The first modern circus was held in London on January 9, 1768. The next one kicked off yesterday in the big building downtown with a gold dome.
Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled, “Common Sense” on January 9, 1776. The pamphlet is considered to have united colonists to the cause of American independence.
Herman Talmadge was sworn-in to his second term as Governor of Georgia on January 9, 1951.
Segregated seating on Atlanta buses was held unconstitutional by a federal court on January 9, 1959.
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter arrived in Athens to register at the University of Georgia on January 9, 1961.
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, debuted the iPhone on January 9, 2007.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Today, the Georgia Circus Maximus General Assembly continues the Session, with the Senate coming to order at 10 AM and the House at a more leisurely 1 PM.n
TBD Canceled- Senate Rules 450 CAP
8:00 AM Canceled – Senate Econ Dev & Tourism 450 CAP
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 2) Senate Chamber
1:00 PM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD2) House Chamber
1:00 PM Canceled – Senate Children & Families 307 CLOB
2:30 PM Senate Education & Youth 450 CAP
4:00 PM Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities 450 CAP
The General Assembly convened yesterday and started the Session slowly, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Gwinnett Daily Post.
With Democratic and Republican leaders already have been chosen last year at the start of the two-year legislative term, there were no leadership elections. Rep. Jon Burns, R-Newington, began his second year as Georgia House speaker, while GOP Lt. Gov. Burt Jones did the same as presiding officer of the state Senate.
The two legislative chambers were content with passing resolutions formally notifying Gov. Brian Kemp that the General Assembly is in session and scheduling a joint session for Thursday to hear Kemp deliver his annual State of the State address.
Despite the relative lack of activity on Monday, the 40-day session is expected to pick up quickly. Lawmakers will be anxious to complete their business as soon as possible so they can get out of the campaign trail in this election year. All 236 seats in the legislature will be on the ballot in November, and candidate qualifying is set for early March.
Easter comes early this year – on March 31 – giving legislative leaders another reason to move forward at a fast pace.
The governor’s State of the State message will be his second of the 2024 session’s opening week. Kemp is scheduled to headline Wednesday morning’s Eggs and Issues breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, being held this year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
Outside the Capitol, protests got off to a quicker start. From the AJC:
Greeted by pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations against Georgia’s voting system, lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday almost as if they had never left.
Lobbyists who typically leave their bags and coats on tables in Capitol hallways were told the practice was no longer allowed. There was an increased police presence seen in and around the Gold Dome. Gates surrounding the Capitol steps were closed, forcing the public to a main entrance.
Outside the Capitol, protesters from either end of the political spectrum chanted slogans and lectured lawmakers.
A group of about 20 pro-Palestinian activists, led by the far-left Party for Socialism and Liberation, urged for an end to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and harangued President Joe Biden for not calling for a cease-fire.
Meanwhile, across Capitol Avenue in Liberty Plaza, about 75 right-wing activists braced themselves against a steady, cold wind to restate conspiracy claims about the 2020 presidential election and demand Georgia conduct its elections via paper ballot rather than touchscreen voting.
Security is higher at the Capitol, according to the Georgia Recorder.
Back inside, the state Capitol was abuzz, with lobbyists, advocates and others filling the hallways. Some of them were adjusting to a crackdown on unattended bags and other items, with new signage sprouting up warning of confiscations. Lobbyists commonly leave their belongings on tables at the Capitol while working the halls.
The first day also brought a noticeable showing of Capitol Police officers and bomb-sniffing dogs. And over in the Senate, security was also on the mind of lawmakers.
Several senators spoke on the chamber floor about the need for tougher criminal and civil penalties for falsifying reports of serious crimes following a recent rash of swatting threats made against GOP leaders, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Republican Sen. John Albers shared his own harrowing experience. Roswell police showed up at his home the day after Christmas following a hoax domestic dispute call with someone threatening to shoot another family member.
Albers, who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee, called the swattings foolish pranks that put police and victims at risk.
“You may also know that just a few days ago someone emailed a bomb threat to our Capitol building as well as buildings throughout the entire United States,” he said, referring to a bomb threat that briefly shut down Georgia’s Capitol. “Again, these types of actions are foolish and dangerous.
