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Friday, August 1, 2008
Westmoreland at the front of GOP’s lights-out revolt in D.C.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), whose rabble-rousing dates back to his legislative days in Atlanta, was at it again this afternoon, leading the lights-out revolt of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell) also participated in the uprising.
Click here for a full account in The Hill. But this is the gist:
The microphones are off, the C-SPAN cameras are no longer running in the House chamber, but all is not silent as a group of House Republicans has stayed behind to continue to speak about energy issues.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) began the protest, which included about 20 GOPers who chose not to make the traditional mad dash for the airport following adjournment. Instead, they gave speeches on the empty floor to protest that Congress went into recess and to raise awareness of what they say is an unwillingness by Democrats to take up legislation to deal with the nation’s energy crisis.
“There were about 40 people lined up to speak, and Democrats adjourned to keep us from doing the special orders,” Westmoreland said. “I was looking around and trying to figure out what we were going to do and just decided to go down to the well and started talking to the people in the galleries.”
…. Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), chalked the display up to politics. At one point the lights went off but were later turned back on. The microphones were also eventually turned on, according to staff present. In addition, the Capitol Police tried to shut down the press gallery at one point but [U.S. Rep. John] Shadegg ensured that it remained open.
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Eric Johnson announces for lieutenant governor — and gets a raspberry from Cobb County Republicans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The lieutenant governor campaign of Eric Johnson got off to an inauspicious start last night, with a slapdown by fellow Republicans in Cobb County.
(TWO UPDATES ON THIS POST BELOW: COMMENTS FROM ERIC JOHNSON, AND EXCERPTS FROM THE RESOLUTION.)
The day began well enough, with an announcement that the Senate president pro tem e-mailed to friends and fellow senators:
“After two months of personal reflection, family discussions, and consulting with friends and activists across this great state, I have made an important decision. If Casey [Cagle] runs for Governor, I will run for Lieutenant Governor…
”I will serve out the remainder of my term as the President Pro Tem and then focus my final two years in the Senate on my district, my campaign, and presenting solutions to the challenges that threaten our state’s future prosperity.”
But Republicans in Cobb had noticed that in May, Johnson donated a total of $4,600 to state Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, a Democrat from Austell.
Morgan was unopposed in her primary, and faces Republican Chris Cooper of Powder Springs in November. Cooper’s chances are slim, but many GOPers in Cobb still took umbrage.
On Thursday night, during a meeting held at Marietta City Hall, the county GOP passed a resolution that endorsed Cooper — and rebuked Johnson for his support of an enemy combatant. This was confirmed Friday by Scott Johnson, the county chairman, who temporarily relinquished his position to argue against the slap at Eric Johnson.
“Senator Johnson had explained to me that he had done this for a specific reason. It was about policy, not politics. She’s a strong supporter in the House of school vouchers,” Scott Johnson said.
Morgan’s husband, David L. Morgan, is the state director for a political action committee called All Children Matter, which advocates school choice. (David Morgan is also a candidate for Cobb County school board, having defeated Democratic incumbent Betty Gray in the July primary.)
School choice apparently will be a major issue in Eric Johnson’s campaign — see this post from yesterday — and the senator told the Cobb County chairman that bridges must be built with Democrats if he’s to succeed.
Scott Johnson also pointed out that the Savannah senator — the two are not related — has given cash to many Republican candidates in the county, including state Reps. Steve “Thunder” Tumlin of Marietta and Rich Golick of Smyrna.
The Thursday night vote was close — 48 to 40, the chairman reported. Unfortunately, Scott Johnson said only one copy of the resolution exists, and he had already given it over to the recording secretary. So the above account will have to suffice.
UPDATE NO. 1: Click here to see a copy of the resolution. In part, the document reads:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Cobb County Republican Party repudiate the implied endorsement of Morgan by Senator Eric Johnson and urge all Republican candidates (both in office and running for office) to support the candidacy of our Republican nominee Chris Cooper against this liberal Democrat; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senator Eric Johnson be rebuked and admonished for lending material financial support to liberal Democrats against the nominees of the Republican Party and reminded that his leadership role is a position of trust conferred upon him by the Senate Republican Caucus; and…
UPDATE No. 2: Late this afternoon, Eric Johnson sent out an e-mail that included the following:
“My bipartisan approach to helping children in failing schools seems to have led some to question why I recently made contributions to a targeted few Democrats. That’s a fair question.
“However, I believe that, by doing so, we help accomplish one of our long standing conservative goals - allowing parents the freedom to choose how and where their children are educated instead of the government. The Democrats I have supported are helping make school choice a reality. Importantly, they also live in districts that are beyond the reach of a Republican challenger.
“I have worked with you for years to build our party. You know that I will never do anything to threaten our majority, but I will always work to accomplish our agenda.
“Once again, I have raised and contributed over $1 million to Republicans during our transition from minority to majority party. Anyone who would attack my efforts to reach across party lines and help children in failing public schools is simply playing politics with an issue that transcends us all. I hope you will join with us.”
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The Democratic dog that didn’t bark
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes the news is what doesn’t happen. CQ Politics this afternoon posted an article on the Democratic additions to the list of U.S. House candidates who will be getting concentrated help in their challenges against Republican incumbents.
Wrote CQ:
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is adding six Democratic challengers to its “Red to Blue” program in hopes of boosting their candidacies and expanding the electoral playing field.
One seat is in Louisiana, one in Nevada, one in Ohio, one in Pennsylvania, and two in Virginia. But none in Georgia.
That’s bad news for Democrat Bobby Saxon, who has been hoping for more Washington attention in his attempt to oust U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens). And it might say something more about what Democrats think — for now — of their true chances in Georgia when it comes to electoral votes.
Update: After this was posted, a frustrated Saxon called in to say that he looked at those six districts added to Democratic prospects — and said that the only difference was the fact that those challengers had raised more than $100,000.
“I think they have to look past the money and see what’s on the ground,” he said. “This district is so much at play.”
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A special session of the Legislature just got less interesting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It looks like Republicans in the Senate have reached an agreement among themselves to avoid open warfare.
Less than a week after announcing that he would run for Senate president pro tem, the No. 2 position in the chamber, state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh has sent an e-mail to his colleagues.
”In discussing the roles in which we can best serve our caucus and ultimately the people of Georgia, my passion and my experience is best suited by again serving as our caucus whip, provided of course that the caucus would allow me the opportunity to again serve,” he says in an e-mail, according to Peach Pundit.
Seabaugh’s ambition was built on the notion that the current Senate president pro tem, Eric Johnson of Savannah, would run for lieutenant governor. This, it seems, still holds.
By bowing out of the pro tem race, Seabaugh leaves the field to Tommie Williams of Lyons, now the Senate majority leader. Speculation is that Chip Rogers would move into the majority leader spot.
This leaves state Capitol hounds with only the race for House speaker to keep the blood flowing.
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