Peach Pundit

Hawkins Resigns To Run In CD 9 Special Election

Received via email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2010
CONTACT: Lee Hawkins (678) 456-8916

Lee Hawkins Leaves Senate To Run For Congress

(Gainesville)-State Sen. Lee Hawkins today resigned from the Senate in order to seek Georgia’s 9th Congressional District post.
Republican Hawkins’ name will appear on ballots during the April 27 special election to fulfill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal. State election laws require Hawkins to resign his seat in order to seek the Congressional office.

“It has been my honor to serve these years in the State Senate and to provide strong, conservative leadership for my home district,” Hawkins said. “We are all excited for this new opportunity to expand our drive for a smaller, more responsible and conservative federal government. I am firmly committed to combating Obamacare and defeating Washington’s liberal elitists with our North Georgia values.”

Categories: Politics

Scott Drops Bill To End Tolls ON GA-400; Abolish State Road And Tollway Authority

Press release from Austin Scott:

Atlanta – Representative Austin Scott, a Republican candidate for governor, today announced legislation to eliminate the toll from Georgia Highway 400. HB 1443 dismantles the State Road and Tollway Authority, the state agency that oversees the toll and collects $22 Million annually from GA-400 travelers, as well as the toll road it operates.

“When this project began, citizens and government agreed that the toll would come down when the road was paid for,” Scott said. “Yet when Roy Barnes was governor, he directed a change in the legislation that will leave the toll up indefinitely. Now more than ever, Georgians should be concerned with their ever-expanding government. Why should taxpayers spend $20 Million to run an agency that provides $2 Million in road maintenance?”

HB 1443 will eliminate the toll and transfer any ongoing business of the SRTA into the Georgia Department of Transportation.

“This bill is about giving Georgians a smaller government that stands behind its promises, and putting money back in the pockets of Georgia families,” he added.

Categories: Politics

Isakson Hospitalized; Full And Quick Recovery Anticipated

I just spoke to a staff member of Senator Johnny Isakson who has also sent the press release below. Isakson was admitted to the hospital yesterday, and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit out of an abundance of caution as they determined the nature of his illness. The Senator is suffering from a bacterial infection and while the treatment is rigorous, he is doing well and expects to return to his normal schedule very soon.

As an aside, I had the pleasure of seeing Senator Isakson at an event in Newnan Saturday evening. He looked great and was having a good time, enough so that the joined the band of Banks and Shane for a rendition of “A Pirate Looks At 40″, with the Senator joining in on the tamborine.

Best wishes to Senator Isakson on a speedy recovery. Full press release here:

Atlanta – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., was hospitalized in Atlanta on Monday, March 22, after complaining of feeling ill and being dehydrated.

“Senator Isakson woke up yesterday feeling ill and very dehydrated, and he was admitted to Northside Hospital to receive fluids and undergo tests. Doctors believe Senator Isakson is suffering from a bacterial infection. Senator Isakson is responding very well to the treatment and is feeling much better. He met this morning with his Senate chief of staff at the hospital and hopes to be back at work soon,” spokeswoman Joan Kirchner said.

Categories: Politics

David Adelman Resigns To Become Ambassador

Another special election will be called.

Last Friday, the U.S. Senate confirmed the 45-year-old DeKalb County lawmaker as the new U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

On Monday, the Democrat and early supporter of Barack Obama, when he was a presidential long shot, officially resigned from the Senate.

His departure leaves a hole in the already slim Democratic caucus, shrinking their numbers from 20 to 19.

“It is not going to hurt us much, but every vote counts,” said Minority Leader Robert Brown of Macon.

The caucus will spend the rest of the session a man down, as Gov. Sonny Perdue has 10 days to set a special election for Adelman’s seat.

Tom Stubbs and Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, have filed for the seat. David Montané, running as a Libertarian, has also declared plans to run for the seat.

Categories: Politics

CD-8 Straw Poll

Last Saturday in Tifton, an 8th Congressional District debate was held. I am told the crowd was made up of mostly out-of-towners. Results of the statewide races straw poll can be found here. As you can see, a large number of people were undecided. I am told that both Max Wood and Doug MacGinnitie were alerted to the event with just over 24 hours notice, but still managed to pull higher numbers than their opponents. Take what you will from these numbers.

What I am more concerned with are the straw poll numbers from the 8th Congressional race:

Valerie Meyers 3.17

Ken DeLoach 3.02

Angela Hicks 2.93

Diane Vann 1.39

Actual Vote Break Down can be found here.

Whereas statewide polls were based off of simple majority, the straw poll for the 8th Congressional seat used a weighted average method.

