The hottest photo op in Georgia Republican politics lives about 6,500 miles from Atlanta and isn’t even a Republican.
But there’s a reason U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a freshman Republican from Cassville, has a huge grin on his face in a group photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and that his press staff was eager to share it.
Netanyahu has become the world's biggest critic of a pending nuclear deal with Iran, and thus the position of President Barack Obama. His visit to the Republican-run Congress, over the objections of the White House, became a political spectacle that divided Democrats but had Republicans united in showering praise on the hawkish prime minister.
Netanyahu resonates strongly with the Republican base, which believes Obama has not done enough to back Israel. The relationship between the two leaders has been tense, with Netanyahu seen as favoring Mitt Romney in 2012.
Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue had a sit-down with Netanyahu in Jerusalem during his first overseas trip as a senator back in February. He put the photo on Facebook, where it racked up nearly 1,200 "likes" and reached 13,000 people.
When Netanyahu came to Congress to speak, Perdue put an “I Stand with Israel” graphic on his page that reached 600,000 people. Perdue spokesman Mark Bednar said the Israel posts show far greater enthusiasm among Perdue supporters on Israel than on most any other issue.
Asked in February why he made Israel his first foreign trip, Perdue replied: “I just felt like that I wanted to send a statement back home that with all the crises that we have in that part of the world, we have a strong ally there in Israel.
“And I wanted to make a statement that personally I support their legitimacy, the fact that they’re struggling to have a homeland and they’re fighting for democracy and they’re a stabilizing influence, believe it or not, in the region.”
Loudermilk’s Jerusalem stop was part of an 11-day homeland security delegation looking at how to stop the flow of foreign fighters to and from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
A lot had happened between Perdue's and Loudermilk's visits: Netanyahu was re-elected prime minister in March, wielding his stances against Obama to great effect. Shortly before the vote he seemed to denounce a "two state solution" with the Palestinians, but then he backed off.
In April, Obama announced an interim deal with Iran on the country's nuclear program, which is supposed to be finalized by the end of June. It holds out the possibility of easing economic sanctions against the theocracy, a notion Netanyahu flatly rejects.
Guess which side Loudermilk is on.
Netanyahu “was very animated, and basically he expressed some of the same concerns as we had,” Loudermilk said Tuesday in a phone interview from Turkey.
“We’re trying to negotiate with a country that exports terror, and even improving their economy by taking away sanctions will give them more resources to export terror. …
“The way he explained it is we’re trying to tame a tiger, trying to domesticate a tiger, and that just can’t be done,” Loudermilk said. “It will turn around and devour us.”
Tracking the money
In case there was any doubt, you can count IntercontinentalExchange executive and owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream Kelly Loeffler out as a challenger to Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Both Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, donated $5,200 to Isakson’s campaign this year, a close review last week of Isakson’s Federal Election Commission report shows. Isakson raised $1.6 million in the quarter and had $3.75 million on hand.
Loeffler flirted with a U.S. Senate run in the wide-open 2014 field but ultimately declined. She had not indicated she was interested in the Isakson race, but this confirms it.
Other notable Isakson donors included Jeb Bush’s “Right to Rise” PAC, former Democratic Attorney General Thurbert Baker, former U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
Meanwhile, Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue raised $127,000 in the first quarter and is still paying down debts from last year’s campaign.
As of the end of March, the Perdue campaign owed $385,000, mostly to consultants such as chief strategist Paul Bennecke and the firm of ad-maker Fred Davis. The Perdue campaign is carrying an additional $750,000 in outstanding loans from the candidate himself, but he probably is not expecting to recoup that money.
Vote of the week
The U.S. Senate voted, 98-1, to approve a framework to allow Congress to review the pending nuclear deal with Iran.
Yes: U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; and David Perdue, R-Ga.
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