Archive for the ‘Paul Broun’ Category

Suddenly, the hottest debate in Georgia is over who can say what about charter schools and the November ballot issue.

We told you yesterday about the Glenn Delk lawsuit against the state’s 180 school districts, demanding that a Fulton County judge order public school officials into silence – at least during school hours. See the lawsuit here.

The court petition leans a great deal on a letter of guidance issued by Attorney General Sam Olens to state School Superintendent John Barge last week, reminding those same school systems that public resources aren’t to be used on either side of the argument. Barge, for instance, removed notice of his opposition to the charter school amendment.

Democrats have now demanded that Olens apply the same measure to Gov. Nathan Deal, an advocate of the proposed constitutional amendment to give the state another avenue through which to create charter schools – over the objections of local systems.

From a letter sent to Olens by Mike …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Apply charter campaign restrictions to governor, Dems say »

From my AJC colleague Dan Malloy, who was listening in this morning:

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun’s Republican primary challenger, Stephen K. Simpson, repeatedly sought to portray the incumbent as overly doctrinaire and ineffective in a radio debate this morning.

Broun kept his easygoing style in the face of detailed questions from Simpson and callers to Tim Bryant’s radio show on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens about his voting record, and did not attempt to strike back at the political newcomer and former Army lieutenant colonel beyond calling his attacks unfounded.

One caller quizzed Broun about his 2010 vote against making it a federal crime to make videos of graphic torture and killing of animals. Broun was one of only three members to do so because, he said, the “crush videos” are already illegal in all 50 states and he wants to scale back the Justice Department and federal power. Broun, a tea party adherent who invokes the Constitution whenever he can, noted that originally …

Continue reading Paul Broun keeps his cool as Stephen Simpson portrays him as out-of-touch »

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, three people in Athens have used guns to halt crimes in progress recently, prompting cops to caution that a call to 911 may be safer:

“Athenians seem to be making more use of the Second Amendment these days,” said Ron Carlson, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia School of Law.

“These and other recent cases involve very different facts, but one theme resonates as a common denominator: citizens seem more ready these days to protect themselves or others who may be in mortal danger by using a gun,” Carlson said.

From Athens police:

“I believe in the Second Amendment, but I wish people wouldn’t take the law into their own hands unless it’s a direct threat where they know their life is in danger or someone else’s is,” said Capt. Clarence Holeman, commander of the Athens-Clarke police Centralized Criminal Investigations Division.

“If time permits, the appropriate thing to do would always be to call the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Miscreants, armed citizens clash in Athens »

Last night, Doug Collins sent out a list of endorsements in his GOP race for the new 9th District congressional seat.

Former U.S. senator Zell Miller, left, and state Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville/SPECIAL

Topping the roll call was 80-year-old Zell Miller, the former governor and U.S. senator, who now appears only rarely on the political circuit. Loree Thompson, spokeswoman for the Collins campaign, says Miller will appear with Collins at “a few events” before the July 31 primary.

But Thompson did toss us a photo of the pair, taken last week.

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At last night’s fund-raiser at Cobb Energy Centre, one pool reporter, Trip Gabriel of the New York Times, was allowed in to witness Newt Gingrich’s introduction of former Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney. Gingrich first flayed President Barack Obama, then patched things up with the man who skewered him in Iowa and Florida, according to Gabriel’s report:

“You have I think a tremendous nominee. I can say this from …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Zell Miller dips into 9th District race »

COLUMBUS, Ga. — In the midst of all the speeches at the state GOP convention this afternoon, former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins wandered past the press table – and ended rumors of a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, in the 10th District.

Collins said he had been contemplating a return to Congress until about 10 days ago, when he decided he rather liked the extra time he’s had with his family. But Collins said he won’t endorse Broun.

Broun didn’t come to the convention, but sent greetings via video. Another challenger, Stephen Simpson, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel from Milledgeville, was working the crowd Friday – but I haven’t seen him today.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.

Continue reading Mac Collins says he won’t run against Paul Broun »

This just arrived from my AJC colleague Daniel Malloy in Washington:

You could almost hear Tammy Wynette playing in the background as Newt Gingrich’s backers among Georgia’s House Republicans stood by their man and his Lost Cause on Wednesday.

Never mind the endorsement that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gave Mitt Romney a day earlier.

