The Makeover is Almost Complete, with 2012 being either Do or Die for the Georgia Democratic Party

With Roy Barnes only getting 24% of the White Vote last night, it is evident that the Georgia Democratic Party is now only consisted of Liberal Whites, Urban Blacks, Rural Progressives & Hispanics.

The Georgia GOP will almost complete their goal of remaking the Democratic Party as the party of "minorities" while they consume the majority of the centrist/conservative white voters, independents & a few commom-sense Black Republicans.

The likes of Alan Powell (D-Hartwell), Bob Hanner (D-Parrott), Gerald Greene (D-Cuthbert), Rick Crawford (D-Cedertown), Barbara Massey-Reese (D-Menlo), James "Bubber" Epps (D-Dry Branch), Ellis Black (D-Valdosta), Amy Carter (D-Valdosta), Mike Cheokas (D-Americus), Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City) are the only remaining white rural democrats left in the party. After redistricting is done in 2011, two things will happen: (1) Some will either switch parties or (2) Retire.

As it is shaping up now ,2012 will the fight for the survival of the Georgia Democratic Party. If the party continue to lose seats in the legislature, then we will become just like the state of Kansas, Utah, or better yet, Oklahoma where those democratic parties are irrelevant. The party is left with a uninspired, weak, base that is very unreliable when they need them the most.

One glimmer of hope for Georgia Dems is that the demographics will favor them once 2014 rolls around, but its not a definite guarantee. The map last night resembles that of 2006 where the rural black belt counties & traditionally urban areas went democratic while large swaths of rural georgia was as red as the devil himself. A bad sign from last night was that traditional rural democratic counties like Marion, Crawford, Schley, Taylor, Miller all went republican. (Taylor, Schley are already trending republican)

As I mentioned in a post earlier, someone like Jim Marshall, Carol Porter, or Carl Camon are the perfect fits to take the reigns of the Party & try to save it before it goes to a point of no return.

On a side note: The re-election of Sanford Bishop looks huge right now. Had he lost that would have had a major, major impact on the already shattered confidence of the democrats. Like it or not, he, along with John Barrow are now the standard bearers for Georgia Democrats, not the liberal members of Scott, Johnson & Lewis, with likelihood of Bishop moving to re-establish his center/right cred among his constituents.