Your morning jolt: Cash-starved Newt Gingrich charging $50 per photo
Aside from the shedding of reporters, other signs of a Newt Gingrich death spiral include this from the National Journal:
HOCKESSIN, Del. — In a sign that his campaign is in need of fresh funds, Newt Gingrich on Monday began charging $50 to have a photograph taken with him following a campaign speech to Republican groups here in the northernmost part of the state.
And this from the Raleigh News & Observer:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign swing to North Carolina on Wednesday has been canceled, his campaign has confirmed.
There were no details available on why he had changed his plans.
Gingrich had been scheduled to make some appearances in Raleigh as part of the lead up to the May 8th primary. The change of plans was abrupt. His campaign sent out a schedule at 1 p.m. Sunday that listed a trip to North Carolina. But by Monday morning, the visit was canceled.
***
In Atlanta, a bill to repay the federal government cash borrowed to pay unemployment benefits – largely by slashing future benefits — is one of the last big-ticket items facing the Legislature this session. But Labor Commissioner Mark Butler has repeatedly warned that SB 447 runs afoul of the constitutional mandate that all bills on taxation – premiums for businesses would rise slightly – begin in the House.
On Monday, the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee stripped out HB 347 inserted the contents of SB 447, giving the bill a House number and allaying any constitutional concerns. On Senate passage, HB 347 would then be returned to the House for a simple agree-disagree vote – avoiding the committee process and, perhaps, some hot debate.
And what do we lose by eviscerating HB 347? A bill to prevent future state insurance commissioners from exempting themselves from required insurance agent examinations — as did Republican John Oxendine before he left office in 2011.
***
Over at Atlanta Unfiltered, Jim Walls says a complaint has been filed with the entity formerly known as the State Ethics Commission, alleging that state Sen. Don Balfour has filed false requests for reimbursements – pointing to mileage claimed while the lawmaker was out of state.
***
File these two items under “Things You Need to Worry About – Tomorrow.” First, from the New York Times, a poll showing support for the war in Afghanistan dropping sharply among both Democrats and Republicans:
The survey found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69 percent — thought that the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. Just four months ago, 53 percent said that Americans should no longer be fighting in the conflict, more than a decade old.
And this from the Wall Street Journal:
Iran is ramping up imports of wheat, including rare purchases from the U.S., in a sign Tehran is building a strategic stockpile of grain in anticipation of harsher sanctions or even military conflict.
The country has bought wheat from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, and Kazakhstan in the past few months, and is in talks on what could be a major wheat buy from India, according to market watchers and official data.
***
Finally, in celebration of U.S. Supreme Court arguments over the Obama administration’s health care overhaul, the AJC’s Politifact Georgia looks at U.S. Rep. Tom Price’s claim that the 10-year cost of the changes are double the the $940 billion estimated by Democrats.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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125 comments Add your comment
WOW
March 27th, 2012
2:01 pm
@ Look
According to your scenerio and the author of the bill in Florida Trayvon actually would have been covered under the stand your ground law. The same author has stated that Zimmerman was not covered under the law. TD’s logic (surprise, surprise) differs from what the writer of the bill has stated his intentions were when he wrote the legislation.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
March 27th, 2012
2:02 pm
And thus we learn boys and girls, that a law is only as useful as the people that enforce it.
It does not matter what congress says, or an agency says, it matters what the regulatory agency and relevant prosecutory authority actually BOTHER to enforce.
So if the police department is comprised of closet racist white cops then the law as ENFORCED is going to protect white people.
If the local DA is white, elected by a largely white constituancy then he will care about enforcing what either gets him promoted or reelected, which in this case happens to be finding yet another scary black man who was “menacing” a neighborhood.
I have a friend who is a cop. He is a good, honorable, decent human being who cares about his friends and wants the world to be a decent place. He also tells me things about the elected officials in his predominantly black county that makes me entirely convinced that ‘reverse racism’ is indeed a very real thing, except it isn’t ‘reverse’ its just racism racism.
Thus, any COMPOTENT oversee (ie internal affairs, the state PD and the Justice Department) should see all kinds of red flags when a black youth dies in a majority white area and there is no investigation in such an incident. Or the reverse. Because people are people, which means generally collectively jerks.
So irrationally defending pathetic behavior in the interests of pushing your agenda (gun control, affirmative action, ‘religious freedom/assaulting women’s rights’ etc, just shows group think mentality and readily shows who is thinking and who is not.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
March 27th, 2012
2:03 pm
@UGA – Funny how you keep defending the report written by incompotent morons.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:04 pm
Aaron….but Zimmerman is not white!
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:04 pm
Aaron….Typical response from someone who hates authority. Nice.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:05 pm
The “New Black P-ssy Leader arrested on a weapons charge” NICE!
