Over the weekend, Tom Crawford, 68, the dean of state Capitol journalists who documented three gubernatorial administrations and the Republican takeover of state government, quietly announced an end to his career with this somber note posted on his news website:
I am, unfortunately, in the final stages of cancer and am under home hospice care. For that reason, we are suspending operation of The Georgia Report after more than 18 years of publication.
I appreciate the support of all our readers. It has been quite a ride. Thank you all very much.
Your friend and editor,
Tom Crawford
Crawford began his career as a reporter for The Montgomery Advertiser, then The Marietta Daily Journal and The Atlanta Journal.
He worked a difficult trick as an independent journalist during the last two decades of his career, and his voice has been an important one at the Capitol.
The Georgia Report, which he founded, has been a subscription service that catered to lobbyists, lawyers and others concerned with the specifics of legislation – which made detail import. Yet Crawford also churned a weekly political column aimed at the general readers of more than 35 newspapers throughout the state.
We wish you much peace in the time that’s left to you, Tom.
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Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has offered up the first 30-second TV spot of the Republican runoff for governor. The ad features his wife, Nita Cagle, and a religious message: "In over 31 years of marriage, Casey's faith in God and strength as a leader have been the foundation of our family. Beneath his smile and compassion is a rock…" Watch here:
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State Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Tucker, the only member of his chamber defeated in Tuesday's primaries, on Sunday offered his belated congratulations to the fellow who beat him. No one will begrudge him the delay. In part, from his Facebook page:
"I should have messaged earlier but as many of you know my son had surgery to remove several tumors the day after the primary, and even in public service there are times like these when family comes first. Now that my son is recovering from a successful surgery, I wanted to take the time to first congratulate Sheikh Rahman on his win for the May 22 Democratic Primary. I wish him well as he represents us and our communities in the 5th State Senate District starting in 2019."
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U.S. Rep. Thomas Garrett, R-Va., announced Monday that he is struggling with alcoholism and will abandon his run for a second term in Congress, according to the Washington Post:
Garrett, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, is the 48th Republican to retire or announce they will not seek reelection to the House this year, according to a list maintained by the House Press Gallery.
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We've had some epic shifts in civic attitudes over the last three decades. The increased acceptance of LGBT rights is one. This is another – from the Gallup organization:
Across four polls conducted during the Clinton administration, an average of 72% of U.S. adults said it was very important for the president to provide moral leadership for the country. A May 1-10 update of the question finds 66% of Americans holding that view.
The modest change at the national level obscures more significant shifts among partisans -- a 23-percentage-point decline among Republicans and a 13-point increase among Democrats.
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In line with that, President Donald Trump set aside apart of his Memorial Day observance to attack Democrats, endorse a California GOP candidate running for governo,r and slam ex-acting U.S. attorney Sally Yates. His tweet on that last topic, quoting a Fox News guest:
"Sally Yates is part of concerns people have raised about bias in the Justice Dept. I find her actions to be really quite unbelievable." Jonathan Turley
Yates, an Atlantan who some think of as a potential candidate for higher office, didn't respond directly. Instead she tweeted this about four hours later:
Today we honor those who gave their lives to protect each of us and the ideals on which our country was founded. Their selfless sacrifice deserves not only our gratitude, but also our commitment to continuously strive to live up to those ideals.
But a day earlier, she told CNN Saturday that Trump's push for the Justice Department to investigate whether the FBI planted an informant in his presidential campaign was an "assault on the rule of law."
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And from the right: the New York Times on Monday examined President Donald Trump's use of conspiracy theories to weaken institutions that threaten him. The article includes this:
Erick Erickson, the founder of the conservative website RedState, who once described Mr. Trump as a "walking, talking National Enquirer," said the president's invented stories also speak to the public's desire to have an easy explanation for events it cannot control.
"A lot of people really want to believe a conspiracy because it's a lot easier to think a malevolent force is in charge than that our government is run by idiots," Mr. Erickson said in an interview.
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U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., has endorsed an effort by several Senate conservatives to claw back $15 billion in federal spending previously approved by Congress and the White House. The Hill reports the Georgia Republican co-sponsored a package of so-called recissions with a half-dozen other GOP senators. They're racing to tee up floor time within a 45-day window in order to avoid a filibuster. Democrats have come out against the Trump-backed plan because it targets funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program and efforts to eliminate Ebola.
