 percent said no to the proposal.
Web polls that solicit responses are far from scientific. The identity and location of respondents are unknown, as is the margin of error. Furthermore, such polls often attract only those who feel most vehement about an issue, omitting a major cross-section of voters.
Still, in a state and congressional district that so heavily favor stricter immigration legislation and complain about bilingual ballots and such, an English-only workplace would have seemed a no-brainer.
So what makes Price’s proposal less attractive to Georgians? Give us a hint.
Pole climbing, not dancing, for this candidate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dale Cardwell is going to new heights in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss in 2008.
Cardwell is going 320 feet up, in fact.
Cardwell told the AJC on Monday that he will scale a 320-foot pole at Corey Tower in downtown Atlanta on New Year’s Day and remain there “until my message is heard.”
The former television journalist for WSB-TV said that he will stay up there on a platform for as long as it takes for people to “realize and discuss how much trouble we are in in our country.”
Those problems, he said, include a concentration of power among special interests who control too much of Washington.
So, Cardwell is going to sit, eat, sleep and chat from the top of a 2-and-a-half foot by 6-foot platform 320 feet up.
And how long will it take?
“When I get that message across, I’ll know it,” Cardwell said. “If it takes me three days, it’ll take three days. If it takes three weeks it takes three weeks.”
Cardwell said he’ll wear a snow suit and have a tarp to keep him protected from wind and rain. He’ll also have a chair and a computer and will chat on-line with supporters. A “tower cam” will run 24 hours a day, broadcasting over the Internet at dale08.com.
He said Corey Tower is owned by Corey Media and they have agreed to let him perch up there. He’s also signed an liability waiver.
“This is how passionate and determined I am to tell people,” Cardwell said.
Corey Tower is at 225 Corey Center SE in Atlanta, across from the Capitol and just east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Cardwell plans to head to his perch at 10 a.m.
Other announced Democrats seeking the right to face Chambliss in November are DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and Rand Knight, an Atlanta ecologist.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Those Stones tickets were more expensive than anyone thought
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On its front page today, the Wall Street Journal has a piece detailing the effort by Ameriquest Mortgage Co., once the nation’s largest subprime lender, to beat down legislation in Washington and several states that would have curtailed lending to risky borrowers.
Says the article:
“Working with a husband-and-wife team of Washington lobbyists, it handed out more than $20 million in political donations and played a big role in persuading legislators in New Jersey and Georgia to relax tough new laws.”
This is the killer line:
“Ameriquest also handed out Rolling Stones tickets to state legislators in Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and California, according to ethics records and local news accounts.”
Sitting down with Sam Nunn: His attempt to shape the presidential debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Had a lengthy sit-down with Sam Nunn this afternoon on the topic of this effort to put together a kind of truth-telling squad that would force the current crop of presidential candidates, Republican and Democrats, to address some of the tougher issues of the day.
In a series of webcast seminars, not unlike what Newt Gingrich attempted in September, Nunn and former secretary of defense William Cohen, a Republican, would toss out ideas on thick topics like America’s flagging credibility in foreign policy, the unhealthy reliance on foreign counties to underwrite our debt, and so on.
Nunn still says his own candidacy for president as an independent remains unlikely, but he concedes what he’s doing could lead to someone — Michael Bloomberg, say — jumping into the contest. Also, in August, Nunn ruled out a vice presidential candidacy. He didn’t do that today.
Read the complete article here. But very quickly, here are some key Nunn quotes:
— On building a source of information for candidates in either party: “Anybody could pick it up. Either democratic candidates or republican candidates or both. Or let them debate it. Or it could lead to an independent candidacy. It’s entirely possible that it could.”
— On the barriers to running an independent presidential campaign: “The only one that can mount that kind of campaign without a whole lot of consensus building is Bloomberg, because he’s got the money. Anybody else, they’ve got to get out there and raise some money. That’s a huge job to raise the money and do the intellectual work at the same time.”
— On himself: “I’ve never been interested in running for president for the sake of running for president. Or being president for the sake of being president. Or being vice president for the sake of being vice president. Only if I’m intellectually stimulated and believe I can take four or five major things and try to get them accomplished for the country — that would stimulate me.”
— And yet: “This is the kind of thing I’d be doing if I were going to run. And everybody would tell you, it’s not the way to run for president. And I would not argue that that’s right. But it’s the only way I’d run…if I couldn’t build a consensus in the campaign, there’d be no reason in being elected.”
Nunn, other centrists make a bid for building a bipartisan presidential consensus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn of Georgia has put himself at the center of a bipartisan effort to force both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to spell out plans for a “government of national unity” that would put an end to Washington gridlock.
He and former Senate colleague David Boren of Oklahoma have put their names to a letter summoning a dozen middle-of-the-road members of both parties to a Jan. 7 meeting at the University of Oklahoma.
More to come shortly, but here’s the sum of the Dec. 17 letter:
Thank you for agreeing to join us to exchange ideas about constructive ways in which we might help stimulate a meaningful debate during the current presidential campaign on the important challenges facing our nation.
Our political system is, at the least, badly bent and many are concluding that it is broken at a time where America must lead boldly at home and abroad. Partisan polarization is preventing us from uniting to meet the challenges that we must face if we are to prevent further erosion of America’s power of leadership and example.
The next president of the United States will be faced with what has been described as a “gathering storm” both at home and abroad. Serious near term challenges include the lack of a national strategy to deal with our fiscal challenges, our educational challenges, our energy challenges, our environmental challenges, as well as the dangerous turbulence triggered by the current financial crisis.
In the national security arena, our nation must rebuild and reconfigure our military forces. We must develop a viable and sustainable approach to nuclear proliferation and terrorism and greatly strengthen our intelligence and diplomatic capabilities. Most importantly, we must begin to restore our standing, influence, and credibility in the world. Today, we are a house divided. We believe that the next president must be able to call for a unity of effort by choosing the best talent available - without regard to political party - to help lead our nation.
To say the obvious, the presidential debates thus far have produced little national discussion of these and other fundamental issues and plans to address them. If this pattern continues through this important national election, it will produce neither a national consensus for governing nor a president who can successfully tackle these threats to our nation’s future. We understand the rough and tumble part of the political process, but without a modicum of civility and respect in our debates, forming a bipartisan consensus on the major issues after the election will be virtually impossible.
A political fishing tale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Once again, Gov. Sonny Perdue has shown why it’s so good to be governor.
Our colleague James Salzer reports that Perdue on Friday formally announced the winners in his “Go Fish” program, which will turn 10 fishing holes around the state into tournament-quality bass havens that the governor hopes will attract professional fishing competitions.
A lot of folks have mocked Perdue’s proposal to boost tourism, but he got the last laugh. Guess where the biggest, richest “Go Fish” trophy landed after state officials so artfully assessed the state’s best fishing spots?
Yep, Sonny wins! Perry in Perdue’s home county of Houston, the site of today’s announcement, is going to get a $22 million “Go Fish” visitor center and hatchery along with equipment needed to host a major tournament.
That’s out of about $30 million raised by the state, local governments and private businesses for “Go Fish.”
Nine other lakes will get the mega ramps needed to accommodate a major fishing tournament. Insider Advantage, the Atlanta-based political consulting and polling firm, was kind enough to create a map of the 10 sites.
Ahhh yes. It is good indeed to be the governor.
Fair Tax a “sham”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Libertarian Senate candidate Allen Buckley, who’s running against incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) in the 2008 election, is calling the Fair Tax that Chambliss and so many other Georgia Republicans favor a “sham.”
The Fair Tax, which would replace federal income taxes with a national sales tax, is the Holy Grail of tax reform for Georgia conservatives.
The tax’s chief champion in Congress, Rep. John Linder, a Duluth Republican, has been introducing legislation to implement the Fair Tax every year since 1999 and recently co-wrote a book with radio personality Neil Boortz espousing the Fair Tax’s virtues. Chambliss, like most Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation, is a co-sponsor of Linder’s bill.
Fair Tax advocates say instituting a 23 percent national sales tax would provide the same revenue to the government as income taxes do, but give back to taxpayers more of their own income.
Buckley, a tax attorney and accountant from Smyrna who self-published his own book deriding the Fair Tax, said government studies have already shown that the tax would have to be at least double what advocates propose to deliver its promised benefits.
“Our people need to know how hard a … Fair Tax would hit retirees and the middle class,” Buckley said in a statement Friday. “While the current tax system is a complex mess, the Fair Tax proposal is not the answer.
“I hereby challenge Senator Chambliss to a thorough, evidence-oriented debate on the Fair Tax bill,” Buckley said in the statement. “If he desires, John Linder can join Mr. Chambliss.”
Resolving that others will do better in 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The end is near for 2007.
The approach of the New Year is traditionally a time for reflection. Most folks look forward to a fresh start, a second chance to keep all those New Year’s resolutions they failed to keep in 2007.
But, as our friends at Tondee’s Tavern demonstrate, the New Year is also a time to take stock of all the dumb stuff other people - particularly Georgia’s political leadership - have done over the last 365 days.
Maybe this list will help get you started.
So tell us what New Year advice you have for Georgia leaders.
Another Gingrich ally signs up with Giuliani
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rudy Giuliani campaign has released the names of three more Georgians who have pledged their support to the Republican presidential candidate.
State Sen. John Wiles of Cobb County? Not a surprise. Former state GOP chairman Chuck Clay? He was seen on the Marietta square with Giuliani earlier this month.
Then there’s Stefan Passantino. He’s head of the McKenna, Long, Aldridge political law group. And Newt Gingrich’s general counsel. If you’ll remember, Randy Evans, the Atlanta attorney who stood by Newt Gingrich’s side while the former U.S. House speaker contemplated his run for the White House, signed up with Giuliani last month.
