Back in Philadelphia,
he and his wife gave Hillary Clinton a boost she sorely needed. Now President Barack Obama apparently feels comfortable enough with the status of the Democrat he wants to replace him in the White House to risk undercutting her.
Obama has four months to achieve congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. From Politico.com:
But the White House's increasingly aggressive push on trade is only further alienating the liberal wing of the Democratic party. Followers of Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have pulled Clinton to the left on trade, with the candidate last week offering her strongest repudiation of TPP yet, rejecting the deal now, after the election and as president…
The push for the trade pact has implications here in Georgia. A subtle contest is now underway among Democrats, to see who emerges as Clinton’s top agent in the state as she expands her footprint here.
But at least in the specific area of trade, there's no argument over who has Obama's back in Georgia. From Maria Saporta of the Saporta Report, on a Monday luncheon hosted by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta:
The lame duck session will occur after the November general election but before the new President and the new Congress take office.
"We have to be the adults in the room," said Reed, who added that contrary to public perception, the deal is not a job killer but a job creator. "We have been negotiating this deal for five-and-a-half years," Reed said. "If we don't pass it this year, it's highly unlikely that a President Clinton or a President Trump would be able to pick up this agreement."
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Speaking of Kasim Reed. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was a no-show at a Saturday night fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in Atlanta.
The mayor of Atlanta, who ended up head-lining the event, had a little help filling the void. Hizzoner shared the stage with singer/actor Tyrese at the Democratic funder, which organizers said raised $60,000.
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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was in Atlanta on Monday night raising money for his re-election bid, an event that cost $10,800 to host and $1,000 to get in the door.
At right is an updated list of the event's organizers.
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The Marietta Daily Journal reports that a first visit by Mike Boyce, chairman-elect of the Cobb County Commission, to meet with Atlanta Braves officialdom went well:
And by all accounts, we can happily report Monday's 90-minute Cumberland peace accord was successful.
"I came away with a much better idea of what they're trying to accomplish," Boyce said, noting he was appreciative of the briefing.
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According to Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, with a little more investment from national Democrats, Georgians could flip a red Senate seat much like the party did in North Carolina back in 2008. From Roll Call:
Democratic state Rep. Stacey Abrams, who founded the New Georgia Project to increase voter registration in the state, said Georgia is better positioned to turn for the Democrats than North Carolina was in 2008.
Abrams, the minority leader in the State House, said the main difference between Georgia and North Carolina is the amount of investment from national Democrats. While Democrats were spending money in the 2008 presidential race in North Carolina to help Obama win by just over 14,000 votes, they spent $4.1 million in Georgia and lost by around 205,000 votes.
Roll Call said the Obama campaign and other affiliated groups poured $15 million into the Tar Heel State in 2008 to help Democrat Kay Hagan beat Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
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One of the more amusing things to come out the post-Citizens United campaign finance universe is the production of candidate b-roll. Political campaigns release generic footage of a candidate so that that Super PACs -- or anyone else -- can pick up the material for their own ads. This allows both Super PAC and campaign and to avoid breaking federal laws that bar coordination.
Former late night television host Jon Stewart spotlighted the practice with #McConnelling, an ode to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that launched a million Internet memes.
And it's now come to our attention that U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has his own 90 seconds of b-roll out and about. Which suggests that there's a Super PAC out there ready to use it. Watch here:
The venue is Sam's BBQ in west Cobb County, which also does Isakson's annual luncheon for Congress, and some well-known GOP character actors. It does make you hungry.
h/t WABE's Johnny Kauffman.
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