The Gainesville Times Editorial Board: Barnes may be the one party member with enough statewide appeal to win back former "blue dogs."
The following is a portion of an editorial from the Gainesville Times:
[Former Gov. Roy Barnes] has maintained a high profile as a lawyer and could seek to ride the national Democratic tide back into office. Barnes said he would decide by June if he would join the race, but clearly the pressure is growing on him to do so.
Democrats are hungry for a chance to get back into power in Georgia and Barnes may be the one party member with enough statewide appeal to win back former "blue dogs" who have turned to the GOP in recent elections. He also may be the only Democrat who could raise enough money to challenge what is likely to be a well-funded, well-backed Republican nominee.
Barnes, appearing last week in Cumming at the Lanier-Forsyth Rotary Club, struck a populist, nonpartisan tone that might be a precursor to the kind of campaign he could conduct should he decide to run.
"The agenda is controlled by lobbyists," Barnes said. "It’s the personal politics of greed at its worst and we’re paying for it. ... For years, we had this whole idea that the common good overcame any individual interest and I’m afraid that has slipped away from us."
Such a centrist tone might work for any candidate in the race. The theme in Georgia and elsewhere in the next election cycle could be "throw the bums out" in light of the ongoing economic mess that has the nation and state reeling with job and income losses.
[Former Gov. Roy Barnes] has maintained a high profile as a lawyer and could seek to ride the national Democratic tide back into office. Barnes said he would decide by June if he would join the race, but clearly the pressure is growing on him to do so.
Democrats are hungry for a chance to get back into power in Georgia and Barnes may be the one party member with enough statewide appeal to win back former "blue dogs" who have turned to the GOP in recent elections. He also may be the only Democrat who could raise enough money to challenge what is likely to be a well-funded, well-backed Republican nominee.
Barnes, appearing last week in Cumming at the Lanier-Forsyth Rotary Club, struck a populist, nonpartisan tone that might be a precursor to the kind of campaign he could conduct should he decide to run.
"The agenda is controlled by lobbyists," Barnes said. "It’s the personal politics of greed at its worst and we’re paying for it. ... For years, we had this whole idea that the common good overcame any individual interest and I’m afraid that has slipped away from us."
Such a centrist tone might work for any candidate in the race. The theme in Georgia and elsewhere in the next election cycle could be "throw the bums out" in light of the ongoing economic mess that has the nation and state reeling with job and income losses.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 8:46 AM
2 Comments:
Sid,
What is your take on the possibility of Barnes bringing back some of the Blue Dogs who left the party?
I find it difficult to believe. A lot of Blue Dogs left during and after his tenure. He might be hitting all the right notes with his populism, but do you think these Blue Dogs will be willing to vote for Barnes after he angered so many rural areas (where most Blue Dogs are located) in 2002?
I think Baker's law and order stances and his perception as a Conservative Democrat are a plus. Porter's rural ties are a plus. Poythress is also running on a conservative platform.
A lot of people are excited about Barnes possibly jumping in because of the money he can raise. I agree he can raise a lot, but we saw in 2002 that money does not equal winning.
All the GOP has to do is bring up his attempts at education reform. Some will say "well Perdue did worse", but, the thing is, Perdue is not on the ballot this time.
Some may feel squeamish about eating it, but rabbit has a fan base that grows as cooks discover how easy they are to raise — and how good the meat tastes.
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