During my late-night search through FiveThirtyEight’s comments, I came across a link to Frontloading HQ, a blog edited by a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Georgia named Josh Putnam.
If you’re looking for a Georgia blog that likes to crunch the numbers and data, it’s the place.
The New York Times, with much gravitas, and Gawker, with much faux-condescension, are reporting that, in politics, the South no longer matters.
Says Gawker:
Good news, Fake America—we’ve marginalized The South! The New York Times reports today that based on the totally conclusive 2008 election results, no longer will The South have any impact whatsoever on National Politics, and we can safely ignore them.
Best Gawker comment:
Well, if Florida is America’s penis, it’s the “balls” of the Redneck Riviera that has the rash.
Most reasoned Gawker comment:
This is not the south that went Red. This is the really, really, really racist part of the south. Missississippi, Ga and SC went more blue.
Most obvious display of Deep South stereotyping by a Times photographer:
Who here likes to party? I can’t hear you, Myrtle Beach! I said, Who here likes to PARTY?!?
Eh. Scott’s right. It may be difficult to get amped about these runoffs, but it’s really important you vote. And after you do that, it’s important you celebrate.
And tonight’s campaign parties for the U.S. Senate Democratic runoff are sure to have all the hallmarks of a classic political fete — awkward toasts, inappropriate drunks, and a guaranteed mediocre cover version of “Don’t Stop.” Or at least some finger food upon which ye can munch. Both campaign’s parties are open to the public and sure to be interesting.
Details are as follows:
Don’t tell ‘em we sent ya, because then they’ll probably charge us for the damages. If you’re not itching to attend one of the above shindigs, good times are sure to be had by all at Manuel’s Tavern beginning around 7 p.m. If you know of any other gatherings, add ‘em in the comments.
Enjoy!
(Photo courtesy of repmanblog.com)
Governing Magazine, a great policy mag whose recent article about Atlanta’s gentrification craze we already linked to yesterday, published a mini-profile on its website about Mayor Shirley Franklin and her mos def of deft skills: “indirect leadership.” The profile’s author, Stephen Goldsmith, is a former mayor of Indianapolis, and by golly, he knows good leadership when he sees it.
The gist of the story: When Franklin took office, the city had two separate courts — one for traffic and moving violations, one for all other city-code violations. Franklin saw low-hanging fruit and reached out to pluck it. Since she had no direct control over the city’s justice department, she gathered support in the legal community and was open with the judges involved. With the help of a pro bono analysis conducted by a consulting group, Franklin was able to consolidate the court operations and personnel. The move saved $7 million. Additional reforms created the “single, technology-driven paperless court” Goldsmith discusses in his article. The city’s court budget has been trimmed a total of $19 million, he says.
What are some examples of Franklin’s “direct leadership” skills?
Power to the people. With video cameras.
The primaries wrapped up yesterday, but the voting fun continues with CNN’s latest user-generated endeavor, the iReport Film Festival. Last year CNN added YouTube Q&As to its presidential debate coverage. This year, the iRFF is set up as a short-film competition for the masses to “document this year’s presidential campaign from their personal vantage point, whether they are volunteering for a campaign or have compelling stories about this election they want to document creatively.”
Winners will be announced Thurs., Nov. 13 on “Anderson Cooper 360°”, but you don’t have to win to be featured on the small screen. According to the CNN press release:
Each Tuesday leading up to the announcement of the festival winners, one of the videos will be featured on Anderson Cooper 360°. Additionally, Headline News will showcase submissions Wednesday mornings on Morning Express with Robin Meade, Friday evenings on Showbiz Tonight, and over the weekend on News to Me.
Deadline is midnight, Sun., Oct. 12. More details at www.ireport.com/filmfestival.
We’ve given them a lot of hell, but at least this year’s legislative session only saw Georgia take a couple of steps backward.
Down in the Sunshine State, the Legislature could outlaw neither a pair of dangling bumper “ornaments” nor the age-old practice of bestiality. Plus, their commuter-rail program died in the Senate. On second thought, maybe they are like us. Speak it, Associated Press, in succinct end-of-the-session rundown form! (Emphasis added, of course.)
Bestiality: Still legal in Florida
State Song: “Old Folks at Home,” also known as “Swanee River,” will be changed to leave out racially offensive lyrics. A second song, “Florida – Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky,” submitted by a music teacher for a statewide contest, will become the state anthem.
Vehicle, um, decorations: Carry on with the popular pickup accoutrement: so-called Truck Nutz. The anatomically correct accessories, modeled after bull testicles, were outlawed by the Senate but had immunity in the House, so no $60 fine after all.
License plates: Added to the roster of 109 specialty plates now available are new ones touting Florida tennis, lighthouses and horses. Lawmakers declined to approve an “I Believe” plate promoting faith-based education, but endorsed a plate bearing the state motto “In God We Trust.”
(Thanks to Christa at PecanneLog and Wonkette)
(Photo courtesy of Draggin’ Nutz, Illustration by Thomas Wheatley)
Per the usual custom, the Georgia General Assembly waits ’til the last minute to pass a boodle of bills. “Guns in petting zoos” passed this morning, but we’ve still got a bunch of issues to resolve. We’re there watching. Feel free to chime in and send comments or questions.
