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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
In the House transportation bill, watch which agency is picked to handle the cash
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was no surprise, but the Senate Transportation Committee passed a transportation funding bill on Wednesday that’s headed toward a (relatively) speedy vote on the chamber floor.
The proposed constitutional amendment and enabling legislation — S.R. 44 and S.B. 39 — is sponsored by committee chairman Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga).
It passed on a unanimous voice vote, according to my AJC colleague Ariel Hart.
The Senate legislation allows counties that border each other to band together as regions and levy themselves a penny tax to fund local transportation projects.
Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Powder Springs) was one of the few to raise any concerns — over a provision allowing counties to opt out of a 10-county metro Atlanta tax district.
In the other chamber, House Transportation Committee Chairman Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) cautioned that rival legislation he’s shaping is changing daily, according to Hart.
Smith is pitching a statewide, one-cent sales tax.
Hart has picked up word that, as currently shaped, the measure will offer to fund a list of projects that would make metro Atlanta mass transit backers blush. That includes the Beltline, the Atlanta multi-modal station, and commuter rail lines including along parts of Cobb County, the northern I-285 area, and Gwinnett County.
Road projects, of course, are also the table — including massive new interchanges on the Atlanta interstates.
But when the House bill is finally unveiled, look for what agency is designated as the proposed recipient of the cash. If it’s not the state Department of Transportation, that will constitute a very large tip-off as to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s reorganization plans.
Come to think of it, that may be another reason why we haven’t yet seen Smith’s bill.
Georgia’s business community has demanded passage this year of a proposed constitutional amendment for a sales tax — of any stripe. Even though it couldn’t be put up for referendum until November 2010. Sort of a good faith demonstration.
Given that, business types should be worried about this confluence of the sales tax and Perdue’s requirement of better “governance” through reorganization.
Shifting authority over policy away from the state Department of Transportation could cut Democrats out of the process. Right now, they control six of 13 Georgia congressional districts, and so six of 13 seats on the DOT board.
But if Democrats are shut out of transportation policy-making, don’t look for them be part of any coalition — two-thirds of each chamber is necessary — supporting a sales tax, whether statewide or regional. And nothing will pass without them.
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Phil Gingrey to Rush Limbaugh: ‘I regret those stupid comments’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oops.
U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey spent today apologizing to the loudest voices of the Republican right — to radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, and to former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrey’s crime? He declared that they earned a very good living by stirring up dust among conservatives, without having to struggle with the consequences.
This afternoon, on the nationally broadcast “Rush Limbaugh Show,” Gingrey said:
“I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments, and I just wanted to tell you, Rush — and all our conservative giants, who help us so much to maintain our base and grow it to get back this majority — that I regret those stupid comments.”
Gingrey began his day of mea culpas with a call to Neal Boortz on WSB Radio in Atlanta. Then Limbaugh at 12:30 p.m. A session with Hannity will be part of his 5 p.m. program — broadcast locally on WSB.
Gingrey called Gingrich as well, said Gingrey spokesman Chris Jackson. “It was a whoops-mouth situation,” Jackson said. The congressman also published an extended statement of regret on his congressional web site:
“I regret and apologize for the fact that my comments have offended and upset my fellow conservatives—that was not my intent. I am also sorry to see that my comments in defense of our Republican Leadership read much harsher than they actually were intended, but I recognize it is my responsibility to clarify my own comments….
“Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and other conservative giants are the voices of the conservative movement’s conscience. Everyday, millions and millions of Americans—myself included—turn on their radios and televisions to listen to what they have to say, and we are inspired by their words and by their determination.”
Translation: Please, God, make these dittoheads stop calling my office. “I’ve heard from a lot of them since my foot-and-mouth disease yesterday,” Gingrich told Limbaugh.
The liberal group Think Progress has posted a YouTube clip of Limbaugh’s interview with Gingrey.
A quick backgrounder:
— Last week, President Barack Obama reportedly advised congressional Republicans not to view Rush Limbaugh as a path to constructive dialogue.
— Limbaugh declared Monday that Obama was more afraid of him than of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
— A Politico.com reporter on Tuesday asked Gingrey what he thought of Limbaugh’s remarks. Said Gingrey:
“It’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders.”
So. Here’s a partial transcript of Gingrey’s encounter with Limbaugh:
Gingrey: Rush, thank you so much. I thank you for the opportunity, of course this is not exactly the way to I wanted to come on, but I appreciate you giving me the opportunity.
