Your daily jolt: Senate Dems to push back on ethics, abortion, HOPE and foreclosures
On Feb. 5, when the south Georgia contest to replace John Bulloch is completed, Republicans will have 38 members in a 56-member state Senate.
That will give the GOP a super-majority of two-thirds. Which means Democrats will be a super-minority.
Nonetheless, Senate Democrats this morning intend to push out their agenda for this year’s legislative session. Much of it is blue-skying, but here’s a quick rundown of the new legislation they’ll attempt:
– A bill to eliminate all distinctions between the Zell Miller scholarship and other HOPE grants, and to require colleges universities and tech schools to accept HOPE payments as full tuition. Sponsor: Curt Thompson of Tucker;
– A bill to reduce GPA requirement for HOPE grants to 2.0. Sponsor: Jason Carter of Decatur;
– A prohibition on the use of handheld devices while driving. Horacena Tate of Atlanta;
– Repeal of the “fetal pain” bill that the Legislature passed last year, reducing the period during which a woman can seek an abortion to 22 weeks. Nan Orrock of Atlanta;
– Restoration of health insurance mandates to out-of-state health care insurance policies, removed by the Legislature last year. Sponsor: Orrock;
– A bill to require judicial review of home foreclosures. Sponsor: Vincent Fort of Atlanta. This could resonate with Republicans who have been critical of Georgia’s eminent domain laws. And you’ll recall that former House speaker Glenn Richardson ran on this last year, during his unsuccessful run for the state Senate.
– Establishment of an independent redistricting commission. Sponsor: Hardie Davis of Augusta, who no doubt would like to see Republicans stop toying with his congressman, John Barrow.
– A more stringent version of the $100 cap on gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers: $100 a year, in aggregate, with no loopholes. Sponsor: Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson of Tucker;
– The addition of an early voting day on the third Saturday before elections. Sponsor: Henson;
– Restoration of advance voting time to same period as absentee voting. Sponsor: Henson.
***
Walter Jones of Morris News Service offers an account of Monday’s opening hostilities in the state Senate that includes these paragraphs:
Sen. Mike Crane, R-Newnan, offered an amendment to strip Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s ability to appoint senators to committees and decide which committees consider bills. Crane was blocked when the Senate voted to prohibit any changes to the proposed rules, which eventually passed 42-12.
“This is may be the end of my political aspirations, but I will never stop fighting for liberty,” thundered Crane, who speculated afterward that Cagle would assign him to insignificant committees and stifle consideration of his bills as punishment.
As a matter of fact, we’re told that a list of Senate committee assignments, due to come out at 3 p.m. Monday, was delayed 90 minutes in order to review Crane’s assignments – and those of former state Senate president Tommie Williams, R-Lyons, who also lodged a complaint from the well.
Crane ended up with no leadership positions and a seat on the following committees: Retirement; Special Judiciary; State and Local Government Operations; and State Institutions and Property. Which means his prediction came through.
Williams fared somewhat better, with appointments to Agriculture and Consumer Affairs; Appropriations; Reapportionment and Redistricting; and Public Safety.
***
Twitchy.com reports that U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Marietta, deleted his Twitter account shortly after reports that he told a group of constituents that former U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri was “partly right” when he spoke of “legitimate rape” and the unlikelihood of a woman becoming pregnant as the result of a violent assault.
***
Ruling Republicans in the Legislature have said they’ll hold off on any major bills to address illegal immigration until they see what their GOP brethren in Washington produce. That process has begun, with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida taking the lead with a few trial balloons.
From Matthew Kaminski of the Wall Street Journal over the weekend:
Whether Mr. Rubio is courageous or foolhardy, the outcome on Capitol Hill and the impact on his career will tell the story. Immigration has long been a profitable wedge issue for Democrats and Republicans. On Wednesday at the Biltmore Hotel near his home here, Mr. Rubio spells out a reform plan that charges up the middle.
His wholesale fix tries to square—triangulate, if you will—the liberal fringe that seeks broad amnesty for illegal immigrants and the hard right’s obsession with closing the door. Mr. Rubio would ease the way for skilled engineers and seasonal farm workers while strengthening border enforcement and immigration laws. As for the undocumented migrants in America today—eight to 12 million or so—he proposes to let them “earn” a working permit and, one day, citizenship.
Those proposals amount to a collection of third rails for any number of lobbies. Organized labor has torpedoed guest-worker programs before. Anything that hints of leniency for illegals may offend the talk-radio wing of the GOP.
And from today’s New York Times:
“We can’t have the kind of vibrant growth we need and the economy we want, based on limited government and free enterprise, if we don’t have a legal immigration system that works,” Mr. Rubio said. “And in order to have a system that works, we have to deal with those people who are already here illegally.”
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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84 comments Add your comment
Roberto
January 15th, 2013
3:15 pm
Kris @ 1:29.
Is that a serious post or a joke?
Scrivener
January 15th, 2013
3:16 pm
Here’s just one article out of many to point out the Frank’s and the democrats’ fingerprints all over the housing bubble problem:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/09/28/franks_fingerprints_are_all_over_the_financial_fiasco/
Get Real
January 15th, 2013
3:18 pm
MoFaux, I agree with you…I graduated with a 2.8; grad school finally got to 3.2
Cherokee
January 15th, 2013
3:29 pm
“Rush is almost always proven to be right.”
