Archive for the ‘Karen Handel’ Category

It is dangerous to predict what any jurist will do, but on Thursday, Henry County Superior Court Judge Arch McGarity will be presented with an opportunity to close the books on the 2010 GOP race for governor.

In the process, the judge could also create – or continue — an important precedent for political speech on the Internet.

You will recall that Ray McBerry was one of several Republican candidates for the job of governor. He was the states rights’ candidate on the ballot. You might also recall that it was reported in this space that, while a Henry County high school teacher, McBerry was caught having a relationship with a high school student.

McBerry was 34 and divorcing his second wife. The student was 16 and 17 during the affair.

Before McBerry jumped into politics, the student’s mother, Linda Pittman, successfully lobbied to have his teaching license suspended. During the 2010 campaign, she wrote the following on her Facebook page, accessible to a few hundred …

Continue reading A Georgia test of political speech on the Internet »

Updated at 4:30 p.m.: Yet another poll of the presidential primary in Georgia, again showing Newt Gingrich in the upper-40 percentile, has just been dropped by CNN/ORC International.

The poll also shows, like two others today, Santorum dangerously under 20 percent — the amount needed Tuesday for a share of 34 at-large Georgia delegates. The CNN top lines:

– Gingrich, 47 percent;

– Mitt Romney, 24 percent;

– Santorum, 15 percent;

– and Ron Paul, 9 percent.

More interesting is the portion of the CNN poll that looks at a general election contest with President Barack Obama. Asked whether they would vote for the Republican nominee or the incumbent Democrat in November, 1,775 registered Georgia voters were split, 48 to 48 percent.

Updated at 12:15 p.m.: In the wee hours this morning, following on the heels of a weekend AJC poll, Public Policy Polling of North Carolina came out with yet another survey that shows GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich creeping toward the 50 percent …

Continue reading CNN/ORC poll: Barack Obama tied with GOP nominee in Ga. »

Since her splashy resignation from Susan G. Komen for the Cure two weeks ago, former GOP candidate for governor Karen Handel has kept a low profile.

But Handel has begun making a few appearances in a way that – if one were a suspicious person who thinks politicians never lose the itch – might be seen as boosting her standing among conservative Christians.

For instance, at 6 p.m. this very evening you can watch a livestream interview of Handel by Marvin Olasky, on the premises of Patrick Henry College in Virginia. The link, I’m pretty sure, is here. Otherwise try this one.

The pitch to Patrick Henry students from Olasky:

“When Karen Handel earlier this month bravely criticized Planned Parenthood executives’ ‘shakedown to coerce a private entity to give them grants,’ many on the pro-abortion side were furious with her. This interview will give students a chance to hear and question one of this month’s big newsmakers, and to see that a woman can knock over one of our …

Continue reading Karen Handel, two weeks after her Komen resignation »

In this economy, most people need a job in order to thrive. But not Karen Handel. The former Republican candidate for governor may have revived her political career by quitting hers.

As a public relations disaster, the week’s aborted attempt – the phrasing is intentional — by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to sever ties with Planned Parenthood will quickly become a case study in business schools around the country.

Karen Handel, a former GOP candidate for governor , is interviewed following her resignation from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

The nation’s largest breast cancer charity first announced it would shut off most money to the family planning organization – whose abortion services have long made it a target of pro-life forces. Then, in the face of an unexpected wall of protests, largely Internet-driven, Komen reversed itself.

As the senior vice president of public policy hired to help turn Komen into a Planned Parenthood-free zone, Handel …

Continue reading Karen Handel and the upside of unemployment in a down economy »

So Rick Santorum went three-for-three on Tuesday night, sweeping up Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado in those presidential contests. Bad news for Newt Gingrich, but good news for Mitt Romney – even though it may mean a longer slog.

In particular, Santorum’s strong showing could be another enticement for Romney, who makes a short visit to Atlanta today, to make a large commitment in Georgia as we get closer to March 6 and Super Tuesday.

Romney still needs to show he can win in a Deep South state – the Republican party’s geographic base. And no, Florida doesn’t count. A revived Santorum, especially one who does well in blue-collar Michigan on Feb. 28, could weaken the Gingrich campaign here by drawing away evangelicals.

