At the risk of repeating myself: Just about everybody in the state except for the nuts at CL (which is like the Great Speckled Bird but without the class), and the lib loonies at the AJC, understands that Barnes went down in flames on account of a combination of issues that had an underlying common theme: Barnes's heavy-handed, autocratic way of doing business (hence his nickname, "King Roy"). The teachers (ESPECIALLY the teachers), the people whose land was being destroyed for an Outer Perimeter, folks who were redistricted into weirdly shaped districts for petty revenge or Democratic advantage (like me!), people suspicious of his creation of autonomous, unelected, unaccountable government "Authorities" like GRTA . . . the list goes on and on, and they are all mad at Barnes because he shoved his pet projects through without consulting the people or their representatives.
Certainly the flag advocates in the rural areas were annoyed at him, but that has as much to do with the old conflict between the "wool hat farmers" and the boys in Atlanta as it does with the flag or with racism. Those "racists" put a number of good black candidates back into office - such as our Attorney General who is a touch liberal for my taste but a decent, hardworking man who runs a tight ship, hires quality staff, and goes through work like a buzzsaw. Barnes is from suburban Cobb County and is very much a Capitol Hill guy, inside-the-Perimeter lawyer type. Apparently that's the kind of guy the author of this silly rant LIKES . . . in which case he should probably move up north where there are a lot more guys like that.
Give me an honest country boy any time. If you're in trouble, those snobby Atlanta elites will cross over to the other side of the road and pass you by, but country folk will help you and be embarassed by your thanks.