BWAHAHAHAHA
honested
January 15th, 2013
3:31 pm
scrivener,
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not EVER originate loans, so what part did they play in the bubble or crash?
By the way, I do listen to lush when I am in the car, so I can keep my advertiser boycott list current.
Cherokee
January 15th, 2013
3:34 pm
And here’s just one article that proves the whole Community Reinvestment Act boogeyman is nothing more than a wingnut fantasy, since most of the problem loans weren’t covered by that law.
But hey, since Rush is always proven to be right, you can just ignore this one Scrivener. For anyone else, with a few active brain cells, here’s the link.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_11/020962.php
Cherokee
January 15th, 2013
3:36 pm
Don Abernethy
January 15th, 2013
1:52 pm
Do very many Democrats go to church??
Yes.
Why?
td
January 15th, 2013
3:43 pm
Cherokee
January 15th, 2013
3:36 pm
Don Abernethy
January 15th, 2013
1:52 pm
Do very many Democrats go to church??
Yes.
Why?
One can not be a Christian and a Democrat any longer in this nation.
How could any Christian approve of a platform that advocates for the state to legalize sodomy, unfettered right to kill the inborn till birth and denied God three times on national TV?
honested
January 15th, 2013
3:47 pm
td,
That is why our Country and it’s levels of Government are required to be unencumbered by religion.
Something that apparently one party cannot comprehend.
liberalefty
January 15th, 2013
3:48 pm
Do I win the award for having the dumbest comments?
yuzeyurbrane
January 15th, 2013
3:56 pm
td–how can one be a good Christian and be totally against healthcare for the poorest among us? Like you.
Scrivener
January 15th, 2013
4:05 pm
Cherokee, aside from being the unpleasant, mud-slinging poster you usually are, why don’t you actually give some info how Rush has been wrong about things. His claim to fame is his accuracy in his facts, which he takes great pride in. And you post a quote from Paul Krugman as a statement of fact about the housing bubble? Are you serious? He’s one of the most ridiculed and debunked opinion writers out there.
Don't Tread
January 15th, 2013
4:05 pm
“A bill to reduce GPA requirement for HOPE grants to 2.0″
Yeah, let’s dumb that down so everyone can get free money (like welfare). In this age of “social promotion”, that GPA requirement needs to be raised to at least 3.5.
Cutty
January 15th, 2013
4:24 pm
Someone get this dude Aesop a job.
WOW
January 15th, 2013
4:24 pm
Yes.
Why?
One can not be a Christian and a Democrat any longer in this nation.
How could any Christian approve of a platform that advocates for the state to legalize sodomy, unfettered right to kill the inborn till birth and denied God three times on national TV?
And who made you Judge and king on whether Democrats go to church. There are millions that do, maybe you should get out of your judgmental bubble sometimes.
td
January 15th, 2013
4:35 pm
yuzeyurbrane
January 15th, 2013
3:56 pm
td–how can one be a good Christian and be totally against healthcare for the poorest among us? Like you.
And where does it say in the Bible that the government is to take care of the masses healthcare or even food for that matter?
td
January 15th, 2013
4:41 pm
WOW
January 15th, 2013
4:24 pm
Yes.
Why?
One can not be a Christian and a Democrat any longer in this nation.
How could any Christian approve of a platform that advocates for the state to legalize sodomy, unfettered right to kill the inborn till birth and denied God three times on national TV?
And who made you Judge and king on whether Democrats go to church. There are millions that do, maybe you should get out of your judgmental bubble sometimes.
Where did I say I was a judge and the King is what Obama thinks he is now. It is in MO that Christians can not in good faith to their religion support a party or philosophy that is contrary to the major tenets of the religion and even denies in the believe of the God they have committed too.
Buckhead Boy
January 15th, 2013
4:59 pm
Scrivener, Paul Krugman is a Nobel laureate, and considered one of the most influential economists in the world. Rush Limbaugh is a college dropout and radio provocateur known for entertaining with nonsensical utterances like there is no such thing as an implied contract or any proof that nicotine is addictive. I suspect that Cherokee was being serious, and hope for your sake that you aren’t.
yuzeyurbrane
January 15th, 2013
5:13 pm
td, you are amazing, especially since you once were DFACS employee and your wife still is and you say she shares your views on welfare recipients. Ever heard that people who do not like kids probably shouldn’t become schoolteachers? At least you apparently recognized your ill fit and changed careers; why is your wife hanging in there?
td
January 15th, 2013
5:21 pm
yuzeyurbrane
January 15th, 2013
5:13 pm
Your imagination is thinking just because I think welfare is a disease that destroys the human spirit that I think it should be totally eliminated. Those are no the facts. A social safety net is something we should have as long as it has definable goals to get the person off of welfare and is temporary in nature. You can not honestly tell me that the riches nation in the world that gives children a free education has fallen so far that we need to take care of 20% of our population. That is not welfare it is slavery to the government.
honested
January 15th, 2013
5:34 pm
td,
In the interest of accurate discussion, please don’t confuse the term ‘fact’ with the opinion ‘I think’.
