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August 2008
Is Gustav a Republican or a Democrat?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That’s the question asked on Beliefnet.com, a God-oriented blog.
This by Steven Waldman, the editor-in-chief:
For those who believe that God changes the weather to shape events, it might have seemed that He was favoring the Democrats when He ignored the prayer requests of those who beseeched him to rain on Barack Obama’s Invesco field speech.
At first, religious progressives saw Hurricane Gustav as a second Democratic endorsement, forcing a delay in the convention and reminding the world of one of George W. Bush’s greatest failures.
But no! As soon as I heard that Bush was cancelling his appearance at the convention, the Lord’s mysterious ways became clear. I’m sure McCain really didn’t want Bush to appear but couldn’t be so unpatriotic as to not invite the president. Now McCain gets to have less Bush at the convention, without seeming rude.
Meanwhile, on the jump is the press release from GOP convention organizers, announcing a reduced convention schedule.
RNC CHAIRMAN, CO-CHAIR ANNOUNCE CHANGES TO NATIONAL CONVENTION, HURRICANE RESPONSE
MINNEAPOLIS - Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan and RNC Co-Chairman/Committee on Arrangements Chairman Jo Ann Davidson announced changes to the 2008 Republican National Convention schedule and activities due to Hurricane Gustav.
Tomorrow, all activities except for the official required business of the convention will be cancelled. The Committee will convene at 2:30 p.m. CDT to conduct this business as required by the Rules of the Republican Party, which state that the convention must proceed in order to ensure that the Party is able to place John McCain and Sarah Palin’s names on the ballot in November. On November 9, 2007, the RNC issued the 2008 Call for the Convention. The Call for the Convention requires the 2008 Republican National Convention to meet on Sept. 1, 2008 in order to select the Party’s President and Vice President.
“The safety and well-being of the people of the Gulf States remains our top concern. We are doing everything we can on the ground in Minneapolis-Saint Paul to ensure that the delegations affected by this storm have the resources and information that they need. As Senator McCain said this morning, we must redirect our attention and efforts. Our first priority is to help our fellow citizens in need,” Duncan said.
Additional information will be provided as events develop.
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Signs of an uptick in the fortunes of Georgia Democrats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since June, the Barack Obama campaign has spoken of Georgia as a prize within its grasp — if not low-hanging fruit, then at least a plum within tiptoe reach.
As a measure of their intentions, Obamites rattle off the number of county offices established throughout the state. Thirty-one, as of this writing.
Republicans scoff. Gov. Sonny Perdue last week portrayed his state as a powerful black hole of GOP influence, and invited Obama to send “millions and millions of dollars” here, so that Georgia might soak up each and every one.
But beyond those 31 leases that Obama supporters have signed for office space, there is evidence that Democrats, after a six-year sojourn in the wilderness, could be on their way back.
This spring, Democrats here and in Washington had to poke, prod and entice Atlanta attorney Jim Martin into the U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. The only Democrat with statewide credentials joined the race a mere eight months before the November vote.
By comparison, David Poythress might be called a leading market indicator. With two years to spare, the retired adjutant general and commander of the Georgia National Guard has declared the 2010 Democratic nomination for governor to be a prize worth the investment.
Poythress, 64, announced his candidacy last week. Other Democrats, including House Minority Leader DuBose Porter of Dublin, have expressed interest as well.
Politically, the 2010 race for governor is more important to Democrats than a seat in the Senate. With little chance of winning back either chamber in the state Legislature, the Governor’s Mansion is their only chance of a place at the table when — following the 2010 national census — the state’s all-important political boundaries are redrawn.
Poythress is particularly interesting because he fits the Democratic ideal of a statewide candidate in a post-9/11 world, as established by U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon — who is white, relatively conservative, and brimming with military experience.
This is Poythress’ second try for governor, having lost a primary race in 1998. He’s served as both state labor commissioner and secretary of state.
Appropriately, Poythress draws no connection between his chances and those of the Democratic presidential candidate this year. Like Marshall, who skipped the convention in Denver, Poythress is indifferent to the Obama surge — at least in public.
“Georgia is and always has been fundamentally conservative. It is not fundamentally Republican. Conservative voters in Georgia vote their own mind,” he said in an interview. “I think given the opportunity to vote for a relatively conservative — certainly fiscally conservative, social moderate — with a proven track record, they’ll take it.”
Poythress intends to run against the Republican gridlock that has built in the state Capitol over the last two years. “People who are politically attuned, people who are not politically attuned, say pretty much the same thing. They are not satisfied with what they are getting in the way of state government,” he said.
Transportation, education, and water will be his top issues.
The retired general has been trolling among dissatisfied business leaders. “The feedback is that they’re looking for something that they don’t yet see. Well, hopefully, they see it now,” he said.
Photo credit: David Poythress, by the Associated Press
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Greetings from Minnesota
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Minneapolis— Part two of the great political road trip of 2008 continues today in Minneapolis. That’s right, Minneapolis.
The Georgia delegation to the Republican National Convention is staying at a hotel in Minneapolis itself. And while the convention will take place at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, expect to see quite a few datelines from Minneapolis as well.
Appearances by Georgians on the podium of the Republican convention podium may not match the Democratic meeting in Denver — where prime slots were reserved for Jimmy Carter, John Lewis and two King children, among others.
Right now, the only two Georgians scheduled to speak to the entire Republican body are Rick Goddard, a retired Air Force general and a candidate for Congress and the Rev. Robert Certain of Marietta. Goddard speaks Monday; Certain on Tuesday.
Goddard, from Warner Robins, is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon for the central Georgia congressional seat.
Otherwise, Republicans have quite a line-up set for daily events at the Doubletree, where we’re all staying.
An early schedule features speeches or remarks from pollster Frank Luntz on Monday and oilman-turned-wind-power advocate T. Boone Pickens on Thursday. In between, state party leaders such as Secretary of State Karen Handel, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, House Speaker Glenn Richardson, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Gov. Sonny Perdue are all expected to address their fellow Georgians.
Things kick-off tonight with a welcome reception at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Shuttles leave from the lobby. Y’all come!
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The story of Sarah Palin and her brother-in-law, the trooper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s Washington Post has the first extended take — at least in the lower 48 — of that investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin, now the GOP vice presidential nominee, pressured her underlings to fire an Alaskan state trooper who was married to her sister.
Writes the Post:
The trouble between Wooten and the governor’s sister broke into the open after an alleged incident in February 2005. Palin told an internal affairs investigator that she overheard on a speakerphone [trooper Michael] Wooten arguing with her sister and threatening to kill their father. Fearful for her family members’ lives, Palin said she drove to her sister’s house and watched the argument through a window.
“Wooten’s words were, ‘I will kill him. He’ll eat a [expletive] lead bullet, I’ll shoot him,’ if our father got the attorney to help Molly,” Palin said in an e-mail she wrote in August 2005 to the chief of the state police. “I heard this death threat, my 16-year-old son heard it (Track Palin), Molly heard it, as did their small children. Wooten spoke with his Trooper gun on his hip in an extremely intimidating fashion, leaving no doubt he is serious about taking someone’s life who disagrees with him.”
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So what’s Alaska? Roughly speaking, it’s Cobb County without Kennesaw
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, the editorial boys over at the Marietta Daily Journal had this snippet:
A population comparison: Alaska has 683,478 people. Delaware 864,764 and Cobb County 691,905.
Alaska, of course, is home to the new Republican candidate for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin. Delaware is the stomping grounds of U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, who holds the No. 2 position on the Democratic ticket.
And Cobb County is home to Commission Chairman Sam Olens, who’s pondering a run for governor of Georgia. But who also may be wondering why he’s thinking so small.
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For an extra $5K, he’ll take off his shoes and show his feet of clay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scandal does have an upside.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that, since he confessed to cheating on his wife, the former Democratic presidential candidate’s speech-making fees have gone up.
Says the newspaper:
Edwards is due to speak at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Oct. 14. The agent for the former North Carolina senator has told the university student group organizing the event that Edwards is looking to add to his speaking calendar and that he’s charging more, said university spokeswoman Robin Kaler.
Edwards is to speak on “The American Dream,” Kaler said. Tickets are free, but the student group is paying him $65,000.
In 2006, the University of California-Davis paid him $55,000 to speak about poverty.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Edwards first speaking engagement since the scandal broke will be at Hofstra University in New York on Sept. 8.
“But his wife Elizabeth has canceled what was to be a joint appearance,” the article adds.
Photo credit: Associated Press
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Cagle and Handel make what could be opening moves in the 2010 race for governor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You know that when the unofficial campaign spots begin to appear, the real TV ads can’t be far behind.
Not by coincidence, two Republicans kicking the tires on a race for governor in 2010 — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Karen Handel — launched good-government programs this week.
Let’s first take Cagle, who is expected to file the paperwork for his campaign next week. His new pet program is intended to sniff out waste in state government.
The lieutenant governor has created a web site, www.cutwaste.org, that promises confidentiality to those who report bosses who don’t show up until 11 a.m., or workers who use state cars to conduct personal business.
The campaign comes with its own public service ad, which features Cagle. Excellent for name recognition purposes. See it below.
Now, you’ll remember that back in 2004, Secretary of State Cathy Cox was prepping for a Democratic run for governor. And she just happened to make herself the star of a $3 million prime-time TV advertising campaign that warned Georgia’s elderly about scamsters after their retirement money.
The money came from a court settlement of a lawsuit against investment firms, but Cox was roundly criticized for using public money to increase her presence in the minds of voters.
Interestingly, the announcement of Cagle’s effort contained this:
“These advertisements are funded exclusively by voluntary donations from private citizens and businesses. They will continue running for the remainder of this year, in an effort to identify new ways for state and local governments to save funds in the face of severe budget shortfalls. “
Handel’s efforts are more modest. She, too, has a web site. But no television presence.
She has launched a “transparency in government” program on the Internet, which she says will permit citizens to track every dollar spent by her department, and every dollar in campaign contributions she accepts.
“Responsible fiscal management begins with a commitment to transparency and accountability,” Handel said. “Georgia taxpayers deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent, and I am pleased to provide them with that information.”
But one can also look at this web site and see a future candidate for governor. Again, Cathy Cox, Handel’s Democratic predecessor, is the reason.
Cox entered the 2006 Democratic primary at a financial disadvantage, in part because she took her duties as supervisor of state elections seriously, and curtailed her fund-raising until she fell seriously behind Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor.
Handel’s web site may be serving notice that she doesn’t intend to follow Cox’s example, but also knows that, as guardian of the state’s voting process, she’ll need to keep everything above board.
Photo credit: Kimberly Smith/AJC
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Blogwatch: ‘Dan Quayle was more qualified’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amy Morton, the Democratic blogger from Macon, just called from Denver, where she’s still kicking around.
Morton said she polled Democratic women in the lobby as they were checking out about Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate.
Morton said McCain’s mistaken if he thinks he can lure Hillary Clinton supporters and satisfy his Christian conservative base with a single choice.
The title of her post : “Dan Quayle was more qualified.”
With this choice, McCain stuck a pacifier in the mouth of his party’s most radical factions and demonstrated a profound misunderstanding of what female voters value.
Women I have spoken to in Denver, many who were Clintonites, have said McCain’s choice is flatly insulting to women. It’s the first thing out of their mouth.
The second thing they say is what poor judgment McCain has shown with this pick. In her speech, Palin was giving her resume, highlighting her run for city council and Mayor of a city of 8,500. So, that’s like Gray or Forsyth.
That said, another prominent Georgia Democrat called close on the heels of Morton. Republicans, he noted, go for unusual vice presidential picks every generation or so.
Twenty years ago it was Quayle. Twenty years before that it was Spiro Agnew.
And while one became the butt of jokes and the other barely escaped prison, they do have one thing in common, he noted. Both Quayle and Agnew were on winning tickets.
Here’s one other thought. You know that Republicans in the Senate are nervous about their prospects, and there’s genuine worry that Democrats could reach the critical 60-senator threshold.
One of the races where Republicans are in trouble is right there in Alaska. U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who is under indictment for failing to report some sizeable gifts, easily won his primary this week, but faces a tough November in the form of Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
Now, as governor, Palin has proven to be no friend of Stevens. She killed the famous “Bridge to Nowhere,” which the senator backed, and has urged him to come clean about his conflicts of interest.
That said, Palin on the ticket could goose GOP turnout in Alaska, and possibly pull Stevens’ chestnuts out of the fire. And the much-feared, anti-GOP avalanche would be one senator lighter.
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Behind a vice-presidential rumor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the end, the Georgia feint toward Mitt Romney didn’t cost John McCain a dime.
The calls started flying first thing Thursday morning. A Georgia printer had received an order for 10,000 bumper-stickers to be shipped immediately to Minnesota, with the message “McCain-Romney.”
Now, here’s the tricky part. The McCain campaign obviously wanted the word out. Yet political printers operate under a code of silence. No candidate wants an opponent to find out how many yard signs he’s just ordered.
But Republicans talk, as Democrats do. So word leaked, and the GOP rumor mill churned through the day, as was intended.
The McCain campaign, we’re told, canceled the order last night. No money ever changed hands, and the bumper-stickers were never printed. But if they had been, the cost would have — say, at 18 cents per — amounted under $2,000 plus shipping.
That’s not too high a price for keeping the lid on your real vice presidential choice.
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McCain confirms: He’ll run with Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain has just formally confirmed that he’s picked Sarah Palin, the gun-totin’ first-term governor of Alaska, as his running mate.
So McCain has bet the farm on wooing Hillary Clinton voters away from Democratic rival Barack Obama. And, in a way, the New York senator will get her wish. This November election will be all about her.
Here’s Palin’s official biography from the Alaska state web site.
Five kids, one headed for Iraq. Fervently pro-life, but there’s this Wikipedia paragraph:
Palin’s first veto was used to block legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to gay state employees and their partners. In effect, her veto granted State of Alaska benefits to same-sex couples. The veto occurred after Palin consulted with Alaska’s attorney general on the constitutionality of the legislation.
You have to wonder what the base will think of that. But here’s one answer:
Sadie Fields, head of the Georgia Christian Alliance, just called to say she’s excited about Palin.
“I really do think this sends a ripple of excitement through conservative grassroots, who have been pretty disengaged and not energized,” Fields said.
“I’m excited. I think that she is not only a wonderful asset to the ticket, in as much as she’s not afraid to be pretty strong. She’s pro-life, pro-family, likes the freemarket in health care. There’s not much to say about her that isn’t good.
“It also begs the question of why Obama didn’t put Hillary Clinton on the ticket,” Fields said.
Then there’s the fact that Palin played basketball and so did Fields. Palin was a beauty contestant, and so was Fields….
Palin’s got a reputation as something of a reformer in her state, but one focus of Democrats is likely to be a small scandal that broke earlier this month. This from the Anchorage Daily News:
Gov. Sarah Palin has placed one of her aides on paid leave until an investigator finishes looking into accusations her team broke ethics or personnel rules.
The investigation stems from Palin’s July firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan later said he felt pressured by the governor’s office to fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, a trooper who had been locked in a child-custody battle with Palin’s sister.
Palin last Wednesday revealed a phone call made by her boards and commissions director, Frank Bailey, to a trooper lieutenant.
In the call, Bailey lists various complaints about Wooten and says the governor and her husband couldn’t understand why he still had a job. The governor admitted the call could be perceived as her office pressuring the Public Safety Department, but says that’s not what actually happened.
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Burkhalter on the GOP platform: When disaster hits, Americans shouldn’t feel abandoned by their government
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Burkhalter got back from Minnesota on Thursday, having helped to hammer out the GOP platform that will be approved during next week’s national convention.
Burkhalter, who is House speaker pro tem in the state Legislature, was chairman of the platform subcommittee that handled fiscal issues and government reform.
The platform is notable for the several instances in which it differs from the positions of Republican nominee John McCain — on civil unions for gay couples, stem cell research, climate change and such.
But the GOP platform, according to Burkhalter, also acknowledges that the Bush Administration botched the handling of Hurricane Katrina, which came ashore three years ago.
Another hurricane, this one called Gustav, is likely to overshadow the first days of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Here’s what Burkhalter had to say about it all:
Insider: Is it significant that the GOP platform and its presidential candidate don’t always line up together?
Burkhalter: The idea of a platform is that it should come from the bottom up, and not the top down. I think the lion’s share of what we came up with is very consistent with John McCain and his positions.
John McCain is Republican, this is a Republican platform report that we came out with. It’s healthy to have a cross section of Republicans who have a lot of ideas to come together. It’s healthy for the party. It’s healthy for John McCain.
Nobody has any apologies for the work product. I’m very proud of it, actually. It’s the most forward-looking, principled platform — and concise platform — we’ve had in a long time. We went from 40,000-plus words down to 20,000. We cut it in half.
Our party changes. It’s not always the same. We’re not the same party we were four years ago, or eight years ago. It changes based on Republicans in all 50 states.
Insider: Do you agree with all of it?
Burkhalter: I certainly voted for it. I don’t think anybody walked out of the room saying I’m 100 percent. But that’s the process. It’s like a budget in the Legislature. You end up voting for something that may not include everything you think is right.
Insider: One of your sections was on disaster response. What does it say? Hurricane Katrina is a big issue, even now.
Burkhalter: We wanted to make it abundantly clear that Americans who become subject to natural disasters should never feel abandoned by their government. Ever again. That’s very important.
We encouraged the federal, state and local governments to coordinate and cooperate better. We also felt like government, in the aftermath of Katrina, was really a hindrance to allowing businesses, non-profits from coming in and facilitating the relief efforts.
Because they had tremendous resources, and they wanted to spend them, but there was a bureaucracy that had a wall around the relief effort.
Insider: Did Americans down there feel abandoned by their government?
Burkhalter: And I think that’s the beauty of our platform. We took areas, I think for the first time ever, as Republicans, and said, ‘We’re not perfect. We’ve made mistakes.’ But we acknowledged those mistakes. And we’re going to get back to our core principles. And we’re going to do better.
Part of my section, front and center, was government reform and spending. I came right out of the gate, and we said, ‘Washington is a failure. The budget process is a fraud.’ But we turned right around and said there is no other issue that this party is more known for than controlling government growth and government spending.
And there’s no issue we should reaffirm our position more on than shrinking the size of government. I think it’s a great, healthy admission that maybe Congress lost its way. And as a result lost the majority.
You can’t fix problems until you acknowledge there was one. …I thought it was beautiful. A lot of people live in this world of denial. They say, ‘Well, you can’t say we made a mistake.’
Absolutely, say it. You poll the average guy on the street. If you know nothing else about Republicans, you know they’re the ones for less taxes. You can’t lose the mainstay of your party. And we’re not going to do that.
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On the floor at Invesco
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — As the anticipated throngs trickle into Invesco Field, a handful of hearty Georgians arrived early to stake out good seats.
LeWanna Heard and James Beverly III, two voting delegates, were settled into their floor seats by 3 p.m., a full five hours before Barack Obama is to expected to accept the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
It’s worth the wait, Heard said.
“It’s worth every minute of it,” said Heard said. “I’m sure I’ll be sunburned, but all the pain, sweat and hurt is worth it.”
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Just when you think it can’t get any nastier, it doesn’t
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Consider it one of the small miracles of the 24-hour news cycle.
After damning him this morning as an inexperienced greenhorn, after siccing the governor of Georgia on him this afternoon like a bulldog on a bone, Republican John McCain will let Democratic rival Barack Obama enjoy his victory evening in peace.
Below is the congratulary ad that McCain will run on national cable and in key states tonight, while Obama celebrates his nomination:
Here’s the script:
“Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, congratulations. “How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we’ll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done.”
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Sonny Perdue invites Democrats and their ‘millions and millions of dollars’ to Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From his TV set in Atlanta, Gov. Sonny Perdue said he’s picking up a sense of “buyer’s remorse” among Democrats in Denver.
“That’s palpable on the floor. The unity message is not sticking,” the Republican governor said in a conference call with reporters organized by the John McCain presidential campaign.
The McCain campaign has been anxious, particularly in TV ads, to drive a wedge between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the Democratic National Convention.
Perdue said his reading of Democratic delegates — the governor was one of their number until 1998 — is that they’re coming to realize that the race is boiling down to “a classic case of a talker versus a doer.”
Perdue implied that he considers Obama qualified for the No. 2 spot on the ticket. But voters, the governor said, “are not prepared to send a vice presidential candidate to meet the [Vladimir] Putins of the world.”
On the Republican vice presidential front, Perdue said he isn’t one of those who insist that McCain must produce a pro-life nominee for vice president tomorrow.
McCain has clear enough anti-abortion credentials to satisfy the Republican base. “John McCain has very clear and uncloudy credentials as a pro-life politician,” the governor said.
As for talk that Georgia is in play in the presidential race, Perdue invited Democrats to come and “spend as much money as possible in this state. Millions and millions of dollars.”
The outcome will be the same and the money wasted, Perdue said. “I think they are feigning a move that won’t happen.”
Photo credit: Gavin Averill/Special
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Independent awarded place on ballot against Jacobs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It looks like state Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Atlanta) will have an opponent.
Secretary of State Karen Handel last month ruled that independent candidate Michelle Conlon had not gathered sufficient signatures for a petition that would have won her a place on the November ballot.
The Democratic candidate for House District 80 had already been disqualified because of residency problems. Jacobs, who switched parties last year and has been the topic of much hair-pulling by Democrats, was headed for a cakewalk.
But on Thursday, Conlon received a letter from Wesley Tailor, director of elections for the secretary of state, saying further review by the DeKalb County voter registration office had turned up sufficient signatures.
House District 80 is one of those Atlanta-based seats that could be impacted by a heavy turnout of Barack Obama voters. The question now is whether Democrats will adopt Conlon’s cause as their own.
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Lewis brings them to their feet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — In a rousing morning address to a joint meeting of the Georgia and Alabama delegations, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) rallied Democratic delegates here to “march again … march on the ballot box” in November.
Lewis’ remarks this morning at breakfast were likely a preview of the speech he will make tonight at Invesco Field, in front of 75,000 people. That speech itself will advance the acceptance speech of Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Today is already awash in symbolism as it marks both the day a black man accepts a major party nomination for president and the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington. Lewis reminded the delegations that he was one of 10 people who spoke on Aug. 28, 1963. He was number six. Martin Luther King Jr. was number 10.
“For those of you who tell me that nothing has changed, I would like to tell you to come and walk in my shoes,” Lewis said. “So, I was there 45 years ago. I was there when Martin Luther King Jr. stood and said ‘I have a dream today. Out of all the people who spoke that day, I’m the only one still around.”
He said Wednesday night’s vote at the convention to nominate Obama as president, together with tonight’s acceptance speech, is “a down payment on that fulfillment of that dream.” But now the worst must begin to make it a reality, he said.
“As Democrats, black and white, from Alabama and Georgia, you must go out and work, and we must march again,” he said, slapping the podium. “But this time, in our two states, we must march in every town, in every hamlet, in every village, in every neighborhood, we must march on the ballot box and make Barack Obama the next president of the United States. You can do it. We must do it.”
The old guard is largely gone, he said, and it’s up to those here now to take up the struggle.
“Go out and do it,” Lewis said. “Dr. King is not here. Others have gone on. Let’s march for them on Nov. 4.”
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Third hand info on McCain’s vice-presidential pick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just hung up the phone with Joe McCutchen, a Republican activist up in Ellijay.
Joe says he just got a call from a buddy — a fellow in Georgia who prints political paraphernalia for a living.
The buddy — McCutchen wouldn’t give his name — said he just got a rush order from the John McCain campaign, for 10,000 bumper-stickers to be sent to Minneapolis. And what is the message?
McCain-Romney.
It’s slightly more than third-hand info. The bumper-sticker maker just called the Insider to confirm, but indeed asked not to be identified.
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Perhaps when Barack Obama first met Ralph Reed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The New York Times had this paragraph about Barack Obama in a profile of the Democratic presidential nominee as auto-didactic:
Nearly a decade ago, Mr. Obama joined luminaries like George Stephanopoulos and Ralph Reed for regular seminars, organized by Robert Putnam, a professor at Harvard and the author of ”Bowling Alone,” about the deterioration of American community ties. As a young state senator from Illinois, Mr. Obama was one of the less prominent members of the group. But soon everyone was referring to him as ”the governor” — a friendly smack, said Mr. Putnam, at Mr. Obama’s precocity and drive.
