Archive for the ‘2012 GOP presidential primary’ Category

After declaring U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss “theoretically vulnerable” this week, Public Policy Polling of North Carolina has run out the rest of its Georgia poll, with these highlights:

– Apparently bruised by bitter campaigns over transportation (lost) and charter schools (won), Gov. Nathan Deal’s job approval rating stands at 37 percent among voters – one reason why Deal, moving into his crucial third year as governor, needs a smooth and productive legislative session in January.

The PPP survey declares Deal to be vulnerable if Democrats are able to muster the right candidate in 2014 – a very large “if.” Some hypothetical match-ups: U.S. Rep. John Barrow, 44/40; Kasim Reed (never happen), 47/40; State Sen. Jason Carter, 46/38.

– Likewise, the fiscal cliff debate may be taking its toll on U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, whose approval rating also stands at 37 percent. But he isn’t up for re-election until 2016.

– Former President Jimmy Carter approve/disapprove rating stands at …

Continue reading PPP survey: 42% of Ga. Republicans would secede, Nathan Deal job approval at 37% »

The Economist, the influential London-based magazine, today points to the bipartisan relationship between Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Gov. Nathan Deal as the cure for what ails Washington.

The magazine cites Porsche North America’s new headquarters in Atlanta and the so-far-successful quest to finance the dredging of the Port of Savannah as products of cooperation between the two. A small taste:

It helps that Messrs Reed and Deal both come from a legislative background, where—elected officials in Washington take note—compromise breeds progress. It helps also that neither is an ideologue: tea-partiers have called Mr Deal a RINO (Republican In Name Only), just as Mr Reed has taken heat from his party’s left wing. And it helps, as Mr Reed says, that he and Mr Deal share the view that “if you are not going to accomplish as much as you can because the person sitting across the street is from a different party, you’re eliminating one-third of what you can do.”

A Public Policy …

Continue reading Nathan Deal-Kasim Reed alliance a model for Washington? »

You know we have another debt-ceiling debate coming up. The last one resulted the “fiscal cliff” we’re still struggling with. Republican threats to block it are already in the air.

But some economists are advocating an odd tactic to defuse any impasse: two $1 trillion-dollar coins. From the Washington Post:

Under current law, the Treasury is technically allowed to mint as many coins made of platinum as it wants and can assign them whatever value it pleases.

Under this scenario, the U.S. Mint would make a pair of trillion-dollar platinum coins. The president orders the coins to be deposited at the Federal Reserve. The Fed moves this money into Treasury’s accounts. And just like that, Treasury suddenly has an extra $2 trillion to pay off its obligations for the next two years — without needing to issue new debt. The ceiling is no longer an issue.

“I like it,” said Joseph Gagnon of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “There’s nothing that’s obviously economically …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: Defuse the next debt debate with a pair of trillion-dollar coins »

News of nothing becomes something. From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON — At House Speaker John A. Boehner’s request, Senate leaders and Representative Nancy Pelosi have been excluded from talks to avert a fiscal crisis, leaving it to Mr. Boehner and President Obama alone to find a deal, Congressional aides say.

All sides, even the parties excluded, say clearing the negotiating room improves the chance of success. It adds complexity as the two negotiators consult separately with the leaders not in the room. But it also minimizes the number of people who need to say yes to an initial agreement.

“This is now the speaker and the president working this through,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat.

White House aides and the speaker’s staff, by mutual agreement, have largely shut down public communication about the talks to avert hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts set to begin in January if no deal can …

Continue reading ‘Fiscal cliff’ negotiations shrink to Obama and Boehner »

Teya Ryan can breathe a little easier this morning.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, having been forced out of his leadership position, would resign his Senate seat and take a new, full-time job with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Rogers’ assignment, as outlined by the man who created it, is to make GPB part of the state’s economic development, job-recruitment operation. Rogers will report directly to Ryan, who is GPB’s president and executive director.

After a tree-lighting ceremony in the state Capitol on Thursday, Denis O’Hayer of WABE (90.1FM) caught up with Gov. Nathan Deal, who helped engineer Rogers’ exit:

O’Hayer: Are you envisioning him to eventually run that organization?

Deal: No, the only vision we have at this point is to use what we had been trying to do for a long time, is use Georgia Public Broadcasting as an economic development tool to a greater extent than we’re currently doing. That’s the role that he’s going to be …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: GPB’s Teya Ryan can stay ‘as long as she wants,’ says Nathan Deal »

State Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, was one of a dozen or so African-American state lawmakers who gathered at the White House on Tuesday for a briefing on the “fiscal cliff” from President Barack Obama and senior aides.

State Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus/AJC file

The 90-minute meeting, including 15 minutes with Obama in the Oval Office, focused on the costs to states if Obama and Congress are unable to come to an agreement on a debt-reduction package – and a series of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts kick in.

From Smyre’s description, the meeting with the leadership of the National Black Caucus of State Legislatures was intended to encourage core Obama supporters to spread the word and tamp down any Democratic talk that jumping off the cliff isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

A few liberals have agreed with Newt Gingrich that the deadline is simply a mirage. Smyre is not among them. Like U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, he believes a deal is necessary before …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: White House works grassroots to dampen Democratic talk of a ‘fiscal cliff’ leap »

A new survey of Georgia voters by Public Policy Polling says U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss can make it to a 2014 general election, he would be hard to beat – but would be “theoretically very vulnerable” in a Republican primary.

See the poll details here. From the press release:

Only 38% of Republican primary voters say they want Chambliss to be their nominee next year, compared to 43% who would prefer someone more conservative. But Chambliss stomps most of the people who’ve shown the most interest in taking him on.

He leads Congressman Paul Broun by a 57/14 margin in a head to head, has a 52/34 advantage over Congressman Tom Price, and leads former Secretary of State Karen Handel 52/23.

In terms of the general election the Georgia Senate race is somewhat reminiscent of the Indiana contest this cycle- if Chambliss is the nominee the seat is probably safe for the GOP, but if someone far to his right wins the primary the Democrats might have a chance
if everything goes their …

Continue reading New PPP survey: Saxby Chambliss ‘vulnerable,’ but leads potential GOP opponents »

Even as conservative groups in Washington began ripping it apart, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson this morning defended House Speaker John Beohner’s offer to raise $800 billion in new federal revenue while holding firm on tax rates.

The counter-offer is one-half the revenue that President Barack Obama opened negotiations with last week, and also includes $600 billion in health care cuts. Isakson again asserted that jumping off the “fiscal cliff” at the end of the year – as proposed by some on both the right on the left – would be “stupid.

From his interview on MSNBC this morning, Isakson called Boehner’s deficit reduction plan a good start:

”In fact, I think it’s more reflective of a Simpson-Bowles type of approach, although it’s Simpson-Bowles light. It’s not the whole program. It’s a first step.

“You know, I made a living selling houses for 33 years. You don’t get people together until they finally sit down at the table and negotiate. There’s still too much posturing. Still too …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: Isakson defends GOP counteroffer, says fiscal cliff leap would be ‘stupid’ »

President Barack Obama delivers his speech to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) symposium at the National Defense University in Washington on Monday. Seated are, from left, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Sens. Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar. AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Local boy makes very, very good. From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON — Hailing two decades of efforts to help the former Soviet Union secure nuclear weapons stockpiles, President Barack Obama said Monday that the world must continue to stand guard against nuclear threats — including terrorists who seek to gain control of nuclear weapons.

“We cannot let our guard down,” Obama said, calling efforts to combat nuclear terrorism one of his top priorities as president.

Obama praised the 20-year-old Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which has provided billions of dollars in U.S. equipment and know-how to help Russia and former Soviet bloc nations safeguard and dismantle nuclear and chemical weapons.

The …

Continue reading Sam Nunn and 20 years of nuke control »

It is possible to call a man friend and still leave him dangling.

My AJC colleague Daniel Malloy in Washington just finished a telephone conversation with Gov. Nathan Deal that touched on the topic of U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and his 2014 re-election bid. It went something like this:

Malloy: “There is a lot of talk going around the state about Saxby Chambliss getting a Republican primary challenge. Would you support him if he does?”

Deal: “It’s way too early to be picking winners and losers and people that you’re going to support and not support. He’s a friend of mine. I served with him in the U.S. House and he will continue to be a friend of mine.”

Sounds like a definite maybe.

On a similar note, Public Policy Polling of North Carolina was in the field over the weekend with a Georgia poll focused on Chambliss. We haven’t seen the results yet, but PPP just tweeted this:

The only Republican who gets anywhere close to Saxby Chambliss in a one on one primary at this point? …

Continue reading Nathan Deal on Saxby Chambliss’ re-elect bid: ‘It’s way too early to be picking winners and losers’ »