Arise open minded Oconee Countians as well

Arise, Athenians!

Appropriately for Athens, our legislative races seem drawn from a Greek drama in which the despicable act of a scheming man sets into motion an inevitable chain of events.

Enter: Ralph Hudgens, a Christian. (Had St. Paul foreseen that his labors 2000 years later would give rise to a man like Hudgens, he would have thrown in with the pagans.) Hudgens is that oxymoron, a Christian politician, or rather he uses the religion of Peter and Paul to further his own political aims. This is the same Hudgens who was on the state steering committee of Christian Lt. Governor candidate Ralph Reed.

The Plot: Athens traditionally votes Democratic. It is a small blue dot in a red state governed by a Republican Governor and a Republican legislature. The noble Hudgens is ambitious, and he is a Republican. He proposes a plan to cleave Athens-Clarke County in twain, affixing the sundered parts to heavily Republican Senatorial District 46 and to heavily Republican District 47, the fiefdom of Hudgens. The Republican House and Senate lose little time speeding his gerrymander through the legislature; Republican Governor Sonny Perdue blesses the handiwork of his servant, and it is law. Selah.

The wise Democrat Mac Rawson steps forward to run against the scheming Republican Ralph Hudgens in District 47. Rawson has experience in government; he is bright and personable, and he drives a pickup. Rawson is open where Ralph is devious; Rawson is committed to good government, where Ralph wants government to be good to him.

The plot thickens. When Republican Sen. Brian Kemp announces he will not run again, Rep. Jane Kidd runs for his District 46 seat. Then Hudgens cuts her Democratic strength in half, but she runs anyway. Meanwhile, Republican Bill Cowsert also runs in District 46, which his brother-in-law Kemp and Hudgens have tailored for him by cutting up Athens, while Cowsert looks the other way and says nothing - showing his “common sense.”

Even against the odds, Kidd is an energetic and intelligent campaigner, as she has proven to be a tireless worker for her constituents—whatever their party. In spite of all the gerrymandering and brother-in-lawism, Jane Kidd is running a strong race because she is a strong personality who grew up in state politics.

But that’s not all. When Ralph redraws the districts, he cuts out Democrat Becky Vaughn, who ran against Kemp in the last election. Since she can’t run again in her old district, she’s running for House District 113 against Republican Bob Smith, a truly Neanderthal Republican, whose guiding principle seems to be to turn a deaf ear to anything Athens wants. Vaughn is already experienced in the halls of the Capitol representing the Georgia Council of Substance Abuse, and she will hit the ground running if elected to the House.

But there is even more Republican gerrymandering. Lo, the Republican legislature and Governor cut Athens out of the Congressional District represented by hometown Democratic Congressman John Barrow and throw us into the heavily Republican 10th Congressional District long dominated by the right-wing demagogue Charles Norwood. Springing forward to oppose the smug Republican comes the courageous and unabashedly moderate Democrat Terry Holley, a likeable and quick-witted campaigner who understands the needs of the district he strives to represent in Congress.

And so this tragicomedy, set into motion by naked political machinations, speeds toward its climax. Any red-blooded citizen of Athens—Republican, Democrat or Independent—who resides in State Senate District 47 on the east side of Athens-Clarke County and all like-minded voters in Oglethorpe County, Madison County, Jackson County and Barrow County should go to the polls and hamstring Hudgens. He is a menace in our midst. Likewise, his partner in crime Bill Cowsert should be denied the fruits of his ill-gotten district, especially since the alternative, Jane Kidd, is such an effective, hardworking legislator, who can represent the interests of Athenians and also the citizens of Oconee County and Walton County.

While we’re at it, we can help elect Becky Vaughn in District 113 and gain a voice in Atlanta who can speak for the common good of Oconee and Athens-Clarke, instead of pitting them against each other.

I cannot speak as clearly about the race for the District 115 seat vacated by Jane Kidd. The candidates are Democrat Doug McKillip, Republican Regina Quick (for several years Flagpole’s able attorney) and E.H. Culpepper (a friend since college, even though we fell out for a while when he ran a negative campaign against Gwen O’Looney for Mayor).

Finally, Terry Holley represents the voice of the people in the 10th District Congressional race, against the protector of privilege.

The glory of Athens resides in her citizens. Arise Athenians! Throw out the tyrant and all his minions