Scrivener
January 15th, 2013
5:44 pm
Buckhead Boy, Krugman is a partisan hack and is known to be a partisan hack. Nobel laureate? As if that’s a badge of honor. Let’s look at who has been chosen for Nobel prizes in the past. First of all, Obama. For what? Nothing! Also Yassar Arafat won a Nobel Prize. That sort of says it all. Like I said, only leftists value that prize anymore. And yes, Rush dropped out of college. So what. So did Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Doesn’t change the fact that it is rare that anyone can successfully challenge Rush’s facts. Below is just one link from a blog that regularly debunks Krugman, BTW, written by a college professor in economics: krugman-in-wonderland.blogspot.com
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
January 15th, 2013
6:40 pm
Now Gingrey’s district needs to “delete” him.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
January 15th, 2013
6:43 pm
@Scrivener – Were you one of pederast Limbaugh’s “good buddies” on the Viagra-laden trip they took to the Western Hemisphere’s “hotbed for child prostitution,” the Dominican Republic?
He is scum and without honor, on record as the “modern” pedophile priest scandal cranked up, on his TV show: “The Roman Catholic Church is the rock-ribbed backbone of American moral values.” lol
Birds of feather…
Whaat? Hell NO on 2.0 — Peach Pundit
January 15th, 2013
7:27 pm
[...] Bridget Cantrell · 3 comments TweetJim Galloway brings a quick rundown of new legislation the Senate Democrats are pushing. The one that caught me was a bill to [...]
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
January 15th, 2013
10:28 pm
Georgia Democrats? Irrelevant.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
January 15th, 2013
10:32 pm
yuzeyurbrane: how can one be a good Christian and be totally against healthcare for the poorest among us? Like you.
——————————
How much did you donate last year to charities that provide free health care to the poor?
That’s what I thought.
Why are you against free health care for the poor?
Hypocrite.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
January 15th, 2013
10:35 pm
honested: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not EVER originate loans, so what part did they play in the bubble or crash?
—————————–
They created a huge market for CDS and purchased hundreds of billions of dollars of subprime mortgages. Without that, the originators would have closed up shop.
Anything else I can help you with?
Whaat? Hell NO on 2.0
January 15th, 2013
10:56 pm
[...] Galloway brings a quick rundown of new legislation the Senate Democrats are pushing. The one that caught me was a bill to [...]
Cassidy
January 15th, 2013
11:23 pm
By all means, I MUST be the one who makes no sense. And td’s niece MUST either be lying, had an easy major, had an “in” with the professors or just had no life in order to achieve a 4.0. Obviously, since it wasn’t easy for you to achieve at least a 3.0 then it must be hard for everyone or they must have been given special consideration. Or better yet, they are just nerds who had nothing better to do. By your own admission of playing too much pool, you are saying that the bare minimum was good enough for you. Why put in the extra time when you could be playing pool like the cool kid you were and just do “good enough”. I’m glad you passed a standardized test that you went to college to pass. Of course, if you are qualified to do a job then you probably shouldn’t have to study for that test so……….well, good for you – you manage to just get by and you passed a test that you should have passed. Way to reach for the stars!!!
Cassidy
January 15th, 2013
11:24 pm
By all means, I MUST be the one who makes no sense. And td’s niece MUST either be lying, had an easy major, had an “in” with the professors or just had no life in order to achieve a 4.0. Obviously, since it wasn’t easy for you to achieve at least a 3.0 then it must be hard for everyone or they must have been given special consideration. Or better yet, they are just nerds who had nothing better to do. By your own admission of playing too much pool, you are saying that the bare minimum was good enough for you. Why put in the extra time when you could be playing pool like the cool kid you were and just do “good enough”. I’m glad you passed a standardized test that you went to college to pass. Of course, if you are qualified to do a job then you probably shouldn’t have to study for that test so……….well, good for you – you managed to just get by and you passed a test that you should have passed. Way to reach for the stars!!!
yuzeyurbrane
January 16th, 2013
12:53 am
td–I was just responding to your earlier assertion that the poorest 25% should just pay for their own healthcare. Sounded kind of cold-hearted to me. Your response seems contradictory to your previously expressed opinion which, by the way, is one that you have essentially expressed many times. I still don’t see how your wife can serve her clients if she shares your views.
yuzeyurbrane
January 16th, 2013
1:03 am
L’il Barry-thank you for asking me a question and then answering it for me. I know I give a larger % to charity than the norm and I am not wealthy, so it is more of a stretch for me than for Mitt. I’m all for private charity, too, but let’s face it, they are maxed out now. Have you been by a local Food Bank lately? Instructive. Or a homeless shelter? Have you seen the exploding numbers of those on wait lists for all social services? Just ask the folks running the private charities what would happen if the govt. dropped totally out of the picture. Same thing happened during the Depression. Many private charities were overwhelmed and had to shut down. Are you part of the Republican primary debate audience that yelled out “Let them die”?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Vote American)
January 16th, 2013
9:29 am
So……..zip?
Got it, hypocrite.