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Brothers tout unity through accessory
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — A pair of Georgia brothers, hoping to capitalize on the excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s bid for the White House have created and are marketing a commemorative wrist band they’re dubbing the “unity band.”
Hodari and Bakari Brooks, of Cobb County, created an organization called Kids Rock for Barack, which Bakari Brooks said is geared toward “engaging families in the political process by showing their support for Senator Obama.”
The idea, he said, is that Obama has engaged kids and young people in the process, “even though they’re not a voting bloc, he’s engaging them in the process. He understands they represent our future.”
Selling the wrist bands, which go for $4.99 each with discounts for large purchases, is an attempt, Hodari Brooks said, is to “inspire discussion.”
Hodari Brooks, an orthopedic surgeon, said it’s he and his three daughters relate to politics and each other.
Check out the Kids Rock for Barack Web site to buy one of the black and white wrist bands.
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Blogwatch: A Jim Martin spotting, and Obama-watch parties
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Martin, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is stepping out a little more.
Earlier week, he made an appearance in Denver at the national convention.
Jon Flack over at Tondee’s Tavern now has gotten a note from Martin, saying he’ll put in an appearance at what is likely to be one of tonight’s larger Obama-watch parties in Atlanta. Here’s the address:
Amsterdam Bar & Cafe
502 Amsterdam Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(But if you’re under 21, don’t bother trying to come through the door.)
More Obama watch parties can be found on the jump.
ATLANTA
The Cascade Club
2890 Continental Colony Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30331
Host: Alvelyn Sanders
ATLANTA
Dugan’s Sports Bar and Grill
5299 Memorial Dr.
Stone Mountain, GA
Host: Chad Klein
SAVANNAH
Moon River Brewery
21 West Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
ATHENS
265 East Clayton Ave.,
Athens, GA 30609
Host: Greg Ligon
MACON
202 Virginia Ave
Warner Robins, GA 31088
Host: Wayne Cartwright
WOODSTOCK
Taco Mac
9020 Highway 92 # 100,
Woodstock, GA, 30189
ROME
Burrell Center
41 Washington Dr,
Rome, GA, 30161
AUGUSTA
Jamestown Community Center
4637 New Karleen Rd.
Hephzibah, GA 30815
COLUMBUS
Spices Caribbean Restaurant,
4022 University Avenue,
Columbus Georgia
ALBANY
Albany State University
East Hall Lobby
504 College Drive
Albany, GA 31705
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The Republican rain on Barack Obama’s campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It used to be that each party would retreat behind its entrenchments during the other’s national convention — a kind of gentleman’s truce.
But this is now, not then.
Barack Obama tonight will accept the Democratic nomination for president, the first African-American to win such a prize, in an outdoor stadium in Denver that seats 70,000.
Republicans are trying their best to rain on the event. Below is the morning assault from the John McCain campaign, a compendium of criticism of Obama from the Democratic primary.
But this web-only video is different in that it closes with a clip of Obama addressing questions of a presidential run in 2004:
“I am a believer in knowing what you’re doing when you apply for a job. If I were to seriously consider running on a national ticket, I would essentially have to start now, before having served a day in the Senate. Now there are some people who might be comfortable doing that, but I’m not one of those people.”
Click below to watch:
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Olens and Johnson join the GOP pile-on against governor’s plan to erase property tax credits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Candidates for statewide office in 2010 should be sending Sonny Perdue a thank-you note.
The governor’s suggestion that the state solve a building deficit by doing away with a $428 million tax credit for homeowners — which could cause many local governments to send out a new round of tax bills — has provided a significant pulpit.
Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens, eyeing a 2010 race for governor, joined a list of Republican leaders throwing cold water on Perdue’s idea with an op-ed piece in today’s Marietta Daily Journal.
Says Olens:
Governments need to reduce spending rather than raise taxes or deflect their pain on sister governments. Surely with the state budget having risen approximately $6 billion in the last six years, other options are available.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has on six occasions retained his predecessor’s Homeowner’s Tax Relief Grant. The significant state revenue shortfall should not be the catalyst to force local governments to issue a second property tax bill that hinders our residents and businesses
In today’s AJC, Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson, who isn’t quite ready to announce for lieutenant governor, has penned a similar piece.
Says Johnson:
When revenues decline, government shouldn’t look to burden taxpayers to bail out its spending habit with a tax increase. They are already suffering in this economy. A tax increase is not the Republican way.
What makes the GOP brand different from Democrats’ is that Republicans stand for reducing the tax burden and cutting government bureaucracy. Voters know that no matter what, Republicans are more trustworthy with public funds and can always find wasteful spending. And when times get tough, the GOP can be trusted not to seek tax increases that hurt the economy and citizens.
Instead, as state policy-makers work with the governor to make tough choices about the projected $1.6 billion budget deficit, it should pledge no new taxes to balance the state’s spending plan.
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Georgia gives Obama 82 and Clinton 18
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Georgia’s delegation cast 82 votes for Barack Obama and 18 for Hillary Clinton, Jane Kidd and Shirley Franklin announced from the floor of the Pepsi Center.
Georgia actually had 102 votes to give, meaning two delegates did not cast ballots.
The delegation came into the convention with 27 pledged votes for Clinton meaning nine delegates didn’t follow through.
Georgia was called on by Alice Travis Germond, the secretary of the Democratic Party, who is leading the roll call.
“Georgia, the state where I was born,” Germond said, “you have 102 votes, how do you cast them?”
Kidd went first:
“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Democrats and friends, we bring you greetings from the great state of Georgia, the 13th state in our Union, birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., home today of those who carry on his great and endearing legacy. Leaders like the Rev. Joseph Lowery and Congressman John Lewis. Where we acclaim and cherish our statesmen who have led our nation with wise and steady hands. Statesmen like President Jimmy Carter and Sam Nunn.”
Then, Franklin drove it home:
“And where we look to the future and optimistic days because Georgia knows that hope is on the horizon and our future is bright, indeed. Madam chairman, we, the Empire State of the South, the Jewel of the South, the great state of Georgia, is proud to cast 18 votes for Senator Hillary Clinton and 82 votes for the next president of the United States, Senator Barack Obama!”
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Kidd, Franklin to cast Ga. votes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — When — or if — Georgia’s delegation announces where its 102 votes go, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and state Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kidd will do the honors.
Like all of the delegations, Georgia’s has been casting ballots for either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton today. While it’s a fact that Obama will be the nominee, the most recent plan has the convention going to a roll call vote this evening to officially settle the matter.
As this is written, Clinton’s been nominated and seconded from the floor, and Obama is getting his now.
There’s some speculation that Clinton herself will move to close the voting and nominate Obama by acclimation. But if that doesn’t happen, the roll call starts soon. It goes in alphabetical order by state and territory.
When it’s their turn, Kidd and Franklin will give the tally. It’s that classic convention moment, you know, when someone from each state says, “The great state of Georgia, blah, blah blah.”
That’s how Kidd described it earlier today.
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An ex-POW from east Cobb to open the GOP convention with a prayer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Attorney Craig Dowdy, who was the money man for Mike Huckabee in Georgia, says that the pastor of St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church in east Cobb County will deliver the Tuesday night prayer to start the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
The Rev. Robert Certain was formerly rector for Gerald Ford’s church in California, and was the presiding minister at the former president’s several funerals.
Certain is a retired Air Force colonel, and was a B-52 navigator when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam. He, like Republican presidential candidate John McCain, is a former POW and occupant of the Hanoi Hilton.
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Speaking of rappers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Big Boi, one half of the Grammy winning hip hop duo Outkast, is here for the Democratic National Convention.
Big Boi is anchoring a series of webisodes for Interactive One, an online platform for African-Americans. You can check out his interviews at the NewsOne.com site.
In a brief interview, Big Boi said he’s been going into different neighborhoods, talking to celebrities and public figures about the convention and Barack Obama.
As for his own thoughts, Big Boi said Denver this week is one big smorgasboard of the American experience.
“The convention is great, so many people out there, different colors and religions,” he said. “Everyone has a good spirit of it. (Obama) take it all the way, really. From the many supporters out here who back him and believe in his message — he’s a powerful speaker and he’s not the same old Washington.”
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Porter gets his Nelly on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — When Stephen Porter scored tickets to a benefit concert by rap-pop artist Nelly at the Democratic National Convention, he took along an unlikely fan of the genre: His father Georgia House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin).
The elder Porter did not embarrass the younger, Stephen Porter, 23, said.
“He could maybe work on his dance moves, though,” he said.
The concert was part of the MySpace IMPACT and Impact Film Festival event, which included a tribute to the Screen Actors Guild.
DuBose Porter said today that the show was terrific and, with a straight face, said an important economic development mission.
“With the impact hip-hop and R&B have on the Georgia economy, it was good to learn more about it,” he said.
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Voting under way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Voting for the Democratic presidential nomination has begun.
Georgia delegates, along with delegations from around the country, received a ballot this morning that asks them to choose between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The outcome is not in doubt. Obama will accept the nomination Thursday night. But because Clinton has not released her pledged delegates, the vote is necessary. By Georgia state law, delegates were reminded this morning, if they are pledged to Clinton they must vote for her on this first ballot.
Gregg Bossen, working as a page for the Georgia delegation, said at the state’s breakfast meeting that Clinton has a meeting at 1:15 p.m. today with her delegates. It’s possible, he said, that she will release her people to back Obama. Until then, however, the rules are the rules.
This morning’s ballots will be tallied and the results read at roll call when the convention itself resumes at 3 p.m. Clinton, however, could pre-empt that by releasing her delegates and having Obama nominated by acclimation.
With all the talk about needing to unite the party, today will almost be as important to that as Thursday, when Obama gives his acceptance address.
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Carter: Party will unite
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin — asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Former President Jimmy Carter told Georgia’s delegation this morning that while the Democratic Party has been divided, that will all change Thursday night.
“Our party has been divided now because we had two formidable, equally balanced and equally attractive candidates,” Carter told a joint breakfast meeting of the Georgia and Alabama delegations. “I would predict to you that by tomorrow night we will have a totally united party.”
Tomorrow night, of course, is when Barack Obama accepts the party’s presidential nomination. Hillary Clinton, the runner-up, did much to help unite the party with her speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Carter said.
Carter also challenged Georgia to get to work.
“Above all I want Obama to be the next president,” he said. “But my next hope is that Barack Obama will carry Georgia. And that’s up to you.”
Carter said he knows the danger of a divided party. He called himself “the world’s foremost expert on divided parties. One time to my advantage.”
That time was 1976 when Republicans left their convention split, even though Gerald Ford secured the nomination. A sizable faction backing Ronald Reagan remained to the side and Carter won the presidency that fall.
In 1980, he said, division worked against him.
“Some of you were at that convention when I got the nomination and in front of all the nation’s tv cameras Teddy Kennedy refused to shake my hand,” Carter said. “And from then until November that group of Democrats never gave me their support. Reagan got less than 51 percent but I lost because Democrats didn’t support me from that wing of the party.”
Still, Carter said, “I’m not complaining about that. I have had a good life since then. But I believe that shows I’m the world’s foremost expert on divided parties.”
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Martin makes appearance in Denver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin arrived here Tuesday afternoon, saw Hillary Clinton’s speech to Denver and will head back to Georgia this afternoon.
In his 24 hours in the Mile High City, Martin said he wants to show support for the Georgia delegation, but said his focus remains at home.
His campaign, he said in a brief interview before the delegation breakfast, is “about our reaching out to Georgians about our message of standing up for middle class Americans and the impact of the Saxby Chambliss support of President Bush’s policies on working Georgians.”
Martin, who backed former U.S. Sen. John Edwards in the primary, also said he wants to show his support for nominee-to-be Barack Obama, although Martin will not be here for Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday.
When asked if he was also going to try and raise some money from the thousands of Democratic donors here, he said he is “talking to people about our message, principally talking to the Georgia delegation and showing support for the good work they’ve done.”
But, he will also meet today with leaders of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the national party’s campaign arm for Senate candidates. Other Senate candidates from around the country will be there, too, he said.
“There is interest in this campaign across the country,” he said, before adding, “but that’s not the focus of coming up here.”
The DSCC is targeting certain races across the country where they see a chance for Democratic gains. Thus far, the national party has not included Martin’s campaign to unseat Chambliss, the incumbent Republican, as one of those targeted races.
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GOP platform planks carry a few splinters for McCain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Democrats close in on the apex of their convention this week, Republicans in Minneapolis are still hammering out their platform — which in many ways will be at odds with their presidential candidate.
This from Bloomberg News, via the Denver Post:
Like the 2004 document, this year’s text opposes the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research. McCain supports such research and has said he would reverse Bush’s ban on federal funding to develop treatments using embryonic stem cells.
The 2008 text supports a constitutional amendment “that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it.”
Earlier this month McCain, 71, said that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Still, he supports same-sex civil unions and would let states decide the marriage question.
One prominent Georgian is involved in the GOP process. House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter of north Fulton County, a former Mitt Romney supporter, is chairman of a platform subcommittee responsible for “government reform and spending, including fiscal responsibility and the federal budget, limited government, entitlement reform, domestic disaster response, and related issues.”
So he’ll have the easy stuff. Like the official Republican party position on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Photo credit: John Spink/AJC
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Barr on ‘Colbert:’ So close to a discussion about global warming, but no cigar
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr just finished up on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
If and when the segment is parsed, we’ll add a video link in this space.
It’s clear that Barr is having an impact in a number of states — including New Hampshire and Colorado, where Zogby polls show him over 10 percent — and could make a difference in others, including Florida.
The problem at Comedy Central is that stuff is always about to get interesting, then veers off. Here’s one exchange:
Colbert: Do you guys believe in global warming?
Barr: Global warming is a fact, but we believe that the market ought to take care of it, not the government.
Colbert: I agree. I say let the market decide what is and isn’t a glacier.
Barr: And if people want to make ice cubes out of it, that’s up to them.
Colbert: Now, you at one point said global warming was not a fact. And then, this summer, you went to one of Al Gore’s …events in Washington, and you came out of it and said that global warming is a reality, as most every organization who has studied the matter has concluded.
What changed your mind about what happened, that weekend?
Barr: Actually, I had a very nice session at Al Gore’s house a few days before that. But that didn’t really change anything. We did have a good cigar, by the way, at his house.
Colbert: You and Al had a good cigar?
Barr: Actually, we did.
Colbert: A different cigar. Not one cigar.
Barr: No…
Colbert: You weren’t working your way toward the center.
Barr: That would be difficult.
Colbert: That would be difficult, but fun to watch…..
Barr did get a plug in about the polling, and concluded with another Zogby stat indicating that 55 percent of Americans think that Barr (and Ralph Nader) should be included in the presidential debates.
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Decatur pastor prays with Dems
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — The Rev. Cynthia Hale, pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, asked for God’s blessings at the opening of the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
Hale was chosen to deliver the invocation shortly after Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin brought the convention to order.
Here is a transcript of her remarks:
“Great and awesome God, as we gather in this place from all across the length and breadth of this nation, we pause to acknowledge you as the one in whom we live and move and have our being. You, oh God, created us in your image and likeness and invited us to partner with you in the stewardship of your world. We are called to be faithful over the earth, its people and resources.
“On this day as we gather to renew America’s promise, we are keenly aware of the challenges American families are facing. God, people are being hit hard by the economic downturn, the energy crisis and rising food costs, the mortgage mayhem, as well as the absence of affordable housing and health care. Parents desire and deserve to be able to give their children quality and affordable education from pre-school through college.
“Times are tough; people are struggling; some have lost hope. We know, God, that this is not your perfect will for any of your people. It is your desire that all people have these basic human needs met. It is your desire that all would prosper and be in good health. It is your desire that everyone would be treated with dignity and respect.
“As a nation and as a party, we are at a crucial time. We have an opportunity to not only make history, but to bring about change we can all believe in and restore hope to the hearts of women and men. Unite us as a party, oh God. Let us be one in this common purpose, to renew our promise so that we might live out our creed to be one nation under god, with liberty and justice for all.
“In your strong and mighty name, we pray. Amen.”
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Wanted, by a grandmother: Entrance to that stadium in Denver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mae Dickson called the house this evening, right before dinner here in Kennesaw.
For most of us, the Democratic National Convention — and the GOP one, to boot — will simply be an extension of the Olympic events in Beijing. One or two evenings of entertainment in the glow of a neon fireplace, watching someone else sweat.
Will Hillary Clinton score in the 400-meter hurdles? Will Barack Obama clinch that eighth gold medal? Can John McCain shrug off those who question the birth certificate that puts his age at 45?
“Who knows?” is one response. “Who cares?” is another.
And the answer to both is Mae Dickson. This grandmother has put $368 on an early Thursday morning plane ticket to Denver that says she gets into the stadium where Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech that evening.
No hotel. Just an address: INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium.
“Believe me, I’m down to bare bones,” she said.
And all she wants is a free ticket that can’t be had in Denver for love nor money. That, my friends, is belief in a higher power.
Dickson called here to see if the Insider might possibly grease a wheel or two. She would not give her age. Possibly somewhere in the mid-50s. Dickson lives in northern Atlanta, in that netherworld between Buckhead and Sandy Springs.
She described herself as an entrepreneur, a specialist in biblical etiquette, capable of teaching good manners to children, teenagers or adults — especially at the remunerative, corporate level.
Dickson would make non-Southerners, whether black or white, blush with her emphasis on religion. She campaigned for Obama during the presidential primary season this winter. The grandmother handed out flyers. She called voters and tallied their leanings. When the campaign required, she marshaled her computer and — via e-mail — defended her man against against those who would tie him to the evil (or misunderstood) Jeremiah Wright.
But Dickson received her direction right from the top. In prayer, God pushed her toward that portion of the Bible in which Samuel anointed David as king of Israel, despite his lack of experience.
(Republican skeptics may now turn to the first chapter in the second Book of Bush, wherein the owner — former or otherwise — of a lowly and underperforming American League ball team is handed the keys to the kingdom. American League. Somebody explain why that wasn’t a tip-off.)
“I really believe his vision of change. This is his time. I just believe him to be the one, anointed by God,” Dickson said. “I really have a desire to be part of this.”
On the radio, talk show hosts have come to mock people like Dickson, referring to Obama as “the Chosen.” She has heard this.
“Be careful what you speak. Sometimes, what you speak becomes truth, even if you don’t mean it to be so,” the grandmother said.
She left us with an e-mail address for anyone who would like to grease her way into that Denver stadium: blueglow@rocketmail.com. Or, you can, send a note to this web site. She left us her cell phone number.
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Atlantan gets answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
**Denver —” K.C. Christian, a single mother in Atlanta, briefly captured the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday evening, when her video-taped question was used as part of the convention’s “America’s Town Hall” segment.
Christian asked about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s energy plans.
“I’m concerned about gas prices,” Christian said. “They are killing my budget. I’ve got a four-cylinder car and it costs me almost $50 to fill up my tank. It’s just ridiculous.”
Her question was answered live from the Pepsi Center by Aimee Christensen, an environmental activist and strategist.
She said Obama would give a $1,000 tax rebate to every American to help offset rising fuel costs, will “crack down on energy traders,” double fuel efficiency in American cars within 10 years and, within seven years, have 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road. What about Republican John McCain’s plan?
“Senator McCain’s plan unfortunately is the same thing we’ve had the last eight years, which is the oil companies’ plan,” Christensen said. “And it’s unacceptable.”
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Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, Chambliss goes up on TV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back-to-back political conventions generally empty the players out of our fair city. Even so, the U.S. Senate race goes on.
Somewhere, in a basement on West Peachtree Street, Democrat Jim Martin is locked in a dungeon, rewarded with a scrap of bread and a glass of water for every $2,300 contribution he squeezes out over the telephone.
Martin has not been seen in public since Aug. 6, the day after the Democratic run-off. Even then he was under close guard. We’re not ready to declare him a political prisoner yet, but that day is coming.
(Update: Word from Denver is that Martin has been allowed a brief parole this evening, to present himself at the Democratic National Convention as — potentially — the 60th senator who would frustrate the almighty God of Filibuster. Good conduct has its privileges.)
In the meantime, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is running like a man whose own polls show him just a tad under 50 percent.
Chambliss releases two TV ads tomorrow, which can be seen today on YouTube. Both are establishment pieces. In this one, the incumbent discusses his principles:
In the other, Chambliss lets his wife Julianne do the talking. See it here.
In neither commercial does Chambliss discuss his “Gang of Ten” activities on behalf of bipartisan energy legislation.
Despite the opposition of the Wall Street Journal and the Republican House delegation in Georgia, Chambliss’ office declared Tuesday that six more senators — three Republicans and three Democrats — had signed on to his approach.
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Reed, Abramoff and McCain the target of American Indians in Denver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A caucus of American Indian political leaders in Denver is considering a resolution that ties convicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff to Republican presidential candidate John McCain — through the person of Ralph Reed.
Again, the focus is that Atlanta fund-raiser.
This from Indian Country Today:
A draft resolution being considered for adoption by the First American Caucus reads in part: ”… lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his Republican cohorts have done irrefutable harm to tribes and their ability to fully participate in political campaigns …”
…The resolution, which was written jointly by several members of the caucus, states that Ralph Reed, a former Abramoff business associate, helped to organize a fundraiser held Aug. 18 for McCain’s campaign - despite assertions from the McCain camp that this is not the case.
It calls on the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, as well as the Republican National Committee, to renounce campaign involvement of those who have been involved in fraudulent activities.
”[T]he honest efforts of tribes to fully involve themselves in local state and national political campaigns has been damaged by the negative press, and the negative perceptions that were created by the dishonest actions of noted Republican activists who were associated with Jack Abramoff,” the resolution says.
Here’s the problem. Basically, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by McCain, found that Indian tribes — who were operating high-dollar casinos — knew exactly what they were getting when they hired Reed to turn out evangelicals to beat down gambling competition in nearby locales.
In other words, Tribe A was out to sabotage the livelihood of Tribe B. And this is one of the reasons, perhaps, why Reed was not called to testify. This kind of inter-tribal warfare wouldn’t have been a pleasant site.
McCain’s committee also found that Abramoff’s cheating of the tribes began after the lobbyist had cut his friend out of the money. In essence, Abramoff and an accompliced faked the services that Reed had been supplying in actuality.
This was at the bottom of the same story:
One delegate who asked to remain anonymous said she would like to further discuss the resolution …. before a final draft is voted on, perhaps as early as Aug. 27.
”We need to think in positive terms,” the delegate said. ”Change doesn’t mean we have to forget about the past, but we don’t have to dwell on it either.”
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Franklin calls for equality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said today’s anniversary of women gaining the right to vote should be a launching pad to working for equality around the world.
Speaking at a luncheon marking National Equality Day, Franklin challenged Americans “to insure that equality is not something that we just earn because other people have given it to us, but rather something we are challenged to be sure others have.”
National Equality Day exists because of another Georgian, former President Jimmy Carter, who signed an executive order creating it while president. This is the 31st anniversary of that proclamation and 88th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
Carter also spoke Tuesday, to a ballroom packed with several hundred Democrats at the Doubletree Hotel Denver, the Georgia delegation’s home the week of the national convention.
Carter joked that he was surprised to learn when he got to Washington in 1977 that women did not dominate government.
“Because I had been dominated by my mother, by Rosalynn and by 9-year-old Amy,” he said, referring to his wife and daughter.
Carter said he discovered there were more than 3,000 laws and federal directives that were discriminatory toward women and he worked to overturn them.
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Barnes was vetted … sort of
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — A rumor floated through the Georgia delegation this past weekend that former Gov. Roy Barnes was vetted by the Barack Obama campaign last week.
The juicy story was that before picking U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) to be his running mate, Obama had Barnes checked out as a possible VP pick.
Like many such stories, this one had a kernel of truth, Barnes and the Obama campaign said.
While he was not being vetted as VP, the Obama campaign said, Barnes was being checked out to be an Obama surrogate.
Tuesday morning, Barnes confirmed that.
“I know they want me to be available to respond to whomever (Republican candidate John) McCain chooses as vice president,” Barnes said before speaking to the breakfast gathering of the Georgia delegation.
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Unity was the message
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver— The pundits on CNN last night were lamenting what they called a lack of message among Democrats at the opening night of the party’s national convention.