In interviews off the floor of the House, Marietta’s Phil Gingrey, Coweta County’s Lynn Westmoreland and Tifton’s Austin Scott declined to declare the Republican presidential primary finished in the aftermath of Rick Santorum’s exit from the race last week.

Not that any of them gave Gingrich much chance of success. The backing was more due to the precious notion of loyalty for a man who once represented the state in Congress. Gov. Nathan Deal said much the same thing on Tuesday.

“I’m very enthused about the 99.9 percent likelihood that our nominee will be Mitt Romney,” said Gingrey, whose district covers much of Gingrich’s old territory. …

Continue reading Newt Gingrich’s Georgia backers in Congress say they’ll stick with him »

The feud between Fox News and Newt Gingrich has become a very real, two-sided affair.

On Wednesday, Gingrich told a group of tea party leaders in Delaware – it was unclear whether he thought the meeting was private, but a reporter was present – that he considered Fox News in the pocket of Mitt Romney.

“In our experience, Callista and I both believe CNN is less biased than Fox this year,” Gingrich said.

On Thursday, Fox retaliated with an unusually personal attack on a personality that, until last year, it was paying for his on-air analysis. From The Guardian in London:

”This is nothing other than Newt auditioning for a windfall of a gig at CNN – that’s the kind of man he is. Not to mention that he’s still bitter about the fact that we terminated his contributor contract.”

Politico.com takes note today of an extreme measure to which Gingrich has resorted in order to keep his presidential campaign afloat:

Scrambling to dig himself out of a $4.5 million hole, the …

Continue reading Fox News: ‘Bitter’ Newt Gingrich trolling for CNN gig »

Today, much of Washington is poring over a mammoth study on members of the U.S. House, documenting how federal and campaign cash flow to their family members.

Eight of Georgia’s 13 House members earned a mention. An overview by the New York Times starts this way:

The 346-page report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, is an extraordinary compendium of creative accounting, self-interested budgeting and generous expense reimbursements. It highlights common practices that translate into tens of millions of dollars in payments to relatives or the lawmakers themselves.

Read the CREW report here. The look at Georgia congressmen begins at Page 86.

On Sanford Bishop, D-Albany:

From the CREW report:

Rep. Bishop earmarked money to his daughter and son-in-law’s employer, and to an organization with which he is affiliated. He also awarded scholarships to family members through a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) program.

This was aired out …

Continue reading The benefits of family ties to House members from Georgia »

Rick Santorum addresses a overflow crowd of more than 2,300 during a rally at First Redeemer Church, Cumming on Sunday. Curtis Compton, compton@ajc.com

Cumming, Ga. — The rise of Rick Santorum and the return of social conservatism to the Republican presidential primary is an economic indicator that bodes well for most of the country, though perhaps not for Mitt Romney.

We’ll get to that in a minute. But first a few details from First Redeemer Church, where on Sunday night, Santorum addressed, for 70 minutes, an overflow crowd of 3,300 or so. If Santorum makes a big move in Georgia on Super Tuesday, people will point to this church meeting as the place where it started.

The crowd was littered with Republican activists – always a sign of whether a campaign is poised to take off.

Among those who were there: Tim Echols, chairman of the Public Service Commission, who acted as MC; Chuck Eaton, member of the PSC; Ralph Hudgens, state insurance commissioner; state Sens. David …

Continue reading Rick Santorum and the pursuit of happiness »

Because you might be flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson between now and Thanksgiving Day, U.S. Rep. Paul Broun has decided to offer you his comforting opinion on air safety.

The congressman from Athens joined House Transportation Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., at Reagan National on Wednesday, where the pair dropped a report that called the $56 billion spent on airport security since 9/11 to be a waste.

From the Washington Post:

Broun said a terrorist bomb could be put aboard an airliner “very easily” at his home airport in Atlanta. “TSA has not prevented any attacks,” he said. “It’s just been very fortunate that we’ve had no attacks.”

Broun has been a frequent critic of airport security. When last heard from on the topic, the congressman said he had witnessed security agents at an airport – he never said which one – pat down an elderly woman and child, but skip a man “in Arabian dress, who just walked right through.”

Then again, there is that Channel 2 …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Terrorist bomb could be planted ‘very easily’ at Hartsfield-Jackson, says Paul Broun »