Roy Barnes says he’ll ‘fix the mess and go back home’
Former Gov. Roy Barnes spoke to 2,400 delegates to the General Missionary Baptist Convention up in Rome this morning.
This from the News-Tribune:
[Barnes] said that his reason for running in the 2010 gubernatorial race after spending years in politics away from his family was to “fix the mess and go back home again.”
“I’m concerned about where we’re going as a state,” Barnes said. “Progress has been turned back. We’re divided as a people again for political purposes, and there’s a ring in hell for any politician who does so.”
You have to wonder whether that’s a signal that the former governor, if elected, might commit to running for a single term.
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
53 comments Add your comment
RetiredSoldier
November 11th, 2009
1:58 pm
I have a better idea Roy, just stay home.
John Oxendine
November 11th, 2009
2:28 pm
Roy Barnes says he’ll ‘fix the mess and go back home’ – hey Roy – YOU caused this mess – just stay home
Road Scholar
November 11th, 2009
2:34 pm
Repubs have short, defective memories. Uncle Sonny has been in office 7 years. He’s one of the problems. What is/was his vision for the state?
BPJ
November 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
I’ll support Barnes if he’s the nominee, but I suspect that he would lose to the Republican (unless they nominate a nutball like Oxendine. The only way a Democrat can beat a Republican in Georgia in 2010 is to make the race a referendum on the past 8 years of Republican governance, starting with inaction on transportation. But if Barnes is the nominee, the race will also be about his record – which will muddy the waters. The strongest candidate we Democrats can nominate, in my opinion, is David Poythress. Former Secretary of State/ Labor Commissioner/ commander of the Ga. National Guard. General Poythress would have a wide appeal around the state in a general election. And he’d make a fine governor.
jconservative
November 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Road Scholar
Sonny never had a vision for the state. He never thinks that far ahead.
And Roy is probably past tense.
kegger55
November 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
BPJ – “starting with inaction on transportation”
I take issue with your remark on inaction on transportation… He was very active in shutting down the Northern Arc, so in a sense, he was responsible for setting back transportation about 15 years.
I’m a pretty staunch Republican but even I have to admit, he’s been pretty non-existent and I don’t think were any better off now than we were 8 years ago. Of course, maybe leaving things alone was the right thing to do all along.
GEORGIA97
November 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
Roy is nothing more than a scumbag plaintiff’s lawyer who lives for the limelight. FAIL.
SOUTHERN ATL
November 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
….and he can WIN too!!!
Gary
November 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
Is he even eligible to run for another term should he win the 2010 election? I thought the term limit was two terms? Can anyone clarify differently?
majii
November 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
Gary, Barnes served one term in office, ran for a second term, and lost. One reason he lost support was because of his support for House Bill 1187.
atlwolf
November 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
Gery, Barnes only served one term from 1998-2002.
Mandingo
November 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
To billy bob from cobb
You are a perfect example of why the south lost the war
A lousy excuse for a man.
Mid GA Retiree
November 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
Ask former Gov. Barnes to define “mess” and then give us a realistic plan for fixing it. The mess wasn’t caused by just Republicans, or just Democrats. It was caused by POLITICIANS of all parties.
atlwolf
November 11th, 2009
3:47 pm
Sorry for the typo, Gary.
Leigh
November 11th, 2009
4:00 pm
If you look at the article on Georgia’s continuing budget woes in yesterday’s AJC, you’ll see that the state paid more in tax refunds to corporations last month than it collected. That pretty much sums up the Republican philosophy as far as I can see it–take the money from the people and give it to the corporations and developers (see: Jekyll Island). We furlough teachers, do nothing to improve transportation, but put $25 million into Sonny’s “Go Fish Georgia” program. Great vision.
Atlanta is Stupid
November 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
Ol’ RoyTheCrook just wants ta git his hands on some more toll road money for his cronies. Never trust a crook. Then again, some of his lawyer buddies from out of state have plans to loot Medicaid, again. Never trust a crook.
New Model
November 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
Georgia needs new thinkers, new ideas, not these good ole boy retreads, trying to get elected to get more money for their business. Roy should stick to suing people in his law practice and making 40% contingencies.
Lisa
November 11th, 2009
4:18 pm
Barnes did not cause the mess we are in. If Purdoofus had not cancelled Barnes’ transportation plan or the water plans we would be in a lot better shape.
jdawg
November 11th, 2009
4:21 pm
Ok, lets see what he does for education….surely the teachers have not forgotten, and he said he will listen now. Unless, he is way better than the republican…I just do not see him back in. The other issue, will still be silent across the state.
Pitiful
November 11th, 2009
4:27 pm
Can anybody here say we are actually “better” off since Sonny took office? We can’t blame all the economic ills on sonny but we can certainly blame the whole transportation fiasco, teacher’s getting screwed (which I find somehwat laughable since they were the ones who voted Roy out) and this state is still the laughing stock of the country. We do need change – teh republicans are killing us!
Marci
November 11th, 2009
4:40 pm
What about Thurbert? He’s been elected statewide 2, 3 times. I think he’d be a better option than Roy. I’m tired of the same ol same ol.
Dave Dawg
November 11th, 2009
4:43 pm
Sonny and his bank-friendly GOP allies), as one of his first and only actions as governor, cancelled all of Barnes’ preditory lending laws, which were in place to make banks / lenders more responsible for their flawed mortgage loans and prevent a foreclosure crisis. The laws, passed in 2002, were the toughest in the nation and the banks were furious. Barnes was proactive and looking out for middle-class homeowners and their home values, but Sonny and the GOP were of course listening to big business and we all know how that turned out.
extremerightwing
November 11th, 2009
4:45 pm
Well, if dumbox wins the GOP race Ol’ Roy might have a shot at it. Think about it fellow conservatives.
