Your morning clout: The corporate clout behind metro Atlanta’s transportation vote
The TV “education” campaign for one-cent transportation sales tax is about to begin in metro Atlanta.
But there will be a vote-pushing side of the campaign as well, and that, too, will require even more dough.
One of the first major fundraisers for this more political side of the effort will be on March 27 at Arthur Blank’s personal offices in Atlanta. High-end doesn’t begin to describe the event contemplated by Citizens for Transportation Mobility.
A $1,000 donation is required just for the reception, although the group says it will happily accept checks up to $250,000.
But most impressive, on the back of the invitation that is being spread via LinkedIn, is the massive list of sponsors – a sign of the corporate clout lining up behind the July 31 vote:
Cox Enterprises; Georgia Association of Realtors; Georgia Power Company; The Coca-Cola Company; Yancey Bros. Co.; AT&T; C. W. Matthews Contracting Co.; Comcast; Cousins Properties Incorporated; Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Genuine Parts; ICE; Jamestown; Parsons Brinkerhoff; Post Apartment Homes;
RockTenn; Siemens; SunTrust Banks, Inc.; The Home Depot; Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.; UPS; Vulcan Materials Company; AGL Resources; Caterpillar; Duke Realty; General Electric; Georgia Hwy Contractors Assn.; Holder Construction Company; Regions Am Council of Engineering Cos. of GA; Alston & Bird LLP;
CH2M Hill, Inc.; Enterprise Holdings; Gables Limited Partnership; Georgia Crown Distributing Co.; Global Payments Inc.; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; King & Spalding LLP; McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP; Metro Atlanta Chamber; National Distributing Company;
PwC; Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.; Stephens Rock & Dirt; Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP; Troutman Sanders LLP; United Distributors, Inc.; Wolverton & Associates; AMLI Development Company, LLC; ARCADIS; Atlanta Apartment Association; Atlanta Realtors PAC; Carter Coro Realty Advisors LLC;
Eagle Rock Distributing Company; Edwards-Pitman Environmental; Goddard Investment Group; Greenberg Traurig Gresham, Smith & Partners; H.J. Russell & Co.; Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc.; Highwoods Properties; KCI Technologies, Inc.; Kimley-Horn & Assoc., Inc.; Robert & Laura LaChapelle; Lafarge North America; NAIOP Georgia; Noble Investment Group; Parkway Realty Services; Regent Partners; Selig Enterprises; Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group; Skanska;
Stone Mountain Industrial Park; The Atkins North American Holdings Corp. PAC; Transwestern; Weeks-Robinson Properties; AGCO; BPAC-Builders Political Action Cmte; Cobb Association of Realtors; Deloitte; Dow Lohnes PLLC; Equifax Inc.; Foley Products Company; Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce; Hatch Mott McDonald; LPA/Michael Baker Jr. Inc.; McGee Partners; NGI Investments North American Properties – Atlanta, Ltd.; Nova Engineering & Environmental, LLC; STV/ Ralph Whitehead Associates.
***
According to Ralph Reed and contrary to the expectations of many, evangelicals are increasing their influence in the GOP presidential primaries. From the National Journal:
An analysis conducted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition found the Born-Again Christian vote accounted for half the total electorate in the 2012 GOP presidential primary, the highest total recorded in the modern era. Evangelicals have constituted 50.53 percent of this year’s vote, according to 16 exit and entrance polls taken during the primary, compared to just 44 percent in 2008.
Most states have seen the spike in participation. Ohio’s evangelical vote, for instance, increased from 44 percent four years ago to 47 percent this time. South Carolina saw a four-point jump, from 60 percent to 64 percent.
***
The Daily political blog explains why GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum could win the popular vote in his home state of Pennsylvania, but come up empty-handed when it comes to delegates in that state – who won’t be obliged to vote for him:
The ranks of delegate hopefuls are littered with Republican state committee members, elected officials and others with close party ties, who will ultimately be more beholden to a state party leadership that, while officially neutral, is visibly leaning in Romney’s direction and increasingly vocal in its fear that Santorum could hurt the party in a general election — especially after witnessing his 18-point drubbing in 2006.
***
In a speech this week, President Barack Obama chastised the GOP presidential field for what he called their backward-looking ways. Obama compared them to a 19th century president , Rutherford B. Hayes. Hayes, the 21st century president alleged, examined one of the first telephones – and promptly said it would never catch on.
Not so, according to New York magazine, which tracked down a Hayes historian:
She then read aloud a newspaper article from June 29, 1877, which describes Hayes’s delight upon first experiencing the magic of the telephone. The Providence Journal story reported that as Hayes listened on the phone, “a gradually increasing smile wreathe[d] his lips and wonder shone in his eyes more and more.”