Looks like we’re looking at a Rudy-Newtster alliance.
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Deck the carcasses with boughs of holly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Folks on Capitol Hill have grown a bit squeamish about Rep. Paul Broun’s stuffed bear.
Of course, it’s not one of those cute little bears kids get for Christmas. Broun’s bear would more likely traumatize a kid.
The full-size bear Broun keeps around is one he shot and stuffed, as are a variety of other animals that make their home the Georgia Republican’s Capitol Hill lair. And The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, thinks it might all be getting out of hand.
“It’s enough that freshman Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) has on display all his favorite animals that he hunted down, killed and eaten - everything he kills he must eat, according to his hunting philosophy,” the paper noted in its “In the Know” column.
“But now, the office has taken to decorating the animals with fluffy red and white fur Santa Claus caps,” it said. “’’Tis the season…to dress up your dead quarry.”
Makes us want to drive by Broun’s Athens home to see what kind of lighted reindeer he might have on the lawn.
It’s good to be governor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Was it the need for new blood or Gov. Sonny Perdue enjoying a bit of blood sport?
Either way, developer Wade Shealy Jr. has been tossed from the Georgia Land Conservation Council, an organization that distributes state grants and loans to preserve forests, farms and other undeveloped land, according to our colleague Stacy Shelton.
“I guess I’m not enough of a ‘yes’ man for him,” Shealy said of Perdue.
Shealy’s offense last month was to question whether the council he helped found had become a rubber stamp for the governor. Why else, he asked, would the board hold a special meeting to quickly approve a $30 million land purchase by the state that Perdue had already decided to announce a few hours later?
“If this is a meaningful council and our endorsement does make a difference, it looks like we’d have more input,” Shealy said at the meeting. “I’ve got other stuff I need to be doing.”
Of course, it didn’t help that Shealy had just sued the Jekyll Island Authority for hiring someone other than Shealy’s firm to handle the $352 million development of that land Perdue was buying.
“The governor is acting in good faith,” Mike Beatty, the commissioner of Community Affairs and a Perdue appointee to the council, told Shealy.
If Shealy’s so over-scheduled, Beatty said, maybe the governor could help.
Five days later, Shealy, a citizen member of the council with no fixed term, got a pleasantly worded letter from Perdue. It said Shealy’s term now has an expiration date: Dec. 31.
Can you accept it now?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Still not taking seriously the notion of former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney running for president?
Well, maybe this will convince you.
McKinney, who left the Democratic Party and Georgia after losing her congressional seat for a second time in 2006,has officially announced her quest for the Green Party’s presidential nomination on YouTube, dishing broadsides to both Republicans and her former party mates.
Declaring “I am a Green,” McKinney lashed out at the government’s handling of the Iraq war, its response to Hurricane Katrina and its support for the oil industry.
“The Republicans have deceived us. The Democrats have failed us,” she said in the seven-minute video.
See. Believe. And, for goodness sake, don’t let yourself be distracted by the whacky TV-flag-thing gyrating behind her.
PeachCare wins temporary reprieve
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congress on Wednesday formally approved funding for a program that provides health insurance to poor children, known nationally as SCHIP and in Georgia as PeachCare.
After a year of political wrangling over the future of the States Children’s Health Insurance Program, Congress was forced in its final days to extend SCHIP funding through March 2009, leaving it to a new Congress to determine whether the program should be expanded.
The measure would keep PeachCare running at its current level, though $1.6 billion was added to SCHIP to protect Georgia and 20 other states from another financial shortfall after a cash shortage this year forced Georgia to freeze PeachCare enrollment. The total allotment is $6.6 billion for programs around the country.
Georgia’s entire congressional delegation voted to extend the funding, including Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon, the only Democrat to oppose his party’s original proposal to expand SCHIP by $35 billion through 2012.
Marshall and congressional Republicans backed the bill because it was only an extension - not an expansion - and didn’t require increased tobacco taxes to fund that expansion.
PeachCare officials said the extension was the second-best choice Congress could have made because it at least provides some budget certainty. Their first choice was the Democratic plan to dramatically expended the program to enroll 4 million more uninsured children nationally - for a total of 10 million.
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Huckabee in Atlanta on Jan. 22 for Right to Life rally
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Right to Life is putting out the word that Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be part of a Jan. 22 anti-abortion rally on the steps of the Capitol.
Gary Bauer, the former GOP presidential candidate, will also speak. Georgia Right to Life has endorsed Huckabee — while the National Right to Life organization is backing Fred Thompson.
See this previous post for the background.
We’re No. 2! We’re No.2! We’re No. 2?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now here’s something you don’t see every election cycle.
A University of Georgia student is opening a draft committee promoting Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour for the 2008 Republican presidential ticket - as vice president.
Josuah Jones, a senior, said he’s filed papers with federal election officials to create the Atlanta-based Draft Haley for Vice President committee to convince the eventual Republican presidential nominee to choose Barbour as a running mate. (Fred Heads take note of Plan B.)
Presidential candidates normally make strategic decisions about the No. 2 pick - Will he boost us in the South? Will he complement or over-shadow the president? Has he ever shot a friend in the face while hunting? - based solely on the needs of No. 1.
But Jones is convinced that Barbour, former head of the Republican National Committee, former lobbyist and a top GOP fundraiser, would provide a bounce for any GOP contender. He’s the man for The Man no matter who The Man is, it appears.
Barbour’s post-Katrina leadership and his ability to handle Mississippi’s financial woes make him “the man who can help the GOP win the White House in 2008,” Jones said.
“The people of Mississippi made their voices heard at the ballot box, and now we want to make our voices heard by drafting Haley Barbour as America’s next vice president,” said Jones.
PeachCare lives on - for now
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congressional leaders on Tuesday unveiled a new plan that would keep Georgia’s PeachCare, a program that provides health insurance to poor children, running into 2009, a breakthrough after nearly a year of political haggling.
Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), two leading voices in the SCHIP debate, put the 11th hour proposal together and attached provisions making Republican-sought changes in Medicare in hopes of drawing more GOP votes in the House.
Times for House and Senate votes were still unknown late Tuesday. Officials involved i the process expect the measure to pass because neither Republicans nor Democrats want to enter the 2008 congressional campaigns having failed to act on the popular program.
The latest plan would extend funding for PeachCare and other programs like it around the country through March 2009 - a timeline first proposed by Rep. Nathan Deal, a Duluth Republican who took a leading role in previous negotiations on SCHIP.
The Baucus-Grassley measure would keep PeachCare funding at its current levels. But it would add additional funds to prevent Georgia and about 20 other states from running out of money early - a problem that this year forced Georgia lawmakers to freeze and cap enrollment for the state’s eligible children.
Georgia’s Department of Community Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows called the measure a “responsible approach” that would “provide the longer commitment and assurances needed by parents, providers and states.”
Congress failed twice this year to renew SCHIP for another five years after President Bush vetoed very similar Democratic proposals that would have expanded the program by $35 billion through 2012. Unable to override Bush’s vetoes, lawmakers gave up on an expansion and refocused their efforts on extending current SCHIP funding.
“The (Baucus-Grassley) proposal provides continuing health care coverage to those already enrolled while the national debate about expansions, etc., continues,” Medows said.
“With appropriate funding,” she said, “children already enrolled and eligible for PeachCare can continue without interruption of their health care.”
Since Oct. 1, PeachCare has been operating under month-long - and, in the latest case, weeklong - extensions of its current funding, leaving Georgia officials worried about running out of money in early 2008.
Deal, who took a leading role in private, convoluted negotiations over SCHIP’s expansion, described the experience as “the most unusual process I’ve seen in my life.” He declared himself pleased with the proposal announced Tuesday.
“I’m just glad they’re going to put us out of our misery,” he said.
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Tax breaks: The gift that keeps giving
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State lawmakers pushed for multi-million-dollar tax breaks for the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center earlier this year, and now they’ve got a new use for the facility - as a place to hold political fundraisers.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) are hosting a “reception” for Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) at the center Jan. 3 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The cover charge - known in political parlance as the “suggested minimum donation” - is $500.
The Rogers “reception” will be one of dozens lobbyists will likely get invited to before the 2008 session starts Jan. 14.
Lawmakers aren’t allowed to accept campaign contributions during the session, but this year’s later-than-usual start gives them two weeks to pile up the re-election money before they begin passing laws that are of interest to many of their pre-session donors.
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Sunday booze battle continues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Senate leaders stalled popular legislation last session to allow beer, wine and spirits sales at stores on Sundays, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over.
The Distilled Spirits Council launched the first salvo of the 2008 Sunday booze battle Tuesday, sending our colleague James Salzer a release arguing that Georgia’s “outdated Blue Law” will hurt their businesses on two of the busiest shopping days of the year.
“It seems like the only people who benefit from Georgia’s prohibition-era laws are retailers from outside the state,” said Michael Greenbaum, owner of Tower Package Store in Atlanta. “As a businessman, I’m disappointed that in the state of Georgia, I’m forced by a 1930’s law to shut my doors for two full days during the busiest shopping season of the year.”
Some liquor-store owners who didn’t want the expense of being open on Sundays or the competition from grocery stores helped convince the Senate to kill the measure last session.
But the Distilled Spirits crowd said the trend is toward legalizing Sunday sales. Since 2002, it said, 12 states have passed legislation allowing Sunday spirits sales.
“It’s unfortunate that Georgia consumers are still inconvenienced by a law so outdated,” said Council Vice President Jay Hibbard, whose organization has supported rolling back Sunday sales bans in states across the country.
“Archaic Blue Laws hinder consumers’ ability to purchase spirits for their holiday parties, deny businesses the holiday sales rush and deprive state coffers from additional sales tax revenue that would be gained from Sunday Sales.”
