A Georgia Democrat might well look at Joe Biden and see . . .
Mark Taylor.
Not that the senator from Delaware chosen to be Barack Obama’s running mate bears any physical resemblance to Taylor, the Rubeus Hagrid of Georgia politics, “The Big Guy” who served as lieutenant governor under Zell Miller and, as the most recent Democratic gubernatorial nominee, got trounced by the eminently underwhelming Sonny Perdue.
Not that Biden and Taylor, though both Democrats, are even political soul mates to any great degree.
But no matter what else Biden is – experienced, intelligent, eloquent, able – he is part of an entrenched Democratic establishment that has been a consistent loser for most of the last 30 years.
Think of the last election for governor of Georgia. The Donkeys’ choice came down to Taylor and Cathy Cox – a youthful, energetic and relatively new presence among Georgia Democrats. Cox was finishing up two stellar terms as Georgia secretary of state, in which office she shone in spite of following such Georgia luminaries as Ben Fortson and Max Cleland. When she ran for re-election in 2002, she received a higher percentage of the general election vote than any other Democrat.
But when it came time to pick who would take on Perdue, the Democrats did what Democrats always do – pay political dues. They went for the Good Ole Boy. Paying political dues and making socially significant statements is what Democrats obviously prefer to more mundane political achievements – like, for instance, winning.
Mark Taylor.
Not that the senator from Delaware chosen to be Barack Obama’s running mate bears any physical resemblance to Taylor, the Rubeus Hagrid of Georgia politics, “The Big Guy” who served as lieutenant governor under Zell Miller and, as the most recent Democratic gubernatorial nominee, got trounced by the eminently underwhelming Sonny Perdue.
Not that Biden and Taylor, though both Democrats, are even political soul mates to any great degree.
But no matter what else Biden is – experienced, intelligent, eloquent, able – he is part of an entrenched Democratic establishment that has been a consistent loser for most of the last 30 years.
Think of the last election for governor of Georgia. The Donkeys’ choice came down to Taylor and Cathy Cox – a youthful, energetic and relatively new presence among Georgia Democrats. Cox was finishing up two stellar terms as Georgia secretary of state, in which office she shone in spite of following such Georgia luminaries as Ben Fortson and Max Cleland. When she ran for re-election in 2002, she received a higher percentage of the general election vote than any other Democrat.
But when it came time to pick who would take on Perdue, the Democrats did what Democrats always do – pay political dues. They went for the Good Ole Boy. Paying political dues and making socially significant statements is what Democrats obviously prefer to more mundane political achievements – like, for instance, winning.
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