Hayes took the phone from his ear, “looked at it a moment in surprise and remarked, ‘That is wonderful.’”
Hayes, it seems, was so addicted to new technology that he had one of the first typewriters on his block.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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78 comments Add your comment
Brookhaven Buddha
March 16th, 2012
9:22 am
Personally, I wish Atlanta had world-class public transist, I’d love to ditch my gas card. Unfortunately, you can’t get there from here. Namaste!
Brookhaven Buddha
March 16th, 2012
9:22 am
Alpha
GaBlue
March 16th, 2012
9:36 am
The question is not whether we need to address transportation issues in our poorly-planned, smog-choked, road-ragin’, sprawling metropolis. (We do!) Nor is it whether we should pay for it. (Of course we should! What are you, some kind of freeloader?)
The question is: Will the voters of Georgia hold our representatives accountable (for a change), or will they continue their business as usual by using our tax money to make themselves, their good buddies, and their corporate sponsors rich, while giving us little or nothing in return?
We can’t GET better if we don’t DEMAND better. (To all you worshipers of the Holy Free Market: Your god has already proven that the unregulated private sector does not care about the public need, so please go crawl back under your money-lovin’, people-hatin’ rocks for this discussion, mmm-kay? Thankyewsomuch!)
Tom
March 16th, 2012
9:50 am
Jim, any decision out of Henry County Superior Court on the motion in the libel cse regarding McScary?
td
March 16th, 2012
9:54 am
GaBlue
March 16th, 2012
9:36 am
Yes, yes let us abandon the free market and jump head long into the government controlled market. Let us let these same politicians control every aspect of our lives and every aspect of the economy. Sounds like a great plan to me. Where do I sign up?
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
9:56 am
One of the reasons the evangelical vote percentage is higher this year is that Romney has long been the presumed nominee, and many of his supporters haven’t felt the need to bother to vote.
Not surprising that corporations back moving property and corporate taxes to a consumer sales tax to fund transportation. I have strong doubts their strong arm campaigning will sway the voters who see boondoggles in the list of “improvements”.
Brookhaven Buddha
March 16th, 2012
10:00 am
Imagine moving sidewalks (with a hov lane) from Atlanta to Savannah. Commuter dude would be out of a job.
Auntie Christ
March 16th, 2012
10:02 am
It should be noted in regards to Obama’s misquote of President Hayes, that Ronald Reagan also claimed that Hayes said this. I bring this up to counter the comments which are sure to come from the rabid right claiming Obama doesn’t know history. A few weeks ago Obama misspoke, using “England” when he should have said “Great Britain,” and yokels in the blogosphere, who don’t know a history book from a hysterectomy, had a field day. I’m sure this latest misspeak will dominate pox news for most of the weekend, without of course, any mention of Reagan using the quote
I’m sure that td and centrist have had an orgasm by now, since Mr Galloway printed something mildly critical of Obama. Maybe we’ll get a day or two’s respite from their whining and mewling about Jim’s “liberal bias,” doyathink?
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:06 am
td
yet u want the gov’t. to make your gasoline cheaper…so much for your free market mantra
Spank me sideways
March 16th, 2012
10:07 am
As long as we have a small group of people deciding the fate of the mass public, every level of government will remain corrupt. We have a failed system here in Georgia. This person may say this, while another person says something else. The truth is that G.O.P politics is just that. I think that we need permanent democratization in the United States before we turn into a third world country! In no way is “We the People” similar to Socialism. Constitutional reform should be simplified and always up to the people!
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:08 am
OBAMA knows about as much history as NEWT knows family values…YEHAAAW..
td
March 16th, 2012
10:08 am
Auntie Christ
March 16th, 2012
10:02 am
Sorry to disappoint you but for Jim to bring up a trivial issue and not talk about all of Obama’s lies about is healthcare plan and oil exploration does not even get a rise out of me.
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:09 am
WHEN we help AMERICANS rightwing jesus freaks scream SOCIALISM…when we help out IZREEL they say nothing…
GaBlue
March 16th, 2012
10:11 am
td,
Where do you sign up? How about at your local community college for a few history and government classes? Then you might understand that our legislators and state officials receive paychecks from our tax dollars for the purpose of handling things like infrastructure. Since they’re supposed to work for US, I’m standing by my assertion that we need to hold them accountable.
Here’s a little tip, Sparky: when you hire people for jobs in government, who hate government and believe government does not work, then they’re more than happy to cash those paychecks and prove you right. D’OH!
You’re welcome.
td
March 16th, 2012
10:12 am
iberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:08 am
OBAMA knows about as much history
When Obama attempted to argue that the meaning of the second amendment meant that only the military could have guns proves how little he knows about US history but then again what do you expect for someone born in Kenya and raised in Malaysia.
