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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008
Editor: Angela Gary
Phone: 706-367-2490
E-mail: AngieEditor@aol.com
Website: www.banksnewsTODAY.com
Opinion
“Where the press is free and every tnan
able to read, all is safe.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Chambliss had history
on his side
There were many explanations being floated
for Saxby Chambliss’ smashing success in last
week’s runoff election for the U.S. Senate.
He raised a lot of money. Even with a late surge
of funds to Jim Martin from Democratic party
leaders in the Washington, D.C. area, Chambliss
still had nearly three times as much money for his
reelection campaign.
He realized after the close
call in the general election
that he needed a ground
game and beefed up his get-
out-the-vote operations for
the runoff.
Chambliss and a host of
independent GOP commit
tees ran wave after wave of
TV attack ads that hammered
Martin during the runoff.
He utilized the star power
of celebrity Republicans like
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and presidential nominee
John McCain, who campaigned for Chambliss
and energized Republicans who weren’t enthused
about the senator’s record and voted for a
Libertarian candidate in the general election.
He also capitalized on the success of Democratic
candidates in Senate races in other states.
Chambliss argued that electing Martin would
enable national Democrats to get dangerously
close to a filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats in
the U.S. Senate. The voters responded well to
this “firewall” argument.
All of those factors played a part in helping
Chambliss win another six-year term, but the
simplest explanation for his runoff victory can be
summed up in one word: history.
In all of Georgia’s general election runoffs
over the past two decades, history shows that
Republican voters do a better job of coming
back to the polls than do Democrats. That pat
tern held true in this election as Chambliss and
Lauren "Bubba” McDonald, a GOP candidate
for the Public Service Commission candidate,
both enjoyed landslide runoff victories over their
Democratic opponents.
There are strong historical parallels between
2008, when Chambliss held off Martin, and 1992,
when Republican Paul Coverdell came back in
the runoff to topple Democratic Sen. Wyche
Lowler.
Both elections were held in the same year that
a Democrat was elected president (Bill Clinton
in 1992, Barack Obama in 2008). In both elec
tions, the voter turnout for the runoff amounted
to about 56 percent of the number who voted in
the general election.
In both elections, the president-elect tried to
help the Democratic candidate. Clinton came
to Georgia to campaign personally for Lowler.
While Obama did not travel to Georgia, he did
radio commercials and robo-calls for Martin,
and also dispatched staffers from his presidential
campaign to help with get-out-the-vote efforts.
In both elections. Republican voters were anx
ious to push back against the election of a popular
Democrat for president and turned out in heavy
numbers for the runoff.
Coverdell trailed Lowler by 35,000 votes in the
general election, but he won the runoff by more
than 16,000 votes, a turnaround of 51,371 votes.
Chambliss, who finished just below 50 percent in
the general election, increased his advantage over
Martin from 109,671 votes to more than 318,000
votes, a huge improvement.
Republicans had the added incentive of push
ing back against a president-elect who was not
only a Democrat but the country’s first African-
American president as well.
"The Georgia electorate is easily the most
racially polarized of any state we polled regularly
during the 2008 election cycle,” said Tom Jensen
of Public Policy Polling (PPP), one of several
firms whose runoff polls underestimated the turn
out by white Republicans.
You could predict the outcome of the runoff
election by comparing the early voting statistics.
In the general election, nearly 35 percent of the
early ballots were cast by black voters who were
obviously enthused by the prospects of voting
for Obama. That heavy turnout helped Obama
run a closer-than-expected race against McCain
(he lost by only 5 percentage points) and enabled
Martin to finish within 3 points of Chambliss.
The early voting for the runoff election was
another story entirely. The percentage of black
voters dropped to less than 23 percent. The
proportion of white male voters, who are more
likely to vote Republican than any other group,
increased from less than 30 percent to nearly 36
percent of the early vote. Those were all signs
that Chambliss was headed for a big victory.
In the end, Republican voters came back to
the polls and Democrats didn’t. With that bit of
history on his side, it would have been hard for
Chambliss to lose.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s
Georgia Report, an Internet news service at www.
gareport.com that covers government and politics
in Georgia. He can be reached at tcrawford@
capitolimpact.net.
tom
cmwford
"Tell the Governor all of us are ready to make cuts in the
state budget... just as long as the cuts aren't in our districts!"
