Archive for the ‘Rob Teilhet’ Category

Over in Iowa, the hot topic is the resurgence of social conservatives in the budding Republican caucus season.

Not so much in Georgia.

Social conservatives here have had a rough few years getting anti-abortion bills through the Legislature. This year, they have been reduced to one: SB 210, sponsored by state Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, would make it easier to sue abortion providers.

Pro-life forces have long suspected that many of the state restrictions imposed on physicians who perform abortions – parental consent for women under 18 among them – are routinely ignored. Enforcement by the state is nearly non-existent, they claim.

SB 210 would allow another avenue for enforcement, through civil suits.

Pro-life forces have been concerned enough with the friction between certain portions of the Legislature and Georgia Right to Life, the state’s preeminent anti-abortion group, that they have asked former state GOP chairman Rusty Paul to help smooth the way for SB 210.

The …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Another anti-abortion bill may be sinking »

Candidates of the same party rarely run as a ticket in Georgia. But if they did, one would think that nominees for governor and lieutenant governor would be natural partners.

On the Democratic side, this isn’t necessarily so.

There are no signs of tension between Roy Barnes and Carol Porter, the nominee for lieutenant governor – whose husband DuBose was trounced by Barnes.

But in terms of tactics, message and geography, Barnes’ fortunes in November may be tied more closely to Ken Hodges, the Democratic nominee for attorney general.

Below is an account from the Albany Herald of Hodges’ “impassioned plea for support” to the local Rotary Club on Thursday:

“I am not running to be the Democratic attorney general of the state of Georgia,” Hodges said to the packed house. “I am running to be the attorney general of the state of Georgia.

Democratic nominee for attorney general Ken Hodges

“I need your support. I need your vote, and I also need for you to tell your friends all over the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Are the fortunes of Democrats Roy Barnes and Ken Hodges tied together? »

Updated at 11:50 p.m.:Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for all of your attention this evening. I’ll check in with you tomorrow morning.

Updated at 11:15 p.m.: On the Republican side of the 8th District congressional contest, state Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton), who until this spring was a candidate for governor, has apparently won the nomination without a runoff.

With 89 percent of the vote in, Scott is at 53 percent. Which prompted this bruising welcome from Doug Moore, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Macon):

“Austin Scott’s been in the legislature his whole adult life, He’s a career politician looking for his next job. Ran for governor, found no takers. Ran for Lieutenant Governor, got run off, and was told to run for Congress.

“He’s voted against taxing illegal immigrants, but he’s voted for, even proposed, multiple new tax increases on every Georgian.

“Politics makes strange bedfellows, but with Jim’s record of protecting and helping the people of this district, …

Continue reading Austin Scott close to 8th District GOP win, and gets a bruising welcome from Jim Marshall »

The Democratic contest for attorney general is likely to come down to a pair of TV ads.

As of June 30, former Dougherty County prosecutor Ken Hodges reported that he had $252,133 left to finish out his Democratic primary campaign for attorney general.

Which means that Hodges can afford a modest broadcast of this attack ad, released on Monday:

His rival, state Rep. Rob Teilhet of Smyrna, reported $38,260 on hand. But his campaign reports today that Teilhet had already laid down $210,000 on a TV buy by June 30 – presumably to air the Kenneth Walker video he displayed last week.

On Monday, the Teilhet campaign alerted reporters that Emily Walker, mother of the black man slain by a sheriff’s deputy – in the ad, she condemns Hodges for not bringing charges against the white officer – would be interviewed this morning on WAOK (1380 AM), a radio station aimed at African-Americans.

But if you don’t own the time, you don’t call the shots.

The Teilhet campaign this morning sent a note …

Continue reading The Democratic race for AG down to a pair of attack ads »

You didn’t need a poll on Sunday night to see the terrain in both the Republican and Democratic debates for attorney general. You just had to watch.

Both contests received 30-minute airings on GPTV, courtesy of the Atlanta Press Club.

In the three-man Republican contest, the question is whether the late entry of state Sen. Preston Smith of Rome will push the race into a runoff.

By way of attacking him, both Smith and former federal prosecutor Max Wood of Macon conceded front-runner status to Sam Olens, the former Cobb County commission chairman.

Smith immediately showed off his endorsements by the National Rifle Association and Georgia Right to Life, asking Olens:

“Why aren’t you endorsed by those organizations?”

Said Olens:

“You were a legislator and that gave you an advantage in regard to getting their endorsements. But I candidly think there’s little if any difference on those issues, because frankly we agree on them.”

