I just finished an interview with Rep. Paul Broun about the effectiveness of the stimulus act. More on that later, but the quotable Broun had a quip about the Obama Administration’s economic policies: “Voodoo economics,” he called them.

The phrase was originally coined by George H.W. Bush in the 1980 primary to describe supply-sider Ronald Reagan's fuzzy math. Broun defined it a bit differently.

“You have to be a dead man walking around with no soul to believe the economic ideas they’re putting forward,” he said.

Kim Jong Ox?

An Insider Advantage poll released today (subscription only) shows that almost half of Republican voters haven’t decided who they’ll vote for for governor.

The poll shows Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine in the lead at 25 percent, followed by a statistical three-way tie between former Secretary of State Karen Handel (10 percent), U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (9 percent) and former state Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (7 percent). State Rep. Austin Scott and states’ rights activist Ray McBerry are spinning their wheels at 3 and 1 percent, respectively. State Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, was not included. Forty-five percent are undecided.

Oh, election-year politics under the Gold Dome.

State Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, has scheduled a press conference for 1:30 p.m. tomorrow to announce proposed changes to campaign finance law aimed at the office of insurance commissioner.

Scott, as it happens, is running for governor as a reform candidate. The current insurance commissioner, coincidentally, is John Oxendine, the Republican frontrunner in the governor’s race. Oxendine, wouldn’t you know, is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions from an insurance company executive who’s also his hunting buddy.

U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor, let it slip during a live chat this morning that he is a birther.

In response to a question from journalist Tom Crawford, Deal said, “I am joining several of my colleagues in the House in writing a letter to the President asking that he release a copy of his birth certificate so we can have an answer to this question.”

Deal also said during the chat states should be able to opt out of a proposed Medicaid expansion because he doesn’t believe the federal government will really foot the bill. Which reminded me of something Gov. Sonny Perdue and GOP gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine told me last week. (notebook dump alert!)

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine says middle-class Georgians are increasingly going without health insurance by choice.

“It’s hard to get someone to pay for health care when they find out they can get it for free,” Oxendine said.

While expounding on health care reform Wednesday, he offered up this hypothetical scenario:

A fairly typical 35-year-old man making $60,000 a year. He’s got a wife and 2.5 kids, a nice car, not much savings, some credit-card debt and little to no home equity. He’s young and healthy. His children are insured, but not himself. Something goes wrong, and he needs a $200,000 procedure.

No insurance. Can’t pay the bill. What does he do? Declares bankruptcy.

Which means, of course, that he doesn’t have to pay. But someone does. This is why hospitals charge $400 for a bandage.

Water wars, Part Deux

Count on voters to be sick of the 2010 election by November. November 2009, that is.

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine announced a $500,000 media buy today, “locking down television and radio across the state.”

If The Ox is coming to a screen near you, the other candidates for governor can’t be far behind. Everybody pack a lunch, this is going to be a long campaign.

In the same press release, Team Ox announced it raised $420,000 in the first half of the year. That haul gives him a total of $1.45 million, with $1 million on hand, campaign manager Tim Echols said.

Democrat David Poythress, as promised, didn’t do too badly. He announced contributions of $460,000 from 800 donors, including, he emphasized in his ongoing onslaught against former Gov. Roy Barnes, $75,000 since Barnes entered the race last month.

Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, will be a guest on Fox’s America’s Newsroom Tuesday at 10:35 a.m. He will discuss the Obama Administration’s forecast that the stimulus package will create 3.5 million jobs.

“Very probably, these numbers are just picked out of the clear blue sky and are not authenticated or authenticatable," Broun recently told USA Today.

FYI, my spell-check is telling me that “authenticatable” is not a word. Stephen Colbert, if you’re reading this, I’m thinking it might be the next “truthy” for your opening credits.

Bad economic news