Zell Miller

[CCTAU 3,342]

Al, you still sound like you feel ZM duped or misled the voters who voted for him, and there simply isn't any proof of that.

again, he hasn't flipped on issues...and the voters of georgia knew what they were getting...and they still chose to elect him.  i'd dare say he'd probably get re-elected as a democrat if he were to run again... are you saying the democratic party has no room for someone who votes their conscience? who may actually think for themselves?

as to why he didn't just go ahead and switch parties, he addressed that in his interview w/ hannity....

also, you've asked numerous times on thsi thread, "what's wrong w/ entitlements"...and while that wasn't addressed necessarily to me, here's my take on why people would object to entitlements.

first off, some entitlements are good...and taken individually, i'm sure you could make a compelling case for each & every one, yet taken as a whole, it's just another means by which the government becomes further involved in people's affairs...becomes larger...takes away from those who have and gives to those who don't have...with seemingly reckless abandonment.  collectively, it's stepping toward socialism...cradle-to-grave gov't assistance...and that's what rubs me the wrong way.

ct

I don't know whether he misled those voters or not. It just seems strange that he would align himself with a party that he disagrees with, judging by his voting record. The Democratic Party has room for anybody, but your characterization that the tail wags the dog misses my point. I think you'd find it strange if I announced that I was running for office as a Republican, wouldn't you? My views aren't consistent with that party, so why would I align myself with it?

As for entitlements, I want to refer you to what I consider to be an excellent source of info on the liberal perspective on this issue. The tail isn't wagging the dog here, she just articulates the point better than I have the time or capacity to. And, you'll love her name! Auntie Pinko

he's not misleading anybody. He votes the way the majority of Georgians feel. The problem with all you liberals is that yo uforget Georgia is more than just a liberal Atlanta. People here in GA are conservative and like the conservative point of view but a lot of them are still stuck voting for an early 70s democratic view. That is why "I lost my legs in Viet Nam so vote for me", Max Cleland got voted out. He was a terrible rep for the whole of GA and people quit feeling sorry for him.

The problem with the hope is that all the students attending on the hope scholarship do not work to keep their grades. A lot do but it still drains the system when they only make it a year or 2 then drop out. The system should be that, until you graduate, it is a loan. The day you graduate, it all turns into a grant. You have 6 years to graduate or 1 year of not attending before you have to start paying it back. That way, the party slackers will think twice about "free" money.

[AUBoggs 0]

If Miller campaigned as a Democrat, was financed as a Democrat and was elected as a Democrat but never votes as a Democrat, then is he representing the views of the people who voted him into office? Why didn't he run as a Republican since that's how he votes? Also, Senate and committee majority/minority leaders are determined by the party makeup of the Senate. He's not helping the Republicans, who he votes with, by calling listing himself as a Democrat.

Your statement assumes everyone associated w/ the democratic party, either registered voter or elected official, believes the same things. I know this is not true from personal experience.

I'm not saying I agree with elected officials running as a memeber of one party and then switching parties after being elected, however, I do respect Zell Miller for speaking his opinion.

As far as our founding fathers are concerned, I'm not naive enough to think they did not have their differences. I just can't believe the petty attitudes expressed by both parties today is what they would have wanted.

It sure as #@$$ isn't what I expect my tax dollars to fund!

[cantwatch 0]

It seems like some people really have no grasp of the whole southern democrat thing.

It stems from the Reconstruction when the Republican party without Lincoln's leadership and compasion sought to punish the south. Recontruction era Republican governors were installed and soon, the Republican party became reviled and rightfully regarded as anti-southern, giving rise to the Democratic party in the south, and the term "yellow dog Democrat," because you'd vote for a yellow dog if it was a Democrat.

With the way things work here, if your daddy was a Democrat, then you were a Democrat, and so one thoughout the generations.

The split between local and national politics has already been addressed with the national party's move into social reforms, the rise of the Dixiecrats, and the national party's subsequent move toward the left and away from the traditional political views of the south.

So when Zell Miller started his political career, you couldn't get elected dog catcher in the south if you were a Republican, even though, locally, Democrats were just as conservative as anyone.

Though political registrations are beginning to change to reflect the south's alaigning more with the Republican party, there are still many parts of the south where you might as well not run for local office if you plan to run as a Republican, regardless of your ideology. Things do change slowly here when it comes to that.

So, did Zell mislead the voters? No. Was he less conservative as Georgia's governor? Yes, but that's more a function of the office than his personal views.

Is he more outspoken now than at other times? Yes. Why? Because he is the rarest of politicians. One who doesn't feel like he has anything to lose.

On a personal note. I met the man not long after he retired from the Gov. office and spoke with him for about an hour. I think he's one sharp cookie and a genuinely nice man. I think he missed north Ga. Sometimes I do too.