The racial dynamics behind DeKalb's bid for Atlanta United FC
Our AJC colleague Mark Niesse has the details on Tuesday's 4-3 decision by the DeKalb County Commission to lure Atlanta United FC into its boundaries with $12 million in incentives. But at the same meeting was George Chidi of PeachPundit, who would add this observation:
I might otherwise hesitate to note that the vote split along racial lines, with the newly-elected black majority asserting its renewed power. But the emphasis on development in South DeKalb — though, really, the site is in central DeKalb — lays the split bare. The voting majority today plainly doesn’t care one whit what the public thinks of them, even as they light a pile of money on fire like the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”Your daily jolt on politics from the AJC's Political insider blog
No veneer of democratic illusions were necessary, despite Commissioner Jeff Rader noting how the county’s incentives offer is six times as generous as offered by Marietta, and how Blank hired negotiators from the McKenna Law, heavy Democratic political donors and the same firm that DeKalb uses as legislative lobbyists, to manage his side of the bargaining.
Updated at 12:20 p.m.: In an email to constituents, state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, made these points:
"Second, I am concerned that the deal may not be fair to DeKalb County, and may be costing the taxpayers more than it should. Further, the nature of the site and its proximity to a nonconforming landfill may entail greater expenses than planned. Only through a careful analysis can this determination be made. "
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Last night, Newton County Commissioner John Douglas, a former state senator, continued to take flak for a racially charged Facebook post.
The Newton Citizen has a full account here. The story was first broken by Catie Beck of 11 Alive, whose account of Tuesday's meeting includes this rebuke aimed at a chastened Douglas:
"You have to be on your P's and Q's, Commissioner," said one woman. "We're not 40 years east of Atlanta, we are 40 miles east of Atlanta, and we have to be representative of that."
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Mysterious things are happening as the 2016 GOP presidential contest heads toward Georgia. For instance, the New York Times somehow got hold of a letter Jeb Bush wrote to his brother, President George W., in August 2001 from a Columbus, Ga., barbecue joint:
A few weeks earlier, President Bush had a signed into law a major tax cut, one that would send rebate checks to millions of American homes. It was a signal achievement of his young presidency and, in Bushworld, celebration was in the air. (It would be short lived: within two weeks of this letter, a national tragedy would strike on Sept. 11.)
....Attached is a flier from a barbecue restaurant in Georgia, called Country's. "Check this out," Jeb Bush jotted across the top. The flier's advertised special, deemed "Dubya's Texas Specials," that would taste "even better with the tax relief you'll receive."
Looks like the Jeb! campaign has found its local caterer.
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Speaking of barbecue, you can add this to your presidential weekend calendar: The campaign of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has scheduled a meet-and-greet for Saturday noon at Lovies BBQ on Piedmont Road N.E. in Atlanta.
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U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, has a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. today in Canton at the Cherokee Conference Center. He's going to want to talk about the Iran deal and Planned Parenthood. We'll see if his constituents would rather talk about John Boehner.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, had this interesting hedge on Boehner, made before the Floyd County Republican Women's Club and caught by the Rome News-Tribune:
"Part of August is going to be having that discussion," Graves told the group at their monthly meeting. "Where do we go as a party? At some point we've got to put this to rest. I think that's an open conversation."
But back to Loudermilk. Next week he and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, are headed to Israel as part of a trip that will include many newcomers, sponsored by an affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The Iran deal will be Topic No. 1 on that trip.
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Over the weekend, billionaire Charles Koch raised eyebrows when, at a retreat for political mega-donors, he waxed eloquent about the need to pursue social justice – invoking the Civil Rights movement as a model.
Some are skeptical of Koch's new tack, but the Washington Post credits the billionaire's friendship with Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund. Who was once chairman of the Fulton County Commission. From the article:
In the wide-ranging joint interview, the two men discussed what they described as a deepening friendship and what they are learning from one another, shrugging off critics who view their partnership as one that is based on mutual benefits. The conversation took place in Koch's private suite at the St. Regis Monarch Beach, where he greeted Lomax as "my buddy" when the college fund president arrived at the door.
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Our AJC colleague Katie Leslie was on hand as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mayor Kasim Reed and the Rev. Joseph Lowery, in a rare appearance, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by pushing for an update:
He called for the public to send "a political message that punishes any politician" who will not sign onto the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, a bill that would restore certain pre-clearance rules and oversight to Georgia and other states with a history of running afoul of the Voting Rights Act.
Reed said Democratic presidential candidates must take on the issue.
"Any Democrat that's running for the presidency of the United States … has got to talk about what they're going to do about reauthorizing voting rights in the United States of America," he said.
The actual anniversary is tomorrow, and word is that Lewis will be at the White House with President Obama to continue advocating for the new voting rights bill.
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The Washington Post has a story today on how the SEC Primary is, for some candidates, coming at the expense of New Hampshire. It even has the requisite Brian Kemp quote. A taste:
[New Hampshire] Locals say that the race is wide open and that a win is attainable by any candidate who is willing to spend time in the state, meeting with as many voters and answering as many questions as possible. But it remains to be seen who is willing to do that.
Meanwhile, several Southern states are relishing early visits from a host of presidential contenders. These voters are much less accustomed to seeing presidential candidates stop by their favorite breakfast joints and much more likely to ask for photos or hugs than to press for pithy answers to nuanced policy questions. The region has many wealthy Republican donors, lawmakers are eager to help and liberal activists haven't spent decades studying ways to capitalize on presidential candidate visits. Plus, the local media are more likely to devote entire articles or evening news segments to a candidate's visit.
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Emory and Georgia Tech are among the more than 45 business schools participating in a new White House initiative to promote opportunities for women in business. More details can be found here.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
