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Monday, October 27, 2008
Thurbert Baker to Democrats: Give up the voter ID fight, or else
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Supreme Court has turned down a request from the state Democratic party for the hurry-up appeal of a Fulton County judge’s decision to toss out its latest lawsuit over the state’s voter ID law.
The decision, written Friday, was filed today.
But that’s not the news — which happened afterwards.
Attorney General Thurbert Baker, a Democrat, followed the high court decision with a formal letter to his own party, advising them to drop pursuit of its lawsuit against Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue and Co. Otherwise, his office warned, Democrats could find themselves paying the legal costs on both sides of the issue.
This is the “frivolous” lawsuit warning that Republicans have been demanding.
The letter from the AG’s office was written by Mark Cohen, a member of the Troutman Sanders law firm and special assistant to the AG’s office.
The letter, addressed to plaintiff’s attorney Emmet Bondurant, reads in part:
“This letter is sent to you and your client to provide you with an opportunity to voluntarily withdraw, abandon, discontinue or dismiss the…above-captioned case.
….The action against these parties lacks substantial justification in that it is substantially frivolous and substantially vexatious, and is interposed for delay and harassment.”
A federal lawsuit on the issue still hangs out there.
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A tale of two TV ads
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two of the TV ads in the U.S. Senate campaign, both released in the last day or so, require more than the usual scrutiny.
One is a Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee attack on Democrat Jim Martin, accusing him of voting against a bill to make child solicitation a felony — 20 years ago.
The second TV spot has been issued by VoteVets.org, a Democratic group, accusing Republican Saxby Chambliss of voting against appropriations for “proper” body armor for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The anti-Martin spot
Let’s start with the RSCC ad entitled “Solicit.” Says a narrator:
“If someone solicits a child for prostitution, shouldn’t it be a felony? Jim Martin doesn’t think so. Martin voted against tougher penalties for people who prey on children.”
On Feb. 1, 1988, H.B. 1221 passed the state House in 1988, with Martin voting against it. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Betty Aaron (D-DeKalb). Under its provisions, soliciting or procuring children for sex was to be a felony. First offenders could be fined from $1,000 to $5,000 and sentenced to jail terms of one to five years.
The bill was sent to the Senate, which altered the bill and sent it back to the House on Feb. 17, 1988. This time, Martin voted for it.
According to House records, the only major difference in the two versions was that the original House version — the one Martin voted against — loosened the definition of “solicitation of sodomy” so that it only applied to an exchange of services for money. Cash prostitution, in other words.
In the version that Martin voted for — which included the provision to make child solicitation a felony — solicitation of sodomy was to be considered as any request for the sexual service. I.e., the status quo. Remember that, at the time, Georgia’s sodomy statute was a hotly debated topic.
One wonders if there may be some Republican calculation here — that Martin might not emphasize his reason for opposing the initial version of the bill, for fear of alienating gay voters.
The anti-Chambliss, body armor ad
This TV spot by VotesforVets.org features Pete Granato, an Army reservist who served in Iraq. In the opening seconds, Granato lifts up a weapon.
“This is an ak-47, the rifle of choice for terrorists in iraq and Afghanistan. This is a vest. It was the protection we were given when we were deployed to Iraq.”
Using the rifle, Granato fires several rounds into the vest, fitted on a mannequin, then introduces a second, nearby vest.
“This is modern body armor, made for today’s weapons.”
Granato fires shots into second vest.
“The difference is life,” he says, opening the second vest, showing no penetration.
“Or death,” he finishes, opening the second vest and showing four holes.
This debate has been around for more than four years. Shannon McCaffrey with the Associated Press in Atlanta filed this analysis on Monday:
The ad seems designed to cut into Chambliss’ support among members of the military and their families. It’s running in two areas of Georgia that are home to large military bases.
The Pentagon has conceded that thousands of soldiers went to Iraq without the highest quality ceramic-plated body armor. But who is to blame?
The spot is recycled from a similar ad that ran against several GOP senators in 2006.
This cycle, it’s also running against fellow Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, of North Carolina.
“The claim was false and nasty then, and it’s false and nasty now,” concluded FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan research group. The group said additional money would not have made a difference in securing more vests for troops because suppliers of body armor could not keep up with the demand.
But VoteVets.org disputes that, saying that more money would have made it possible to seek out additional body armor suppliers.
The ad refers to two votes:
-On April 2, 2003, Chambliss voted against an amendment for just over $1 billion in unspecified National Guard and reserve equipment. The amendment made no specific mention of body armor, although a press release announcing the bill does. Chambliss and other Republicans voted against the additional funds saying adequate money was already available in the supplemental spending bill.
—On Oct. 2, 2003 Chambliss voted against a Democratic amendment to an $87 billion supplemental spending bill that would have taken $322 million from reconstruction funds and added funneled it to safety equipment for United States forces. Chambliss voted for the final version of the bill, which earmarked $300 million for body armor. Democrats said there was still a shortfall.
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U.S. Justice Department says Handel’s voter scrutiny requires approval
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A three-judge federal panel seems to have forged a compromise in the lawsuit over Georgia voters whose eligibility has been thrown into question by computer screens ordered Secretary of State Karen Handel.
Handel has been ordered to go back to every voter told that he or she might be ineligible, and tell the voter that he or she may cast a ballot. But the vote will be flagged, and to be counted the voter must satisfy the objections made.