[liveblog]http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php?option=com_altcaster&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=adaf9cfcde&height=550&width=470[/liveblog]
The 19th annual Golden Sleaze Awards, our annual serving of the knuckleheaded misdeeds of the state Legislature, has now gone live. The awards cross party lines and recognize our state’s politicos for a variety of offenses — be it pushing legislation whose benefactors contributed to your campaign, or just plain playing nasty politics.
Let us also not forget that there are saints among the sinners. Click here to view the recipients of the illustrious Arnie Awards.
If we missed someone, fret not — the General Assembly still has a couple of days left to hash out some mischief. But please also feel free to chime in and let us know who we overlooked.
Enjoy!
Gov. Sonny Perdue says voters in the state’s 93rd District get to vote someone new into office on May 13. If a run-off is necessary, it will take place four weeks later on June 10.
Here’s what sucks, via a press release from the governor’s office:
State law also requires the 93rd House District seat to be up for election as part of the regular 2008 election cycle. Anyone wanting to run in the regular election cycle must separately qualify for the General Primary, which will be held July 15th. The qualifying period to participate in the General Primary is set for April 28th through May 2nd. The General Election will be held on November 4th.
So you win the special election, get business cards printed up, and then you gotta run for office again? How’s a guy supposed to live up to his predecessor’s legacy in that short window of time? Not fair, guys.
Horton Hears a Who! was the number-one movie for the second straight weekend. I might not have guessed that when my daughter and I attended the first Saturday show at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, since she and I were literally the only people in the theater. Then again, that was at 11:40 a.m. on a gorgeous Easter-weekend day. (As my wife suggested, “Maybe most of the Midtown residents were still at brunch.â€)
Watching Horton for my second time during the neverending presidential primary season, I couldn’t help but look for contemporary political implications.
Find out which Horton Hears a Who! characters parallel presidential candidates at PopSmart.
Quote of the Day:
“We’ll even give you a seat [in the state House of Representatives]. We do have an extra one.”
– State Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, speaking to state Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, during this morning’s House Natural Resources and Environment Committee meeting. Smith said Tolleson was easy to work with on a bill and invited him back.
Of the few politicians who write blogs, state Senate President Pro-Tem Eric Johnson does a great job — and I really mean that. Often times the posts legislators write are rambling or appear half-hearted. Sometimes they overuse exclamation points. Johnson writes these bizarrely captivating bullet-point posts about his day and the political process, what it means, and how it works. And believe it or not, they’re actually entertaining. This one yesterday really made me scratch my head, though. I have to wonder if our most recent Add It Up was his muse.
Number of registered lobbyists in Georgia, as of 2007: 1,492
Amount lobbyists spent on Valentine’s Day for legislators and their spouses last year: $16,000
Amount lobbyists spent in 2007 on meals, tickets, entertainment and other perks for legislators: $1.4 million
Amount spent during 2008 legislative session, as of press time: $311,620.58
Number of groups represented by lobbyists under the Gold Dome in 2007: 5,203
Ratio of lobbyists to legislators: 6:1
Georgia’s grade, out of 100, for lobbyist finance disclosure reports: 63
Georgia’s national rank in terms of disclosure reports: 18
Number of legislators who became lobbyists after leaving office, as of 2005: 41
Number of years a legislator has to “cool off” before going from public office to professional lobbyist: 1
Annual salary of Georgia legislator, excluding per diems and expense account: $17,341
Average monthly retainer paid to a business lobbyist by one company: $2,000-$6,000
Sources: The Center for Public Integrity, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Trend, State Ethics Commission
Mary Norwood has announced she’s dipping her toe into the Atlanta mayoral race waters. Below is the press release:
MARY NORWOOD ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE FOR MAYOR OF ATLANTA
Mary Norwood, an Atlanta City Councilwoman serving in her second term as a representative elected citywide, announced the formation of an Exploratory Committee for a Mayor’s race today.
“It’s official. I have filed the papers to form an Exploratory Committee for Mayor,†she said. “People all over the City have asked me to run for Mayor, and I am asking for your support and for your endorsement, too. I hope I can count on you. You can count on me.â€
The Exploratory Committee consists of over 120 citizens from 88 neighborhoods throughout the entire city of Atlanta, with representation from every Council District and every NPU. “I am thrilled and honored that so many people with such an impressive cumulative history of building better communities have agreed to introduce me to their neighbors. With their help, I will be everywhere in Atlanta,†says Norwood. A complete list of the Exploratory Committee is available at www.MaryNorwoodforMayor.com.
Rest of the release available after the jump.
Why wear neckties and wingtips when you can don leather jackets and boots? These two gents lobby for the American Bikers Active Toward Education, or ABATE, and if you dare try to pull some chickenshit closed-door rewrite in committee, they will kick your ass.
(Below screenshots pulled from the State Ethics Commission’s 400-plus page directory of lobbyists.)
First, the inimitable Eddie Andross.
And fellow awesome individual Charles Kriston.
Hell. Yes.
