It's a poker game any teacher would love. If a 2022 rematch between Gov. Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams is in the cards, expect the Republican's promised $5,000 pay raise for educators to be at the center of the fray.
After unveiling a spending plan that included the final $2,000 of the pay hike, the governor’s deputies were quick to point to Abrams’ criticism of his vow.
That goes back to September 2018 and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board meeting, where Abrams laced into Kemp's campaign promise. Her GOP opponent "cannot be trusted to keep his promises," Abrams said. And more:
"I don't even think trust-but-verify works here. He cannot be trusted and you cannot verify that he's going to do it. But you can look at my record as a legislator and as a candidate and see I've been consistent in my push for increasing pay for teachers."
On Thursday, Kemp spokesman Cody Hall revisited those remarks via Twitter:
"I'm old enough to remember when @staceyabrams said @GovKemp was lying to voters when he campaigned on giving teachers a $5,000 raise."
Scott Hogan, executive director of the state Democratic party, responded by upping the ante:
"2K/year? What a joke. Maybe that is why we are still 43rd in the nation for High Graduation rate. Time to raise our standards. #WeCanDoBetter."
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On the matter of Gov. Brian Kemp's $28 million budget proposal, deep in a piece by our AJC colleague James Salzer are details likely to be at the heart of some bitter fights:
The plan also includes cutting county health department grants by $6 million this year and $9 million in fiscal 2021 and reductions in spending for several public health programs. The Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation, a favorite program of House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and other leaders in that chamber, would take a cut.
So would accountability courts, which Kemp's predecessor Nathan Deal greatly expanded to allow defendants to avoid prison time if they stay sober, get treatment, receive an education and find a job. The courts are set up for drug addicts, drunken drivers, the mentally ill and veterans who've been charged largely with nonviolent crimes and low-level offenses.
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Immediately after Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State address on Thursday, the House immediately went back into session to consider a resolution that praised President Donald Trump for ordering the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani as he left the airport in Baghdad, Iraq. Details can be found here.
HR 882 was put forward by Heath Clark, R-Warner Robins, chairman of the House veterans affairs committee.
That the measure passed was no surprise. But the slim margin was -- as was the number of House members who avoided casting a vote. The measure received 93 aye votes in the 180-member chamber. Sixty-eight opposed. Twelve members were excused, and seven simply didn’t vote.
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This morning, state Rep. Steve Tarvin, R-Chickamauga, who is a very conservative fellow, posted this thought on Facebook:
What do you think of President Trump saying he will expand constitutional prayer in schools?
What will you think if your kindergarten child has a Muslim teacher who prays to Allah daily, or any religion different from the one which is practiced in your home?
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On Twitter, state Rep. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, posted a photo of a proposed constitutional amendment he's introduced that would allow Georgia's motor fuel tax to be used for all public transit purposes. I.e., something other than roads and bridges.
So far as we can tell, he’s got six signatures on his measure. Only 114 to go.
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The AJC will shortly release its own poll of leading political figures, but the Morning Consult is out with its latest survey of governors that shows Georgia's Brian Kemp has a 53% approval rating.
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It has been nearly two years since our good friend Todd Rehm, a GOP political consultant, lost his wife Stephanie to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – what we once called Lou Gehrig's disease.
Since his wife’s diagnosis in 2016, Rehm has been a prominent fundraiser to the cause. This morning, he and Sarah Embro, executive director of the Georgia chapter of the ALS Association, persuaded Gov. Brian Kemp to participate in the famous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – though not on the receiving end:
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If you want to know why Cory Booker's presidential campaign tanked, and why a large plurality of African-American have lined up behind former Vice President Joe Biden, consider this Washington Post poll:
President Trump made a stark appeal to black Americans during the 2016 election when he asked, "What have you got to lose?" Three years later, black Americans have rendered their verdict on his presidency with a deeply pessimistic assessment of their place in the United States under a leader seen by an overwhelming majority as racist.
The findings come from a Washington Post-Ipsos poll of African Americans nationwide, which reveals fears about whether their children will have a fair shot to succeed and a belief that white Americans don't fully appreciate the discrimination that black people experience.
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Earlier this morning, one of your Insiders reported on a debut ad released by Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, emphasizing her support for President Donald Trump and her opposition to impeachment.
It's a message she's repeated in interview after interview this week with local reporters. One of them was with Carolyn Ryan of CBS46, who asked the right follow-up question, mid-way through their conversation:
Ryan: Do you think [Trump] has your back? He adamantly supported Representative Doug Collins for your position that you now have. I don't know, and correct me if I'm wrong, that he has publicly come out to give his support to you. Does that concern you? Or worry you at all?
Loeffler: Look I'm very focused on working with the White House. I had a meeting there this week to work on one of the legislative priorities and am very aligned with the White House.
I know I'm going to continue to earn his trust and confidence. In the meantime, I'm just going about getting my work done for Georgia, in the way that I've committed to getting it done – and working closely with President Trump to make sure that he understands that I'm a new voice for him. I'm here to grow the party for our state and our country…
Ryan: At that meeting at the White House did you have the opportunity to meet the president?
Loeffler: Not this week.
Ryan: Has he reached out to you to congratulate you?
Loeffler: We haven't had the opportunity to speak. Vice President Pence swore me in. I passed my regards on to the president. And the vice president indicated the president had sent his support, and I greatly appreciate that.
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Both of Georgia's U.S. senators -- David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler -- stood quietly with their colleagues to take the "oath of impartiality" as the Senate prepares for an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
Your Insider in Washington was there to bring highlights from the official transition of the impeachment proceedings from the House to the Senate on Thursday. The trial is set to begin Tuesday.
Both Perdue and Loeffler say they believe impeaching Trump was improper and the president has done nothing to warrant removal from office, although House Democrats have vowed to introduce new evidence they say strengthens their case.
"I am personally think we ought to dismiss it out of hand right now," Perdue said on Fox News Thursday.
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Somewhat lost in the flurry of impeachment activity was the Senate vote to give final congressional approval a new North American trade agreement. Mexico has signed off, but Canada has not.
The Senate passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was bipartisan, as it was in the House last month. President Donald Trump is sure to sign the agreement, which is one of his policy priorities.
But farmers in Georgia remain tepid in their support, over worries that the trade agreement leaves them vulnerable to Mexican farmers who could flood the U.S. market with cheaply priced produce.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer wrote a letter to Georgia elected officials last week, pledging to look for remedies and take action if problems arise. Florida lawmakers received a similar letter.