Now, I got several calls over the weekend regarding this debate, specifically the one for the 8th District Congressional race. Organizers were accused of rigging the debate for one particular Congressional candidate. However, I gave the organizers the benefit of the doubt and contacted them. They assured me that the debate would be neutral (no softball or attack questions) and that it was merely to inform the people of the candidates and issues. That being said, I am confused as to why, out of all the races, the Congressional straw poll used a different method. Why would you use a different method to calculate a poll for one race than you did for all other races?

I was told by those in attendance that some of the audience got multiple ballots and that others didn’t vote in everything. Another accusation was that one candidate’s supporters were seen giving them a first ranking without giving other candidates a ranking, detracting from their score. Given that any of these are true, it renders the straw poll useless and/or biased. I know people fight over polls all the time. Some say straw polls are useless, maybe this time they are right.

Categories: Politics

Angela Hicks Signs “Repeal It” Pledge

8th District Candidate will fight to undo federal health care takeover

MACON, GA- Republican Candidate for Congress Angela Hicks today announced she has signed the Club for Growth’s “Repeal It” pledge.  Hicks signed the pledge on the day following a final vote on the House of Representative’s massive health care reform bill over the objections of the American people.

“The people of the 8th District deserved more than just a vote against this health care legislation.  We needed a representative that would stand up and fight against it,” said Angela Hicks.  “Now, our only option is to elect a new majority to Congress that will undo this overreaching, job-killing legislation.  I pledge that I will not only work to overturn this health care disaster but also to present free-market solutions that will truly reform the system.”

The pledge can be found at www.repealit.org, and the text of the pledge follows:

I hereby pledge to the people of my district upon my election to the U.S. House of Representatives/U.S. Senate, to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010, and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government.Hicks continues to emerge as a solid conservative voice for Republicans in the 8th District.  In addition to a growing grassroots network, Hicks has earned the support of State Senator Ross Tolleson, her campaign’s Honorary Chairman, State Representative Allen Peake, and two previous Republican nominees from Middle Georgia, General Rick Goddard and Calder Clay.

To learn more about Angela, please visit www.AngelaHicks2010.com.

A native of Twiggs County, Angela Hicks received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and MBA from Georgia College and State University. She has started two small businesses including her most recent venture STUFF IT, a mobile storage company in Macon.  Angela and her husband Ricky have two children, Harbor and Bailey, 16-year-old twins.  Since 1996, they also have served as foster parents to over 20 infants awaiting adoption.  The Hicks are members of Ingleside Baptist where Angela is a Sunday School Leader.

Categories: Politics

Graves to resign to run for Congress

State Rep. Tom Graves will resign on Tuesday:

State Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), the leading Republican candidate for Congress in Georgia’s 9th District, released the following statement announcing his resignation from the Georgia House of Representatives Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in order to qualify for the upcoming special election in Georgia’s 9th District:

“Earlier today Governor Perdue set the date for the special election to fill the 9th District Congressional seat on April 27. I will resign my House seat effective close of business Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in order to fill the unexpired term in the 9th District. This will enable the Governor to schedule both the election to fill my House seat and the 9th District congressional seat on the same day and save taxpayer money.

“While qualifying for the congressional seat alone would have vacated my house seat, the timing would have been outside the window of opportunity to allow both elections to occur on the same date. Therefore, as a steward of the taxpayer, the prudent decision is to step down early and allow the Governor to set the special elections on the same day.

“Julie and I have been humbled and honored to have been given the opportunity to serve Gordon, Pickens and Bartow counties in the legislature. And, for that, we are forever grateful.

“I am pleased with the Governor’s selection of the earliest possible election date. My family and I look forward to the campaign and the opportunity to serve the people of Georgia’s 9th Congressional District.”

Qualifying for the congressional seat will take place March 29-31. Per state law, Graves would have automatically vacated his House seat upon qualifying. Resigning early allows the special elections for the Graves’ House seat and the 9th District Congressional seat to take place on the same day.

Categories: Politics

Perdue’s tax on hospitals will be heard in committee

Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to make health care an issue in Georgia, but his floor leaders will be presenting legislation tomorrow to the House Appropriations Committee that would impose a 1.6% tax on hospitals.

This new tax will cost hospitals, and ostensibly consumers, over $200 million and penalize private hospitals in favor of government-run facilities.

Categories: Politics

The Countdown to John King, USA

So you might have heard a little something about me being on television a bit more regularly. It starts tonight.

7:00 p.m. ET on CNN you can tune in to John King, USA and I’ll be there live from Atlanta.

