InsiderAdvantage Georgia

Karen Handel enters race for US Senate

Thu, 17 May 2018 06:00:00 EST

This morning, former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel announced that she will run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Saxby Chambliss. She joins Congressmen Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey, and Jack Kingston as announced candidates; David Perdue, a businessman and cousin of former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, has announced an exploratory committee to raise money for a potential race.

This announcement was well-timed for the start of the Georgia Republican Party State Convention this weekend in Athens.

Handel brings substantial advantages to the campign, though money will not likely be one of them.

In most campaign cycles, this might appear to be an early announcement for an election more than a year in the future, but with two of the Congressmen who have already announced for the seat bringing sizable warchests approaching $2 million each, it makes raising enough cash to fuel a competitive campaign more challenging.

Ex-congressman's son announces for 10th District

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

Mike Collins announced Thursday that he wants to follow his father's footsteps to Congress by pursuing the seat Rep. Paul Broun is giving up in his own quest for the Senate.

Collins, son of ex-Rep. Mac Collins, R-Jackson, made the announcement at the trucking company in Jackson where he had already followed his dad into the business world. And like his father, he stressed that his business background would be useful in Washington fighting government waste and regulation.

"I'll put my twenty years of business and managerial experience to work for the people of central Georgia," said Collins.

The younger Collins is a graduate of Georgia State University and is involved in industry and civic organizations, but he says he learned his main lessons at home.

"My father taught me about public service, but more importantly he taught me the values of hard work and getting the job done," the candidate said. "My first job was sweeping the floors in the truck garage for a dollar an hour. Now, we ship millions of metric tons throughout the U.S. each year."

'When Those Liberals Start Mixing Into Policy ...'

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

"When those liberals start mixing into policy, it's murder."

That quote came from none other than John F. Kennedy in 1962, taken from a source in a Newsweek article, and later discussed with his friend Ben Bradlee, then of Newsweek and later the head of The Washington Post during the Watergate years. It seems, looking back at Watergate and observing the events unfolding at lightning speed in Washington, that Kennedy was correct — not only about pointy-headed liberals, but about any political crowd that becomes either so dogmatic or so comfortable with power that they begin to feel "too cool for school."

As usual, some reader will disclaim JFK's dislike for liberals during much of his term. But it is a fact, and friends such as Bradlee — who certainly morphed toward the liberal side of things in his later years — chronicled the struggle in his diary of conversations with JFK.

Of course, a liberal in 1962 and one today are likely two different animals. But the concept of those who feel their own sense of "manifest destiny" to be that of imposing their better judgment on everyone else remains a problem in 2013.

That brings us to the topic of likely every column to be written in the next few days, the "trifecta" of edited Benghazi talking points, IRS targeting of conservatives and the DOJ's decision to seek the opportunity to have a look at phone calls made to and by Associated Press reporters. Of course, we all know in the world of the media establishment which of these sins is the biggest — that of snooping on The Associated Press.

But regardless, all three issues highlight the same general problems. As Kennedy noted (he did want to tell one of his liberal White House scholars that the quote had come from his close aide Kenny O'Donnell, but he never denied saying it), those who operate from a left-of-center philosophy generally see the world as one in which the unwashed, uneducated masses must be led toward enlightened policy.

Energy Policy vital to Economic Development

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

In a story from yesterday's InsiderAdvantage, Walter Jones wrote that affordable energy makes American manufacturing competitive against the rest of the world, according to a Federal Reserve Bank economist.

In Georgia, our affordable, reliable, and innovative energy markets help us be competitive for manufacturing jobs against other states, and demands for energy have even sparked some jobs of their own.

In 2012, Governor Nathan Deal, the five Republicans on the Georgia Public Service Commission, and the legislature prioritized energy competitiveness by removing the state sales tax on energy used in manufacturing.

And the dividend has been new high-paying jobs across Georgia.

Governor Deal has publicly credited the removal of the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing as part of the impetus for many of the new jobs he has announced.