Friday, January 27, 2012
Politics Newt's CNN debate performance compared to McEnroe without follow-through
Posted by Thomas Wheatley on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:54 AM
Last I counted, GOP candidates had participated in 19 hour-plus, televised debates since the GOP nomination process started. According to reports, these events — which political strategist Todd Harris told the Washington Post were "one part soap opera, one part reality TV, one part C-SPAN" — huge ratings draws.
These showings, which are discussed on Twitter in realtime, lampooned the day after, and analyzed to determine a "winner," will do much more to help decide the GOP presidential nominee than eating biscuits with old people in diners and shaking hands at county fairs. Very sad but also very true.
And according to the reviews, Newt Gingrich flubbed last night's jawbone session, which was presented by CNN. Says the New Yorker's John Cassidy:
From the first question, about immigration, to the last one, about why he was the man to beat Obama, he said virtually nothing that was new, funny, or of particular note. He didn’t even attack the press. Or, rather, he did try to once or twice, but Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s host, smacked him down, and he stayed smacked.When that happens, you know there is something badly wrong. Where was the fiery Newt of Myrtle Beach and Charleston, the man whose verbal fusillades had taken down Juan Williams and John King, whose fulminations about Bain Capital and undisclosed tax returns had transformed his rival into a stuttering wreck? In his place, there was a withdrawn and sullen fellow who repeatedly complained about unfair attacks against him, while missing numerous opportunities to stick it to Romney. Instead of George Foreman beating his opponent to a pulp, we got John McEnroe complaining about the line calls and how long his opponent was taking between points. But where McEnroe used to whine and cuss himself into a fury and then play better, Newt whined and flubbed it.
You're like Ivan Lendl, Newt! Or some other tennis player from the 1980s whose name we can't remember! Says Politico's Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns:
All told, Gingrich’s performance was more a throwback to the last days of his Iowa campaign — a floundering, listless, message-free affair — than an extension of his Palmetto State victory tour.Again and again over the course of the two-hour CNN debate, Gingrich either soft-pedaled his attacks against Romney or failed to make them altogether. Asked to explain it afterward, Gingrich backers offered a collective shrug — it wasn’t the performance they needed heading into Tuesday’s primary.
His somnolent showing left other November-minded Republicans with a mix of shock that the famously hard-charging politician would go soft at such a high-stakes moment and relief that he may not be able to capitalize on his South Carolina win.
It should be noted that not everyone's saying Gingrich has lost the Sunshine State. Let us know in the comments if you found any other interesting takes.
News First Slice 1/27/12: Let's talk about grandmas
Posted by Thomas Wheatley on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 8:40 AM
1. Miss last night's GOP debate? Watch Talking Points Memo's 100-second round-up of the Jacksonville jawbone session above. (Apparently there was much discussion about magical self-deporting grandmothers.) According to this morning's TV pundits, former Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich looked a bit shaky next to a reinvigorated Mitt Romney.
2. A recently released 2010 MARTA audit knocked the transit agency for, among other things, failing to adequately report the death of a young man who was choked to death when he fell on an escalator and his clothing became caught. The transit agency says the MARTA officer who didn't discover the man for more than an hour was suspended without pay.
2. In case you missed it: It's Georgia General Assembly season. Here's how to spot the mysterious creature known as "state lawmaker" and their predators, which scientists often call "lobbyists."
Events 5 things today: Off the Edge, Mason Jennings
Posted by Wyatt Williams on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 7:00 AM
- JUNIPER SHUEY
- Seattle dance company zoe/juniper participates in Off the Edge this weekend
1. Off the Edge at the Rialto Center for the Arts
2. Mason Jennings plays Variety Playhouse
3. Jackson Fine Art exhibits photos by Vivian Maier, Todd Murphy, and Chip Simone
4. Lord T and Eloise play Peachtree Tavern
5. Chris MacFarland plays the Basement
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Guv'ment How to spot legislators in the wild
Posted by Scott Henry on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 6:41 PM
Last night, I stopped in for a cocktail at a certain New Orleans-style restaurant in Inman Park that shall remain nameless when I spied waiters hauling trays loaded with desserts up from the kitchen. Noticing there were about two dozen servings of bread pudding, my radar began to ping and I realized there could only be one force behind this phenomenon: lobbyists!
Yes, with the General Assembly in session, our fair city now finds itself overrun with lawmakers and those attempting to influence said lawmakers. After some checking today, I discovered I had stumbled across a wine-and-dine outing by the state House Natural Resources and Environment Committee that was being hosted by the Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Conservancy and other, less palatable, special-interest groups.
But my point is that you, too, can find legislators and lobbyists in the wild and observe their mating rituals from a safe distance if only you know what to look for. Here are some of the tell-tale signs:
• Legislator license plates in the parking lot. These are easily spotted because they all start with SR (state representative) or SS (state senator, not Schutzstaffel), followed by up to three numbers, which indicate the lawmaker's native habitat, er, district. Sometimes, if you see such a plate on the road, you can pull up alongside to check whether said lawmaker is accompanied by a young female who's not his wife.