Making memories with Atlanta
Ballet's 'Nutcracker'
A holiday perfor
mance of the Atlanta
Ballet’s “Nutcracker”
is a wonderful tradi
tion for families that
will provide lots of
magical memories.
The fun for young
sters will start as
soon as they arrive
at The Pox Theatre
in Atlanta and see
costumed characters
greeting them. Once
the show starts, each scene will delight the
youngsters and adults alike. Watching the
excitement on the faces of the two young
ones with us, a 7-year-old boy and 9-year-
old girl, was almost as entertaining as what
was going on on the stage.
The story of “The Nutcracker” begins
150 years ago on a snowy Christmas Eve
and the enchanted dream of young “Marya”
who fantasizes of being a ballerina. Prom
dancing snowflakes to scary rats, her dream
takes you through a wide range of emo
tion.
The precision and excitement the dancers
bring to each scene is a joy to watch. The
elaborate costumes and set design add more
wonder to the performance. The Mother
Matrushka performance is an example of
the elaborate costumes and design. Each
time a youngster ran out from underneath
Mother’s huge skirt, you heard gasps and
laughter from the audience.
What makes this adaptation even more
delightful is the hundreds of local children
who are part of the production. They blend
in with the professional dancers and pro
vide a wonderful evening of entertainment
for people of all ages.
It is the perfect way to ring in the sea
son and to introduce young children to the
energy and beauty of dance. It really is a
winter wonderland. You might even see
a few snow flakes falling inside the Pox
Theature.
“Nutcracker” was first performed by
Atlanta Ballet in 1964. Lor 44 years, Atlanta
Ballet’s “Nutcracker” has been a family
tradition. Some fun facts about the perfor
mance include:
•The Petrov Christmas tree grows from
13 feet to 38 feet tall—equivalent to a
three-story building.
•Each show uses 300,000 watts of elec
tricity—more than enough to light a sta
dium.
•20 pounds of snow falls during each
performance.
•There are more than 8 tons of scenery,
lighting and props used in each produc
tion—equivalent to a full tractor-trailer.
•Mother Matruschka’s gown in Nutcracker
is made of 25 yards of red jacquard. The
dancer who wears the 75-pound costume
stands on a platform to make the character
15 feet tall. That’s what it takes to hide nine
nesting dolls!
•Each scene is painted on a seamless and
translucent canvas backdrop that is 30 feet
tall by 70 feet wide. Each backdrop weighs
300 pounds.
•The Nutcracker’s mask is made of foam
and weighs 2 pounds.
The Atlanta Ballet’s “Nutcracker,” will
be presented through December 28 at the
Fabulous Fox Theatre. Tickets start as
low as $15 and are on-sale now. Call the
Ticketmaster Arts Line at (404) 817-8700,
stop by a Ticketmaster outlet or the Fox
Theatre Box Office. To order on-line, visit
www.atlantaballet.com. Groups of ten or
more may call Atlanta Ballet Group Sales
at 404-873-5811 ext. 207.
Founded in 1929, Atlanta Ballet is the
longest, continuously operating ballet com
pany in the United States. Atlanta Ballet’s
eclectic repertoire spans ballet history, high
lighted by beloved classics and inventive
originals. The upcoming schedule includes
the following: “Dracula,” Feb. 5-15: “The
Firebird,” March 26-29; “Don Quixote,”
May 7-16; and “Snow White,” May 16-17.
Angela Gary is an editor with MainStreet
Newspapers Inc. She can be reached at
AngieEditor@ aol.com.
angela
gary
Appreciates community support
Dear Editor:
There are not enough words for me to
express my thanks to the entire Banks County
community for the support and prayers that
came to me and my family after my son, Blake
Young, was in an automobile accident on Fort
Lamar Road on June 10, 2006. Blake did not
survive. If I were to send thank you cards to
everyone, I would still be sending them. There
is a lot to be said for a community that is car
ing in so many wonderful ways.
Special thanks to the Banks County EMT,
Banks County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State
Patrol and Banks County Middle School.
Sincerely,
Laura Moore
Sheriff offers thanks
Dear Editor:
We would like to thank all those who came
out to the flag football game on Friday night
between the Banks County Sheriff’s Office
and Fire Department.
