There's a famous Lenin quote - yes, we're quoting a Communist - that stuck with us throughout this busy year: "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen."
The year 2015 may not have been as world-bending as the Russian Revolution and the end of The Great War, but there were certainly weeks when it felt like years happened. The Islamic State's rise. Heart-wrenching terror attacks at home and abroad. The court decision to legalize gay marriage. A wild presidential race that gets ever wilder.
And that means enough major political stories to fill a few Top 10 lists. Here's a list, in no particular order, of 10 Georgia stories that really popped.
1. A surprisingly productive session ... Fresh off a sweeping election victory, Georgia lawmakers did what no one expected: After years of logjams, they adopted a nearly $1 billion package of new fees and taxes for transportation improvements. They legalized medical marijuana. And they approved a plan to let the governor's office take control of struggling schools.
2. ... with surprisingly little red meat. Almost as startling is what was left behind. The outcry from a coalition of business groups, religious leaders, gay rights activists and establishment Republicans scuttled an attempt to pass a controversial "religious liberty" bill. And plans for more tax cuts, another gun rights expansion, new limits on abortions and other conservative policies also failed to pass.
3. The "SEC Primary" picks up steam. Elsewhere it might be called Super Tuesday, but in these parts the March 1 vote is known as the SEC Primary. It has helped Georgia attract unprecedented presidential traffic in 2015, and many top candidates have held multiple rallies here. Several trekked to the state party's convention in Athens, but the biggest event was August's RedState Gathering, which drew nine GOP contenders - and a last-minute dis-invitation of frontrunner Donald Trump.
4. Georgia's quiet reaction to same-sex marriage ruling. On a June Friday just days before the end of the term, the Supreme Court dropped a bombshell with a 5-4 ruling that held the Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage. While Republican leaders in neighboring Alabama tried to resist the ruling, and some presidential candidates vowed they would force a reversal, leaders in Georgia accepted it. "The state of Georgia is subject to the laws of the United States," said Gov. Nathan Deal, "and we will follow them."
5. The Peach Breach. Secretary of State Brian Kemp spent the final months of his 2015 navigating the fallout of a massive data breach that that exposed the disclosure of confidential information of more than 6 million voters. Kemp ordered an independent audit and offered credit monitoring for voters. But his problems are far from over. The worker he blamed for the mishap claims he was scapegoated, Democrats are stepping up their attacks and the civil lawsuit that exposed the breach is still pending.
6. Jimmy Carter gets sick - and then his health improves. In an extraordinary news conference in August, former President Jimmy Carter revealed that cancer had spread to his brain and that he was "surprisingly at ease" with his diagnosis. The 91-year-old strode to the pulpit at his Baptist church in Plains in December with a remarkable update: The latest scans revealed signs of cancer in his brain were gone.
7. Johnny Isakson eyes a third term. Georgia's Republican senior senator surprised no one with a pledge to run for re-election. But then came the revelation that he had been suffering from Parkinson's diagnosis - and that he would still run for another six year term. With qualifying set for early March, no Democrat has stepped up to challenge him. The two-term incumbent, meanwhile, is bracing for a fight.
8. Georgia tries (and fails) to ban Syrian refugees. More than half the nation's governors announced they would oppose federal efforts to relocate Syrian refugees in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, and Georgia was no exception. And like the others, Georgia's opposition was just as symbolic. That was made clear days later when a Syrian family quietly arrived in Georgia, opening a divide in the Georgia GOP and raising the likelihood of a legal showdown.
9. The expanding Confederate flag flap. The massacre in June of nine black worshippers in Charleston by a white supremacist sparked a greater conversation across Georgia about the use of Confederate symbolism. State-issued license plates featuring the Rebel emblem were changed (though only slightly). Statues and paintings of Confederate leaders in the statehouse faced fresh criticism. The leaders of Stone Mountain agreed to build a memorial for black soldiers on top of the giant paean to the Confederate war dead. And two state-sponsored holidays - Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee's Birthday - were booted from Georgia's calendar.
10. Casinos bet on legalized gambling in Georgia. Casino interests spent the year mobilizing for a 2016 fight to allow gambling in Georgia. MGM led the charge, unveiling plans for a mega-resort in downtown Atlanta that would fuel the HOPE scholarship, and others have joined the fight. It seemed like they had an opening, with Deal hinting he would not veto key legislation while other Republican leaders said they were receptive. By the end of the year, though, the odds had grown steeper. "Don't bet on it," Deal said, while some supporters privately talked of a 2017 push. But if the last year taught us anything, it's that political winds can shift quickly.
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