Cenrrist Democrat Roy Barnes is trying to do something that hasn't been done in 64 years: win the governorship of Georgia for a second time after losing other second time around (Eugene Talmadge won in 1946, after losing in 1942)
Democrats were giddy of another run for governor by Barnes despite having a State Minority Leader, a former Statewide officeholder & Adjuntant General, a sitting Attorney General in the race.
So why democrats are eager for another Barnes run for governor:
In Education, he focused on lowering class size, raised standards by requiring accountability, and passed legislation requiring more discipline in the classroom. He also created a comprehensive group to study education in Georgia and undertook the most widespread revision of education in a generation.
He completed four years of a property tax cut on homes and family farms. He passed a property Tax Payers Bill of Rights that exposes backdoor tax increases of increasing assessments to public scrutiny.
Roy also passed the first ever Sales Tax Holiday for Georgia in an effort to stimulate the economy and provide citizens with immediate tax savings. Roy honored his campaign promises and made tough decisions to insure hope for jobs, education and healthcare.
And he successfully fought for passage of the bill that guaranteed patients the right to choose their own doctor, and a bill that established a patient's bill of rights and allowed insurance companies to be held liable for denying or delaying much needed care.
Barnes was & still is a ambitious politician, who was bold & brash & that may have rubbed some folks the wrong way & that along with a bit of arrogance contributed to his downfall in 2002.
He led a successful effort to change Georgia's state flag, which featured the Confederate battle cross. It took a lot of guts & fortitude to do that knowing he would pay a price at the polls. In doing that, white voters in rural areas turned out in record numbers to vote Barnes out in one of the most stunning upsets in Georgia Political history.
The flag issue was a very emotional thing to those who said it spoke to their heritage. A lot of white voters felt Barnes was not on their side when he pushed to change it.
But remember, it was more of a anti-Roy Barnes vote than a anti-democratic vote.
While Barnes lost badly in rural counties like Taylor,Floyd & Colquitt, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor (D-Albany), won there, showing that voters were not angry at all Democrats but certainly Barnes. Another factor that contributed to Barnes loss was democrats were seen as out of touch with the state's conservative values.
Other things like the Northern Arc, & a education reform that the majority of the state's teachers were against also led to his ouster.
If he becomes the nominee, Rural Ga will be crucial for Barnes:
In Worth County Barnes won 57% of the vote when he ran for governor in 1998
In 2002 he scored 45%.
In Laurens County, he won 60% in 1998
In 2002 it was 39%.
As you can see, its places like these in my neck of the woods that are going to determine whether or not Barnes or any other democrat will be successful at the polls come November. Barnes is leading in the polls by as much as 40-plus percent. If that number holds come July 20, he'll be in good shape come november.
Can he win again in Rural Ga? Yes! Its all about showing the small-town voters like myself that you care about rural issues. Showing sincerity goes along way. The absolute truth is that any Democrat who can get through the cultural mine field of rural Georgia can prevail because a Democrat (who tries) can win easily. Don't doubt Barnes ability to win in Rural Ga folks!
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