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Thursday, January 8, 2009
Paul Broun & Co. add a little oil to smooth Barack Obama’s way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens), who two months ago suggested that President-elect Barack Obama might have fascist tendencies or worse, on Wednesday participated in a three-man religious ceremony — anointing with oil the U.S. Capitol passageway through which Obama will walk to take the oath of office.
An account appeared on the web site of Charisma magazine:
Broun, a Baptist layman who was widely criticized during the election for calling Obama a Marxist and likening him to Adolf Hitler, said he hopes Obama is successful as president and that he will heed God’s direction.
“It’s important for us to pray for this place, but it’s also important for us to pray for the people who are involved so that God, as He stirs our hearts, that we can hear very clearly and that we can heed God’s directions and can follow those directions,” Broun said.
The quality isn’t particularly high, but below is a nine-minute YouTube video of the ceremony:
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Conyers leads opposition to CNN’s Gupta as surgeon general
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hill newspaper reports that U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) has taken the lead in an effort to block CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for U.S. surgeon general.
The newspaper writes that Conyers has contacted his House colleagues on the matter:
“It is not in the best interests of the nation to have someone like this who lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial healthcare assistance to some of the poorest and most underserved communities in America,” Conyers wrote in the letter asking for support in his effort to request that Gupta not be nominated.
Even though the surgeon general is not in control of implementing healthcare coverage policy, Conyers says that Gupta would represent the face of healthcare.
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The new Obama poster
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They’re selling it here, to help fund the inauguration.
The poster is an updated version of the popular red, white and blue campaign image by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey — which is headed for the National Portrait Gallery, and expected to be on display by the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Fairey’s artwork became the central portrait of the Obama campaign. The bottom of the poster-like image features the campaign slogan “Hope,” which changed to “Change” and “Vote” in subsequent versions.
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Sarah Palin on the media: ‘Compare my treatment to Caroline Kennedy’s’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is wondering out loud — and on video — whether the media will give prospective New York senatorial designee Caroline Kennedy the same scrutiny that it gave her.
This from Politico.com:
“I’ve been interested to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled and if she will be handled with kid gloves or if she will be under such a microscope,” Palin told conservative filmmaker John Ziegler during an interview Monday for his upcoming documentary film, “How Obama Got Elected.”
Excerpts from the interview were posted on YouTube Wednesday evening.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out and I think that as we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy versus, say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be.”
Here’s the YouTube video in question:
In the nine-minute clip, Palin also addresses media treatment of her unmarried daughter, who just gave birth.
Says Palin:
”This report that Bristol and Levi, they’re high school dropouts, and they’re just going to look for government handouts to raise their child and such — nothing could be further from the truth. And I’ve asked some in the media to correct that, and they haven’t corrected that, and that gets frustrating.”
Palin also questions the manner in which she was deployed by the McCain campaign, particularly her assignment to engage CBS’ Katie Couric:
”I knew it didn’t go well the first day, and then we gave her a couple of other segments after that.
“My question to the campaign was, after it didn’t go well the first day, why were we going to go back for more?
“Because of however it works in that upper echelon of power brokering, in the media and with spokespersons, it was told [to] me, yeah, we’re going to go back for more.
“And going back for more was not a wise decision, either.”
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Poll: 74 percent of Georgians want to vote on a penny sales tax for traffic fixes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five days before the start of the 2009 session of the Legislature, a coalition aimed at boosting funds for transportation came out with a poll that it hopes will put the issue beyond politics.
An overwhelming 74 percent of Georgians want the right to decide whether to raise their sales taxes by a penny to solve transportation problems all around the state — but especially in metro Atlanta, according to the poll commissioned by Get Georgia Moving.
The survey, conducted last month by InsiderAdvantage is intended to provide statistical courage for lawmakers who might worry about being accused of supporting what some might describe as a tax increase.
The survey indicates that the issue has a slight gender gap — with women slightly more insistent that something be done. Not unusual, if you think of tens of thousands of moms trucking their kids hither and yon in afternoon, rush-hour traffic.
The survey was not entirely rosy. According to the poll, which has a 4.4 percent MOE, 66 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats believe that traffic congestion is so bad that the Legislature should “immediately” address the problem.
The partisan gap widens when one looks at those who think immediate action is “very important” — i.e., those who are most worked up about the issue.
Seventy-one percent of Democrats say transportation is an ASAP matter that is “very important.” Only 54 percent of Republicans say so.