This year the sales will be banned two days before Christmas and two days before New Year’s Day, Dec. 23 and Dec. 30. Both are major shopping days.
Council officials say that year-round Sunday sales of distilled spirits in Georgia would lead to estimated sales of $29.1million to $40.7 million and between $3.4 million and $4.8 million in additional state sales tax revenue.
Water War II (and counting)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The never-ending battle over water that’s raging between Georgia and two neighboring states is so far from resolution that the Peach State’s congressional delegation is now asking Congress to intervene and help put the 20-year-old dispute to rest.
The move comes less than two months after the Bush administration was barely able to work out a modest, temporary compromise that helped the three states cope with this year’s record drought.
Led by Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and dean of the delegation, Georgia lawmakers are asking a House committee with jurisdiction over water resources to convene a hearing as early as January to work out how water from Lake Lanier and other sources should be shared.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue insists that more of the lake’s water be used to address water shortages in the Atlanta metro area. But Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist protested loudly that they need the water for power plants, drinking water and to protect two endangered species of mussels.
In a letter sent to top officials on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and signed by 13 Georgians in the House, lawmakers said they hoped the hearing would produce “workable solutions” to the tri-state water woes.
The hearing would include all three Republican governors and federal agencies that could be involved in any solution - the same crowd the Bush administration brought together months ago.
Lewis’ office said Tuesday that committee leaders sent a letter saying the panel was interested in scheduling a hearing.
Here’s an update from the Governor’s office: Perdue spokesman Marshall Guest said late Tuesday that the governor has not received notice of any congressional hearings though he remains glad to work with federal lawmakers.
“We hadn’t heard about that,” Guest said.
Three months late, deal nears on 2008 spending
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t run your home budget this way.
The federal government ran out of money, officially, on Sept. 30. Today, finally, the Senate will take up a huge, messy end-of-the-year spending bill to keep the government running for another nine months.
Only one of Congress’ 12 spending bills - the Pentagon’s budget - was signed by President Bush. Bush vetoed two others budgets for health and human services and transportation. Now, with the clock ticking down on the 2007 session, the other 11 bills have been wrapped into a massive, dense omnibus spending bill.
The scene on Capitol Hill over the past two weeks has been one of barely controlled chaos. Lawmakers are scrambling to figure out whether their own pet projects - including $1 million to continue work on Atlanta sewers and drought relief for southeastern farmers - are still in the bill. Meanwhile, senior lawmakers are inserting projects in the bill that were not in any of the previous spending measures, squeezing out projects by the less-powerful.
Congressional aides are often stymied by questions about whether their bosses’ budget requests are funded, semi-funded or dead in this last week of the session. And with all the backroom deal making, they often have only one response: “Last we heard, it was….”
The House late Monday night approved the $516 billion omnibus bill. The Senate is taking it up this afternoon. It includes $485 billion in regular funding and $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan - though it forbids spending that money on the Iraq war.
One high-priority issue for Georgia, the funding for PeachCare, the program that provides health insurance for poor children, has been moved out of the omnibus bill and left on its own for later action.
The White House early on signaled cautious optimism that Bush would sign the massive bill, but later issued a veto threat saying the final version has to have the Iraq money. That money will be added Tuesday.
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Going to Iowa or New Hampshire? Pack your long johns, then tell us about your travel plans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve already heard from a few of you who are being drawn into the ground wars in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and will spend much of your holiday time there.
But we’d like to get a better handle on the manpower that Georgia will be providing in the coming weeks. Drop us a line if you’ve got plans. Or get in touch with our colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin, who has a special interest in the topic. He’s at asheinin@ajc.com.
And remember to layer.
Fleming committee wants Brian Nichols judge to show lawmakers the books
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The House committee conducting a special inquiry of the money being spent for Brian Nichols defense has sent Fulton County trial Judge Hilton Fuller their request for an accounting.
The entire letter, signed by state Reps. Barry Fleming, Jay Shaw and Chuck Martin, can be found here.
Here’s the gist:
“Because you have spoken from the bench as to the need for more public funding for Mr. Nichols’ trial, and because you have already approved close to $2 million in expenses for Mr. Nichols’ defense team, it is incumbent upon us a legislators to ask for your help in understanding what has been spent and why.
“To that end we are requesting that you release to us all orders in which the court has directed the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council to pay the fees and expenses sought by Mr. Nichols’ defense counsel.”
The letter closes with this thought: “We are unable to budget to provide Mr. Nichols and others the reasonable and necessary defense to which they are entitled if we do not know for what we are being asked to pay.”
Blogwatch: Dems gather in Forsyth County to chew the issues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Drifting through the Grift has a thorough, candidate-by-candidate synopsis of a forum of Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate on Thursday evening.
The locale was Forsyth County. Participants included Maggie Martinez, Rand Knight, Dale Cardwell, and Josh Lanier. Vernon Jones didn’t show.
Chambliss wanders from Georgia, in search of a fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How confident is U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of his ’08 chances at re-election?
Confident enough to jump into someone else’s race. YouTube is sporting a video that Chambliss helped make for Republican colleague Norm Coleman of Minnesota.
The topic is the farm bill, and Chambliss appears about two minutes into it.
Like Chambliss, Coleman is up for re-election next year. The Minnesota senator faces Democratic opposition that includes satirist Al Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” performer.
The New York Times reported last week that Franken has raised $1.89 million for his contest, which includes a non-primary nomination process — compared to the $1.7 million that Coleman has gathered up.
The healing effect of the Huckabee campaign in Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One thing worth noting about the rising of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Georgia is the unifying effect he’s had on Christian conservatives — who were split last year by the Ralph Reed race.
We’ve already told you that Kay Godwin of Blackshear, a leading voice in the state’s Religious Right, has signed on with Huckabee.
In recent days, Maurice Atkinson of Macon, a member of the GOP state committee, put out an e-mail announcing he was a Huckabee man, too.
Atkinson and Godwin were on opposite sides of the Reed campaign. Godwin was for Reed, Atkinson for the ultimate victor, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
Talked the other day to Sadie Fields, leader of the Georgia Christian Alliance. She says she’s staying on the sidelines of this one.
Blogwatch: Franklin taking some heat for that Vick letter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On his Mad Democrat blog, Javier Brown takes after Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin this morning for that letter to the judge she wrote on Michael Vick’s behalf, prior to his sentencing.
“I find it deplorable for the leader of our city to even get involved in this garbage,” he writes.
In the letter, Franklin notes that she confabbed with the fallen Falcons quarterback this summer.
“Knowing how much Michael means to the city of Atlanta, I sat down and talked with him this summer following his guilty plea,” she said.
Her most specific request:
“I ask that any sentence you impose allows this young man an opportunity to attempt a return to his employment with the NFL.”
Democrats were cooking up a deal for a commuter rail line
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Talked to House Minority Leader DuBose Porter this afternoon about assertions by Gov. Sonny Perdue and his new transportation commissioner, Gena Abraham, that the state’s road-building operations are in disarray.
Porter was skeptical, and said he required more evidence. He also said poor execution is less of a problem than the absence of a transportation policy. “If there’s anything been lacking it’s a state vision of where we’re going to be 10 years from now,” he said.
But the Dublin legislator admitted that the governor’s accusations could freeze discussion of a statewide or regional sales tax, which business types say is needed to fix metro Atlanta’s congestion.
Yet here’s the interesting part:
In the run-up to last month’s election for DOT commissioner, Porter led the House Democratic caucus to join ranks with House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who supported state Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain).
Porter said Democrats obtained commitments from Smith for a “multi-modal transportation center” in downtown Atlanta, and for a commuter rail line to Lovejoy. “We said we’d use our influence in Washington to achieve funding for both. We brought something to the table,” Porter said.
Sorry about that Rio Grande reference, says Carroll County chairman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s Carrollton Times-Georgian, the chairman of the Carroll County commission formally apologizes for another commissioner’s use of the word “wetbacks” at a work session earlier this month.
“I apologize to the Hispanic community and to anyone who was offended by the statement,” Chairman Bill Chappell wrote. “I do not believe Commissioner [Bill] Head had any intent to offend anyone and he has confirmed that with me.”
The newspaper said Head also released a statement, but it doesn’t sound like an apology.
“I made that statement hoping to voice my belief that we need to close our borders to all illegal immigrants,” the 82-year-old Head wrote. “This is the reason for the statement, and was in no way intended toward legal people.”
At a Tuesday work session, Head had said that his county needed additional courtrooms because “of all the criminals moving in from Atlanta, and all the wetbacks coming up from down south.”
We assume, but can’t confirm, that the criminals moving in from Atlanta — obviously won over by Carrollton’s admirable quality of life despite the difficult commute — were included in the statement of regret.
Note to our loyal commentators: We do not condone the use of ethnic slurs, either by politicians or bloggers. Don’t make us delete you.
Planning ahead: Ron Paul’s heir?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Guess which presidential candidate expects to benefit if Republican candidate Ron Paul loses the GOP primary and resists running on the Libertarian Party ticket instead?
Close, but no cigar. It’s Cynthia McKinney.
The former Georgia congresswoman and ex-Democrat is running for president on the Green Party ticket and believes she can woo some of Paul’s supporters should he fizzle out early, according to this report at Reason.com, a Libertarian website.
McKinney, who moved to California shortly after she lost her congressional seat for the second time in 2006, has been making campaign stops, mainly on college campuses, in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin and elsewhere.
During a stop in Iowa, McKinney talked about the kinship between Greens and Paul’s supporters. Both attract independent thinkers who eschew the two major parties, she said, according to the website.
“In most places my audiences have been small on the Green side,” she said, “and large on the independent thinking side.”
Hola, boss. That’s it, you’re outta here!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rep. Tom Price, a Roswell Republican, introduced legislation Wednesday that could generate pink slips for employees across the country who don’t speak English.
