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DEL.ICIO.USTaylor ready to “shock the nation”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Twenty-three hours before the polls open on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor boarded a private jet and headed to five cities across Georgia for a last day “flyover� looking to secure last minute votes.
At 8:01 a.m., a convoy of four planes, carrying the media as well as Democratic incumbents and hopefuls were scheduled to visit Columbus, Macon, Albany, Savannah and Augusta, before returning to Atlanta at 6:10 p.m.
The first plane to take off carried Guy Drexinger, a candidate for insurance commissioner, and Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, who is seeking his 10th term in office.
Drexinger jotted down notes on the plane. Irvin read the paper and took a nap.
“I do have a lot of experience,� Irvin said. “Nothing beats experience.
8:30 a.m. Columbus: Putting his Mark on the state
Taylor and the party got red carpet treatment when they arrived at their first stop – Columbus – where they were met by Ed Harbison (D-Columbus) and about 50 supporters in the hometown of the Little League World Champions.
“We are going to put a Mark on this state again,� Harbinson said, as Taylor walked into the airport with his wife, Sacha, on his arm.
Both shook hands and hugged nearly all of the supporters. Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Irvin, both seeking re-election, mingled with the crowd.
They were joined by Drexinger, secretary of state candidate Gail Buckner and PSC candidate Dawn Randolph.
“It is a great day to be a Georgia Democrat,� Taylor bellowed at the throng.
Robbie Evans, a member of IBEW drove from Atlanta to attend the airport rally, where Brian King, another union man, joined him.
“The Democrats work for the common man,� said King, of Local 613. We are construction workers and laborers and we have concerns about illegal immigration and outsourcing.�
During his speech, Taylor addressed labor and said that he will work to increase the state’s minimum wage, which Gov. Sonny Perdue has been reluctant to do.
“We need a living wage, not a minimum wage,� Evans said. “I consider it an insult that Perdue wouldn’t even consider increasing it.�
Harbison said that Columbus is polling strong for Taylor and the Democrats, but stressed the importance of the party hitting the polls on Tuesday.
“I think we have a chance for a new direction,� Harbison said. “A change in direction that will put the emphasis back on serving the people of Georgia. I believe it is going to happen. When we wake up on Wednesday, it will be in place. Mark Taylor will be governor.�
10 a.m. Macon – Shocking the World
“Who do we want?� Lillie Gantt Evans asked.
“Mark Taylor,� screamed a chorus of 1st and 2nd graders from the M.A. Evans Grade School in Macon.
The children, dressed in blue uniforms, each held Mark Taylor signs.
One of the students, Zariya Williams, 6, addressed Taylor. Telling him that they needed dental care and healthcare.
“You are talking about PeachKids,� Taylor said, referring to one of his proposed programs to bring affordable healthcare to all of Georgia’s children.
“This is what we are fighting for,� said Sacha Taylor.
“We are fighting for the children like them. They need access to healthcare and a quality education. To do that, we have to restore funds to education and HOPE. So these folks can be the next HOPE scholars.�
The delegation was joined on the tour in Macon by DuBose Porter (D-Dublin), the Democratic leader in the House and Robert Brown (D-Macon) the Democratic leader in the Senate.
Porter told the crowd that the state needs to return to having a full-time governor, citing that Perdue spends more time with outside interests than he does doing state business.
“We need a full-time governor. Sonny doesn’t have a plan for Georgia,� Porter said. “Mark Taylor does. If we are going to continue move Georgia forward we need a Big Guy.�
All of the speakers stressed turnout.
“He will carry Macon and Bibb County,� Brown said. “It is going to be a close race, but if we can get our turnout, we can win it.�
Taylor said he was confident that the turnout would come.
“Tuesday will be the day Georgia shocks the nation and elects a new governor,� Taylor said.
Noon – Albany – Coming Home
On the plane to Albany, Taylor was still excited about the crowds he had seen and the fact that so many children were in attendance.
“It’s a challenge for these local parties to get a crowd out on a workday. But to have the school kids meet us here was great,� Taylor said. “Every election is about who shows up to vote. We feel good and the response over the last three weeks has been great.�
But the crowds in Macon and Columbus were only teasers to what he would see in Albany, Taylor’s hometown.
The biggest and most vocal crowd of the trip thus far, met Taylor and the delegation in front of his local campaign office. Each candidate walked through a line of cheering supporters as Congressman Sanford Bishop announced each one of them as if they were an athletic team.
“It is a great sign to see so many people here. To see such a massive turnout,� said William Dennis, second congressional district chair for the Democratic Party.
“Albany is where it started for Mark and where he is always at home. We need him. Four years of Republicanism is too much.�
Taylor told the crowd, which included his family, that his father moved to Albany in 1962 with $95 in his pocket.
