On Chip Rogers’ departure from the Gold Dome
Just a few years ago, Chip Rogers was a rising star in Georgia politics. He was a possible contestant for the lieutenant governor’s office if Casey Cagle sought higher office, and a sure-fire future gubernatorial candidate himself. Today, he said he’s leaving the Legislature altogether for a position at Georgia Public Broadcasting — a sharp, sudden end (for now, anyway) to a once-promising political career.
On the positive side, Rogers was strongly associated with the causes of school choice and property-tax reform. He pushed the first measure involving vouchers (for students with special needs) and tried unsuccessfully the last couple of years to expand that program to children of military and foster families. He helped reinstate the state’s Charter Schools Commission, after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, by maneuvering this year’s constitutional amendment through the Senate. He was a likeable guy, and he went after big ideas.
He also attracted his share of critics, and controversy found him time and again. Some of these controversies — for instance, a business deal (with U.S. Rep. Tom Graves) gone bad — were more serious than others — such as a much-ridiculed bill requiring consent for the implantation of microchips.
But the most politically damaging controversy, by far, was his role in the leadership putsch in the Senate two years ago. Rogers helped lead the group of senators who stripped Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle of some of his powers so that they could run the chamber themselves. As the Senate’s majority leader and a telegenic, Atlanta-area legislator (he represented Cherokee County), he was a leading spokesman for a chamber that was criticized many times over the past two years for appearing rudderless. Neither Gov. Nathan Deal nor, more publicly, Speaker David Ralston, relished seeing their legislative priorities subjected to a Senate run by consensus within the GOP caucus.
Most bills, whether large or small in importance, ran the risk of becoming ensnared in the chamber’s running leadership fight. In the end, most of the more prominent bills during the last two legislative sessions managed to get through the Senate run by Rogers and President Pro Tem Tommie Williams. But the arrangement required their constant vigilance and, from my dealings with them, seemed to wear them down — both in terms of their energy and patience, and in terms of their standing with their own caucus.
First Williams announced he would not be running again for pro tem, then his chosen successor was defeated soundly in a post-election caucus meeting. Rogers dropped out of his own re-election bid, and rumors started circulating almost immediately that he’d be out of office before year’s end.
Rogers’ departure almost closes the book on the first era of the Georgia GOP’s rule under the Gold Dome; he took the majority leader position when Glenn Richardson was speaker and ran the House with Mark Burkhalter and Jerry Keen; Cagle was lieutenant governor and Eric Johnson was Senate president pro tem; and Sonny Perdue was governor. Only Cagle remains in elected office (at this point, you’d have to say he was the winner of the Senate’s two-year “experiment”).
At age 44, Rogers is too young to write off as a potential comeback candidate one day. But for now, like that first GOP-led era, Rogers’ legacy will be a mixed bag: Some big early successes, followed by less accomplishment even as the GOP’s majorities grew larger, and more questions and infighting than answers toward the end.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
146 comments Add your comment
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
9:17 am
PBS is going anywhere. The election decided “for” the big yellow bird.
Deal, losers.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
9:31 am
My, such anger and despondency from the left this morning, did someone pee in y’all’s Cheerios?
You should learn to breathe, slow, steady breaths when this rage over takes you, bursting blood vessels in one’s forehead is not good and our health care system needs all the help it can get right now.
obama asks for a 50 Billion Dollar infrastructure “fund,” and I’m thinking that this money will pass through so many hands before it gets to the ready shovel, there won’t be enough left to get a parking lot swept.
JamVet
December 5th, 2012
9:37 am
Despondency?
Huge LOL!
Is that the new Republican code word for joyous celebration, vis a vis the recent election results?
I’m having a hard time not bursting out in chuckles these days!
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
9:43 am
Yes, scoring some other people’s money without putting forth any efforts probably does make some people giggle to themselves.
I wouldn’t know.
CC
December 5th, 2012
9:51 am
“Hating America – the new GOP platform.”
Wrong . . . yet again!
“Hating America” is a democrat/progressive thing. It resulted in the election and reelection of Obammy.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
9:52 am
Imagine owning a bar and having some lib show up to drink, no visible means of support, giggling to themselves and always promising to pay their tab “next week, honest.”
How long before you’d cut them off?
Politico
December 5th, 2012
10:09 am
You mean like the two wars and drug bill Bush financed?
Like that Aesop?
The newest FABLE was written way too early (before the election), it had Romney winning.
