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DEL.ICIO.USA note from the guy in the foreground
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
True story: I once knocked on a fellow’s door and introduced myself, and was greeted with an astonished, near terrified look, followed by a peal of wild laughter.
As he pulled back the door, I could see he’d been sitting in his apartment on a Saturday morning watching a video of “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” that Woody Allen film in which a movie character named Tom Baxter comes down off the screen and into the life of a New Jersey waitress.
I’m shooting for a similar effect right here. The guy with the glasses on the end of his nose is stepping down off the sig to say that after 33 years at a newspaper I’ll always love, I’ll be leaving at the end of this month. I’m going to become editor of the Southern Political Report, a newsletter-website which has been written for many years by Hastings Wyman, an old friend from many campaign trails, who’s staying on as founding editor. It’s a great opportunity, and what more than one colleague has described as a perfect fit.
I leave you in the capable hands of Jim Galloway, who has done most of the heavy lifting in this space for a while anyway. And I’ll be checking this space regularly to find out what that suburbanite Scotsman has to say.
This is a great newspaper because it has great readers, and a blog like this one really puts you in contact with them. It’s been an honor to provide the fodder over which you have argued, digressed from, agreed with guardedly and many times disagreed with heartily. To put it in Internet terms, politics is an open architecture subject: Anybody can plug in and play, and the Insider has become a forum for people to do so.
Earlier this week, the calendar pulled to within 500 days of Nov. 4, 2008, in which so much will be riding, in the state and the nation. That period ought to be a golden age for political discourse of every sort, and as our loyal readers know, this is a great place to pick up the conversation. And as for our political friends, may all your financial disclosures come back clean as a whistle, and all your election night parties be safe and sober. Happy trails.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Darrell
June 29, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this
Wish you all the best and I’m glad to know you will still be around.
By griftdrift
June 29, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this
Wish you all the best Tom. It’s been a great ride. And now the mystery of why so many journalist people were at Manuels last night is solved. And why that poor man was carrying that heavy old typewriter.
By Danny O
June 29, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
Among many other things, you’ve always been great for spinning the best tails during lunch over at the Slop. Best regards Tom and we look forward to continuing to read your words, wherever they might be printed.
By Will Jones
June 29, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this
Mr. Baxter, Your role, to whatever degree, in allowing my Free Speech comments to be printed in this blog is proof of your journalistic integrity, personal honor, full-strength American citizenship, and employment by a decent and sporting organization and family. As a Veteran I am grateful to know my life was not placed at sacrifice in vain.
The Southern Political Report is blessed to add your name to its masthead and the AJC is, after all these years, parting with a true asset.
Thanks and All the Best to you and yours.
By Bill Kecskes
June 29, 2007 3:30 PM | Link to this
Thanks Tom. Good luck & God Bless You!
By Victor Jones
June 29, 2007 5:27 PM | Link to this
Break some legs Tom. i have some compromising pictures from Cross Over Day Lunch, where shall i send them?
Victor Jones Macon, Georgia
By Zathras
June 29, 2007 5:30 PM | Link to this
Mr. Baxter: Southern Political Report is henceforth bookmarked for me. Thank you, from a former temporary Georgian, for all the fine reporting and commentary you’ve provided to AJC readers for so many years.
By Odd Ogg
June 30, 2007 3:36 PM | Link to this
Wait, you mean you’re NOT the guy from the movie? Oh, well. Anyway, good luck! Now, Galloway, GET YOUR A* TO WORK!!
By Mark
June 30, 2007 11:27 PM | Link to this
One less liberal douche bag at the AJC. Now get rid of Galloway and the AJC and all is right.
By Mark is an idiot
July 1, 2007 2:47 AM | Link to this
Mark, I pity you for having to go through life in such a miserable state, and with half a brain.
Any way, Mr. Baxter, thanks for all the great work over the years.
It’s a shame that Julia Wallace is killing the AJC, especially by pushing out all the old veterans. Hold on as long as you can, Furman Bisher.
Thanks Mr. Baxter, and we have to hold out hope that Julia Wallace will be deservedly fired one of these days.
By Democrats love terrorists
July 1, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this
Mark is right. This blog and Tom Baxter are liberal morons. Once this paper and the blog are gone gone, the better the outcome.
By Skram30082
July 1, 2007 6:02 PM | Link to this
Congrats, Mr Baxter on your new position. You will definitely be missed her, no matter what “Mark”, “Democrats love terrorists” and all of the other fascist Repubs say…
By Craig also
July 1, 2007 8:43 PM | Link to this
This is likely the one and only time I will ever agree with Will Jones. Good luck Mr. Baxter, and congrats.
By Mark
July 1, 2007 10:26 PM | Link to this
Thank you. Everybody knows that Democrats love terrorists. They all cheered on 9-11, those filthy Democratic thugs.
Now that Baxter is gone, Galloway should be next and then the entire editorial board.