Tom Price - new one to watch

I first learned who Tom Price was on election day, November 2008. I was a volunteer poll watcher at a precinct in my community. The woman in charge of the polling site was Elizabeth Price. Later in the day, a voter greeted her like an old friend and I learned, from over-hearing their chat and asking questions of a fellow poll watcher that:

1. Her husband is Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who was also running for re-election. But it was supposed to be OK for his wife to manage a voting site because it was in a different district (the 6th -- one over from ours), and he was not on the ballot for our area. Well, I guess that was ok, but somehow it didn't seem quite as non-partisan as it ought to be. I was maybe primed for offense, because this is a Republican area, and when we first introduced ourselves and asked if we might observe the unsealing of the ballot boxes as they were being prepared for use (as we had been carefully instructed to do) -- Betty Price was very suspicious and curt and wanted to know whom we were representing; and she gave us strict warning to stay out of the way. As the day wore on, she was tough but really ok -- and fair. She warmed up as we pitched in and helped by handing out sample ballots to those waiting in line, running errands for the poll workers, and answering voters' questions. In the end, we had no complaints. She ran a fair polling site.

2. But I've been paying attention ever since to the mention of Tom Price's name in Washington news. He is an orthopedic surgeon from Roswell, Emory trained, and has sponsored legislation on patients' rights. He has also risen in his 6 years in Congress to be on several important committees and was elected by his colleagues as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee -- the policy study committee.

3. Tom Price was the subject of Jay Bookman's column in the AJC today. He gets quoted a lot lately, and Jay was pointing out his inconsistency and the lack of coherence in his -- the Republican -- position.

Before Obama's Oval Office speech, Price demanded action. "[He] needs to finally take charge of this disaster and show some real leadership."

The next day, Obama took the BP CEO Tony Hayward to the woodshed and they came out with Hayward's having promised to set up the $20B fund to pay for damages. So what was Tom Price's response?

He condemned Obama's [leadership?] tactics, calling it "Chicago-style shakedown politics." The sin, of course, was "compelling a private company to set up an escrow account" to assure the payments.

See, Obama should perform miracles and make the oil leak stop. But he shouldn't do anything to the oil company itself that caused the problem.

And then, of course, everybody jumped on Joe Barton (R-TX) for using the word "shakedown" in the hearing. But that's what they all were saying -- he just was inept enough to say it where it would get full media play.

OK. Why am I surprised? That's just who they are.

Ralph