Lynn43
March 27th, 2012
2:07 pm
Jim, What happened to the insert about Chip Rogers and his defaulted loan? Maybe I’ve overlooked it somewhere.
gm
March 27th, 2012
2:07 pm
UGA 1999
Race pimps like Al Sharpton
Maybe if racist bigots stop shooting unarmed black kids we would not need Al and Jessie.
Lets see who would you rather have Al and Jessie who are on the pave ment marching and support you or scum limbaugh and hannity who make millions off the tea party idiots who are out on the pavement while the two scums Rush and Hannity sit behind a mic and never goes out and take a cause.
I’ll take Al and Jessie any day over the rich terds anyday””
td
March 27th, 2012
2:11 pm
Look before I leap…
March 27th, 2012
2:01 pm
I disagree with your first point. I think the police investigated. I think the evidence showed that the young man attacked Mr. Zimmerman and he used justifiable force to halt the attack. Now if the young man had not punched him then I think the police would have arrested him and let the criminal justice system figure it out.
Again, this more in depth investigation may come to a different conclusion and charge Zimmerman with a crime. Like I said yesterday, I can easily see reasonable doubt being put in any juries mind (due to the attack by Martin) and IMHO there is a 70% or higher chance that he would not be convicted of anything.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:12 pm
Gm…..Why do you think Zimmerman is racist? Did you hear him say something or do you have proof of something he said negatively to another race?
I would take Hannity ANY DAY over those two fools.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:12 pm
Gm….you do realize that by standards Obama, Sharpton and Jackson (stealing) are all rich?
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:13 pm
Looks like the Healthcare bill is going to fail the Supreme Court 5-4. THANK GOD!
Aaron Burr V Mexico
March 27th, 2012
2:14 pm
@UGA – I don’t hate authority. After all, if I’m a liberal I like government and want it to tax you as much as possible (not everyone, just literally specifically Republicans. I want them to pay for the damage they’re doing to society and would be happy to rewrite the constitution to allow. I know it won’t happen, but one can dream.)
I just hate incompetent or hypocritical or abusive authority. IE….All Republicans and Most Democrats.
And as far as Zimmerman being white….I could care less. To the cops he was Not Black.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
March 27th, 2012
2:15 pm
@UGA 1999 – Current is implying that Zimmerman did indeed use an epithet. But just Current.
As for the health care bill…HOORAY! More children can die! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:15 pm
Aaron….Rewrite the constitution? You mean like redoing the 2nd amendment and adding healthcare? HAHA.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:16 pm
Aaron….That is exactly why they need to deny it. It is ILLEGAL!
gm
March 27th, 2012
2:19 pm
UGA 1999
On the 911 call he said they always get a away with stuff, and by the way Obama is not a civil rights leader he is the President of the United States, of course you would take Hannity the 3 times college drop out, who makes millions off of low self esteem whites.
Name one time have you ever seen hannity, rush take to the streets for any citizen? I’m still waiting””
Auntie Christ
March 27th, 2012
2:20 pm
Auntie….Race pimps like Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson?
You really should get someone else to read this stuff to you, or better yet, learn to read yourself. I said race pimps like you and td. Ask your mom to read it reeeeeeeeeeeal slow this time, and next time I’ll try not to use big words so you won’t get so confused.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:21 pm
Gm….And your point? Getting away with stuff? How is that racist? Maybe he was talking about young men.
Hannity….Funny that you say he is a 3 time college drop out and yet he is still more successful than you will ever be. Nice.
Hannity and Rush have taken to the streets many time. But in most cases they sell out arenas when they come to town to speak. Unlike Al Puketon and Look at me Jackson.l
Look before I leap...
March 27th, 2012
2:22 pm
@UGA
I dismiss the report for no other reason than because it was sloppy and incomplete.
@td
I misspoke. I should have said “armed”. I don’t know at what point Zimmerman unholstered his weapon. My actual point is, if Martin believes himself to be in imminent danger and only has his fists to protect himself, yet is shot by Zimmerman, then it becomes a matter of Last man Standing as opposed to Stand Your Ground. And that concept should give any reasonable person pause..
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:23 pm
Auntie….Tell me something that I have said on this blog that is racist! Come on, one thing. You are so weak.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:24 pm
Look….Sloppy and incomplete. How so?
Look before I leap...
