Archive for the ‘Lynn Westmoreland’ Category

No surprise here, but U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, just sent out an email announcing that, with their man about the exit the race, House members who had backed former Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich are now lining up behind Mitt Romney.

In addition to Price, they include Jack Kingston of Savannah, Phil Gingrey of Marietta, Austin Scott of Tifton and Lynn Westmoreland of Coweta County.

From their statement:

“After a hard fought primary season, Governor Romney has emerged as our nominee for president. We enthusiastically commit our support for Governor Romney. America cannot afford four more years of President Obama’s divisive and failed leadership that continues to punish entrepreneurship, pick winners and losers in our economy, and ignore our fiscal crisis.”

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

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Continue reading Newt Gingrich’s allies in Congress switch to Mitt Romney »

If he makes it to the White House, don’t expect GOP contender Herman Cain to continue first lady Michelle Obama’s healthy eating campaign.

GQ magazine’s December edition includes a pizza-eating session between Cain and reporters that produced these quips from the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza:

”The more toppings a man has on his pizza, I believe the more manly he is.”

And why would that be?

”Because the more manly man is not afraid of abundance.”

Be still, Grasshopper, and let the wisdom congeal like extra cheese on a thick crust.

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This morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and its first African-American leader, had a poor assessment of Herman Cain’s performance at the CBS/National Journal foreign policy debate on Saturday. From Steele:

A lot of people had this expectation that there’s just a lot of hype about his inability to perform, particularly on this subject. So here you are, you’ve got the venue, …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Herman Cain and the manliness of more pizza toppings »

When she was in town last week, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, declared that her party wouldn’t concede any territory in next year’s presidential contest.

But according to a poll released Thursday by InsiderAdvantage and Channel 2 Action News, to declare Georgia in competition would be something of a stretch – at least for now.

While he won 47 percent of the vote in Georgia in 2008, President Barack Obama’s current fan base is 38 percent, according to the survey. And 54 percent of voters said they would vote for any Republican – from Mitt Romney to Michele Bachmann, and anyone in between.

Writes IA’s Matt Towery:

Independent voters support any GOP nominee over Obama by a 49%-to-38% margin. Democrats are at a 79% support level for the president, with Republicans at nearly 90% for any GOP nominee.

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The 1858 debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for an Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate are famous for crystallizing the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Barack Obama down to 38 percent in Georgia »

In trying to find a simpler, more humane way to raise campaign funds in Washington, U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, may have stirred up a hornet’s nest.

It all started, the congressman said last night, with a fundraiser at a Keith Urban concert in Washington. Many of his supporters bought tickets and attended – but Westmoreland couldn’t. House votes kept him in the Capitol.

Westmoreland thought it rude of himself not to attend the party that he hosted.

The congressman usually invites lobbyists, representatives of political action committees and other walleted individuals to several such events each quarter. As does virtually every other member of Congress. “Half of them get up, don’t even finish eating, because they’re going to another one,” he said.

So Westmoreland penned an e-mail to donors this week that was picked up by the National Journal. Wrote the Georgia congressman:

I recognize that you have a life outside of politics – family, friends, and home. I am …

Continue reading Lynn Westmoreland: E-mail wasn’t offer of face time for cash »

So you know that Washington is staggering, zombie-like, toward another government shutdown today, as House Republicans – in late night session – approved a funding bill to keep the federal machine running.

Senate Democrats have vowed to reject it.

The House action, taken at 12:50 a.m. today, was virtually identical to the one that failed Wednesday – the product of some furious vote-whipping by House GOP leaders.

My AJC colleague Daniel Malloy in Washington points out that no Georgians were among the 23 Republicans to flip their votes and back the bill – despite the pressure of a closed GOP caucus meeting.

Malloy points to a few paragraphs at Politico.com that recount the reaction of Phil Gingrey, one of four no votes from Georgia, to the arm-twisting:

Not all was so peaceful, as seen in this sometimes comical exchange — described by several Republicans in the meeting — between Reps. Phil Gingrey of Georgia and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina.

At one point, the outspoken …

Continue reading Phil Gingrey: House GOP leadership ‘is not infallible’ »

You know that the metro Atlanta effort to pass next year’s transit sales tax struck something of a sandbar earlier this month, when the campaign’s top political strategist, Glenn Totten, abandoned the project. Possibly with some encouragement.

