Even Cagle Had the Blues

Last week there was excitement when Democrats in both chambers waged spirited opposition to a pair of voter registration bills. As you know from previous blog entries, the bills seek to require birth certificates, passports et al as proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote. A continuing assault on the right to vote for those most affected by adding more barriers...African Americans, older citizens, naturalized citizens, college students. Imagine conducting a voter registration drive and having all registrars needing to carry a copy machine. Wouldn't balance very well on the traditional clipboard.

Anyway, all that debate rhetoric was overshadowed by the squable over a bill by Sen. Eric Johnson that would have allowed the State Revenue Dept. to release the names of Legislators who had disputes with them. Currently the law says the dispute charges are not made public until there is legal action by the Revenue Deptartment. So, no matter what we might think about those who are investigated...or why...legislators would be treated differently than other citizens and essentially be guilty until proven innocent. Tough territory to be in if you are an elected official.

Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown argued that even he was the subject of malicious prior judgement on this kind of issue, since he filed an extension on his tax filing due to a lengthy illness. But in a stunning one-upsmanship screed, Brown expounded on the intentions of Johnson to embarass what he thought might be Democrat scuffows. Although Johnson never anwered to the charge of being a "blood-sucker", he did recoil when the overhead projector behind Brown displayed a photo of Johnson wrapping himself in the old Georgia Confederate flag. Jaws dropped, mouths hung open and we were all sure that the Senate was going the way of Rome, Greece and big time vaudeville.

Perhaps it was an attempt to diffuse the intense levels of feelings, but Lt. Gov. Cagle commented that the bill never should have gotten to the floor. He didn't take the position of the Dems ("Blues"...get it?) but he did recognize that there are some battles that shouldn't be played out on the Senate floor. Exhausting just thinking about it.