Stimulus pulls GOP two ways

The decision by the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature to await news of economic stimulus manna from Washington before closing the books on the 2009 session puts the hometown GOP in a tenuous position.

Georgia’s Republican members of Congress have been nearly unanimous in their criticism of the $800 billion to $900 billion stimulus package. State GOP legislators, meanwhile, have looked at the plan with a mixture of desire and loathing —- some can imagine the budget help it would provide but revile the fiscal philosophy behind it.

Georgia House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons) called on lawmakers to adopt a new calendar for the 2009 session Friday, saying it would allow flexibility in case help comes from Washington.

The state faces $2 billion in budget cuts for the fiscal year that ends June 30 and deeper cuts for the 2010 fiscal year.

Drafts of the stimulus legislation include funding that would fill or patch holes in the state budget, especially for Medicaid, education and infrastructure.

“All of us see the news and read the newspaper,” Keen said. “We have worked very hard with the Senate to craft a schedule to let you know where we are but at the same time allow us enough flexibility to respond to what may or may not happen in Washington.”

The new calendar has legislators meeting through March 25 and then returning —- if necessary —- for five days beginning June 22.

They will continue to work on the 2009 budget, with its $2 billion in cuts, and next year’s budget. If federal money comes, lawmakers will adjust. If it comes after March 25, they’ll adjust when they return in June.

Many Republicans in the Legislature have criticized the stimulus package. Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said on the eve of the session that he wasn’t going to beg Washington for money. Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) on Friday called it a “bogus loan program.” Gov. Sonny Perdue, too, has questioned the rationale of driving up federal budget deficits with more spending.

Privately, many Republicans hint they are checking the mailbox daily for a check from the federal government.

After slamming the stimulus, Rogers said, “it would be ridiculous not to spend the money if they send it to us.”

Emory University political scientist Merle Black said Republicans at the state level are likely torn —- they might philosophically oppose the stimulus, but they need its infusion of dollars.

“I doubt they’ll turn the money down,” said Black, author of a book on the rise of the Southern Republican.

But it has set up interesting contrasts with Republicans in Washington. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Friday said the stimulus plan “is not going to give us an enormous amount of budget relief.”

Yet, in an interview Friday, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said he believes the stimulus package could help solve the state’s budget problems, but he said that’s not the point.

“That’s not a stimulus,” Chambliss said. “And our children and grandchildren will have to pay it back.”

It’s easier for Republicans in Congress to throw bombs at the plan. They’re hundreds of miles away from home, where state leaders are dealing with the intimate business of gutting services to balance the budget.

The General Assembly’s decision makes sense to U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), who, like every Republican in the U.S. House, voted against the stimulus package.

“Even after it’s passed it’ll take time to see how Georgia’s portion is going to shake out,” Westmoreland said. “It’s almost certain state legislators have to return to work later this year, so —- regardless of whether state legislators think the federal stimulus bill is a good idea or not —- it makes good sense.”

Chambliss and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) criticize the package; Chambliss called it a “blank check.”

The push back against the plan from Republicans across the country has grown. A group of Southern governors released a letter Friday criticizing it. That follows a letter from 19 governors, including several Republicans, urging Congress to pass it. Neither letter was signed by Perdue.

Chambliss and Isakson said state leaders have not called to urge them to send cash. In fact, Isakson said, “they just haven’t called.”

“Nobody has called me from the Georgia Legislature asking me to vote for it or against it,” Isakson said.

A college president or two, Isakson said, have inquired, “but that’s about it.”

Chambliss said he’s heard from one legislator, whom he declined to name. He said that lawmaker was calling on a different subject.

Some of that silence from Atlanta makes sense. Republicans are out of power in Washington.

It’s Democratic phone lines that are ringing, and it’s put Democrats in the Georgia Capitol in a position of elevated importance.

Republicans here now consult regularly with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) and House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin).

“They have been extremely helpful and valuable with their contacts in Washington to keep us abreast of what’s going on,” said Keen, the House majority leader.

In a joint statement after, Porter and Smyre pledged to continue helping.

“As the process in Washington continues, Democrats will continue to work with leaders in the [Obama] administration and Congress to make sure Georgia is protected,” they said.

If state Republicans are too proud, too worried or too opposed to the stimulus to call on Congress to adopt it, Democrats are not.

“It’s disheartening when Washington lawmakers won’t put aside partisan bickering and put Georgia families first,” said state Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta), who served on the finance committee for President Barack Obama’s election campaign.