The Presidential Race, Georgia Politics And Halloween
The countdown to the Iowa caucus, the first contest of the 2020 presidential race, has now moved under 100 days.
The race for the Democratic nomination is still very much contested. At this point it would not be completely surprising for someone other than front runner Joe Biden to win the Iowa caucus.
On the Republican side state officials in Iowa will hold a caucus as President Trump has three legitimate contenders in former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, former Illinois representative Joe Walsh and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.
In some states Republican Party officials have cancelled primaries and caucuses under the banner of giving 100 percent support to President Trump.
Walsh had some harsh words recently for the national Republican Party.
“I have given up on the Republican Party,” he said. “The Republican Party is a cult. They no longer stand for ideas. The Republican Party right now is all about washing their leaders’ feet every day. That’s what they do.”
National political parties should never take away the power of the voters. The fact that one is currently doing so in some states should create an uproar among those who value open elections.
The president’s supporters would no doubt show up and vote for him in the primary. There is no reason to protect him by eliminating choice at the ballot box. That’s what happens in communist countries and those run by dictators, not in America.
Not running this time: Michelle Nunn announced she will not enter the 2020 race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican David Perdue.
Nunn was the Democratic nominee in 2014 when Perdue was first elected. At one time in this state Nunn would have been a favorite to win this office once held for decades by her father, Sam Nunn.
A conservative Southern Democrat, Sam Nunn was extremely popular in this state, probably as much as any elected official in my lifetime. Sam Nunn probably could have put together a successful run for president one time and rumors had him considering the race in 1988. However, Sam Nunn never entered the campaign for the highest elected office in the land.
One has to wonder how he might have fared in 1988. He likely would have done better than eventual Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.
Calling it a campaign: Tim Ryan officially ended his campaign for the White House last week. Ryan, an Ohio congressman, did not make the most recent round of debates and decided to call it quits.
Ryan is one of several candidates who have ended their presidential aspirations (for now at least) before one vote has even been cast.
Shakeup at Fox News: The departure of Shepard Smith from Fox News was not completely surprising.
Smith, who had been at the network since the beginning, had grown more and more at odds with the opinion-oriented hosts on FOX. Smith is a legit journalist and not a talk show host and found it troubling that some of the opinionated personalities at Fox were twisting or outright breaking the truth.
Fox News has had to deal with dropping ratings in recent months. At one time Fox was the clear leader among the cable “news” shows but now MSNBC, at one time a distant third, has pulled even and also moved ahead in some time slots.
Smith meanwhile will almost certainly land somewhere else once his no-compete clause ends. He was one of the most respected journalists at the network.
Halloween: The holiday most associate with trick-or-treats arrives again this week. While many have memories of dressing up and going door to door I have always enjoyed the spooks and scares associated with October 31.
It’s also a great time for a scary movie or two. I have always had a passion for the horror genre and this month various stations have aired Friday the 13th movies along with ones from the Halloween series. These classic movies never get old and are actually very well made for those who have never seen them.
So grab a bag of popcorn, turn off the lights, make sure the doors are locked and enjoy a scare or two. My annual tradition (once it gets dark, of course) is to watch John Carpenter’s 1978 classic “Halloween.” That film, with its emphasis on atmosphere rather than gore, still holds up more than 40 years later.
The franchise has gone on way too long (as most do in this type of movie) but the first remains one of the top 10 horror films ever made. Carpenter’s masterful musical score only adds to the creepiness of the film which makes the opening scene of a carved pumpkin even look scary.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He has earned awards for his columns from the National Newspaper Association, the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.