I don’t quite know what to make of Facebook. On one hand, it is morbidly fascinating to see the lives of others, well at least what they have on display. Some are more interesting than others; the most interesting are the pages of those who haven’t paid attention to the security and privacy settings, but that’s for another day. And, in the spirit of disclosure, when I post this item, it will be promoted on Facebook. For better or worse, I use it, too.
I don’t use Twitter, which I consider to be the CB radio of the 2000’s. Anything that I posted in that format would easily be considered to be a twit. Then, too, I’m an advocate of the Southern Oral Tradition, which means that saying anything in 140 characters or less is pretty much an impossibility.
In any case, some of the most interesting posts on Facebook are the political ones. And it can’t get much more political than the primary for the Republican candidate for Governor; the run-off is on this coming Tuesday. And, of the political postings, Mr. Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal Constitution seems to have found his way with Twitter and Facebook.
To set the stage, the Democratic candidate for Governor has already been determined. It is Roy Barnes, who was governor of Georgia from 1999 to 2003. He was defeated by the current Governor, Sonny Perdue, as part of a state-wide Republican sweep. His loss at that time was a harmonic convergence of several dissident groups, including school teachers. Each of these groups, by themselves, would not have been enough to merit an election defeat, but together they voted him out. Fast forward to 2010, and Barnes is running again. This time around, he has made it a campaign tenet to seek the support of the teachers that he alienated in the 2002 election. We’ll get back to that point in a minute.
The Republican primary featured several candidates; enough candidates so that there was no clear winner in the primary. Thus we have the run-off, which takes place on August 10th. The primary campaign was not a pretty one, one that played off the fact that there is Georgia and there is Atlanta. Which is to say, there are two major groups in the state of Georgia; those within the I-285 Perimeter and those outside. The further you get outside the Perimeter, the more that politics changes.
One major lowlight of the campaign so far has been gay-bashing, but it’s been more than that. Making the run-off more interesting is the fact that one candidate, Karen Handel, is obviously a woman. So, the Republican side of the primary process has already been fractious, and tempers are running at a fever pitch. Consider a recent Facebook exchange in response to a Galloway posting.
To wit, an Inside-the-Perimeter Republican took offense at a Handel campaign tactic:
Certainly many people in this country (including me) are tired and turned off by “attack ads” and “negative campaigning;” but I have a strong objection to this on different grounds. I believe that if the strongest case you can make for supporting you is that your opponent is “one of the most corrupt members of Congress,” that is a sad commentary on you and your qualifications to be governor of our state. Is this really the most compelling case why we should support Karen Handel?
Fine enough, but what really interested me was the comments posted in response to Galloway’s story. Names have been deleted to protect the guilty.
A: I have no doubt the Handelistas will now swarm onto your site and rip [name redacted] apart.
B. Do you think they are paid to do it like you are her [sic] ?
A: [name redacted] …for ONLY the reason I am friends with your sister-in-law, [name redacted], I don’t rip you and [name redacted] apart publicly for your continued lies about me. And, Dude…I could say a LOT about you.
Like I said, it’s been a frisky campaign. One matter rears its ugly little head. Both of these individuals appear to be Republican Party activists, each campaigning for their respective candidate. Things have become so ugly that fights are breaking out in the parking lot, but one would think that they would hold something in reserve for the general election in November.
And, on Wednesday August 11th, one of these partisans will have supported the winner and the other will have supported the loser. Based on this Facebook exchange, one would wonder if they are even on speaking terms, even though they both share the Republican Party. Or ever will be on speaking terms again.
This does not bode well. The fact that Barnes could possibly win has already been discussed by Kyle Wingfield, the AJC’s conservative columnist. Add to that Barnes’ efforts to establish a cozy relationship with the teachers. Add to that the fact that the current administration is getting ready to carpet bomb more Federal money, including a goodly amount for teachers and you have an ominous development.
In that dark environment, you have two Republicans publicly talking like professional wrestlers. And you wonder if maybe Wingfield is right; Barnes will win if for no other reason than the fact that the Republicans can’t get their act together and fight the real campaign.
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