In a recent "Christian Science Monitor" article, Godfrey Sperling
wrote the following:
"There’s a successful governor in Georgia who just might be the
best candidate the Democrats could run for president in ’04. He is
Roy Barnes, of whom Jimmy Carter’s brilliant campaign strategist, Hamilton
Jordan, said to me the other day: ‘I’d put Barnes up against any
governor in the country.’ Mr. Jordan added, ‘Jimmy Carter gives
Barnes high marks for governorship.’"
That’s a far cry from what a lot of people are saying locally about
Barnes, especially Republicans. But you would expect that of Republicans.
A contrast to the "Monitor" piece was an Associated Press story
by Dick Pettys in "The Anderson-Independent", elaborating on Georgia
Republicans’ wailing about Barnes’ "spoils system."
They claim that the Governor’s 2002 grants from his "emergency"
fund to Democrats who are in trouble over the "flag" vote is indicative
of just how corrupt he has been.
The article cites the example of Senator Nathan Dean of Rockmart, who is
in a tight battle with a Republican. In the past fifteen months, Dean has
received $234,500 from the governor’s "emergency" fund, compared
to $89,672 the previous twelve months.
This from a governor who has bellowed for belt-tightening in the state budget
this year due to revenue shortfalls. Just whose belt is getting tightened?
Included in Dean’s "emergency" grants this year was $13,500
for band equipment and $20,000 for uniforms for Cedartown High School. Bobby
Kahn, the governor’s campaign manager responded to the suspicious "emergency"
grants, saying, "Is he helping in their campaigns. Yes. In terms of
the emergency fund, the two have nothing to do with each other."
That’s what I like about politicians. They can lie with such a straight
face.
So who should we believe? Hamilton Jordan and Jimmy Carter, or the Georgia
Republicans? If it’s the matter of the presidency, I think Roy Barnes
would make a great president, in the tradition of Jimmy Carter and Bill
Clinton.
As for Governor of Georgia, I hope Barnes suffers the same fate that probably
would have befallen Carter had he been eligible to run again in Georgia.
There are many around who doubt that he could have made it. Maybe we are
smarter than the nation as a whole.
Let’s hope so.
Ó2002 Dave Nelson