Categories: Politics

Barr: Prescription Drug Monitoring puts your privacy at risk

Bob Barr takes on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Act, which is currently awaiting placement on the calendar in the Senate:

Federal and state drug agencies want Georgia to create a database of doctors who prescribe pain medications, pharmacists who fill prescriptions for pain medications, and patients who receive prescription pain medications. And law enforcement agencies are employing a full-court press in the General Assembly to get what they want. Whether they succeed against a coalition of state senators and representatives concerned about such a privacy-invasive database, remains very much up in the air as the General Assembly enters the home stretch of its 40-day session. Hanging in the balance is the question of whether law enforcement and regulatory agencies across the state and across the nation will have ready access to Georgia citizens’ private medication records — to be analyzed, cataloged and manipulated in ways they will never know.

It isn’t that law enforcement is interested in data basing every prescription a doctor writes and which a pharmacist fills; at least not yet. The immediate concern is with pain medication; especially those in the opiate family of drugs, such as oxycontin, included on the federal and state “controlled substances” lists. Also included in such a large dragnet, however, are many prescription medications other than pain pills; medications such as sleep aids, behavior drugs like Ritalin, and cold medications including pseudoephedrine.

Granted, these pain medications obviously can be and are abused (as are many medications that do not appear on the federal list); and some people do obtain bogus prescriptions for them, or collect multiple prescriptions and have them filled at different pharmacies in order to disguise the large quantity of the pills they are obtaining. However, the solution being touted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), by the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, and by similar law enforcement agencies across the country, is the typical one preferred by government at all levels – monitor everybody in order to catch the [relatively] few abusers.

Leaving aside for the moment the fundamental principle that what a doctor prescribes for a patient should be the concern of the doctor and his patient, and not law enforcement or government regulators, the bill pending before the Georgia General Assembly (currently, SB 418) to create a mandatory electronic database to monitor prescription drugs, sweeps far too broadly and raises serious privacy and other constitutional concerns.

Call your legislator and tell them to vote against this bill.

Categories: Politics

Ninth Congressional District Special Election Update

I am getting reports that Governor Perdue is setting the special election to replace Congressman Nathan Deal on April 27th. Story developing…

Categories: Politics

Georgia Association of College Republicans Convention

ATLANTA, GA – The Georgia Association of College Republicans will be holding their annual convention at the State Capitol on April 17, 2010.  Student activists from across the state are expected to attend in order to select new officers for the coming year and have the opportunity to meet prominent Republican officials and representatives. Several state-wide officials and candidates are likely to address the convention and Herman Cain has already been confirmed to deliver the keynote address.

“Herman Cain has a tremendous following in the Conservative community and he has always reached out to young activists. We are honored to have him deliver the keynote address to College Republican leaders from across Georgia” says GACR Chairman Jade Morey.

The Georgia Association of College Republicans annual convention will be held in the House Chamber of the Georgia State Capitol beginning at 1:00pm. Herman Cain is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at 3:00pm. The convention is open to the general public.

Herman Cain is President and CEO of THE New Voice, Inc., a business consulting company. He hosts the radio talk show “The Herman Cain Show” which airs on News Talk 750 WSB – Atlanta from Monday – Friday, 7pm-10pm. He is also a FOX News Business Commentator and Columnist with World Net Daily.

The Georgia Association of College Republicans, an organization representing thousands of college students across Georgia, is the Georgia affiliate of the College Republican National Committee.GACR strives to promote the ideals of the Republican Party and build the student grassroots effort.

Categories: Politics

Deal Resigns

Deal just resigned from the House of Representatives. Effective immediately at 11:45pm.

Categories: Politics

Note To Candidates Who are “Outraged”

Yeah, we get it.

You’re a Republican running for office (a state office) who is against Health Care Reform.

And thus, you all have a press release.

If you’re not currently elected, and you’re not currently in a place to do anything about it (i.e, being the sitting Attorney General or in a Congressional Office), it’s not news. You’re not getting a front page post.

You want your press release posted, post it below.

Categories: Politics

Live-Blog w/ United Liberty: House votes on ObamaCare

Join us for a live blog on ObamaCare with United Liberty starting at 1:30pm today.

House votes on ObamaCare

Categories: Politics

Austin Scott Making A Move?

With early polls relatively meaningless, the only real ranking we have for candidates at this stage essentially boils down to conventional wisdom. And conventional wisdom throughout this Governor’s race has been that Austin Scott has a comfortable grip on 5th place. Ahead of Jeff Chapman and Ray McBerry, but not threatening the leaders of Oxendine, Handel, Deal, and Johnson.

In fact, some polls have not included Scott at all, but those that have
generally have him in a battle for Johnson at forth place. With Johnson having a distinct fundraising advantage, most observers seem content with the reality that Johnson will be the one that moves up if and when the others above falter.

