Posted on 11/01/2003 7:40:23 PM PST by Pokey78
Democrats in Washington and Georgia reacted with studied indifference and disappointment to Sen. Zell Miller's rejection of his own party's presidential candidates last week.
Privately, many Democrats are furious over Miller's endorsement of President Bush, but publicly their response has been to give the endorsement and Miller's new book saying the Democratic Party has abandoned the South as little notice as possible.
"That's an old story. I just don't have any comment," said James Carville, whom Miller recommended to Bill Clinton after the Democratic consultant managed his 1990 race for governor.
Democrats in Congress -- especially Miller's Senate colleagues -- avoided comment, as did Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and Secretary of State Cathy Cox, the state's top elected Democrats.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, his young daughter in his arms, was approached as he left the Senate floor. Asked for his thoughts, he simply said "no" and rushed onto an elevator.
But in spite of the public coyness, the endorsement was definitely the buzz in Washington, says Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). Lewis reported he was at a dinner Thursday night with a number of Democratic House members, many of whom asked each other between bites how Miller could do it.
Miller's sometime adversary, former House Speaker Tom Murphy, was an exception, offering a pointed comment when asked.
"Every honor I've had has been through the Democrats, and I'm not going to knife them in the back," he said.
While Miller is not the first politician to endorse a presidential candidate of another party, his announcement was unusual, coming as it did before his own party had selected a candidate.
Miller's endorsement came four days before the official publication of "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat," which goes down the list of Democratic contenders and finds them lacking.
Miller's criticisms are a special problem for Southern Democrats because he has played such a key role in defining the modern party across the region, from his early support of Bill Clinton to his widely imitated lottery for education.
Scott chastises party
Rep. David Scott of Atlanta, who has joined the moderate Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in his first term in Congress, acknowledged Miller had raised some eyebrows with his strong criticisms of the party. But Scott, who has cultivated an image as a moderate in both the state Legislature and Congress, said he had received similar reactions from fellow Democrats.
"We are not going to be a majority party if we cannot speak with the majority voice in this country, and the majority voice sings in three chords," the 13th District congressman said. "Not tenor, alto and bass -- They sing liberal, moderate and conservative. And the Democratic Party has to have a melody that's made of those three."
In reality, the region has become "incredibly competitive," with power frequently shifting back and forth between the parties, said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster based in Montgomery. Alabama, he noted, has swapped the governorship between the parties three times in recent elections.
"Are there kernels of wisdom in there? I suppose, absolutely," Anzalone, who has worked in several Southern states, said of Miller's charges. "Is it true that Democrats can't win in the South? No. I just don't think that's true at all."
Rep. Johnny Isakson, a Cobb County Republican, said Democrats should look at their national leadership before criticizing Miller.
"He is a fine example of a party leaving its elected officials, not of an elected official leaving his party," Isakson said.
Rep. Jim Marshall, a Democrat who supports Bush's position on Iraq, is recuperating from cancer surgery and could not be reached directly. But he sent an e-mail statement on the current state of his party.
"The Democratic Party has long represented a broad spectrum of working families, and it continues fighting to get them a better deal," Marshall said. "Where we could do a better job nationally is in letting people know that we also fight for their values, like Georgia Democrats do."
Georgia House Speaker Terry Coleman said he agreed national Democrats had in some respects "gone too far."
"It just seems like the left wing of the Democratic Party seems to garner all the attention, and they've not left a lot of room for national moderates and national conservatives," Coleman said.
But Coleman, who in his first term as speaker was often at odds with Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, said he thought the party still was in the right place at the state level.
"Georgia Democrats have been the tax cutters and the people who have held the line on the budget and all of Georgia government. We have a sensible policy on abortion. Georgia law is seen as a model. We have always been strong supporters of individual rights as it pertains to guns, religion, you name it. All those things are the middle-of-the-road way we feel."
"I'm an unreconstructed, unrepentant, proud Southern Democrat. And my views have not changed. They've evolved like everyone else's," said former Rep. Buddy Darden, a member of the state Democratic Executive Committee. "What this constitutes is a change in some of Miller's thinking rather than a change in the party itself."
Ticking off his party's core beliefs, Darden mentioned one program, the HOPE scholarship, initiated by Miller.
