Archive for the ‘David Adelman’ Category

Jason Carter of Decatur, new occupant of one of the safest Democratic seats in the state Senate, on Monday was a featured interview on ABC’s “Top Line” segment – which included a discussion of political dynasties.

The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, who won a special election this month, appears at the three-minute mark of this clip:

An interviewer noted that Jason Carter didn’t bring his grandfather into the campaign picture until the weekend before the vote. Said Carter:

“I decided to handle it the way I have my whole life, which was to introduce myself, and then when it comes up, say, ‘Yeah, absolutely. I’m Jimmy Carter’s grandson, and I’m really proud of it, and here’s how it’s impacted my life.’ But we didn’t want that to be the center of the campaign. The campaign had to be about the future and not about who we were related to.”

Jason Carter, an attorney, also had this assessment of the political climate for Democrats in Georgia:

“There really is an …

Continue reading Jason Carter, the man with the familiar smile, on Georgia politics and his granddad »

The race to replace U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal in Congress now moves to a June 8 runoff between front-runner Tom Graves, a former state House member with tea party backing, and former state senator Lee Hawkins of Gainesville.

The winner will finish out the final six months of Deal’s term. The big question now is how many of the other four Republican candidates will declare themselves out of the July 20 Republican primary for the full term that begins in January. And how quickly.

In the Tuesday special election vote, Hawkins won 49 percent of his home Hall County, population anchor for the district, but Graves built his lead by winning strong pluralities in three of the next four most populous caches of votes: 48 percent in Forsyth County; 39 percent in Whitfield County; and 52 percent in Pickens County.

The contest was formally nonpartisan, but both Graves and Hawkins are Republicans. Graves was backed by the Washington-based group Club for Growth, and FreedomWorks — a major …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: A tea party test moves to June 8 runoff »

Last month, Georgia Bio invited Democratic and Republican candidates for governor to a pair of forums, where they could express their views on science and economic development before an assembly of the state’s scientists, academics and CEOs of bioresearch companies.

The consortium of research and business interests scheduled two dates at Kennesaw State University: May 20 for Democrats, and May 27 for Republicans.

The stampede of candidates has been less than thunderous.

On the Democratic side, only three have agreed to attend: Attorney General Thurbert Baker, who last week declared biotech to be an essential part of his jobs program; former National Guard commander David Poythress; and Ray City Mayor Carl Camon.

House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter and former Gov. Roy Barnes have yet to commit, even though the KSU event is in Barnes’ backyard.

Response from the GOP side has been even weaker. Only former congressman Nathan Deal has agreed to appear.

Charlie Craig, president of …

Continue reading The jolt is back: Candidates for governor duck talk about science and jobs »

This from the morning cycle of the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama says he believes the Tea Party is built around a “core group” of people who question whether he is a U.S. citizen and believe he is a socialist.

But beyond that, Obama tells NBC he recognizes the movement involves “folks who have legitimate concerns” about the national debt and whether the government is taking on too many difficult issues simultaneously.

In an interview broadcast Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show, Obama said he feels “there’s still going to be a group at their core that question my legitimacy.” But he said he didn’t want to paint Tea Party activists “in broad brushes” and he hopes to win over members who have “mainstream, legitimate concerns.”

In his own defense, U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal told investigators with the Office of Congressional Ethics that the allegations against him are rooted in the dynamics of the Republican campaign for governor.

The report, released Monday, can be found …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Obama says tea party movement built around people who don’t think he’s a citizen »

Crucial details – a name would be handy, for instance – are missing, but rumors are swirling that Friday could see an attempt by House members to impeach Attorney General Thurbert Baker for his refusal to join a legal challenge to the new federal health care law.

PeachPundit says a piece of paper is floating around with 30 names on it.

We’ll add some background to the mix: On Wednesday, a spokesman insisted that Gov. Sonny Perdue harbored no ill will toward Baker, a Democratic candidate for governor. Said Bert Brantley:

“We asked him to participate and go with us, and he has not chosen to do that. And that’s fine. That’s his — he’s been the attorney general for a long time. He certainly knows his stuff. He’s also a candidate for governor. And so we know there are multiple things that he’s thinking about, looking at. And that’s fine.”

