State House Dems Unveil $1B Revenue Plan

Georgia House Democrats say they have a plan to generate $1 billion or more for the state-without raising taxes.

The measure targets the collection of sales taxes in Georgia. It calls for a transfer of control from the state Department of Revenue-to local governments. Local governments could then contract private firms for collection.

House Democrats say currently, hundreds of millions of dollars in uncollected tax revenue slips between the cracks in Georgia’s collection system.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Calvin Smyre of Columbus says local government control would eliminate excess costs in the revenue collection process:

"This is an efficiency in government...streamlining government...providing additional revenues for our budgetary woes that are facing the state of Georgia. We think this is a very-very first step toward reforming our tax codes."

House Democrats say a similar plan in Alabama has already netted that state a spike of more than $1 billion.

House Bill 356 made its debut at the State Capitol today-its sponsor is Democrat Virgil Fludd of Tyrone.

Lawmakers hesitant on bailout

Georgia Republicans and Democrats say they're in no rush to support the Bush administration's proposed $700 billion financial bailout. But despite lots of tough talk about Wall Street greed, most appear ready to go along with some sort of taxpayer-funded intervention. They say the stakes are simply too high. Many said they would wait to see the final package that Congress takes up before deciding whether to support a bailout.

(Associated Press)

Latest statewide election results (Updated)

From the Secretary of State's Office:

Unofficial And Incomplete Results of the Tuesday, August 05,
2008 Primary Election Runoff

The results displayed are UNOFFICIAL AND INCOMPLETE until
certified by both county election superintendents and the
Secretary of State, a process that will not be completed until
the week of August 11.

Last Updated Wednesday, August 06, 2008 7:55:08 AM

United States Senator, Chambliss 97% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Jim Martin 188,331 59.8% Vernon Jones 126,577 40.2% Totals 314,908 County Results
State Senator, District 13 91% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes John Dickey Crosby 1,779 33.6% Wally Roberts 1,193 22.5% Rusty Simpson 1,115 21.0% Horace Hudgins 695 13.1% Bob Usry 515 9.7% Totals 5,297 County Results
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
State Senator, District 44 95% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Gail Buckner 7,516 54.9% Gail Davenport 6,166 45.1% Totals 13,682 County Results
State Senator, District 50 96% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes Jim Butterworth 6,175 62.3% Nancy Schaefer 3,734 37.7% Totals 9,909 County Results
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
State Representative, District 61 84% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Ralph Long, III 1,357 57.9% Keisha Waites 986 42.1% Totals 2,343 County Results
State Representative, District 91 95% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Rahn Mayo 2,795 55.2% Rita Robinzine 2,267 44.8% Totals 5,062 County Results
State Representative, District 93 100% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Dee Dawkins-Haigler 2,374 60.8% Malik Douglas 1,530 39.2% Totals 3,904 County Results
District Attorney, Clayton Circuit 98% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Tracy Graham-Lawson 15,148 60.7% Jewel Scott 9,825 39.3% Totals 24,973 County Results
District Attorney, Eastern Circuit 99% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes Larry Chisolm 5,790 65.9% Jerry Rothschild 2,992 34.1% Totals 8,782 County Results
District Attorney, Piedmont Circuit 98% of precincts reporting Republican Candidates Votes % of Votes Brad Smith 5,502 56.6% Donna Sikes 4,219 43.4% Totals 9,721 County Results
Democratic Candidates Votes % of Votes No Candidates 0 0.0%

Polls close as Georgia chooses

Polls closed across Georgia Tuesday as voters selected which Democrat will take on Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in November.

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones is facing off against former state lawmaker Jim Martin in what has been bitter three-week runoff race.

Both candidates predict the contest will hinge on turnout, which was sparse across the state.

Just 18 percent of registered voters made it to the polls in July's primary and elections officials say fewer than half of those voters were expected to return to the ballot box for the runoff.

The last U.S. Senate Democratic primary runoff, in 2004, posted 6 percent turnout.

Jones and Martin were the top vote getters in the five-man Democratic primary three weeks ago. Jones won 40 percent of the vote in that contest and Martin earned 34 percent.

The runoff race has featured a duel over voting histories.

Jones accused Martin of voting against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Martin voted for John Edwards in Georgia's Feb. 5 presidential primary even though the North Carolina Democrat had already withdrawn from the presidential race.

Martin has hammered Jones for voting twice for Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

Tuesday's winner will face an uphill climb against Chambliss, who has $4 million in his campaign warchest even after a massive media buy to blanket television airwaves statewide with his first re-election ad. The ad will debut after Tuesday's runoff.