"As far as I'm concerned, the Democratic Party still represents the values and views of a majority of Southerners and Georgians. We believe in individual freedoms. We believe in government being proactive on behalf of the people who need help. We believe in Medicare and Medicaid. We believe in the HOPE scholarship. . . . We believe in providing services for our people, and we have done a wonderful job with that since Reconstruction," Darden said.
Republicans, in turn, found Miller's stance heartening at the grass-roots level.
"It's being received extremely well because what it says is, one, Georgia has become a Republican state, and also it shows the level of support for President Bush and for his policies in Iraq and with the economy," said Republican Karen Handel, campaigning Saturday to be Fulton County Commission chair.
An independent fellow
Miller has made it clear that he intends to remain a Democrat, which means reaction to the book, especially in his home state, isn't being cast as a parting shot.
"Zell is an independent kind of fellow. He always has been," said Coleman.
Miller's reception among Democrats at home, even if frosty, will be better than he's likely to receive in his remaining days in Washington.
"He's probably already frozen out" by the Democrats. "The book explains an enormous amount," said Emory political science professor Merle Black.
Miller "went to Washington and found himself a part of a group that he increasingly didn't identify with," said Black, citing the partisan battle over homeland security and the Democrats' pro-union stance, a position that helped lose Max Cleland his seat.
"He describes himself as a conservative Democrat, and across the South there are just very few conservative Democrats left," said Black. "The more he defines himself as a conservative Democrat, the closer he comes to the Republican Party."
On the other hand, the response to Miller in Republican circles gets warmer all the time. Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking Friday at a fund-raiser for Rep. Phil Gingrey, read Miller's statement endorsing Bush and called the Democrat, who was not present, "a distinguished American." Miller's words got a big hand from the Republican audience.
Staff writers Rhonda Cook, Melanie Eversley, Ben Smith and Jim Tharpe contributed to this article.
LOL How can this be an old story, James? BTW, you look much better with the wastebasket over your head! Would you please wear it after the election next Tuesday?
That's ok Doug, I forgive you. Your first reply covered it very well...and I do appreciate the addendum.
FMCDH
Hmmm... I wonder whether or not he will be the candidate for guys with Mexican flags in their pickup trucks? It would be interesting to pin him down on that one...
Honor? ROFLOL, honor among thieves. Zell must be an old school democrat, the kind my grand parents voted for, he is as sick of liberals as anyone else it seems.
"Miller's criticisms are a special problem for Southern Democrats because he has played such a key role in defining the modern party across the region, from his early support of Bill Clinton to his widely imitated lottery for education."
Yeah, I'm sure they all enjoyed hiding behind his coat tail as a politician with an honorable, old fashioned, history, giving the nod to destructive modern liberal agendas to voters who trust him. Seems he's taken his coat off.
"In reality, the region has become "incredibly competitive," with power frequently shifting back and forth between the parties, said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster based in Montgomery. Alabama, he noted, has swapped the governorship between the parties three times in recent elections."
This is true, the South has a throw the bums out approach to voting out which ever party has disappointed them.
"Georgia House Speaker Terry Coleman said he agreed national Democrats had in some respects "gone too far."
Yeah, so far that he doesn't dare detail in what manner they have gone to far. Treason, curlishness, theft, moral equivalency, the destruction of the nation, and that's just for starters.
"It just seems like the left wing of the Democratic Party seems to garner all the attention, and they've not left a lot of room for national moderates and national conservatives," Coleman said."
Yes, a parade of drunks, murderers, currs, fruits, nuts, and clowns, usually does garner alot of attention.
"I'm an unreconstructed, unrepentant, proud Southern Democrat. And my views have not changed. They've evolved like everyone else's," said former Rep. Buddy Darden, a member of the state Democratic Executive Committee
Nothing more unsightly than an evolving, revolving, democrat talking out of both sides of his mouth.
I guess they can pretty much kiss that vote good-bye and forget that idea now.
But the DemonRAT Party would knife you in the back
in a heartbeat. That's the character of the creeps
(the Clintons, Kennedys, McAwful, Pelosi, Chicoms) that are
running the party. And what is "honorable" about being a Democrat these days?
I totally agree. There was a time, I will admit, that I voted for 'em.
I live in Oregon now. Never again...
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