We would like to thank all those who
donated money, all those who bid on the
cakes, bought tickets and donated their time
and effort to make this event a success.
We raised $3,536.06. These proceeds will
go this year to assist Deputy Sheriff David
Dunson and Banks County Coroner Henry
Galloway who both have had extended ill
nesses.
All of this was for a good cause and we
thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Charles Chapman
Misses Shipp column on editorial page
Dear Editor:
I’m really disappointed to see that Bill
Shipp has disappeared from The Banks
County News. The main reason I’ve contin
ued my subscription after moving to Cornelia
is to read Bill Shipp’s column. I also enjoy
Tom Crawfords column, but Mr. Shipp is
especially interesting because of his broad
knowledge of Georgia politics, past and pres
ent. Wish you’d publish both columns.
Sincerely,
Emily B. Calhoun
Letters to the editor policy given
The Banks County News has established a
policy on printing Letters to the editor.
Letters to the editor must also be signed
with the address and phone number of the
person who wrote them.
The address and phone number will be for
our verification purposes only and will not
be printed unless the writer requests it. Mail
to, The Banks County News, RO. Box 920,
Homer, Ga. 30547.
E-mailed letters will be accepted, but
we must have a contact phone number and
address. Letters that are libelous will not be
printed.
Remembering a
politician of the
people
During the late spring of 1998 I
set about the task of deciding who I
was going to vote for in the primary
for Lt. Governor.
With an open race that year,
numerous candidates were set to be
on the ballot in both the Democrat
and Republican
races. After
reading numer
ous newspapers
articles on each
of the candi
dates who had
signed their
name on the
dotted line to
run, one clearly
stood above the
rest in my opin
ion and that
was Mac Barber.
While I had heard of the name
Mac Barber prior to 1998, (you can’t
consider yourself a Georgia political
junkie and not have heard of him) I
admit I really didn’t know that much
about him. After my own research
was done, my better half Pam began
telling me what she knew about him
since Barber was from Commerce,
near her home.
All things pointed to one conclu
sion: Mac Barber was a politician
for the people. His No. 1 priority
was to represent those he served. He
didn’t care about procedure or giving
in to those who thought he should do
things a certain way. Barber’s pri
mary reason for being in office was
the people. In fact, I often referred to
him as the “people’s champion.”
The people lost that champion,
however, on Sunday when Barber
died at the age of 91. His death
leaves behind a political legacy
which will be remembered both for
its quirkiness as well as its hon
esty, which is more than can be said
for some of his political opponents
through the decades he served in
various offices.
Going back to 1998, I enjoyed
being a volunteer for the “Friends
of Mac Barber” campaign. Political
observers really didn’t know what
to make of his attempt to run for
Lt. Governor. Barber stepped down
from the Public Service Commission
(a decision that left many scratch
ing their head) to run for the second
highest elected office in the state.
Many believed, or perhaps feared, he
might actually win the Democratic
primary.
None of his opponents in the sum
mer of 1998 had the name recogni
tion he did and Barber had been on
the statewide ballot for so many
election cycles, there was legiti
mate talk he just might win this
election as well. Barber’s campaign
method of running newspaper ads
and using yards signs didn’t trans
late into victory this time, how
ever, as Mark Taylor won win the
Democratic primary and eventually
the Lt. Governorship.
Barber would try to regain a seat
on the Public Service Commission
after 1998 on three occasions
although he would not be successful
in those efforts either. Barber did
win the 2004 Democratic Primary
(I admit to encouraging him heavily
to run), but he fell in the General
Election to Bobby Baker as by this
time the Republican tidal wave had
completely swept over the state.
This would be his last run for elected
office.
In the many times I spoke with him
since 1998,1 always found Barber to
be humbled by the opportunity he
was allowed to represent the people
of Georgia. He always put them first.
He wasn’t in office for financial gain
like some who become career politi
cians or some who do little more in
office than promote an idea and bask
in the national attention it garners.
No, Mac Barber was a man who
never forgot he was in office for the
citizens of Georgia. A politician who
doesn’t forget those who elected him
once he takes office. How refreshing
is that? We could use a few more
Mac Barbers today, that’s for sure.
Chris Bridges is an editor with
MainstreetNewspapers. E-mail com
ments about this column to chris@
▲ h
chris
bridges