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Friday, February 1, 2008
For Hillary Clinton, this could be the most important Super Bowl of her life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former President Bill Clinton at Kennesaw State University, apologizing for his hoarse voice. He’d spent the day campaigning in his home state of Arkansas.
On Saturday, it’s Alabama and Missouri.
And on Sunday, a campaign spokesman said the former president will watch the Super Bowl in New Mexico with Gov. Bill Richardson — who dropped out of the presidential race last month.
But Richardson, who is Hispanic, remains an important conduit to that community, especially in California and other Western states. The Hispanic vote is extremely important to Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, and could give her the edge she needs to emerge as the front-runner in the Democratic race.
A daughter for Clinton, and a son for Obama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re here at Kennesaw State University, waiting for President Bill Clinton — who’s to speak here in an hour or so at a rally for his wife’s Democratic presidential campaign.
Things are a bit disorganized. The crowd, in some freezing whether, was wrapped around the block, and began filtering in about 6:30 p.m.
But we’ve come across an interesting tidbit. Allison Barnes Salter, the lawyer-daughter of Gov. Roy Barnes, will be introducing the former president.
It gets more interesting. Harlan Barnes, the former governor’s son, this afternoon endorsed Barack Obama.
No wonder the dad — who was a John Edwards man — was so skittish this week when we asked him whether he’d side with either of the two survivors.
Plane crash in North Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re told that a plane crash in North Carolina has resulted in the deaths of several prominent residents of Paulding County, including close friends of House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
See here for details.
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A real whodunnit: The Senate may have just killed the guns-in-parking-lots bill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the blink of an eye, and with no fingerprints, the state Senate may have just deep-sixed H.B. 89, the tortured guns-in-parking-lots bill.
We say “may” because deniability is such an important part of the conspiracy.
Just to review:
You’ll recall that the Senate passed the bill out early this session, to get rid of the legislation that had provoked the state’s business community.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle had promised the National Rifle Association, which backed the measure, a roll call vote. The gun group threatened to make the vote a scorecard issue come the next election.
The NRA got its vote, but not much more. As gutted by the Senate, the bill only slightly broadened an employee’s right to keep a gun in a car parked on a company lot.
The legislation then went to the House, which on Thursday added provisions to expand the places where those with concealed weapons permits can carry their pieces. Churches, parks and such.
The House changes required approval by the Senate, which might have been why the NRA supported them. The amendments gave the gun group yet another chance to get its way in the Senate.
But this morning, seconds after the preacher of the day had finished his sermon, Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour moved that the Senate reject all the changes to the gun bill added by the House.
There wasn’t even a voice vote, and certainly not any roll call documentation shows any Republican in the chamber voting against the bill. There simply was no objection to Balfour’s motion. No fingerprints.
All it took was 17 seconds. Here’s what it sounded like. (You’ll notice that Balfour’s mike was acting up.)
The Senate then shipped its demand to the House. Which insisted on its permission. A conference committee has been formed. Three House members, and three senators.
And gosh, if those lawmakers can’t come to an agreement, the bill stays in limbo until hell freezes over.
Which, we’re told, it will.
Here’s the line that Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson of Savannah posted on his blog: “The first order of business was to disagree to the House’s amendment to the ‘guns in parking lots’ bill. They allowed guns to be concealed and carried in churches. The Senate wanted to run that one by God first. It looks like this delightful little bill will be around for a while.”
House speaker re-aligns, endorses McCain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shortly after losing two votes to place his candidates on the state board of transportation this afternoon, House Speaker Glenn Richardson was able to change the topic.
Richardson, formerly a backer of Rudy Giuliani in the Republican presidential contests, endorsed John McCain.
We’re hearing that future punishment for rebellious House members, who didn’t vote with their leadership on the DOT seats, will not include any committee chairman. Possibly some subcommittee chairs and hawks.
“There has been retribution and that’s very troubling,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said Friday at his weekly press conference.
As for Richardson himself, the lieutenant governor said, “You win some and you lose some…. and I don’t know that he’s won anything yet.”
House Majority Leader Jerry Keen of St. Simons defended his leader. “The House is more concerned with policy than internal politics, and Georgia wins on those issues,” he said.
Because Delta isn’t always ready when they are
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Political columnist Bill Shipp says today’s he’s found an interesting $18 million set aside in the new state budget for the purchase of a new state airplane and helicopter.
This as S.B.290, calling for a smaller state air force, sits in the House.
Just yesterday, the Macon Telegraphed published an excellent piece on who uses state airplanes. It began thusly:
Shortly after the end of last year’s contentious legislative session, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, Gov. Sonny Perdue and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle all headed to St. Simons Island for a meeting.
They used state airplanes to fly from Atlanta to the coast for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors meeting. They all left on the same day, within two hours of each other. They took three separate planes.
The Telegraph found:
Other than a DOT photographer, Perdue logged the most flights of any state official….
Perdue, his wife or a member of his senior staff took 20 airplane flights during the six months examined. Perdue’s helicopter flights from January through the end of November added up to 41 and included a trip to Bibb County to help cut the ribbon on a new bank and a trip to Twiggs County for a distribution center ground-breaking ceremony.
Cagle and his staff ranked second, taking 11 airplane flights and 31 helicopter flights. On March 18, he and his family flew to Dublin, where Cagle delivered a speech, according to his office, which provided an itinerary to go with the basic flight records. Then they headed to to Savannah to appear in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
On March 30, a helicopter left from a state patrol hangar in Kennesaw, landed close to the lieutenant governor’s home in Gainesville then took him and two others to the state Capitol. Cagle took a helicopter home that night, first stopping in Augusta to attend a retirement event for the school board superintendent there. The cost of the flights that day was about $535, according to state patrol records.
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Speaker rebuffed: Mike Evans keeps his DOT seat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 11:30 a.m., at least seven House members thumbed their nose at Speaker Glenn Richardson, by re-electing Mike Evans to his spot as chairman of the state transportation board.
The vote was 13 to 10, with one lawmaker absent. Three armed guards were in the Senate chamber as the vote was taken, just one indication of how hot the discussion has been. Former House member Stacey Reece was finally brought out as the opposition candidate backed by Richardson.
Seventeen House members are part of the 9th Congressional District, and seven senators. Presuming that senators voted as a bloc for Evans, who was also backed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, that means 10 House members stuck by their leader.
We’re told that Richardson conducted a nose count of his members yesterday, and came up with a 12-11 vote in Evans’ favor. Which means one House member was playing fast and loose.
But the vote was secret, so we may never know which one.
Said Evans to the lawmakers afterwards: “It’s been a tough two months, a tough two days for all of you.”
On the last weekend before a primary, you don’t go where you’re most loved
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So here’s the final-days dynamic on the Democratic side: Barack Obama is anxious about his performance in California, and comfortable with his lead in Georgia, so we won’t see him before Tuesday.
The Hillary Clinton campaign is comfortable enough with her lead in California to cut loose one of her prime assets, husband Bill, for two appearances today in Georgia — where she’s running behind, most especially among Georgia.
Bill Clinton’s at Kennesaw State University at 6:30 p.m., then speaks to a Baptist group at 8 p.m. In addition, the Clinton has brought in Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who is African-American and who, the campaign likes to point out, went to law school with Barack Obama. Brown has engagements in Atlanta and Athens today, on Hillary Clinton’s behalf.
Last night, Gordon Giffin, the former U.S. ambassador to Canada and Hillary Clinton’s man in Georgia, said that — of the 10 states with the largest delegates up for grabs on Tuesday — Clinton is ahead in eight. Obama’s ahead in two — Illinois and Georgia.
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