SWGA Politics

SWGAPolitics.com Interview with Austin Scott, Part 1: Why Governor and Other GOP Candidates

After Carlton’s article on State Rep Austin Scott (R-Tifton) ran this past Sunday, I contacted his campaign via its website to ask about interviewing him for this site. To my surprise, I not only heard back from them within 24 hours, but I was sitting down with Mr. Scott himself by the middle of the week.

Talking to the man, he came across as very sincere, honest, and open. He is a man deeply committed to his family before his political career, and that came across as very genuine in my talk with him – not just the cliche that you would typically associate with a politician mentioning his family.

Note: I will post the full, unedited audio once this series is complete. I wouldn’t want to ruin any surprises, but I have said I will post it for transparency, and I will. Note that I am already posting the audio for each segment and that this was recorded in a local Starbucks here in Albany, hence the various background noises. It was also the first interview I’ve ever conducted, and first time I’ve ever attempted to transcribe anything, so please forgive any goofs on my part.

My first question for Rep. Scott was very straightforward – “Why Governor?” (audio), and I got an honest and straightforward answer: “Well, I’ve been in office for 14 years and like most people I’m pretty frustrated with what I see out of government.” Rep. Scott went on to point out that he’s tired of people buying their positions and that at the Governor level “they can’t push you aside anymore”. Even though he is among the youngest Gubernatorial candidates at 39 years old – he’ll be just shy of his 41st birthday at next November’s General Election – he trusts that “the sooner the debates start, the more our experience will show through” and points to his 14 years as a State Representative and 18 years owning his own small business. Even at this point, Rep. Austin also alludes to some of his competition, saying “I chair the Governmental Affairs committee, which one of the candidates in the race is taking a lot of the credit for the bills that we have passed out of that committee that they really didn’t have anything to do with.”

Finally, he believes that once people see his resume and take an objective look at him and his experience, people will “see that [he is] the candidate that is best prepared to lead from Day 1. And I do not believe that this State in the economic times that we’re in can afford to elect a Governor that on Day 1 when they take office is not prepared to govern.”

Next, I asked him about each of his competitors.

Regarding Karen Handel (audio), Rep Scott takes issue with her taking credit for elections laws that he says the Legislature should rightfully take the credit for. Indeed, he says ” If you look historically at those laws and you see who did the work on them, it was Austin Scott” and that Secretary Handel has “got her new phrase ‘bring it on’ and Karen Handel’s idea of getting something done is bringing it on down to Austin Scott’s office, dropping it off and letting me do it.”. Rep Scott also takes issue with Secretary Handel taking credit for budget cuts he says were handed down to her as an agency head from the General Assembly. He also calls into question her experience and says he looks forward to the debates, as he is confident this lack of experience will shine through.

Rep Scott also spoke about his own experience owning his own small business, pointing out that “being a small business owner, you understand the burdens and the time constraints that more and more government forces on you. … You know, by the end of the week, as a small business owner, its realistically a full day a week in dealing with government compliance. It’s a waste, its a burden and if we’ll get off the backs of the small business owners they’ll become profitable.”

Next, Rep Scott spoke about John Oxendine (audio) and noted “I’m an insurance agent, as an agent I think he’s been a pretty good commissioner as far as we go.” But getting back to politics, he thinks that “significant questions” will continue to be raised about Ox’s fundraising, specifically “how much money has been raised from people and industries that he regulates”. Rep Scott points out that Ox is a “formidable opponent” but that “I think that when we get into the debates, he’ll shine on the insurance issues and I think on the other issues he’ll come across as not knowing that much.”

On the latest entry into the GOP gubernatorial race, Nathan Deal (audio), Rep Scott pointed directly to the Congressman’s vote for the bailouts saying “I personally as a 40 year old with a 10 year old son don’t appreciate him financing my generation, my child’s generation to the point that we may never be able to overcome it.” Rep Scott also noted that Congressman Deal talks a fine talk, but that in the 16 years Deal has been in Congress, Republicans have failed to do those things they were elected to do, and because of it lost the Presidency and Congress. He says that because of this, “now that they have driven our party down the path that they did, and now that we’re the minority in Washington and they don’t like being in the minority party, he wants to leave Washington and come home and be Governor” and that Deal “wouldn’t even be considering running for Governor” otherwise.

Regarding State Senator Eric Johnson (audio), Rep Scott notes that “up to and until a couple of weeks ago, he was running for Lt Governor” and that “I think Republicans will have a real problem with the fact that he raised money and gave it to Democrats in the primary”. He also notes how Johnson has allegedly shifted money between the accounts of various races Johnson was in and says that “Quite honestly those transactions ought to be prohibited probably and maybe something we need to go back and look at again in the ethics laws”. Scott also points to the State flag issue from a few years ago as an example of his own leadership and notes that “I voted to change the flag. A week later, Eric’s wearing the flag like a cape in the Savannah parade.” On leadership in general, Scott notes that “I don’t think we necessarily as elected officials should go to the general public and ask them for tax increases each and every time we want to fund something. I think we’re a democratic republic, you elect people to lead, let’s lead. Let’s not push it back to the general public every time there’s a tough decision.”

Scott then takes aim at what he sees as the key difference between himself and Senator Johnson: school vouchers. Scott says Johnson is “adamant that vouchers are the solution to the public education problem” and that “I do not believe that. My mom’s a public school teacher, my child is in the public schools. We’ve certainly got challenges in the school systems. I think that those societal challenges that are there are going to be there regardless of if we have vouchers or not. You’re still going to have that segment of society that causes our scores to be at the lower end of the spectrum.” He then continues “I prefer to concentrate on – well when I say ‘partnerships’, I don’t mean government-sponsored partnerships but bringing the faith based communities into partnerships with the schools. Again, I don’t mean paying them. I mean making after school programs available through the YMCAs, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the churches, and the others that are the faith based communities. We’re going to have to take those kids that at 3:30 are going home to nobody there and give them a place to go where they’ve got parental supervision, activities, people that will help them with their studies. The government’s not going to do that. Its going to be up to the communities to do that.”

Finally, on the last of his competitors for the GOP nomination, Ray McBerry (audio), Rep Scott says “I appreciate his passion. The fact that he’s pro-life, I like. The second amendment stuff I like about Ray McBerry. As far as his positions go, for the most part I like him. … I’m not a big advocate of secession or any of those things from the Union and I do hear that talk from him…. He’s a true conservative. I think he somewhat has a hard time articulating his message and I may have that same difficult time articulating my message in a manner that can bring you 50% + 1 of the votes.” He goes on to note that McBerry says that California’s gun laws are better than Georgia’s, and this is where Scott takes issue with McBerry because “the California gun laws don’t even allow you to have a clip in the same compartment – or ammo in the same compartment with the firearm” and “in California you have to get an individual permit from the Chief of Police or from the Sheriff of the County to have the concealed carry permits and they have to believe you’re in immediate danger to issue you the permit”.

Check back with SWGAPolitics.com early next week for Part 2 of the interview, where Rep Scott looks at his Democratic challengers and answers the question of whether he would consider challenging Jim Marshall for the 8th Congressional District, and Part 3 where we discuss a variety of issues including the Obama Resolution, the Nuclear Power Financing Act, Super Speeder, and others.