Archive for the ‘Haiti’ Category

The two ex-presidents were down in Haiti, shaking hands with locals, when George W. Bush encountered … something. Possibly slimy.

What’s a hygienic-minded Westerner to do? At the 17-second mark in this BBC video posted on YouTube, Bush gives Bill Clinton an efficient little pat-wipe on the shoulder:

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Continue reading Bill Clinton as a hand towel for George W. Bush »

When the Legislature reassembles next week, the pro-tax and anti-tax sides will be ready to pounce.

On Monday, backers of a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax will pitch their cause as one solution to a billion-dollar state budget gap. They’ll bring in the No. 2 medical officer for the American Cancer Society, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld.

On Tuesday, the anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity will host a noon rally on the steps of the Capitol. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and no friend of Gov. Sonny Perdue, will be one of the speakers. Click here for the rest of the day’s AFP agenda.

House Speaker David Ralston on Thursday announced that a bipartisan fund-raiser for Haiti last month brought in a total $46,302. The fund-raiser also featured one of the more astute political moves we’ve seen out of the region’s predominant transit agency.

Beverly Scott, general manager and CEO of MARTA, presented the speaker with a $30,000 contribution from MARTA employees. …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Pro-tax, anti-tax forces ready themselves »

I’m happy to stand corrected, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a press release like the one below coming from the House speaker’s office – whether Republican or Democrat.

Consider it an astute and worthy move, by a chamber trying to rehabilitate its image:

House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) today announced a fundraiser, House Helping Haiti, to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. The event will take place on Thursday, February 11th from 5:30-7:00PM at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot.

“The people of Haiti have experienced unbelievable loss and destruction since the earthquake on January 12th,” said Speaker David Ralston. “I believe that we are in the position to help this nation get back on its feet. That is why House Republicans and Democrats are joining together in a bi-partisan effort to host a fundraiser to bring much needed funds to Haiti to help provide people with food, water, and other supplies.”

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush …

Continue reading House looks to move past sex and cash scandals with a fund-raiser for Haiti »

Georgia Public Broadcasting is out to prove that it has a sense of humor.

On Saturday, the state network will tape a performance of the Capitol Steps, a political satire troupe usually found on public radio only, at the old Rialto theater in downtown Atlanta.

The program will be aired later on GPB, and marketed to other PBS stations as well. We’re looking forward to “Ebony and Ovaries,” a musical duet between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Levi Johnson is also likely to make an appearance.

An 8 p.m. performance is sold out.

An anti-tax group will gather in Roswell on Saturday morning where members will be encouraged to burn their AARP cards in protest of that organization’s support of Democratic efforts at health care reform.

The 10 a.m. event is sponsored by Americans For Prosperity. U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell) is to be there, as will some area physicians. Location is the Roswell Country Club. Other details can be found here.

The event is clearly a sign that …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Georgia Public Broadcasting ventures into political humor »

Massachusetts and its U.S. senate race between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown was the center of attention over the long Martin Luther King weekend – even in Georgia.

Martin Luther King III was summoned from Monday’s service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta by President Barack Obama, his sister Bernice King said, to stump for Coakley.

Fulton County Republicans report that they have been drawn into the contest as well, placing 7,000 calls into Massachusetts over the weekend via the GOP chapter’s new GOTV phone system.

Tonight’s mystery, from this morning’s Politico:

“Conventional wisdom is, the high turnout favors the Democrat. But in a special election, high turnout is volatile because you don’t know who’s showing up,” said Scott Ferson, a Democratic strategist in the state.

Making the vote even tougher to predict: the weather. Tuesday’s forecast calls for a mix of snow and rain, with temperatures in the low 30s.

So where did Brown get his …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Massachusetts senate race pulls us in »