“But now he is a successful businessman,� Taylor said.
“That is the kind of state we want Georgia to be. We believe that when you are in public office, you should help the people. Not help ourselves.�
The delegation was also joined in Albany by Lt. Governor candidate Jim Martin, who drove across the state on Monday.
“Everything goes through Albany,� Martin said. “This is where it started and this is where it will culminate into a great victory. A lot of people say the Democrats are out or down. But I don’t see that here. Taylor will be a helluva good governor. And Sanford Bishop sure can preach.�
Bishop, who is also seeking re-election, served as a masterful master of ceremony, riling up the crowd.
Relishing his introductions, including an introduction that moved Irvin to hug Bishop.
“I would not want to be agricultural commissioner if I didn’t carry Southwest Georgia,� Irvin said. “I look to carry Southwest Georgia by a large, large, margin.�
When Irvin finished talking, Bishop took the microphone and led the crowd in one more cheer.
“Rain, shine, sleet or snow,� he began. “Tomorrow to the polls, we must go.�
2:20 Savannah – A silent majority
In Savannah, which boasts some of Georgia’s best seafood, Taylor supporters smelled something fishy – namely Perdue’s controversial land deals.
“It just kind of smells,� said David Nagle, a Savannah attorney and member of the Chatham County Democratic Committee. “It doesn’t pass the sniff test.�
Nagle was one of about 120 supporters from the Savannah area, who attended the rally at the local airport.
“The thing that distinguishes Mark is that he is concerned with the people. Perdue is concerned with money,� said Nagle, who attended the rally with his wife, Mary. “Money is important, but if it doesn’t serve the people, you are not doing much with it. Mark’s heart is with the people.�
Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway) said the Taylor’s focus on Perdue’s land purchases have started to create an increasingly louder buzz across the state.
“I’ve seen a real surge in the last two days in Southeast Georgia,� Williams said. “Mark has a presence and his positions are strong. And clearly, [charges of Perdue] corruption has taken root. There is a great silent majority for Mark Taylor that belies the polls.�
4:05 p.m. - Augusta –
When the wings touched down at Augusta’s Daniel Field, Taylor’s communications director Rick Dent reacted in mock shock when he saw the huge crowd gathered on the tarmac.
“Is that for us?� Dent asked. “Augusta is usually tough.�
“Not today,� replied Sacha Taylor.
The Augusta meeting was the only rally to be actually held outside at one of the airports. It was also the only rally where Taylor didn’t have a podium or a microphone.
But that seemed to free Taylor to deliver perhaps his most passionate and animated speech of the day, as he shouted and pumped his fist for emphasis, while whipping up the already anxious crowd.
“On my worst day, I will be a better governor that Sonny Perdue,â€? Taylor said. “On my worst day, I will help more people than Sonny Perdue. On my worst day, I will never use the office to benefit myself and my family, financially. I am working for you.”
As with each of the stops, local officials counted the ways that their city and county could sway Tuesday’s election. Lowell Greenbaum, the chairman of the Richmond County Party, noted how the area elected Democrat John Barrow to congress two years ago. Barrow was one of only a handful of Democrats to beat an incumbent Republican congressmen in 2004.
“This election will be critical for John and Mark,� Greenbaum said. “But we are a strong Democratic Party and a strong Democratic city.�
Greenbaum said the party has knocked on 20,000 doors, sent out 8,000 letters and made 4,000 phone calls to potential voters, prompting Taylor to say that if “Augusta and Richmond County voted Democrat we would never lose an election.�
6 p.m. - Fired Up
Mark Taylor’s 600-mile jaunt across the state ended Monday night where it began – at Peachtree DeKalb Airport. Taylor and the Democratic delegation were greeted like heroes by a huge crowd at the airport when they arrived back in Atlanta after touring the state.
“Let’s get ready to rumble,� shouted Labor Secretary Michael Thurmond, who joined the delegation on the final leg and served as the evening’s host.
“We are going to march together. Black and white. Rural and country. Tall and short,� Thurmond said.
“And when we march, the pitter-patter of our feet are gonna sound like the thunderous hordes of Joshua’s army and we are gonna take Georgia back.�
From 8 a.m. until 6:30, the delegation met with hundreds of supporters across the state, urging them to come out to the polls on Tuesday. They stressed the importance of voting and turnout. They repeated the need to turn the Republicans out of office. They harped on Sonny’s land deal.
And in the end, they sang a spiritual.
“Give us that Old Taylor Spirit,� sang Jasper Williams, pastor of Salem Bible Church, as he finished his prayer at the closing the day’s final rally.
“I am fired up about today. We had consistently strong crowds and I really do feel good about our organization across the state.�
Taylor said he will do television and radio interviews the remainder of Monday, before he and his wife get up early Tuesday to fly back to Albany to vote.
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