Political Insider

By catlady

July 18, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this

Both men have real ethics problems.

By Just Wondering

July 19, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this

Dear Catlady,

Do you care to explain?

By TK

July 19, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this

Copied from the peachpundit. Hope the link works.

http://www.peachpundit.com/2008/07/18/ralston-v-richardson/

The post has a lot going for it — especially the brevity.

Even you boys should know Ralston’s history. Check out the AJC from April 29:

“Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) has been hit with multiple state and federal tax liens while holding office. This month, Ralston paid the state $11,819 to settle delinquent 2006 personal income taxes, plus interest and penalties.

In 2003, after the state threatened garnishment, Ralston paid another $36,880 in personal state income tax, plus interest and penalties, for 1999-2001.

The IRS also came knocking on Ralston’s door. In 2007, Ralston paid the federal government $400,961 to cover delinquent personal income taxes, plus interest and penalties, covering a period from 1996 to 2005, according to documents filed in Fannin County Superior Court. He paid another $32,906 in federal withholding and Social Security taxes for his employees in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Ralston, who has a law practice, said the back taxes stemmed from a dishonest bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to embezzling from him.

‘We have gone on and worked hard to get caught up,’ Ralston said. ‘People in public office are not immune to the problems that other people have. Ours just make the news.’”

And yes, the article was about Democrats too. Finally, Ralston was up for US Attorney in 2001. My guess is his taxes had something to do with him not getting appointed.

By Glenn Richardson

July 19, 2008 10:12 PM | Link to this

David,

Hope you like the view from the back seats when you get your clock cleaned in your attempt to unseat the speaker. Your constituents are about to find out what a guy with no power can deliver them - - nothing.

By SpaceyG

July 20, 2008 1:51 PM | Link to this

Can we get a moderator here? Did you check to make sure that someone posting as Glenn Richardson here really IS Glenn Richardson? I seriously doubt that’s The ‘Stash. Big Political Cheeses rarely take a moment to blog scorn. That’s typically left up to the little people on blogs ([myself] (http://mostlymedia.wordpress.com/)often included). And of course anonymous posters at Peach Pundit do it all the time.

By SpaceyG

July 20, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this

Come on AJC, can’t you guys come up with a better way for your audience/commenteers to use hyperlinks than all that parens thingee we have to muck about with? (Double parens cancel each other out apparently.) Jeez…

As people get more and more sophisticated with their blogging techniques, they’ll move on to other user-friendly sites in a connectivity-heartbeat if they can’t drive-thru, link, and move on. They’ll just go right to the move-on part of this equation, not even stopping by and waiting around to leave their, uh, linked morsels.

By Glenn Richardson

July 20, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this

To StaceyG…. Of Course I am not Glenn Richardson. It is called satire. You are just not the sharpest tool in the woodshed are you? Regardless, there is great truth concerning David’s future.

By Just The Facts

July 21, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this

Al Burris

Dubose Porter

Larry Walker

Question: Name three guys who tried to overturn an existing speakers who all thought they had the votes to do so.

By ATL

July 21, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this

Any chance we can get a Democrat to run in this District? That may be the only way to fix the General Assembly.

By Paulding Voter

July 21, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this

No way you can get a Democrate to run in this district he would be crushed. Also any Republican running aganist Glenn would be crushed. We support Glenn here in his district. Because he care about us the taxpayers of Georgia.

By Mrs. RepubLady

July 21, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this

Paulding voter is right! Who do you people think you are, trying to get all democratic? Next thing you’ll be telling us is that there should be a CHOICE on the ballot. HA! Republicans rule and that’s that. Shut up and go home, loser democrats. Wanting to run a candidate is UNAMERICAN. Offering a choice makes you a traitor! Why do you hate the troops?

Paulding voters know best anyway. Paulding: home of the smartest of the smart. Our test scores prove it.

By Georgia Values

July 21, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this

Glen sure supports his Georgia Power mistress, how much do you think that cost Georgia taxpayers?

By Georgia Values

July 21, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this

Editorial out of the Morris owned Athens paper, looks like Billy is mad about the Flemming mess:::::::::::Some of the best political news of the past several days has nothing to do with last week’s round of primary elections, but with the sitting speaker of the state House of Representatives, who has no opposition in this year’s November general election in his home district - but will have opposition in his bid to continue in the speaker’s post.

According to media reports late last week, Richardson, R-Hiram - who has autocratically and arrogantly “led” the state House for four years now - will have opposition when the House Republican caucus convenes in November to decide who the party will put up for the position against a Democratic nominee for the post, upon which House legislators will vote when the Georgia General Assembly convenes in January. Because the House is majority Republican, the GOP nominee is a cinch to take the speaker’s gavel.

Rep. David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who served in the state Senate from 1992-98 and now is in his third term in the House, announced Friday that he would challenge Richardson for the post, and a number of Republican House members, including Barrow County Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, and Jackson County Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, have indicated they’ll support Ralston’s bid.

Richardson is richly deserving of a challenge. A disruptive force in the state legislature often at odds with members of his own party, Richardson is the very model of the self-serving politician who sees absolutely nothing wrong with the largess heaped on legislators by lobbyists in the form of meals, concert and sports tickets during the legislative session.

Last year, reacting to news that lawmakers got $931,000 in lobbyist gifts during the 2007 legislative session - an average of $3,944 per legislator, at $60.69 per legislative day - Richardson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “One of the things that amazes me is people’s criticism of us going to dinner or entertaining - as if that was something wrong. Having wine and dinner is what business is made of. … (P)eople want time with me.”

Also during the 2007 session, Richardson moved to make it harder for the media to cover the activities of the legislative session, instituting a rule that ended a long-standing practice under which reporters could come onto the House floor briefly, to ask a representative for an interview outside the House chamber.

While it’s too early to assess how Ralston might perform as speaker, there can be no doubt that whatever he might do if elected to the post, he’d have to clear a pretty high bar to be more arrogant and out of touch with what a public servant should be than Richardson. And, the fact that Ralston’s bid is getting some support already is an indication that rank-and-file House members - particularly those who now are putting their political futures and their success as lawmakers on the line in coming out against the still-powerful sitting speaker - recognize that his antics reflect what should be bygone days in Georgia’s statehouse.

As this year’s November general election approaches, voters ought to establish a litmus test for Republican candidates for the state House, and any Republican House incumbent or challenger not willing to oust Richardson from the speaker’s post should be summarily rejected at the ballot box.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 072108

By Lisa T

July 21, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this

The speaker’s spokesperson says it all: he is focused on politics, not the public interest.