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:12 am
ATLANTA is too black for the repubs and christian conservatives so we will never have a viable rail system…aint christianity fun?
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:13 am
td
speaking of rightwing christian racists…lol..case in point
Brookhaven Buddha
March 16th, 2012
10:14 am
Bring back the pothole posse’, in the words of Charles Barkley-these roads are “tuurrrebull”…
Becky
March 16th, 2012
10:14 am
td is the gift that keeps on giving.
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:15 am
the georgia legislature is full of christian conservatives hate mongers …the only black man they like is HERSCHEL WALKER
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:16 am
WHY DO ERIC ERICKSON look like ERIC STONESTREET..its uncanny
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:17 am
run HERSHEL run….the good ole days of the 80’s…lol
td
March 16th, 2012
10:19 am
GaBlue
March 16th, 2012
10:11 am
Infrastructure is mostly taken care of by local government. To look at a model county infrastructure that is in great shape then you have to look no further then Cobb county. They have been paying for years to keep the sewer systems up to date and the potholes in check while at the same time attracting business while having the smallest number of government workers then any county their size in the country. Guess what, Cobb has been run by Republicans for about 30 years now. Now let us compare that to Atlanta or Dekalb county or even the state.
I have taken enough history and political science classes to know that government is not the answer. Government should have limited roles and let the free enterprise system take care of the rest.
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
10:19 am
An AJC headline asks if Obama’s visit to Georgia today is for votes or $$. No doubt it is the $$, since he has NO CHANCE of winning Georgia’s electoral votes (the ONLY ones that count).
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
10:20 am
Oh, and Democrat partisans please don’t trot out the Democrat PPP polling. That is another ploy to get you to contribute.
Becky
March 16th, 2012
10:20 am
Centrist-jealous you weren’t invited?
td
March 16th, 2012
10:21 am
I wondered how many of you libs would wet your pants with the Kenyan comment. LMFAO
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:22 am
OBAMA won without JAWJA last time…this whole state is irrelevant because he won without it..
dc
March 16th, 2012
10:24 am
Hoping this “effort” to tax us all, so that a few companies and politicians can make a bloody fortune, gets voted down in a dramatic fashion. If the money spent over the last 40 years on MARTA had been spent on buses, roads, and other more flexible transportation, we would have a world class infrastructure. Heavy rail and massive fixed rail stations are idiotic in a metro area as spread out as Atlanta.
TruthBe
March 16th, 2012
10:25 am
“liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:12 am
ATLANTA is too black for the repubs and christian conservatives so we will never have a viable rail system…aint christianity fun?”
CAUTION!!!! Angry Negro Syndrome, and yes the black thugs will destroy any public rail system just like they commit some many acts of crime on marta.
PMC
March 16th, 2012
10:32 am
So forward looking aparently means a population with no means to support itself completely relying on a benevolent dictatorship for survival.
Cool.
n
March 16th, 2012
10:33 am
Too bad this same list of corporate barons can’t get excited about Georgia’s leadership in failing schools, bank failures, unemployment, foreclosures, environmental pillage No amount of asphalt and adding ever more and more roads and lanes will change the fact that GA is sliding back into the dark ages. People are leaving Georgia in droves because it has become a wasteland.
If you have no progressives in state leadership, you will have no progress; and that’s where we stand. When and why did “progressive” become a dirty word? What is the opposite of progress? Hint: Exactly where we are now in GA.
dc
March 16th, 2012
10:33 am
and the stupid racism charges….get over yourself. fortunately it’s been stupidly thrown around enough where people realize what it is…..the last gasp of a group who can’t actually defend their idiotic ideas.
And yes…there will always be racists…in all races. Fortunately, there are so few as to be irrelevant.
JR in Mableton
March 16th, 2012
10:34 am
What a disappointing dialogue!! So, if one does not support transit, they are a racist Christian. I am a Christian, and I support transit. Our ability to efficiently move people throughout our region will define our economic competitiveness. Now, if I support taxation to fund transportation infrastructure, I am a socialist. Please read the Georgia Constitution and tell me if buildiing transportation infrastructure is a legitimate function of government…it is. Both sides of the discussion need to stop the mindless and worthless name calling and debate the issue on its merits. This issue has the potential to determine how we solve problems as a region. Neither side is doing itself any favors
PMC
March 16th, 2012
10:35 am
Transportation, mass transit benefits everyone, including those corporations, I’m not surprised they are strongly behind the vote.
The problems with our transit system are vast and diverse but we will never be a world class city unless mass transit exists where the people live and work and play.