Hahahahahaha
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
10:10 am
All that the U.N. treaty that was voted down on Tuesday aims to do is to internationalize the ADA – to set it as the global standard for how the disabled should be treated by society.
And the baby Jesus wept…..
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
10:11 am
always promising to pay their tab “next week, honest.”
We taking a page out of the Con play book?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
10:22 am
That’s a nice canard, Politico, but those were all bi partisan legislative acts.
See where we are going here? You work with the libs and they blame you for the results. You don’t work with the libs and they blame you for the results. Yes, I know, it’s childish, isn’t it?
What’s the projected date that you democrats blame us for obamacare?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
10:24 am
I cannot answer a mouthful of foam, Finn, could you be more specific?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
10:24 am
Cons just miss the good ole days of starting two wars WHILE giving out tax breaks at the same time.
“Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end…..”
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
10:27 am
those were all bi partisan legislative acts.
Yes, don’t blame the leadership. Don’t blame the guy who sold someone the Brooklyn bridge, blame the guy who bought it.
The party of responsibility? LOL
Tap Out
December 5th, 2012
10:28 am
A comeback?! You can’t possibly be serious.
curious
December 5th, 2012
10:58 am
Imagine owning a bank and some guy comes in, borrows $2.1 million, never makes a payment, but promises to pay next week.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
11:03 am
Swimmer kennedy wrote the Part D drug bill, Afghanistan was a nearly unanimous vote and h clinton, j kerry and even d durbin voted for Iraq, does anybody know what Finn is babbling about?
(Notice how the libs are scurrying away from the Afghanistan vote now, and essentially our nation’s response to 9/11?
What cowards these people really are.)
You dont say
December 5th, 2012
11:06 am
Aesop
And you served when tough guy?
CC
December 5th, 2012
11:21 am
Aesop:
Finn never even knows what he is babbling about! How in the world could anyone else?
deegee
December 5th, 2012
11:22 am
HAHAHAHAHA! It’s a radio show. Who’s going to be listening to that?!?!?!
Good riddance to bad rubbish. What sweet irony that he is going to be sucking at the government teat. Chip Rogers, the guy that built his political career on the backs of undocumented immigrant workers is now irrelevant. Maybe he got sick of getting phone calls from legitimate business people who are being delayed in renewing their business licenses due to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011.
CC
December 5th, 2012
11:22 am
Aesop:
Speaking of babbling, another who does that just checked in . . .
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
11:27 am
A radio show? I figured Chip would be wrestling with Bert over who got to sleep closest to Ernie. I suppose they will put Ernie in the middle.
Politico
December 5th, 2012
11:29 am
CC
You mus have served with Aesop in the Cib Scouts.
You two brave and heroic little tikes…
NO Artificial Flavors
December 5th, 2012
11:31 am
Good riddance Rogers. He is the best example of a conservative with no common sense. It was starve the beast (local governments especially) at all costs. This fool sponsored the most asinine and ill-planned legislation year after year, unintended consequences be damned. He catered to the fringe base of the party that wants public services but does not want to pay for any or them. I hope Casey Cagle is standing at his car to take his Senate license plate back and to tell him never come back again. Adios ass-hat.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
December 5th, 2012
11:35 am
“Hating America – the new GOP platform.”
Hating everything he doesn’t agree with – the same old AmVet platform.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
11:39 am
You dont say
December 5th, 2012
11:06 am
Aesop
And you served when tough guy?
What does this have to do with anything? When did obama, magic drone man, serve? Does it make a difference? Is this the sum defense of your wormy little political beliefs? Is this all that your weak mind can conjure up?
Oh yeah, back to the original question, of course I served my country.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
11:40 am
hahaha, obama, strapping killer of osama bin biden…
Marsh
December 5th, 2012
11:40 am
Let me get this straight – this Dusty person is tired of all the meanness, yet is spewing the most hateful stuff herself to people that don’t agree with her?
You, madam, are what’s wrong with this country.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
December 5th, 2012
11:46 am
And yet, you didn’t get it straight, Marsh.
Considering Dusty is one of the tamer posters on the conservative side on this blog. But that would require a certain level of reading comprehension you do not posses.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
11:48 am
Notice how when a lib is asked to articulate their beliefs, all they can do is shriek and deflect?
Big lib daddy raped me, have to kill the baby. This is the third time!
You want us to work hard and earn a living?!?! Neanderthal!!!