Political consultants James Carville and David Gergen, representing the left and right, respectively, each were critical of the Democrats for not attacking Republican nominee-to-be John McCain or President Bush and for offering little in the way of of specific policy ideas.
But this morning, at the Georgia delegation breakfast, delegate R.J. Hadley said he thinks that was by design.
“Unity WAS the message,” said Hadley, an Obama delegate from Rockdale County. That’s him in the picture, taken last night from the floor of the Pepsi Center, where the convention is being held.
Hadley said the opening night was about Democrats coming together, not about the other side. There’s plenty of time for that in the next three nights, he said.
Fellow delegate Steve Leeds, an upledged delegate backing nominee-to-be Barack Obama, agreed. U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s emotional appearance was the highlight, Leeds said, as was a “strong and warm” speech from Michelle Obama.
“I couldn’t disagree more” with CNN’s take, Leeds said.
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Georgia revisited: Not too bad, actually
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Denver — We wrote earlier about how Georgia was stuck in the rafters at the Democratic National Convention.
Well, that was based on an obviously not-to-scale map of the inside of the Pepsi Center released by the DNC.
Today we finally got inside the arena itself and … let’s just say Georgia’s doing all right. The home team is much closer to the podium than it looked on the map.
Take a look for yourself. Here is a photo of the main podium from the delegation’s section.
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He doesn’t understand you like I do, John McCain tells Hillary Clinton supporters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Denver rift between Obamites and the Clinton clan remains wide and deep, according to thepolitico.com.
Bill Clinton’s assigned topic is national security. Says Politico:
The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, that ol’ John McCain, he just keeps smiling his best come-hither smile at Hillary Clinton followers. Here’s one of his new ads:
In the hours before the first evening session, the Clinton-Obama split is the hot topic. Whether things are patched up by Friday will be a key measure of the convention’s success.
Here’s the take in The Fix at the Washington Post site:
Polling seems to suggest that the rift is deeper than simply a clash of personalities. In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, roughly two thirds of self-identified supporters of Hillary Clinton in the primary are now backing Obama while 27 percent say they will vote for John McCain in the fall. A survey done last week for NBC and the Wall Street Journal showed an even clearer divide with only 52 percent of Clinton backers siding with Obama in the general election.
And what did Hillary Clinton say about the above ad? According to the Associated Press:
“I’m Hillary Clinton and I do not approve that message!”
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On tap today for Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — With breakfast over, Georgia’s delegates are picking up their credentials and then most of them have a little free time until it’s “gavel down” at the Pepsi Center at 3 p.m. (5 p.m. back in Atlanta).
But not everyone has time to rest. Coming up at 12:30 p.m. here, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond will participate in a DNC Black Caucus panel discussion entitled, “Urban Renewal: Quality Education and Job Creation.”
DNC Chairman Howard Dean and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are also on the panel. It’s from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Theater, a few blocks from the Pepsi Center.
Once everyone is settled in the convention hall itself, Georgia’s big moment will come sometime before 7 p.m. when former President Jimmy Carter speaks. The folks running this shindig are not giving a lot of details on timing, so somewhere in that four-hour window the man from Plains will talk.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Shuler gets booed — on request
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) spoke this morning to a combined breakfast gathering of Alabama and Georgia Democrats and got the rude welcome he requested.
Shuler, of course, might be better known among this crowd as the former University of Tennessee quarterback.
Dressed casually in a blue polo shirt and khakis, Shuler got the awkwardness out of the way up front.
“A Tennessee quarterback comes to Georgia and Alabama — you’ve got to give me one big boo!” he said, and the crowd obliged.
“Man, I feel at home in this group,” he said. “But we’ll always keep it in the family and support the SEC.”
Turning to the business at hand, Shuler praised U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who was not at the breakfast, and urged the delegates and activists noshing on scrambled eggs, bacon and french toast to work hard to elect Democrats in the fall.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Georgia fans in the audience had more reason to boo than most. In Shuler’s career at Tennessee, he went 0-2-1 against Alabama, but torched the Bulldogs for a 2-0 record in 1992 and 1993.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Paul Broun on his fiscal problems: Nothing’s wrong, and it won’t happen again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue has taken up a shovel to help dig U.S. Rep. Paul Broun out of his financial hole.
The governor will attend a Wednesday barbecue lunch in Augusta for the Republican congressman, Broun’s campaign office announced this morning. Tickets are $25, but the people at the door will certainly take more if offered.
Last week, a congressional report declared that Broun has spent more than 80 percent of his annual office budget. Almost half of his spending went toward mailings to constituents — at the time, the freshman congressman was being outraised by a well-financed Republican challenger.
Broun defeated state Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem in the July 15 Republican primary.
Broun’s spending totaled $1.139 million through June 30, the AJC has reported. Based on an annual budget of about $1.38 million, that leaves the congressman with just $241,000 to pay essentials — including office rent, salaries, equipment and his travel through December.
Some staffers have already transferred to Broun’s re-election campaign, where they are paid with funds raised from political donors — like the people who will come to Wednesday’s barbecue.
Broun’s general election opponent, Democrat Bobby Saxon, has made the congressman’s financial problems a campaign issue, saying that 10th District voters are being shortchanged.
As for Broun — the congressman now comes close to blaming his former chief of staff Aloysius Hogan for the mess, though not by name. Hogan resigned last month.
On Friday, Broun was on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens. Host Tim Bryant sent this sound clip.
Bryant asked about reports that field offices may be closed, and that consituent services might be trimmed. Broun said:
”All those claims are blatantly false. All the offices are open. They will remain open through the entire year. We have caseworkers there form 9 to 6, Monday through Friday, and they will continue to be there, to continue to serve the public.
“Nobody’s being fired, no office is being closed, no constiuent service is being curtailed in any manner whatsoever. And neither are the legislative services that we’re doing in Washington.
“We’re continuing business as usual and will continue to provide the service to the public that they deserve. Any claims counter to that are just blatantly false. In fact, it’s fear-mongering by the press that’s going on here, and frankly I think that’s irresponsible journalism. It’s not what journalists are supposed to be doing.
“Journalists are supposed to report facts, and not try and put in speculation, and even some speculation where I bought flat-screen TVs and leased Lexus cars and things like that were put in the press. And all of that is irresponsible journalism as far as I’m concerned.”
And how did he get in this fix?
”I’m not a micro-manager. I hire people. I expect them to do the job, I expect them to make good decisions, I expect them to report to me appropriately and let me know exactly what’s going on.
“And sometimes people don’t do that. In this case, that’s what’s happened. I did not know that there was any problem until the article comes out. So we spent a little more money on mail than I would have done if I had made the decision myself.
“But it’s still within the parameters of a budget where we’re going to be able to continue every bit of the services that people deserve. We’re not closing offices, we’re not curtailing services, we’re not cutting anything that makes any difference to any of the constituents.
“We’ve tightened our belts a little bit. There was a decision or two made that I would not have made by my staff. But I’m the captain of the ship, so I take full responsibility for it. I’ve learned from it, and we’ve put in place things that will make sure that this won’t happen again. And it’s actually a mistake I made as a freshman member of Congress.”
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Coming up next: The new rules for the 2012 presidential campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stateline.org reports that both Republicans and Democrats are looking to slow down the presidential nomination process in 2012.
Republicans are expected to vote on their plan in Minneapolis. Democratic changes would come further down the road.
Says Stateline.org:
While all sides agreed that this year’s historic run for the White House energized voters, as evidenced by record voter registration and primary turnout, many are concerned that this cycle’s very early start was unfair to candidates and state officials who actually administer the primary contests — and in the end, to voters.
“The formal primary process teeters on the brink of chaos,” said Don Means, director of the Open Caucus Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that advocates a change in the nominating process.
Presidential candidates were forced to start campaigning at Thanksgiving, giving what critics say was an unfair advantage to highly funded candidates with name recognition. States had to scramble to get ballots ready and train poll workers. And many voters didn’t really get a chance to get to know the various contenders, because by March, the field of candidates was essentially narrowed to U.S. Sen. John McCain for the GOP and Obama and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.
The goal of the commission that the DNC and the Obama campaign are forming is to ensure that no primary or caucus is held before the first Tuesday in March 2012, except for approved “pre-window states,” such as Iowa and New Hampshire, whose contests would fall in February 2012….
Here’s what’s happening on the Republican side:
“I believe we are closer to getting some kind of meaningful reform than ever before,” said David Norcross, who chairs the Republican National Committee’s Rules Committee. His panel on Aug. 27 will take up a proposal called “the Ohio plan” that would continue to give Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada the opening shots, but then voters in three groups of states would then follow later on a rotating basis. The “Ohio plan” originally would have had the country’s smallest states go first, but Norcross said that idea could be dropped because of opposition by larger states such as California and Michigan.
The RNC panel also will consider the “Texas plan” that divides the country into four groups based on a balance of convention delegates, electoral votes and the proportion of “red” and “blue” states and another proposal that Norcross called a “do-nothing” plan that essentially promises only to hold the primaries no early than the first Tuesday in March.
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Update: Arrest unrelated to lockdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — A spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said late Sunday that the arrest of a man carrying firearms at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s downtown hotel was unrelated to a security lockdown at the nearby Pepsi Center, site of this week’s Democratic National Convention.
According to the hometown Denver Post, Pelosi was evacuated from the Grand Hyatt after a man tried to check in to the hotel while carrying a rifle case. The man did not have a concealed weapons permit, the Post reported.
When police shut down the security checkpoint at the Pepsi Center, a crowd of journalists, delegates and others who trying to get into the convention hall were left outside to wait. Georgia Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kidd and executive director Matt Weyandt, seen to the right, were among those stuck outside.
While many of those on the unsecure side of police barricades were told the shut-down was because of the Pelosi incident, Secret Service Special Agent Malcolm D. Wiley Sr. said late Sunday that the lockdown at the Pepsi Center was due to a protest being held outside the arena.
Wiley said the protest was planned and permitted, but when a mass of people assembled just outside the barricade, law enforcement shut down the metal detectors until the crowd dispersed. Furthermore, Wiley said, the Pelosi incident was actually Saturday.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Georgia: In the cheap seats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — The powers that be here have decreed Georgia in the back of the house.
The Democratic National Committee on Sunday released the delegate seating plan for the Pepsi Center, for the convention that begins Monday.
If Georgia’s 102-voting delegates were any further from the podium, they’d be in Boulder. Still, they’re not as bad off as Missouri and Arizona, which might have to worry about snow, they’re so high up in this Mile High City.
You can see the delegate seating chart here.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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The ‘King’ of … something
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — When Georgia Democrat Kirk Dornbush stepped away from his seat at this morning’s meeting of the DNC’s credentials committee, he left a most unique seat-warmer, a two-foot tall trophy dubbing him “Chum King of 2007-2008.”
Sitting next to the hardware was Georgia Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta), who said his friend Dornbush hauled the trophy all the way from Atlanta.
And what is “chum” you ask? In this case, it is not cut up bait fish tossed over the side of a boat to attract big game fish. Now, Adelman said, in politico-speak, chum is the memorabilia that parties hawk to raise money. In another parlance it’s known as “swag:” T-shirts, stickers, buttons, etc., the detritus of easy reproduction.
Dornbush, according to Adelman, is “not necessarily the best,” salesman of chum, “he’s the most enthusiastic.”
Of course, the credentials committee meeting is not as much fun as this would make it seem. The dry business of awarding credentials to each state’s delegation is typically not worth watching.
But this year, of course, there has been d-r-a-m-a on the committee as the DNC and the Florida and Michigan parties were to be penalized for holding primaries earlier than allowed.
The rift earlier in the year threatened to throw the whole convention into chaos, had Hillary Clinton not dropped out of the presidential race, leaving Barack Obama alone to claim the nomination.
Since Obama is the unchallenged nominee-to-be, this action is less important than it once was. Still, there is the formality of the committee voting to allow the delegations from Florida and Michigan to be seated.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Why upperclassmen might soon be due more respect
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Date: Aug. 25, 2008
Memo to: The 270,000 students at Georgia universities
Subject: 21 and loaded
No doubt during your wanderings you have noticed a new breeze on your campus. It is sharp and distinct and impossible to miss.
For it carries the wafting fragrance of freedom. How to recognize this breeze? First of all, it does not smell like beer.
Possibly you’ve heard some talk by out-of-state university presidents that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 to curtail binge-drinking.
Put this out of your mind.
Solid, conservative institutions such as the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and even the state university system itself will make sure that irresponsible young people are protected from themselves.
No, this particular freedom smells something like gun oil.
A certain state Senate committee began meeting this month. It has taken on the task of reviewing where those who possess concealed weapons permits are allowed to pack heat.
Booze-serving restaurants and MARTA buses were added this spring.
Georgiacarry.org and some Republican lawmakers would like to see many more locales added, including churches and state universities.
You can see where this might be headed. Concealed weapons permits are available to anyone over the age of 21 with fingerprints and a clean record. By this time next year, should the Legislature act, Big Man on Campus could have an entirely new meaning.
It is not a sure thing. Leftist institutions such as the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and even the state university system oppose changes to the current law. It’s a scandal how some people think students must be protected from themselves.
“The government put a fully automatic weapon in my hands at the age of 17,” said attorney Ed Stone with Georgiacarry.org. He would like to see college students permitted to arm themselves. Currently, it’s a felony to be caught with a firearm on a Georgia campus.
Mitch Seabaugh of Sharpsburg is chairman of the Senate firearms study committee. He’s promising nothing but a careful look.
Possibly, he said, an armed student or faculty member could have made a difference at Virginia Tech in 2007. But Seabaugh also concedes there might be “some situation where someone loses his temper and has been drinking and then uses a firearm inappropriately.”
Seabaugh also wondered out loud whether a firearm could be considered secure in a dorm room. “You have a lot people walking in and out,” he said.
But there are other facets that need exploring, Seabaugh said. Students who hunt could be allowed to keep shotguns and rifles in their car trunks. Faculty members, rather than students, might be extended permission to carry weapons.
The Senate chairman is particularly concerned about the case of a 45-year-old permit carrier who was prosecuted for having a weapon in an on-campus hotel that serves the University of Georgia continuing education center.
How do you legally distinguish between a 21-year-old student, a 45-year-old visitor, and a 62-year-old professor? That’s what the legislative process is all about, Seabaugh said.
Maybe this’ll be a breeze. But it doesn’t sound like it.
Photo credit: Associated Press
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Four women kick it off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — Four powerful women marked the launch of the Democratic National Convention on Sunday, with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin among them.
Joining Franklin as co-chairs of the convention are Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Texas Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, plus national chairwoman Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
Franklin praised Pelosi as the first female leader of the U.S. House.
“On behalf of all the mayors who are looking forward to change in Washington, I say congratulations,” Franklin said.
There was a group of young journalists in the press conference, noted by their lack of height, but also for their red T-shirts declaring them as part of “children’s pressline.”
During a q&a session, Franklin caught a query from one of the kids about corporal punishment in schools. Specifically she was asked about a case in Texas where a student was, according to the questioner, paddled for missing a math problem.
Atlanta’s mayor handled the question by saying she does not condone corporal punishment in her city’s schools.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Greetings from the DNC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denver — Happy Sunday morning from the Colorado Convention Center, where it isn’t yet noon.
The opening press conference of the 2008 Democratic National Convention is about to get under way and Atlanta’s own Mayor Shirley Franklin is part of the show.
Franklin is a national co-chair of this extravaganza of speeches, hyperbole, parties, security and traffic.
Look to this space through the week for a look at what Georgians are up to. There are more than 150 fellow Peach Staters here, including an official delegation of 132, including 102 voting delegates.
Most of the Georgia crowd, including me, are staying at the Doubletree Denver, which is a bit of a misnomer. It’s really in Stapleton, about six miles away from downtown, where all the action is.
We’re sharing that hotel with delegations from Alabama and North and South Dakota. And, yes, politics is involved in the decision of who stays where. The more important you are in Democratic politics, or to the coming election, the better your hotel. And by better, I mean nicer and closer to the convention hall, in this case the Pepsi Center.
That’s why New York, California and Illinois are right close and we are, well, we’re not as bad off as Hawaii, which is stuck out in Littleton. That’s kind of like being in Conyers, I think, if the convention were at the World Congress Center.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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Winds send an oak tree through Jimmy Carter’s house in Plains
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re getting no rain in Atlanta, but things are pretty rough below I-20.
The Insider just got word that Tropical Storm Fay has just sent an oak tree through the home of President Jimmy Carter down in Plains — right above the living room. Chainsaw crews are on their way.
The president’s son, Jeff Carter, confirmed that both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were in the house at the time, but that neither was injured.
Jimmy Carter is scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Sumter County has been hit hard lately. A tornado tore through the county seat of Americus in 2007, causing heavy damage throughout the city.
Here’s a link to weather radar — there’s a good bit of red and yellow down in Carter territory.
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Poythress heads to Jekyll Island for a little sun, and to announce for governor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve picked up word that David Poythress intends to become the first Democrat to formally enter the 2010 race for governor on Monday with an announcement before a Jekyll Island gathering of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia.
Poythress formerly served as secretary of state of Georgia and labor commissioner, but only recently retired adjutant general, serving as commander of the Georgia National Guard.
One Republican, state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, has also announced.
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Ralph Reed on the Republican identity crisis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In preparation for the party’s convention in Minneapolis, the Associated Press has a piece out this afternoon about the need for GOPers to find themselves anew.
It includes this:
Even a McCain presidency, however, would not entirely heal the deep, systemic problems afflicting their party, leading Republicans say. In interviews, many of these Republicans said the party has lost its bearings. But they were nowhere near a consensus on what to do about it.
“I think the Republican Party is in the midst of a wrenching but important transition from the Reagan-Bush era into whatever comes next,” said Ralph Reed, a GOP strategist and former director of the Christian Coalition.
“Whatever comes next,” indeed, is a question that will hang over the Xcel Energy Center as Republicans meet for four days.
Even if solutions seems elusive, top Republicans find some unity on what has gone wrong. Most start with financial issues. Voters are well aware, they say, that the party that long touted itself as a champion of frugal budgets and limited government has presided over an explosion in federal spending and deficits.
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Obama campaign to open 15 more offices in Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Barack Obama campaign announced this afternoon that it would open 15 more offices throughout Georgia this weekend, bringing its number of offices in the state to 27.
“We are reaching to every corner of the state, even areas that maybe haven’t voted for a Democrat before,” said Antwaun Griffin, Georgia state director for the campaign, in a press release.
The campaign currently has offices in Thomasville, Cumming, Albany, Winder, Valdosta, downtown Atlanta, Jonesboro, Augusta, midtown Atlanta, Athens, Hartwell, and Gainesville.
The locations of new offices can be found on the jump.
NEWNAN
25 E Broad Street
Newnan, GA 30263
BRUNSWICK
1919 Glynn Avenue
Brunswick, GA 31520
WARNER ROBINS
1770 Watson Blvd
Warner Robins, GA 31088
WOODSTOCK
180 Parkway 575, Suite 140
Woodstock, GA 30188
DECATUR
2752 Ponce de Leon, Suite F and G
Decatur, GA 30030
MACON
438 Cotton Avenue
Macon, GA 31201
AUGUSTA
852 Broad St.
Augusta, GA 30901
COLUMBUS
3160 Macon Road, Store 4A
Columbus, GA 31906
JESUP
189 N Brunswick St.
Jesup, GA 31546
MONROE
124 Sorrells St.
Monroe, GA 30655
LAGRANGE
411 South Greenwood St, Suite B
LaGrange, GA 30240
GAINESVILLE
1097 Athens St.
Gainesville, GA 30501
DUBLIN
1505 Rice Ave.
Dublin, GA 31021
SOUTH COLUMBUS
905 Third Avenue
Columbus, GA 31901
EAST POINT (FULTON COUNTY)
65 Main St.
East Point, GA 30344
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ICYMI: Powell back on PSC ballot, von Spakovsky lands a temp job
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just in case you didn’t see these elsewhere:
— A Fulton County judge has rebuffed Secretary of State Karen Handel and ordered Jim Powell, a Democratic candidate for the state Public Service Commission running against Republican Lauren “Don’t Call Him Bubba” McDonald, restored to the November ballot. Handel’s office hasn’t made a decision on whether to appeal.
Democrats say Handel’s removal of Powell from the ballot smacked of partisan politics. She denies it. Democrats are eager to win this one. A PSC contest is one of those races where party identification matters most — just the kind of race that, from their point of view, could benefit from an Barack Obama surge.
— My Washington colleague Julia Malone reports that Hans von Spakovsky, the controversial former Fulton County Republican Party chairman who failed to win confirmation to the Federal Election Commission, has found a temporary job at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Von Spakovsky has been hired to review civil rights reports for Todd F. Gaziano, a Civil Rights Commission member who has been one of von Spakovsky’s most outspoken defenders.
Von Spakovsky’s safe harbor has spurred a new round of objections from one Civil Rights Commission member and the civil rights community as a whole — which had been highly critical of von Spakovksy’s service at the Justice Department. While there, the former Fulton County resident successfully pushed for approval of a Georgia law requiring voters to show photo ID.
Democrats have charged that such laws inhibit voting by minorities and the elderly.
The hiring “is absolutely disgraceful and speaks volumes about the political patronage still being doled out by the current administration,” said J. Gerald Hebert, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, a voting rights advocacy group and leading opponent of von Spakovsky.
Gaziano, the civil rights commissioner whom von Spakovsky will serve, said his new part-time assistant is a “great and very talented person.” He said he would be working until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 on a report about religious freedom in the U.S. prison system and also helping on a study of discrimination in housing.
Photo credit: Rick McKay/Cox Washington bureau
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Fo’ shizzle: Bob Barr turns into a stand-up kind of guy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During a tour of Pennsylvania this week, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr — the grim-faced, humor-challenged former prosecutor — was apparently hard up for venues that also offered a crowd.
He became the headline act at a “Candidates Comedy Night” put on by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky.
This was the best part of the former Georgia congressman’s five-minute act:
“There’s also folks out there that think liberals don’t like me. Barack Obama likes me more than he likes basketball. In fact, the first call I get every morning is from Barack Obama, making sure that I’m okay.”
Barr mimicked a phone call, with a thumb to his ear and little finger to his mouth.
“‘Hello, Barack. Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you. I just got the Ludacris CDs. Yeah, man. They’re very shizzle. Barack, yes, I promise you I’m going to stay in this race ‘til November.’”
The video below was first posted on PolitickerPa.com
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Barr: ‘McCain wants me off the ballot in Pennsylvania’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr says GOP rival John McCain is behind an attempt in Pennsylvania to drive him off the ballot.
“This move is certainly one of the more brazen attempts to lock me out of the political process,” Barr said in a press release this evening. “I challenge Senator McCain to forcefully and publicly instruct his agents to drop the lawsuit.”
Here’s the one of more detailed accounts of the challenge against Barr’s candidacy.
Recent polls in Pennsylvania, which place Barack Obama in the lead, may help explain GOP motivation.
Barr pointed out that McCain himself fought similar attempts to force him from the New York ballot in 2000, and pulled out a quote that the Republican used eight years ago:
“Let’s not have the kind of Stalinist politics that the state of New York, the Republican Party, has been practicing.”
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Thurbert Baker: Delegate switching in Denver isn’t his problem
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the Democratic blogosphere, there’s been some chatter about a provision in the Georgia Code (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-196) that requires delegates to political conventions to stick with the candidates what got them there for two votes, or until the said candidate gets less than 35 percent in a round of voting, or until said candidate releases delegates from their pledge.
Delegates sign an oath, by the way, that is on file with Secretary of State Karen Handel. The statute requiring the pledge dates back at least to the mid-1970s.
Last week, an inquiry was sent the way of Attorney General Thurbert Baker, complaining that the Barack Obama campaign had been pressuring Georgia delegates pledged to other candidates to switch their votes. Baker, you’ll recall, was a Hillary Clinton supporter during the Democratic primary.
The originator of the letter, whom the Insider is attempting to contact, does not appear on a list of Democratic convention delegates.
In any case, Baker has declined to get involved. Here’s the reply issued on Wednesday by Dennis Dunn, deputy attorney general:
Your August 15, 2008, letter to the Attorney General has been referred to me for response. You have complained that supporters of Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States have been, both nationally and in Georgia, seeking to encourage delegates pledged to support other candidates at the Democratic National Convention to instead vote for Senator Obama’s nomination.
