We have spoken before of the communication gulf between Gov. Brian Kemp's office and local government officials when it comes to his response to the pandemic.
Last week, most of the House Democratic caucus sent a letter to the governor, calling his move to reopen the state to business was "too much too soon." Among the signatures was that of state Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus, the longest-serving member of the Legislature -- and one of its most insiderish. Smyre is also a member of the governor's coronavirus response team.
As posted earlier, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a host of other Georgia mayors, and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond also count themselves among the disconnected from the governor. All represent significant – if not majority – African American populations.
Both Bottoms and Thurmond described the plight of black Georgians as systemic. “When you think about urban communities, particularly the African American communities, there’s a beauty and barber shop on every single corner. This is the fact that I would like to have shared with the governor,” Bottoms said.
But conspiracy loves a vacuum, and others are assigning motive. “We cannot use poor people as sacrificial lambs like they did to people during the Tuskegee Experiment,” Charles Steele, president and CEO of the SCLC.
The website Complex focused on Atlanta's rap community – in particular T.I., Killer Mike, Jermaine Dupri, and Ludacris. Quoting T.I.:
"I see an agenda, ya dig. And I'm sure everyone can see it, it ain't subtle, it ain't sophisticated, it's not no mind-manipulated warcraft. It's real simple."
Killer Mike also shared his thoughts on the Governor's decision, saying he has no intention of reopening the string of barbershops he and his wife own in Atlanta. He's instead staying mindful of the health and safety of his employees.
"Our first concern is the safety of our employees, and we have an incentive to open and we could use that incentive and we definitely wanna make money," he told TMZ Live. "At this time we aren't comfortable opening, so we're going to wait a while before we reopen."
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Credit: Elissa Eubanks / AJC
Credit: Elissa Eubanks / AJC
On the other side of that coin we have Bob Smith, the former state lawmaker and current mayor of Watkinsville. On Friday, he penned a letter to his constituents. Some excerpts:
These have been uncertain times, but I believe it is time to turn off the television and all the distractions in the media and get back to basics….
I encourage you to get outdoors and exercise. Go to work. Earn a living. Assemble to worship. And be grateful for ever day we have. Because life is a gift.
Let's not waste it continuing to sit down at home, looking at four walls. As those brave Americans said on Flight 91 over Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, LET'S ROLL!
It is possible that the metaphor is a poor one. First, it was Flight 93, not Flight 91. And all aboard perished.
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Gov. Brian Kemp was in Adel, Ga., on Friday, inspecting tornado damage. In the photo below, there appeared to be some attempt at social distancing, but not a mask in sight:
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At 10 a.m. today, Governor Kemp will hold a "day of prayer" service at the state Capitol – at the same time restaurants and movie theaters are allowed to begin limited operation. The event could also serve as a measure of GOP support for Kemp in his dispute with President Donald Trump over easing coronavirus restrictions.
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Even as Gov. Brian Kemp starts to phase in parts of Georgia's economy, his house is still off limits. Public tours of the Governor's Mansion in Buckhead are canceled until further notice, the state website says, "to ensure the health and safety of Georgia families."
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As the weekend began, the Wall Street Journal put itself in Gov. Brian Kemp's corner with a column that began thusly:
Consistency has never been Donald Trump's strong suit, but during a national calamity it would be terrific if the President would decide what he wants without shifting from day to day. We suspect Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp would agree.
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The Washington Post has a fascinating, as-told-to piece from Michael Fowler, the Dougherty County coroner, on the reopening of Georgia. A taste:
I see people out running errands, rushing back into their lives, and it's like: "Why? What reason could possibly be good enough?" Sometimes, I think about stopping and showing them one of the empty body bags I have in the trunk. "You might end up here. Is that worth it for a haircut or a hamburger?"
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The Augusta Chronicle sends word that Ruth Ann Nail Hill, 76, the widow of the late state Sen. Jack Hill of Reidville, died Friday – 18 days after her husband of 48 years was felled by a heart attack.
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Our deepest condolences to Mike Dudgeon, the policy director for Lt. Geoff Duncan as he mourns the death of his son Daniel. Dudgeon has shared Daniel's story here. Several organ transplants after his death will help four other people live. May his memory be a blessing.
