Yesterday's news. - Almost a year ago Bobby Kahn took over the reins for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Kahn takes reins for Democrats

By Jim Tharpe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
February 21, 2004

Middle-aged and balding, he doesn't look much like a street fighter.

But in the bloody-knuckled world of Georgia politics, Bobby Kahn is a brawler who earns the highest compliment from the opposition — loud, unvarnished criticism. The new chairman of the state Democratic Party has been called everything from a "rabid attack dog" to the "captain of the Exxon Valdez" by Republicans, who paint him as the architect of the worst Democratic meltdown in state history.

"When they criticize me, it just helps me out," Kahn, 45, said with a grin during a recent interview at Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Atlanta. "I kinda like it."

The 250-member Democratic Committee on Saturday overwhelmingly elected the former chief of staff for ex-Gov. Roy Barnes to a two-year term as party chairman. Kahn's selection at a meeting in Macon confirms his interim appointment to the post in January. He replaces state Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), who resigned to devote more time to his legislative duties.

Kahn takes the reins of a party on the defensive. In 2002, Democrats lost the governor's office for the first time in 130 years and, soon afterward, control of the state Senate.

The party has been unable to field a high-profile candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Zell Miller. And a federal court recently rejected a Democrat-drawn map of state political boundaries, a decision that could threaten the party's control of the state House.

Just two years ago, Kahn was considered the third-most powerful man in state government, behind Barnes and House Speaker Tom Murphy. But with Barnes and Murphy swept from office by Republicans, Kahn is now a man on the outside of the state Capitol looking in.

In case his opponents had forgotten Kahn's style, he reminded them days after he was named interim party chairman.

Standing outside the Capitol that once housed his spacious office, Kahn accused Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue and his aides of misusing taxpayer resources and property. Perdue's spokesman said Kahn was rehashing baseless charges for a moment in the spotlight.

"They need to be held accountable," Kahn said during a recent interview. "They talk about ethics, but this governor is the least ethical governor in modern times. They talk about disclosure and openness, but they don't disclose anything."

In some ways, Kahn is an unlikely political heavyweight. He drives a blue 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, reads Harry Potter to his children, ages 11 and 12, and can recite passages from the Disney animated movie "Shrek."

"I love 'Shrek,' " said Kahn, the son of Jewish merchants from Savannah. "My kids do a good imitation. And there's a sequel coming out in May."

He is a self-professed computer geek who spends hours surfing the Net. Last year, he got absorbed in a fantasy baseball league, a luxury he never had time for in the past.

"I made some bad trades," the die-hard Atlanta Braves fan admitted. "I didn't know the American League very well."

He blames Barnes' 2002 loss on the former governor's decision to push through the Legislature a new state flag that diminished the Confederate battle emblem. The move infuriated many white voters, but political experts point out that Barnes also alienated teachers with education reforms and other residents with a heavy-handed redrawing of the state's political lines.

"You can't talk about the 2002 elections without talking about the flag and the impact it had on the election," Kahn said. "There's no question this has been a two-party state for some time. But I think the flag is a one-time issue."

Kahn said his priorities now are to focus on grass-roots politics in hopes of keeping Democratic control of the House and recapturing the Senate in the fall elections.

And, of course, there's the 2006 governor's race, when Perdue will be squarely in Kahn's sights.

"The way we do that is by tapping into a lot of interest, a lot of anger or excitement, whether it's at the presidential level or the county party level," he said.

Kahn has been involved with Georgia Democratic politics for two decades and has weathered plenty of hard knocks along the way.

"I used to be considered a boy genius," he joked. "Now, I'm considered neither."

He was still in his 20s in the late 1980s when he served as the party's executive director, but stumbled in the 1990 gubernatorial election.

Kahn backed Barnes, but then jumped to the campaign of former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young when Barnes finished third in the Democratic primary. Miller won the general election and Kahn, an attorney, found a home in Barnes' law firm.

In 1996, he encouraged Barnes to make another run for governor. Two years later they struck gold. Kahn was regarded as a brilliant, relentless fund-raiser and a disciplined adviser who could keep Barnes on message and his enemies off balance.

David Worley, who served as Democratic Party chairman from 1998-2001, believes Kahn is the right man for the job at a critical juncture in the party's history.

"He's extremely hard-working," said Worley, who has known Kahn for 25 years. "He's very aggressive. He knows more about the nuts and bolts of political campaigns than anybody in the state. He knows more about the practical things involved in getting people elected than anyone I know."

Barnes called Kahn the "perfect one right now" to fill the chairman's post and absolved his former aide of responsibility for Barnes' historic loss in 2002.

"I made the decisions in my elections, and I claim all the responsibility for my defeat," Barnes said. "Bobby's one of the most knowledgeable people I know."

Republicans have shown they can play rough with Kahn. The day he was named interim chairman, state Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens (R-Canton) scoffed at the idea his appointment would breathe new life into the Democratic Party.

"The general consensus is Republicans are glad to have him," Stephens said. "The captain of the Exxon Valdez is back on deck."

A few days later, Kahn called a news conference to slam Stephens, accusing him of unethical behavior for his links to a public relations firm that does business with the state. Stephens denied any unethical activities.

"The constant negative tone of Mr. Kahn turns people off," said Dan McLagan, Perdue's communications director. "His tactics clearly weren't effective during the campaign. He's the only person I know of who was able to take a $20 million fund-raising advantage, and the advantage of incumbency, and turn it into a landslide loss."

Kahn has even gone after Miller, arguably the state's most popular Democrat though a major headache for party leaders since the publication of his book, "A National Party No More," which was highly critical of the Democratic Party.

"Sen. Miller spent four decades building the Democratic Party in Georgia," Kahn said after the book hit the best-seller list. "He's undoing all of that in the twilight of his career, and it's a sad thing to watch."

Miller bristled when the comment was related to him on the Fox News talk show, "Hannity & Colmes."

"Well, spread that on the grass and watch it grow green," Miller told the show's host. He added that the Georgia Democratic Party was "dismantled on Bobby Kahn's watch, if you want to know the truth of the matter."

Kahn shrugs off the senior senator's criticism. "He has books to sell, so you have to recognize that," Kahn said.

Miller was not amused, taking a shot at Kahn's position as chief counsel for the advertising placement firm he founded, LUC Media.

"Some folks sell books and some people sell television advertising and some people sell other things," Miller said in an interview.

Kahn said he has learned from the past, and is listening to rank-and-file Democrats' concerns. Last week he attended party meetings in Statesboro and Douglas.

"People are complaining about the 2002 election and they're complaining about what the party's done since, and I'm addressing that," Kahn said. "It was a bad year and there is a lot of thought being given to it. I've thought about it every day since then."