You have indicated that such individuals advocating this position are encouraging delegates to violate O.C.G.A. § 21-2-196, a statute providing that delegates file with the Secretary of State an oath that the delegate will vote for the candidate to which they are pledged. You have asked for our office to take “appropriate action” to ensure that Senator Obama’s campaign supporters act in accordance with this Georgia law.
In Georgia, the Attorney General may provide legal advice and representation to our clients within state government. We cannot provide those services to private citizens so I cannot advise you regarding any actions which you might take to address your concerns.
Additionally, the Georgia Election Code does not provide the Attorney General with any enforcement authority in relation to this issue. Therefore, this office cannot assist you in this matter.
In other words, said Baker spokesman Russ Willard, the crime of casting one’s vote for an unauthorized candidate at a convention doesn’t fall within Baker’s job description.
Prosecution for false swearing, after the fact, would be a matter between Secretary of State Karen Handel and Fulton County authorities. Perhaps a lawsuit. Willard couldn’t say if it had ever happened before.
Whether the above means anything is open to debate. After all, Clinton’s name will be placed in nomination, and a state-by-state vote will be called on Wednesday.
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The mayor of Athens to Sonny Perdue: ‘You mind your budget, we’ll mind ours’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Consider the plight of the poor mayor, county commissioner or school board member.
Throughout the entire winter and into the spring, they had to worry about the assault by House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who was out to eliminate property taxes in favor of a hike in the sales tax. Local governments were
Cash for local governments was to be funneled to the hinterlands through an enlightened state government.
Local officials beat back that idea, only to find themselves under attack this week by Gov. Sonny Perdue. To meet a building state budget deficit, the governor has suggested eliminating a $428 million property tax credit offered since the late ‘90s, worth about $200 to $300 to an average homeowner.
Perdue has suggested that this can be accomplished with no pain to homeowners if only county and city governments, and school boards, would oblige him and cut their spending to absorb the loss. The governor knows they have fat in their budgets, and says he’s prepared to prove it.
Now, as you might imagine, this isn’t going down well with some hinterland officials. Heidi Davison, mayor of Athens-Clarke County, was on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens this morning. If she were a porcupine, the governor would be feeling a few quills right now.
Here’s the sound that host Tim Bryant sent.
Said Davison:
“If he wants to come and look at our budget, and then show us how we’re being wasteful, that’s fine. But I don’t think the governor’s job is to fix local problems and to tell local people how to spend their money.
“Local citizens have the right to expect a certain level of services and to pay for those — and that’s what they do. It’s the governor’s job to focus on the state. State income tax has also been growing, as incomes have gone up, but I haven’t seen any effort on the part of the state to limit the amount of money that they’re taking ….
“Yet he wants to come in here and take money out of our property taxes and tell us we’re spending too much money. It might be nice if the Legislature would focus on their spending, and where their funds are coming from…”
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More about that fellow who flew into Atlanta with McCain on Monday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Turns out that this week’s appearance by Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman at an Atlanta fund-raiser for John McCain may have been a trial balloon.
This is from the Washington Times:
Officials with John McCain’s campaign made a series of conference calls Monday and Tuesday with supporters nationwide to say that Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman may be named as the Arizona senator’s vice presidential running mate, immediately sparking a frenzied effort by some state Republican officials to come up with a strategy to head off such a move….
One of the concerned state GOP officials told The Washington Times that he talked with two “high-level” campaign officials who said “Lieberman is a very real possibility.”
Currently, Lieberman is scheduled to take on the role of Zell Miller next month, addressing the Republican National Convention on Sept. 1.
Photo credit: Associated Press
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So says a poll: Race and religion hurt Obama in the South
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Both race and religion have helped give Republican presidential candidate John McCain a substantial lead over Democratic rival Barack Obama in the South, according to a poll of 11 states in the region.
Twelve percent of Southerners say the race of a candidate is important to them. But nearly a third of working-class whites say most of their close friends would have problems voting for a black person for president.
Forty percent of white evangelicals said that, even if a candidate were a practicing Christian, the fact that he had a Muslim parent would affect their willingness to vote for him.
The survey was conducted by Winthrop University and ETV, the public television arm of South Carolina. The poll has a margin of error of under 3 percent. The only caveat : The poll of 1,088 likely voters was conducted Aug. 1 to 17, a broad smear that can make it difficult to measure shifts that occur over a matter of days.
Download the details of the survey here.
McCain leads Obama in the South by 51 to 35 percent. The margin increases in the Deep South states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.
Among working-class whites, McCain pulls 60 percent of the vote. Among evangelicals, 71 percent.
Among all Southerners, McCain ties with Obama on the issue of health care, but the Republican bests the Democrat when it comes to gas prices, the Iraq war, taxes, illegal immigration, moral values and terrorism.
A vast majority of Southerners give poor grades to President Bush and say the country is on the wrong track. Yet when asked who has “a clear plan for solving the country’s problems,” a third of Southerners say neither candidate. Just under 30 percent say McCain, and 26 percent say Obama.
Forty-seven percent of Southerns say the age of a candidate is important. And, when asked when a candidate is “too old,” 70 years old is the most common answer — though the average of the age limit placed on presidential candidates by those in the survey was 74 years old.
McCain turns 72 next week.
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Dear Sonny: Please remember that story about George Busbee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should any disaster hit Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue can now fly his own helicopter to survey the damage. He’s now certified to pilot the craft himself.
This report has been posted on the web site operated by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association:
The second-term Republican recently added private helicopter privileges to his pilot certificate. The governor already held a commercial airplane certificate with single- and multiengine ratings. Having started flying in his youth, he now has more than 2,800 total hours…
Perdue, 61, did his training in a Robinson R44 at Blue Ridge Helicopters, Inc. in Lawrenceville, Ga. He used his vacation time to satisfy the solo requirements.
Sixty-six hours were required, says the report.
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Obama campaign set to release TV ad linking McCain, Reed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A newly aggressive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is set to release a new TV ad in Georgia tomorrow, drawing a connection between Republican John McCain’s decision not to call Ralph Reed before a Senate panel — and Reed’s involvement in an Atlanta fund-raiser for McCain this week.
The ad will run only in Atlanta, beginning Thursday. The Obama campaign wouldn’t give the size of the buy. Click on the image below to see it.
Here’s the script:
”It was one of Washington’s biggest scandals. And the Republican power broker Ralph Reed was in the middle of it. In deep with convicted felon and lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
“But when the Senate investigated, the senator in charge never even called Reed to testify….And that senator? John McCain. And who’s now raising money for McCain’s campaign? Ralph Reed. For 26 years in Washington, John McCain’s played the same old games. We just can’t afford more of the same.”
Though the message is obviously different, the McCain-Reed ad appears to fit into the context of this New York Times story from today:
Senator Barack Obama has started a sustained and hard-hitting advertising campaign against Senator John McCain in states that will be vital this fall, painting Mr. McCain in a series of commercials as disconnected from the economic struggles of the middle class.
Mr. Obama has begun the drive with little fanfare, often eschewing the modern campaign technique of unveiling new spots for the news media before they run in an effort to win added (free) attention. Mr. Obama, whose candidacy has been built in part on a promise to transcend traditional politics, is running the negative commercials on local stations even as he runs generally positive spots nationally, during prime-time coverage of the Olympics.
By way of background, when the Senate Indian Affairs Committee chaired by McCain was looking into the Abramoff affair, whether to call Reed to testify was hotly debated among Republicans on the committee. The decision not to do so was based on the belief that Indian tribes were not defrauded by Reed’s actions. The tribes got what they paid Reed for — armies of Christian opponents to nearby gambling operations that would cut into the tribe’s business.
One Republican insider privately said that any fraud Reed committed was against the Christian troops whom he rallied — without informing them who was paying the bill. That wasn’t the business of the Indian Affairs Committee, the insider said.
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The ball that Sam Nunn started rolling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Russian invasion of Georgia has set the table for foreign policy to become a dominant issue in the coming fall presidential campaign.
But the question is not what to do about Georgia. The heart of the matter is how Barack Obama and John McCain view Russia. And, if you listen to Sam Nunn, whether either candidate has studied up on the origins of World War I.
The former state-of-Georgia senator, in this space, started much of the discussion on Monday.
Others have dipped in since. Richard Cohen of the Washington Post on Tuesday. Today, it’s Tom Friedman for the New York Times and Michael Gerson, again in the Post.
One of the key points is whether NATO should grant membership, and the protection that comes with it, to the invaded Georgia and now-jittery Ukraine, both former Soviet territories that now shave away Russia’s access to the Black Sea.
McCain very quickly has sided with the Bush administration, which has pushed for the acceptance of Ukraine and Georgia into Europe’s self-protection pact.
Last week, McCain said this:
“I think we should take up their so-called [Membership Action Plan] and move quickly. The question is …. will the other members of NATO agree with a rapid move toward membership by Ukraine and Georgia. I hope that they will. I believe they understand what’s at stake here.”
Nunn argues against this, as do many Old Europe members of NATO. “If we’re going to do that, we have to understand that this is a military commitment. And we have to back it up militarily,” he said Monday. Write no checks that you’re not willing to cash.
Obama has been more vague than McCain on this issue, but it’s clear that he is Nunn’s student on this. A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign pointed to an April statement by Obama, in which the Democratic presidential candidate reflected Nunn’s worries that a NATO that’s already diluted militarily shouldn’t neglect its top priority — fighting terrorism in Afghanistan.
Here’s what Obama said about membership by Ukraine and Georgia in NATO:
I welcome the desire and actions of these countries to seek closer ties with NATO and hope that NATO responds favorably to their request, consistent with its criteria for membership. Whether Ukraine and Georgia ultimately join NATO will be a decision for the members of the alliance and the citizens of those countries, after a period of open and democratic debate. But they should receive our help and encouragement as they continue to develop ties to Atlantic and European institutions.
Related to this is the Bush administration emphasis on extending a missile defense network into Eastern Europe. This is fresh from the Associated Press:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.
Rice dismissed blustery comments from Russian leaders who say Warsaw’s hosting of 10 U.S. interceptor missiles just 115 miles from Russia’s westernmost frontier opens the country up to attack.
The position of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on this issue isn’t immediately clear, but Nunn is highly skeptical.
“Just in the last few days, there was an article in the paper that said we had given Poland military assurances beyond the NATO commitments,” Nunn said. “I don’t understand that one, and Congress needs to ask some real questions on this, because - if it’s accurate - we are basically committing to military action in instances that are rather unclear at this point.”
In the heat of campaign, neither nominee — certainly not Obama — can afford to be tagged as the soft-on-Russia candidate. But there should be some way to discuss, in rational fashion, what obligations come with the alliances we’re pursuing. And whether we’re prepared if that check is cashed.
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Perdue: He’ll go anywhere to prove the state isn’t forcing cities or counties to raise property taxes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Freshly back from China, Gov. Sonny Perdue is ready to hit the road again. Athens, maybe Cairo, or Canton.
Any place that questions his plan to eliminate $428 million in property tax breaks for homeowners.
In an interview today with Harris Blackwood of the Gainesville Times, Perdue — echoing House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s sentiments of just a few months ago — said local governments have been slack about cutting their own expenses.
Said Perdue:
“It’s pretty clear that some counties are bigger abusers than others. There are some counties that have grown overall by 100 to 200 percent. The growth of local governments compared to state government is phenomenal.”
Perdue said he was calling on local governments to tighten their belts, just like the state….The governor said local governments are already pointing the finger at him.
“They blame and say we’re going to pass them (tax losses) right on to our citizens and you’re causing their tax increase,” he said. “I’ve got the facts to prove the state didn’t cause their tax increase. Those are decisions made at the local level. If they want to blame me, I’ll challenge any of them to a public hall meeting in their own community and show them the facts.”
Here’s today’s AJC piece on the same topic. But here’s a question, and if someone from Perdue’s office would weigh in, the Insider would be much obliged:
If the governor argues that local governments have placed too heavy a tax on property owners, how does it make sense to then raise that same tax on homeowners by $200 or $300 per, by eliminating the credit? There’s something of a burn-the-village-to-save-it logic in all this.
Photo credit: Gavin Averill/SPECIAL
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The 39-year-old intern with the state-paid diamond ring
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It turns out that one of those indicted for misusing Georgia Tech credit cards had an under-the-radar activity this spring: She was a 39-year-old intern for the state House of Representatives.
Michelle Harris, a former Tech program coordinator in the school’s College of Management, was indicted this year and charged with using $173,000 in school money for personal expenses, including a diamond ring, laptop computers, digital cameras and making several debt payments.
Marshall Guest, a spokesman for House Speaker Glenn Richardson, confirmed this morning that Harris — under the name of Michelle Dunbar — had obtained the internship through a program offered by Georgia State University.
The internship roughly paralleled the January-to-April session of the Legislature. Guest said he was still researching her assignments, but it appeared that Harris/Dunbar had worked for the House Transportation Committee.
Michelle Harris was indicted in March. That same month, Guest said, Michelle Dunbar took a week off from her internship, citing a family emergency.
The House spokesman said lawmakers didn’t learn that the two were one and the same until May — weeks after the internship ended — when the intern’s mugshot appeared on a TV news report.
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Ridge on the vice presidential nomination: If it’s offered, he’ll ‘think about it’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is a bit late, but Tom Ridge, ex-director of homeland security and — every now and then — a possible running mate for John McCain, showed up in Columbus on Monday.
He was there to tour the National Infantry Museum. McCain has dropped some large hints that Ridge is under consideration. But the former governor of Pennsylvania is pro-choice when it comes to abortion. Certain voices of the GOP right have threatened revolt if he’s picked by the Republican presidential candidate.
According to the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper, here’s what Ridge said about the possibility of going to Minneapolis as the nominee for vice president:
“Candidly, there will come a point in time for a final decision,” Ridge said. “At the time, I’ll know what the decision is and I will think about it.”
Ridge, who was with McCain last week, said the two men did not discuss the possibility of him being on the ticket, which will be finalized before the Republican National Convention next month.
“We have never talked once about the vice presidency,” Ridge said. Ridge said the Republicans have a deep bench when it comes to a vice presidential nominee.
“I know when Sen. McCain is in Minnesota they are talking about Gov. (Tim) Pawlenty,” Ridge said. “When he is in Florida they are talking about Gov. (Charlie) Crist. They talk about Gov. (Mitt) Romney in several states. When he was in Pennsylvania, they were talking about me.”
Photo credit: Associated Press
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The power of text-messaging
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometime this week, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has promised to let supporters know via text message who he has selected as his running mate.
It’s a mutual exchange. Texters get the info. The Obama gets their contact information for the fall campaign.
The maneuver is receiving some kudos from David All, the former communications director for U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Savannah), who now has a firm that specializes in new media communication.
The Associated Press distributes these quotes from All today:
“What Obama is creating is this army of individuals, these grass-roots activists, who are out there trying to change the world in 160 characters or less,” said David All, a Republican strategist who specializes in technology.
All said he remains concerned that [John] McCain’s campaign and many Republicans are overlooking the potential of text messaging.
“Text messaging is really powerful. If I have a text message, I can forward that text message to over 100 people in my cell phone list,” All said. “It’s going to be read by every single person — have you ever not read a text message?”
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Here’s a puzzle: Arrington now says he’s still pondering a run for mayor of Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier today, the Insider phoned the office of Fulton County Judge Marvin Arrington, to ask about those City Hall rumors that he was looking at an ’09 race for mayor of Atlanta.
An aide read a statement, quoting Arrington, that said he would not run — though he left open the possibility of reassessing his public service sometime in the future.
The aide promised to e-mail the statement, which arrived several hours later. Yet when it arrived, the statement contained much more wiggle room for the 67-year-old, former Atlanta city council president.
The note said:
“Several influential community leaders recently asked that I consider offering myself as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Atlanta. Having given most of my adult life to furthering the interests of the city and its people, it is a call that I must give serious consideration.
“I am deeply involved in several initiatives to save Atlanta’s youth from the downward spiral of crime. These volunteer efforts along with the daily work of my judgeship on the Superior Court of Fulton County make this a very difficult time to consider redirecting my life.
“However, out of respect for those who have sought me out and because of my love for my hometown and its residents I will consider the implications of redirecting my efforts.
“Be clear. This is not an announcement of my candidacy. I must spend some time pondering the pros and cons of such an effort and I beg everyone’s indulgence as I consult with other civic-minded citizens to determine the course that will be in the best interests of my City and its people.”
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We’ll all wear cardigan sweaters to celebrate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Organizers of the Democratic National Convention just announced that former President Jimmy Carter has been given a speaking role on the opening night of festivities in Denver.
Monday’s theme is the story of Barack Obama. The featured prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama. No clue as to where on the program Carter will appear.
The same evening will include a tribute to U.S. Sen. Teddy Kennedy, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor — and who, by challenging Carter in the 1980 presidential primary, did much to prevent the Georgian from winning a second term.
Not to say that Carter holds a grudge. Just to note that the threads of history are often tangled.
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Chambliss and the Wall Street Journal: Two mugs and a slice of watermelon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The newspaper may have a reputation as a Republican sounding board, but U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss continues to have a hard time pleasing the Wall Street Journal.
Twice in the last four days, Chambliss’ pen-and-ink mug has graced the paper — at least the on-line version.
Today, it comes with a slice of watermelon.
On Saturday, the WSJ kept up its criticism of the “Gang of Ten,” bipartisan approach to energy legislation. Georgia’s senior senator has been the Republican leader.
The newspaper dubbed it “The Chambliss shimmy.”
Today, the WSJ has a story lamenting a do-nothing Congress that has developed an expertise in meaningless resolutions. Chambliss again figures prominently:
Democratic Rep. Charlie Wilson of Ohio, a fourth-generation undertaker, sponsored a National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day. Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, whose home state of Georgia has 24,000 acres planted in watermelon, pushed a resolution establishing July as National Watermelon Month.
“As Mark Twain once said, ‘When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.’ I encourage my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the wisdom of Mark Twain by supporting this resolution,” Sen. Chambliss said on the Senate floor. The only problem: July is about 14 days late for a Watermelon Month. The crops come in in mid June.
Psssh. Someone’s being a little picky. You want Watermelon Month when you sell them. Not when you harvest them. Watermelon Month in June is a eulogy. In July, it’s a retail tool.
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Rumor-killing in the Big City
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Word has swept through Atlanta City Hall these last few days, perhaps fueled by the withdrawal of Lisa Borders from the ‘09 mayoral race, that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington was sampling the waters.
It was a tasty rumor. Arrington, for those who need reminding, is a former Atlanta city council president who ran against incumbent mayor Bill Campbell in 1997 — forcing Campbell into a run-off.
Modernists will remember Arrington as the judge who tossed white spectators out of his courtroom this spring so could lecture African-American defendants on citizenship, in a kind of family-oriented atmosphere. Like Bill Cosby.
Like Bill Cosby, and unlike most judges, he’s got a tough-love book. And his own web page.
But alas, Arrington, 67, is not running for mayor. He’s got a formal statement, which will be added to this space as soon as it arrives, that says so. But he leaves himself room to reassess his public service at a future date.
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An admirable rate of exchange: A single Tom Price = seven GOP House members
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This morning on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens, U.S. Rep. Tom Price waxed eloquently on Monday’s fund-raiser in Atlanta for John McCain, on Sam Nunn as veep, and Bob Barr.
Listen here to the sound clip sent by host Tim Bryant.
Of Georgia’s seven GOP House members, Price was the only one to attend the McCain event. And while McCain was a first choice for none of them, Price said talk about the scarcity of congressmen on Monday was “much ado about nothing.”
After all, U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss were there, Price said. And this is August — when congressmen have scheduled family vacations and must tend to their own campaigns. Then there’s that nascent revolt that House Republicans are tending in Washington.
So much to do, and so little time.
“I was proud to carry the mantle for all seven Republican congressmen from the state of Georgia — who are all supporting McCain in his bid,” Price said.
The Roswell congressman used some interesting phraseology at the end of his comments on Nunn, whom he recommended that Democrats hire as Barack Obama’s running mate. Said Price:
“I think in the end this election is about who’s at the top of the ticket. And I believe that the individual on the Republican side, Senator McCain, demonstrates the kind of enthusiastic support of American principles and of American vision — he’s not impressed with himself, but he’s impressed with the challenge that we have in leading the nation.”
The emphasis on “American” in the above quote is Price’s own.
Photo credit: Associated Press
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A letter requesting House members to trim that other white meat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue and leaders in the House and Senate are in the midst of deciding whose tax breaks to repeal in order to balance this year’s state budget.
Hint: Pig farmers, insurance companies and donors to private schools will be allowed to keep theirs.
Bigger hint: You homeowners probably won’t.
But others are sacrificing, too. Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans) has written this letter to fellow House members, asking them to go through a $3 million wish-list of local projects that was approved this spring, and pick out the expendable items.
Not an easy task, especially when you consider that these projects — ballfields, building expansions, whatever — are the items that lawmakers point to when they’re up for re-election. Which is only two-and-a-half months away.
“While we are all aware of the importance of these projects to our constituents, I am compelled to request that you follow my lead by reviewing your attached grant(s) and weigh the need for that funding on the local level against the developing crisis on the state level,” Harbin writes.
“Any portion of the $3 million in total local House projects that we return to the general fund may assuage draconian cuts in jobs and services that our citizens depend on for their quality of life.”
The letter went out Aug. 8, and House members have until tomorrow to respond. Silence will be interpreted as permission to cut.
Same thing is happening in the Senate, right? Well, no. My colleague James Salzer writes in today’s AJC:
Staffers at the Department of Community Affairs, which handles the grants, said Senate officials told them to proceed with giving out grants proposed by senators, about $3.25 million worth.
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Nunn on the Russian-Georgian conflict — and, yes, some vice presidential talk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an interview Monday, former Georgia senator Sam Nunn said Russia should immediately exit Georgia as promised.
But Nunn, who is advising Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on the crisis, also warned that the granting of NATO membership to either Georgia or Ukraine would commit the West to military action that neither the United States nor Europe is prepared to take.
Nunn also said he’d like to see President Bush offer both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates a briefing on the confrontation and its implications.
The former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has often been mentioned as a possible running mate for Obama. But with one week before the start of the Democratic National Convention, an Obama-Nunn ticket seems less and less likely.
Nunn said the Obama campaign hasn’t asked for any the financial documents that are usually used to assess the backgrounds of potential nominees for vice president.
Below is a near-complete transcript of the 20-minute interview. By necessity, a shorter version is headed for tomorrow’s print version of the AJC. But the details are important:
What’s the largest interpretation we should give the Russian invasion of Georgia?
Number one, I think the stakes are very large, both for the United States and for Russia, and of course for Georgia and South Ossetia. Russia has brought back historical memories of the horrors of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Those memories as well as the actions taken by Russia cause fear in all of Russia’s neighbors.
Only Russia can reduce those fears by moving out of Georgia, quickly, keeping their word of a cease fire and withdrawal, and allowing some type of international peacekeeping force to go into what I call the enclaves, the regions that were autonomous after 1991 but part of Georgia, legally - South Ossetia and Abkhazia
So Russia’s got to step up to the plate if they want to preserve their place in the international community. This is a lose-lose-lose situation for everybody. Obviously Georgia has suffered. The South Ossetians - depending on who you believe - the Russians say, and this really needs checking out, that there are some 1,500 or 1,600 South Ossetians who were killed before the Russians came in, by the Georgians. The Georgians would deny that. I don’t know where the truth is on that.
Wherever it is, Russia used disproportionate force and overreacted. As I see it right now, there’s going to be serious - and it could be permanent - damage done to U.S., NATO and Russia relations, as well as their neighbors, unless wise leadership prevails in Russia, Europe and the United States.
The Russians, for instance - there are several parts of Russia that would like to be independent still. Obviously Chechnya. And if they take the view that these countries are going to be basically independent - these enclaves, not countries - they’re setting a precedent. They’re relying on the Kosovo precedent, and the way the West handled that.
But they better think through what they’re doing because they’ve got some other regions within Russia at stake here. So the only way out of this is for Russia to move out of Georgia proper and have international peacekeepers come into South Ossetia and Abkhazia
I think it’s important for Russia to understand that the historical context cannot be dismissed here. It’s not simply what happened and who started it and so forth. This has to be overlaid into the historical context and the aggressions of the past. So they’ve got some rethinking to do.