A retooling is underway. Right now, Paul Bennecke, the former political director for the Republican Governors Association, is the only name of note attached to that campaign effort, which is being financed by the Metro Atlanta Chamber.

An overlapping $3 million statewide effort – remember that counties will be grouped into a dozen regional tax conclaves – is being underwritten by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, which on Wednesday announced one of the most carefully balanced political teams we’ve ever seen.

Talk about your lions and lambs bedding down together:

– Heath Garrett, principal political strategist with the Stephens and Schriefer Group, is a former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson;

– Chris Carpenter, the campaign …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: The lions and lambs of Georgia politics on one team »

Fresh from rescuing the nation from economic calamity, Georgia’s members of Congress will spend the next few weeks indulging in self-preservation.

We are 10 days away from a special session of the Legislature assigned the task of redrawing Georgia’s political boundaries.

Georgia’s congressional districts, as currently drawn

Americans often think of democracy as the process by which voters pick their leaders. Redistricting is the B-side of that record —the once-in-a-decade chance for many incumbent politicians to pick their voters, and thus preserve their hold on power.

This is the first time in Georgia history that Republicans will have start-to-finish control of the process, which will be primarily, but not entirely, driven by last year’s census.

Under Democratic rule, GOP lawmakers criticized a process that was ruthless and secretive. Republicans promise to conduct themselves more openly. But score-settling will still be the rule — and the targets won’t always be …

Continue reading New congressional districts — and why Buckhead will remain Democratic territory »

Last night’s vote in the U.S. House on a debt-ceiling deal ripped Georgia’s congressional delegation in two, with Democrat John Lewis of Atlanta joining six Republicans in a final condemnation.

In quoting Mohandas Gandhi, Lewis sounded not unlike some tea partyists we’ve run into: “’All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. All compromise on fundamentals is surrender. It is all give and no take.’ The Democrats gave and gave and gave, but we received nothing in return. This is not a fair deal. It is not a good deal. It is not a balanced compromise.”

Voting for the bill were two Republicans – Tom Price of Roswell, Rob Woodall of Lawrenceville – and four Democrats – David Scott of Atlanta, Sanford Bishop of Albany, John Barrow of Savannah, and Hank Johnson of Decatur.

Voting against the bill were congressmen with major military concerns in their districts: Phil Gingrey of Marietta, Austin Scott of Tifton, and Jack Kingston …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: John Lewis joins six Republicans in vote against debt-ceiling bill »

Many members of Georgia’s congressional delegation – Democrat and Republican – still remain undecided about final passage of the debt-ceiling deal, but sides are being chosen in a hurry.

On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson gave a passionate speech about the need to come to an agreement. This afternoon, Politico.com has this line:

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said she was inclined to support the plan, as did Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

We have yet to hear from Georgia’s Saxby Chambliss, but the two senators only rarely cancel out one another’s votes. The vote in the Senate is expected tomorrow morning.

In the House, where the vote will come this evening, we may have as many as three “no” votes cast by Georgia members. U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, and Paul Broun, R-Athens, are solid opponents. Phil Gingrey, R-Marietta, is leaning that way.

“I took the pledge that I would not vote to increase the debt ceiling by one penny unless the balanced …

Continue reading Johnny Isakson, two House Republicans to vote for debt plan »

A reliable contact has just sent us this draft of new congressional lines now moving among influential Republicans in Georgia – the first detailed look we’ve seen:

Click here for a your own downloadable copy. As David Wasserman of Cook Political Report notes below, the map is the same one he posted in May.

Nonetheless, we’re being assured that these lines are being passed around as a starting point for a special session of the Legislature that begins Aug. 15. At a glance:

– In the 12th District, U.S. Rep. John Barrow, the last white Democrat from the Deep South, would be pushed out of his residence in Savannah. Previously, Republicans targeted him by forcing Barrow to move from his original base in Athens. Under this map, Augusta would become Barrow’s third home. If he survives a 2012 vote.

– The new, Republican-dominated 14th District would stretch from Hall County, home to both Gov. Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, northeast to Rabun Gap – and eastward into the middle …

Continue reading U.S. Rep. John Barrow to be shoved out of Savannah? »