Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A
- FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Opinion
GOP leaders
look to courts for
next move on ban
WASHINGTON
Republican leaders in
Congress have concluded that
there is not sufficient outcry
against gay marriage to fol
low President Bush's advice
to adopt a constitutional
amendment, unless court
decisions stir up support.
The supreme courts in
Massachusetts (April) and
California (May or June) are
expected to rule on gay mar
riage ceremonies that have
been performed. A federal
court in Nebraska is also
expected to decide soon on
that state's constitutional pro-
hibition
against
homosexual
marriage.
If those
decisions
tend to
approve of
gay marriage.
Congress will
have a reason
Kennedy is
eager to assault
George l/k Bush
on many issues.
for acting on a constitutional
amendment.
Saving Arlen
Specter
President Bush will go to
Pittsburgh April 19 on a res
cue mission attempting to
save four-term Sen. Arlen
Specter, who faces an
increasingly serious conser
vative challenge from Rep.
Pat Toomey in the April 27
Pennsylvania Republican pri
mary.
As a matter of policy.
Bush supports all incumbent
Republican members of
Congress. He plans to cam
paign at Specter's side in
Pittsburgh. He will then go to
Hershey without the senator,
but is expected during his
visit there to call for Specter's
renomination.
Polls have shown Toomey
gaining ground on Specter,
and Bush's trip may be neces
sary to stop that trend.
Specter, a tough political
infighter, disappointed his
supporters in last Saturday's
sole televised debate between
the Republican Senate candi
dates. Specter repeatedly
referred to notes, sometimes
looked confused and once
referred to "President
Reagan'' when he meant
President Bush.’’
Kerry’s friend Ted
Prominent liberal
Democrats privately express
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concern over widespread
national exposure given Sen.
Edward M. Kennedy as chief
campaign surrogate for his
Massachusetts Senate col
league. John Kerry.
"We already have Teddy's
voters.” said one prominent
liberal strategist who was
concerned about TV repeti
tion Monday and Tuesday of
Kennedy's
“Iraq is
Vietnam"
speech. They
view him as a
polarizing
force who will
not help Kerry
with swing
voters.
Kennedy is
eager to assault George W.
Bush on many issues, prima
rily Iraq, and nobody in the
Kerry camp will tell him to
ease off. Rather. Kerry strate
gists contend Kennedy is use
ful in taking shots at Bush
that would be inappropriate
for the candidate himself.
Gov. Schumer?
Sen. Charles Schumer's
colleagues in the New York
congressional delegation,
both Republicans and
Democrats, are certain that he
is considering running for
governor of New York in
2006 as a stepping stone to
the White H ouse.
According to these
reports. Schumer has been
discouraged by his wife. New
York City Transportation
Commissioner Iris Wcinshall.
Whether or not that is
true, it is universally agreed
that Chuck and Iris comprise
a political team and make
decisions together.
Schumer's congressional
colleagues say he is frustrat
ed by the presence of the
state's junior senator. Hillary
Rodham Clinton, and has
explored moving to Albany
after his expected easy re
election to the Senate this
year. The problem in getting
the Democratic nomination
for governor is the candidacy
by the popular State Attorney
General Eliot Spitzer.
Robert Novak is a nation
ally syndicated columnist and
a television commentator.
"Summer school? But I've got other fish to fry!”
How to groom next governor
Sonny Perdue has done
OK so far. The wheels have
not fallen completely off state
government during his first 16
months as governor.
Gov. Perdue has thrown a
temper fit or two. and he
obsesses on tleeing the capital
in other people’s aircraft to
attend ballgames or to go
hunting at awkward times, like
in the middle of negotiations
on the state’s sl6 billion
budget.
Still, let’s be generous. All
things considered. Perdue is
not doing a bad job. After all.
Gov. Sonny is a transition fig
ure who will be off the stage
shortly, and he knows it.
In modern times (meaning
from the end of World War 11
until 2002), Georgia elected a
string of "big picture" gover
nors executives who articu
lated grand visions and
embarked on challenges for
the state.
Perdue's profile does not
resemble any of those past
chiefs, except perhaps Lester
Maddox, the lone exception in
the big-picture gallery.
When a governor has diffi
culty coming across as larger
than life, silly things happen.
By contrast, projecting gravi
tas and competency has away
of scattering fools. Still, these
idiotic little bumps during
Perdue’s watch could have
been worse, except that the
national media won't leave
them alone. The fuss over the
state flag, thought to have
been settled in a referendum
in March, will not go away.