I think NATO, as I view it, and clearly the United States, needs to pause, look and listen before we rush into making Georgia and Ukraine part of NATO. If we’re going to do that, we have to understand that this is a military commitment. And we have to back it up militarily.
Right now, we’re not doing well in Afghanistan. Our NATO allies seem to be reluctant to put in more forces. NATO’s got a lot of credibility at stake in Afghanistan. And the defense spending by most of our European allies is way down. And if you look at the map, you can see pretty quickly that defending Georgia will require enormous expenditures unless we’re going to go back to a Berlin sort of situation, where we threaten to use nuclear weapons in response to conventional progression by the Soviet Union. That’s what we did then. We were very lucky to avoid Armageddon all those years.
So we need to understand that when you make military commitments, you’ve got to back it up with military capability. And right now, NATO is in danger of turning itself into a political organization rather than an effective military organization, and making political commitments which cannot be backed up with current forces.
That’s extremely dangerous, particularly when you project the possibility of a resurgent Russia with $100 [a barrel] oil. And you add into that a Europe that is dependent on Russia for oil and natural gas…..
NATO has to think through, how do we expect Russia to react when they see themselves surrounded by a military alliance which they’re not part of? And from the Russian point of view, how do they expect their neighbors to react - how do they expect them to do anything other than to want to be in NATO - if they take this kind of aggressive military action?
Large countries have acute obligations. Small countries can afford to be somewhat more irresponsible. But large countries have a real obligation. And Russia has a real obligation if it wants to be part of the international community.
What do you expect to come out of Tuesday’s meeting of NATO?
I don’t know. I just hope they consider the military implications of what they’re doing. If NATO proceeds as if Russia is always going to be weak, and we can make political commitments without backing it up, without greatly increased military capabilities, vis a vis Georgia and Ukraine, we’re basically assuming that Russia’s going to continue to be weak militarily.
A wounded bear is going to defend itself. I think Russia’s made a profound mistake, and they’ve got to correct it. [But] we have a real reason to avoid compounding the problem.
Short of nuclear weapons, is there any chance of military action?
Secretary Gates has made it clear that that’s not on the table….The secretary of defense was also right in promoting to President Bush the humanitarian relief. I think Gates has got it about right. I’m glad he’s there, because I think he understands the stakes involved on both sides.
How does this affect the U.S. aim to deploy missile defense systems in Eastern Europe?
For us to deploy a missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland - the system itself is not yet mature, and the Iranian threat is not yet mature. So we’ve got some time. Russia offered their territory, and it seems to me we ought to be working with Russia on missile defense. This incursion into Georgia makes that extremely difficult - it certainly would postpone it. I think that there are substantive questions that should be raised about what we’re doing about missile defense. This was a [Donald] Rumsfeld move, and has all sorts of implications of playing Old Europe versus New Europe.
Just in the last few days, there was an article in the paper that said we had given Poland military assurances beyond the NATO commitments. That raises real questions for other NATO members. If one member has NATO plus further military assurances by the U.S., what does that say to the other NATO commitments? I don’t understand that one, and Congress needs to ask some real questions on this, because - if it’s accurate - we are basically committing to military action in instances that are rather unclear at this point.
My point is that Russia and the U.S. are missing a fundamental opportunity and creating the possibility of real future conflict. Not immediate, but future conflict. I think the dangers we are creating for our children and grandchildren may not be apparent now, but they’re being laid. Russia has to take the brunt of the blame on the Georgia situation, but on missile defense, we’ve got time to slow it down and see if we can convert what is a real possibility of confrontation into cooperation and changes in the strategic nuclear relationship.
Last weekend, President, Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia seemed to imply that the United States has not come through with commitments it had made to Georgia. Have we been writing checks that we can’t cash?
I can’t answer that question. The administration denies that. There’s been a big misreading here. Whether that means the leader of Georgia made some profound mistakes - or whether we unintentionally misled him, or whether some people off-line we’re giving him assurances that were not official, I don’t know.
But whatever it was, there were some profound misjudgments and miscommunications or misunderstandings that had huge implications for Georgia. And I think that we need to learn a lesson from that. Countries that rely on the West for military intervention when Russia takes aggressive military action - if we don’t have the capability to back that up, we have to make sure they don’t have that understanding. I’m not saying whether the administration misread him, because I don’t know. He may have just made great mistakes in judgment….
Also we have to take into account that we’re in two wars. We have one in Afghanistan, where we’re not doing well. We have one in Iraq, where we’re doing better. The Joint Chiefs [of Staff] have been telling us now for the last two years that we were stretched too thin. And they’ve been saying they’ve been worried about other contingencies coming up in the world, and we haven’t listened very much - our government hasn’t.
When militarily you’re stretched out in two wars, people who want to take aggressive action - [and] are not necessarily your friends around the globe - see opportunities. And it’s not going to be limited to the recent Russia-Georgia move….
How should the Russia-Georgia conflict be treated in the presidential campaign?
I think we can have only one president in a period like this. This is a period of great crisis. I would like to see President Bush brief both candidates with his top security people. I’d like to see the candidates ask for a briefing, from the White House, from the president, the secretary of state and secretary of defense. I’d like to see a united front at home. We’ve got time to sort out later how many mistakes were made and what they were, but right now, we’ve got to pull together.
There’s a lot at stake here. I think we’ve also got to have our allies. We’ve also got to closely coordinate with our allies on this. And we’ve got to avoid actions that are hard to correct later. The temptation here - we’ve done this repeatedly in the last several years - is to say, well, we don’t like what you’ve done, we condemn it, therefore we’re not going to talk. We’re going to break off communication. This is a time we need to be talking more. We need to have a relationship with Russia where the secretary of state can pick up the phone and get an honest answer, and vice versa. I think there’s been too much political sparring. I’m not interested in who the best candidate is to lead us in a new Cold War. I think the American people’s stake here is to try to avoid a new Cold War - or certainly a new hot one.
Anything new on the vice presidential front?
The answer to that is no. All I know is what I read in the newspapers.
Has the Obama campaign asked you to submit documents for a background check?
The only person who’s asking about my assets, my liabilities, the way I’m spending my money, where that money is coming from, primarily, is my wife. And there’s nothing I can do about that.
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Ralph Reed on a close race, on vice presidential choices, and on McCain’s adopted daughter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential candidate John McCain is only a few hours away from his fund-raiser in downtown Atlanta.
Democrats have made much fuss over Ralph Reed’s participation in raising money for the event, and will continue to do so with a press conference this afternoon.
But Reed is playing it relatively low-key. At noon, he was speaking at a gathering of the Atlanta Rotary Club, paired with AJC editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker.
Tucker has her own space elsewhere on this web site, and it would be presumptuous for the Insider to interpret her to the rest of the world.
As for Reed, except for one area, the GOP strategist kept himself well in the mainstream of punditry, listing — of course — to the Republican side:
“Everything points to a close election. At least as close as ’04, maybe — I’m sorry to say — as close as 2000,” Reed said.
“What you’re looking at is a jump-ball election. Barack Obama in the last 30 days has aired 10,000 television ads in the state of Florida, at a cost of $6.5 million. It’s 18 percent of his entire national media buy in the last 30 days. There’s two polls out in the last week which show four and five points, respectively. That is a candidate that is not closing the sale.”
On McCain’s vice presidential possibilities:
“I like Romney because of the economic and business background. [Gov. Tim] Pawlenty is a very attractive guy out of Minnesota. I like [Louisiana Gov.] Bobby Jindal. I think he’s got more places to go than Obama. But I’ll warn you. You’re probably going to be surprised. A lot of the time, the lists are deliberately out there to throw people off the real scent.”
But here’s what will have Ralph Reed watchers talking:
”Just speaking as a strategist, not as a partisan, if I were part of McCain’s campaign team, the thing that I would be most excited about what happened Saturday night at Saddleback Church was McCain filling in the personal details.
“The story about having to decide not to violate the code of honor at the Hanoi Hilton and leave out of turn….
“His story about Cindy coming home with the child they adopted from Mother Theresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh.
“How many people have had their spouse visiting Bangladesh, and they’re presented with a child — they’re told that it’s going to die unless somebody takes it home. And she literally meets her husband at the airport and says, ‘Meet your new daughter.’ And they have raised that daughter as their own.”
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Turn the lights out on John Edwards, says Roy Barnes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin caught up with former Gov. Roy Barnes today. Barnes was Edwards’ preeminent supporter in Georgia during the primary season. He led the fund-raising push among Georgia attorneys, and turned out at several rallies for the man.
But Barnes now had this to say about Edwards’ behavior:
“I’m very disappointed. I don’t think there’s any other way that I can express it. I feel sorrow for him, and for all the supporters. I particularly feel sorry for Elizabeth.
“I’m very surprised. I never saw any such conduct when I was with him. I hope it’s an aberration that he can seek forgiveness for. I think he’s pretty much destroyed any political career he might have had.”
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A last pitch for Nunn as Obama’s running mate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With a week to go before the Democratic National Convention, speculation over Barack Obama’s choice for a running mate is about to reach a fever pitch.
On ABC’s “This Week,” the conventional wisdom on the Sunday program pointed to Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. But conservative columnist George Will remains Sam Nunn’s biggest fan, despite the former Georgia senator’s problems among gay Democrats:
George Will: Surely Obama can get him well on those issues. And I don’t know — I haven’t seen the polling — but I have a feeling that this would almost certainly put Georgia in play. It would certainly make McCain fight for Georgia.
Nunn is still my choice. There’s no bigger issue in the world than loose nuclear material. And no one knows more about it than Sam Nunn.
E.J. Dionne: But if you look at the ratings, Nunn is Lieberman in reverse. While he is a Democrat, he had a very conservative voting record. I think there would be resistance in certain parts of the party to Nunn.
Don’t look for Nunn to say much this week — and not necessarily because vice-presidential possibilities are expected to keep their mouths shut.
The Russian invasion of Georgia has placed U.S. relations with Russia in jeopardy. Among the threatened programs is the on-going effort by Nunn and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) to defuse the nuclear arsenal of the old Soviet Union.
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Bob Barr on a world full of idiots, and a wounding by Sean Hannity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Washington Post has a Style section piece this morning on Bob Barr, the former Georgia congressman and Libertarian candidate for president.
The article leads on a few Barr aphorisms. Among them:
— “No matter how much power government has, it never has enough.”
— “The world is full of idiots.”
—“The most difficult thing about politics is dealing with people with really bad breath.”
— “Never run a 100-yard dash in a 90-yard room.”
The piece also reveals that the unsmiling Barr was wounded by an April interview in which he was raked over the coals by Fox News’ Sean Hannity:
“He was being downright unpleasant, as I recall,” he says, his voice rising a little. “There’s never an excuse to not be pleasant and civil.”
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On Lisa Borders and her exit from the Atlanta mayor’s race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When politicians depart the arena, sometimes it is not by their own choosing.
Perhaps they have paid too much attention to their neighbor in the next stall. Or have gotten too cozy with the campaign videographer.
An aide then trots out the hoary chestnut about the office-holder’s need to spend more time with his or her family, and the offender melts away.
This is an unfortunate disservice to the chestnut, which is often true.
The hundreds of people who put their names on ballots in Georgia are more like us than we care to admit. They have their bankruptcies and foreclosures. They have unruly teenagers and toilets that back up. But voters demand perfection, and so real life is kept under wraps.
Last week, City Council President Lisa Borders announced she would bow out of the ’09 race for mayor of Atlanta in order to spend more time with her family.
Borders, 50, is attractive and driven. Her family name is a byword in the city’s African-American community. She had raised significant funds for the contest, and had already been dubbed the candidate favored by the business community. Her career trajectory had been compared to that of Shirley Franklin.
Suspicion, therefore, was immediate. She’s speaking in code, they said. “Folks have said to me, ‘What’s the back story?’” Borders said. “There’s not a back story. I made a choice. Every day we make choices.”
And sometimes choices are thrust upon us. Borders, you see, has been drafted into the Sandwich Generation. Having launched a son into grad school, she — and her three siblings — must now manage the downward trajectory of her parents.
“I started out like any child, just managing financial affairs, paying bills, making sure they were okay,” Borders said.
Both parents are 75, divorced and living in separate households. But Gloria T. Borders, an activist who gave her daughter a taste for politics, doesn’t remember things like she used to.
William Holmes Borders Jr., a retired physician, is a brittle diabetic and double amputee. His kidneys have shut down, and he requires eight hours of dialysis, three days a week. The doctor’s oldest daughter calls his disease “Pac-Man,” because of the way it nibbles away at him.
The Border siblings have divvied up the chores. One brother manages parental properties. Another brother handles the father’s personal care. A sister is in charge of logistics — shuttling both parents from one doctor’s appointment to another.
Even so, throw in the consulting firm she’s started up, and a City Hall job that is part-time only in theory, and Lisa Borders found herself down to three or four hours sleep a night. “It’s more than an ocean,” she said.
Borders remains convinced she’s the better candidate, and is what the city needs. But a mayor’s race would have forced her to give up her job or her parents. One choice was fiscally impossible. The other was emotionally unsound.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” she said. “And the time I get to spend with them — it’s not infinite. It’s finite. I can run for mayor again.”
We are in a season in which we demand that our leaders feel our pain. The irony is that once they do, the pain consumes them — just as it consumes us.
Photo credit: Nick Arroyo/AJC
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Nunn and Lewis rate mentions at Saddleback session
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two Georgians were cited Saturday night by Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain as centrist leaders to whom they’d go for advice.
At the Saddleback Church session in California, organizer and pastor Rick Warren asked each presidential candidate to name three sounding-board figures.
Obama didn’t restrict himself. He named his wife Michelle and his maternal grandmother as personal critics.
Then came former Georgia senator Sam Nunn, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, an Indiana Republican, for foreign policy purposes. Another bipartisan pair of advisors — presumably domestic — named by Obama: Senators Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
Nunn, of course, has been mentioned as a vice presidential candidate for Obama — though not as much lately, despite the ruckus between Russia and Georgia.
McCain was more succinct. His wife rated no mention, and Republican’s approach was oriented toward politically correct demographics rather than politically correct bipartisanship.
The first advisor named by McCain was Gen. David Petraeus, “who took us from defeat to victory in Iraq.”
Then Georgia congressman John Lewis, a black Democrat.
“John Lewis was at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Had his skull fractured. Continues to serve. Continues to have the most optimistic outlook about America. He can teach us all a lot about the meanings of courage and commitment to causes greater than ourselves,” McCain said.
Also, Meg Whitman, the CEO of the eBay empire, a white and female business leader.
McCain has paid homage to Lewis before, by the way. The Republican is quoted in the congressman’s official biography on his web site.
Photo credits: Ben Gray/AJC, Rick McKay/Cox Washington bureau
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The Obama campaign does some grassroots work
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Obama presidential campaign caught some grief in this space on Thursday for its reluctance to part with any statistical data to back up its contention that Georgia remains “very, very, very” much in play.
This evening and on Saturday, at numerous locations throughout the state, supporters will engage in “neighbor-to-neighbor” volunteer training in “the skills Barack Obama learned during his days as a community organizer in Chicago.
The question to Caroline Adelman, spokeswoman for the campaign, was simple. How many people do they expect to show up?
Three thousand, she replied, rather proudly. “Now, how often do you see a number like that in a presidential campaign?”
Locations are on the jump.
Atlanta Metro
Friday, August 15 at 6 pm
1080 Spring Street
OrTabernacle Church
47 Howard Ave
Saturday, August 16 at 9 am
Central United Methodist Church
560 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Athens region
Friday August 15at 6 pm
Hartwell Public Library 1050 Benson Street,
Hartwell, GA
Saturday 16th Clarke County Public Library at 9 am
2025 Baxter St
Athens, GA
Augusta Friday August 15 at 6 pm and Saturday, August 16 at 9 am
Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta
3501 Walton Way Ext
Augusta, GA
Columbus
Friday, August 15th at 6 pm and Saturday, August 16 at 9 am
Liberty Theater and Cultural Center
813 8th Avenue
Columbus, GA
Albany region
Friday August 15 at 6 pm
Office 407 South Slappey Blvd
Albany, GA
Saturday August 16 at 9 am
Mother East Baptist Church
1400 West Central Avenue
Moultrie, GA 31768
Savannah
Friday August 15at 6 pm
3219 College St.
Savannah State University (Jordan Building)
Savannah, GA
Saturday August 16 at 9 am
3219 College St
Savannah State University (Whiting Building)
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Barr goes to court to demand entry into Saddleback Church
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Barack Obama and John McCain are scheduled to make a joint appearance Saturday at Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif.
No other candidates have been invited, which has ticked off Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr.
Russ Verney, campaign manager for the former Georgia congressman, has just sent out a mass e-mail saying Barr will seek a court order to require the church to invite him, too.
Which perhaps is an odd thing for a Libertarian to do — asking a judge to determine whom a church should invite into its sanctuary.
Here’s a portion of the note:
After weeks of negotiations and calls to Saddleback Church from leaders from every corner of the political spectrum supporting Bob Bar’s inclusion, we’ve been left out in the cold.
The only people getting into the event are Obama, McCain and those who reportedly paid $500 to $2,000 to the church to sit in the audience.
Yesterday, I reported to former Congressman Barr that we’ve exhausted every avenue. I told him, “We’ve had calls placed to Pastor [Rick] Warren from very powerful leaders from the left and the right, we sent in our personal request, and placed numerous phone calls that have not been returned. You are not going to be included.
“Our only option left is to threaten to file an temporary injunction as our attorney’s believe they are in violation of the law.”
Bob responded by saying, “No, don’t threaten to do that … Just do it.”
As you read this, our attorneys are filing an injunction against Saddleback Church to include Bob Barr in their forum this Saturday.
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Move over, Rush Limbaugh
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last month, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle sat in for Martha Zoller on her talk radio show up in Gainesville.
The experience couldn’t have been too dreadful.
Cagle will try again this afternoon, this time filling in for Austin Rhodes down in Augusta, on WGAC (580AM). You can listen by clicking here.
The lieutenant governor’s three-hour shift begins at 3 p.m. Be sure to ask exciting, penetrating questions — Cagle specifically likes to discuss the ins and outs of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
He lives for that kind of stuff.
Earlier this week, Rhodes sent the Insider a note, pointing out that Herman Cain got his start in the same chair.
Cagle might not want to explore that parallel. Cain had to lose his U.S. Senate race in 2004 before he got his current gig at WSB.
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The Democratic video take on John McCain and Ralph Reed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Surely you didn’t think that Democrats would let this go.
This morning, the Democratic National Committee will release a video highlighting Monday’s Atlanta fund-raiser for Republican presidential candidate John McCain — and Ralph Reed’s role in gathering up some of the cash.
“But, now, desperate to raise campaign cash to run more negative attack ads, John McCain is cozying up to Jack Abramoff’s cronies,” says the narrator. “Ralph Reed, a key business partner of Jack Abramoff, helped the convicted former Republican lobbyist launder $2 million through a front group to finance a gambling campaign.”
In June 2006, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by McCain, concluded that casino-owning Indian tribes, at Abramoff’s direction, filtered more than $5 million through a series of corporations to satisfy what they said were Reed’s political concerns that he would be linked to the cash.
Actually, the money for Reed went not to gambling campaigns, but to Christian-oriented, anti-gambling campaigns — meant to frustrate competitors trying to establish gambling concerns. Reed was never accused of wrong-doing, and there was never any indication that the money sent to Reed was used for other purposes.
Here’s the video:
So far as we know, the video will appear only on YouTube. But you never know.
To read the script, go to the jump.
VOICEOVER: “On the campaign trail, John McCain claims that he fought to expose Jack Abramoff and his corrupt cronies…”
MCCAIN: “And I led the investigation.”
VOICEOVER: “It was a scandal that rocked the country, linking all the way to the Bush White House and Republicans in Congress, sending two former Republican Congressmen to prison.
“But, now, desperate to raise campaign cash to run more negative attack ads, John McCain is cozying up to Jack Abramoff’s cronies.
“Ralph Reed, a key business partner of Jack Abramoff helped the convicted former Republican lobbyist launder 2 million dollars through a front group to finance a gambling campaign.
“Now, Ralph Reed has signed up to raise money for John McCain. Reed has even been appointed to McCain’s Victory 2008 Team.
“Ralph Reed’s murky connections to Jack Abramoff run so deep, it cost him a race for Lt. Governor in Georgia.
“While most people now see Ralph Reed as a tainted man raising tainted money, John McCain sees him as a source of campaign cash.
“John McCain - more of the same old politics.”
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On the timing of Chambliss’ video on the Fair Tax
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss has just posted a YouTube video in which he backs the Fair Tax.
The timing is a tad curious, and could mesh neatly with the politics of local talk radio. On Monday, Chambliss found himself skewered on WSB (750AM) by syndicated host Neal Boortz, for his leadership on a bipartisan energy bill in the Senate.
Chambliss endorsed the Fair Tax well over a year ago, so his support isn’t exactly news. But Boortz is the high priest of the national sales tax in Georgia, and has co-authored books on the topic with U.S. Rep. John Linder.
You have to wonder if this YouTube video might be intended to remind Boortz’ followers that he’s not against them — or their hero — on every issue.
Click on the image below to watch:
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How much would you have paid to learn about John Edwards? And to whom?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before you judge the mainstream media too harshly for its reluctance to tackle the John Edwards story, listen to what Sharon Waxman says.
In the MSM world, Waxman was most recently a Hollywood correspondent for the New York Times.
She’s also written for the Washington Post, and even — during some foot-loose years in Paris — for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Waxman still writes out of Los Angeles and posted this observation about the John Edwards story on her blog:
Here’s what I’ve learned over the years about tabloid journalism: it is usually the principals involved who provide the crucial details, for money. That’s why the information is so often on the nose.
How does the News of the World manage to be there just when Michael Jackson or Elizabeth Taylor leaves their plastic surgery appointment? It’s not by chance. Usually the doctor tips them off. Sometimes they even have the celebrity’s agreement.
My guess is that there is a simple reason why the mainstream media is unable to confirm the Edwards-Hunter affair during these past weeks. Because very few people knew what had been going on. Edwards’ staff didn’t know. Elizabeth Edwards didn’t know. The group may have been as small as three: Edwards, Hunter and her pal Bob McGovern.
One of those, in my view (and not Edwards), sold the information….
Last week I spoke to a reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer who said he spent five days in Los Angeles trying to confirm any aspect of the Beverly Hilton story. He came up with nothing. Zero. Zilch.
Not because he wasn’t trying. Because without a checkbook, the Raleigh News & Observer was not going to be let into the world of Rielle Hunter.
Photo credit: Associated Press
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On the Obama blueprint for winning Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The people behind Barack Obama’s Georgia campaign on Thursday laid out what they called the broad outlines of their plan for winning Georgia.
The conference call with reporters was advertised as a discussion of the “blueprint” for winning a state that participants insisted was “very, very, very” much at play.
Alas, when it came to details, the telephone press conference produced no blueprint. Only something like a sketch on a paper napkin. No measurable word about TV advertising or benchmarks or resources invested — whether in the form of cash or bodies.
The Obama campaign has shown great talent for message discipline. No stray facts escaped.
National political director Patrick Gaspard, Georgia campaign director Antwaun Griffin and state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) all touted their goal of mobilizing thousands of volunteers into a synchronized system of “neighborhood teams” that they believe can deliver the state’s 15 electoral votes to a Democrat for the first time since 1992.
The Insider listened in. My AJC colleague Aaron Sheinin performed the hopeless task of asking questions.
“This is a campaign that’s driven by grass-roots and community activism,” Griffin said. “Folks are used to statewide campaigns here. I hear from people on the ground to get outside metro Atlanta. We’re building volunteer capacity across the state.”
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A footnote from the religious wars of the Republican primary
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since religion and politics is likely to be the popular topic this weekend, what with John McCain and Barack Obama having a joint appearance at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in California, it might be worth your while to click to this roundtable discussion on the topic offered by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
One of the participants was Mark DeMoss, the Christian publicist from Gwinnett County who acted as the liaison to Southern evangelicals for Mitt Romney during the GOP primary contest. DeMoss identifies former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist, as a key factor in Romney’s defeat, which still stings.
Says DeMoss:
”I agree with those who say, your faith is important and it defines you. But I don’t think faith should be a calling card in political races. For example, [former] Gov. [Mike] Huckabee ran an ad in South Carolina before the primary there that identified him as a Christian leader. And he said, my faith defines me, it’s who I am, and so on. I agree with that as a Christian.
