Fresh Loaf

Thank you, Georgia, for sending me to Washington.

You hadn’t forgotten about the disgraced and defeated Ralph Reed, had you?

Just because he’s about the only notable conservative/Christian/Republican who hasn’t appeared onstage at a Tea Party gathering doesn’t mean Reed had gone away.

No, he’s simply been holed up in his exclusive gated subdivision in Gwinnett, biding his time until the moment was ripe.

Well, the ripeness has arrived — and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t smell like sulphur.

GOP insiders tell me that Reed is planning to jump into the 7th District Congressional race that opened up when nine-term incumbent John “Flat Tax” Linder announced his retirement a little more than a week ago.

UPDATE: Reed’s announcement came as scheduled today and the answer was no, he wouldn’t run for Congress. My apologies to anyone who may have jumped off a rooftop because he thought the End of Days had arrived. Apparently, the folks who talked to Congressional Quarterly had it right.

(By the way — the photo above is actor Sam Neill as Damien, the Devil’s seed who grows up to be a heartbeat away from the presidency in the Omen movies. Sorry for the obscure cultural reference, but for some reason Ralph Reed always makes me think of Damien.)

(more…)

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'You wanna hear about this Fair Tax proposal I got, George? Nope? Well OK.'

Tyler at Peach Pundit reports that Congressman John Linder will not seek another term representing a lot of that area you drive through to get to Athens, Ga. (Galloway’s got some more info here.)

Linder, a Republican and vocal proponent of replacing federal income taxes with a national retail sales tax, made the announcement at Burning Man the grand opening of the Gwinnett GOP headquarters.

There’s already some speculation as to who should jump in the race. Galloway says Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour, who last year carried the controversial Senate Bill 31, is a possible contender.

Democrats who might be interested in launching a campaign should take note: The district is heavy Republican. Be prepared for candidates to babble on and on about the Socialist threat and hoist Pelosi pinatas at fundraisers.

(Photo courtesy John Linder’s Visual Wonderland)

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One year after Congress passed President Obama’s stimulus package, critics are still bellyaching about the $787 billion initiative aimed at sparking job growth and buffering the nation from the next Great Depression. After lambasting the program, Georgia Republicans found the time to grovel for funds or pose at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for stimulus-funded projects.

“I don’t know how our children and grandchildren will ever pay for this … . And the chance of it being successful are slim and none in my opinion. I am opposed to it. I think we can do better.”
— U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia, speaking from the floor of the House before he voted against the stimulus bill. In October 2009, Gingrey presented a $625,000 oversized check to Cedartown city officials to fund new sidewalks — paid for with stimulus dollars.

“The state-by-state unemployment numbers are in. As you will see, these numbers only reinforce the fact that the $787 billion ’stimulus’ signed into law eight months ago has done nothing for job growth in this country.”
— U.S. Rep. John Linder of Georgia, in an Oct. 21 blog post. Two weeks earlier, the Washington Times reported on Feb. 10, Linder had championed a local government’s stimulus application, telling the U.S. Agriculture Department, “the employment opportunities created by this program would be quickly utilized.”

“The majority in Congress has been in runaway mode when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars. This legislation is yet another sign that Washington is more concerned with pet projects than with the welfare of taxpayers.”
— U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, after the stimulus passed. In August 2009, Chambliss visited the Atlanta Food Bank to observe food donations paid for with stimulus funds. “I’m very pleased that the government continues to play a key role here, from the standpoint of providing food,” he said.

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The AJC calls attention today to Georgia’s boast that its Congressional delegation includes more doctors (four of the 16 currently in office) than any other state — which would seem to be a positive, considering the debates over health-care reform being waged at this very moment in Congress.

So just who are these MD’s who make Georgia so proud?

Well, there’s Rep. Phil Gingrey, of “Better Know a District” fame; there’s Rep. Tom Price, chairman of the Republican Study Committee; Rep. John Linder, who apparently counts even though he’s a dentist; and Rep. Paul Broun.

Yes, that Paul Broun, who once compared Pres. Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and accused him of trying to establish a Marxist dictatorship. Broun also happens to be a licensed doctor. And who better to represent Georgia’s medical community on the national stage? After all, Broun has already demonstrated his scientific acumen by declaring on the floor of the U.S. House that all the suggested evidence in support of human-induced global warming — the academic reports, temperature records dating back for thousands of years, the bewildered polar bears frequently photographed swimming in vain for a block of ice — are all just part of a “one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community.”

I would request that Rep. Broun do his best not to embarrass Georgia anymore, but it may already be too late:

Under Broun’s [health care] plans, doctors and pharmacies would be encouraged to post prices for their services just as a restaurant might post a dinner menu. Doing so, Broun said, would spur competition and therefore help bring down costs.

Because who hasn’t wished their health care operated with the same level of efficiency and quality of service as a middle-tier chain restaurant?

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