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11 AUG 04: CATCH A FALLING STAR
Dylan Glenn's dream of serving in Congress was dashed again Tuesday night. He lost the Republican House runoff to Lynn Westmoreland - and to make matters worse, it's three days too late for Glenn to announce he's running for U.S. Senator in Illinois.
Given the "attack ads" we saw on TV in recent days, journalists should head for Dylan Glenn and Lynn Westmoreland's homes today. Will Westmoreland be riding around Coweta County in a fancy limousine? Will moving vans show up in Fortson, as Glenn "skips town" again?
Dylan Glenn didn't wait long after the polls closed to give up the runoff. He presented his concession speech around 9:00 p.m. - early enough so all his supporters could get home to watch the end of Atlanta's baseball game.
Dylan Glenn told reporters he was "very disappointed" in the way Lynn Westmoreland campaigned in the runoff. Now hold on here - Glenn had the first attack ad on Columbus television [2 Aug]. So I guess Westmoreland's crime was not turning the other cheek.
This loss has to be a bitter pill for Dylan Glenn. Everyone from Newt Gingrich to J.C. Watts came to our area to endorse him for Congress. But it was noteworthy that on the day of the runoff, President Bush didn't turn north at Panama City to help him out.
What does this runoff say about Republican voters in Georgia House District 8? Dylan Glenn was endorsed by all those big national names, yet Lynn Westmoreland won the nomination. Maybe Mike Crotts was right, about this area being "not ready" for Glenn -- you know, someone who's Catholic like John Kerry.
Check the county breakdown at the Georgia Secretary of State web site, and you'll find there was a clear north-south divide in the House race. Dylan Glenn led every county from LaGrange south. Lynn Westmoreland led practically every county north of there. And why Meriwether County isn't in District 8 is a mapmaker's mystery....
Come to think of it, the metro Atlanta counties didn't back Dylan Glenn - while Columbus, LaGrange and Macon did. And they say THIS area is filled with rednecks?!
(Bottom line of this race: Republicans in this area still prefer the Good Ol' Boy over the Poster Boy....)
Lynn Westmoreland apparently had one big backer in Columbus - Jerry Laquire of TV-16. I did NOT see "Final Edition" Monday night, but I'm told Laquire picked on Dylan Glenn from start to finish. And in true right-wing talk show host tradition, Laquire reportedly could not pronounce Glenn's first name.
Dylan Glenn may have lost some votes in Columbus, due to a dispute at one precinct. One caller complained workers at "Wynnbrook" refused to let Republicans cast ballots in the House race for hours. It was enough to make you feel like
hanging some chads....
So if what Lynn Westmoreland said at the Friday TV forum is true, Dylan Glenn remains unemployed today. If you see him in a few weeks driving a truck for The Waggoners down Victory Drive, tell him I said hello.
As for Tuesday's other runoff races: Georgia Democrats chose Denise Majette to run for U.S. Senate against Johnny Isakson. Now THIS will be a true north-south battle - since as you may know, Rep. Majette was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Denise Majette becomes the first African-American woman ever to win a U.S. Senate nomination in Georgia. Maybe that's why we don't hear Johnny Isakson call himself "Rock-the-Boat Johnny" anymore - because Rep. Majette actually has done it.
Denise Majette held on to her primary advantage, and defeated Democratic runoff opponent Cliff Oxford. Oxford's own speeches may have done him in. He talked in Columbus Monday about not taking a salary in his first year as a small
businessman - but he never promised not to take his first year's pay in Washington.
Former President Carter urged Cliff Oxford to run for Senate - but in the heat of primary season, son Chip Carter suddenly switched to Denise Majette's campaign. So the flip by Chip makes him look quite hip....
Elsewhere, the Justice Department sent monitors to the polls in Randolph County. Some people reportedly claimed there was "racial tension" - yet the only local runoff races there were for judge and court clerk. Are all the minority residents going to be jailed now?
And in Sumter County, Sheriff Robert Ingle must give up his seat after losing a runoff. This means he only has a few months to get jail inmates to fix up his house.
Oh, yeah: where did I go on runoff night? I didn't go anywhere, really. It might have rained on my umbrella....
Other things happened on Tuesday, too:
+ Columbus Councilor Gary Allen called fellow Councilor Glenn Davis a "rookie," in a debate about a zoning case. Oh yeah? At least Davis once was an All-Star - in baseball, admittedly....
+ Flooding from heavy rain damaged Auburn University computers, so some students were unable to register online. These poor, deprived students! They may have to get up and walk to a registrar's office - and hold pieces of paper.
+ The Sporting News ranked Auburn 64th among U.S. cities for sports, while Columbus placed 336th. Quick, you local minor league teams - start catching up, by firing some coaches!
(First Columbus ranked near the bottom for having a sense of humor - and now it's near the bottom for sports, too?! Maybe our nickname should be "the Frownin' City.")
+ Instant Message to GPB: I tuned to channel 28 Tuesday night to watch "The Legacy of Jim Croce," and there was Rosemary Clooney singing "Mambo Italiano." If you can't put the right "pledge month" tape on the air, why should I give you any money?
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