With relatively low name ID among metro Atlanta voters, Scott will have to rely on earned media to get his message out, as he is not allowed to raise funds during the general assembly session like 3 of the top 4 candidates may.

Scott was able to generate a significant amount of name ID and good will in rural areas with his “Walk of Georgia”, but this event was largely ignored by Atlanta media, and scoffed at here (myself included).

In order to generate earned media, a candidate must stand out in some way. Ray McBerry generates earned media by being fringe secessionist. John Oxendine does so by constantly topping the lastest and greatest stupid thing he did last week. Austin Scott is now doing so by delivering short, straight answers to debate questions while challenging the status quo.

Earlier this week, the Fayette Daily News editor, Trey Alverson, gave Austin props for his performance in the GA Tech College Republican’s Governor’s forum:

After Deal, Handel, Eric Johnson and Oxendine meandered their way through a question about whether or not Sunday alcohol sales should go on the ballot as a statewide referendum (all four said yes, in some roundabout way), Scott grabbed the microphone.

“I’m going to give a direct answer: yes. I support the referendum,” he said. “This is what you can expect from me as your governor: straightforward, honest answers.”

Scott is a good candidate. He has refused to accept campaign contributions from lobbyists. Instead he raised money for his governor’s bid by literally walking around the state — over 1,000 miles from Chickamauga to Bainbridge to Brunswick to Clayton.

For those that scoff at local newspaper endorsements, I would posit that in Republican vote-rich suburban/exurban areas, they are often the opinion that matters on politics. But for those that would like to see evidence that Scott is moving into the eye of larger media organizations, I point to Kyle Wingfield at the AJC:

“But he’s running for governor. And even if you end up voting for someone else — as I may well do myself — you ought to know about him. At the very least, he brings a different voice to the Republican primary.

In some ways, Scott is a stock character in politics: The candidate who won’t promise too much; who pledges to shoot straight about government’s limitations; who describes a campaign and administration at arm’s length from lobbyists.

And who never breaks 5 percent in the opinion polls or the eventual election.

Yet this might be the year for such a character to seize a leading role.”

Austin Scott still faces an uphill battle for one of the two spots in a runoff. It would be helpful to him if Rasmussen and other credible polling firms would include him in their surveys. Those and fundraising are the only ways we have to “keep score”, and without having the legal ability to raise funds, a lack of polling prohibits any objective measure of score keeping.

But for the tea leaves we do have, it does appear that Austin is getting the attention of the Atlanta media. This is the best path he has available to reach the average voter.

Categories: Politics

Dear Georgia Legislature

While you are twiddling thumbs with nothing better to do (kidding), how about passing a resolution like this:

Resolved that the State of Georgia requests two-thirds of her sister states to compel the Congress of the United States to convene a constitutional convention to consider the following amendment: the Congress shall compel no person to enter into a commercial transaction, shall compel no state to compel a person to enter into a commercial transaction through the giving or withholding of federal tax receipts, and the Congress shall have no control, power, or regulatory ability over insurance products. Further, the Congress shall be prohibited from creating a health insurance program in competition with the private sector or the several states.

Categories: Politics

Georgia Gang Live Blog 03/21/2010

Live Blog Georgia Gang (03/21/2010)

Categories: Politics

Bank Failure Friday Gets Three More GA Institutions

We know the routine all too well. Three more Georgia banks were among the seven closed nationwide yesterday by the FDIC.

Closed were the Appalachian Community Bank in Ellijay, Bank of Hiawassee in Hiawassee, and Century Security Bank in Duluth.

Disposition of the assets of the banks is as follows, according to the AP:

– Community & Southern Bank of Carrollton, Ga., agreed to assume the deposits and assets of Appalachian Community Bank. The bank had $1 billion in assets and about $917.6 million in deposits. The cost to the insurance fund is expected to be $419.3 million.

– Citizens South Bank of Gastonia, N.C., will assume the deposits and assets of Bank of Hiawassee. Bank of Hiawassee had about $377.8 million in assets and $339.6 million in deposits. The failure is expected to cost the insurance fund $137.7 million.

– Bank of Upson, based in Thomaston, Ga., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of Century Security Bank, which had $96.5 million in assets and $94 million in deposits. It is expected to cost the insurance fund $29.9 million.

Categories: Politics

Flip the Birds

There are some people in our fair state that believe the Brown Thrasher, our current state bird, doesn’t represent Georgia to the fullest and deserves a change.

Nothing official has been proposed yet, but this is entertaining nonetheless. I believe Georgia’s NHL team might have a problem with changing its name. Consider this your “Spring is Here” OPEN THREAD on this beautiful Saturday.

Categories: Politics