Lucid Idiocy (Politics)

• Soldiers, correspondents, deserve our attention

  Tom Day, The Telegraph's military affairs reporter, left today for Philadelphia, where he'll spend time with his family before heading to Afghanistan.
  
  Tom will file dispatches from the war for the next six weeks or so, focusing quite a bit on Georgia's 48th Brigade. Tom's a former Army Ranger,' [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 3:07pm EST
  

• Burkhalter to AJC: "Forever the state Capitol is a different place”

  Riiiiiiggghhhhhht.
  
  Read James Salzer's full story on this here.
  
  Meanwhile, Jim Galloway says Burhalter has removed his name from consideration for the lucrative World Congress Center's executive director job. That's a lot of money to leave on the table to be speaker.
  
  But, then, Georgia [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 11:28am EST
  

• Shalom Zones.org

  I've probably said enough about the speaker anyway.
  
  Robert Reichert will have been Macon's mayor for 2 years in about a week, and we did an interview today where he talked about the concept of Shalom Zones being implemented in Macon, broad ideas about what the city must [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 10:44pm EST
  

• Speaker Richardson's resignation statement

  From Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson:Effective January 1, 2010, I will resign my position as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives and as state Representative for the 19th District in Paulding County.
  
  It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Paulding County as their [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 4:43pm EST
  

• The demise will be live-blogged

  Aaron Gould Sheinen has several updates on Speakerwatch over at Gold Dome Live, and I'm sure there are more to come.
  
  The latest news: A 4 p.m. conference call for the Republican caucus.
  
  Meanwhile, Peach Pundit asks just how badly the speaker needs to hold on' [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 2:43pm EST
  

• Moving week in Georgia

  From Aaron Gould Sheinen at The AJC:A high-powered foursome met Wednesday evening at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss a difficult subject: How one of them quits his job.And from Dale Russell for Fox 5, via their Web site and this via Twitter:More tonight on the Glenn Richardson [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 9:27pm EST
  

• Rusty Kidd wins in Milledgeville

  Results are rolling in for the other special election runoffs, too. Check them here.Rusty Kidd, the son of long-time legislator Culver Kidd, will head to the statehouse himself in January after easily winning a runoff Tuesday night.
  
  Kidd, a long-time lobbyist, will represent Milledgeville and the surrounding area [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:46pm EST
  

• Chambliss: Surge good, tax to pay for it bad

  From Tom Day here at The Telegraph:In a phone interview Tuesday from his Washington office, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R.-Ga., threw his conditional support behind President Obama’s troop increase in Afghanistan while scolding House Democrats for proposing a “war surtax” to pay for the escalation.
  
  “The Democrats passed a [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 3:35pm EST
  

• If there's a runoff where you live today, go vote

  If you don't like either of the candidates, I suggest you write in "Mark Richt."
  
  Four statehouse seats will be decided, including one in Milledgeville, where I believe Rusty Kidd would become the only Independent in the Georgia House of Representatives, if he beats Democrat Darrell Black.[...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 10:20am EST
  

• Susan Richardson to Speaker: "I am cleaned of all your secrets."

  "I don't think it was because he was so depressed. I think it was power and control that motivated him to do this. ... And people wouldn't feel sorry for them if they knew how he truly behaved."
  
  Susan Richardson, ex-wife of Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, simply [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:41pm EST
  

• PerduePAC: I'm sure they have no plans for the money

  James Salzer in The AJC:Internal Revenue Service filings show PerduePAC remains a formidable entity, especially at a time when money in politics is tight because of the recession. The PAC had about $700,000 at the end of last year, although that figure has likely grown.
  
  The question is, [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:28pm EST
  

• Thankful for soldiers

  You might have seen short pieces in the media this week about Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams, who was killed in Iraq.
  
  He was from Sparks Georgia, a small place along I-75 in south Georgia, not quite halfway between Tifton and Valdosta.
  
