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Monday, March 17, 2008
Nothing like an over-active neural synapse to turn an election on its head
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Drew Westen, the Emory University professor of psychology/psychiatry turned political consultant, has a piece in the New Republic in which he says Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are handing John McCain a gift beyond measure.
Says Westen:
“With their nomination process in suspended animation, the Democrats are in danger of employing the best strategy for losing in November: Waiting until the Democratic primary contest is over to start a full-fledged branding campaign against the presumptive Republican nominee.
Not only is this stupid on a strategic level, but it makes no sense neurologically, he says. Really. Westen writes:
”Much of our brain consists of networks of associations — thoughts, images, ideas, memories, and emotions — that become connected with each other over time, so that activating one part of a network activates the rest (including the gut-level feelings associated with a candidate that ‘summarize’ voters’ judgments about the candidate and are among the best predictors in the voting booth). The more times a network is activated, the harder it is to change, for reasons both physiological and psychological….
“That means that the more times voters hear John McCain described as a war hero and a strong potential commander-in-chief — instead of, for example, a man with such poor judgment on national security that he would support an endless continuation of an ill-fated war much like the one he suffered through despite his own personal experience — the harder it will be to deactivate that network and inhibit those neural links.”
Westen calls on Democrats to unleash their 527s while Obama and Clinton mop things up.
Don’t think of them as lobbyists. Think of them as matchmakers with an agenda
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Love was in the air this Valentine’s Day at the state Capitol. But not just between lawmakers and their spouses. Political relationships are more complicated that that. This was a kind of affection shared by lawmakers, their spouses — and their lobbyist friends.
More than a dozen lawmakers went out for dinner with their wives last Feb. 14 on a lobbyist’s tab, according to our AJC colleague James Salzer. The monthly reports of spending filed by lobbyists only recently came due.
Roger Lane, longtime lobbyist for the Georgia Oilmen’s Association, declared he spent a little over $1,000 taking out state Reps. Jay Shaw (D-Lakeland), Johnny Floyd (R-Cordele), Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville), Mark Williams (R-Jesup) and Larry O’Neal (R-Bonaire) and their significant others.
Car dealer lobbyist William Morie spent about $600 to wine and dine state Reps. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain), Donna Sheldon (R-Dacula) and Katie Dempsey (R-Rome) and their spouses.
Lobbyists representing Georgia Power and Georgia Natural Gas picked up a dinner bill of almost $600 for Reps. Gene Maddox (R-Cairo), Jim Cole (R-Forsyth), Jimmy Pruett (R-Eastman), Butch Parrish (R-Swainsboro) and Mickey Channell (R-Greensboro) and their wives.
Another Georgia Power lobbyist paid $143.98 on Valentine’s Day to take out Rep. Tom McCall (R-Elberton) and his wife.
Others lobbyists gave lawmakers and staffers a group hug on Valentine’s Day. Salzer reports that the lobbying firm run by former secretary of state Lewis Massey and GOP activist Bruce Bowers doled out about $950 to pay for meals of lawmakers and legislative staffers on Valentine’s Day.
Steven Neff, who lobbies for libraries and assisted living facilities, among others, spent almost $900 on lunches for the secretaries of senators.
Chuck McMullen, who represents the people who make Budweiser, Grady Memorial Hospital and private prisons, came through with more than $900 for meals for the Senate Republican Caucus and the Senate Appropriations Committee — plus their staff.
Private prisons and Grady have tens of millions of dollars at stake in the budget.
But there’s always a cheap date or two on Valentine’s Day, and poultry lobbyist Abit Massey, father of Lewis, found one. He spent a grand total of $3.51 to buy lunch for Rep. Bob Lane (R-Statesboro). Alas, Lane apparently dined alone. Except for the lobbyist.
Porter: Democrats will insist on cash for mass transit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
House Democrats will insist that a measure to allow residents of metro Atlanta and offer regions to vote on a penny sales tax for transportation permit some of the cash to be used for rail.
That’s what House Minority Leader DuBose Porter said Monday at a rally for mass transit proponents at the state Capitol.
“We cannot pave our way out of gridlock. This is someone from rural Georgia talking,” Porter said. “If people are going to vote to tax themselves, we’re going to make sure they have the option of mass transit.”
House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) at Monday’s rally
As a constitutional amendment, S.R. 845 would require a two-thirds majority, which should Democrats in the House and Senate a say in the final shape of the legislation — especially if Republicans split on the taxation aspects of the bill.
In metro Atlanta, a penny sales tax would raise an estimated $632 million a year. But in less populated areas of the state, the cash that could be gained by a sales tax might not be worth the trouble of counties banding together to apply it.
Porter also acknowledged the measure will have a tough time passing the House — unless it includes some incentives for rural Georgia.
Porter advocates taking a one percent sales tax that sends about $150 million into the state’s general fund, and putting it toward transportation projects for areas outside metro Atlanta. (Another three pennies on every dollar of gasoline already go toward transportation.)
Neill Herring, a Sierra Club lobbyist and longtime Capitol observer, agrees that some inducements must be dangled before rural lawmakers will buy into S.R. 845. “This is an Atlanta bill, and it looks like an Atlanta bill,” Herring said.
Tornado blowback puts the brakes on budget talks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our AJC colleague James Salzer says the Friday night tornado that raked downtown Atlanta has stalled budget negotiations in the state Capitol — because lawmakers aren’t sure what the state will need to fix the Georgia World Congress Center.
“We’re going to have to change things because of the storm,” said House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans).
Gov. Sonny Perdue inspects damage at the Georgia World Congress Center. Jessica McGowan/AJC
The storms made worse a set of already unpleasant budget discussions.
Lawmakers were thrown a curve last week by Gov. Sonny Perdue, who — citing hard economic times and falling tax revenue — lowered the revenue estimate and forced an additional $310 million in spending cuts in the mid-year and fiscal 2009 budgets.
And House and Senate negotiators haven’t been able to agree on a $300 million mid-year spending plan to tide the state over through June 30.
Harbin said legislative leaders hope to find out by the end of the day how much money the state will have to come up with to fix the damaged convention facility and as well as for other tornado-related expenses.
Chambliss announces, and Martin has yet to join the race — but he may be looking for work
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, and Saxby Chambliss is down in Moultrie as we tap this out, formally announcing his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate. As if he intended to spend his $4.4 million anywhere else.
But contrary to what we suggested might happen, Atlanta attorney Jim Martin will not jump into the U.S. Senate race today and join the five other Democratic candidates. He’s still mulling things over, we’re told.
On the other hand, Martin has quit his day job. When we called him at his office, we were told that last Friday was his final day at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.
