Archive for the ‘Erick Erickson’ Category

State Rep. Dusty Hightower, R-Carrollton, this morning dropped legislation on behalf of Secretary of State Brian Kemp to unclog the processing of half-million professional licenses – unintended victims of Georgia’s illegal immigration statute.

HB 87, passed in 2011, currently requires all license applicants – from nurses to barbers to plumbers – to submit proof of citizenship before new or renewed licenses are granted.

Wait times for licenses have increased five-fold as a result, Kemp says.

HB 32 will only require applicants to submit proof of citizenship only once. A similar measure was attempted last year, but failed when it became wrapped into legislation that would have barred all undocumented students from public universities.

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Meanwhile, the state Senate’s newly configured Committee on Assignments today gets down to the business of doling out chairmanships and committee memberships. The biggest prize: Chairmanship of the Senate Rules Committee, through which all bills …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: A fix for unintended victims of Ga.’s illegal immigration law »

Erick Erickson, who discourses on Republican politics for both CNN and AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB, has quickly resolved any talk that he might challenge U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in 2014. From Redstate.com:

Were I to run for the Senate, it would be a terribly nasty campaign. It’d actually be really awesome, but it’d be really nasty. I have a seven year old, a soon to be four year old, and a wife who does not like being anywhere near a stage. I’m not putting my family through that when the best outcome would mean a sizable pay cut in pay and being away from my kids and wife all the time huddled in a pit vipers often surrounded by too many who viewed me as a useful instrument to their own advancement.

On the same topic, an analysis of Chambliss’ situation by Aaron Blake of the Washington Post includes these two paragraphs:

….Chambliss is hardly Public Enemy No. 1 when it comes to the tea party and the conservative base — at least not right now. Both the Club for Growth and …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: Erick Erickson passes on 2014 challenge to Saxby Chambliss »

In an email sent last night, reader George Mortensen reported something strange and wonderful: A political candidate has written him a check.

Michael Caldwell of Woodstock is the young Republican – he was 23 as his campaign began — who ousted longtime state Rep. Charlice Byrd in the July primary, and in November defeated Democrat Lillian Burnaman.

As of Oct. 25, Caldwell reported raising $16,967 for the contest, and still had $2,343.

So the successful candidate has been sending his 13.8 percent surplus back to contributors on a pro-rated basis. Mortensen had given $20 to Caldwell this spring. Caldwell has sent him a check for $2.76.

Sigh. If only this kind of conduct would catch on. We’ve got a call into Caldwell, but have not heard back.

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A rumor was floating around the state on Monday that U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Augusta, having survived another GOP attempt to oust him, was being courted by Democrats to run statewide in 2014 – whether against U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss or …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: Newly elected state lawmaker sends refunds to contributors »

State Rep. Doug McKillip of Athens, author of an aggressive measure to shorten the period during which Georgia women can seek an abortion, last night faced Republican primary challenger Regina Quick in a debate sponsored by the Oconee Chamber of Commerce.

Tim Bryant of WGAU (1340AM), who moderated the confrontation, sent over a clip of the sound this morning – which featured a detailed discussion of HB 954.

At the outset, McKillip – who was briefly chairman of the House Democratic caucus — ascribed his switch to the Republican party and his sponsorship of the anti-abortion measure to a religious conversion.

Quick emphasized her six-years’ service on the executive committee of the Clarke County Republican party, but also mentioned that she grew up in a bipartisan household, with a union-member father and a GOP poll-watching mother – perhaps a nod to Democrats now supporting her.

HB 954 was one of the most contentions bills of the session, and the first major piece of …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: A fierce abortion debate in north Georgia »

Atlanta markets itself as the ATL. A better nickname would be the ATM.

Four major GOP fundraisers will be draining cash from the area today. And unless you’ve got a well-stocked wallet, you’re not invited.

U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss are hosting a fund-raiser for their Republican colleague Scott Brown, who’s attempting to fend off a challenge from Democrat Elizabeth Warren. And Georgia’s House Republicans will have Speaker John Boehner of Ohio in town.

But neither Brown nor Boehner will be at the largest event, a 6 p.m. bash at the Cobb Energy Centre that will feature a “special introduction” by Newt Gingrich of Republican presidential champion Mitt Romney. So far as we know, it’s the first joint stage appearance for the pair since that long-ago debate in Arizona.