Chuck Clay, a former Republican state senator and InsiderAdvantage executive, said the GOP support for the issue is still substantial.
“That’s not a slam-dunk, but that is a very, very, very strong starting position with the most conservative part of the electorate,” Clay said.
Some Republican leaders in the House have questioned whether immediate action is necessary, given that a regional sales tax for transportation would require a statewide, constitutional referendum, which couldn’t be placed on the ballot until November 2010.
But Bill Linginfelter, the Regions Bank executive and co-chairman said voters would brook no delay. “Voters want action, and they want it now,” he said.
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Obama: ‘Government the solution, not the problem’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark today as the formal end of the Ronald Reagan, “government-is-the-problem” era.
The following was posted this morning on The Hill, a D.C. newspaper and web site:
President-elect Obama on Thursday plans to highlight the need for a massive stimulus measure by saying that only the government has the power to jumpstart the ailing economy.
“If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four,” Obama will say during an address at George Mason University, according to prepared remarks released by his staff.
“It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe,” he plans to say.
“Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy - where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit.”
Photo credit: New York Times
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Of Senate chairmanships, power bills, and guns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few notes on the upcoming session of the Legislature, which starts Monday:
— The office of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle unleashed its list of Senate chairmanships on Wednesday.
See a complete list of Senate chairmanships on the jump.
Only a few changes are worth remarking on: John Wiles (R-Kennesaw) takes over the special judiciary committee for Democrat Michael Meyer von Bremen of Albany, who did not seek re-election.
Ronnie Chance of Tyrone will head up the Finance Committee.
And Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), once the ranking member of the chamber, will chair the Senate Ethics Committee — which on two levels is not exactly the most delightful assignment.
First, no politician wants to be placed in the position of having to pass judgment on his colleagues.
Secondly, Johnson has begun his 2010 race for lieutenant governor. Many chairmanships provide leverage for campaign contributions, even if the cash is barred from arriving while the Legislature meets.
But the chairmanship of the Senate Ethics Committee is not one of those positions that prompt a deluge of checks.
By contrast, in the same chamber, David Shafer (R-Duluth) is also running for lieutenant governor. He remains chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee — and utilities, though times are tough, are much more likely to have some spare change.
— Speaking of utilities, we’re hearing that Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour (R-Snellville) next week will drop the bill to permit Georgia Power to charge ratepayers for construction of a new nuclear power plant as the facility is being built. Right now, the utility is allowed to bill only after the fact.
Passage would result in an almost immediate increase in your monthly bill, and would remove much of the risk from Georgia Power’s shoulders.
The measure’s expected to be one of the hottest potatoes of the session.
— State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican candidate for governor, is making a bit of hay out of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s statement this week that he has “no appetite” for more legislation to expand the rights of those with concealed weapons permits.
Cagle, while he hasn’t formally announced for the 2010 governor’s race, has a fund-raiser this evening.
Said Oxendine:
“Casey Cagle may be content and want a respite in standing up for our Second Amendment rights, but I will never rest until we ensure that we have protected the Second Amendment and made every effort to ensure our constitutional right to keep and bear arms….
“It is of concern that people can legally carry guns in more places in states such as, California and Oregon.”
Senate chairmanships for the 2009 session
Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Chairman John Bulloch
Appropriations, Chairman Jack Hill
Banking and Financial Institutions, Chairman Bill Hamrick
Economic Development, Chairman Chip Pearson
Education and Youth, Chairman Dan Weber
Ethics, Chairman Eric Johnson
Finance, Chairman Ronnie Chance
Government Oversight, Chairman Renee Unterman
Health and Human Services, Chairman Don Thomas
Higher Education, Chairman Seth Harp
Insurance and Labor, Chairman Ralph Hudgens
Interstate Cooperation, Chairman Ed Harbison
Judiciary, Chairman Preston Smith
Natural Resources and the Environment, Chairman Ross Tolleson
Public Safety, Chairman Jack Murphy
Reapportionment and Redistricting, Chairman Judson Hill
Regulated Industries and Utilities, Chairman David Shafer
Retirement, Chairman Bill Heath
Rules, Chairman Don Balfour
Science and Technology, Chairman Cecil Staton
Special Judiciary, Chairman John Wiles
State and Local Government Operations, Chairman Lee Hawkins
State Institutions and Property, Chairman Johnny Grant
Transportation, Chairman Jeff Mullis
Urban Affairs, Chairman David Adelman
Veterans, Military and Homeland Security, Chairman John Douglas
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