“He didn’t run that ad in Michigan; he didn’t run that ad in Florida. If your faith defines you, it defines you in all 50 states or it doesn’t define you at all, in my view. That’s what I’m troubled by - that faith becomes a political football or a calling card in whose faith is better.”
Photo credit: Nick Arroyo/AJC
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Of Ralph Reed, inside and outside Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When it comes to Ralph Reed, Georgia is somewhat different from the rest of the nation.
Outside the state, Reed is a caricature of the Christian Right and all the phases of its relationship with the national Republican party, from the 1994 revolution to the 2006 conviction of Jack Abramoff.
But in Georgia, despite his fall from grace in Washington, Reed retains a significant following — 44 percent of all state GOP voters, as of two summers ago — that still can make a difference in local politics.
Remember that Reed served as chairman of the state Republican party. That counts for much. It adds a reality-based, third dimension to any cartoonish portraits.
Which is why Jamie Reynolds III, chairman of John McCain’s Georgia finance committee, probably did ask Reed to raise cash for the Republican nominee’s fund-raiser in Atlanta on Monday.
This is, in fact, evidence that McCain and his campaign organizers have seen — or should have seen — this coming, this convergence of McCain’s ambition and Reed’s need to reassert his place in the GOP. One does not ask for the help of Reynolds, a long-time supporter and friend to George W. Bush, without knowing that Reed will be involved as well.
Republicans in Georgia have few qualms about having Reed in their midst. In today’s Savannah Morning News, Larry Peterson reports that Reed will be a featured speaker at the upcoming GOP fund-raiser in Savannah on Sept. 27. Organizers are looking for 1,000 attendees at $80 a pop.
According to Peterson, local GOP chairman Frank Murray says this about Reed:
“He was never convicted of anything,” Murray said. “He was never even charged. We try to invite people who will draw a crowd, who are good speakers and are good Republicans.”
Murray said he briefly reviewed the [Senate Indian Affairs] committee report and was not convinced that Reed did anything wrong.
When paired with political necessity, memories are darned perishable things. The expiration date is always two weeks ago.
The same Morning News article includes Steve Croy, a heavyweight Republican fund-raiser down Savannah way. Croy, a part of the Georgia team for McCain, told Peterson he was “only vaguely aware of the Reed-Abramoff link.”
Croy was the chief fund-raiser for Casey Cagle in the state senator’s successful Republican campaign for lieutenant governor in 2006.
That means Croy raised the money that Cagle used to successfully bury Reed in an avalanche of mailers and TV spots built around the former Christian Coalition leader’s association with a corrupt Washington lobbyist.
Photo credit: The Associated Press
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Westmoreland on a 2010 race for governor: ‘We’re thinking about it’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who has spent much of this week in Washington fomenting a Republican revolution in the House, has been much less verbal when it comes to the topic of running for governor in 2010.
He’s often mentioned as a potential candidate, but has largely managed to avoid public discussion. Until now.
After a luncheon speech at Eagle’s Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Westmoreland said the idea of living in the Governor’s Mansion had crossed his mind.
“Politics is all about timing and two years in politics is a long time,” he told my AJC colleague Ben Smith. “We’re thinking about it.”
Westmoreland does have opposition in the general election. His district leans Republican, but even so, if he’s running for governor, the former state House minority leader will want to make a good showing.
State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a fellow Republican, is the only announced candidate thus far. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is expected to announce next month. Westmoreland, like Secretary of State Karen Handel, expects to wait until after the November elections to make a decision.
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A quiet word about concealed weapons from Georgia’s revolutionary front
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tom Crawford with Capitol Impact was at that Senate committee meeting called by Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), which will take a look at expanding the list of locations that a licensed gun-owner should be allowed to carry concealed.
Attorney Ed Stone of Georgia Carry was one of the chief witnesses on Tuesday, and said concealed gun zones should include both universities and churches.
Crawford then writes this
Sen. George Hooks (D-Americus) said he received a petition from the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church that expressed the church’s concerns about people carrying firearms into a church.
“If the United Methodist Church or other members of the left wish to exclude firearms, that’s their business,” Stone said.
This, of course, forced the Insider to contact the state’s largest Bolshevik-minded cell of revolutionaries, the Georgia Baptist Convention.
This particular left-wing group hasn’t taken a position on the guns-in-church issue, primarily because it hasn’t been asked.
After giving the secret liberal password and countersign, Ray Newman, who monitors governmental affairs for the Baptist convention, said he personally likes the idea of responsible people walking around armed — in principle.
“But I don’t see the point of people being armed at church,” Newman said.
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Questions from the Georgia Christian Alliance for future members of the Court of Appeals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So you want a seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals. One of your first decisions will be whether to fill out the questionnaire that the Georgia Christian Alliance has just sent to you by certified mail.
It’s not in your mailbox? Then download it here.
The questionnaire seeks out the opinions of judicial candidates based on past U.S. Supreme Court decisions. For instance, candidates are asked whether they agree, disagree or have no response to this portion of Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992):
“The woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy before viability is the most central principal of Roe v. Wade. It is a rule of law and a component of liberty we cannot renounce.”
There have been concerns expressed by many lawyers that, in filling out voter questionnaires, future judges violate their own code of ethics by offering opinions on legal matters.
But Christian Alliance chairman Sadie Fields tries to avoid that issue by adding this disclaimer to the questionnaire:
”By completing this survey, I intend to indicate with which judicial philosophies of United States Supreme Court justices I most agree in cases of relevance to voters. I express no opinion for or against the core policies or programs which were the subject matter of the following Supreme Court opinions….”
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A word from Max Cleland about that 2002 campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Georgia senator Max Cleland makes a rare self-reference to his 2002 defeat by Republican Saxby Chambliss in an e-mailed letter to raise money for Democratic senate campaigns.
“Our opponents put my picture next to Osama bin Laden and said I wouldn’t keep America safe. They told us to ignore John Kerry’s combat medals. And now, they’re whispering about Barack Obama,” Cleland writes, on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “You and I know this kind of garbage is coming soon to Senate races around the country. It’s despicable, but it sometimes works.”
The letter, published Wednesday, is intended to help the DSCC raise $1.1 million in August.
Cleland has kept a relatively low profile recently. He did try to attend the Barack Obama event in Cobb County last month, only to be disinvited because of his new status as a lobbyist.
Still, the Senate letter prompted an obvious question: Will Cleland take an active role in the fall campaigns?
The answer, from Cleland himself, is no. “I’m hunkered down lower than a chicken in a south Georgia hailstorm,” he said this afternoon.
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Democrats ready to unload on McCain, Reed over Atlanta fund-raiser
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The signs are unmistakable. Democrats are about to unload on Republican presidential candidate John McCain — and the upcoming Atlanta event that Ralph Reed is helping to boost.
Today’s The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, notes that McCain has thus far ignored calls to cancel the fund-raiser from “watchdog groups” who note Reed’s former association with imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
An investigation driven by McCain, as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, uncovered much of the relationship.
But Democrats are no longer much impressed. This paragraph is from the Hill:
“Calling yourself a maverick and claiming credit for fighting corruption while raising money with one of the central figures in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal is not what most voters have in mind when they think of ‘straight talk,’” said Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. “It is, however, one more example of why John McCain is offering more of the same failed Republican leadership.”
A statement just released this morning, again from Democratic National Committee and its chairman Howard Dean, is even stronger — and calls McCain’s 2006 investigation of corruption less than thorough.
“Despite his shady ties to Abramoff, McCain never called Reed to testify before his committee. In fact, despite acknowledging wrongdoing among his colleagues, McCain refused to investigate fellow Republicans in Congress,” the press release states.
Says Dean:
“John McCain’s decision to cozy up to one of the central figures in the Republican culture of corruption shows how far HE IS is willing to go to win. Despite all of his rhetoric about reform, McCain’s willingness to accept tainted money raised by tainted Abramoff cronies like Ralph Reed shows that McCain simply cannot be trusted to bring change to Washington politics. A maverick no more, the John McCain of 2000 wouldn’t even consider voting for the John McCain of 2008.”
In the Hill article, an RNC official noted that Reed’s name is not on the official invitation to the event, which will be held at the downtown Atlanta Marriott Marquis. But the official would not confirm whether Reed is a member of the McCain 2008 Victory Team, as Reed told supporters last week in an e-mail.
On Tuesday, Reed told my AJC colleague Aaron Sheinin:
“I’m strongly supporting Senator McCain because he’s advocating conservative positions on taxes, judges, energy, strengthening the family and common sense values. I have great respect for his service to the country.
“I sent that e-mail out in my capacity as a private citizen. I don’t hold any position or title with the McCain campaign, haven’t sought one, don’t want one.”
Update: An interview with Reed by the Wall Street Journal produced this:
“You know, I’ve had differences in the past with Sen. McCain but frankly those pale into insignificance compared with the stark differences between these two nominees and what is at stake in this election,” Reed said in a phone interview.
When asked about his past differences with McCain, Reed offered this explanation: “I take the long view of politics and I’ve found that yesterday’s opponent may well be tomorrow’s friend or ally and I’ve certainly found that to be the case with Sen. McCain.”
Photo credits: Renee’ Hannans Henry/AJC, Associated Press
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Crude becomes a sticky topic in the Georgia GOP delegation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My Washington colleague Julia Malone writes that the Republican attempt to embarrass Democrats on offshore drilling for oil has bubbled into something more complicated.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Coweta County jetted back to D.C. on Wednesday to lead the now-daily Republican chorus demanding that House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi call the members back from recess and vote on an energy bill.
But Westmoreland also had words for the two Georgia senators, who have been consorting with Democrats on a compromise energy plan.
“I think it’s given the Democrats a place to hide — some cover,” Westmoreland complained of the so-called “Gang of Ten,” who include U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss. Their plan doesn’t go far enough on drilling, the House member said.
Westmoreland stopped short of remarks made by fellow Georgia Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey, who last week dismissed the “Gang of Ten” energy compromise as “procedural pleasantries.”
But it turns out that Gingrey has joined a bipartisan effort, too. He is one of the more than 100 co-sponsors of a House “compromise” energy plan (HR 6709) that would allow drilling offshore but not in ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Asked about the House compromise, Gingrey defended it as a “giant step forward” in ending offshore drilling bans, even if it doesn’t include ANWR. “I am proud to join Republicans and Democrats alike in advancing this debate,” he said.
And how’s that different from the “Gang of Ten” in the Senate? Gingrey’s staff didn’t say — except to cite summaries suggesting the House compromise bill is broader.
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More on the Democratic view of a Chambliss-Martin match-up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee published the top lines of a statewide poll (admittedly self-serving) that matched Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss against Democrat Jim Martin.
A kind soul has now provided us with the entire memo being distributed to potential Martin supporters and contributors.
Here are a few lines:
”Chambliss’ weakness is particularly striking due to his large advantage in name identification over his opponent — Chambliss is known to 67 percent of the state’s voters, while Martin is known only to 47 percent. Among the 38 percent of the electorate that knows both candidates, Martin actually leads by a 52 percent to 37 percent margin.”
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A quicker, more convenient way to find out who’s paying for your politician
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My AJC colleague James Salzer says the State Ethics Commission has made it easier to figure out where candidates get their campaign cash.
A new feature on the agency’s web site, unveiled Tuesday, allows you to search race-by-race, and sort by both county and zip code. Very handy when it comes to something like the 2010 governor’s contest.
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Isakson, business types advertise their support for the current speaker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dick Pettys at InsiderAdvantage has a noteworthy item about a fund-raiser this week for House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who is faced with a leadership challenge from state Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge).
Tom Bell, chairman and CEO of Cousins Properties, is directing this event. Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, is another sponsor.
And U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is “special invited guest.”
What’s behind this? Remember that Richardson is seen by the business community as the only member of the state Capitol triumvirate who was willing to stick his neck out on the issue of transportation.
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Barr tours the Colorado headquarters of James Dobson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John McCain may want to make a reassuring phone call to Colorado Springs.
Buried in a press release for Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president, was a mention that on Monday, Barr toured the offices of Focus on the Family, headed by James Dobson — a significant voice among evangelical Christians.
This is the same Dobson who, three weeks ago, allowed it was just possible that he might have to endorse the GOP candidate — despite disagreeing with him on several issues.
Barr campaign manager Russell Verney said today that Barr did not meet with Dobson, who was working on a book. (Verney originally gave another reason for Dobson’s absence, but later called to correct himself.)
Instead, Barr met with Tom Minnery, senior vice president for Focus on the Family, and others.
Barr, Verney said, “had a great meeting and discussion with them.
“I think it’s no secret that a lot of the more conservative Republicans have doubts about Sen. John McCain, and there’s been no strong commitment by anyone towards him.
“It’s an area where Bob has a very well-defined record in Congress. There’s a good relationship with a lot of the leaders of that community,” Verney said.
What about the former Georgia congressman’s recent statements on gay marriage and second thoughts about his own Defense of Marriage Act?
“What Bob has said is exactly the conservative philosophy — that these are state isues that should be decided by the people within a state, as opposed to the federal government being involved in non-federal issues,” Verney said.
One reason for a Barr visit to Dobson is the Libertarian’s pursuit of a spot next to McCain and Democrat Barack Obama at Saddlebrook Church in Orange County, Calif.
Rick Warren, pastor of the 22,000-member megachurch, has invited the two major party candidates to the Saturday event. Here’s the letter from the Barr campaign requesting equal time.
Remember that this church event in California comes two days before McCain’s visit to Atlanta, where Ralph Reed will be serving as one of the hosts.
McCain’s need to connect with evangelicals is why the GOP candidate will ignore calls to cut the former head of the Christian Coalition out of the event.
My AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin put a phone call into Reed today, about the Monday event. Said Reed:
“I’m strongly supporting Senator McCain because he’s advocating conservative positions on taxes, judges, energy, strengthening the family and common sense values. I have great respect for his service to the country.
“I sent that e-mail out in my capacity as a private citizen. I don’t hold any position or title with the McCain campaign, haven’t sought one, don’t want one.”
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Martin’s own poll says he’s got a chance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is vulnerable and Democrat Jim Martin is within striking distance, according to a poll circulated by one of Martin’s most important backers, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The survey of the U.S. Senate race puts Chambliss at 42 percent and Martin at 36 percent. Libertarian Allen Buckley is at 3 percent.
Obviously, polls circulated by the very parties involved need to be taken with a sack of salt. But be aware that this is the document that Martin will be using when he rings up potential donors.
The poll of 600 likely voters, said the DSCC, was taken Aug. 6 to 10 by the Mellman Group and has a 4 percent margin of error.
Likely points of emphasis include a 37 percent job approval rating for Chambliss — well below what non-partisan polls have shown. Sixty-six percent say the country’s on the wrong track.
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Facility Group CEO pleads guilty to conspiracy to corrupt a public official
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The head of one of Georgia’s most politically plugged-in companies on Monday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to “corrupt” a public official in Mississippi.
Reverberations are likely both there and here. Click here to read the guilty plea.
This is from the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger:
Robert Moultrie, chairman and chief executive of The Facility Group of Smyrna, Ga., admitted he gave $45,000 in contributions to the re-election campaign of then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who is now running for the Senate.
Moultrie, 67, is the latest to plead guilty in the scandal that already has resulted in convictions for three other people, including former beef plant owner Richard Hall Jr. 
U.S. District Judge Mike Mills is set to sentence Moultrie in 45 to 60 days.
As part of the plea agreement U.S. attorneys, Mills and Moultrie agreed to a 34-month sentencing cap. The charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine or both and three years of supervised release.
Today’s Marietta Daily Journal has this:
The Facility Group was hired by the state of Mississippi to manage the beef plant. According to the indictment, Moultrie sent out invitations for a July 23, 2003, fundraiser at his Smyrna residence for “a public official.”
Then-Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove had a fundraiser at Moultrie’s house on July 23, 2003, a spokeswoman for Musgrove’s Senate campaign confirmed. Musgrove, a Democrat, is currently running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Trent Lott.
The indictment does not charge Musgrove and Musgrove’s campaign staff have maintained he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Two other Facility Group executives, chief operating officer Nixon Cawood and executive vice president Charles Morehead, are also under indictment.
Lawyers for Moultrie — as well as Musgrove staffers — are bristling at any use of the word “bribery,” which they say is legally reserved for quid-pro-quo transactions. This money for that action.
Tom Freeland, attorney for Moultrie, put out this statement:
“Robert Moultrie has pleaded guilty to a charge in a one-count information that he paid an illegal gratuity to a state official by a campaign contribution to the official.
“This is a charge that he made the contribution intending to influence and reward the official for the performance of official duties should the public official’s assistance be needed on any potential problems on the Mississippi beef project.”
In other words, according to the attorney, this wasn’t bribery because Moultrie didn’t know what specific deed he might require a governor to perform. This was more like a purchase on the futures market.
Photo credit: The Facility Group
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Talk radio’s eruption over Chambliss and his energy agreement spreads to Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Talk radio’s eruption over the “Gang of Ten” bipartisan energy proposal continued on Monday, as U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss got into it — in polite fashion — with WSB talk guru Neal Boortz over the issue.
The topic has percolated since a Wall Street Journal columnist attacked the compromise last Thursday. That syndicated vetter of conservative issues, Rush Limbaugh, railed against it on Friday.
Monday was Boortz’ turn. Like others before him, the Atlanta-based radio host complained that the Senate initiative, led on the GOP side by Chambliss, undercut the protests that House Republicans — led by U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Roswell — have generated since Congress left on vacation.
Boortz dismissed the way the senators have proposed paying for conservation incentives in the bill as a tax increase on oil companies — and, before Chambliss got on the line, threatened to vote for Libertarian Allen Buckley.
Chambliss said oil companies are getting plenty in return for the elimination of a 6 percent tax break they currently get and declared that Boortz and his radio compatriots “rather than finding a solution to a crisis that exists in America, you’d rather have a campaign issue for the election.”
Listen to sound clips of the confrontation, kindly provided by WSB Radio(750AM) here, here and here.
Now, some of you out there may theorize that Chambliss — who has angered the base before with his participation in negotiations over immigration, and his championship of the farm bill — may be in danger of losing his right wing.
But think on this: In aggressively dealing with conservative talk radio on this issue, Chambliss may instead be engaging in a Republican version of a Sistah Souljah maneuver — i.e., slighting one’s base in order to reassure the middle.
A partial transcript of the Chambliss-Boortz set-to begins here, and continues on the jump:
Chambliss: Tell me what you’re upset about, Neal, when Republicans and Democrats are trying to lower gas prices.
Boortz: Oh, come on. Save the [unintelligible], Senator. What I’m upset about is that Republicans have a winning issue here, on the fact that the Democrats wanted — wanted — the American people to pay big bucks for gasoline, because it plays well for them in the election. And the Republicans had a winning issue — that I think y’all just knocked the props out, from right underneath ‘em.
Chambliss: I totally disagree, Neal. For this reason: No. 1, there are people — and I hear you saying the same thing some other talk shows are saying — who rather than finding a solution to a crisis that exists in America, you’d rather have a campaign issue for the election. Well, you know, people voted for me in 2002 to go to the Senate to solve problems — not have campaign issues to deal with.
What we did was, we got together as a group. Five Republicans and five Democrats. Four of the five Democrats had never voted for off-shore drilling. They’re willing to come our way to make that commitment. Four of the five Democrats are not big believers in nuclear power production. They’ve come our way on the issue of nuclear power production.
Four of the five Democrats have never considered voting for recycling of nuclear waste from power plants. They now have come our way on this issue.
Boortz: Are any of those Democrats Nelson or Martinez?
Chambliss: No.
Boortz: Well, then Florida is out of the picture.
Chambliss: I don’t know what they would do if we did not propose to open up the Gulf of Mexico, which is what we’re doing, because that’s where the oil is.
Boortz: Well, I know, but you leave it up to Florida and — now, here, tell me where I’m wrong. Does this agreement — I understand there’s nothing in writing, there’s no bill, there’s nothing signed — but does this agreement provide for any higher taxes on the oil industry?
Chambliss: What it does is, in 2004, Neal, we passed a provision that gives an exclusion to all oil companies, including Hugo Chavez, for 6 percent of their income that comes from domestic production. So the top 6 percent….
[CALL BEGINS TO BREAK UP. CHAMBLISS CALLS BACK]
Boortz: Sorry about the cell phone problems there, Senator.
Chambliss: I apologize. I’m on the road here, I’m getting close to Lewis Grizzard’s No-Name Bar down here in south Georgia.
Boortz: Well, go in there and have one for me. Are there any tax increases on the oil companies in this agreement with the Democrats?
Chambliss: Here’s what we proposed. We can’t do anything as a Gang of Ten, relative to how the conservation measures are paid for. But what we suggested to the Finance Committee that will make the decision is that, look, in 2004 we put this tax provision in which excludes from income for all oil companies 6 percent of the income derived from domestic production.
It’s just excluded from their income, totally.
Boortz: From their taxable income.
Chambliss: That’s right. Now what we’re proposing to do is to tell the five majors plus Citgo, that’s owned by our friend Hugo Chavez, that we’re going to take that away from you because we don’t think we need to give them an incentive. We’re giving them an additional area in the Gulf of Mexico, where we know there’s oil, we’re giving them the right to go off-shore in four states in the first phase, and in the second phase, there may be other areas off-shore that they’ll be allowed to go.
They would a lot rather get their production domestically, because they don’t have to pay to get it here. They have the infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico….
Why should we still give the incentives to Hugo Chavez to make money off —
Boortz: Isn’t Hugo Chavez something of a red herring here? I mean, you throw him in with the other oil companies, because certainly he does elicit an emotional response from Americans, but isn’t the short answer here, yes, the tax burden on the oil companies will increase under this arrangement?
Chambliss: That’s only if the Finance Committee decided to use that.
Boortz: Likewise, there will only be drilling off the coast if the states agree to it.
Chambliss: Except for the Gulf of Mexico, the states have the option of agreeing to opt in. That’s true….
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Watchdog group calls on McCain to cancel Atlanta fund-raiser because of Reed’s participation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ralph Reed’s standing in national GOP circles is getting a test.
Campaign Money Watch, a campaign finance watchdog group, has just called on Republican presidential candidate John McCain to cancel plans for an Aug. 18 fund-raiser in Atlanta hosted in part by Reed, the former state GOP chairman and ex-leader of the Christian Coalition.
Here’s the original post that sparked the response.
The organization cites Reed’s association with Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Washington lobbyist now in federal prison for influence-peddling. Reed lost an ‘06 bid for lieutenant governor, largely because of revelations of that relationship — uncovered by McCain’s Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
“Will the real John McCain stand up, already?” asked David Donnelly, director of Campaign Money Watch. “Sen. McCain knows exactly how Ralph Reed helped Jack Abramoff defraud Indian tribes out of tens of millions of dollars, and how Reed lobbied on Abramoff’s behalf to protect sweatshop owners in the Northern Mariana Islands. Sen. McCain should spare himself any further embarrassment by canceling this event immediately. Whose help will he accept next? Tom DeLay’s?”
Update: A call to the McCain campaign by my colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin produced this response from Republican National Committee spokeswoman Katie Wright:
“I find it laughable they would go this route, considering Senator McCain chaired the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that investigated Jack Abramoff. I suggest they take a closer look at Barack Obama’s friends like convicted felon Tony Rezko or his National Co-Chairman Harry Reid, who took nearly $68,000 from Abramoff.”
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A Nunn sighting in the tumult over the other Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Though the reference disappeared in subsequent Sunday editions, early versions of a New York Times article on Barack Obama’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Georgia included this paragraph:
Wendy Morigi, Obama’s national security spokeswoman, said that in recent days the campaign had spoken to experts including Sam Nunn, a former senator of Georgia and an influential Democratic voice on foreign policy; Michael A. McFaul, a Russia scholar at Stanford University who heads the campaign’s foreign policy team on Russia and Eurasia; Richard Holbrooke, a former American ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton; and Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic representative of Indiana, who now heads the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
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Borders withdraws from ‘09 race for mayor of Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders has just withdrawn from the ’09 race to follow Shirley Franklin into the mayor’s office. Rumors had been swirling to this effect since Friday.
