6 NOV 06: FINALS TIME

Give the Ledger-Enquirer some credit. You had to turn to the editorial page of Sunday's paper to find out for sure which man it's endorsing for mayor. Some newspapers would have put the choice on page one - as if to scream, "Look! We're important!! Really!!!" Like The Courier did....

The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer endorsed Bob Poydasheff for a second term as Columbus Mayor - and included a quote in which the incumbent calls himself "liberal" several times. Talk about sticking it to those WRCG "TalkLine" listeners, right in their windpipes.

According to the editorial, the Ledger-Enquirer decided to back Bob Poydasheff because he could provide better leadership in areas besides public safety. So as stunning as it might be to some people, there could be MORE to Columbus than police - because I can't imagine a uniformed officer overseeing a landfill.

The Ledger-Enquirer winds up agreeing with The Courier, which also endorsed Bob Poydasheff in its latest issue. Who could have imagined this? The "alternative" paper agrees with the mainline one - and they're both endorsing a man who's ostensibly a Republican. It's like they look at Jim Wetherington, and see a local version of Donald Rumsfeld.

Sunday night brought the final debate among the candidates for Georgia Governor. It didn't take long for Mark Taylor and Sonny Perdue to start haggling over a land deal at "Okie Woods" - which sounds like it ought to be a Native American ancestor of Tiger Woods.

Much of the hour-long debate on Georgia Public Broadcasting focused on 100 acres of land Governor Perdue may have secretly bought in Houston County. At least we'll give the candidates credit for one thing -- they're not focusing all their attention on Atlanta.

Democrat Mark Taylor claimed Republican Sonny Perdue's net worth has doubled in the last four years. So? At least the Governor made a public attempt to lose weight....

Mark Taylor sounded a bit like Jim Wetherington, when he accused Sonny Perdue of going easy with criminal paroles. In Taylor's words: "Families cannot thrive in Georgia if they are frightened...." So where is the bill to outlaw haunted houses?

Sonny Perdue claimed Georgians have seen through Mark Taylor's complaints about land deals, saying: "We operate on trust." OK - but so do scam artists who ask older people for checking account numbers.

The incumbent governor disputed claims that he's "four-for-four" in cutting Georgia education spending. He says more money than ever is spent on Georgia schools. Now if Muscogee County students will kindly quit losing their textbooks, that amount can go down.

It was left to the Libertarian candidate for Georgia Governor to bring up the Kia plant in West Point during the debate. Garrett Michael Hayes said the state should focus on promoting small businesses, as opposed to large industries. If you think it over, there's a reason why Hayes said this. The Libertarian Party is very small.

Tuesday, of course (or should we say thankfully?), is Election Day - and Georgia's Secretary of State expects about 48 percent of registered voters to cast ballots. In the wake of the primary, Cathy Cox issued this statement from an undisclosed location in South Carolina.

A surprising condemnation of the election process came Sunday, from Georgia's former U.S. President. Jimmy Carter called the procedure "flawed" and "severely inadequate." He said this from Nicaragua - where some Republicans probably wish he'd build a Habitat for Humanity home and retire there.

Former President Carter told National Pubic Radio's "All Things Considered" the Carter Center could NOT monitor U.S. elections, because they don't meet the center's minimum standards. For one thing, the rules are not uniform from coast-to-coast. No wonder Mr. Carter likes Atlanta baseball -- in the Nationalism League.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Here's our last election e-mail before the vote - in a year which has been surprisingly quiet in terms of messages to us:

I saw the last city council meeting tonight...What a joke...They don't want to admit that Paul Olsen might have the upper hand...So what if he is using it as a political move,he represents all of us...and once again "Uncle Bob" was rude to him. And DuBose with the phone hanging out of his ear ..lol....I Can't believe he wanted each council member, by roll call. to promise a settlement to Kenny Walker's family..That phone discredited him...

If Paul Olson really had "the upper hand" in anything with Columbus Council, then he should have gone ahead and run for mayor. It beats a trip to Atlanta every couple of years, to see an ethics commission which can't believe he's being so nit-picky.