That would give Romney, who won most of metro Atlanta in 2008, a decent chance to win a plurality in the state.

***
The campaign of GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich this morning unwrapped an endorsement from former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly and his wife …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: What a revived Rick Santorum might mean in Georgia »

I’m now transcribing a pair of interviews that Karen Handel gave this afternoon on her resignation from Susan G. Komen for the Cure – one week after the breast cancer charity reversed itself on a decision to sever financial ties with Planned Parenthood.

Karen Handel, after resigning as senior vice president of public policy for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is interviewed by members of the news media in Atlanta on Tuesday. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

Handel said nothing bad about her former employer – far from it. But in essence, she said that, by giving Planned Parenthood notice in mid-December, Komen allowed the group time to organize a national “pre-meditated” operation “that was nothing short of a shakedown to coerce a private entity to give them grants.”

Last week, Komen had said that Handel, hired as senior vice president in April, had nothing to do with the adoption of the charity’s policy. Clearly that’s not true, given her statements below. But Handel said Komen …

Continue reading Karen Handel: Komen gave Planned Parenthood time to organize ‘shakedown’ »

Karen Handel, the former GOP candidate for governor, just announced her resignation as a senior vice president for public policy of Susan G. Komen for the Cure – one week after the breast cancer charity reversed itself on a decision to sever financial ties with Planned Parenthood.

Below is the letter. Note that Handel says she is declining the offer of a severance package from Komen — which might have required her to keep silent.

February 7, 2012

The Honorable Nancy Brinker

CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure VIA EMAIL

5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250

Dallas, Texas 75244

Dear Ambassador Brinker:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer here in the US – and increasingly around the world.

As you know, I have always kept Komen’s mission and the women we serve as my highest priority – as they have been for the entire organization, the Komen Affiliates, our many supporters and donors, and the entire community of …

Continue reading Karen Handel resigns from Komen for the Cure »

Another look at the role of Karen Handel, former GOP candidate for governor of Georgia, in the decision by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to separate itself from Planned Parenthood, just posted by the Huffington Post:

“Karen Handel was the prime instigator of this effort, and she herself personally came up with investigation criteria,” the source, who requested anonymity for professional reasons, told HuffPost. “She said, ‘If we just say it’s about investigations, we can defund Planned Parenthood and no one can blame us for being political.’”

Emails between Komen leadership on the day the Planned Parenthood decision was announced, which were reviewed by HuffPost under the condition they not be published, confirm the source’s description of Handel’s sole “authority” in crafting and implementing the Planned Parenthood policy.

Handel’s strategy to cut off Planned Parenthood involved drafting new guidelines that would prevent Komen from funding any organization that was under …

Continue reading Karen Handel as the prime mover in the Komen decision »

The decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the nation’s largest breast cancer advocacy group, to cut most of its ties to Planned Parenthood – made public this week — has roiled the left, cheered the right, and has many wondering why and how the split happened.

Former GOP candidate for governor Karen Handel. Hyosub Shin hshin@ajc.com

From today’s New York Times:

John D. Raffaelli, a Komen board member and Washington lobbyist, said Wednesday that the decision to cut off money to 17 of the 19 Planned Parenthood affiliates it had supported was made because of the fear that an investigation of Planned Parenthood by Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, would damage Komen’s credibility with donors….

So the Komen board voted that all of its vendors and grantees must certify that they are not under investigation by federal, state or local authorities. But for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, being the target of partisan investigations is …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Did Karen Handel play a role in Komen/Planned Parenthood split? »

Throughout the next year, regional paranoia is likely to be a large part of the debate over the transportation sales tax for metro Atlanta. East Atlanta Patch offers up one example:

State Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, tells his East Atlanta constituents that they and other intown neighborhoods hold the power in a tax proposal that could raise $7 billion dollars for metro Atlanta road, rail and bridge builds.

He suspects they’ll demand more transit and fewer restrictions on Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

“I think that some changes with respect to MARTA and some changes with regard to other transit are going to have to be addressed in the next legislative session in order to set up the transportation referendum for success,” Carter said Tuesday night at the East Atlanta Community Association’s monthly meeting.

That sounded vaguely familiar. So I checked a recording of Monday night’s Republican debate of five candidates for the northeast Cobb County seat of the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Regional paranoia and the sales tax for transportation »