  From WALB out of Albany:
  [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:32pm EST
  

• GMA gets online in the 2010 gov's race

  The Georgia Municipal Association has a new site up for the 2010 governor's race.
  
  Each candidate has a page, and there are links to stories about their campaigns. But GMA is also submitting questions — from a city government perspective — to each candidate and publishing their answers [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 3:16pm EST
  

• Tolleson staying out of 2010 8th District race

  Move state Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, from the "maybe" to the "not this time" column in next year's 8th District race. From Sen. Tolleson, via text message:"My wife and I have decided to wait until my twin daughters finish high school, which will be two more years. My family comes'" [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 1:38pm EST
  

• Bloom off the rose at the Georgia state Capitol

  Consider this paragraph from a column by Walter Jones. It sure seems like we got here awful fast:Consider the factors: budget deficits demanding either historic cuts or gigantic tax increases, a lame-duck governor, a lieutenant governor who bowed out of the governor's race, a speaker who is clinically depressed [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 11:00am EST
  

• John Oxendine: Kind of the Man

  State Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, who today reminded Georgians to be safe when frying turkeys, will be in Macon tomorrow, at an Eastman Gun Show at the Wilson Convention Center.
  
  The Ox has always had a rep as a media seeker over the years, but he [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:28pm EST
  

• Baker scores a big name for gubernatorial fundraiser

  Only one problem: The fundraiser will be in New York.
  
  From Attorney Gen. Thurbert Baker's campaign office:Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker announced today that President Bill Clinton will deliver remarks at a fundraiser to benefit his 2010 campaign for Governor of Georgia. The event will be held in New' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:31pm EST
  

• Nov. 19, 1863: The Gettysburg address

  Today is the 146th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech.Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
  
  Now we are engaged in a great civil' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:20pm EST
  

• John Oxendine fail English? That's unpossible.

  AKA: Whose Team Oxendine's proofreader?
  
  I've been at home sick the last two days and I'm kind of grinding through emails right now.
  
  This one from John Oxendine's gubernatorial campaign made me stop, as they so often do, and check his campaign site to make sure it [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:50pm EST
  

• Perdue in Afghanistan

  The governor's office has some pictures of Gov. Perdue's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan up now on their Web site. That includes this shot, which shows the governor and others meeting with Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
  
  
  If nothing else, at least bottled water is readily [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 3:21pm EST
  

• Speaker Richardson: I took steps to end my life

  Wow. I hope Speaker Richardson can move on from this and find happiness. From his office:ATLANTA – Today Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson released the following statement:
  
  “As you know, in an effort to protect my family, I have and will continue to have a practice that I [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 4:57pm EST
  

• A sunshine audit in Georgia

  The Georgia First Amendment Foundation says law enforcement agencies are the least likely to fill public information requests in a timely matter.
  
  From the foundation:More than 100 journalism students across Georgia tested the state's Open Records Act for compliance in October 2008. Two-thirds of custodians complied with the records' [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:41pm EST
  

• Hooray for commentors!

  Every now and then I lose my head and read the comments of a newspaper story looking for insight.
  
  More and more I'm surprised how often I find it 12 percent of the time:krismcmillian wrote on 11/11/2009 07:56:24 PM:

  I think Reichert is making the only' [...]

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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 11:18pm EST
  

• Barnes v. Perdue in 2014? Deja vu all over again

  Mr. Galloway points us toward this story in the Rome News-Tribune, in which former Gov. Roy Barnes may have hinted at a willingness to serve just one term if elected again next year.
  
  I've been meaning to see what the state constitution has to say about multiple,' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 4:15pm EST
  

• Fox: Hannity to address video switch up tonight

  On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart called Sean Hannity out for using video from a previous, much larger, Tea Party gathering to make a health care reform rally from last week seem significantly larger than it was.
  
