The probable next Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, my former Congressman, has only one tic in the assets column – he’s a born again Republican [born again in 1995 when he switched Parties shortly after being elected]. Otherwise, he voted the Republican Party line, named a few Post Offices, and quit early to avoid an ethics censure. He’s about to bankrupt [loans for his daughter and lousy business dealings], but discounts Barnes pointing that out as, "That’s Roy" defaming his character. Meanwhile, Deal’s ads focus on "Roybama." The political content of his ads is mostly irrelevant – obscure things that happened during Barnes’ previous governorship. But he’s painted Roy Barnes as a raving Liberal, apparently successfully. What’s remarkable is that Roy Barnes is sure no Liberal – just a Democrat, like Deal used to be.
I have to give Roy Barnes some credit for his own difficulties. He was "bossy" when he was Governor. The mega issue of the times was the State Flag:
We were living along with the flag on the left until segregationist Lester Maddox was elected Governor and got the flag changed to the one with the Confederate Battle Flag [1956]. During Barnes term as Governor, there was a move to change it to something less inflammatory. Roy Barnes changed it in 2001 by executive decree. That pissed people off. You still see old flags in parades and on bumpers. Notice that it had a small Battle Flag acknowledging our history. It wasn’t actually the flag he chose that inflammed people, it was that he did it by executive decree. "Imperious" they said. "King Roy" they called him. And he was not reelected for a second term, replaced by a "good old boy" Republican Sonny Perdue. Perdue changed it to the very old flag slightly dolled up. What the flag looked like wasn’t the point, it was that Barnes was a pushy Democrat.
The only reason to elect Nathan Deal is that he needs a place to live while his own property goes into foreclosure when he bankrupts. So, I guess the Governor Mansion can be considered low income housing…
You’ve nailed it. A few years ago, one of Roy Barnes’ former law partners told me, “I used to practice with Roy until he decided to move into government housing in Atlanta.” Nathan surely will need a place to hang his hat until he and Sandra can figure out a way to appease the banks and their attorneys, so I guess the governor’s mansion is as good a place as any. Plus, you don’t have to worry about installing a new burglar alarm.
I don’t think you guys are giving our new governor enough credit for knowing his way around money lending institutions.. I predict that he will retain his home, if not in fact all of his property. This is a man who knows how to swing deals — mostly through who he knows and who wants favors. Now that he will be governor for four years, surely he will have even more to offer as inducements for sweetheart loans and extensions on mortgages and such.