Hundreds of Girl Scouts armed with Thin Mints and Tagalongs will inundate the state Capitol today, to argue that the most eye-catching landmark in Savannah be named after Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of their organization.
The bridge currently bears the name of Gov. Eugene Talmadge, a sharp defender of white supremacy and segregation in the ‘30s and ‘40s.
We've told you of the resolution that state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, intends to drop today. A bridge over the Savannah River in the 1950s was indeed named after Eugene Talmadge – his son, Herman Talmadge, was governor at the time.
But Stephens' research indicates the replacement bridge, finished in 1991 and still standing, was never formally christened as such. Even the New York Times has taken note of Stephens' strategy:
If officials do find proof that the 1991 bridge was formally named, any proposal to change it will be "dead in the water," [Stephens] said, but "as long as you're not talking about a renaming, I'm not running into resistance at all."
And yet, we have indeed picked up some hints of dissatisfaction with Stephens’ plan. But it has nothing to do with any love for Eugene Talmadge.
It has everything to do with a Port of Savannah that's building a name for itself as a recipient of massive cargo ships. Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent to deepen its channel, and authorities now want to double the port's capacity by 2028.
The “Low Bridge” would be a poor advertisement, they fear.
On the other hand, a bridge named after the founder of the Girl Scouts would come with its own jingle. Right, Pete Seeger?
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Earlier this morning, the Political Insider told you that Hunter Hill had joined Clay Tippins in firing the first TV salvos in this year's Republican race for governor.
Both Hunter (Army Ranger) and Tippins (Navy Seal) boast military records. Both are running as businessmen/outsiders in the David Perdue mold. And the ads of both candidates employ doppelgangers of the presumed GOP frontrunner, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle:
Hill's Casey Cagle is the kinder send-up. Tippins has employed political ad creator Fred Davis, whose Cagle is dressed in a 1980s, powder-blue tux, tape measure around his neck – a reference to Cagle's early years as the owner of a formal wear shop.
Never mind that the votes of small business owners probably outnumber the votes of technology executives in Georgia.
A couple points on Davis: The Californian has been part of the Georgia political landscape since 2002. That year, he worked for Bob Barr in a GOP congressional primary contest against John Linder (Barr lost), and Sonny Perdue in his race against incumbent Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes (a big win).
In 2014, Davis made ads for Republican Senate candidate David Perdue, picturing him in a now-famous blue jean jacket. (Tippins dons some manly outerwear in his TV ad, too.) And just last year, Davis built ads for Dan Moody in his failed GOP bid for the Sixth District congressional seat.
In both of those last cases, Davis attempted to caricature one of his opponents, Karen Handel, with a string of pearls. On the night she beat Moody and every other Republican in a first round of voting, pearls decorated every table at her victory party.
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Clay Tippins also may have run afoul of Gov. Nathan Deal with his TV ad. "Why are we still running government pretty much the same way we did 50 years ago?" Tippins asks. "A 21st century Georgia needs a 21st century governor."
In an apparent reply, Deal's top aide, Chris Riley, took to Twitter:
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As you know by now, the Senate on Monday approved a compromise on House Bill 159, the first overhaul of the state's adoption laws in more than a generation. The House approved the measure last week, but the Senate had demanded the weekend to think things over.
Our AJC colleague Mark Niesse points out that some Senate Republicans realized too late that they had painted themselves into a corner.
By engrossing the bill before passing its version on Jan. 18, they weren’t able to make any changes when the House sent it back over.
Several GOP senators, including state Sen. David Shafer of Duluth, said they would like to have chanced a floor fight – specifically over the portion that allows attorneys in private adoption cases to pay the living expenses of birth mothers. Shafer said he feared the provision would spark a baby-bidding war.
But Senate Rule 6-9.2(d) prevented that:
"Any House amendment to any bill or resolution engrossed by the Senate shall also be considered engrossed in the Senate such that the Senate may not introduce or attach amendments to such House amendments but may only agree or disagree to the House amendment."
Shafer addressed this issue from the Senate floor:
“I wish that there was some way mechanically for me to get before this body a vote on this question of allowing these additional expenses. The way the rules are written, there’s not a mechanism for me to do so,” he said.
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Georgia Democrats are circling Atlanta's suburbs, but the Dunwoody area might just be ground zero. Former state Rep. Sally Harrell said this week she raised more than $115,000 to unseat Republican state Sen. Fran Millar, who has amassed about the same sum to defend his Dunwoody-based district. And Michael Wilensky, a Democratic newcomer, reported raising about $110,000 in his quest for the seat held by retiring state Rep. Tom Taylor. His GOP opponent, former Dunwoody Mayor Ken Wright, raised about $30,000. Republicans have held both seats for more than a decade, but the turf is fast becoming more competitive. Hillary Clinton and Jon Ossoff carried both districts.
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On a related note, the Marietta Daily Journal reports today that two Republicans, Smyrna attorney Matt Bentley and business owner Taryn Bowman, will attempt to preserve the House seat of state Rep. Rick Golick of Smyrna for their party. Golick has announced he won't seek re-election this year.
Bentley ran in last year’s special election to replace Republican Hunter Hill in the state Senate, a seat won by Democrat Jen Jordan. Bowman is the daughter of Nick Chilivis, who served as revenue commissioner under Gov. George Busbee.
Two Democrats have already announced for the House District 40 contest.
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Read more: Why Georgia Democrats are zeroing in on Atlanta's suburbs
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U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, R-Roswell, was tapped to join the Joint Economic Committee late last week. The bipartisan, bicameral panel advises Congress on economic policy. The appointment could help Handel in her bid to join the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee next year, although she'll likely be competing against another Georgia Republican - West Point's Drew Ferguson - for one of those plum posts.
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Congress may finally stave off funding cuts to safety net hospitals such as Grady Memorial this week -- more than four months after its initial deadline. Lawmakers tucked additional funding for so-called Disproportionate Share Hospitals into the latest government funding patch unveiled last night -- a coup for hospitals such as Grady that have been lobbying hard for months:
But easy passage of the bill is far from guaranteed. The spending bill must still get through both chambers of Congress and to the president’s desk by Thursday night. And broader disagreements over topline government spending levels, Pentagon money and immigration are still dividing both parties. It could be a bumpy ride.