Chambliss on Tuesday sent letters to both Jones and Martin saying he looks forward to debating whoever emerges as his opponent.

"After today's vote, the people of Georgia have a right to know what distinguishes their United States senator from the other candidates," Chambliss wrote. "A crucial part of that process for Georgians will be public debates."

He did not commit to specific debates.

Chambliss sent a similar letter to Libertarian Senate candidate Allen Buckley, also on the ballot in November.

Runoffs are also being held Tuesday night in six legislative races. Three of them are incumbents facing challengers.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

(The Associated Press)

Final debate for U.S. Senate Dem candidates

A final debate was held yesterday between the two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, ahead of next Tuesday’s primary runoff. DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and former state lawmaker Jim Martin sparred over each other’s votes in recent presidential elections and the February primary. The two also questioned each other’s ability to challenge Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in November. Tuesday’s Senate debate was hosted by GPB.

Democrats in U.S. Senate race debate

Five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race got together last night for debate in Atlanta. There were sparks over the issue of campaign cash. The two candidates who have said they will not accept money from political action committees--Dale Cardwell and Josh Lanier--went after Jim Martin. Martin has been taking the largest number of PAC contributions. The debate also included candidates Vernon Jones and Rand Knight. The five are facing-off in the primary for the right to take-on Republican Saxby Chambliss in November.

Carter political strategist dies

Hamilton Jordan, 1944-2008. Jordan answers questions at a news conference in Dallas on June 4, 1992. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

Hamilton Jordan, a political strategist from south Georgia who helped propel Jimmy Carter to the White House and served as his chief of staff, died Tuesday. He was 63.

Jordan died at his home in Atlanta after a long battle with cancer, said Gerald Rafshoon, a former Carter spokesman.

Jordan graduated from the University of Georgia with a political science degree in 1967 and became a key adviser to Carter during the 1976 presidential campaign. After Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, Jordan ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 1986. He lost to Wyche Fowler, who won the general election.

Jordan worked for H. Ross Perot's presidential bid in 1992.

Later he worked with Unity08, an independent political group founded by independent Angus King, the former governor of Maine, along with Rafshoon and Doug Bailey, a former staffer on President Ford's 1976 campaign.

Jordan's family is planning a memorial service at the Carter Center on Friday, according to a report.

For more GPB News coverage about Georgia politics, click here. For more about Carter, click here.

(The Associated Press)

Democrats announce tax plan

Georgia Democrats are proposing a plan that allows counties that lower property taxes to tap into a 300 million dollar pool of education funding. The proposal would set aside 600 million from the state's reserve fund over the next two years for counties that reduce property taxes to use for educational purposes. The measures will face plenty of opposition in a Republican-run statehouse where lawmakers are already considering a range of other new tax plans. Lawmakers also unveiled a bipartisan push yesterday to make sure Georgians don't have to pay state income taxes on the stimulus checks they might receive from the federal government.

Andrew Young: Obama's Too Young

Young. (Ric Field/Associated Press)

Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House.

In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has her husband behind her, and that "Bill is every bit as black as Barack."

Sen. Barack Obama. (AP /J. Scott Applewhite)

"He's probably gone with more black women than Barack," Young said of former President Clinton, drawing laughter from a live television audience. Young, 75, was quick to follow his comment on Bill Clinton with the disclaimer, "I'm clowning."

Young, a former United Nations ambassador and lieutenant of Martin Luther King, Jr., made the comments at an appearance at "Newsmakers Live," an urban media forum that interviews prominent Atlanta personalities and political figures.

Excerpts of the interview were posted on Newsmakers Journal, the Newsmakers' Web site, though the date of the appearance was not included with the video posting. Young was scheduled to appear on "Newsmakers Live" on Sept. 5, according to a press release.

Repeated efforts by The Associated Press to reach Young were unsuccessful.
Young's comments were prompted by a member of the audience who inquired about his opinion on Obama's candidacy.

"I want Barack Obama to be president," Young said, pausing for effect, "in 2016."

"It's not a matter of being inexperienced. It's a matter of being young," Young said. "There's a certain level of maturity ... you've got to learn to take a certain amount of (expletive)."

Young went on to say that Obama needs a protective network that he currently lacks - a quality that could hurt him if he were to be elected. He said Hillary Clinton already has that kind of network, including her husband to back her up.

"There are more black people that Bill and Hillary lean on," Young said. "You cannot be president alone. ... To put a brother in there by himself is to set him up for crucifixion. His time will come and the world will be ready for a visionary leadership."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Democratic Party, and here for political coverage.

(The Associated Press)