Price’s “Common Sense English Act” would amend the Civil Rights Act to allow employers to require workers to speak English while on the job.
Price said that a bill that’s likely to find an appreciative audience in Georgia, where immigration legislation ignited a firestorm earlier this year, is necessary to “productivity and success in America.”
“English is the language that unites our society and keeps our economy,” Price said in a statement. “Denying employers the right to promote our national language in the workplace only encourages division and creates troublesome misunderstandings.”
Is this really the time for honesty?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a jobs program in Marietta.
The Pentagon is once again trying to shut down the Marietta production line of the F-22A Raptor and Georgia’s congressional delegation has once again launched a preemptive strike to save the plane. And this time they’re wielding the sword of truth.
Top Pentagon officials may say they don’t need the Raptor to win wars, but Georgia lawmakers wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates to assure him that dumping the Raptor would endanger national security, encourage America’s enemies and cost 25,000 Americans, 3,000 in Marietta, their jobs.
Congressmen aren’t usually that up-front about their true concerns - jobs back in their districts - when it comes to saving weapons programs the military says it doesn’t need. Many weapons programs, in fact, are often designed to include contractors and sub-contractors from as many congressional districts as possible to ensure the program’s longevity.
In their letter to the defense secretary, the Georgians mostly talked weapon-system talk about “fifth-generation” fighter lines, “supercruise” and “rigorous campaign-based analysis.”
But the bottom line, they said, is they want the Pentagon to build 60 more Raptors after the current three-year contract for F-22As - won by the Georgians against Pentagon resistance - runs out in 2010 to keep local voters working.
The $5 billion price tag of those planes, the Georgians said, would keep 25,000 Americans working, provide business for about 1,000 contractors in 44 states and help about 75,000 other people who would benefit “indirectly.”
How many of the 75,000 work and vote in Georgia is not known.
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Huckabee apologizes to Romney, saying Mormonism doesn’t matter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN has put out a transcript of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s interview this afternoon, after the Iowa debate.
Wolf Blitzer asked Huckabee about his comments on Mitt Romney’s faith, in an article to be published in the New York Times magazine this Sunday. The article highlights this sentence from the new GOP frontrunner in Iowa: “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”
This is part of what Huckabee said to CNN:
“After the debate today I went to Mitt Romney and apologized to him, because I said, I would never try, ever, to try to somehow pick out some point of your faith and make it, you know, an issue, and I wouldn’t.
“I’ve stayed away from talking about Mitt Romney’s faith. And I told him face to face, I said, ‘I don’t think your being a Mormon ought to make you more or less qualified for being a president.’ That has been my position.”
“Wolf, everybody I’ve talked to just about wants me to come out and say something about Mitt Romney’s faith. I’ve not taken the bait, but if I don’t say something, they say that my avoiding it is really an underlying statement. If I do say anything, then I’m attacking him.”
Go to the jump for the entire segment on the religious issue.
BLITZER: All right. “The New York Times” Sunday magazine has a long profile of you, and one line has jumped out and is causing a lot of commotion right now.
When you asked this question to the interviewer, the reporter who wrote the story, you said this: “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” Now, as you know, Mormons say that’s a canard, they don’t believe that, that’s been a canard spread by people who don’t like Mormonism.
I want you to explain what you were doing by even raising that question.
HUCKABEE: Actually if you’ll talk to the reporter, because he was shocked that that was characterized out of an 8,100-word story, as we were, we thought, good heavens. We were having a conversation. It was over several hours, and the conversation was about religion, and he was trying to press me on my thoughts of Mitt Romney’s religion.
And I said I don’t want to go there. I don’t know that much about it. I barely know enough about being a Baptist. And I really didn’t know.
Well, he was telling me things about the Mormon faith, because he frankly is fairly well-schooled on comparative religions. And so as a part of that conversation, I asked the question, because I had heard that, and I asked it not to create something — I never thought it would make the story.
After the debate today I went to Mitt Romney and apologized to him, because I said, I would never try, ever, to try to somehow pick out some point of your faith and make it, you know, an issue, and I wouldn’t.
I’ve stayed away from talking about Mitt Romney’s faith. And I told him face to face, I said, “I don’t think your being a Mormon ought to make you more or less qualified for being a president.” That has been my position.
Wolf, everybody I’ve talked to just about wants me to come out and say something about Mitt Romney’s faith. I’ve not taken the bait, but if I don’t say something, they say that my avoiding it is really an underlying statement. If I do say anything, then I’m attacking him.
So I’m not sure how to deal with that, but I certainly am not in any way getting into that. And as I said to him, I say to you, I don’t think his particular religion is a factor in whether or not people should vote for him or against him.
I’d like to think that my being a Baptist isn’t a factor in people voting for or against me, although in Arkansas, when people say, are the Baptists active in your campaign, I always say they’re all active, half for me and half of them against me, but it certainly didn’t mean that they automatically voted for me.
BLITZER: So how did he react, Mitt Romney, when you went up to him and you said — you apologized, I guess, for that one quote?
HUCKABEE: Well, he was gracious. You know, I hope he knows it was sincere. But, you know, I’m trying to stay away from everything I can say. I’m being much more cautious now, because everything is being parsed.
And heck, not just the things I’m saying now, but, you know, we have got a lot of people dumpster-diving right now in the political process, and they’re going through every old wastebasket they can find to dig up anything I have ever said, but I understand. I went through this in Arkansas, it’s part of the political process. It’s not something I’m shocked by, not something I wasn’t expecting.
If anything, I’m kind of delighted that it’s happening, because there’s no way that this wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t scaring some people to death.
You can help a governor build his clout — or you can turn the page
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you want to help a particular Georgia governor spread his footprint and have a boatload of cash, then Sonny Perdue is looking for you.
An e-mail has gone out from John Watson, the governor’s former chief of staff, soliciting minimum donations of $5,000 for a Jan. 7 fund-raiser for Perdue PAC. No hurry, but Watson wants an answer by Friday.
You can clear it with the spouse later.
“Perdue PAC is a political organization registered as a § 527 organization with the I.R.S. and as a political action committee with the Georgia State Ethics Commission,” Watson explains in a helpful attachment to his message.
Exactly what does Perdue PAC do? We’re so glad you asked.
“The funds are used to support the political activities of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and elect like-minded conservative, principled candidates within the State and across the country,” says the hand-out.
The literature also assures us that, because Perdue PAC is a 527, no contribution limits apply. So feel free to open your wallets really, really wide.
Now, given the fact that the event will be held exactly one week before the Legislature convenes, some wags will say that this is aimed at lobbyists interested in the governor’s help on any number of issues.
But that would be cynical — and hard to judge, too. Exactly who gives to the governor won’t be known until long after the Legislature leaves town.
The event will also compete with similar receptions for several lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, which would be — oh, wait. That’s the point.
Cash can cure many ills, including lameduckitis. Every governor sees his influence wane as his second term ticks on. But a pile of money that can be spread, judiciously, here and there among (or against) troublesome lawmakers might delay advance of the disease.
In any case, the Perdue fund-raiser is likely to be the most expensive ticket in town. Five large ones will only buy you the right to scarf nuts and Cheetos at the reception. Only those who write checks for $10,000 and more will be permitted a sit-down dinner afterwards.
A plain-spoken assessment of GOP congressional prospects
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re a Republican, possibly you also have a friend or two contemplating a congressional challenge to either John Barrow of Savannah or Jim Marshall of Macon, Georgia’s two white Democrats.
If this is the case, please tell them that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has this message: The fund-raising situation “sucks.”
His word, not ours, in The Politico.
“Now the money sucks for two reasons,” Boehner said. “People are mad at the president; they are mad at the party. And then [there is] this whole immigration fight. People just turned off the spigot.”
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In Georgia, the Fair Tax unveils its role in the GOP presidential race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As promised, U.S. Rep. John Linder put out a statement this morning, becoming the first member of the Republican congressional delegation in Georgia to throw his weight behind presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
He cited Huckabee’s support of the Fair Tax — a proposed shift in taxation from the federal income tax to a consumption tax.
What Linder didn’t say was that he had withdrawn his previous support from Mitt Romney. For the same reason.
Linder said that happened in June or July, when Romney — the Georgia congressman remembered — said that “the only tax reform we needed is to reduce the tax burden on savings for middle America.
“And he said, on Social Security, the only thing we need to do is reduce the benefit for wealthier people,” Linder recounted in an interview. “I began to wonder what party he was running in.”
So Linder said he quietly had his name removed from Romney’s list of supporters, and then began waiting for someone to catch fire.
The Fair Tax, as plugged by Linder and radio talk show host Neal Boortz, has been endorsed by Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter, Linder said. (Fred Thompson had said kind things about the Fair Tax this summer when he made his first trip to Georgia, but has since backed away from the idea.}
“But Huckabee was campaigning on it. It was a secondary issue for the other three,” he said.
Over the weekend, as Huckabee surged, Linder said he concluded that “this was the best opportunity to get the fair tax on the front page.”
“I think he’ll win Georgia. I think, in Georgia, the Fair Tax will help him a lot. I think it’ll help in Florida and South Carolina. We’ve got a huge team in Michigan,” Linder said.
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.”
Heads up: John Linder about to endorse Mike Huckabee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is about to get his first endorsement from a Georgia congressman, and it’s not Nathan Deal, who was caught saying kind things about the former Arkansas governor last month.
It’ll be John Linder, which makes sense. He and talk radio host Neal Boortz have now written two books on the Fair Tax. And Huckabee has spoken up for the consumption tax in debates.
On how Andy Young’s comments on Obama came to light
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, videotaped comments of former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young on Barack Obama’s candidacy took the Internet by storm.
The clip even made the Drudge Report.