March 27th, 2012
2:24 pm
@UGA
There are clips on the web of the 911 call and in them it appears that Zimmernan uttered the term “effin coons”. Sounds a bit racist to me.
td
March 27th, 2012
2:26 pm
gm
March 27th, 2012
2:19 pm
Hannity did his show on the steps of the Atlanta Capital in support of the Tea party. Does that count? There were about 5000 citizens participating for the government to get out of the lives of the citizens.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:30 pm
Look…..That is not what I heard, nor has anyone else. That is a weak claim by blacks to make this a race issue.
td
March 27th, 2012
2:31 pm
Auntie Christ
March 27th, 2012
2:20 pm
Your earlier post proves that you do not want to hear the evidence and only care that an African American young man was killed. On this evidence you think the man should be hung at the nearest tree. This makes you the race pimp and really a racist by the definition of the libs.
td
March 27th, 2012
2:34 pm
Look before I leap…
March 27th, 2012
2:24 pm
Now I listened to those same tapes and could not tell if he said “coon” or “goon”. I saw a report on MSNBC this morning that said the Feds do not believe there is any hate crime so I am taking that to mean that they can not tell the difference of the tape either.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:38 pm
I love how these guys are grasping for straws….Keep reaching!!!
Look before I leap...
March 27th, 2012
2:41 pm
@UGA
Just to name a few….
No initial background check on Zimmerman, no initial review of Martin’s cell phone records, no initial interview with Martin’s girlfriend, missed the racial epithet uttered by Martin in the 911 tapes, no review of the neighborhood watch program, other neighborhood watch members.
If there are photos of Zimmerman right after the shooting, I have not seen them.
Look before I leap...
March 27th, 2012
2:43 pm
There are some audio analyses out there that make it clear the sound is a hard “K” sound and not a soft “G” sound. The “goons” theory is Zimmerman’s buddy grasping at straws.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:43 pm
Puck….Do you mean like the “Black P-ssy Party Leader”???
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:44 pm
Look….They interviewed him after the shooting. Said he had gashes on the back of his head and forehead.
td
March 27th, 2012
2:51 pm
Puck Refublicans
March 27th, 2012
2:39 pm
Way to prove to the whole world that you are young and an intellectual light weight. Keep up the race pimp mentality and being intellectually dishonest.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:51 pm
Puck….Ha, “liberals on the issue”. So now it is just liberals who are defending Martin? Nice. Ok, so you do not support the second amendment?
Did Zimmerman use an assault weapon?
Dude you are lost.
Becky
March 27th, 2012
2:52 pm
uga-you remind me of a ten year old that has just learned their first cuss word.
Don't Tread
March 27th, 2012
2:53 pm
“He also tells me things about the elected officials in his predominantly black county that makes me entirely convinced that ‘reverse racism’ is indeed a very real thing, except it isn’t ‘reverse’ its just racism racism.”
Would this be Fulton, Dekalb, or Clayton county by chance?
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:54 pm
Becky…..Sorry I do not cuss.
td
March 27th, 2012
2:56 pm
Puck Refublicans
March 27th, 2012
2:49 pm
What you want and what we are guaranteed under the 2nd amendment are two different things. I do not want people to be able to vote unless they can pass the citizenship test and can name the President, VP, Governor, house of Rep member and Senators but alas I can do nothing about it because it is a right of the people protected by the Constitution and I must live with the dumb masses that will go out and think they are actually voting for Obama in November.
Becky
March 27th, 2012
2:56 pm
uga-hhahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha
dumb a$$
Real American
March 27th, 2012
2:57 pm
Oh look….the HOMICIDE detective wanted to charge Zimmerman, and he’s coming forward to tell his story. Guess that will upset a few of the resident stormfronters td and uga!
Becky
March 27th, 2012
2:58 pm
td-here we go again with his electoral college speeches. dude-do you ever have an original thought or idea?
You pubs see the writing on the wall and are running skeered. OBAMA 2012 will be so sweet.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
Becky….is that all you’ve got. I wouldn’t have expected more!
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
Real…..Right but he didnt.
UGA 1999
March 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
Becky….I hope you like your president partnering with Russia and Iran!
Becky
March 27th, 2012
3:00 pm
You poor thing-you are just disappointed no none responded to your cute little cuss word for the black panther leader aren’t ya?
Becky
March 27th, 2012
3:02 pm
Actually my president uses diplomacy instead of shooting from his hip. Tends to save more American troops and a boatload of money wasted.
Did you all enjoy paying for cheney’s new heart?
Real American
March 27th, 2012
3:02 pm
uga, he didn’t? Idiot, he’s the investigator. However, the state attorney for that area is in hiding and won’t comment – but I’m sure Investigator Chris Serino will be witness #1 for the federal hate crime case.
Real American
March 27th, 2012
3:04 pm
Becky, you know somewhere there’s a jackal buried with no heart #cheneylives
Becky
March 27th, 2012
3:06 pm
I would love to know how many children cheney bypassed on the list.
honested
March 27th, 2012
3:08 pm
Who on earth would want a picture of noots, with noots or would allow their hard earned money to be pried away to have a picture of themselves with noots.
Republiconz sure help prove the old saw about a fool and his money.