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DEL.ICIO.USWife stars in Perdue trek
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mary Perdue’s star turn through her husband’s re-election bid continued Wednesday as Georgia’s governor raced across South Georgia.
The bus tour that will eventually take Sonny Perdue to nearly four dozen small and mid-size communities went through Bainbridge, Thomasville and Fitzgerald.
Perdue repeatedly put his wife out front, praising her as a great wife, mother, grandmother and life partner.
“Mary is a wonderful asset to our campaign because of her genuiness of spirit,” the governor told about 100 folks gathered on the Fitzgerald square.
The events Wednesday took the governor to a cinderblock hotel in Bainbridge, a family restaurant in Thomasville and even a recreational vehicle assembly plant outside of Fitzgerald.
Along with praising his wife - who has starred in several homey television commercials - Perdue repeatedly stressed the same message: I am one of you.
“We are coming very respectfully, asking for your vote. We don’t take it for granted,” Perdue told Thomasville residents.
BAINBRIDGE - THE CHARTERHOUSE HOTEL
Wednesday’s early stop took Perdue and company to a two-story cinderblock hotel in Thomasville built around a rectangular pool.
The 7:30 a.m. crowd of about 55 was primarily political candidates, handlers and others somehow affiliated with the coming election.
State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and Georgia GOP party chair Alec Poitevint joined the tour Wednesday.
Perdue supporters gathered in a small meeting room behind the reception lobby.
Ryan Lee, 38, of Cairo, said he came Wednesday because he’s a Republican and knows local elected officials.
“The direction we’ve gone the past four years is the right direction for the state,” Lee said. “It reflects the values of South Georgia.”
Lawrence Jones, 44, brought his son, Joel, 12, to meet some of the folks he only sees on television or reads about in the papers.
The house painter said he’s a lifelong Republican.
Joel kept the meeting in perspective. “It was fun and interesting, and I enjoyed the food,” he said.
THOMASVILLE - THE PLAZA
About 100 supporters packed into a back room at the Plaza restaurant in downtown Thomasville to meet Perdue and the Republican team.
The governor hit on familiar themes - faith, family, values.
Outside, a handful of women wearing hospital scrubs lined the sidewalk leading to the restaurant. They carried signs saying, “Georgia Nursing Homes support Perdue.”
The industry has made similar showings at several stops on the tour. Why?
Patty Fowles, who works at Hospitality Care Center in Thomasville, said the industry needs Perdue’s support.
“We are really struggling,” Fowles said. “We are here to let him know we support him, so he will support us.”
Perdue left the second breakfast with a police escort that blocked intersections and led the governor out of town followed by about a dozen other candidates getting similar star treatment.
The governor also got a similar escort along the way by local sheriff’s deputies which allowed Perdue’s motorcade to zip through small towns at breakneck speeds.
Nick Ayers, Perdue’s campaign manager, said the local escorts weren’t arranged by the campaign. The governor, Ayers said, waved off one enthusiastic deputy who led the parade of SUVs with blue lights.
“I’d like to say we control everything, but we don’t,” Ayers said.
FITZGERALD - TOWN SQUARE
Under clear blue skies and 80 degree heat, Fitzgerald residents blocked the cobblestone Main Street to meet Perdue and his GOP entourage.
Mac Collins, the former congressman seeking a return to office, joined on in the hope the governor’s coattails would help pull him through to victory.
Some 85 residents listened to Perdue and Cagle again made direct appeals for support.
Charles Burnham, 55, of Fitzgerald, sat against a brick fountain on the corner of Main Street.
A Democrat, and a rare non-white face at a tour stop, Burnham said he had no use for Perdue.
“I ain’t had any thought about Sonny,” Burnham said. “He’s a Republican. I’m a Democrat.”
FITZGERALD - COACHMAN TOUR
Just after 1 p.m,, the governor pulled into a recreational vehicle plant outside of Fitzgerald.
The governor, his support staff, and lt. governor hopeful Casey Cagle spent 30 minutes inside the 3-year-old facility.
The rest of the candidates had already run ahead to Waycross or skipped out altogether.
Lawton Tinsley, southeast vice-president, led the tour, showing Perdue every step of the process that takes a metal frame and turns it into a home on wheels.
The plant employs about 150 and normally cranks out about 10 RVs per week, or half as many if they are building the largest units.
The new plant allowed Coachman to expand from a facility a mile away that the company has had for 35 years.
Tinsley said a $605,000 One Georgia grant the firm got after Perdue took office helped the firm bring its lamination operation to Fitzgerald from Indiana.
The program, Lawton said “has helped the whole South Georgia area.”
Perdue and his handlers spent a fair amount of the tour fending off a persistent, ever-present horde of gnats by constantly waving at the flying pests.
They also found a disgruntled Fitzgerald woman who wanted to bend the governor’s ear.
Perdue passed her off to staffers who tried to placate her.
She said Republicans in Fitzgerald didn’t get enough contact with powerbrokers. She said she didn’t want to give her name.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Campaign trail diary: Perdue
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By Anonymous
November 2, 2006 1:59 PM | Link to this
This blog is poor quality. It has errors and several trivial details. Why do we need to know about some lady who had a bone to pick with Sonny? That happens at almost every political event. Same thing with the deputy escorts-who cares?
Instead, it could have used more quotes from Sonny or someone like Casey Cagle or Brent Brown. Although most of what they said at the event I went to was stump speeches, it was still more interesting than what we got here.