Obama was too young, the former United Nations ambassador said. He didn’t have the support network you need to keep out of trouble. Bill Clinton was just as black. Volatile stuff. See our original post on the topic here.
But when did Young make those comments? Sept. 5, says Jim Welcome, executive producer of Newsmakers Live, where the Young video was posted.
The clip wasn’t put up until late October or early November, and even then the video was buried a couple layers deep on the web site, Welcome said.
But from what we can piece together, two things happened.
In late November, the web site was revamped so that the Young interview — the most recently taped by Newsmakers Live — begins playing as soon as the site is visited.
That same Thanksgiving week, Welcome and editor-in-chief Maynard Eaton mentioned the interview to Rob Redding, an Atlantan who operates Redding News Review, an Internet clearinghouse for African-American news.
“I guess ‘the black Drudge’ is how we’ve been termed,” Redding said — not that he likes the comparison.
Redding posted a link to the Young interview on Wednesday. The mainstream media picked it up Friday afternoon.
“He helped to be sure,” Eaton said. “I think the jury’s still out on who broke it.”
Said Welcome: “Redding got it before any journalist that I know of.”
The interview received about 36,000 hits over the weekend.
The original date of the interview is of some importance. Sept. 5 was about a month before the Clinton campaign — a clockwork organization already famous for its message control — began rolling out its black support in the South. In other words, Young’s comments were — well, they were what the former civil rights leader does.
In fact, only a portion of the interview is aired. And if you look on the web site’s archives, you’ll find that, before Young made his comments on Obama, the former mayor addressed his tendency to make news with his seat-of-the-pants statements.
Said Young:
“I don’t really think about words. Now Martin was an orator. Martin Luther King thought about words. He was an English major at Morehouse. He had memorized long passages of Shakespeare and W.H. Auden and all the poets. Knew the Bible. Almost had a photographic memory. So for him, the oratory was important. I just never was into it that much.
“I started out very early figuring that I had to say what was in my heart. And I didn’t really worry about how it came out. That’s the reason I get in trouble every now and then. That quite often people will misunderstand or misinterpret what’s in my heart. Because I don’t censor myself.”
Young, if you couldn’t tell in the trouble-making video clip, is a Hillary Clinton supporter — as is John Lewis — and has hosted a fund-raiser for the candidate.
Ralph Reed on the politics of proctology
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Somehow we missed this quote that Ralph Reed gave to the Religious News Service last week during the Mitt Romney discussion:
“We have been conducting doctrinal frisks and theological GI-tract exams of our candidates and we have to remember that these candidates are not running for president of the seminary and they’re not running for pastor in chief. They’re running to be commander in chief at a time of global war on terrorism.”
Gosh. Sounds like the former Christian Coalition leader is describing Rudy Giuliani.
Waiting for Ron Paul
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a great deal of enthusiasm out there for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. But it’s not coming from Republicans.
The Libertarian National Committee in a weekend meeting unanimously approved a resolution urging Paul to seek the Libertarian’s presidential nomination in 2008 - Watch out, Cynthia McKinney! - if he doesn’t get the nod from Republicans.
The resolution, proposed by former congressman and ex-GOPer Bob Barr, isn’t so far fetched. Paul, a Texas congressman, was the Libertarian presidential nominee in 1988.
Paul’s GOP campaign is being fueled chiefly by the internet, and Libertarians are among the on-line supporters who recently helped generated millions of dollars for Paul’s campaign.
In their resolution, the Libertarians said Paul’s latest campaign “has ignited a renewed passion for liberty across America.”
The Libertarian nominating convention is in Denver around Memorial Day.
He went to Iowa because coastal Georgia needs its own president
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, the Brunswick News reported that Cap Fendig, the Glynn County commissioner running as a Republican candidate for president, spent nearly a month in Iowa, but has come back home to thaw out.
He’s got about $70,000 in his entire budget, which isn’t what Mitt Romney is spending there each day.
“We spent three and a half weeks visiting 55 cities and towns in Iowa,” Fendig said. “Our strategy was to campaign in towns with a population of 7,000 to 10,000. We felt these smaller communities would be more responsive to our message.”
So far, Fendig’s strategy of not peaking too early — pity that poor Mike Huckabee — seems to be working.
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Blogwatch: Clinton campaign to open office in Atlanta on Monday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blog for Democracy reports that the Hillary Clinton campaign is looking for “robust” volunteers to help move furniture into its new Peachtree Street office a couple blocks above Five Points. It’s the campaign’s first office here.
The geography could be telling. Barack Obama’s office is off Northside, closer to the college campuses that are providing many of the candidate’s volunteers.
Says BfD: “Verna Jennings Cleveland, a veteran of the Roy Barnes, Shirley Franklin, and Darryl Hicks campaigns will serve as the Georgia state director. Bernita Smith, a veteran of numerous Georgia statewide and local campaigns (and BfD author), will serve as the Georgia Deputy State Director. Aaron Ver, a Clinton national campaign staffer, will serve as the Georgia field director.”
The video you have to see: Andy Young on why Barack Obama isn’t ready to be president
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re not exactly sure when this was taped, but here’s a clip of former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, with local journalist Maynard Eaton, talking about why Young is for Hillary Clinton rather than Barack Obama for president.
“I want Barack Obama to be president,” says Young. “In 2016.”
The volatile line: “Bill is every bit as black as Barack. He’s probably gone with more black women than Barack.” Young quickly added that he was “clowning.”
Here’s the link. . Language warning: Young uses a four-letter word that begins with ‘s.’
Chaos in the GOP presidential ranks: Maybe it’s religion, but maybe it’s region
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s something to kick around.
This week, the Republican presidential race officially devolved into chaos. The well-funded Mitt Romney of Massachusetts found himself sinking in Iowa. Rudy Giuliani of New York has hit a wall in national polls — or at minimum, he’s struck a hefty speed-bump.
Mike Huckabee of Arkansas is surging. This prompted Romney to give his Thursday speech that addressed his Mormon faith.
Many have cited the episode as a proper comeuppance to a Republican party that for nearly 30 years has catered to Christian conservatives.
Perhaps the U.S. Constitution forbids a religious test, they say, but the GOP platform has come to require it. Not all critics are Democrats. Charles Krauthammer is particularly rough on Huckabee today for subtly driving the issue.
But maybe this isn’t just about religion. Suppose that this week fits into the larger theme of the 2008 Republican race — a fight over regional control of the national GOP. Suppose that this has become a tug-of-war between Republicans in the South, plus their like-minded allies, and Republicans everywhere else.
Consider first the geographic bases of the two spoilers in this race — Huckabee, a seminary graduate whose name is always followed somewhere by the phrase “Southern Baptist,” and Fred Thompson, the drawling former senator from Tennessee.
No, Thompson hasn’t done much. But for six months this year, he served as the symbol of restiveness in the GOP base. Huckabee has now usurped him in that role. We’ll see how long he’ll last.
Romney and Giuliani, who could be said to represent the party’s establishment, are both from the Northeast, a place where Republican influence has declined, even while GOP clout in the South has grown. Giuliani supporters in particular cite the structure of the primary calendar next year as a unique situation that allows their candidate to leap-frog past the barrier posed by Southern Republicans.
A candidate who makes Republicans in the South too comfortable, the theory goes, won’t appeal to a national electorate tired of the Southerner now occupying the White House.
So Iowa becomes the place where the base pushes back on that kind of thinking.
No, Iowa is not Southern. But racially, the Republican electorate in Iowa isn’t much different from that in a Georgia primary. And some 40 percent of Iowa Republicans identify themselves as evangelical conservatives.
Until the race gets to South Carolina, Iowa is the most Southern-like ground available for the confrontation.
Don’t call it a threat. Just an offer that requires a thorough examination
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Six state lawmakers, three Republicans and three Democrats, were up on a stage in the Cobb Galleria center on Friday, discussing what could be expected next year when the Legislature convenes.
This was an Atlanta Regional Commission event, so the audience consisted primarily of local city and county officials.
Among the lawmakers, state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, a Republican from Powder Springs and chairman of the House rules committee, packed the most clout.
As a close associate of Speaker Glenn Richardson, Ehrhart was peppered with questions about the House Republican effort to eliminate property taxes in favor of a shift to a broader sales tax.
One critic asked Ehrhart to explain why it was better for tax revenue to flow to Atlanta, there to be parsed out to cities and counties and school systems throughout the state.
Ehrhart didn’t exactly comply.
Instead, the House rules chairman pointed out that the state levies a tax on all insurance premiums paid in Georgia — whether the policies cover life, health, or property. Some $480 million is raised each year. The cash is then divided among local governments, four times a year.
Never have lawmakers attached strings to the money, Ehrhart said. But if mayors and county commissioners fear centralized government, perhaps that tax should be repealed for consistency’s sake, the rules chairman suggested.
Afterwards, Ehrhart says he’s been combing the state code for other “hidden taxes” that benefit counties and cities. Like franchise fees that local governments charge cable TV companies and other monopolies for operating in their territory. The Legislature could determine those worth ditching, too, he said.
It sounded, we noted, like he was describing two screws that House Republicans were willing to put to the thumbs of county and city officials if they bucked the speaker’s tax plan.
A threat? Oh, gracious, no, Ehrhart said. “Let’s call it a second front.”
Culled from the tax fight, then brought right back into it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When House Speaker Glenn Richardson sat down with reporters on Thursday, he wanted to talk about something — anything — other than property taxes.
So he dwelled on financing for a statewide trauma network (and Grady) with $10 car fees. Then he raised the topic of water and reservoirs. He thinks its possible to bring back Tom Murphy Lake in west Georgia, which other lawmakers — not him — deep-sixed in 2004. But it was unclear whether it would still be named for Murphy, the former House speaker.
Only then did Richardson talk about his decision, announced last week, to slim down his effort to eliminate all property taxes in Georgia.