Read Borders’ entire statement here. In part, the press release says:
“I was raised to put family and community before personal ambition. This ethic has guided me for decades and brings me to this decision today. Issues that face every family have no respect of political goals, and I am not immune. Taking care of my family has always been my priority, and increasing health concerns faced by my aging parents require that I place their needs above my own.”
Borders indicated that she intends to remain as leader of the city council.
At this risk of sparking a storm of protest from followers of Councilwoman Mary Norwood, the Insider has got to say that this development looks like it should benefit state Sen. Kasim Reed of Atlanta.
Update: in a statement issued Monday afternoon, Reed praised Borders’ contributions to the city. “I believe nothing is more important than family and respect Ms. Borders’ decision to focus on her loved ones during this critical period. I am pleased to learn that she will continue to be involved in helping our city move forward,” Reed said.
Photo credit: Nick Arroyo/AJC
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First, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees: A recipe for ‘cooking the books’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That federal trial of a politically connected Smyrna company and its three executives continues to churn out preliminary documents that reveal bits and pieces of the prosecution’s case.
And the company’s fine sense of mathematics.
The Facility Group, its chairman/CEO Robert L. Moultrie, chief operating officer Nixon Cawood and executive vice president Charles Morehead are alleged to have made illegal campaign donations to win the contract for a state-backed beef plant in Mississippi.
The company then inflated costs to recoup that money and more, prosecutors allege.
Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, now a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is thought to be the unnamed and unindicted public official who received the contributions.
In one document dump from last week, revealed tidbits include the allegation that the Facility Group charged $423,000 for insurance that only cost the company $40,000, and the discovery of false time sheets to “cook the books to back up the false hours.”
Prosecutors also say that have a hand-written formula, penned by company controller, the company used to double-bill the cost of its employees. It goes something like this:
An employee who earns $100 an hour also gets health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance. Social Security and bonuses must be paid. So the true cost is $130 an hour. So that’s a bottom-line ratio of $1.30 of cost for every $1 paid to an employee.
Sayeth the prosecutors:
”Then, according to the accountant, The Facility Group estimates an employee only works 65 percent of the time (35 percent goofing off, not working, sick, vacation- inefficiency).
So they divide 1.3 (their alleged cost to employee)/65% (inefficiency) and come up with a neat figure of 2.0, which they multiply times the employees salary for every hour the employee works. For example if an employees salary is $200 an hour they claim he costs them $400 and bill that employee out at $400.”
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A victory for the adults in the room
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Very rarely are you allowed to watch a man shed one reputation and slide into another.
Eldrin Bell has been a bodyguard to Maynard Jackson. A detective, an Atlanta police chief. A bon vivant playboy, piano bar crooner, and the occasional acquaintance — though never the ally — of shady characters.
But at the age of 73, he has assumed a new identity. You may now refer to Bell as the wizened politician who pulled Clayton County from the brink. With the help of a few Republicans.
“I wanted to be the adult in the room,” he said after the votes were counted.
In last week’s Democratic runoff, the chairman of the Clayton County commission led a biracial ticket that beat back Bell’s opponent and ousted both a district attorney and a sheriff.
In a county with a collapsing school system, this was a vote against incompetence and megalomania.
The district attorney, Jewel Scott, lacked criminal experience and had let miscreants slip through her fingers. Victor Hill is the sheriff who fired white deputies after his 2004 election, and lined the roof with snipers as they were escorted out.
Bell’s opponent, Lee Scott, was husband to the district attorney and strategist for the sheriff. All three are black, as is Bell.
Defeat of the Scott faction was far from a sure thing. Over the last eight years, Clayton County’s African-American voting population has zoomed from 45 percent to 69 percent — an explosion of black suburbia.
Even this spring, racial appeals by the Scott faction had Bell worried that he would be a one-term wonder.
But in politics, if you’re losing the game, you don’t bow out. You change the game.
Bell went old school, and built an Atlanta-style, black-and-white coalition.
He formed a kitchen cabinet that included: James Comerford, an attorney with connections to Gov. Sonny Perdue and U.S. Rep. Tom Price; Janie Griffin, whose husband Jerry heads the Association County Commissioners of Georgia; and Forrest H. Johnson, who coordinated black homeowner associations.
Bell enlisted white business leaders for financial backing.
He formed an alliance with Tracy Graham-Lawson, a white juvenile court judge who entered the district attorney’s race; and with Kem Kimbrough, an African-American staff attorney for the ACCG, who ran for sheriff.
“We felt if they would vote for me, they would vote for Tracy,” Bell said. “And if they would vote for Tracy, they would vote for Kimbrough.”
Significantly, Bell fired his strategy team and called in the Republican firm of Landmark Communications, headed by Mark Rountree, to run a campaign in what may be the most Democratic county in Georgia.
“[Rountree] became very interested in where we were trying to go,” Bell said. (Rountree handled the Bell campaign. Landmark cohort Gabriel Sterling served as Kimbrough’s advisor.)
Bell is an ordained minister now, more introspective than he once was. The old Eldrin made a brief comeback in the last weeks of the campaign — Bell suffered a flashburn on his thumb while firing a monster, .50-caliber revolver on the farm of a strip club owner.
“I didn’t solve 80 percent of my homicides when I was a detective by knowing priests,” Bell said. Ah, just like old times.
In the end, the incident did him no harm. Clayton County was determined to escape the spoils system that had descended upon it.
Bell and his friends were the only adults in the room.
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A GOP divide over energy: Gingrey rejects bipartisan energy proposal pushed by Chambliss, Isakson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, operating in high re-election gear, has suddenly been forced to defend his “Gang of Ten” energy proposal — not from Democratic attacks, but from slashes by fellow Republicans.
On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey declared that Georgia’s two senators — Johnny Isakson is also part of the bipartisan effort — are on the wrong track. Other House Republicans from Georgia are likely to follow Gingrey’s lead.
Reaction started on Friday, when conservative radio godfather Rush Limbaugh declared the “Gang of Ten” energy package to be “bipartisan garbage.”
The current headline on the Limbaugh web site is “Gang of 10 Sells Out House GOP; Stupid Senators Give Gift to Obama.” You get the drift.
On Saturday morning, Gingrey put out a press release that included this:
“While I respect our Senators’ desire to find legislation that reaches consensus with Senate Democrats, the American people are more interested in lower gas prices than in Senate procedural pleasantries.
“The only thing they care about is a comprehensive, all-of-the-above energy plan to lower the cost of fuel. For far too long, this Congress has accepted ‘compromise’ energy legislation and look what it has got us—$4 gasoline,” Gingrey said.
Chambliss and Gingrey were to share a stage in Carrollton at a Republican rally this afternoon. No doubt they had much to talk about.
Chambliss spokeswoman Michelle Grasso said the all-or-nothing approach advocated by Gingrey could prove expensive. “Since the Gang of Ten started meeting, the price of a barrel of crude has dropped $35. This proposal is absolutely doing that,” she said. “We could wait til November and have $6 or $7-a-gallon gasoline.”
And Limbaugh? “He has a right to say what he wants, but this is a solution. Even Rush is paying cheaper prices for gasoline now,” Grasso said.
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Chambliss and Limbaugh tangle over the “Gang of Ten” energy proposal?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buzz Brockaway over at PeachPundit says U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss found himself defending his “Gang of Ten” compromise energy bill this afternoon on Rush Limbaugh’s program.
The transcript of their conversation hasn’t shown up yet, but ‘twas a Wall Street Journal criticism of Chambliss’ bipartisan approach, by Kimberly Strassel, that had Rushites grumbling.
Here’s a taste:
And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson — alongside five Senate Democrats. This “Gang of 10” announced a “sweeping” and “bipartisan” energy plan to break Washington’s energy “stalemate.” What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.
That’s because the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast — putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska’s oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.
The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on … oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn’t have penned it better. And so the Republican Five has potentially given antidrilling Democrats the political cover they need to neutralize energy through November.
In the spirit of self-defense, the Insider offers up Chambliss’ explanation of his “Gang of Ten” proposal, as recorded this week for YouTube purposes — although the video was conceived of as a defense against Democratic attacks, not skepticism from the Republican base:
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Cops on Tuesday didn’t want to see another Derwin Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a recent conversation, a fellow mentioned that he had attended the victory celebration of Kem Kimbrough, who on Tuesday defeated incumbent Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill in the Democratic run-off.
Law enforcement officers — some from Clayton, some not — swarmed to the location and threw up a cordon around the new nominee, the fellow said. The 2000 assassination of Derwin Brown in DeKalb County was on their mind.
Eldrin Bell, chairman of the Clayton County Commission, on Friday confirmed the essentials. One neighboring sheriff brought four deputies, he said, out of concern for the safety of the sheriff-elect. “That’s what they were particularly worried about,” said Bell, who survived his own challenge on Tuesday.
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A star-struck couple embarks on the asphalt highway of life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Insider has gotten word that invitations have gone out inviting friends to celebrate the wedding of state Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham and Mike Evans, former chairman of the state Board of Transportation.
This is the couple, you’ll recall, whose relationship threw the state Capitol — even the governor — into a frenzy of intrigue this spring.
The date of the affair is Sept. 13, the evening after the Georgia-at-South Carolina game, though the wording of the invitation indicates vows will be exchanged beforehand. The location is Evans’ parental estate in Helen, Ga.
For those of you into such things, the invitation was on a kind of gingham checked pattern. And the Insider assumes it has been sent to anyone who might be helpful in a future Ninth District congressional race.
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Ralph Reed: Come meet my new friend John McCain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you read this space, you knew this was coming. But even now that the odd-couple alliance between Ralph Reed and John McCain is complete, you still can’t believe that it’s true.
On Thursday afternoon, Republicans around Georgia received an invitation from Reed, who will serve as a host of a “special event” for McCain at the downtown Marriot Marquis on Aug. 18.
“John McCain believes in a strong national defense, a smaller, more accountable government, steady economic growth and opportunity, the dignity of life and traditional values,” wrote Reed, whose 2006 campaign for lieutenant governor sank under the weight of evidence detailing his relationship with Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff — much of it uncovered by McCain’s Indian Affairs Committee.
Read the entire invitation on the jump.
From: Linda Ingram
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 3:21 PM
Subject: Special Invitation from Ralph Reed: Senator McCain Coming to Atlanta
A Message from Ralph Reed:
Senator John McCain will be coming to Atlanta on August 18 for a very special event at the Marriot Marquis downtown and I have agreed to serve as a member of the McCain Victory 2008 Team.
Never in my career can I recall a starker contrast between two major-party nominees for President. Barack Obama is advocating higher taxes, more spending, a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, and an energy plan that opposes drilling on the outer continental shelf. The nonpartisan publication National Journal concluded that he had the most liberal voting record in the U.S. Senate.
John McCain believes in a strong national defense, a smaller, more accountable government, steady economic growth and opportunity, the dignity of life and traditional values. He will make it a top priority to balance the budget and get federal spending under control so that our children aren’t burdened with a mountain of debt that will rob them of their future.
John McCain also believes that tax cuts work best when tied to spending restraint. He has a 26-year pro-life voting record and has pledged to appoint conservative judges who will interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.
Attached is a contribution form and a fact sheet that details the event. Please complete the contribution form and return it to me at XXXXX Duluth, GA 30097. If you select to use your credit card, you may fax the form to me at 770-XXX-XXXX.
I hope you will join me and Jo Anne at the August 18 event in support of Senator McCain in Atlanta. The outcome of this presidential election is going to determine the future direction of this country. Please join us as we work together to elect John McCain. Your participation is critical to success.
Thank you for all you have done for our country and our shared conservative values.
Look forward to hearing from you, best, Ralph
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DSCC goes on the attack (on the Internet) against Chambliss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Jim Martin gets his general election campaign for the U.S. Senate organized, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has picked up the slack with a first attack on Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss.
The ad is an attempt to portray Chambliss as a tool of Big Oil. One suspects that Chambliss has seen this one coming — and one reason why he’s leading the GOP side of a bipartisan energy bill in the Senate.
The ad highlights the nearly $200,000 — of a total $6.2 million raised — that Chambliss has received from oil interests.
Supporters of the Republican incumbent shouldn’t be too alarmed. For the time being, the ad’s appearing on the Internet only. Click on the picture below to watch.
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Cagle: Deeper cuts are possible, and even state layoffs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Thursday cast the state’s economic downturn in words more stark than we’ve seen elsewhere.
Travis Fain of the Macon Telegraph’s Lucid Idiocy has this:
July revenue figures aren’t out yet, but Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said today that the state’s economic slide could lead to 10 percent budget cuts, instead of the 6 percent currently prescribed.
Cagle also said the cuts would lead to “certainly deferrals and maybe layoffs.” He said state education funding would be exempt from that, beyond the cut Gov. Sonny Perdue has already ordered in taking away the portion of austerity cut funding restored earlier this year.
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You’d be surprised how many family fights are all about money
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s your choice: Less money for schools or property taxes. Or, perhaps, both.
The implications of the $1.6 billion shortfall — some years ago, Sonny Perdue would have called this a deficit, but that was then — are slowly working their way down to the grassroots.
Right now, the governor has recommended a 6 percent overall cut in the current budget — 2 percent for schools and 5 percent for Medicaid.
That includes the elimination of a property tax break for homeowners, which House Republican leaders have vowed to preserve.
Here’s the take in the LaGrange Daily News:
Most homeowners in Troup County would have to pay an extra $237.28 under Gov. Sonny Perdue’s plan to withhold a $428 million tax relief grant.
Perdue announced the cut Friday to deal with a projected $1.6 billion revenue shortfall.
The annual grant program provides an $8,000 homestead exemption, which amounts to $237.28 for most of Troup’s 12,000 taxpayers, Tax Commissioner Gary Wood said Tuesday.
Here’s the question: Would preserving the property tax break force deeper cuts in the state’s education budget? And would that force local school boards to increase property taxes?
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The pressure on John Edwards to address fatherhood allegations
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some Democratic insiders are saying John Edwards needs to address allegations by the National Enquirer that he fathered a former campaign worker’s child — if the former presidential candidate wants to keep a speaking role in this month’s Democratic National Convention.
The Charlotte Observer, in Edwards’ home state of North Carolina, has this today:
“He absolutely does have to (resolve it). If it’s not true, he has to issue a stronger denial,” said Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist who ran Edwards’ 1998 Senate race. “It’s a very damaging thing. … The big media has tried to be responsible and handle this with kid gloves, but it’s clearly getting ready to bust out. If it’s not true, he’s got to stand up and say, ‘This is not true. That is not my child, and I’m going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies.’ It’s not enough to say, ‘That’s tabloid trash.’”
The national convention is intended to showcase party unity and rally Democrats around the party’s nominee. Prime-time speakers generate enthusiasm for the candidate and the party’s platform. Edwards is widely regarded as a rousing speaker, particularly on poverty, and still has as many as 19 delegates pledged to him, making him a logical choice for a high-profile role under normal circumstances.
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Smoothing out Mr. Obama’s wild ride
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alan Abramowitz, the Emory University political scientist, knows that you’re confused by the day-by-day measurements of of the presidential race.
No, “confused” isn’t the right word. Whiplashed. That’s the word.
At right is a chart of Gallup’s daily tracking — since the end of the Democratic contest — of Barack Obama’s margin over Republican John McCain. Abramowitz originally posted this Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
Here’s is the Emory prof’s tongue-in-cheek analysis of the resulting chaos:
“Look—Obama is surging! Oh my gosh, Obama’s support is collapsing. No wait, he’s surging again! Oh no, he’s collapsing again! What happened to that nine point lead? McCain’s strategy must be working. All is lost for Dems—the end is near! They should have nominated Hillary!”
But in this second chart, Abramowitz cuts through the daily chaff by plotting out the Gallup trackings on a 10-day average. Obama’s national lead over McCain evens out and becomes a relatively constant margin of three percentage points.
Says Abramowitz: “Never mind.”
Click here for a large image of both charts.
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Of an alleged Obama conspiracy, and more drama at the gas pumps
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
InsiderAdvantage has an article in which Kenneth Walker, a strategist for defeated U.S. Senate candidate Vernon Jones, alleges that the Barack Obama campaign had a hand in Democrat Jim Martin’s victory on Tuesday.
Says Walker:
“I know for a fact, as Vernon’s strategist, that there was a meeting in Sen. Harry Reid’s office with David Axelrod from Obama’s campaign, and there was an agreement Obama’s campaign would help Jim Martin with the direct mail linking Vernon and George Bush.”
Walker does not address why Obama might have thought Jones’ candidacy worth the alleged torpedo. In any case, it’s hard to conceive of a presidential presumptive’s right-hand man and a Senate majority leader from Nevada involving themselves in glossy mail-outs sent to Macon.
The Obama campaign denies any collusion. “Neither the Senator, nor the campaign, took sides in the race,” said Obama spokeswoman Caroline Adelman.
Instead, Adelman pushed a noon Obama event at an Atlanta gas station — conveniently located opposite Manuel’s Tavern.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson will be there to discuss the Democratic presidential candidate’s energy policy. No tire pressure gauges will be handed out.
This comes two days after Cobb County Republicans, including one congressman, used a local filling station as a backdrop for their political theater. Adelman insisted that the Obama press conference was not a copycat event — that it has long been on the schedule.
In Columbus today, the Obama campaign has U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop at yet another gas station.
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Notes from the race for the U.S. Senate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you had to score the first day of the general election campaign for the U.S. Senate, there would be no question: Republican Saxby Chambliss, one. Democrat Jim Martin, zip.
Today was the day for the Republican and Democratic nominees to establish the lines of attack and defense they intend to employ in the next 12 or so weeks.
Chambliss, the GOP incumbent, laid claim the morning shift with a 10 a.m. press conference at his Cobb County headquarters.
Chambliss dismissed Martin as a liberal, and put air between himself and President Bush. Fielding questions from reporters, the incumbent spent a great deal of time discussing the draft energy proposal put forward by his bipartisan “Gang of Ten.” And not a single person asked him about exploding sugar refineries.
Most candidates are happy, the day after a victory, to bask in front of TV cameras. Not Martin. Possibly he feels the pressure of starting a million-dollar campaign — again — from scratch. Celebration was not on his mind.
The former state lawmaker summoned reporters to a mid-afternoon press conference in a courtyard outside his building. Martin walked up to the lectern, and read a prepared three-minute statement at reporters that began thusly:
“Welcome to the general election campaign for the United States Senate. Saxby Chambliss had a press conference this morning and attacked me, and I have something to say about Saxby.”
Then he walked away. His remarks could have been delivered by e-mail, and later were.
Said Martin:
”Saxby Chambliss has supported the economic and energy policies that have gotten us into this mess. We have to get America back on track and the way to do that is make the economy work for the middle class again.
“That means that we can’t keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while they sell us oil at $120 per barrel and they have a surplus of $79 billion in oil money. But Saxby Chambliss refuses to change course in Iraq. It means we have to control spending in Washington.
“In 2002, Saxby Chambliss voted to return our country to deficit spending for the first time since 1998. And it’s been downhill ever since. The 2009 budget has a $482 billion deficit.”
But back to Chambliss, who had the advantage — at least on Wednesday — of being more interesting. The Republican incumbent began with a justification for the artillery he was about to send Martin’s way.
“We know that, now that their nominee has been determined, that we can expect the full force of the Democratic senatorial committee as well as 527s. The liberal groups around the country are anticipated to be in here blasting us.… Martin is the hand-picked guy of the Washington Democratic group and obviously they’re not going to pick someone who’s a conservative, so we know where he stands from a philosophical standpoint.
Now, you’ll remember that Chambliss has invited Martin (and Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley) to debate him. But the incumbent also let it be known that he won’t get carried away with letting rivals share his limelight:
”There will be a number of debates. I have no idea how many, because you have to remember I’m a senator first. I’ve got a job to do…That means spending, unfortunately, more time in Washington than I would like to spend.”
Chambliss has placed himself at the center of the national energy debate, and was aided last week by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee:
“I think it’s very interesting that within three hours of our news conference, Barack Obama does a 180 on his position. He now says that, as part of an overall package, that he certainly would consider it. Jim Martin is opposed to offshore drilling. It’ll be interesting to see what position he now takes.”
When asked about his close association to President Bush, Chambliss hauled out his votes on Medicare, the farm bill, and immigration:
”The president and I had a very strong disagreement on immigration reform. At the end of the day, what Senator [Johnny] Isakson and I supported and what we told the president — face-to-face, twice — was that we need to get away from this overall immigration reform package and talk about border security, border security, border security.”
And what, a reporter asked, about getting booed at the 2007 GOP convention for his initial support of the immigration reform bill?
“That’s been magnified. There may have been five people that booed me out of about 2,000. But in any event, immigration reform is a very sensitive issue.”
One of the last questions aimed at Chambliss raised the question of that TV ad he ran against Max Cleland in 2002, which paired the Democratic incumbent with Osama bin Laden. Martin — in an earlier, more conversational mood — called the ad “cowardly.”
Chambliss said:
“What we did in the 2002 campaign was question my opponent’s voting record. I’m going to question my opponent’s voting record in this campaign. We did it in a fair and legitimate manner. We won. If we hadn’t won, you wouldn’t have heard word one about any ad we ran.”
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Some final number-crunching in the U.S. Senate race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My number-crunching colleague Ben Smith has churned out some low-to-the-ground numbers on the Tuesday performance of U.S. Senate candidates Jim Martin and Vernon Jones in all-important DeKalb County.
Overall, Martin won Dekalb by 61 percent — roughly the same as the statewide margin that made him the nominee.
Martin’s DeKalb cushion amounted to more than 15,000 votes, which he piled up by running strong in the southern end of the county, which is dominated by African-American voters, and by crushing Jones in the northern portion.
Martin won 25 of the 108 majority black precincts in DeKalb, including Stone Mountain Middle School and Candler, which have registered black voting populations of more than 80 percent.
Martin won 42 percent of the vote in majority-black precincts — a significant accomplishment for a white candidate who was running against an African-American. And who happens to be the DeKalb CEO.
Martin won 92 percent of the vote in majority-white precincts, and carried six of every 10 votes cast by absentees.
Martin didn’t win the county by a rush of white voters to the polls. Turnout in majority-black and majority-white precincts was comparable — 15 percent in majority-white precincts and 16 percent in majority-black ones. Overall turnout for DeKalb was 17 percent, only two percentage points lower than in the July 15th primary.
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McCain, not Bush, on his way to Atlanta in mid-August
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Per U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ news conference this morning, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is headed to Atlanta the week of Aug. 18.
The Republican incumbent made the announcement after he’d been asked whether President Bush would be making an appearance in Georgia on his behalf.
Though Bush’s schedule has seemed fairly flexible, and should be relatively open in October, Chambliss spoke as if the issue were pretty much settled. “Unfortunately, we were never able to work out a schedule,” the senator said.
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A day-after message from Jones includes no endorsement of Martin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Defeated U.S. Senate candidate Vernon Jones has sent out an e-mail to supporters. “Yesterday’s run-off election for the United States Senate was a close one,” he writes of the 60-40 contest.
Perhaps more important, while the DeKalb County CEO speaks kindly of Martin, Jones stops short of endorsing the Democratic nominee. Here’s the text:
Yesterday’s run-off election for the United States Senate was a close one and I want to thank each and every one of you who went out to the polls and voted. Thank you for your letters, phone calls, donations and kind emails of encouragement. Your support has meant the world to me.
I also want to thank my wonderful campaign staff, my family, and all my friends for their love and support. Your tireless efforts and endless support drove this entire campaign. Because of you I am able to stand today still a victor.
Jim Martin is now our state’s Democratic Nominee for the U.S. Senate and will face Saxby Chambliss in November. Jim put up a formidable fight and I respect him.
My service in Georgia politics has been a long and successful one. I could not have come this far without you. I am humbled by your continued confidence in me. I’m a country boy from a tobacco farm in rural North Carolina who has had many opportunities, a lot of successes, and of course some challenges.
While my journey has reached a crossroad and tomorrow is one of uncertainty, I know that with God’s guidance and the support of those I hold dear, I will rise again. I look forward to serving where He leads me next to inspire hope and positive change.
Photo credit: Rich Addicks/AJC
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It’s the difference between being courted on the front porch, and courted in the garden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not that it’s the Insider’s job to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, but sometimes the task of bringing reality to bear is a heavy one.