One of my favorite moments from the inaugural AJC Decatur Book Festival last year was an appearance by public-TV journalist Ray Suarez, who was pushing his latest work, The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America (Rayo).
But then, Suarez is a hero of mine. In his best moments, as the host of NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” he seemed like the best-prepared, most even-keeled and fair-minded of moderators, gliding conversations from multiple subjects to callers and back. As much as I enjoy his equally balanced segments as a senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” it feels like so much less compared to his NPR work — by about 50 minutes daily, in fact. But hey, Ray’s a rising star; he deserves the promotion onward and upward.
Suarez will be in town Thursday (Nov. 29), at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum for a little schmooze-down from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Save your pennies; the tickets range from $50-$75.
I haven’t yet had a chance to read The Holy Vote, but loved watching Suarez do his thing at the DBF, making a compelling case for how religion has become indelibly woven into the fabric of modern-day politics and wondering very critically whether it’s a good thing.
Check out this clip from a Suarez book appearance …
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(Photo by Joeff Davis)
Influential talk-radio host Neal Boortz was shocked this morning — shocked, I tell you —as he blasted Barack Obama for failing to wear an American flag lapel pin in Iowa campaigning.
“Barack Obama will no longer wear a flag on his lapel because he says it is a symbol of supporting the war in Iraq,” Boortz said, in the midst of his incredulity and outrage over Obama’s near-treasonous wardrobe admission.
Never mind that Obama never actually said the lapel omission had anything to do with Iraq. Or that it’s pitiful to try to turn lapel flags into a litmus test for presidential candidates. Surely, I thought, Boortz must brandish the flag on his chest wherever he goes out in public! Then, Andisheh pointed out that Boortz (left) didn’t appear to be wearing a flag at an event CL photographer Joeff Davis shot last week. Neither did the ever-patriotic Newt Gingrich (center). Nor überpatriot Sean Hannity. Strange. Perhaps, they were wearing patriotic underwear.
Are you a recent college graduate who feels listless and doesn’t know what to do with your life? Well, good news. The state Department of Transportation is accepting applicants for the soon-to-be vacant commissioner position until 5 p.m., Sept. 24. Harold Linnenkohl, the current commissioner, will step down Nov. 30 after four years in charge of the agency.
In your powerful position you’ll oversee 5,800 employees and manage more than $2 billion. And face political scrutiny along with the ire of motorists, builders, columnists, bloggers, deer and pretty much everyone. You’ve already got some competition — state Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) and Georgia Building Authority head Gena Abraham are rumored to be in contention — but give it a shot.
As usual, submit a letter of interest, credentials and CV. Interviews will be conducted Sept. 26 and Oct. 3. Included among those who will grill you: David Doss, Dana Lemon, Bill Kuhlke, Garland Pinholster and Mike Evans, the state’s transportation board chairman.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of DeKalb County has joined 10 other members of Congress in co-sponsoring a bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney, Atlanta Progressive News reported today.
“I have certainly been displeased with the operations of the Executive Branch, particularly with regard to the secrecy, the incompetence, and the lack of cooperation that is coming out of the Vice President’s Office,” Johnson said in a statement to the online news service.
Signing on to the bill ought to shore up the first-term Democrat’s reputation among local lefties, who weren’t too happy after he beat firebrand incumbent Cynthia McKinney in last year’s Democratic primary.
It’s not even summer and the city of Atlanta just announced some of the toughest water restrictions I’ve ever heard of. A press release I just received says:
The Department of Watershed Management is instituting new service-area-wide restrictions on watering. City of Atlanta customers may only water outdoors on Saturdays and Sundays between midnight and 10 a.m.; even-numbered addresses on Saturday and odd-numbered addresses on Sunday. No outdoor watering is allowed Monday through Friday until further notice. This service area includes the City of Atlanta, Sandy Springs and unincorporated South Fulton County.
With population growth projected to send the metro area toward 10 million people (see John Sugg’s column in this week’s Loaf) and global warming expected to turn much of the state into savanna, does anyone doubt that the region’s long-awaited water crisis is here already? And what punishment should the people of Georgia extract from politicians who’ve refused to pass tough water-use restrictions at the behest of their development-industry sponsors?
A powerful lawmaker who undermined a proposed commuter-rail project with a sleazy amendment to last year’s budget bill now faces drunk-driving charges. So one subscriber to the Citizens for Progressive Transit listserv makes a reasonable observation: “Now, if we had better transit choices Rep. [Ben] Harbin, you wouldn’t have to drive after having a few.”
Harbin’s the guy who snuck a last-minute amendment into last year’s budget bill requiring commuter-rail funding to face a separate vote, outside the normal budget process. It was a particularly sleazy move because Harbin chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee, meaning that he could have inserted the amendment earlier and should have done so more openly. His “Great Train Robbery” cost Georgia taxpayers $87 million in federal funds that had been set aside for the Atlanta-Lovejoy commuter line.
Harbin, who’s also been a deacon at his Baptist church in Evans, Ga., and has gotten stellar ratings from the Christian Coalition, allegedly rammed a utility pole early Sunday morning on Memorial Drive near Oakland Cemetery. Geez, Ben, there’s a MARTA station right near there.
