While one of your Insiders was freezing his tush off in downtown Atlanta with an MSNBC crew this morning, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, was on the split screen – but safe and warm in the U.S. Capitol.
Carter marked Wednesday, the day after the Nevada caucuses, as the day that Washington Republicans woke up and realized that a truly maverick billionaire was likely to become their presidential nominee. Roll video:
Said Carter:
Carter said he intends to make no endorsement in the contest, but when MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki asked him whether having Trump as his party’s standard bearer made him uncomfortable, the congressman said:
"No, not at all. Listen, Donald Trump – you don't become a multi-billionaire by being dumb. Donald Trump's a businessman. He understands the value, as I do, being a businessman myself, of surrounding yourself with good people. And Donald Trump will do that. I don't have any trouble at all, if he is the nominee, in supporting Donald Trump."
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The senior executive of the Georgia company that's decided to bolt Georgia because of the "religious liberty" fight is facing new scrutiny for some of his social media posts.
The folks at GeorgiaPol.com spotlighted some provocative posts from Kelvin Williams of 373k, a telecom startup based in Decatur that decided to move to Nevada immediately after the Senate's vote.
You can see them all by clicking here, but below is a taste:
Williams dismissed the story as a "hit piece" and penned a lengthy explanation of his move early Thursday that included this passage:
We actually welcome the slander and silliness that comes along with them. We will respond to each as they appear, but they will not dissuade our desire to move out of the state of Georgia.
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We're told that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has invested $250,000 in TV air time, with spots that begin today. On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has increased his TV footprint in metro Atlanta from $400,000 to $550,000. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has invested $50,000 in air time.
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Georgia Voice is calling the LGBT vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential primary:
Early voting is well underway in Georgia's presidential primary, and based on interviews conducted with community leaders, activists and various political players, as well as a Georgia Voice reader poll, the state's LGBT community appears to be leaning towards former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the March 1 contest.
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Here's a shocking revelation from former WSB talk jock Neal Boortz:
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There's a new voice calling for an alliance between Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich:
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Libertarian Allen Buckley, the only operating opponent to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican, introduces himself and takes a crack at Isakson with this length video:
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Our friend Meredith Shiner over at Yahoo News followed Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, to a juvenile correctional facility in Washington, D.C. Here's a preview:
"Unlike most of his colleagues in Congress, Lewis knows what it's like to be in jail. In the 1960s, he was arrested 40 times as a result of his work as a nonviolent protester in the civil rights movement. A half century later, he sits in this jail on a hill, in a city where 535 members of Congress serve but few take the time to learn anything about the people who actually live here."
Worth the click alone for the sweet picture of Lewis with a corrections employee.
Lewis also spoke yesterday at the Congressional gold medal ceremony honoring the foot soldiers of the 1965 voting rights marches in Selma, Alabama. His remarks begin at around the 1:17:00 mark.
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid endorsed Hillary Clinton for president yesterday, indicating that the Democrats should consolidate support behind his former Senate colleague. Here's more from CNN, which broke the story:
"Reid's endorsement makes him the highest-ranking Democrat to get behind Clinton, who won last Saturday's Nevada caucuses and is the heavy favorite heading into the next primary in South Carolina. And his comments marked a shift in tone for the Nevada Democrat, who in a CNN interview earlier this month was critical of Clinton's campaign in his state and suggesting that the race could continue until the Democratic convention in July."
Reid, who is stepping down from the Senate at the end of the year, is also close to Clinton’s opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders:
"Despite being an independent with tenuous ties to the Democratic Party, Reid agreed to throw the party's weight behind Sanders when he won his first Senate race in 2006. And it was Sanders' decision to caucus with Democrats that helped give Reid the title of "majority leader" for the first time in 2007."
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The Obama administration is vetting Brian Sandoval, the centrist GOP governor of Nevada, for Scalia's Supreme Court seat, the Washington Post reported.
Should the White House choose to nominate Sandoval, it would put even more pressure on Senate Republicans to consider the candidate. The GOP so far has stood firm against that so far, promising no hearings and no votes on any of the president's choices.
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