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According to Georgiavotes.com, 829,072 people have applied to vote by mail in the state's June 9 primaries. That's approaching the total votes cast in the 2016 primaries. About 55% have requested GOP ballots, and 42% have asked for Democratic ballots. Seventy percent are white, 20% are black.
That’s a disparity that can be explained in part by turmoil within the Fulton County elections office, where one worker has died of COVID-19 and another was hospitalized.
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The abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation released a digital ad Monday that's part of a six-figure buy across seven states targeting Gov. Brian Kemp and other anti-abortion politicians pushing to ease restrictions.
Their angle of attack: "The hypocrisy of anti-choice officials like Kemp who call themselves 'pro-life' while jeopardizing the lives of millions of Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic."
The group fiercely opposed Kemp’s support last year for anti-abortion restrictions that sought to ban most abortions as early as six weeks. The law, which passed the Legislature narrowly, is tied up in the courts.
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Over at Georgia Health News, Andy Miller reports that calls to the Georgia Poison Center are on the rise, with a spike in people reporting illnesses related to cleaning products and disinfectants.
The report comes after President Donald Trump speculated that cleaning and disinfectant products could be used to treat the coronavirus. From Miller's story:
The biggest source of poisoning calls in Georgia now is from ingestion of pain medicines by children, said Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Center. But the reports of unhealthy exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants have doubled from the same period a year ago, he said Friday.
Poisoning calls in general have risen 9 percent in Georgia from last year amid the COVID-19 crisis, Lopez said.
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Stacey Abrams was featured on NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday to talk about her chances at landing a spot as Joe Biden's running-mate and her reaction to Gov. Brian Kemp's coronavirus rollback. Here's a few snippets from the interview:
Q: On whether she's Biden's best pick:
Abrams: "My mission is to say out loud if I'm asked the question, "yes, I would be willing to serve." But I know that there is a process that will be played out, that Joe Biden is going to put together the best team possible and I believe that he will pick the person he needs."
Q: On Kemp's dispute with President Donald Trump over the rollback.
Abrams: "I give Donald Trump zero credit for backing away from this because he incited it with his liberation of the states narrative. I think Brian Kemp was responding to that call and decided to wrongheadedly move forward. And unfortunately, as a result, he found himself crossways with the president with Mike Pence nodding pathetically at the same time about ingesting Clorox as the president gave more false information to the public. But I think all three of these men have misserved Georgia and misserved the country."
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As much heat as U.S. senators like Georgia's Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have faced for their stock trading during coronavirus, there is a chance there may not be much financial benefit.
Researchers at Dartmouth College have concluded that senators who trade in stock for individual companies tend to see less of a return than securities in those same industries. The researchers analyzed senators’ trades from 2012 through March 2020, which was right when the controversy came to a head.
Roll Call has a recap on the findings, which includes analysis of the STOCK Act that was intended to eliminate insider trading among members of Congress:
"The real thrust of the paper is these trades look very typical," (Dartmouth economics professor Bruce) Sacerdote said. "They don't seem to be particularly well-informed. There doesn't seem to be an indication that senators are doing tremendously well because they're trading in industries that are under their purview."
...There has been immense attention on senators who made substantial stock trades following nonpublic coronavirus briefings, in particular, Sens. Richard M. Burr, whose trades are being examined by the Department of Justice, and Kelly Loeffler. The paper finds that stocks sold after a Jan. 24 briefing on the coronavirus underperform the market by "a statistically significant" 9 percent, while stocks bought during this time underperform by 3 percent.
"We don't find a strong connection between a senator's committee assignment and returns," Sacerdote said.
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U.S. Sen. David Perdue has joined Republican colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee in requesting a review of the World Health Organization's response to COVID-19.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would withhold funding to the WHO. He said the spread of the virus and the number of deaths could have been limited if the organization had responded better in the earliest days of the outbreak.
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In endorsement news:
-- Former Gov. Roy Barnes has endorsed Major Craig Owens of the Cobb County Police Department in the race for sheriff, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Two other Democrats -- Gregory Gilstrap and James Herndon -- are seeking to oust GOP incumbent Neil Warren.
-- Former Georgia congressman Bob Barr has endorsed former congressman Paul Broun in the Ninth District GOP primary to replace U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