Mainly, I want to express to you and all your listeners my very sincere regret for those comments I made yesterday to Politico. Basically the intent of my words to them was to discuss the unique position of congressional Republicans and our leadership — particularly John Boehner and Mitch McConnell.
I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments, and I just wanted to tell you, Rush — and all our conservative giants, who help us so much to maintain our base and grow it to get back this majority — that I regret those stupid comments.
Limbaugh: Well, look, I appreciate that. I have quite a bit of experience with people in the media, and they loved the little storm that they were able to create yesterday, and I thought this was one of the goals.
….But it is what it is, and I’m glad that you called. And I read your explanation on the web site. We all want to be on the same team here, congressman. Our numbers are dwindling in Congress and we want to reverse that.
Gingrey: As you say, Rush, we’re down to 178 in the House, and our House membership is looking more and more conservative.
And we’re going to work our tails off across the country trying to recruit additional Republicans that understand - as you have so well said — that this economic bailout-rescue-stimulus package is nothing but growing the government…
And again, I was trying to defend John Boehner, who is providing very good leadership on this issue. I can assure you, Rush, that on the House side there will be very, very few Republicans….
Limbaugh: I understand why you guys might be upset with me. I don’t have thin skin, and when I make the statement that it appears the president’s more concerned with me than he is with Mitch McConnell or John Boehner, I can understand it might offend some people….
There are Republicans who think Gingrey was right the first time. U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, fresh from re-election, was at the state Capitol on Wednesday. Chambliss took issue with Limbaugh, who last week said he wishes failure upon Obama.
“I’m not one of those in the Rush Limbaugh camp who wants to see him fail,” Chambliss told about 140 members of the National Federation of Independent Business. ” His failure will be your failure and his success will hopefully be your business success.”
Chambliss later added: “Whether you voted for President Obama or not, we all have to get behind him.”
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The untimely meeting of an e-mail and a Democratic push for ethics reform
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Campaign finance is the topic of the hour, involving two separate but ironically joined events.
First, we’ve secured a Jan. 15 e-mail sent out by the campaign of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, addressed to high-end financial supporters:
Good afternoon.
By pledging to give or raise $20,000.00 by June 30th you have secured a place in Lt. Governor Cagle’s Founders Circle. We are having the first Circle event on Thursday, January 29th from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at Morton’s the Steakhouse downtown. We’ve reserved a private room for cocktails and light fare and hope you will join the Lt. Governor. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience.
Cagle is a 2010 Republican candidate for governor. Georgia law forbids state elected officials from fund-raising for state campaigns while the Legislature is in session. The idea of cash swapping hands while bills are moving is deemed unsavory.
The Cagle campaign says the e-mail refers to communications with supporters prior to the beginning of the legislative session.
Said spokeswoman Rebecca Cummiskey:
“The Cagle campaign is aware of and fully complies with Georgia law that prohibits requesting or receiving either pledges of contributions or contributions during the legislative session. The email you reference does not request pledges or contributions during the session, and the campaign does not accept either. The email is simply about a purely social get-together with the Lieutenant Governor and a key group of his advisors.”
But clearly some heavy-duty promises have been made.
By coincidence — and it truly was that — state Sen. George Hooks, a Democrat from Americus, took the well this morning to announce he was pursuing ethics legislation to make corporate giving more transparent.
His legislation, yet to be submitted, would require corporate bigwigs whose firms do business with the state to report campaign contributions within 48 hours.
“We need to take care of our own business and correct some loopholes we found in our own system,” Hooks said — as Cagle looked on from above.
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A transportation theme party: If you’re not on the bus, you’re under it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s secret plan to reorganize the state’s many transportation agencies is up to 150 pages and growing — or so it is said.
But the stampede of alternatives has already begun.
State Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough) has dropped H.R. 140, which would remove all mention of the board that oversees the Department of Transportation from the state Constitution, and let the General Assembly (perhaps with some slight input from the governor) decide its composition.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Powder Springs) has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment that would levy a statewide transportation tax of one cent on the dollar — and in exchange would give constitutional protection to those homeowner relief grants that are now in jeopardy. They represent between $200 and $300 to the average homeowner.
Neither of the above measures have much chance of passage. Davis hasn’t the seniority to compete with an issue now the topic of negotiation among the governor, the House speaker and the lieutenant governor.
And Thompson is a Democrat who would need two-thirds of the Republican-controlled chamber to pass S.R.90.
That said, Thompson’s statewide sales tax is of interest. The second signer is Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna), who has also signed onto Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Mullis’ regional sales tax package. Looks like he’s open to negotiation.