It will also be a very private moment, limited to those willing to shell out at least $1,000 for the privilege. The Sunlight Foundation tells us that donors are being asked use the bundler code of …

Continue reading Newt Gingrich’s ‘special introduction’ of Mitt Romney will be a private affair »

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the practice of “SWAT-ting” conservative political commentators – fake 911 calls that send police to their homes, guns bristling.

Erick Erickson, a radio and CNN commentator, has been among the recipients of such treatment.

Here’s the text of Chambliss’ letter:

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I am writing with concern regarding recent reports that several members of the community of online political commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions. Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels.

According to these individuals’ reports, these dangerous hoaxes, also known as “SWAT-ting,” have a perpetrator contacting a local police department to report some type of violent incident at the home of the target. It is believed that these …

Continue reading Saxby Chambliss calls for probe into ‘SWAT-ting’ of conservative pundits »

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain peeks around a person to shake hands during a swing through Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday. AP/Carolyn Kaster

The Herman Cain campaign has become a saga of charges and countercharges – we’ll try to tie some of the threads together, starting with advice offered last night by one of his rivals, Newt Gingrich. From my AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin:

“My first advice is what he hasn’t done, which is say nothing until you sit down with your lawyers and with the people who know the facts,” Gingrich said. “You thoroughly and completely understand them and you go through a period where everybody asks you — in your team — every possible negative question so you thoroughly understand what will happen.”

Gingrich is to appear with Cain in Houston on Saturday evening. Some polls indicate the former U.S. House speaker from Georgia would be the one to benefit from a Cain collapse.

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Late Wednesday, in an interview with Forbes, …

Continue reading Newt Gingrich advises Herman Cain: Stop talking until you have a handle on the facts »

Erick Erickson, the former Macon city councilman and current night-time talk jock, may finally be making his mark as a next-generation provocateur within Republican ranks.

A Saturday annual gathering of RedState.com, a conservative web site edited by Erickson, will be the site of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s entrance into the 2012 GOP presidential race. From Politico.com:

Rick Perry intends to use a speech in South Carolina on Saturday to make clear that he’s running for president….

According to two sources familiar with the plan, the Texas governor will remove any doubt about his White House intentions during his appearance at a RedState conference in Charleston.

It’s uncertain whether Saturday will mark a formal declaration, but Perry’s decision to disclose his intentions the same day as the Ames straw poll — and then hours later make his first trip to New Hampshire — will send shock waves through the race and upend whatever results come out of the straw poll.

Erickson, the …

Continue reading Rick Perry, Erick Erickson and Georgia maneuvering »

The Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal has produced one of those odd unions between Republican conservatives and Democratic liberals.

Members of both factions are calling for the head of Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, one of many business leaders who supported ousted superintendent Beverly Hall throughout the investigation.

On Monday evening, state Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) upped the ante with a protest in downtown Atlanta – to argue that Williams’ defense of Hall will reflect on next year’s regional penny sales tax for rail and road projects.

At one point, in an e-mail, a Chamber executive suggested that the findings of an early investigation should be “finessed” past then-Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Williams is also treasurer of Citizens for Transportation Mobility, and will have a major hand in fund-raising for the campaign.

Williams has been out there defending himself. He gave two TV interviews last Friday – one to Channel 2 Action News. Williams …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Linking the APS cheating scandal to the transit tax vote »

When Republicans gather in Macon on Friday, and perhaps before all of them arrive, the first speaker will be U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Chambliss has had his share of good press lately, what with being the GOP voice on covert affairs and an organizing member of the Gang of Six attempt to tackle the federal deficit.

But Chambliss has never been beloved by the Georgia GOP’s hardcore. For some reason, he is singled out for vitriol more often than U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, though the two have near-identical voting records.

Four years ago, the pair was involved in an attempt at immigration reform with Democrats (and the Bush White House). It was Chambliss – he’d just lost his job as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee — who was showered with a chorus of boos for uttering the phrase “guest worker program.”

By the time the Macon Centreplex is filled on Saturday for the main event – the election of a state chairman — Chambliss will have already left the scene. But Erick …

Continue reading Erick Erickson’s plan to topple Saxby Chambliss in 2014 »