As is our custom, we've prepared an Election Eve quiz to see how well you've followed the campaign and prepared for the big vote. Number your new "Notepad" window from 1 to 20. Ready?

1. Which candidate for Columbus Mayor admits people have suggested he smile more, and "loosen up a bit?" Have those people suggested he read this blog?

2. Which Alabama House candidate runs the "Auburn Network," yet has been accused of voting to cut Auburn University funding? Is he trying to get football game radio sponsors to make up the difference?

3. Why hasn't Mark Taylor brought out any members of his family to appear in campaign commercials, similar to Sonny Perdue's wife? Was that role reserved for Cathy Cox?

4. Name the Muscogee County School Board candidate whose background is in home building. Should she ask contractors to make new schools look like historic one-room schoolhouses?

5. Which candidate for Alabama Governor is seen in TV ads walking into a meeting room and sitting down? Why doesn't she find chairs for the four people we see standing outside?

6. Name the Georgian who says in radio ads he's "the only African-American and the only Democrat on the Public Service Commission," then adds: "Who do you think fights harder for working people?" Explain why white people do not care about working.

7. Which candidate for Columbus Council is a church pastor? Will he be expected to lead the invocation at every meeting, if he wins?

8. Which candidate for Alabama House is accused of selling "high-priced gas at his truck stop?" Should he have shut down the truck stop and gone broke, in a vain attempt to get the price lowered?

9. Does retired Taylor County Sheriff Nick Giles still have a squad car? Did Attorney General Thurbert Baker give him one, in exchange for that TV endorsement standing next to it?

10. Why was the former President from Georgia in Nicaragua Sunday, monitoring that country's presidential election? Has he forgotten his son is running for the U.S. Senate in Nevada?

11. Which candidate for Columbus Mayor is very concerned that you spell his name correctly - even though his last name has fewer letters than anyone else in the race?

12. Which Alabama Senate candidate is supported in a radio ad by her church pastor, who notes she's a Sunday School teacher? Is her class learning it's OK to point fingers at your enemies, and label them "politicians?"

13. Name the state candidate who claims in commercials there's "a job for every Georgian, and a Georgian for every job." Explain why the state's unemployment rate is not zero.

14. Name all the candidates challenging incumbent U.S. House members in the Columbus area. Will any of them get more than one-third of the vote, since hardly anyone's ever heard of them?

15. If Mark Taylor is "the big guy," does that make Ted Little the little guy?

16. Which Supreme Court candidate was sued by his mother, and filed suit against his sister? If this candidate wins, will a reality series be made about his family?

17. Which candidate for Columbus Mayor has been labeled a "professional politician?" If he is, why has he not said a word in any of his TV commercials?

18. Name the Alabama House candidate whose husband once coached Auburn University basketball. Explain why her web site doesn't mention it -- and why her opponent hasn't made an issue of her being married to a fired state employee.

19. Name the Georgia Congressional candidates who received visits from President Bush. Explain why the others have not even received help from Colin Powell.

20. Why hasn't any candidate been as honest as fired Colorado Pastor Ted Haggard - who admitted in a letter read Sunday he's "a deceiver and a liar?"

Had enough of politics yet? I have, so I'm moving on to other Sunday topics:

+ Fort Benning hosted the "all-Army combative tournament." Soldiers competed in boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu - and all of them wished the insurgents in Iraq would fight the same way.

+ The Northern Little League All-Stars unveiled their World Series championship banner at Psalmond Road Park. The attendance at this event was between 100 and 200 - which means it finally may be safe for Columbus businesses to change their signs of congratulations.

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths lost to Huntsville 6-2 on "Firefighters Appreciation Day" at the Civic Center. One member of the audience was selected at random, to cool down Coach Jerome Bechard's temper.

+ The Atlanta Falcons lost 30-14 in Detroit. I still wonder how seriously Detroit is taking this season -- because there's a receiver on the Lions named Mark Furrey. [True!]

+ Instant Message to the Hughston Foundation: Do you really mean what's on your Veterans Parkway sign - you're having a "BIZARRE" next Saturday? Are you selling leftover Halloween novelties, or what?

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