Georgia Politics

A relentless foe of President Clinton, a hero to gun owners, a federal prosecutor under President Reagan, Rep. Bob Barr should be a shoo-in for reelection this fall in the heavily Republican northern suburbs of Atlanta. But first he must survive a fight for his political life against a fellow Republican whose conservative credentials are just about as strong as his.

The crowds usually come to the fairground exhibition hall for trade shows or to get a peek at the fancy horses. But on display here Sunday was the new face of Georgia politics. Nearly a month after a staggering electoral upset by Georgia Republicans, hundreds of them flocked to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter to greet Sonny Perdue, who is about to become the first GOP governor here in 130 years.

The crowds usually come to the fairground exhibition hall for trade shows or to get a peek at the fancy horses. But on display here Sunday was the new face of Georgia politics. Nearly a month after a staggering electoral upset by Georgia Republicans, hundreds of them flocked to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter to greet Sonny Perdue, who is about to become the first GOP governor here in 130 years.

A relentless foe of President Clinton, a hero to gun owners, a federal prosecutor under President Reagan, Rep. Bob Barr should be a shoo-in for reelection this fall in the heavily Republican northern suburbs of Atlanta. But first he must survive a fight for his political life against a fellow Republican whose conservative credentials are just about as strong as his.

History is an uninvited guest in Andrew Young's campaign for the Georgia governorship. It was not many years ago that Young, as a lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., came to rural towns like this one as inconspicuously as possible. Last week, he roared into Eastman in a huge van emblazoned with his campaign posters and bumper stickers.

After a Democratic primary campaign marked by civility, Lt. Gov. Zell Miller and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young emerged the top two vote-getters Tuesday and will square off in a runoff election in the governor's race on Aug. 7. On the Republican side, state Rep. Johnny Isakson, 45, eliminated three challengers to capture his party's nomination. With 69% of the vote counted, Miller led with 41% to Young's 28%, followed by state Sen. Roy Barnes with 21%.

By striking down a Georgia congressional redistricting plan that paved the way for a black Democrat to win a House seat, the Supreme Court virtually guaranteed Thursday that additional court cases will be necessary to clarify how districts may be drawn to account for changing political realities in several Southern states.

President Eduard A. Shevardnadze easily won a second term as leader of this small former Soviet republic Sunday in an election the opposition said was marred by massive vote fraud. Central Election Commission officials called the race for Shevardnadze with 74% of the votes counted. Shevardnadze had 80% of the vote, and ex-Communist leader Dzhumber Patiashvili trailed far behind with 16.5%, election officials said. Four other candidates received small numbers of votes.

A federal panel redrawing Georgia's congressional districts formally declared a second majority-black district unconstitutional Friday. The three judges had stated in October that they intended to declare the 2nd District illegal but did not issue an official ruling at the time. The ruling was filed in Augusta, where the panel is working on a new congressional map.

Atlanta may be dressed for spring in dogwoods, azaleas and myriad other delightful blooms, but a tax revolt has smeared a mean streak across its face. Nobody likes tax hikes. The reaction to a recent mass reevaluation of property values in Fulton County, however, goes far beyond mere displeasure. Folks around here are talking recall. Feeding the seething anger at the county government is the opulent building from which the reevaluation came.

Ralph Reed, the political consultant who helped mold the Christian Coalition into a national political force, is the new chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. "Last November, we ended the Clinton era. Today marks the beginning of the end of the Barnes, Murphy, Cleland era," Reed said after his election, referring to Georgia's top Democrats--Gov. Roy Barnes, state House Speaker Thomas B. Murphy and U.S. Sen. Max Cleland. Barnes and Cleland face reelection next year.

President Eduard A. Shevardnadze easily won a second term as leader of this small former Soviet republic Sunday in an election the opposition said was marred by massive vote fraud. Central Election Commission officials called the race for Shevardnadze with 74% of the votes counted. Shevardnadze had 80% of the vote, and ex-Communist leader Dzhumber Patiashvili trailed far behind with 16.5%, election officials said. Four other candidates received small numbers of votes.

Let liberals cringe every time his scowling face appears on TV. Let civil libertarians deplore his involvement with racist groups. Let pornographers allege adultery from his past. Folks in the home district of Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) stand by their man. That is, some of them do. Already one of the most visible prosecutors in President Clinton's Senate trial, Barr found himself at the center of a media trial last week, accused by Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt of adultery.

A federal panel redrawing Georgia's congressional districts formally declared a second majority-black district unconstitutional Friday. The three judges had stated in October that they intended to declare the 2nd District illegal but did not issue an official ruling at the time. The ruling was filed in Augusta, where the panel is working on a new congressional map.

When Rep. Cynthia McKinney travels in rural Georgia, the black Atlanta Democrat says she frequently meets white people who refuse to shake her hand. Never mind that she is their congresswoman. Simply because she is black, she says, they cannot view her "as a person of worth." For their part, at least some of McKinney's white constituents argue that she simply does not have their interests at heart.

By striking down a Georgia congressional redistricting plan that paved the way for a black Democrat to win a House seat, the Supreme Court virtually guaranteed Thursday that additional court cases will be necessary to clarify how districts may be drawn to account for changing political realities in several Southern states.

Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who is seeking white votes in his effort to become Georgia's first black governor, visited a "redneck bar" here and excused the fact that it plays racist records on its jukebox. Young's Monday evening at Carey's, which is known for its hamburgers and two country songs using the word "nigger," originally was billed as his way of getting to know a few journalists from around the state. But that purpose was quickly overshadowed by his comments on race.

Let liberals cringe every time his scowling face appears on TV. Let civil libertarians deplore his involvement with racist groups. Let pornographers allege adultery from his past. Folks in the home district of Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) stand by their man. That is, some of them do. Already one of the most visible prosecutors in President Clinton's Senate trial, Barr found himself at the center of a media trial last week, accused by Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt of adultery.

National politicians have Georgia on their mind. So President-elect Bill Clinton is going to hit the campaign trail again--this time not for himself but on behalf of an embattled Democrat, Sen. Wyche Fowler Jr. of Georgia, who faces a do-or-die runoff election Tuesday against Republican Paul Coverdell. Georgia law requires that candidates must receive 50% of the vote to win. Fowler fell short of that on Nov. 3, receiving only 49% to 48% for Coverdell in a three-way race.

A rally wrapping up Patrick J. Buchanan's campaign in Georgia turned into a pushing and shoving match Monday, punctuated by the conservative candidate's attempt to silence a group of Jewish protesters with the admonition: "This rally is of Americans and by Americans and for the good ol' U.S.A., my friends." The rally drew more than two dozen Jewish protesters, including several rabbis, as well as several white supremacists.