He would ease into his revolution instead, by only targeting school property taxes — those funds would be replaced by an expanded sales tax on groceries, lottery tickets and the fees charged by people like plumbers and attorneys.
Politically, it makes sense. By leaving alone the property taxes that fuel county and city governments, Richardson could reduce the opposition that his plan had been generating from hundreds of locally elected officials.
But two new facets emerged from Richardson’s sit-down with reporters.
First, the speaker said that if cities and counties don’t want to give up their property taxes, they won’t be allowed to benefit from his revised plan.
Richardson said that the state would charge its 4 percent sales tax on lottery tickets and services. But he wouldn’t allow cities and counties to piggyback with the 3 percent or more that they normally assess —meaning local cities and counties wouldn’t get any extra revenue.
(Local governments already charge that 3 percent or more on groceries.)
In addition, the speaker emphasized that his revised tax package would include a cap on what local governments could raise from property taxes, via a formula that combined population growth and inflation.
It sounded much like the Tabor plan that the Senate has attempted to impose on state spending, and which Richardson and other House Republicans have resisted.
The key is that this cap that Richardson has proposed ensures that, rather than being pushed to the sidelines, the state’s city and county officials will remain a major part of the fight.
The Association County Commissioners of Georgia has picked up on this. Here’s the group’s analysis of the changes in the speaker’s plan, just posted on the its web site.
Cagle: On Glenn Richardson’s ambitions and how sexism plays into the backwash of a DOT fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov. Casey spoke to the Journal-Constitution editorial board on Thursday, and a couple of our colleagues from the newsroom — Ariel Hart and Aaron Sheinin — sat in.
Cagle had much to say. For one thing, he’s betting that House Speaker Glenn Richardson isn’t running for governor in 2010.
“Glenn’s not running. No. I think that’s pretty clear,” the lieutenant governor said. You might see our Monday post for some background on this topic.
The lieutenant governor, by the way, said no such thing about his own schedule in 2010.
Cagle also pulled the wraps off some of the political infighting that has gone on since the selection of the new Department of Transportation commissioner, Gena Abraham, who was supported by Gov. Sonny Perdue — and by Cagle.
Her appointment by members of the state DOT board, by a one-vote margin, marked a loss for Richardson, the House speaker, who had backed her opponent, Vance Smith (R - Pine Mountain), chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
In January, two DOT board members who supported Abraham come up for re-election by legislators in their districts.
“There is an enormous push that is under way” to oust them, Cagle said — possibly setting the stage to revsit the Abraham appointment. “There’s been a lot of just hard ball politics.”
“The reason that it’s significant is we don’t have time to delay on transportation,” Cagle added. “If we continue to go down the path that we are on arguing over who’s going to be commissioner when we have a qualified person — or there is an attempt to undermine what has already been done — then have we really moved the process forward or have we just been bickering and arguing over nonsense?”
Abraham’s status as the first female commissioner has much to do with the lingering attitude, Cagle said.
“This is a true professional who understands what she is doing. And because she is a woman, there are individuals in my view that want to say differently,” the lieutenant governor said.
After the meeting with Cagle, Hart — she’s the AJC transportation writer — had a conversation with one of the two vulnerable board members — DOT board chairman Mike Evans.
Evans said the speaker had personally warned him to vote his way: “He said if you don’t do what I’m telling you to do I will have your board seat in January,” the DOT commissioner said.
Asked about the above, a spokeswoman for Richardson told Hart: “Obviously, there was a difference of opinion between the lieutenant governor and the House of Representatives over who should be the next DOT commissioner. However, Commissioner Abraham is bright and capable and the Speaker looks forward to working with her in the years to come.”
Huckabee names his Georgia team, with a few surprises
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee just announced the leadership of its Georgia organization. It might make Fred Thompson people take some notice.
Key business supporters are Ron Terwillger of Trammel Crow, the developer and owner of the new Atlanta WNBA team, and Virgil Williams, who was the deep pockets behind Zell Miller in his campaigns for governor and U.S. senator.
Stan Wise, the public service commissioner from Cobb County, allows Huckabee to lay claim to a statewide elected official. State lawmakers include Reps. Ed Setzler of Kennesaw, Charlice Byrd of Woodstock, Melvin Everson of Snellville, Harry Geisinger of Roswell, Mike Keown of Coolidge, Martin Scott of Rossville, Tommy Smith of Nichols, and Len Walker of Loganville. Judson Hill of Marietta is the sole state senator named as a Huckabee supporter.
Operation-wise, Shawn Davis of Marietta, son of former GOP gubernatorial candidate Guy Davis, will handle communications. Craig Dowdy, former treasurer for Bob Barr, will handle finances. So the Cobb County influence will be strong.
But here’s something else to take note of: Pat Tippett and Kay Godwin will direct the Huckabee campaign in the First Congressional District. Tippett and Godwin, as well you know, organized the core of Sonny Perdue’s support in rural Georgia. They remain an essential link to the conservative Christian wing of the state GOP.
Catching up: Billy Maddox snares Mack Crawford’s House seat in GOP run-off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve neglected to tell you the results of Tuesday’s run-off election in House District 127 to replace Mack Crawford, who left to straighten out the state’s public defense system.
Billy Maddox, a 33-year-old lawyer from Zebulon in Pike County, trounced Jim Fletcher of Thomaston with 56 percent of the vote. This was a special election between two Republicans. The only Democrat was pushed out of the contest in November.
Strictly from the numbers, this looks like it might have been a bit of an upset. District 126 is north and west of Macon, including all of Pike County, most of Upson, and a smidgen of Lamar. Upson County, where Fletcher lives, produced the most votes, but Maddox was able to run close.
But Maddox took nearly 70 percent of the vote in his home county of Pike, and maintained a strong lead in Lamar County as well.
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Creflo to Congress: Get a subpoena, or call the IRS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Out of Washington, the Associated Press is reporting that the Rev. Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International in College Park is telling Congress to take a hike with its investigation of his spending.
The pastor, says the AP, “has asked Sen. Charles Grassley to either refer the matter to the IRS or get a subpoena, according to a letter from Dollar’s attorney.”
Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent pointed questionnaires in early November to a half-dozen ministries, asking about salaries, perks, travel and oversight. The Iowa Republican set Thursday as the deadline for a response. See entire story here.
Romney: ‘To explain Mormonism would create a religious test’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mitt Romney’s campaign just handed out excerpts of the Republican presidential candidate’s speech on his faith, which he’s to deliver at 10:30 a.m. in Texas.
Here’s the beef:
“When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”
“There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church’s distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.”
“It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it’s usually a sound rule to focus on the latter - on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.”
Read the entire package the Romney campaign sent on the jump.
“There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation’s founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adam’s words: ‘We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.’
“Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”
“When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”
“There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church’s distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.”
“It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it’s usually a sound rule to focus on the latter - on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.”
“We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of secularism. They are wrong.”
“The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation ‘Under God’ and in God, we do indeed trust.”
“We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders - in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from ‘the God who gave us liberty.’”
“These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements.”
“My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self -same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency.” … “The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.
“In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion - rather, we welcome our nation’s symphony of faith.”
Is this C-SPAN or ESPN?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a Grantville Republican, recently tried to cut federal spending by eliminating three provisions benefiting native Hawaiians. A sumo-sized fist-fight was only narrowly avoided.
Westmoreland was trying to cut $8.7 million from a bill. The money was going only to native Hawaiians living in Hawaii, who already earn more than native Hawaiians living in other states — like the 2,200 in Georgia. Those Hawaiians got nothing, he said.
“It is a great opportunity to save some money,” Westmoreland argued. “It is a great opportunity to look and make sure that we are all treated equally.”
The provision’s sponsor, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), - well, he disagreed. Abercrombie was particularly mad that Westmoreland hadn’t warned him that an attack was coming.
“I would appreciate it if the gentleman from the Eighth District of Georgia representing the people in Grantville, who I presume have more courtesy than the gentleman from that district has, could let us know besides the smirk on his face when he intends to come and attack someone else in another district. I don’t know how you were raised; I know how I was raised,” Abercrombie said, after rushing to the House floor.
The House chairman reminded Abercrombie that he was violating House rules by attacking Westmoreland directly. Members are only to speak to the presiding chairman, not each other.
Abercrombie, an avid weightlifter who in 2005 celebrated his 67th birthday by bench-pressing 268 pounds in the House gym, responded: “I am confining my remarks to the Chair, because if I was saying it directly to the gentleman, he would know it a lot more physically.”
That was in September. On Tuesday, Westmoreland’s office suggested the two had made up. Maybe. Westmoreland announced that he and Abercrombie now have a friendly bet on the Sugar Bowl.
If Georgia wins, Abercrombie owes a case of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. And if - God forbid - Hawaii wins, Westmoreland loses a half-bushel of Georgia peaches and chocolate-covered pecans.
Now see? College football really does bring people together.
Mending broken spokes: A new chapter in the history of bicycles and Georgia politics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bicycles and politics have a mixed history in Georgia.
Lester Maddox rode a two-wheeler into the Governor’s Mansion. Backwards, of course.
Nearly 20 years ago, Andrew Young — while mayor of Atlanta — pedaled across the state to sample public opinion for his 1990 run for governor.
At the end of each day’s ride, in the limo that carried him home to his bed in the Big City, Young would close his eyes and listen to country music, to help him channel the wants and desires of rural Georgia. It didn’t work.
In 1998, chocolate chip cookie magnate Michael Coles, holder of two cross-country cycling records, ran for the U.S. Senate. The Democrat lost by seven points to Paul Coverdell, a Republican. Trim as he was, campaign photos of Coles in a helmet and tight pants didn’t help.
On Wednesday, bicycles and politics merged again, but in a way that Georgia has never seen.
