Political Notes

Political Notes: April 2010

That old gang of mine: Georgia’s seven Republican congressmen were long known as “G-7,” one of the most conservative groups in the U.S. House, but the old gang is breaking up. Rep. John Linder of Gwinnett County announced he won’t…

Political Notes: March 2010

Amburn in charge: House Speaker David Ralston picked Spiro Amburn, previously the legislative affairs director for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, as his chief of staff. Amburn earlier was Gov. Sonny Perdue’s deputy legislative affairs director. “Spiro is not…

Politics: Still An Optimist

Not since the days of the WPA and the CCC has the landscape been this bleak for working people in Georgia. The state’s unemployment rate inched above 10 percent in June and has been hovering around that double-digit level ever…

Political Notes: February 2010

Appointments: Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed Shawn LaGrua to another judicial branch job. Perdue named LaGrua solicitor general for the DeKalb County State Court in 2004, but when she ran for a full term as a Repub-lican in 2006 she…

Political Notes: January 2010

Is Johnny safe? Sen. Johnny Isakson so far does not appear to have a credible Democratic or Republican primary challenger for his reelection campaign in 2010, a fact that prompted the online publication CQ Politics to declare the U.S. Senate…

Politics: A Contact Sport

Chicago newsman Finley Peter Dunne has been dead for more than 70 years, but the phrase he coined still gives us the best analysis of the upcoming election year in Georgia: Politics ain’t beanbag. No, politics is not for the…

Political Notes: December 2009

Howard award: This year’s winner of the Rock Howard Award from the state Board of Natural Resources will be Reid Harris, a retired attorney from St. Simons Island who sponsored one of the state’s most important environmental laws, the Coastal…

Politics: Not Paying Attention

Integrity Bank, Alpharetta ... Alpha Bank and Trust, Alpharetta ... Community Bank, Loganville. Those were the first three Georgia banks to be shut down by federal regulators in August 2008. Over the past 15 months at least 25 banks have…

Political Notes: November 2009

Policy group formed: Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) has formed a new Senate Policy Group, which he will chair, to develop conservative proposals for the 2010 legislative session. The group’s members include Mitch Seabaugh (R-New-nan), Chip Pearson (R-Daw-sonville), Bill…

Politics: Football Capital

Down here in the South, we are serious about college football. Dead serious. Just last year, two football fans in Brewton, Ala., were arguing so vehemently over the Alabama-LSU game that a “physical altercation” developed, in the language of police.…