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Monday, June 9, 2008
On Bob Barr: He wins support from the wife of a high-profile fan, and explains the nuances of his new opposition to DOMA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Washington Times today quotes former House majority leader Tom DeLay as saying that it may be “years” before the national Republican party rights itself.
A failure to grasp changes in technology, and a lack of understanding of current campaign finance rules is at the root of the GOP dilemma, he said.
But here’s the kicker: While DeLay said he’ll vote for Republican John McCain in the presidential contest, the man once known as “the Hammer” said his wife will be voting for Bob Barr, the Libertarian.
While we’re on the topic of the former Georgia congressman, the Southern Voice has a detailed article on Barr’s new but nuanced position on the Defense of Marriage Act. He wants a part of it — but only a part of it — repealed.
Said the newspaper:
“Matters of great importance, such as marriage, need to reflect the will of the people, and be resolved within the democratic process,” he said then. “People need to be able to weigh the merits of the opposing arguments, and vote on those merits. They do not deserve — as Americans — to have one side foisted on them by fiat.
“However, that is what social conservatives are also trying to do; and even more inexcusable, they are trying to do it using the Constitution as a hammer,” Barr added.
“To be clear, I am absolutely not a supporter of granting marriage rights for same-sex couples any sort of legal recognition, which makes my decision to oppose the FMA all the harder. I do not enjoy opposing people who I agree with in substance on matters of process. Yet, the Constitution is worth that lonely stand,” he said.
Photo credit: Bloomberg News
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House appropriations says he’s sorry — for remaining mum on DUI arrest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Augusta) apologized to his constituents about remaining silent during a year-long dealings over a DUI arrest.
According to the Augusta Chronicle, Harbin “stopped short of offering any details as to what happened.”
But Harbin admitted that he had been wrong not to publicly address the May 2007 incident. Wrote the newspaper:
In the days after his arrest in a single-car wreck in Atlanta, Mr. Harbin said, he was urged by friends and supporters to “aggressively engage the media” to protect himself from political fallout.
He chose instead to stay silent to “allow the legal process to run its course” and avoid any appearance of trying to manipulate the case.
“Well, they say hindsight is 20/20, and unfortunately, I made the wrong choice,” he wrote. “Here we are a year later, and the legal process has yet to be finished.”
Mr. Harbin wrote that he has never used his position as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to postpone activity in the case.
“It is crazy to think that I would put myself, moreover, my family, under this dark cloud for an entire year by choice,” he wrote. “I have always accepted responsibility for my actions, and this issue is no different.”
He said he remains eager to settle the matter in court.
This is the second time in the last few days that a House Republican leader has addressed a long-standing set of circumstances that, in another political climate, might otherwise have been ignored.
Over the weekend, House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) let it be known that he’s no longer with the Facilities Group, a company whose top executives — Ehrhart not among them — are under federal indictment for allegedly corrupting a Mississippi official.
Ehrhart is opposed in the July 15 primary by Tammy Bailey Rohner, a 40-year-old real estate broker. Harbin is opposed by Lee Benedict, a 40-year-old educator. Normally, both opponents might be described as “token.” But apparently, these two powerful Republican incumbents are taking no chances.
Photo of Ben Harbin (right) by Ben Gray/AJC
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Thoughts on race from a candidate for the U.S. Senate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This morning, Dick Pettys of InsiderAdvantage has the most fulsome account of DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones’ thoughts on the role of race in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, made Sunday afternoon during a candidate forum.
Much of the forum, which included five Democrats and Libertarian Allen Buckley, was focused on the role of money in political campaigns.
Wrote Pettys:
The debate had been pretty routine until the closing moments, when Jones raised the race question and, in so doing, took a jab at a favorite target - some elements of the Atlanta media.
“… I do want to call on some of those in the media because they’ve offended some of my supporters and some of my friends, both black and white, when they write in the newspaper that … Vernon’s depending on the black vote in order to win - as if black people can’t make intelligent decisions.
“Black people have been voting for white candidates for years. There’s a history of voting for white candidates. If you’re voting for me because I’m black, then don’t. If you think I’m the best person for the job, then do so.”
Jones went on to say that the media never says that white candidates are counting on the white vote and that it is the media which “has really created this frenzy on race. We’re all one. We’re one Georgia. Let’s not get divided by those using race.”
Joblessness, homelessness and a lack of healthcare are conditions that are colorblind, he said. “So it’s not about color. It’s about uniting America.”
With past Democratic primaries split between black and white voters, nearly 50-50, the victor of the primary fight is likely to be the candidate who can put together sufficient amounts of both.
Crossover appeal will be important, particularly in a run-off. Possibly, the topic has jumped up a time or two in this space, particularly in the case of Jim Martin, one of Jones’ four rivals in the Democrat primary.
Martin, who is white, has had some trouble getting endorsements from African-American political leaders, though Martin thinks that, in the end, he’ll do well among black voters.
Photo of Vernon Jones (right) and other U.S. Senate candidates at Sunday’s forum by Hyosub Shin/AJC
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$4-a-gallon gas hits rural Georgia hardest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The New York Times has an interactive graphic this morning that shows where high gasoline prices costing Americans the most, in terms of percentage of income.
Nowhere does Georgia fare well, but rural portions of the state are hit hardest. Fuel purchases in the familiar swath from Augusta to Columbus are eating up 10 to 16 percent of paychecks. With a little dot that’s probably Tifton thrown in for good measure.
