The irony of this past Friday is just TOO funny to pass up.

After a luncheon at the Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce in which he was the guest speaker, Newt Gingrich supposedly made some comments that were complimentary of Lt. Governor candidate Ralph Reed. These were distributed by the Reed campaign in an e-mail Friday afternoon. One excerpt is:

“I have worked with Ralph Reed over the years on many key conservative projects. Together, we worked to make sure that this is a country that understood that our rights come from our Creator, that this a country that has a tax code that favors families and favors the ability of parents to raise their children, and that this is a country where schools teach about America and American history and the great values that have made America unique, and that this is a country that has the kind of health care system so that every American can have a better future.”

Also on Friday, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson gave a nod to the likelihood of a bill introduced as House Bill 941 passing this session that allows county courthouses across the state of Georgia to post the Ten Commandments…and, thus guaranteeing that any fight in the courts are paid for out of state tax revenue, as opposed to individual counties having to pay for it out of their pockets. Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors have it that Ralph Reed‘s longtime business associate, Tim Phillips, is departing Century Strategies and moving to D.C. to accept a position as Exec. Director of Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group.

This rumor, if accurate, deals a very big blow to the Reed campaign for Lt. Governor.  Phillips has  been the one largely responsible for grassroots organization development with CS’s consulting business.  Sure, Ralph is the one who “sells” people on the ideas, but Phillips has been the one who has kept track of implementing the organizational efforts.

Phillips’ departure is a signal that consulting business for Century Strategies, whether in terms of political campaigns or Ralph’s so-called “grasstop” lobbying, has completely dried-up.

Rumors have it that if Michael Thurmond jumps to the Lt. Governor’s race, a Republican free-for-all will likely ensue with other candidates joining Brent Brown in the melee.

Two other names have surfaced as possibilities: former state senator Robert Lamutt and current state representative Clay Cox.

Rumors have it that Republican Brent Brown is laying the groundwork to enter the race to become Georgia’s first Republican Labor Commissioner for Georgia.

You might remember that Brown ran in the Republican primary in 2002 for this slot but lost to Richard McGee, who lost against incumbent commissioner Michael Thurmond (D) in the 2002 General Election.

It has been rumored since last fall that Thurmond is eyeing the Lt. Governor’s position and may leave his post as Labor Commissioner.

Whether Thurmond does or does not leave his current post, we feel Brent Brown would be a good candidate for this position and hope he makes a strong run for it.

Today’s press release from Georgia’s House of Representatives has news about some of the bills that are being studied in this year’s Session:

HB 713: A bill to designate February 6 as Ronald Reagan Day; Sponsored by Bobby Franklin

HB 18: A bill to require the use of seat belts in all trucks except those used for agricultural purposes; Sponsored by Calvin Hill.

HB 161: A bill to prohibit the use of one’s Social Security Number for a driver’s license unless permission is specifically granted by the licensee; Sponsored by Burke Day.

HB 950: A bill to prohibit government entities in Georgia from restricting or prohibiting a public employee or public school student from verbal expressions relating to the celebrations or observance of any public or legal holiday; Sponsored by Clay Cox (no relation to either Cathy Cox or Kathy Cox or Cox Communications…at least, none I’ve heard about). Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors have it that the Ralph Reed Campaign for Lt. Governor is laying the groundwork for an all out offensive against Casey Cagle, his primary opponent.

According to an AP story, Reed stated “his campaign will soon turn to defining the differences between him and Cagle.”

There are also rumors that the Reed campaign has been conducting phone polls to try to unearth what possible negatives about Cagle his campaign’s research team can come-up with that would turn more people against Cagle.

At the PV, we’ve unearthed some of the questions likely asked by the phone pollsters from the Reed campaign. Questions like: Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors have it that Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) has his reelection campaign humming right along…straight out of his Cobb County (federal) district office.

Rumors abound about how his district personnel, upon waking-up to a challenge-candidate out of Cherokee County, have spent the last several months shaking-down businesses, associations, and politicos by threatening that if they don’t block John Konop from making any headway, they will be “cut-off” from any help from (and, we quote) “The Congressman.”

PV’s Analysis: The good thing about this type of illicit activity is that we do not have to rely on Denny and The Jets (i.e., Speaker Hastert and Bribery Central in the House of Representatives) to investigate these types of influence-peddling activities.

No, this type of stuff is handled directly out of the Office of Investigative Counsel, a completely separate law enforcement arm of Congress. And, violation of the Hatch Act isn’t going to entail a slap on the wrist, monetary fine as punishment if one is found in violation of it. Try jail time. Federal jail time.

We hope Tommy Boy and his merry band of shakedown artists in Cobb and Cherokee counties continues their romp through the district…the more activities they get caught at, the bigger the complaint sent to OIC will get.

Technorati Tags: Congressman Tom Price

Rumors have it that 9 members of Lt. Governor candidate Ralph Reed’s Steering Committee recently flipped sides in the race.

The nine were listed on Reed’s big list released last spring. However, they recently sent this letter to the Reed campaign:

“As you are aware, our names were listed as members of the Reed for Lt. Governor Steering Committee released by your campaign to the news media. We write today to request our names be removed from that list. Please know that our decision to support Senator Casey Cagle’s campaign is in no way an attempt to undermine or criticize you. Rather, we believe that Casey’s combination of experience, electability, dedication to conservative values and record of integrity in office make him the best choice for our party at this critical time. We thank you for all of your efforts to build the party behind the scenes, and wish you the best in your future endeavors.”

The Nine who signed the letter were:

Maurice Atkinson (Macon)
Bruce Garraway (Gwinnett)
Stan Hall (Gwinnett)
Christopher Harris (Gwinnett)
Ron Johnson (Gwinnett)
Josh Moore (Gwinnett)
Clint Murphy (Savannah)
Patrick Cork (Valdosta)
Nick Thompson (Gwinnett)

PV Adds a footnote: Would you like to know the real interesting thing? At least two of these folks NEVER GAVE Ralph permission to stick their names on his list in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: Ralph Reed, Reed for Lt. Governor Steering Committee

First, it was Pat Robertson proclaiming that Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke two weeks ago was caused by (and, I quote) “God’s punishment for Sharon trying to divide the land of Israel.”

Now, it’s Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans proclaiming that God sent the hurricanes to his city and the Gulf Coast because He is mad at America. (Yeahhhhh…)

Frankly, I thought Nagin would at least claim that it was Al-Quaida that started the hurricanes in the Atlantic and steered them right to his front door. Makes about as much sense as he does.

Back to Pat, I wonder why he hasn’t issued a proclamation about assassinating Iran’s leader for denying the Holocaust happened in Germany during WW II? My guess is that he’s fine with Iran’s Anti-Semitic comments, as long as they’re not talking about dividing his “Land of Israel,” Pat’s pretty well satisfied with whatever they say or do.

Technorati Tags: Pat Robertson, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Mayor Ray Nagin