In an auditorium at the hospital complex once known simply as Scottish Rite, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle announced the route of the 2008 Tour de Georgia, which over the course of five years has become the highest-ranking cycling event in North America.
The April race through Georgia is now the last major stop before cycling’s top riders cross the pond into Europe, to ready themselves for the Tour de France.
But Cagle was not at Wednesday’s event as a bit of suit-and-tie icing on a cake. He was there as the boss, the new chairman of the reconstituted, state-created board that owns the Tour de Georgia. His 2006 campaign manager, Elizabeth Dewberry, is its new director.
Never before have a sporting event and a political figure in the state Capitol been tied so closely. Yes, a governor or two might have had a hand in picking a football coach at the University of Georgia. But they were never given control of the program.
It’s as if Sonny Perdue were handed the Peachtree Road Race. Or Glenn Richardson were made director of the AT&T Classic.
Cagle has assigned himself the task of rescuing a $3 million bicycle race that, while receiving rave international reviews, has foundered economically. Last year’s Tour lacked for sponsors, and operated at a loss.
The lieutenant governor said he was approached by “some business individuals who had been involved with the Tour.”
“The race had been on and off again. They came to me and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with the Tour. Either we’re going to put it on, or we’re not,’” he said. Governor Perdue signed off on Cagle’s plan to reorganize and put the event in the black with nothing but private money.
There is a geographic match to this. The Tour de Georgia was started in 2003 by the state’s economic development arm, part of an unsuccessful effort to persuade Daimler/Chrysler to locate a van plant on the Georgia coast. The auto company was the Tour’s first big-name sponsor.
But cycling is a sport that thrives in the mountains, and Cagle hails from Gainesville, which happens to be the destination of Stage Three next year.
That said, Cagle is not a cycling enthusiast. He saves his outdoor ardor for golf and hunting. “Will I participate in some way? Probably. But I can promise you this — I’m not going to be wearing any tight shorts,” the lieutenant governor said.
Cagle’s primary reason for getting involved is economic development. No other sport shows off scenery, especially in small towns, like cycling.
“What excited me about it is the economic opportunity that exists to showcase Georgia to the world,” Cagle said. This spring, he wants to nearly double, to 1 million, the number of spectators who gather on Georgia roadsides to watch 120 men in spandex zip by.
And there’s the health angle. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, particularly its cancer wing, will be a beneficiary of the event. “For one solid week in Georgia, we can build a campaign around health and wellness,” Cagle said.
Few lieutenant governors have been given such a specific portfolio, and told to run with it.
But there are downsides to Cagle’s venture. This is the South. Cycling is not NASCAR, and building a reliable network of sponsors is far from a certainty.
Then there’s the fact that the cycling world has yet to conquer its doping problem. A dirty race wouldn’t look good on a resume.
Competition among Georgia’s small towns, to serve as hosts to the seven-day event, is fierce. Cagle promised he would have no hand in the selection.
“That’s all done by committee. This thing’s going to be run like a business. This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with Georgia,” he said.
And the upside for Cagle? One of the facts bandied about on Wednesday was that, in 2007, the Tour de Georgia produced “600 million media impressions.” That’s marketing lingo for the number of people who saw mentions of the Tour in a newspaper, or heard about it on the radio, or watched it on TV.
That’s how household names are made.
Tonight’s homework lesson: JFK’s speech on his Catholicism
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To prepare you for tomorrow’s speech by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, we’ve found a terrific web site offered by the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
Go here, and you’re only one more click away from the audio of John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech in Houston on his Catholic faith.
It’ll give you the shivers.
Environmentalists say its another global warming hearing, and another stacked deck
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Another legislative hearing on global warming is only a day away, but environmentalists are already lining up to throw cold water on it.
Obviously, this is not a serious hearing, under the circumstances, as it’s been set up,” Edward McNally, communications director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, has told Morris News Service.
University of Georgia professor Harold Brown, who is skeptical of the phenomenon, is scheduled to be a featured witness. Martin Rickerd, the British consul general, will present the case that global warming is taking place.
Why senators had to go out-of-state for that kind of testimony, we don’t know.
But environmentalists are upset that no academic has been slated to speak in defense of those who say it’s happening, and that people are to blame.
Says Eric Johnson: The Speaker’s trimmed-down tax plan makes a bargain possible
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s decision to tone down his proposal to eliminate property taxes in Georgia has turned at least one head.
Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said Tuesday that Richardson’s decision to reduce the scope of his plan, so that it only targets residential taxes that go to schools, has made a bargain possible when the Legislature convenes in January.
“I think we’re now in the same room,” Johnson said in a telephone interview. “I don’t think anybody can claim there’s a deal. The governor and the lieutenant governor haven’t spoken up. And certainly anything that requires a constitutional amendment means the minority party is going to have a say-so in it.”
Even so, the ranking member of the Senate said the new situation makes possible a three-way deal that gives the major players at least a portion of what they seek.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has demanded an income tax cut for seniors. The Republican Senate has wanted caps on spending.
“With the Speaker’s modified plan, we’re now in a position where detailed discussions could occur. If the parties want them to,” Johnson said. “It allows each of the three-legged stools to deal with what they think the best priorities are for tax reform.”
Johnson said he still has some reservations about the Speaker’s plan, especially as it applies to local control of school districts. But that hasn’t kept him from engaging in some bicameral diplomacy.
“I told him face to face that I think we’re getting much closer, and I appreciate it,” the president pro tem said. “That’s not a handshake or anything — and he didn’t ask for one. The only thing that happens next is that you hear from the lieutenant governor and the governor.”
Mitt Romney and the Southern Baptist in his corner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Break out your Bibles, boys and girls. And if you have a Book of Mormon at hand, crack that open, too. Today we delve into politics and theology.
Specifically, Mitt Romney and his lifelong membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
By now, you know the Republican presidential candidate is to give a speech Thursday on his faith, one that could halt his skid in Iowa — or not.
At Romney’s side when he delivers that speech — or at least in the same room — will be Mark DeMoss of Duluth. DeMoss runs a public relations firm that caters to Christian-oriented firms.
For more than a year, the 45-year-old DeMoss has been a national, unpaid emissary for Romney, making the candidate’s case before Southern Baptists and other evangelicals.
Fourteen months ago, DeMoss organized an introductory meeting with conservative Christian leaders that included both Jerry Falwell and Franklin Graham. He put Romney in front of the 2006 National Religious Broadcasters convention.
You’ll recall that two months ago, DeMoss put out this memo to evangelical leaders, listing the advantages of a Romney candidacy over someone like, say, Rudy Giuliani.
We caught DeMoss at his Gwinnett County office today. He wouldn’t share what advice he’s given to Romney on his speech — you couldn’t expect him to.
But here’s what DeMoss did say:
”It’s easy for observers and journalists and consultants and advisors to tell somebody what they ought to say, but it’s his life, it’s his name, it’s his faith that’s being discussed. And he has to deal with it every day.
“I fully trust his instincts. I trust his motives. I trust his gut.”
On debate over whether Romney should give the speech:
“He’s in something of a no-win situation. For months, a lot of observers have insisted, almost demanded that he give it — that he has to give it, he has no choice. And then there’s the debate on whether he should give it before Iowa, after Iowa, only if he becomes the nominee, and so on.
“I’m fully supportive of him giving it. I can make a case for it either way, but I’m glad he’s giving it.”
On whether a Republican audience wants Thursday’s speech to be a detailed lesson in Latter Day Saint theology:
“Some people may expect a Cliff Notes version of Mormonism 101, and then there are those who expect none of that, and [look for] talk maybe more generally about faith and the role of faith in his life.
“I think one thing he has said many times is that he believes people want their president to a man or woman of faith, whether or not its your particular kind or style of faith. I think that’s a valid point.
On the challenge Romney poses to evangelical leaders:
“For the last 30 years, evangelicals have been preaching to anyone who would listen that we vote for values. We don’t vote Republican or Democrat. But you should vote for the candidate who best represents your values.
“I think Mitt Romney’s candidacy presents a very interesting test of sincerity for those evangelicals who preach that. Now we have a chance to prove whether we really mean that, and we could accept someone who shares our values but not our theology. Or are we going to amend it, and say we didn’t really mean anyone.
“We’ve had plenty of political leaders who — at least on paper — share our faith, but demonstrably didn’t share a lot of our values. Here in Mitt Romney we have the reverse of that.”
On some discarded advice DeMoss has received from evangelical leaders:
“A prominent Southern Baptist told me recently, “Tell [Romney] he shouldn’t say Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I have a problem with that advice.
“First of all, if that’s what he believes, he should say it — or he shouldn’t be afraid of saying it. To suggest [that he not] say something that he actually believes would be the height of political hypocrisy.
“That advice would be like telling a Southern Baptist who was going to pray at the Inauguration, ‘Don’t pray in Jesus’ name.’ We would take offense at that. We would say, ‘That’s how I pray.’ We shouldn’t tell Mitt Romney not to say something that he believes — or he believes that he believes.”
And wrapping up:
”What I would hope we would accomplish on Thursday is that a lot of people’s minds are opened. We are not suggesting that we elect a mystery Mormon or a generic Mormon or a hypothetical Mormon or all Mormons. We’re talking about a specific Mormon….
“We know his name, we know where he lives, we know who is wife is, we know who is children are, we know what his business record is, what is public record is.
“I think just the opportunity for him to stand up and speak to a large audience has great benefit in that it removes some mystery. I don’t know in great detail what all the other candidates believe.”
The big water meeting floats deeper into December
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that “the big water meeting between Gov. Charlie Crist and Govs. Sonny Perdue of Georgia, Bob Riley of Alabama and U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has been rescheduled to Dec. 17 — scratching a tentative plan to meet five days earlier.”