In Tuesday’s Washington Post was an article about the Obama campaign’s plan for Virginia. It is considered, like Georgia, to be in play.
But there is “in play.” Then there is in play.
First, consider that the Obama campaign, to significant fanfare, opened five offices in Georgia this past weekend. This is in Georgia, which has 15 electoral votes.
Now read this passage about Virginia, and it’s 13 electoral ballots:
“If you had told me four years ago that a Democratic presidential candidate would be running a competitive race in Virginia and would open 10 offices, I would say that is spectacular,” said Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a leading contender to be Obama’s running mate. “Now we have a guy who has opened 20 to 30 offices around the state? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
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Welcome to Jones vs. Martin central
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good evening. It’s now after 7 p.m., and polls should be shutting down. Here’s the plan:
Click here for the AJC’s up-to-the-minute results. County-by-county returns offered by Secretary of State Karen Handel can be found here.
My AJC colleague Ben Smith has been kind enough to give up his evening to crunch county-by-county returns generated by the Democratic run-off for U.S. Senate into something a little more logical — which we hope to draw on through the night.
Keep checking in. We’ll add updates, with time stamps, to this same file through the night.
At 7:40 p.m.
Atlanta attorney Jim Martin has an overall 59.3 percent to 40.7 percent lead over DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, with 3 percent of precincts reporting.
The first sprinkling of returns is too thin to make any judgments, but here’s what we’re looking at:
— Jones leads Martin 60 to 40 percent in the 16 counties where African-Americans make up the majority of those registered. Martin leads 55 to 45 percent in the remaining 143.
— We’ve divided the state into north Georgia and south Georgia, with a line of demarcation that stretches from Richmond to Jasper to Heard counties.
Martin has an early advantage of more than 2-to-1 coming out of north Georgia. But in south Georgia, Jones has the edge with 57 percent of the vote.
At 8:05 p.m.: With 36 percent of the vote in, Republican challenger Jim Butterworth is pounding incumbent state Sen. Nancy Schaefer of Turnerville, 61 to 39 percent. That’s a rare defeat by an incumbent — whose downfall began when she jumped into the 10th District congressional race, and then jumped out.
At 8:10 p.m.: This could be significant. Using 8 p.m. numbers, 25,453 votes have been counted from counties with majority black registration. Martin leads those counties with nearly 58 percent of the vote.
Martin is leading in nine of 49 counties in which African-American voters outnumbered whites in the July 15 primary. In that primary, he carried only three of them.
But overall, with 19 percent of the vote in statewide, Martin’s lead over Jones has shrunk to 55 percent.
At 8:20 p.m.: Again using 8 p.m. numbers, Martin is leading Jones in north Georgia with 65 percent of the vote, which is no surprise. But Martin has now taken a lead in south Georgia as well. He leads by 53.5 percent.
At 8:25 p.m.Cobb County, a rising Democratic county, is handing Jones the back of its hand. With three-quarters of its vote in, Martin is leading with 76 percent of the vote. This is developing into an early trend — and possibly an early night.
At 8:40 p.m.:Athens/Clarke County, a firm Democratic bastion, is also going heavily toward Martin, by about 72 percent with 18 of 26 precincts reporting.
At 8:50 p.m.: The behemoths of Fulton and DeKalb have yet to roll in, but Cobb, Clayton and Gwinnett have significant batches of votes counted.
Martin has nailed 72 percent of the vote in metro Atlanta so far. He’s leading with 61 percent of the vote.
At 8:53 p.m.: The DeKalb County web site has Vernon Jones at 4,736 or 30 percent of that county’s vote. Jim Martin has 10,978 or 70 percent. No indication where the votes are from, but they represent 34 percent of all precincts.
One bit of good news for Jones: Statewide, among counties with majority African-American registration, Jones leads with 55 percent of the vote. But Martin still leads in north and south Georgia.
At 9:10 p.m.: It’s about time to call this one. With 84 percent of the DeKalb County vote in, it’s 38 percent for Jones, or 20,417; and 62 percent for Martin, or 33,910 votes.
Martin leads in every one of the Insider’s statewide categories:
— Martin’s pulling 68 percent of the vote in metro Atlanta, and in the rest of Georgia he leads by better than 2-to-1;
— Martin leads 2-to-1 in north Georgia, but is also just barely squeaking by Jones in south Georgia;
— Martin has 54 percent of the vote from the 16 counties with majority African-American voter registration, and is pulling 61 percent of the vote elsewhere.
At 9:25 p.m.: In Fulton County, a third of the vote is in and Martin is up 3-to-1. Jones is down by 40,000 votes statewide, with 81 percent of precincts reporting. It’s hard to see where the DeKalb County CEO might find the ballots to pull this out.
At 9:34 p.m.DeKalb County Vernon Jones has just conceded defeat in his Democratic bid for U.S. Senate. Atlanta attorney and former state lawmaker Jim Martin is the nominee who will face Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss.
At 9:41 p.m.: With statewide returns at 86 percent, Jones was leading in these 54 counties, with Chatham, Dougherty and Muscogee being the largest:
Appling, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Brooks, Burke, Calhoun, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clay, Colquitt, Columbia, Crawford, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Greene, Hancock, Harris, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Lincoln, Macon, McIntosh, Mitchell, Muscogee, Peach, Pierce, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Sumter, Taliaferro, Taylor, Thomas, Tift, Tooms, Twiggs, Upson, Ware, Warren and Webster.
None of them from metro Atlanta. In DeKalb County, with 99 percent of the vote in, Martin beat the DeKalb CEO with 15,000 votes.
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Libertarian Buckley gets his invitation from Chambliss to join the debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Allen Buckley, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, has gotten his invitation to a debate with Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss.
Whoops. Make that republic incumbent Saxby Chambliss.
The assumption is that both Democrats, Vernon Jones and Jim Martin, have received something similar. There’s no mention of how many meetings we might anticipate, or in what format. Perhaps the most immediate significance is that Chambliss is confident enough to invite a third party who — in a close race — might cause problems for him.
Also, the language of the invitation gives an indication of the high ground that Chambliss intends to seize simply by initiating the topic:
“After today’s vote, the people of Georgia have a right to know what distinguishes their United States Senator from the other candidates. A crucial part of that process for Georgians will be public debates. Debates are an important part of the election process because they allow the voters to see the contrast between candidates for themselves — unfiltered by ads.
“After today’s democrat runoff, my staff will be in contact with your staff to make initial debate arrangements….
Pay no attention to Chambliss’ down-casing of “democrat.” He didn’t capitalize “republican” either.
But the incumbent does engage in the annoying game that members of the GOP like to play — pretending that, unlike “Republic,” the word “Democrat” can’t be converted to an adjective.
Maybe someday, someone will explain to me what that’s all about. The thing is, it doesn’t sound smooth. It introduces an arhythmia into the sentence. And that reflects on the speaker/writer, not the Democratic subject.
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The thin gruel of democracy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Number-crunchers in courthouses across Georgia can expect some easy lifting tonight, if early voting is any guide.
About 2 percent of Georgia’s active, registered voters cast early ballots in the run-off, whether in person or by mail, according to Secretary of State Karen Handel’s office.
That’s for both parties.
More than four times as many voters cast early ballots in run-off elections in ’06. Three times as many cast early ballots in ’04.
Matt Carrothers, spokesman for Handel, sent these early voting run-off stats for some perspective:
— 2006 run-off for lieutenant governor, Democratic: 5.3 percent;
— 2006 run-off for secretary of state, Democratic: 5 percent;
— 2006 run-off for secretary of state, Republican: 4 percent;
— 2006 run-off for agriculture, Republican: 4 percent;
— 2004 U.S. Senate run-off, Democratic: 6 percent.
DeKalb County may be the exception to the dismal numbers. Election officials there are seeing an unexpectedly large turnout — as far as run-offs go — with voters coming out because of several contested run-offs, all in the Democratic column.
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An afternoon message from Vernon Jones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Someone has posted on YouTube a last-minute robo-call made by Vernon Jones, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. It’s an audio file attached to a still photo.
You can’t mistake the sound of urgency in the DeKalb County CEO’s voice. Click on the still photo, or read this partial transcript:
“I need you right now, you fine people in Fulton County. I need you to come out to the polls and vote. The turnout is very low, and you all can make a difference. I want to be your U.S. senator. I want to address high gasoline prices and fix congestion in metro Atlanta.
“Please come out right now. It’s a run-off. I need your help. I want to be your senator. I want to work hard for you. Too many people made too many sacrifices for us to vote. We need you to come out now, at the sound of my voice. If you’re on the sofa, if you just made it home and you’re tired from work — I know you’re tired, but please get up, go to the polls and vote…..”
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Take a listen: Eric Johnson on those donations to Democrats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), who anticipates running in ’10 for lieutenant governor, was on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens this morning.
Host Tim Bryant passed on a sound clip, which included the Republican’s explanation for giving campaign contributions to Democrats — as a means of building bipartisan support for issues such as school vouchers.
The Cobb County GOP last week voted to reprimand Johnson for donations made in a contested House race, but the Senate leader isn’t backing down.
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Free air from people who know a thing or two about the topic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got a call from Scott Johnson, chairman of the Cobb County Republican party. He and a few friends have decided to fill the Election Day lull with a bit of guerilla theater.
At noon, Johnson and fellow GOPers — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey will be one, state Sen. Chip Rogers another — will plant themselves at the Chevron at Roswell and Johnson Ferry roads, and offer tire pressure checks for the gas station’s patrons.
The idea is to demonstrate what Republicans say is an overemphasis on conservation — and an underemphasis on offshore drilling — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
But if you ask politely, the volunteers may scrape the bugs off your windshield, too — just as in olden days.
The Cobb display is far from an isolated event. On Monday, at an Obama appearance in Michigan, supporters of Republican John McCain passed out tire pressure gauges.
But Caroline Adelman, the new spokeswoman for the Obama campaign in Georgia, said that, for most people, the high cost of gasoline isn’t a proper topic for ridicule. Keeping tires properly inflated is hardly the core of Obama’s energy plans, she said, but it is something recommended by people who know something about cars.
She passed us this paragraph generated by NASCAR two years ago:
“With gas prices now hovering around $3, smart drivers care. Savvy consumers are seeking to increase fuel economy and the life of their tires by paying more attention to those rubber objects that are attached to their vehicle…With escalating fuel prices, the time is now for drivers to focus on simple things like proper tire pressure to maximize tire performance and increase fuel economy.”
Here’s the top of a Detroit Free Press piece on the politics of energy symbolism:
Over the past few days, McCain’s campaign has needled Obama for saying that keeping tires inflated would save enough oil to obviate the need for expanded offshore drilling. Republicans tried to link Obama’s comments with Jimmy Carter’s exhortations to save on heating bills by wearing sweaters.
“We could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much,” Obama told a rally Thursday in Springfield, Mo.
The Republican National Committee offered Monday to send reporters tire gauges as a stunt to mark Obama’s birthday, and McCain’s campaign sold an “Obama Energy Plan” tire gauge for a $25 donation.
“We need to offshore drill for oil and natural gas. We need to drill here and we need to drill now,” McCain said Monday at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania. “We’re not going to achieve energy independence by inflating our tires.”
But the numbers give Obama a strong argument.
Tire pressure checks have been a key fuel-saving tip that automakers, tire companies and government experts have recommended for years. On its fuel economy Web site, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that underinflated tires can shave up to 3% from a vehicle’s fuel economy.
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A plea for Martin — from the fellow who wanted to protect sweet tea
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now, many people have talked about DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones’ double approach to racial politics.
On one hand, the U.S. Senate candidate has slammed the media for raising the topic of race. On the other, Jones has got this “two-for-one” flyer intended to link the only African-American in the Senate race to the candidacy of Democratic presidential presumptive Barack Obama.
But in the last hours, the flip side of humanity may be showing itself.
Two highly reliable informants tipped us to a robo-call by former state lawmaker John Noel — who invokes the names of Billy McKinney (whom he defeated) and the father’s more famous daughter, Cynthia, on behalf of Jones’ rival, Jim Martin.
Noel quickly gave the Insider a call, accepting responsibility for the automated phone call. The Martin campaign, he said, was not involved. “I put out the call because I’m a fervent supporter of Jim Martin,” Noel said. “I did call the campaign initially, but they never approved it. I just went ahead because I considered it completely innocuous. it was really a get-out-the-vote call for a good guy.”
No racial intent was involved, the former lawmaker said — he was merely invoking the accomplishment that many voters would remember him by, Noel said. “It was simply because that’s who I beat, and that’s the year that I beat them.”
Noel said the call went to thousands of residents of the northwest portion of Fulton County that he once represented. He intends to report the expenditure as a $750 in-kind contribution to the Martin campaign.
Here’s the script that Noel dictated to the Insider:
“Hello, this is former Democratic state representative John Noel. You may remember that I defeated Billy McKinney in 2002, the same year his daughter Cynthia McKinney lost her congressional seat.
“I’m calling to ask for your support for my friend Jim Martin in Tuesday’s runoff for the U.S. Senate. Jim Martin’s opponent, the controversial Vernon Jones, has broken promises to not raise taxes in DeKalb, and has had personal antics that make him a poor choice for Democrats in the fall election.
“Remember, please, Jim Martin in the only runoff election this Tuesday, the Democratic primary runoff. This call was paid for by John Noel.”
Ellery Gould, campaign manager for Martin, was quick to insist that the campaign had nothing to do with the automated phone calls.
The Insider has captured this authorized robo-call from Martin, but it’s kind of dull.
By the way — yes, your memory is correct. John Noel, who is white, is the member of the House of Representatives who sponsored a bill Tuesday to make it a misdemeanor “of a high and aggravated nature” not to offer sweet tea in any restaurant that serves iced tea. It failed.
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One last tea leaf: Martin has raised (more than) $214K since the primary
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Jim Martin comes out on top over Vernon in the Democratic run-off for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, look for analysts to point to money as a difference-maker.
According to reports filed to the Federal Election Commission since the July 15 primary, Martin has reported raising $214,149.79 in contributions over $1,000 since the last vote.
In fact, campaign manager Ellery Gould said the total amount raised is much larger — 1,186 donations over the period were under $1,000, and so were not required to be immediately reported to the FEC.
Gould wouldn’t say more. But if the unreported donations averaged even $100, that’s a significant amount of last-minute cash.
Martin began the run-off with $56,237 in the bank.
Jones’ money situation remains a mystery. The DeKalb County CEO reported $150,366 in the bank as of June 30, with more than two weeks of campaigning to go in the first round of voting.
But the FEC’s file for Jones doesn’t show the required pre-runoff report from the candidate. And on July 25, the federal agency sent Jones notice that he had four days to comply.
There are no records of contributions to Jones since the July 15 primary, but remember that he did have enough to send out his “two-for-one” flyer of last week.
Much — but not all — of Martin’s money can be read as the state Democratic’s hierarchy making its choice.
Contributors include attorney Steve Leeds ($2,300); A.D. Frazier and wife ($2,000); state Rep. Kathy Ashe ($1,000); attorney Emmet Bondurant ($2,300); former party chairman David Worley ($2,300); developer John Wieland ($1,000); former Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor ($1,000); Michael Coles ($1,000); Keith Mason ($2,300); Buddy Darden ($2,000); Greg Hecht, who ran against Martin in the ’06 race for lieutenant governor ($1,000); and Columbus attorney Jim Butler ($2,300). National offices of several unions also contributed several thousands.
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Atlanta actuarial firm: McCain has 8.4 “healthy” years left, and Obama has 21.9
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An Atlanta actuarial firm says both presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama “can reasonably be expected to serve two full terms in good health.”
But just barely.
The 30-year-old Bragg actuarial company, which specializes in morbidity and mortality calculations, gives 71-year-old McCain a “healthy expectancy” of 8.4 years, taking into account his four bouts with melanoma of the skin.
Barack Obama, who turned 47 today, can expect 21.9 years of good health — a forecast shortened by 10 percent or so by his history of cigarette smoking.
“Either candidate can be expected to serve two full terms, without age or health being an issue,” said John M. Bragg, the firm chairman.
The company drew a distinction “health expectancy” and the more usual term “life expectancy.”
“In this analysis, ‘healthy’ means the person does not require the care provided by an assisted living facility and is free of Alzheimer’s disease,” Bragg said.
Age may be second only to race as a volatile issue in this presidential campaign. McCain, who has another birthday on Aug. 29, has taken pains to portray himself as a man of both vigor and good genes — sometimes bringing along his 96-year-old mother to campaign events.
James C. Brooks, a senior Bragg actuary, said the firm ran the numbers on Obama and McCain out of the same curiosity that most voters have.
Brooks said McCain’s health expectancy because of the candidate’s experience with skin cancer. “Less so than the cigarette smoking of Barack, but more so because he’s older,” he said.
The years assigned to each candidates are averages based on demographically similar pools of people, Brooks said. “They’re not predictors,” he said. Either candidate could beat his expectancy numbers, or fall short.
Accuracy could also depend on whether the health details publicly revealed by the candidates have been accurate, Brooks added.
The Bragg actuarial study is to appear next month in a newsletter published by the Society of Actuaries.
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Another part of the deal sealed: Rogers says he’ll run for majority leader
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) has made official his part of an internal state Senate bargain.
He has rejected a run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and instead has lowered his sights to the post of majority leader in the chamber.
Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) thus remains the only Republican state senator in the race to replace Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who is expected to run for governor.
Rogers wrote in a e-mail distribruted this morning:
Ultimately, the issue weighing heaviest on my mind is my four young children and the impact a race of this magnitude would have on them. After considerable prayer and reflection, I have concluded that running a two year statewide campaign, and if successful serving as Lt. Governor, is not in the best interest of my family at this time in our lives.
Political opportunity is indeed rare, but my responsibility as a father must come first….
It is with this commitment that I officially announce my intention to serve our State Senate as a candidate for the position of Majority Leader. After consultation with the Lt. Governor and many of my Senate colleagues, I am confident of their support and honored to be a voice for our shared conservative principles.
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Of energy and sugar: For Chambliss, a boost from Obama and more questions from Savannah
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss caught a big break over the weekend on his compromise energy package. And from the strangest source — Barack Obama.
On the other hand, the Republican senator, in the beginnings of a re-election bid, continued his tussle with the Savannah Morning News.
The newspaper has criticized the senator for harsh comments aimed at a whistle-blowing executive for Imperial Sugar, who says he warned the company of safety hazards at a local sugar refinery that exploded only weeks later. Thirteen died.
First the oil news:
The Democratic presidential candidate didn’t endorse Chambliss, who finds out tomorrow who is opponent in November will be.
Nor did Obama officially sign onto Chambliss’ signature issue of the general election — a bipartisan, “Gang of Ten” compromise on energy exploration and conservation.
But Obama did have kind words for the approach, which could be enough to give the package, pitched late last week, some legs when Congress reconvenes. And that might give Chambliss a significant platform well into the fall season.
From Dow Jones/CNN:
The campaign office for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., posted a statement that stopped short of an endorsement but praised the proposal as “a good faith effort” and “an important step in the process of reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.
Although Obama said he remained ” skeptical” that new offshore drilling will bring down gas prices in the short term, his comments opened the door toward working with the group, saying he welcomed “the establishment of a process that will allow us to make future drilling decisions based on science and fact.”
And here’s the word from Marinelog, an electronic newsletter for the oil platform industry:
A sign that the proposal might just overcome the partisan split on the issue is that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama has said that he welcomes the bipartisan effort as “an important step in the process of reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.”
Now, on to Savannah. In the Sunday editions of the Morning News, Larry Peterson highlighted Chambliss’ donations from the sugar industry:
Since January 2005, the industry has spooned the Georgia Republican $58,000 in campaign funds - more than any other U.S. senator except for New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
And during the 2005-2006 election cycle, when Chambliss chaired the Agriculture Committee, he received $36,500 - tops in the Senate - according to the online political database OpenSecrets.org.
Observers say such rankings - plus his demeanor Tuesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing - suggest Chambliss is fronting for Imperial Sugar Co.
An op-ed piece by Chambliss appears today in the Savannah paper. In part, Chambliss says:
During the hearing, I believed it was necessary to ask the witness, who held himself out to be in charge of safety at the plant and had described the conditions as “shocking, dirty, dangerous, and combustible,” why he didn’t recommend the plant be shut down and cleaned up. The company had adhered to every one of his recommendations to that point, so I wanted to know why he had not proposed to management to shut down the facility and make it safe.
Because of that question, some accused me of taking a “cheap shot,” but the unfortunate reality here is people were seriously hurt and lives were lost when this situation clearly could have been prevented.
It is disappointing that members of the media chose to come down on the side of political cynicism. That is not what Georgians want, but unfortunately in this case, that is what they got.
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From Chambliss to Tuesday’s winner: An engraved invitation to the brawl
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometime Tuesday, before the polls close, both Jim Martin and Vernon Jones will receive a hand-delivered envelope from U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
Each envelope will contain an invitation for the Democrat who survives the night’s balloting to meet Chambliss in a series of debates.
The double-barreled approach is meant to telegraph Chambliss’ indifference about the outcome of the primary run-off.
“We don’t care who the nominee is. We’re as serious as a heart attack about that,” said Tom Perdue, Chambliss’ chief strategist.
That’s because, in a very real sense, Chambliss’ true opponent — the greatest threat to the Republican’s bid for re-election — was chosen months ago.
Chambliss is running against the surge of new voters that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is expected to drive to ballot boxes in November.
This is why, even though the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic contest will emerge broke, nearly so, or in debt, the Republican with $4 million in the bank tells supporters at every opportunity that his race will be a close one that requires nonstop aggression.
Last week, the Chambliss campaign quietly reserved $5.2 million in TV time.
Recognizing the paramount role of swing voters, Chambliss has assembled a list of 80 or so current or former Democratic officials ready to endorse him. In his suit pocket is a letter of support from Zell Miller.
Neither Jones nor Martin has exploited the Internet as Obama has.
But Chambliss has been careful to guard against a flanking movement in cyberspace. He regularly posts speeches and appearances on his own YouTube channel.
Chambliss’ web site serves as a model for other GOP candidates, and has generated more than $100,000 in contributions, Perdue said.
Most importantly, Chambliss and the Republican party intend to match Obama in the hunt for fresh voters — which Democrats claim as their key to victory.
Perdue said the Chambliss campaign and the state GOP have built lists of Georgia residents who are likely to lean Republican, but haven’t yet registered to vote.
“It’ll be the most comprehensive voter registration effort that Republicans have ever attempted,” Perdue said.
Few details of the operation were available. But remember that in 2004, Ralph Reed did something similar in Florida on behalf of George W. Bush’s re-election, scouring church directories and gun club membership lists.
Throughout this summer, the well-funded Obama campaign has declared Georgia in play. In the first six months of this year, the Obama campaign dropped $1.6 million in TV and radio advertising here. Five Obama offices opened Saturday in Atlanta, Smyrna, Jonesboro, Athens, and Valdosta.
At minimum, the point has been to force Republican John McCain to devote time and resources to a state he should be able to take for granted.
Chambliss, in essence, is about to present himself as a firewall. If Obama wants to grab Georgia’s 15 electoral votes from McCain, he’ll have to go through a Republican senator to do it.
The gauntlet hits the ground Wednesday. No matter which Democrat wins Tuesday, it’s likely to stir up more than a little dust.
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About that second check from Imperial Sugar — Barrow gave it back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple days ago, the Insider posted an item about the reaction in Savannah to U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’s questioning of an executive with Imperial Sugar — who testified in a Senate hearing that he had warned of dangerous conditions only weeks before the company’s local refinery exploded.
The attorney for the whistle-blower accused Chambliss of posing questions on behalf of the sugar company — which Georgia’s senior senator denied.
Adding to this dispute, the Savannah Morning News pointed to a $1,000 campaign contribution the company gave to Chambliss in 2007.
This, in turned, caused Chambliss’ friends to point out that Imperial Sugar also gave $2,000 to U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D-Savannah) — $1,000 in 2007 and another $1,000 this past June. And, indeed, Federal Election Commission data shows that Imperial wrote two checks to Barrow.
But spokeswoman Jane Brodsky has called to say that, while two checks were written, only one was accepted by the Barrow campaign. Barrow turned away the second check, written only a few months after the explosion.
Click here to see Barrow’s most recent list of donations from political action committees. There’s no entry for a 2008 check from Imperial Sugar.
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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.”