But Smith trumped Olens with a …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Rolling in the mud with candidates for attorney general »

On Thursday, the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club issued a list of primary endorsements that included Carol Porter in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor, plus eight Democratic and two GOP state lawmakers.

But the conservation group made no endorsement in the contest for governor – deadlocked between two Democrats, former Gov. Roy Barnes and House Minority Leader DuBose Porter of Dublin.

How do we know? Here are excerpts from a letter penned by Mark Woodall, vice chairman of the group’s executive committee, summing up the dilemma:

It’s unfortunate that the two best environmental office holders we have seen over the last 20 years in Georgia are both running in the Democratic primary for Governor. Here is some history on the record of Roy Barnes and DuBose Porter.

Roy Barnes as Governor gave us some good appointments to the DNR Board, although he didn’t fire EPD Director Harold Reheis.

As Governor, Roy was against the mining of the Okefenokee by DuPont which led to …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Behind the Sierra Club deadlock over Roy Barnes and DuBose Porter »

Chuck Williams at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that state Rep. Rob Teilhet of Smyrna, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, on Friday will begin broadcasting what could be the most powerful – and perhaps incendiary – TV ad of the primary season.

Teilhet’s primary opponent is Ken Hodges, a former Dougherty County who served as special prosecutor in the 2003 shooting death of a Muscogee County black man, Kenneth Walker, by a white sheriff’s deputy, David Glisson.

Emily Walker, mother of the victim, is the sole voice in a 30-second video that can be seen here. Writes Williams:

Glisson shot Walker during a traffic stop related to a drug investigation. Walker was unarmed at the time of the shooting and no drugs were found in the vehicle.

Glisson is white and Walker was black, and the case caused a racial division in the community.

In the ad, Emily Walker [speaks] as the video of the SUV being pulled over plays.

“You are seeing the last minute of my son’s life,” …

Continue reading TV ad will show the moments before a Columbus killing »

The Democratic race for attorney general has kicked into gear, with both candidates donning their crime-fighting capes in a post-Fourth rush to the July 20 primary.

State Rep. Rob Teilhet was first on Monday with a 30-second TV spot trading on a quote that calls him the state’s “most forward-thinking crime fighter.” He emphasizes a proposal to expand the state’s DNA data base to include all those arrested on felony charges, and promised to established a unit aimed at prosecuting crimes against children.

See it here:

Former Dougherty County district attorney Ken Hodges continues to draw attention to his experience as a prosecutor – and Teilhet’s lack of same. Says his ad, which begins today: “You might want to choose the only Democratic candidate who’s ever prosecuted anyone. It’s a tough job, and it helps if you know how.”

See it here:

The Democratic TV ads could have repercussions on the Republican side with its three candidates – former Cobb County Commission chairman Sam …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: AG candidates don crime-fighting capes »

A border patrol car looks over the town of Las Chepas, Mexico, across from New Mexico. Associated Press

Who knew you could find the latest political trend in Popular Science?

From the magazine:

From aerial drones to virtual fences, the Department of Homeland Security employs a wide range of tools to protect the nation’s borders. But a pair of Texas lawmakers now want a decidedly more futuristic approach: electromagnetic pulses.

Republican Michael McCaul and Democrat Henry Cuellar want the border patrol to use portable EMP emitters to disable cars, boats or a host of other electronic items.

A suitcase-sized EMP could thwart smugglers trying to drive illegal drugs or immigrants into the United States, the lawmakers say.

The EMP Suitcase Compact 2100 Series, developed by Austin-based Applied Physical Electronics, emits high-amplitude electronic fields powerful enough to disable various devices “without causing permanent physical damage or endangerment to individuals,” as

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Forget border wall — we need ray guns »

After signing a water conservation bill on Tuesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue explained why he might veto SB 360, a bill that would ban adult drivers from texting while at the wheel.

Gov. Sonny Perdue signs a water conservation bill at Buford Dam Park on Tuesday. Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com

This from 11Alive:

“I’ve got some concerns over the enforceability of that,” Perdue said at a news conference….

The governor has until June 8th to sign all bills into law. The bill in question is S.B. 360, also known as Caleb’s Law. It bans texting while driving for anyone 18 and older; the problematic area is the part that makes it illegal to “read any text based communication.”

Here is Perdue’s example to describe why enforcing that part could be an issue:

“If I get my e-mails and I pick up a smart-phone and read my e-mails, I’m violating the law. But if I print out my e-mails and I have a sheet of paper driving [and look at it], then I haven’t violated the law.

Candidates fell over Alabama last …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Sonny Perdue’s doubts about a ban on texting while driving »