The court found that the changes Handel made are indeed subject to U.S. Justice Department scrutiny under the Voting Rights Act:
“There are at least two features of Georgia’s post HAVA system that constitute changes that require preclearance. One is the comparison of information in the [state Department of Driver Services] and [Social Security Administration] data bases that results in the identification of applicants whose eligibility could not be verified. The other is the disparate methodologies employed by registrars in attempting to evaluate, notify and qualifiy potential ineligible voters.”
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New TV ads from outside groups swamp U.S. Senate race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At least four new TV ads are out in the U.S. Senate race, all from outside groups.
Over the weekend, we told you about the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ad that attacks Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss for supporting the $700 billion Wall Street bailout.
Still no video available on that one — just the script.
But the Washington organization’s Republican counterpart has answered, with a brutal ad accusing Democrat Jim Martin of missing a chance to make child solicitation a felony — 20 years ago.
The YouTube posting was snagged by PeachPundit. Haven’t seen it on TV yet.
Here’s a line from the script:
If someone solicits a child for prostitution, shouldn’t it be a felony? Jim Martin doesn’t think so. Martin voted against tougher penalties for people who prey on children.
Meanwhile, the Patriot Majority, a Democratic group, has the ad below, was posted on YouTube within the last hour. It accuses Chambliss of supporting economic policies that led to the current crisis.
Says the ad:
“It doesn’t help when Saxby Chambliss votes to deregulate Wall Street, and we’re stuck with a bill for $700 billion and an economic meltown.”
And VoteVets.org, another Democratic group, today joins the contest, accusing Chambliss of voting against appropriations for “proper” body armor:
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Atlanta pollster says he’s received death threats — but not from here
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An Atlanta pollster said this morning he’s gotten death threats via e-mail for reporting Republican presidential candidate John McCain ahead of Democrat Barack Obama in several states.
“It’s the crazy season. I don’t ascribe it to any campaign,” said David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, a Republican-oriented firm. Still, he’s reported the messages to the FBI.
The threats, Johnson said, came from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — which means a long and difficult commute for those who warned him to check under his car for anything that ticks. “They’re probably still stuck in traffic,” he said.
The threats were first posted on National Review Online, a conservative web site:
One of the messages stated:
“My goodness, your polls stinks. There are 3 polls that have Obama by double digits and only yours has Obama down. WOW!. How come your poll is the only one giving Palin high favor ratings? I think you nee dto be careful tonight when you get in your car and might want to check underneath your car. SCRAP YOUR IDIOTIC POLLS OR ELSE!”
Another stated:
“A poll that gave Sarah Palin and Barack Obama the same favorability rating is wrong off the bat. Be careful going outside tonight because you might not see tomorrow.”
A third message stated:
“Why would your presidential election poll results be so drastically different from every other reputable poll taken over the same time period? Are they that dumb or are you guys that smart? Smart guys wind up dead.”
Johnson said he’s received death threats before — the last time from Washington state during the 2004 governor’s race.
None of the threats came from Georgia, where Strategic Vision last week gave McCain a six-point lead. The SV poll disagreed significantly with a same-day poll issued by Atlanta-based InsiderAdvantage, which said Obama had a razor-thin, one-point advantage.
Johnson, incidently said he’s assumed African-American turnout to be a dramatic 35 percent in SV polls, but says the presidential race is extremely polarized by race outside metro Atlanta. Johnson had the McCain/Pailin ticket at 51 percent in Georgia, and Obama/Biden at 45 percent.
Assuming 95 percent of the African-American vote going to Obama, that would mean that — according to Johnson — Obama is pulling less than 19 percent of the white vote in Georgia.
However, both the SV and IA polls had the U.S. Senate race in Georgia headed toward a runoff.
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House Republicans set Speaker election for Nov. 10
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The House Republican caucus has scheduled a meeting for Nov. 10. That’s two weeks from today — or six days after its members see what Election Day has brought.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson of Hiram is being challenged by state Rep. David Ralston of Blue Ridge. The caucus fight will be for nomination to the post — the election of speaker by all 180 members of the House will occur when the Legislature convenes in January.
See the schedule and an outline of the GOP rules on the jump.
TO: Republican Caucus Members
FROM: Jay Roberts, Caucus Chairman
RE: House Republican Leadership Elections
DATE: October 21, 2008
We will meet on November 10, 2008 at 10:00 AM in the House Chamber to elect our 2009-2010 House Republican Leadership offices:
(a) Caucus Leader
(b) Caucus Whip
(c) Caucus Chair
(d) Caucus Vice-Chair
(e) Caucus Secretary
(f) Ex Officio:
(i) The Speaker of the House
(ii) The Speaker Pro Tem of the House
RULE Reminders:
**No second of the nomination is required.
**Each Candidate for particular office will have an opportunity to address the caucus (10 min. max), once all nominations for that office have been submitted and all nominations are closed.
**Election to a caucus office shall require a majority vote of the caucus members present and voting.
**No proxy votes from absent caucus members will be counted.
**If two or more candidates are offered for a particular office and no candidate receives an absolute majority of any one ballot, balloting will continue among all candidates except the individual receiving the fewest votes on the proceeding ballot.
Please plan to arrive no later than 9:30 AM to ensure that we are underway with our elections on time. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me or my assistant Evelyn Armour via email (evelyn.armour@house.ga.gov) or by phone at 404-656-5025.
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