“You see much increased police presence here at the Capitol today,” Albers said. “We’ll continue to see that both visibly and non-visibly to make sure that each one of you and our families are protected.”
Atlanta Democratic Sen. Nan Orrock said that the threats against public officials are another example of how more governing bodies and people are treating dangerous rhetoric as normal public discourse.
“We should absolutely come together and use the bully pulpit to model behavior that is not divisible, not rancorous, not tearing down but sound of the message of coming together to address the needs of our constituents in our state,” Orrock said.
State Rep. Ron Stephens is prepared to roll the dice on a proposal to legalize sports betting. From WRDW:
You may remember last year, Rep. Ron Stephens, who represents parts of Bryan and Chatham counties, sponsored a bill that would’ve legalized sports betting. But the state legislature shot that down.
Still, Stephens says he thinks this issue will come up again this year and he’s hoping that it will have more support, saying that the money generated would be used for education.
“That’s where we’re going with sports betting is to allow these folks, specifically our pro teams the Falcons, the Hawks, everybody that’s in the state of Georgia, they’re asking us to allow them to do this. This is just another lottery game. It would add money to HOPE and Pre-K,” Rep. Stephens said.
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to disrupt traffic visit Atlanta today, according to the AJC.
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday to address frustrated voting rights advocates who are facing steep challenges in Georgia after a string of legal setbacks.
It’s the vice president’s 10th trip to Georgia since she took office, and one of a string of events she and President Joe Biden have held in the battleground state focused on expanding access to the ballot.
Among the participants are Black Voters Matter cofounder LaTosha Brown, New Georgia Project chief executive Kendra Cotton and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia.
It comes as some senior Democrats worry that Biden’s base of support is fraying, in part because voting rights protections and other key elements of his “racial equality” agenda have failed to pass a divided Congress.
Republican candidates for state and local office spoke to the Golden Isles Republican Women, according to The Brunswick News.
Democrat Michelle Kang announced she will run against Republican State Rep. Matt Reeves (Duluth), according to the AJC.
Democrat Michelle Kang announced Tuesday she will compete against state Rep. Matt Reeves, a Duluth Republican who flipped the seat that spans parts of Duluth, Sugar Hill and Suwanee in 2022.
Kang, a fixture in the Korean American community, focused her campaign launch on pledges to expand abortion rights and lower housing costs.
“I am running for office to represent all of my neighbors regardless of their income, race, religion, or the language they speak at home,” she said.
Kang entered the race with the endorsement of Om Duggal, the Democrat who Reeves defeated in 2022.
The Democratic Party of Georgia announced a candidate recruitment effort, according to the Albany Herald.
This is part of a national campaign by Contest Every Race to ensure that no Republican goes unchallenged up or down the ballot.
The program utilizes text messages, coaching calls and in-person organizing meetings to identify and mobilize Democrats to run for local office, with a particular focus on geographic areas where a high percentage of Republicans go uncontested — outside of major urban areas.
The Democratic Party of Georgia and Contest Every Race are launching this program as evidence continues to build that having more Democrats running locally boosts Democratic turnout and enthusiasm, which can translate to increased votes to ensure Georgia stays in the win column for President Biden’s re-election campaign.
The 2024 candidate recruitment program is targeting close to 3,000 hyper-local races across 876 localities in almost every county in the state, with a focus on county commission, city council and school board offices. Democratic Party of Georgia aims to recruit at least 100 new Democrats to file for office by the March 1 deadline.
Augusta Commissioners took no action to change the alcohol ordinance, according to WJBF.
The clock is ticking on selecting a new Sunday for Augusta bars to open. Commissioners went into the legal session Tuesday to discuss the situation and loud voices could be heard coming from the room.
Commissioners have already selected Super Bowl Sunday but some are are looking to switch to Cinco de Mayo. A survey of bar owners received only 15 responses, with the top vote being St. Patrick’s Day, which also falls on Sunday this year.
Commissioners ended up taking no action on switching, so it’s still Super Bowl Sunday.
Rome City Commissioners elected one of their members Mayor and installed other officers, according to the Rome News Tribune.
In a unanimous vote Monday, the Rome City Commission named Commissioner Craig McDaniel as the mayor of the City of Rome for 2024.
This will be McDaniel’s second term as mayor, a position that serves as the city’s designated representative and chair for the city commission.
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