  If you haven't seen the video, it's nearly as hilarious as' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 3:18pm EST
  

• Macon government: A cautionary tale

  Tonight Macon Mayor Robert Reichert unveiled a long-awaited plan to lay off 31 employees and eliminate 36 open positions.
  
  It appears he can do that, at least on an "indefinite" basis, without council approval, based on the way this vote went down, though a lawsuit is always possible.
  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:32pm EST
  

• October revenue figures

  If there's good news to be had here, it's that October 2008 was a relatively decent month for state revenues, so you're not just comparing brutally awful to awful.
  
  From the governor's office:ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that net revenue collections for the month of October [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 3:05pm EST
  

• Meyers: A Paul/Buchanan candidate for Congress

  General Lucid Idiocy policy: Get criticized for poor media management, get interviewed by a blog with a dumb name. Five questions for Valerie Meyers, who recently announced a run for U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall's seat here in the 8th District:Tell me a little bit about yourself.
  I'm a mother of [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 12:14pm EST
  

• Bonaire woman enters GOP fray in 8th District

  From today's Telegraph:Valerie Meyers, a civilian employee at Robins Air Force Base and part-time graduate student, intends to enter the race for the 2010 Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District seat. Meyers will be the fourth candidate to enter the race, joining Bibb County Republican Party Chairman Paul' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 11:50am EST
  

• President's statement on Fort Hood

  President Obama was at the closing of the Native American Tribal Nations Conference when he delivered these remarks, provided by the White House:... But as some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. We don't yet know all' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:39pm EST
  

• Americus hospital, wrecked by tornado, being rebuilt

  Ground was broken Tuesday to rebuild Sumter Regional Hospital, which was flattened by a tornado in 2007.
  
  Former President Carter attended the ceremony. From the Americus Times Recorder:The new, four-story, 76-bed hospital will be surrounded by medical office buildings and a running/walking track, all on the 280-acre site [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:22am EST
  

• Should the courts I.D. anonymous tipsters?

  There's an interesting criminal case covered in today's Telegraph. Attorneys for three folks accused of setting a fire that killed two young boys want the court to force Crimestoppers to give up the name of the anonymous tipster that led to the arrests:The lawyers contend that the identity [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:15am EST
  

• Friend of the Witches Hammer

  On page 6A of The Telegraph's Sunday print edition, we ran this story about the congressional race in the New York 23rd, which does not mention Erick Erickson.
  
  I imagine we did this without undue consideration. I thought some of Erick's fans outside of Macon might find that [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:04pm EST
  

• Herring: "King and Spaulding coup advances"

  I think Neill Herring is a man who likes some strong metaphors, too.
  
  To be sure, we are looking at a lot of King and Spalding work, influence, and I dare say billing, on water and the environment toward the end of Gov. Perdue's term.
  
  The Daily' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 7:34pm EDT
  

• The "hill to die on" language was too strong, but now I'll totally redeem myself.

  I was trending toward the inaccurate. Apologies.
  
  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia doesn't have the same microscope-to-the-condition political accuracy as, say, The Simpsons, but it is awesome.
  
  This episode, "The Gang Runs for Office," is available for a short time on hulu. With some cursing, and advertising.
  [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 8:18pm EDT
  

• Strippers, predators and a hill to die on in the 141st

  *Too strong and not a good metaphor. Apologies.*
  
  These are mailers the House Democratic Caucus is sending out against Rusty Kidd in the four-way race to replace Bobby Parham in state House District 141, which is centered on Milledgeville:
  
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 1:42pm EDT
  

• Perdue makes pick to head EPD

  Update: The governor's choice was confirmd.
  ---
  From the governor's office:ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that he is recommending F. Allen Barnes to be the new Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. If approved on Wednesday by the Board of Natural Resources, Barnes will replace Carol Couch, [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 12:39pm EDT
  

• John Oxendine is right

  Insert joke here about that being noteworthy. I'm back in town and back on the payroll. I hope you had a pleasant week.
  
