With crossover day not far way, it could be do or die for some major legislative efforts in the General Assembly. Meanwhile we might have witnessed one of the shortest political careers in Georgia history, plus the unfolding of some unexpected political issues. Let’s start with that career flameout:
State Representative Sam Moore recently won a hard-fought special election in Cherokee County to take his seat in the Georgia House. That seat was hardly warm when Moore’s bill related to loosening loitering laws, including requirements for registered sex offenders, managed to become a hot source of comment on the floor of the House on Friday.
House leadership opposed Moore in his bid and they, along with their GOP colleagues, wasted no time beating down the hapless newbie in speeches on the floor and in press interviews afterwards.
Moore was clearly rattled as TV new cameras chased him down. By the end of the day Rep. Moore’s political career was in tatters and his recently defeated opponent was already announcing another challenge in May. Advice to Rep. Moore: “Surrender Dorothy!”
…Speaking of political issues, look for the special reworked “Confederate” license plate, which enlarges the battle flag widely across the entire tag, to become an increasingly significant issue during the approaching race for governor.
Governor Deal (who said that he was unaware of its new look, which obviously seems the case) and the Department of Revenue will be correct if they argue that broad protection is given to the freedom of speech by groups authorized to receive such plates (or revenue from them).
But there are likely plenty of questions behind the scenes as to how such a mobile version of the same flag issue, which inflamed the 2002 race, could have so easily reappeared in 2014. Democrats will likely use the issue in their efforts to increase minority voter turnout, which has been less than impressive in recent gubernatorial years.
…Have you heard of a city called Northlake? You might in the next few weeks. Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) is moving his proposed “City of Lakeside” along and it may well pass the Senate before crossover day. But advocates of other potential DeKalb cities such as Tucker could see their efforts revived in spirit, if not in name, even if Lakeside passes.
Millar has indicated a willingness to help turn the broader territories. along with his Lakeside proposal, into one large city once it reaches the House of Representatives. And that larger city would be named “Northlake.” That is, according to Millar, if supporters of the other proposed cities help him move Lakeside along in the Senate, thus creating a vehicle in the House.
Still of question is how a hearing of a proposed “City of Tucker” scheduled in the House this week will go. Left to their own devices, Lakeside as a stand-alone has a better chance of being created, because it is sponsored by a Republican and is a statewide bill. And if created on its own, Lakeside would doom other efforts by supporters of other cities in the future.
Tucker has Democratic legislative support and is local legislation, which puts it in a less favorable position for passage. Add to all of this the fact that a push for a new “City of Briarcliff” still has some possibility as well.
But there are potential statewide consequences if a GOP-leaning Lakeside, with GOP-type demographics, is created to the exclusion of others. That’s where a “City of Northlake” comes into play. For Northlake to emerge, the big issue becomes that of whether the various parties involved in the numerous city efforts can come to trust one another long enough to get the job done. That remains to be seen.
…An InsiderAdvantage poll taken last week indicates that only 29% of female voters in Georgia are pleased with the “gun bill” that passed the House last week. This sends a huge hot potato to the Senate.
And the Senate will likely be the last hope for Governor Deal, who will be saddled with a no-win issue in November. If it passes Deal must either allow the bill to become law, thus risking campaign ads by Democrats hungry to gain independent female votes, or veto the bill. which would anger the highly active groups supporting the bill. The addition of churches, certain public facilities, and bars only served to lower the support for the bill from previously terrible levels. What will happen in the Senate remains to be seen.
….Uberly contentious? The Uber versus taxicab lobby battle, taking place around the nation, has reached a boiling point in Georgia. The issues are complex and some critical arguments on both sides have been lost by many. More to come on the matter in the days ahead.
….Watch businessman and candidate David Perdue in the coming weeks as the GOP primary battle for the U.S. starts to take shape. Perdue was the first candidate to take to Atlanta network affiliate big time TV with an ad. And while it was a bit too early to run television, it ran during an ice storm, which meant those with power likely saw it on TV.
The ad was clever, in fact a little too clever. Our CEO Matt Towery preaches that name identification ads need to audibly say the candidate’s name over and over again. He notes that most viewers only casually read or even follow the visuals of a political ad until late in the election season.
But the boss gave Perdue’s a solid ‘B’ and now has him on the radar as a serious candidate who might just edge out a few “bigger” names in the race. And, you might ask, why have we not polled the U.S. Senate race? Because the ads really haven’t started yet, so basically the race has yet to take any real shape or form. But we will be ready…and soon.