• Legislator name tags and lobbyist badges. Lawmakers wear colored, embossed tags pinned to their lapel or blouse. Lobbyists wear photo-ID badges clipped somewhere on their person. If you look closely enough, the badge also names which lobbying firm they work with, although that won't necessarily indicate what causes they represent — or whether they are working for the forces of good or evil. Do not confuse these items with the lanyard-suspended badges worn by visiting conventioneers.
• Young men wearing well-tailored suits who are clearly neither Mormons or prom attendees. This is a dead give-away that lobbying is occurring nearby.
• Explanatory and promotional pamphlets stacked up on such subjects as Georgia's peanut industry and "How you can protect bikers' rights!"
OK, there you go. Happy sightings!
News More slavey stuff in Gwinnett County Schools
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 1:25 PM
A handful of students at Camp Creek Elementary in Lilburn recently came home from school and reported to their parents that, at recess that day, they'd played a variation of the game tag in which some of the kids were slaves and others were slave catchers. Worse, they claimed it was their teacher's idea.
WSBTV aired a segment featuring interviews with the traumatized children and their predictably outraged mothers, and the whole thing just feels a whole lot like another recent incident that resulted in a teacher's shaming and eventual resignation.
The school district says it investigated the playground incident, and that "allegations regarding the teacher's involvement were unfounded."
Still, there's something here, right? Either Gwinnett County teachers are hell-bent on explaining slavery to their young charges in arguably inappropriate ways, or the district's more insidious young people are conspiring against their poor, underpaid teachers by crying slavery.
I'm leaning toward one of these scenarios, but I won't say which.
Wonk / Guv'ment / Transit Regional transit governance bill submitted to governor
Posted by Thomas Wheatley on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 1:21 PM
State lawmakers yesterday submitted legislation to Gov. Nathan Deal that would overhaul the way metro Atlanta's bus and rail systems are operated. The language of the proposed bill, which the governor is holding until he can gather enough signatures, is included as part of a state commission's report about transit governance (PDF). (Kudos to the Saporta Report's David Pendered for posting a copy.)
According to the legislation, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, or GRTA, would oversee all transit operations in the state except for MARTA. The legislation would also allow the lieutenant governor and House Speaker to make some appointments to the GRTA board. Currently, the governor picks all members.
In addition, A 35-member "transit governance" council would be created under GRTA to provide "direct policy-making and oversight of [GRTA's] transit governance." Members of that council would consist of, according to the report, a majority of local elected officials including 13 county commission chairmen and 13 mayors. The mayor of Atlanta would have a guaranteed seat on the council. The council would also be allowed to "proceed with contracts, applications, and legal agreements within its purview."
We're still poring over the legislation. Let us know if anything stands out.
Wonk Brookings' Leinberger says metro Atlanta needs to 'go back to its roots'
Posted by Thomas Wheatley on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Christopher Leinberger, a land-use guru and one of the Brookings Institute's leading smart-growth champions, took a look at metro Atlanta's cheap home prices, gridlock, and woeful economy. He says the metro region needs to "go back to its [railroad] roots" if it wants to regain its footing as a vibrant, powerful region.
More specifically: approve the 1-cent transportation sales tax this July which could pay for rail investments and help build walkable neighborhoods.
There's no doubt Leinberger's critique has some metro leaders feeling a bit peeved this afternoon. Hell, if it would've appeared in the Wall Street Journal we probably would've seen some press releases denouncing Leinberger by now.
LGBT Outwrite Bookstore closes permanently and files for bankruptcy
Posted by Bobby Feingold on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 11:22 AM
- Joeff Davis
- In a written statement, owner Philip Rafshoon said, "We have examined and exhausted all possibilities for continuing this company given our financial situation."
First Slice 1/26/12:
Posted by Scott Henry on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 10:29 AM
- Joeff Davis/CL File
- Stay dry out there
1. Start preparing for speed traps on upper Peachtree Road. The bill to create a city of Brookhaven had its first hearing at the Legislature. The next discussion will be this coming Tuesday.
2. Rick Santorum continues to run for president of the Dark Ages — or maybe he's just trying to make sure no women vote for him. Last night on CNN, he told Piers Morgan that women who become pregnant after being raped shouldn't be able to get an abortion, but should "make the best out of a bad situation."
3. Last year, it was Snowmageddon. This year, Soak-a-Thon or maybe Damp-tastic, depending on how much you like the wet stuff. Flash flood warnings are in effect for the northern 'burbs and heavy-ass rains expected for the rest of us. Panic responsibly.
Events 5 things today: Back Pockets, Ghost Riders
Posted by Wyatt Williams on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 7:00 AM
1. The Back Pockets at the Earl
2. Ghost Riders Car Club at the Clermont
3. Evie Shockley, Chelsea Rathburn, and Megan Kaminski read poetry at Emory University
4. Bulletproof at Connect Lounge
5. Marcia Wood Gallery hosts an opening reception for new work by Katherine Taylor and Shawne Major