  From the Insurance Commissioner's office:ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine is urging Georgians to change the batteries in their smoke alarms at [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 12:08pm EDT
  

• Bush/Obama: Serve Your Community

  So with Travis laid up, I am forcibly taking the reins from him and adding a bit of feel-good to get everyone through his absence.
  
  As a student at the Bush School I was able to attend an event organized around the simple idea that it is [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 4:17pm EDT
  

• AC PUP for cutest dog

  Update: AC came in a distant second. Thanks to all who voted.
  ---
  I'm heading out for a mandatory furlough Monday, so no posts from me for a week.
  
  In the mean time, this is AC the Pup. He's the Macon Animal Shelter's Mascot, and if he gets' [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2009, 10:55pm EDT
  

• Bart Graham keeps it real

  I have just received a check from the state for interest earned on their delinquent return of my overpaid taxes. I plan on giving the money back to them. Tough times, you know.
  
  From Commissioner Graham's letter:The Department conducted a comprehensive review of the various alternatives in notifying the' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 8:19pm EDT
  

• The 2010 General Assembly: Job tax credits, transport tax, property tax reform all coming back

  Just a few nuggets from state legislators with three months to go. I wrote this for our political notebook feature, which runs Saturdays:Rest easy, everybody: The Georgia General Assembly will be back in session in less than three months.
  
  Right now, things seem quiet. But rest assured policy is [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 4:27pm EDT
  

• State: do as we say, not as we do on 911 funds

  This will be in The Telegraph this weekend:In 2007 the state legislature passed a law to make sure pre-paid cell phone users were paying a monthly $1.50 fee for 911 services, much like land-line users and cell phone users with long-term contracts do.
  
  The money was meant to be [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 3:58pm EDT
  

• Oxendine: Who let our beloved state collapse?

  I'll let you visit with Mr. Wheatley to see Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine's newest commercial.
  
  For those seeking confirmation that this is, in fact, from Team Oxendine, it is mentioned on his Twitter page, on his campaign Web site and I got a campaign email about [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 2:18am EDT
  

• Because I'm sure they're up to something

  Update: The answer should probably have been obvious: Messing with the Department of Transportation.
  ---
  Three months out, probably a lot of things.
  
  
  
  Images: House Photographer Liz Erikson (galleries) [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 8:55pm EDT
  

• From strange to stranger in Warner Robins

  On the heel's of Mayor Donald Walker's shocking suicide, now we have news that the Warner Robins city clerk and an IT employee are on leave and accused of trying to break into the mayor's office through the ceiling.
  
  There is speculation that the two men were' [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
  

• Obama: Friday, Nobel Peace Prize. Saturday ...

  Bed Bath and Beyond if there's time.
  
  I was at an Allman Brothers concert on a Saturday night when I heard that President Barack Obama was ending Don't Ask Don't Tell. BOOM!
  
  The man stays busy.
  ...
  The letter below was in an e-mail blast sharing the' [...]
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  Posted: October 11, 2009, 5:40pm EDT
  

• Wait, President Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize?

  That seems kind of fast. CNN via Fresh Loaf.
  
  Update: Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn has released a statement. Says the gentleman from Perry:I congratulate President Obama and his entire team on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He has changed the tone of U.S. foreign policy by making [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 9:57am EDT
  

• September revenue figures out

  From the governor's office:ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that net revenue collections for the month of September 2009 (FY10) totaled $1,371,956,000 compared to $1,632,334,000 for September 2008 (FY09), a decrease of $260,378,000 or 16.0 percent.
  
  The percentage decrease year-to-date for FY10 compared to FY09 is 14.2 percent.[...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 5:00pm EDT
  

• Another "ordinary person" to challenge Marshall

  I mean, you'd think the the U.S. House of Representatives was meant to be a place where ordinary people served their country for a few years before returning home to their regular lives, instead of a place for career politicians.
  
  Ken DeLoach (campaign site) is an area pastor' [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 11:02am EDT