Last night, President Elect Barack Obama devoted a significant portion of his speech to Ann Nixon Cooper, the 106 year old Fulton County voter who was born before women or African-Americans could vote. Georgia's own Representative John Lewis, the last surviving speaker from the '63 March on Washington, was featured on every major network and cable news channel as the living legend he is. Images and words from Ebenezer Baptist Church were beamed around the world as symbols of hope and change. This morning, the front page of The New York Times will include a story about voting rights pioneers in Albany, Georgia who realized a long deferred dream yesterday.
Yet, even in the glare of the national spotlight, in the face of total economic meltdown and under threat of endless war, 53% of our fellow Georgians chose Senator John McCain and his inept choice of Vice President over Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden to lead the Nation out of this morass. If nothing else, it just seems impolite. It's also deeply embarrassing that no Southern states except Virginia and Florida are blue on election maps today. However, none of this really dampens the optimism and joy I feel today. It only serves as a reminder that we still have much work to do to bend that arc toward justice, opportunity and prosperity for all. At least here in Georgia. But today, we celebrate.
17 Responses to “What’s the matter with Georgia?”
Not so fast. Georgia not called yet:
http://www.11alive.com/...?storyid=123175&catid=228
Runoff!!!Runoff!!!Runoff!!!Runoff!!!Runoff!!!Runoff!!!
http://sos.georgia.gov/...tion_results/2008_1104/003.htm
Looks like North Carolina will come through. With Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida blue, that is a lot of progress in 4 years, actually.
I'm a bit disappointed in the results here in Georgia (I thought Obama might win towards the end), the final results look like they will be very close to what the polls said they would. And he did a lot better than Kerry or Gore.
I am going to be completely divisive here, but I have to hand it to the fear that the McCain campaign instilled into white middle class voters in suburbia and exburbia.
Just look at some of the comments in the AJC that people from Forsyth County made.
They say they're not racist, but inside, their hearts are still containing the rottenness of Lester Maddox.
I agree rptrcub, but the future is bright for dems in ga. Not because of changing attitudes, unfortunately, but because of changing demographics. The future of Ga. politics is a multicultural one!
For me, as a Ga. Democrat, the news wasn't all bad in '04. We added to our total from 2000. The unfortunate thing was the other side added so many more. It took the other side more than a decade to achieve their total, and we're just getting started. We've just got to keep it up, eventually we'll get there. Hopefully in two years, but it may take more.
I also want to point out that Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, looks like a lock out in California. I'm pretty amazed that even Los Angeles County even voted for it ... it was pretty much the Bay Area against the rest of the state.
I only bring this up to point out that even my beloved West Coast is not entirely perfect.
Also, by making things ever more threatening here in Georgia, we pulled a lot of money away from Franken's race, McCain's ability to push hard into Pennsylvania, and so on. There is something to be said for fighting the rear guard action hard.
We lost our two Reps who deserved to lose and I feel no sorrow for losing their seats.
I think Dems can take a lot of positives out of last night. I know 46% might seem a downer now but given where you were just two years ago...
Oh and a new candidate for Guv in 2010 may have emerged last night. *cough*8th*cough
No.
Barnes V. Marshall V. Poythress in that primary.
Not so fast my friend.
Marshall is more likely to run for Senate from what I've gathered talking to him but really really really doesn't want to give up seniority.
I, too, am dissappointed with the results in GA. But I have to ask, when was the last time a Democrat carried even *one* of the states of the Old Confederacy? 1996?
It looks like Obama will end up with three "turned states" in the South, Virginia, NC, and Florida.
That's 56 electoral votes. In 1996, Clinton carried Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana ... 45 electoral votes.
Obama did better in the South than Bubba did.
He runs for Senate if Johnny runs for Gov. You really think he would go up against Isakson straight up?
No.
Well, maybe.
He said if he thinks he has a chance (read: polls well) then yes, he will run. But as I said, he is very concerned about giving up seniority.
And didn't Johnny say he was running for reelection?
I'm actually not disappointed in Georgia's results. I think we did well considering President-Elect Obama (that feels GREAT typing) hasn't been here in 5 months and decided to go up on air 4 days before the election. Just imagine what the results would have looked like if we were treated like a battleground state. Jim may have won outright and there may have been a few more pickups in the General Assembly.
I want Marshall to run for Senate so he can get his ass handed to him and then get out of our politics. We already have enough people giving blowjobs to their corporate contributors in Congress.
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Tennessee is worse.
I feel sorry for our Southern brothers, Republicans took control of both houses for the first time since Reconstruction.
And then I remembered they have our water and said they can go f*ck themselves.