Schedule conflicts are cited as the reason.
Don’t take our word for it: See the Speaker’s sales pitch on his tax plan for yourself
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the direct link to the video of the speech that House Speaker Glenn Richardson made to the two school groups on Friday, on his proposal to shift Georgia’s school systems away from the property tax.
If memory serves, it’s about 30 minutes long. The first 10 minutes are spent on a House plan by state Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) to combat Georgia’s high drop-out rate.
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On Romney, Thompson and the Confederate battle flag
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A South Carolina chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is going after Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson for comments they made about the Confederate battle flag during last week’s CNN/YouTube debate.
It’s worth noting simply because South Carolina and Georgia often find themselves on parallel tracks when it comes to Old South symbolism.
In South Carolina, a compromise in 2000 removed the battle flag from the state capitol dome, though the banner remains on the statehouse grounds and flies next to a Confederate memorial beside one of the busiest streets in the city.
In Georgia, the battle emblem lost its place on the state flag in 2001, and was a prime factor in the ouster of Gov. Roy Barnes in 2002. An attempt to have the Confederate battle emblem placed on a statewide flag referendum, initiated by Gov. Sonny Perdue, failed in 2003.
The question about the flag was posed last week, via a Texas resident, who had it displayed on his wall. Romney and Thompson were the only candidates asked to respond.
Said Romney:
“Right now, with the kinds of issues we got in this country, I’m not going to get involved with a flag like that. That’s not a flag that I recognize so that I would hold up in my room.
“The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that’s the right thing.
“My own view is that this country can go beyond that kind of stuff, and that instead we can do as a party what we need to do, which is to reach out to all Americans.
“Every time I listen to someone like John Edwards get on TV and say there are two Americans, I just want to — I just want to throw something at the TV, because there are not two Americas. There’s one America.
“We are a nation united. We face extraordinary challenges right now. And Democrats dividing us and tearing down this country are doing exactly the wrong thing.
“We’re succeeding in Iraq. We’ve got tough challenges. We can overcome them. But we do not need to have that kind of divisive talk. And that flag, frankly, is divisive, and it shouldn’t be shown.”
Then came Thompson:
“I know that everybody who hangs the flag up in their room like that is not racist. I also know that for a great many Americans it’s a symbol of racism.
“So, therefore, as a public place — he’s free to do whatever he wants to in his home. As far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capitol.
“As a part of a group of flags or something of that nature, you know, honoring
various servicepeople at different times in different parts of the country, I think that’s different.
“But, as a nation, we don’t need to go out of our way to be bringing up things that to certain people in our country that’s bad for them.”
We’ve reported before that Confederate enthusiasts make up about 11 or 12 percent of the Republican primary vote in Georgia — that’s based on the 2006 primary challenge of Perdue by flagger-sponsored candidate Ray McBerry.
If the issue is stoked — and we’ve no evidence it will be — it could make a difference in a crowded GOP primary field. And this is just a seat-of-the-pants observation, but it would probably hurt Thompson more than Romney.
Chances are that Romney, as a former governor of Massachusetts and a Mormon, probably never had the Confederate vote anyway. The same can’t be said for Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee.
Don’t let the door hitcha, Rudy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s hope Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani really enjoyed a few pats on the back over the weekend.
Because the former mayor of New York didn’t get much more from Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) during a visit to Cobb County Sunday.
Isakson hosted Giuliani, who in 2004 came to Georgia to help Isakson win his Senate seat. And after exchanging back pats, Isakson said of his guest, “He’d be a great president of the United States.”
So Isakson was endorsing his Yankee pal?
“We’ve got a lot of great candidates,” Isakson said when asked, “and I’m for the Republican candidate.”
Sorry, Rudy. But, hey, it was nice seein’ ya’.
Bishop, Westmoreland put money where it helps them most
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an election cycle where many incumbents are feeling the gut-tightening issue of job insecurity, two Georgia congressmen are feeling confident enough about their elections in 2008 to give away thousands of their campaign dollars.
Rep. Sanford Bishop an Albany Democrat and member of the House Appropriations Committee, cut a $100,000 check from his campaign treasury to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which will use the money to help less secure candidates.
On the Republican side, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Grantsville sent a $100,000 check to the Republican National Campaign Committee, which plays the same role as the DCCC.
Bishop so far has no challenger for next year. Two Democrats are competing to challenge Westmoreland in the fall.
While other Georgia pols are scratching for extra campaign cash to fund their 2008 races - Rep. Jim Marshall, a Macon Democrat, comes to mind-Bishop and Westmoreland’s checks make sense.
Giving to the campaign committees is a must-do for veteran House leaders like Bishop, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. More importantly for Westmoreland, giving big bucks to the committees is a way of winning friends that any any future House leaders would need.
Cagle and Richardson play good cop, tough cop
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last Friday afternoon was a time for comparison and contrast in Georgia politics.
Two of Georgia’s most influential education organizations were gathered at the Renaissance Waverly in Cobb County. One statewide group represented school superintendents, the other was made up of school board members.
Upper management, in other words. Not rank-and-file.
Late in the day, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson made back-to-back appearances. Cagle, all smiles, was there to reassure. Richardson was not.
The lieutenant governor said nothing to make news. The House speaker brought his own video crew to record his attempt to persuade a hostile audience that it’s time to end property taxes.
Cagle spoke first, and was a study in affability. The lieutenant governor, who has expressed doubts about the speaker’s effort, did not do so here — not with Richardson in the audience, waiting his turn.
At least, not directly.
But Cagle did make reference to the state’s soft economy. Critics say such downturns are a weakness in Richardson’s plan to shift state funding toward a consumption tax.
And in plugging his own push for charter school systems, which would allow schools to bypass much state regulation, Cagle also emphasized the need for educators to call their own shots.
“I’m convinced that local control is the answer to education,” he said. Another triangulation.
Because Richardson’s consumption tax would be collected — then dispersed — by state government, the loss of local control is another worry expressed by opponents.
Cagle received the standing ovation that Richardson would not. The lieutenant governor, elected statewide, clearly likes to be liked.
But Richardson must curry favor only with his Paulding County district, and 100 or so Republican lawmakers. He can afford not be liked.
If Cagle was the mommy figure on Friday, lavishing praise and encouragement, Richardson was the daddy — distant but demanding, and perfectly willing to endure unpleasantries along the way.
“I’ve been jeered, I’ve been snapped at. I’ve been told I was wrong. I’ve been told that I was not wise or prudent,” Richardson said in his wind-up.
The news in Richardson’s speech was that he would narrow the scope of his plan to eliminate the property taxes that underpin counties, cities and school systems.
At least for now, cities and counties would get a pass. His chief target, Richardson told the people who write the budgets for Georgia’s school systems, would be the property taxes that fund Georgia’s school systems.
One-third of Georgia’s school systems are engaged in a lawsuit against the state that complains of unequal funding. Richardson said his plan would fix that.
Many school systems are struggling under the burden posed by the children of illegal immigrants. Richardson said his sales tax would make them pay.
“One million or so Georgians — well, they’re not really Georgians, they’re not U.S. citizens — but they reside in the state of Georgia and they pay no Georgia income taxes and very rarely do they pay any direct property taxes,” Richardson said.
The House speaker has cast himself as the agent of difficult but inevitable change. If he doesn’t do it, someone else will.
“Right behind me, there’s somebody else that wants to be speaker, that thinks they can do it differently. Right behind you there’s another person that wants to run for school [board],” the Richardson said. “It’s the American way, and we better listen and be ready to change.”
The cost of being that agent of change could be steep. Ask any Old Testament prophet.
People of a certain age will remember a unique way we once described the headstrong and uncompromising. “He’d rather be right than president,” we’d say.
We do not know what Richardson’s ultimate ambitions are. But judging by Friday’s performance, he’d rather be right than governor.
Abortion groups split, giving endorsements to Huckabee and Thompson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has picked up endorsement of Georgia Right to Life, the statewide anti-abortion organization.
Again, GRTL is in disagreement with the national organization, which last month endorsed Fred Thompson. But the Georgia group says Huckabee is the best man to stop Rudy Giuliani.
Not Hillary Clinton. Rudy Giuliani.
In the past, the Georgia organization has urged a tougher line than National Right to Life — insisting that political candidates oppose abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
This time, it looks like an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the issue.
Here’s what the national group said when it endorsed Thompson:
“While Fred supports the long-term objective of the Human Life Amendment, the votes are simply not there in Congress, nor were they there when we controlled both houses of Congress. For instance, in the Senate, we are presently at least 25 votes short, with passage in the House even more difficult.
“Fred intends to focus his presidency on those things that can be achieved, or advanced, in the next four to eight years.”
The Georgia group not only noted Huckabee’s support of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but also applauded the candidate for supporting a local legislative priority of Georgia Right to Life — H.R.536, which would establish that human life legally begins at fertilization.
Bryan Lash, the PAC director for the Georgia group, acknowledged the split with their Washington-based umbrella.
“Under normal circumstances we would communicate their presidential endorsement to our 225,000 households,” he said. “Passing a Personhood Amendment here in Georgia is our key issue in achieving our objective to extend the protections of the law to all persons both born and unborn.”
Further, Lash said, “Mr. Huckabee’s recent surge in the polls, we believe, demonstrates that he is the pro-life movement’s best hope in defeating pro-abortion candidate Rudy Giuliani.”
A chance to see Rudy Giuliani live, in person.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Word’s being passed around this evening that Rudy Giuliani will have a one-hour meet-and-greet on the Marietta Square, starting at 4 p.m. Sunday. We’re presuming there’s some sort of fund-raiser before or after, which we’re not invited to.
Even so, by our count, this will be Rudy’s fifth trip to Georgia in the campaign — tying him with both John Edwards and Mitt Romney.
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