DannyX
March 16th, 2012
10:35 am
“Oh, and Democrat partisans please don’t trot out the Democrat PPP polling. That is another ploy to get you to contribute.”
How about the Fox News poll? Obama +4 over Romney
Or the Pew Research poll? Obama +12 over Romney
Maybe the Ipsos poll? Obama +11 over Romney
All released yesterday.
Oh my God, it’s a conspiracy!!!!!
TruthBe
March 16th, 2012
10:36 am
Spank me sideways , NO we need to obey the US Constitution and make all the politicans, judges, and the supreme court do the same thing. They ALL take a oath to up hold and protect the US Contitution. MAKE THEM OBEY IT AT ALL TIMES PERIOD. Or throw them out of office. If we did that our Nation and our Critizens would be better off. And you can bet the farm if we did that most of them if not all of the democrats/communists would be kicked out of office. The first one kicked out would be the little Kenyan boy from Hiawaii.
PMC
March 16th, 2012
10:39 am
People aren’t leaving Georgia in droves N.
One of the big problems we have now is that too many people came in such a short time and we let developers have free reign over county governments so they built way to much property way to fast in a rush to sell it to not be left holding the hot potato. Now we have a ton of people who bought properties thinking they were going to flip them and get rich quickly…. except they were left holding the bag.
td
March 16th, 2012
10:39 am
The one thing all of the people that want this transportation tax to pass for growth purposes is that metro Atlanta has just about maxed out its growth potential. We do not have the water resources to sustain much more growth in the area and instead of taxing ourselves more for growth that will not work then we need to figure out how to grow other areas of the state.
liberalefty
March 16th, 2012
10:39 am
race plays a part in every decision made by the JAWJA legislature..if u dont believe that youre tuurribly turribly naive..
PMC
March 16th, 2012
10:39 am
Be patriotic, vote your incumbant out of office every chance you get.
PMC
March 16th, 2012
10:41 am
Exactly TD. Atlanta’s biggest problem since it’s inception. A whole lot of growth, without much thought about layout, or infrastructure or water.
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
10:41 am
liberalefty posted “OBAMA won without JAWJA last time…this whole state is irrelevant because he won without it..”
I agree, and expect the incumbent will win again, but by a smaller margin and not have a Democrat Congress. I think Romney may flip North Carolina (0.32%), Indiana (1.04%), and Florida (2.82%), and have a chance at Ohio (4.59%). (Obama’s winning margins) I don’t think Republicans have much chance at flipping any other states including Virginia (6.29%) which has so many government workers. The above flips are not enough for the Republicans.
td
March 16th, 2012
10:52 am
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
10:41 am
I disagree with VA because look at what happened in 2010 in state races. I think Romney can flip NH, NM and maybe Wis and CO as well. Those as well as all the Electoral votes that have come south would put the election over the top.
Hillbilly D
March 16th, 2012
10:53 am
I’m surprised that Arthur can afford to put on a swanky reception like that since he has his hand out for a new stadium.
TruthBe
March 16th, 2012
10:53 am
If America is to make it, then we must get rid of the communist left-wing progressives and their front man Obama. The democrat communists are destroying our freedoms and liberty. Obama is owned by “The New World Order Guys” like George Soros and Warren Buffet. Obama is a LIAR. Example “Obamacare will save us money and you can keep your doctor or your insurance policy”. Total BS. Again comrade Obama is a thug and a LIAR.
OSAMA
March 16th, 2012
10:58 am
TRUTHBE 10:53
I totally agree dude!
Will
March 16th, 2012
11:08 am
I would gladly support a penny sales tax to improve traffic.
However this particular proposal won’t do squat to actually improve traffic. The criteria used to pick projects were not based on which projects would most improve traffic but on other criteria. I won’t vote for a tax that is more about reenginering how we live rather than helping us break the traffic gridlock. This TSPLOST is just a bad idea.
Who cares how many big companies like it? Any wonder that COX who owns the AJC is busy tring to jam this turkey down our throats?
DannyX
March 16th, 2012
11:11 am
“I disagree with VA because look at what happened in 2010 in state races.”
Dream on, the 2 most recent Virginia polls has Obama +6 Rasmussen, +17 NBC/Marist.
In fact I don’t think there is a single swing state poll that shows Romney ahead. Obama has big leads in many of them.
Centrist
March 16th, 2012
11:22 am
td posted “I think Romney can flip NH, NM and maybe Wis and CO as well.”
Those are huge margins to overcome:
. New Hampshire (9.61%), Wisconsin (13.90%) Colorado (8.95%), and New Mexico (15%).
Not likely against an incumbent with a money advantage, media and Hollywood on his side, half the electorate no longer paying taxes, government and union workers been rewarded, and selected big businesses rewarded.