Those flag demonstrators,
once Sonny ’s best buds, keep
showing up everywhere. (Yes,
friends, they'll be evident in
numbers at the G-8 meeting at
Sea Island, with placards urg
ing the French, German and
British prime ministers to
"Boot Perdue." American and
British tabloids and Japanese
i I
Bill
Shipp
TV can hardly wait.)
Who can forget the row
over the move to drop “evolu
tion” from our school curricu
lum? Or the inordinate amount
of time spent on proposing a
constitutional amendment
against gay marriages? Or the
endless speeches about post
ing the Ten Commandments in
all courthouses? Or the
attempt to repeal the helmet
wearing requirement for
motorcycle riders? Where
were you. Forrest Gump,
w hen we needed you?
There is more, but we are
not here today to list Gov.
Perdue's problems. Our pres
ent exercise is to urge thought
ful officials from both parties
to organize a search maybe
two searches —for Perdue's
replacement.
The state faces no shortage
of talented people capable of
governing men and women
who would move Georgia to
the next level and take the
state on a more progressive
path. These aspiring folks,
whoever they are. need to be
groomed. briefed and
rehearsed to meet Georgia’s
new challenges.
A makeover committee
ought to work with these
“Georgia Idol" aspirants to
ground them in the basic
behavioral tenets of politics
and governance.
For instance, here are sev
eral rules for political engage
ment that should be pounded
into the heads of executive
applicants:
Articulate a set of mag
nificent. even seemingly
impossible goals for the state
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challenges that will stimu
late. help and delight every
body. Recent history is loaded
with examples: Zell Miller’s
lottery and HOPE scholarship,
Joe Frank Harris’ guaranteed
basic education. Carl Sanders'
locating major sports teams
here and upgrading higher
education. George Busbee’s
universal kindergarten pro
gram and Jimmy Carter’s reor
ganization of state govern
ment.
Skip the little stuff.
Don’t tell the Legislature that
you’re "tired of changing their
diapers." Don’t threaten
judges. You never know when
you might be standing before
one. Don't summon an aging
and revered DOT board chair
man to your office, bang your
fist on the desk and shout at
the top of your voice: “Give
me your resignation right
now!" as Gov. Perdue did
recently. Such behavior is not
only bad manners; it suggests
gaps in one's upbringing.
What’s worse. Perdue sought
to fire the DOT chairman even
though he did not even work
for the governor. Whatever
you do. don't emulate the gov
ernor’s habit of yelling angrily
at a guest and then stalking
out of the office. Remember,
candidate, it’s your office. The
other person is the one who's
suppose to leave.
Tell the truth. You can't
always tell the entire truth
about political issues, but
avoid outright lying. For
instance, don't tell legislators
that a major mortgage lender
has written a letter threatening
to pull out of Georgia when
you know that no such letter
exists. Don't inform lawmak
ers that the federal govern
ment has warned that it will
pull the plug on certain
Medicaid services when even
the feds say it's a lie. Don't try
to hide money or revenue
reports. Such schoolboy tricks
do nothing but build a reputa
tion for being a snake.
Remember that everybody
around you understands state
government and owns
Internet-ready laptop comput
ers, which some can use. No
secrets are safe, and few lies
can be concealed.
Don’t burn bridges.
Such practices may be permis
sible for transient figures. Yet
every smart politician seeking
a permanent place at the table
knows that today’s adversaries
may be tomorrow’s allies.
Psychologists tell us that pub
licly carrying grudges and act
ing surly toward one’s oppo
nents are often defense meas
ures aimed at covering up
greater and more complex
deficiencies, like being stupid.
Don’t worry about call
ing yourself a Republican or a
Democrat these days. Such
labels don't mean much.
Republicans may be in this
year and out next year. Just
sure everybody knows
that you’re a Conservative.
Got that? Conservative,
Conservative say that over
and over. If someone calls you
a liberal or a moderate or a
centrist or tries to say you're
tolerant, invite him to step out
side. In the political game,
you must protect your reputa
tion above all.
The above is simply a brief
overview. Georgia’s next gov
ernor needs to know much
more. We’ll be making sug
gestions occasionally. There's
no hurry. Perdue has nearly
three years left, and serious
talk about his replacement is
only just beginning.
Bill Shipp's column
appears each Sunday and
Wednesday. His e-mail
address is bshipp@bell
south.net.