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Friday, January 11, 2008
No Barack, but Michelle Obama will attend the Wild Hog Supper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got this confirmed from the Barack Obama campaign: Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential candidate, will make a quick stop by the Wild Hog Supper in downtown Atlanta.
The feast is the traditional opener of the winter session of the Legislature.
Chaos is sure to reign as a result of her visit. Which means all will be normal.
The host of the evening, state Agricultural Commissioner Tommy Irvin, is a supporter of Hillary Clinton. But he’s already said that the visitor from Chicago would be welcomed with open arms. And a free ticket.
Barack Obama in Atlanta on Sunday? We’re hearing ‘no’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV reporter Denis O’Hayer with 11 Alive is reporting that Barack Obama will join his wife in Atlanta on Sunday for the Trumpet awards.
We’ve tried to confirm this, but we’re running into all sorts of denials from the Obama campaign. They’re saying it’s certain that Michelle is going stag.
However, we were also told not to be surprised if Obama - the husband, not the wife — shows up in Atlanta on Martin Luther King Day. We already know he’ll be in South Carolina that day.
And Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards have penciled in — no firm commitment yet from any of them — Jan. 30 for the state Democratic fund-raiser.
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Cobb County school system says it ain’t for what the Speaker’s for
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Cobb County school system, one of the largest in the state, has joined the ranks of those opposing House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s revised plan to eliminate school property taxes.
Which means the local board of education’s relationship with state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, Cobb’s most influential legislator and close friend to the speaker, isn’t likely to improve soon.
The note going around says:
The Cobb County School District is joining school systems across Georgia in announcing concern over efforts in the Georgia Legislature that may affect funding for local schools. Along with other members of the Georgia Education Coalition1, a year-old alliance of nine school systems representing 30 percent of Georgia’s public school enrollment, Cobb County has been following the development of certain tax reform initiatives with the hope that as the Legislature convenes, lawmakers will consider these concerns.
As the Cobb County School District continues to face the pressures of increasing growth in population, the district faces greater demand than most in keeping up with the pace of development. Additionally, the Cobb County community has a strong commitment to education, above and beyond the measures set out and funded by the State of Georgia.
Read the entire note on the jump.
Cobb Schools Join Coalition In Opposing State Changes To Local Control, Revenue Stability
The Cobb County School District is joining school systems across Georgia in announcing concern over efforts in the Georgia Legislature that may affect funding for local schools. Along with other members of the Georgia Education Coalition1, a year-old alliance of nine school systems representing 30 percent of Georgia’s public school enrollment, Cobb County has been following the development of certain tax reform initiatives with the hope that as the Legislature convenes, lawmakers will consider these concerns.
As the Cobb County School District continues to face the pressures of increasing growth in population, the district faces greater demand than most in keeping up with the pace of development. Additionally, the Cobb County community has a strong commitment to education, above and beyond the measures set out and funded by the State of Georgia.
While the State of Georgia provides funding for education, in recent years that funding has decreased as a percentage of the Cobb County School District’s overall budget. In fact, Cobb County taxpayers now fund the majority of the school district’s operating budget through local property tax. Currently, local property taxes provide 52.7 percent of the school district’s operating budget.
Local control of local dollars has resulted in a superb school system that outperforms state and national averages on standardized tests and provides an exceptional array of extracurricular programs. If the school system were to depend solely upon state funding for its schools, the money would be inadequate to support the many outstanding educational programs currently enjoyed by Cobb County students. Without local discretion and funding, Cobb County would not be able to provide the local supplement for teachers’ salaries that allows the district to hire the very best educators. Nor would it be able to provide the extracurricular activities such as band, art and music that citizens of this community want and have come to expect.
A tax reform proposal requiring a total dependency on a sales tax for education would further erode financial support for Cobb County schools and for schools throughout Georgia. Replacing the current system that funds schools through stable property taxes could result in a drastic year-to-year variation in the types of education programs available in Cobb County. It also would nullify the school property tax exemption currently enjoyed by Cobb seniors 62 and older. Seniors would join all other consumers in paying any new sales tax for schools.
The Cobb County School District and Georgia Education Coalition are not opposed to the concept of tax reform, but are opposed to any specific type of reform that would limit local control over tax dollars and would change the current stable tax revenue stream. Therefore, it is critical that any tax-reform proposals considered in the General Assembly weigh all of the potential effects on the operation of local schools, and not limit the ability of the Cobb County School District to provide local supplemental funds for improving educational resources.
Hillary showed hers, and now Barack shows his
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last Friday, the Hillary Clinton campaign in Georgia put out its list of heavyweight support.
One week later, the Barack Obama campaign has done the same thing, unloading its roster.
Clinton collared the endorsements of Democrats elected statewide — Attorney General Thurbert Baker, Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, and Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin.
But clearly, Obama has the support of most African-American lawmakers serving in the state Capitol.
Clinton has Hank Aaron. Obama has Walt Bellamy.
See the entire list on the jump.
You have to wonder whether the Obama list has grown as a result of the Clinton/Martin Luther King flap leading up to the New Hampshire primary.
The New York Times has a piece today in which James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress and the bellwether of black politics in the state, said he’s reconsidering his neutral stance as a result of Hillary Clinton’s comments.
This from the Times:
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Mrs. Clinton, who was locked in a running exchange with Senator Barack Obama, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, over the meaning of the legacies of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., tried to make a point about presidential leadership.
“Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Mrs. Clinton said in trying to make the case that her experience should mean more to voters than the uplifting words of Mr. Obama. “It took a president to get it done.”
Quickly realizing that her comments could draw criticism, Mrs. Clinton returned to the subject at a later stop, recalling how Dr. King was beaten and jailed and how he worked with Johnson to pass the landmark law. Clinton advisers said her first remark had not captured what she meant to convey. And they said she would never detract from a movement that has driven her own public service.
Again, see the Georgia list of Obama supporters below. Compare it with the Clinton list here.
Members of Congress
Congressman Sanford Bishop, Georgia State Co-Chair
Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia State Co-Chair
Mayors
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Albany Mayor Willie Adams
Camilla Mayor Mary Jo Haywood
East Point Mayor Joe Macon
Riverdale Mayor Evelyn Wynn Dixon
Washington Mayor Willie Burns
Waycross Mayor John Fluker (Ret.)
State Legislators
State Senator David Adelman
State Senator Gloria Butler, Georgia Women for Obama Co-Chair
State Senator Gail Davenport
State Senator Emanuel Jones
State Senator Ron Ramsey
State Senator Kasim Reed
State Senator Doug Stoner
State Senator Ed Tarver
State Senator Horacena Tate
State Senator Curt Thompson
State Representative Stacey Abrams
State Representative Roger Bruce
State Representative Bob Bryant
State Representative Hardie Davis
State Representative Karla Drenner
State Representative Virgil Fludd
State Representative Gloria Frazier
State Representative Craig Gordon
State Representative Keith Heard
State Representative Lester Jackson
State Representative Celeste Johnson
State Representative Sheila Jones
State Representative Darryl Jordan
State Representative Margaret Kaiser
State Representative Randall Mangham
Former State Representative JoAnn McClinton
State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan
State Representative Howard Mosby
Former State Representative Dorothy Pelote
State Representative Robin Shipp
State Representative Georganna Sinkfield
State Representative Pam Stephenson
State Representative Roberta Abdul Salaam
State Representative Able Mable Thomas
State Representative Brian Thomas
State Representative Stan Watson
Local Elected Officials
Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders
Former Atlanta City Councilmember Michael Julian Bond
Former East Point City Councilmember Eddie Lee Brewster
Dekalb County Superior Court Clerk Linda Carter
Dekalb County Board of Education Member Jesse Jay Cunningham
Dekalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming
Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard
Dekalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson
Dekalb County Tax Commissioner Claudia Lawson
Atlanta City Councilmember C.T. Martin
Dekalb County Commissioner Lee May
Macon City Councilmember Lonnie Miley
Atlanta City Councilmember Caesar Mitchell
Atlanta City Councilmember Felecia Moore
Savannah Alderman Mary Osborne
Albany Mayor Pro-Tem Tommie Postell
Clayton County Commissioner Wole Ralph
Atlanta City Councilmember Joyce Sheperd
Athens-Clarke County Board of Education Member Ovita Thornton
Atlanta City Councilmember Ivory Young
Macon City Councilmember Virgil Watkins Jr.
Dekalb County Board of Education Member Sarah Copelin Wood
Faith Leaders
Rev. Cameron Alexander
Rev. Rudolph Allen
Rev. Jonathan Alvarado
Rev. Dr. Michael Battle
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Carter
Rev. Dr. Gerald Durley
Rev. Jonathan Flakes III
Rev. William Flippin
Rev. Dr. Robert Franklin
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale
Rev. Tony Hunter
Rev. W. Rod Johnson
Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, Obama for America National Voting Rights Chair
Bishop Earl McCloud
Rev. Dr. Lester McCorn
Rev. Timothy McDonald
Rev. James Millner
Rev. Bennie Mitchell
Rev. Hannah Morrison
Rev. Dr. Marvin Moss
Rev. Dr. Anthony Motley
Rev. Dr. Monte Norwood
Rev. Craig Oliver
Rev. James Orange
Rev. Dr. Aaron L. Parker Sr.
Rev. Ezekiel Powers
Rev. Dexter Rowland
Rev. Raleigh Rucker
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Samuels
Rev. Dr. E. Dewey Smith
Rev. Dr. T. Dewitt Smith
Rev. Dan Stevenson
Rev. Scottie Swinney
Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas
Rev. Eric Thomas
Rev. Dr. Thurmond Tillman
Rev. Dr. Matthew Vaughn Johnson
Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian
Rev. Dr. Rafael Warnock
Community, Civic and Business Leaders
Henrietta Antonin
Joe Beasley
Walt Bellamy
Leona Barr-Davenport
Edward Dubose
Helen Butler
Lisa Cunningham-Johnson
Evelyn Gibson Lowery, Georgia Women for Obama Co-Chair
Christopher Goss
Cathy Hampton
Michael Hill
Sheila Maddox
Karol Mason
Vivian Moore
Mary Shy Scott
Sybil Scott
David Schutten
Patricia Wilson-Smith
Hank Stewart
Theresa Walker
A test vote from GOP base territory in Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Republican presidential candidates were in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last night for their rugby scrum, the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee held an impromptu straw poll at its meeting in Paulding County.
Here are the results, as reported by vice chairman Jason Shepherd:
— Mike Huckabee, 10;
— Fred Thompson, 9;
— John McCain, 3;
— Rudy Giuliani, 3;
— Ron Paul, 2;
— Duncan Hunter, 1;
— Mitt Romney, 0.
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