The Donkey is Still Kicking

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The donkey is still kicking
On the national political scene, Democrats are in a world of hurt. Bush likely can’t be beat. But back home, the Party is alive and well. Take a look at the disparity between the national and the Georgia donkeys.

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THis article appeared in our newspaper by Shipp this week and I noted some good points on our state of Georgia.

In Georgia's state gov't Democrats remain dominant. They have just won two special legislative elections in a row. Both victories occured in what some believed was solid Republican country. Democrat Charles Jenkins decisively defeated well known Republican Kurt Cannon in a special run-off election last week to replace deceased Dem Ralph Twiggs, leading Democrats(including Miller) campaigned vigorously for Jenkins. During the summer Dem Mike Snow held onto his seat against Republican Jay Neal.

Democrats solidly hold the Georgia House by 107-72. These elections raise the question though if Republicans cannot win in the historical GOP-leaning Georgia mountains, where can they win?

We (meaning you, dear reader, as well as your humble commentator) tend to forget that Republicans did not exactly sweep the 2002 state elections. To be sure, they won the governorship-or perhaps we should say Democrat Roy Barnes lost the chief executive office. Even as Barnes crashed other Democratic incubents easily won re-election, in some cases by landslides against what appeared to be well qualified Republican contenders.

In additon the state Senate remained in the hands of Democrats after the election. Republicans gained a majority only because four senators won as Democrats, defected immediately to the Gop. The chances are at least 50-50 that Democrats will retake the Senate in 2004.

One other thing: The flaggers known on the national scene as the "guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks" are beginning to understand that Republicans are not their buds. Republicans simply used the good old boys in the last election to beat former Governor Barnes over the head with the flag issue, and then abandoned them once the election was over.

Did the flag-and-gun-rack crowd(or "white trash" as conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer recently termed them) really believe the country-club set planned to invite them in for a few longnecks after the sweaty election fights were finished?

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I thought he made some good points in his article perhaps Georgians may be upset enough with Republicans to cast their vote differently this time and Candidates might need to spend more time courting them. Although Zell's seat will almost postively go to a Repub because no strong Dem is in the race, so two Repug senators from Ga first time in a long time.

:kick:

has a chance with white males with Confederate flags on their pickups. Dean is an angry white man who may just get through to these angry white non-church-going white men.