The Red and Black

Roy Barnes is a terrible candidate for governor. Let me tell you why: Guy Millner says so in his television campaign ads. But Guy Millner is also a bad candidate, according to the ads of Barnes. So who's the good candidate in the Georgia gubernatorial race this year?

The television and radio ads attack the opponent, but finding an ad where the candidate speaks his views is difficult. Millner attacks Barnes for being "too soft on crime" and "too liberal for Georgia."

Barnes counters with commercials defending that he tries to be tough and that if Millner cannot see that, then he doesn't know or care about the "truth."

What weak campaigns! If they are going to get down and dirty rather than talk about the future of Georgia, then they should go all the way. Hey, Roy! Why don't you throw some ads on television about how Millner operates temp agencies that employ a great number of women for 30-plus hours, but never 40, in an attempt to hold back benefit expenditures?

Why don't the two of you totally disregard the issues - you have a good start. Run some ads like Al Franken wrote for Saturday Night Live.

How about: "Don't vote for Diane Feinstein. She's a Jew!"

The Mark Taylor-Mary Maragaret Oliver race needed more fiery ads. I wish I could have seen an ad against Taylor with a dramatizied scene of him buying heroin outside of Grant Park while taking kids to ZooAtlanta. Or maybe a dramatized ad against Mike Bowers where he is wearing those funny Groucho Marx glasses with the mustache while sneaking into some hotel to meet his lover.

If the candidates are going to run defaming ads, at least make them completely tasteless and entertaining.

How about giving Georgians a roll of candidates who care about where Georgia is going economically and educationally? With the current ballot, you may ask, "Phillip, who do you plan to vote for in the election?" Let me tell you - neither!

People tell me they are voting for one or the other because they vote for the lesser of two evils. Lesser of two evils? Is that the condition that I want to simplify the qualifications of those who govern me? No!

I do not want either of these men to be governor. They act like children in a forum where I am supposed to pick one of them to set my standards of living in this state. Why don't we just elect my little brother? Hell, John would make a great governor.

I am sure I will be skewered by several leagues of voters, but my advice to all intelligent beings in this state is to take a stand: Don't vote. What kind of message do voters send to candidates when electing those who campaign for no obvious reason except to defame the opponent? I refuse to vote anymore because candidates insult my intelligence.

You should feel insulted too. Are either of the candidates someone who people can claim will forge Georgia ahead into the 21st century? I don't think so, but hey, I am hard to please.

Here's a challenge for all the candidates: Impress me - do not insult me!

Make the voters want to vote for you, not vote against the other guy. Impress me.

- Phillip Jarrell is a senior in history

Article Tools