Okay, That Wasn't Quite True

The other day, I posted that I thought the Democratic response to the State of the State was the first time-maybe the first time ever-we'd done such a thing. As Tom Crawford was good enough to point out today, that's not exactly accurate. During Perdue's first term, we provided a response. Lt. Gov. Taylor did one, Secretary Cox did another, and there may have even been another.

Maybe it would've been more accurate to say that this is the first time lately. In any case, I'm glad we're saying something.

Thanks, Tom.

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Saxby's Tobacco Money

No wonder Saxby voted "no" on SCHIP. He's deep in the pocket of the tobacco industry- perhaps a little too deep-and the FEC has asked for an explanation.

According the an FEC review of Chambliss' own filings, the Georgia Senator appears to have received a total of $9,500 from Swisher PAC, a tobacco product political action committee, including a contribution of $5,000 on September 13, 2007-squarely in the middle of the SCHIP fight. Coincidental, I'm sure. You will recall that the funding mechanism for the SCHIP bill was a tax on tobacco products.

(H.R. 976: Chambliss voted 'no' as the Senate passed the bill on August 2, 2007 and on September 27, 2007, he also voted 'no' twice more on related motions in the run up to the House attempt to override the President's veto. Click here for the full history of the bill.)

Chambliss has until December 17th to respond. His campaign denies receiving excess contributions.

According to Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact's Georgia Report, the excess contribution by Swisher is just one of eighteen contributions flagged by the FEC in Chambliss's 9/30/2007 disclosure report. The Chambliss campaign denies wrong doing, and told the Telegraph:

The Chambliss campaign says that's not the case, that it's a
routine matter of different people with the same names giving donations, and
donations needing to be "reattributed" to the general or primary election.

I'd like to know how may different people are named Swisher PAC, Pork PAC, and Employees of Northrop Grumman PAC. From Crawford, here's a summary of some of alleged excess contributions:

Gingrey for Congress: $4,000
Sen. Orrin Hatch election committee: $4,000
State Sen. Ross Tolleson: $3,000
Northrop Grumman PAC: $9,000
National Pork Producers Council, Pork PAC: $5,500
Swisher PAC (tobacco products company): $9,500
Paul Amos, AFLAC insurance executive: $4,600

You can read the FEC full letter to Sen. Chambliss' treasurer here. (PDF alert: click on the link, and then click "continue" on the page that appears. The seven page letter will load.)

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Tom Crawford to Speak in Macon This Friday

This Friday, December 29th, you are invited to hear journalist Tom Crawford apply his thirty years of experience covering Georgia politics to an analysis of the upcoming legislative session as he speaks to "Politics and Lunch" in Macon.

Tom is the editor for the online news service, Capitol Impact, political writer for Georgia Trend and frequent guest on GPTV's "The Lawmakers." The luncheon is open to the public, and people of various political persuasions are welcome. The luncheon seeks, through great speakers on a variety of topics, to connect the dots between politics, public policy and quality of life in our community.

All are welcome, but reservations for this special event are requested and can be made by contacting me at amymorton@aol.com. The luncheon is at noon at Nashville Station, 1015 Riverside Drive in Macon. The only cost, $10.00, is for your lunch and is paid to the restaurant at the time of the event.

We are very, very excited to have Tom with us on Friday. Here's a brief, but very impressive biography:



Tom Crawford has been involved in Georgia politics for more than 30 years, covering his first General Assembly session in 1974 when the governor, a fellow named Jimmy Carter, was squabbling with the lieutenant governor, a former restaurant owner named Lester Maddox.

Tom was a newspaper reporter and editor for 11 years with the Atlanta Journal, the Montgomery Advertiser and the Marietta Daily Journal. He wrote about government and politics at the state and local levels during that period, getting to know some of the colorful characters who have defined Southern politics.

He maintained his involvement in the political scene after leaving newspaper journalism, working as a speechwriter and public relations adviser in the late 1980s and 1990s. He returned to political reporting in 2000 as the editor of the online news service Capitol Impact, where he covers the General Assembly and all aspects of Georgia politics. He is a frequent guest analyst for "The Lawmakers" on Georgia Public Television and writes a monthly political column for Georgia Trend magazine.

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