I have to pay for my birth control pills?!?! What, are you weird?
If anybody would have said those things in front of their great grandmother, she would have fetched a switch from an Elm tree and wore their ass out with it.
Nowadays, those things are careers.
Politico
December 5th, 2012
11:58 am
Aesop is a Fable
You called others cowards. I figured you had bravely served in defense of something…
You reply is all the answer that is needed and what was already apparent.
Thanks for playing, not so tough guy
Politico
December 5th, 2012
12:00 pm
Aesop is a Fable
You called others cowards. I figured you had bravely served in defense of something…
Your reply is all the answer that is needed and what was already apparent.
Thanks for playing, not so tough guy
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
December 5th, 2012
12:02 pm
I think Kyle needs a new rule on here demanding that anyone who asks another poster if they served in the military has to provide proof of same beforehand.
Otherwise, they should just leave the stupid question in their infertile minds and stick with the topic at hand.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
December 5th, 2012
12:04 pm
Oh, now Politico wants to fight.
yawn.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
December 5th, 2012
12:11 pm
It should also be pointed out to posters such as Politico that it doesn’t take serving in the military to recognize cowardice and to call it out, nor does being in the military automatically keep someone from being a coward themselves.
CC
December 5th, 2012
12:12 pm
Politico@12:29:
“You mus have served with Aesop in the Cib Scouts.”
As a matter of fact, I was a Girl Scout! What red-blooded American male would be scouting for boys?
“And you served when tough guy?”
. . . and this line means nothing except to a blowhard like you.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
12:14 pm
The 2012 Purge of the Tea Party Idiots is under way. Boehner is cleaning house of those whack jobs.
mwuahahahahahahahaaa
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 5th, 2012
12:21 pm
You can only throw that service issue at people who were of age during a draft and avoided it – Cheney, Romney, Limbaugh, W, Saxby, Alito, Newt, Guliani, Ted Nugent, Bill OReilly.
Looks to be alot more Cons in this list than Dems.
http://www.nndb.com/event/806/000140386/
Politico
December 5th, 2012
12:25 pm
Tiberius
Thank you if
If you served, than
Politico
December 5th, 2012
12:29 pm
Thank you if you served. Myself, 86 to 94, Army mechanized infantry.
Thanks for asking
If you want to cry (as usual) about the rules, cry on.
Anyone calling others cowards should expect to be challenged about their bravery. Whether they expect it or not, it will be coming.
Get used to it or ignore my reply.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
December 5th, 2012
12:37 pm
Politico, I didn’t ask, nor do I care when it comes to tough-guy bloviating on a blog, especially when one doesn’t use their real name when posting (and no, I’m not asking you for your real name, and yes, I obviously don’t use my own but I don’t go all commando on posters, either).
If someone wishes to disparage the service of others or the military in general, I will call them out and ask them for their service, but I will never call out someone for exercising their Constitutional rights to free speech, which is protected no matter if one serves or not.
Politico
December 5th, 2012
12:44 pm
Enter your comments here
CC
December 5th, 2012
12:52 pm
Politico:
“Thank you if you served. Myself, 86 to 94, Army mechanized infantry.”
I’m sure that there are many posters who have served honorably in the U. S. military, even though they don’t make it the focal point of their very existence and probably never mention it. Most served, came home and went on with their lives. Others see their military service as their greatest life achievement. If you are career military, it would be a major factor in your life. For those of us who were not “lifers”, we’ve moved on to the more pressing business of living today and planning for tomorrow.
I’m sorry you can’t seem to get past it.
Jack ®
December 5th, 2012
1:04 pm
Other than feeding an outsized ego, I am at a loss to know why anyone would want to be in politics.
Politico
December 5th, 2012
1:16 pm
Cc
Cry all you like. I don’t make it a priority to call others cowards as Aesop did and you seemed to be good with, but I will challenge those who do it for their own bravery…
And as for Aesop and yourself, I was on the money
Politico
December 5th, 2012
1:22 pm
Tiberius
Whose service did I demean? The one calling others cowards?
Let me know when you are the owner of this blog and we will play by your rules.
Until that time, cry and whine all you like
It is funny to me
Poll Position: Should politicians who resign early help cover the cost of special elections? | Kyle Wingfield
December 7th, 2012
10:57 am
[...] Rogers made news this week by announcing he was resigning his recently re-won Senate seat to take a job at Georgia Public Broadcasting. A special election [...]