The 2010 Georgia gubernatorial primary is still five months away and already Peach State Politics has entered "the silly season."
At least that's what Brian Robinson is calling it. Robinson works as U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland's press secretary. On Tuesday he confirmed the accuracy of Westmoreland's quotes in a revealing Atlanta Journal-Constitution political exposé.
In the article ("Did Oxendine use investigation to influence Westmoreland?" by Cameron McWhirter and Jim Galloway, Feb. 2, 2010), Westmoreland said he felt that current state insurance commissioner and Republican governor front-runner John Oxendine put him through a "shakedown" to try to silence the congressman's vocal support of one of Oxendine's opponents.
Westmoreland, who serves Fayette County as the U.S. Congressman from Georgia's third district, told the AJC that Oxendine called him about an investigation into Southeastern U.S. Insurance Company. Oxendine said Westmoreland's name was found on company documents.
Westmoreland told the AJC that Oxendine never said anything explicit, but the third district Congressman felt a message was being sent. He said Oxendine told him repeatedly that he would try to keep his name from becoming public as a favor.
In 2009, a Fulton County judge ordered Southeastern U.S. Insurance company’s assets placed in liquidation under Insurance Commissioner Oxendine's oversight because of irregularities in the company's books.
Westmoreland served on a non-decision making advisory board for the company in 2003 and 2004.
With nothing to hide, Westmoreland talked to the Atlanta paper about the "weird" phone call.
"This ain't right," Westmoreland told the AJC. "He [Oxendine] knows good and well I had nothing to do with it [Southeastern U.S. Insurance Company's legal trouble]."
"Silly season" might be more aptly called "graft and gross corruption season."
A sitting U.S. Congressman has publicly stated that Oxendine used his capacity as a Constitutional Officer of Georgia for personal political gain.
This is serious stuff -- just like the State Ethics Commission's investigation of the Oxendine campaign for allegedly accepting $120,000 in illegal campaign donations from an insurance mogul through thinly veiled political action committees.
Oxendine denies any wrongdoing in both cases, but as former Fayette County resident Charlie Harper wrote in the influential Georgia political blog Peach Pundit Monday, "Ox is toast."
The rift between Westmoreland and Oxendine is telling. Both court the same brand of solidly conservative Republican core voters. Westmoreland, who was once considered a front-runner for the governor job before deciding not to run, alledgedly rebuffed Oxendine's summer request for an endorsement and chose instead to campaign for his colleague in Congress, Nathan Deal.
As Oxendine's tailspin accelerates, Deal is looking better and better. However, the north Georgia Congressman has his own share of ethical baggage. Deal will get the money and the big name endorsements one would expect a career politician to garner. He has been a Congressman for 13 years and previously served as a state legislator for 12 years.
Deal started his Congressional career as a moderate Democrat and has shifted over the years into a conservative Republican. Deal is facing allegations that he intervened with Georgia lawmakers to preserve a "sweetheart" non-competitive government contract that channels $300,000 of taxpayer money annually to his company.
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington lists Deal as one of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress.
Last week I wrote about a Republican dark horse in the governor's race: Austin Scott. I'm still a fan of the young state representative from Tifton.
I've learned that Scott isn't the most popular state legislator in Atlanta, which is probably a good thing.
Last year, Scott introduced HR 75, which would allow the Georgia Attorney General to form a state-wide grand jury to investigate "corruption in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the state, any political subdivision or municipality of the state, or any authority or instrumentality of the state. . ."
Scott's bill predated the Glenn Richardson scandal. While others are alledgedly shaking down their fellow politicians, Scott is making it easier to blow the whistle. It's hard to make friends in Georgia politics when you try to do the right thing by exposing corruption.
Alverson is the editor of this newspaper and a graduate of Fayette County High School. |