Perdue and former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich have a joint press conference this morning. The governor is likely to announce that he’ll …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: The complications of impeaching Thurbert Baker »

State Sen. David Adelman of Decatur is President Barack Obama's nominee to become U.S. ambassador to Singapore. Vino Wong/ vwong@ajc.com

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 2:30 p.m. today is scheduled to take up the nomination of state Sen. David Adelman (D-Decatur) as U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

Here’s a link to what may be the video, come meeting time.

Adelman’s nomination is one of 15 being considered this afternoon. It was postponed during Washington’s last round of blizzards. Another is on the way.

This is the penultimate hurdle – a floor vote could quickly follow, if the weather holds.

Locally, Adelman’s formal nomination would set off a special election contest for his state Senate seat. The field would include Jason Carter, grandson of the former president.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Adelman nomination up before Senate Foreign Relations Committee »

Today’s morning eye-opener comes from my AJC colleague Mary Lou Pickel, who reports that illegal immigrants may have been laying bricks at the new Cobb County courthouse in Marietta:

A boss who employed bricklayers at the new Cobb County Courthouse in Marietta did not verify that they were legally allowed to work in the United States.

That boss was removed from the job on Friday and the 10 brick masons who worked for him were let go, said Chip Kessler, president of Zebra Construction, the main masonry subcontractor on the courthouse project.

Allegations that illegal immigrants were working on the $63 million courthouse project came to light last week when a bricklayers union organizer questioned the county.

Another bricklayers representative said he talked with employees at the courthouse in November and asked if papers were needed to get a job there.

The employees said no papers were needed and that they were paid in cash, said Jose Alvarez, business marketing representative …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Did illegal immigrants help build Cobb courthouse? »

One temporary casualty of the whiteout in Washington: the nomination of Georgia state Sen. David Adelman of Decatur as U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

Adelman and more than a dozen other State Department officials were to be voted on this afternoon by the Senate Foreign Relations committee chaired by John Kerry of Massachusetts – the final prelude to a floor vote. A spokesman for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just confirmed that the meeting has been canceled.

It’s not clear when the committee vote will be rescheduled.

The nomination process is being watched closely here – Adelman’s formal approval by the U.S. Senate would set off a special election campaign for his Decatur-based seat in the state Senate.

Adelman made a first appearance before a subcommittee last week. See his testimony here.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Washington whiteout postpones Adelman vote »

This morning, Travis Fain of the Macon Telegraph has a piece on state Rep. Larry O’Neal’s entry into the race to replace House Speaker Glenn Richardson that contains at least two ah-ha! bits of intelligence worth your attention.

Here’s the gist:

“What we need the most right now is somebody to calm things down,” said O’Neal, chairman of the House’s tax-code-writing Ways and Means Committee. “We can’t have any distractions. We’re facing (an economic) situation I’ve not known in my lifetime, and I’m a pretty old guy.”

O’Neal, 60, promised a different style than Richardson’s boisterous and often confrontational ways.

He acknowledged that Richardson’s affair was common knowledge at the Capitol following the speaker’s divorce in early 2008. But he said it was the stunning interview Richardson’s ex-wife gave an Atlanta television station late last month that turned the problem into “too much of a distraction.”

Asked Wednesday if he was in the room …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Larry O’Neal says House speaker’s affair was ‘common knowledge’ »

On Wednesday night, the grandson of Jimmy Carter hosted a gathering in Decatur to launch his campaign for a state Senate seat that is not quite available yet.

Jason Carter, 34, is the first of the former president’s grandchildren to seek public office. “I think if I didn’t give politics a chance, then I would be leaving some opportunities on the table to make a difference,” the young attorney said. “That may sound canned, but it’s not.”

Jason Carter

The former president, who left his state Senate seat in 1966 to make a first run for governor, has endorsed his grandson’s venture. “He said, ‘You’re going to have to work harder than anybody else, and always tell the truth. And that’s all the advice you’ll ever need,’ ” Jason Carter reported.

But a legacy is one part wings and one part baggage.

Jason Carter aims to replace David Adelman, who has been nominated by the Obama administration as ambassador to Singapore — but who has yet to be confirmed …

Continue reading The return of the Carter name to Georgia politics »