Posted on 05/13/2004 9:15:58 AM PDT by UlsterDavy
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GWINNETT U.S. SENATE DEBATE
My wife and I got to the event two hours early. To pass the time, we casually walked around the parking lot and met people coming for the debate. At that time we counted around 30 vehicles with Isakson stickers and around 12 with Cain stickers. Evidently Isakson's supporters were enthusiastic to see their candidate in a debate given the fact that this was to be his first appearance at one out of a total of three in the last two weeks (Johnny was absent at Cobb and Cherokee counties).
We entered the lobby and the first candidate table was that of Johnny Isakson's. Scratch the "enthusiastic" comment I made earlier. These guys looked like they were all hired hands. Stiff, somber and unwelcoming. With multiple events going on at the Gwinnett Center that night, I almost asked one of them if this was the funeral home director convention.
We walked by the Mac Collins and Herman Cain tables and from both we were pleasantly greeted. As time passed by, more people seemed to hover around these two tables. The Cain and Collin’s supporters were clearly more social with each other. The Isakson people tended to stand against the wall looking on.
With about an hour before debate time, Herman Cain walks into the lobby. Fifty people surround him. He talks and listens to some of his supporters. He then gives a short speech which finished with loud applause. Chants of "Cain Cain Cain" echo down the halls of the Gwinnett Center. One of the things he was asked was why he thought it was possible that he could become the next Georgia Senator. He told a story of how the bumble bee was not supposed to fly based on the laws of aero dynamics and physics. “It’s body is too heavy, it’s wing’s are too small, it’s not supposed to be possible” he said. “No one told the bumble bee that it could not fly” he added. This campaign certainly has the buzz.
Unbeknown to me, Mac Collins had entered the lobby at the same time. He hovered around his supporters and stayed and listened to what many of them had to say.
A few minutes later, Johnny Isakson enters the lobby. He greeted a few people. There was no applause, no cheer, no anything. You wouldn't have known he was there. He almost ran through the lobby as if he was a nervous teenager that was late for the prom.
As the debate was about to get underway, we noticed the odd seating arrangements. Each campaign was designated their own sections. The Gwinnett County party managed to place the Isakson supporters right in front of the TV cameras with the Cain and Collins areas to either side. Gwinnett local access TV was recording the event and this was to be shared with CSPAN. WSB radio also recorded the event. Upon closer observation, there was as much (if not more) Cain supporters there as there were Isakson supporters. Collins fans were definitely third.
Johnny Isakson was introduced as "the honorable Congressman” and they failed to do the same introduction for Collins.
Throughout the debate, the Collins and Cain supporters showed a good amount of solidarity. Clearly showing the conservatives in the race.
At one point moderator Dick Williams said that in campaign literature and advertisements, Mac Collins called Johnny Isakson a moderate. When asked to expand on that, Mac Collins said “If the name fits, wear it”.
There was no denial from Isakson on this statement, more like "I've been called that before and I won back then". Isakson and Collins go at it again for a little while longer about “conservative” and “moderate”.
Herman Cain steps in amongst the bickering. “I will tell you how to spell conservative" he says. "C-A-I-N" he said receiving loud applause.
The best discussion of the night came on the issue of taxes.
Collins and Isakson explained that they were for lower taxes. Herman Cain responded firmly saying “With all due respect to my opponents, they are a part of the status quo. They are career politicians, I am a career problem solver. They described ways to put a band-aid on our tax problem. We don’t need to do that. We need to replace it with the Fair Tax”.
When asked if the Fair Tax was a realistic goal in the next ten years, all three candidates agreed. Herman Cain then slam dunked his opponents. “I am glad to hear you say that you support this" he said "but what is taking so long?" he added to loud applause.
Exiting the Gwinnett Center, Cain's people were handing out literature on the rights of the unborn and on the Fair Tax. As I was approached by one of those people she reached her hand out to give me the literature. I pointed at my fresh new Herman Cain sticker, raised my fist in the air and said "I am a believer!"
It's great to have 2 conservatives in the primary, but I'm with SmithPatterson - Mac Collins is the best man for the job. Though Cain has a great platform, where has he been this whole time? I had never heard of him until he announced for the race. There's no evidence that he was communicating either as a constituent or through any lobbying group to change the way things are done in DC. I and many others have been working at the grassroots level through letter-writing, phone calls, etc..., to try and change policies on things like abortion and taxes for years, and we want someone who has been at it with us. Mac Collins has been a workhorse for the past 12 years in DC - trying to build momentum among other legislators, thinking of new ways to do things, standing firm for conservatives principles. He hasn't been afraid to cast the unpopular vote when it was the right thing to do. I think it's a bad thing to equate being an incumbent with being a bad politician. I'd much rather have a seasoned leader who really knows the issues and is experienced at crafting and pushing legislation, than someone whose professes great zeal and energy for the job as of late. I worked for Mac as a staffer a few years ago and saw firsthand his integrity, energy, and conservative stands. It'd be great to see Cain involved at some level of Republican politics, but knocking out an experienced, proven leader like Mac would be a mistake. We need his leadership in DC.
Question for Georgians: I believe that an old buddy of mine, Tom Price, is your state senate majority leader. What are his prospects for tossing a hat in a bigger ring some time in the future?
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