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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Meet Sonny Perdue: First-time caller, long-time listener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 680 The Fan, WCNN-AM, they rarely delve into politics.
But the station couldn’t resist that letter in the Journal-Constitution from Gov. Sonny Perdue, ripping the AJC for ripping the Georgia Bulldogs with a headline after the ‘Dogs 51-33 collapse to Tennessee.
And we all know how Perdue loves to chat on radio talk shows.
Yes, we realize that some of you doubters may be asking the following question: Is a radio frequency committed to dissecting and fragging every single move in professional and college sports — is this really the place to argue that a general circulation newspaper should focus on preserving fragile egos and exert itself in nothing but gentle nudges toward the good and decent?
Your answer to this question is belated, and thus does not matter.
On Tuesday, the governor was booked for a call on the afternoon show hosted by former Georgia Bulldog quarterback Buck Belue and seven-year veteran John Kincade. Here’s what happened, after Perdue said hello.
KINCADE: I tell you, I woke up this morning and I read this stuff in the AJC, and I was a little chinked, I gotta tell you. And it’s good we can have a little dialogue here.
‘Cause I’m looking at it, and I say — [I’m] a fine supporter of my seated governor, and I want to see you back in there again to continue your good work — but I wasn’t pleased with the note you hammered out to the AJC.
PERDUE: Why’s that?
KINCADE: Because I think that you’ve got better things to worry about, and it’s not the governor’s job to tell the AJC what headline should be in the sports section.
PERDUE: I wrote that letter as a citizen. The paper’s the one making a big deal out of it. I wrote what I felt. I exercised my free speech —
KINCADE: Aw, Governor —
PERDUE: That’s the great thing about America —
KINCADE: Governor, you know if you send in a note to the AJC, as the seated governor in this state, it’s not going to be handled as a private citizen. I know that you can say that to me, but that is going to get front page news because you’re the governor.
PERDUE:I signed it ‘Sonny Perdue, Bonaire, Ga.’
KINCADE: Yeah, I understand that, how you signed it, Governor. But this sounds like it goes much deeper than a sports headline about the Georgia Bulldogs. This sounds like a personal feud that you’ve got with the AJC.
PERDUE: Let me tell you what it stems from. It stems from whether a major paper in the state — I think you read the letter — whether it’s the front page or the business page, and now the sports page — what I said was, they celebrate our losses, and cancel our victories.
And that’s from all over, that’s anything in Georgia — and somebody needs to speak up on it….
KINCADE: Now, Governor, though, have I seen you speak up about Georgia having the worst graduation rates in the SEC in football and basketball
PERDUE: Yeah —
KINCADE: And Georgia’s academic scandals and Georgia’s arrest reports out of the football program —
PERDUE: We’re putting graduation coaches in there so we can help these kids graduate from high school.
KINCADE: No, I’m talking about Georgia, the Georgia football team.
PERDUE: If you’ve been to the Board of Regents, you’ve heard me speak up about the completion rates of all of our students at our universities. I’m concerned about that.
KINCAIDE: What about the arrests within the football program, the academic scandals within the football program?
PERDUE: Now you’re starting to sound like the AJC.
KINCADE: No, I’m just sayin’…..
PERDUE: That’s what they say. Is this the editorial board of the AJC I’m talking to?
KINCADE: No, Governor —
BUCK BELUE: That’s my partner, and I’ve got him five days a week, four hours a day, Governor.
KINCADE: What I am is an objective mind.
PERDUE: Turn his mike off, Buck.
BELUE: Well, we’re doing a road show. I’m not able to do that right now.
KINCADE: Come on, Governor, I’m an objective guy.
BELUE: I’m guessing, Governor, it’s been brewing a long time, and this sort of set you off with the coverage after Saturday night.
PERDUE: It was the final straw, when I got up Sunday morning and read the paper. They’ve been writing it all week. [Garbled] It might have been the final straw for Tech. I’m a supporter of our teams.
I get chafed when the Braves, who’ve won 15 in a row, and when you don’t win one, you think the whole world is coming apart, from the AJC sports writers. And that’s just not right.
I believe we ought to celebrate these kinds of things. They’ve done it to Tech, they’ve done it to the Braves, they’ve done it to the ‘Dogs — all of these things. I’m just fed up with it.
[SHORT BREAK]
KINCADE: Governor, do you ever have a chance to talk football with the president?
PERDUE: I do, I talked to him about it today. I told him, you need to come to the game. And he said, you know, everybody would be magged, at the game, so I have to enjoy it vicariously through watching all you guys.
KINCADE: Now, Governor, one of the things you said in your note — you said other cities celebrate the successes and mourn the losses of local businesses, individuals and sports teams. I gotta tell you, growing up in Philadelphia, that’s not the case about the sports teams.
New York papers, Boston papers, Chicago papers, major markets — when their teams do poorly, pro or college — they’re getting killed.
I went to the worst Division 1 program ever, Temple University, and if you read the Philadelphia paper coverage, it’s miserable about that program. They kill them, every time they can.
PERDUE: Hey, Kincade. I think we’re getting a diagnosis here. You grew up in Philadelphia?
KINCADE: Yes, sir.
PERDUE: Okay. That explains a lot of things.
BELUE: Governor, we’re really pulling for you in the campaign going on. That opponent has already taken some negative shots at you.
Well, we expected that. We’re going to get some blocking in the back, and some clips, and those kinds of things, but we’ll be standing there at the end. I want to thank you guys for having me on today. [Hangs up]
BELUE: I think you irritated him a bit.
KINCADE: I’m sorry, I’m just not on the P.R. team.
Here’s a prediction. At least until Nov. 8, the governor will stick to television. He’s got the money for it.
Remember Brian? Taylor has him explain Perdue’s land deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The $100,000 tax break that accompanied Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Florida land deal made it onto TV last night, in a 30-second spot by Democratic rival Mark Taylor.
The Big Guy uses the sound from a WAOK talk show in which Perdue is asked by a caller how others might go about getting the same. “You get yourself elected governor, Brian,” was Perdue’s famous reply. For details, go to our Sept. 13 posting.
See the TV clip here.