Gary
November 11th, 2009
4:46 pm
maji and atlwolf – I know Barnes served one term already. My question is – should he win another term in 2010, would he be eligible to run for another term in 2014? I thought the state constitution was changed to allow a governor to run for two terms period.
I'm a Man, I'm 40
November 11th, 2009
5:00 pm
Roy is a loser. He was a loser when he was a governor and is definitely a loser when it comes to being a trial attorney.
Tom
November 11th, 2009
5:07 pm
I will proudly vote for Roy Barnes. Do not expect him to beat a repub in this state tho. All the repubs have to do is say Barnes is too liberal for Georgia and all the good ole boys and girls as well as the surburbans will vote against him.
Lucas
November 11th, 2009
5:16 pm
I’ll vote for Barnes, also.
Fishawk
November 11th, 2009
5:20 pm
I’ll vote for Roy. Anything is better than what we’ve had for last 8 years. This administration has done nothing to address the problems of this state. Roy isn’t too liberal; he’s a Democrat and Republicans will ignore the issues and vote the party line. Too bad. It would do this state some good to get a Progressive back in power.
MerryMary
November 11th, 2009
5:20 pm
Whether Roy Barnes is the answer remains to be determinied, but he can’t be faulted for our present mess. Let’s give credit for that where it is due…in ol’ Sonny’s lap. He’s been too busy working his own deals and lining his pockets to take care of state business.
YardDawg
November 11th, 2009
5:22 pm
Are we better off than 7-8 years ago? The answer is yes. GDP is up $100 billion from 2001, per capita income is up … and we have grown by 1 million residents over the last 7 years. Total employment is up almost 500,000. The unemployment rate is up, but that is because there was so much growth in the construction industry trying to build homes for all the people who wanting to move to Georgia.
Now are we better off today than 1 year ago? No. But not many who live outside Washington DC are.
The fact is Sonny has balanced budgets and tried to create a business friendly government. Georgia ranks near the top in business friendly states. Many of the states where people were flocking from rank near the bottom. An arguement against Sonny is that state employees didn’t get raises, times are tough and anyone who owns their own business knows that when the money coming in goes down sacrifices have to be made.
So before the vote left/tax more/grow spending/grow government crowd bashes Sonny, look at the hard facts. I vote independant which means I look at the number and then make rational mature decisions.
The fact is
John
November 11th, 2009
5:29 pm
I would never vote for a sissy as he appears to be.
dgroy
November 11th, 2009
5:36 pm
He’s a Democrat……’nuff said.
DuluthLawDawg
November 11th, 2009
5:37 pm
To answer the question, Roy can only serve one term. He and all other are limited to two terms in their lifetime.
Disco Stu
November 11th, 2009
5:39 pm
I’ll vote for Barnes, but the fact that Roy is the best alternative shows why our state is going down the tubes.
Roy Barnes
November 11th, 2009
5:42 pm
I’m gonna let ya’ll vote on the flag this time!!!
Captain Midnight
November 11th, 2009
5:44 pm
We sure about that? I thought you couldn’t serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
Lisa T
November 11th, 2009
5:47 pm
Can’ think of a single candidate I’m thrilled with. All pretty mediocre and just pandering to special interests to get elected. Once they get in all they worry about is getting re-elected.
DuluthLawDawg
November 11th, 2009
5:50 pm
Think about it, people could just get a stand in and come back after one term. Zell can’t come back if he could he probably would!
Dick
November 11th, 2009
5:59 pm
“missionary Baptist Convention” Why can poliiticnas mix religion and politics but the local wage earner, tax payer,non politician citizen is not allowed to even have a school sponsored prayer. Seems like all politicians are liars. Sanford Pelosi Bishop said he asked what would Jesus do before he voted for health care. So they are alllowed to do things citzens are not,, is this correct?
GaGovernment101
November 11th, 2009
6:04 pm
Hey Yarddog, Sonny and all Governors before him balanced budgets. It’s required by Georgia law. Nothing special there. Just saying.
Screw Up Birther, Deather,
November 11th, 2009
6:26 pm
From The 666 Religious Right News Service:
Meanwhile after former Governor Barnes left the Baptist meeting, A group of Deep Cell Satan Republican Worshipers pass a resolution claiming ” Roy Barnes rides Pagan Goats at midnight waving a Yankee Flag”
cp
November 11th, 2009
6:29 pm
I was the teacher who voted for Roy Barnes when he had the audacity to suggest that teachers be held accountable for progress in their classrooms. A good teacher doesn’t need to worry about tenure and it’s nearly impossible to get rid of incompetent teachers and administrators in Georgia, anyway. The teachers’ unions ran Barnes out on a rail and how’re we doin’ now? “No Child Left Behind” is a fiasco but no politician has the nerve to admit it because of the TITLE OF THE PROGRAM. To say it was a horrible plan implies one wants to leave children behind. What a mess.
mikey
November 11th, 2009
6:40 pm
Barnes is the answer to what Georgia needs right now. He is a brilliant man who knows what the State needs to address transportation, water, education, economic development issues. He has forgotten more about Georgia government than the combined knowledge of all the GOP candidates. When Roy was voted out, there was more than $900 million in the State’s rainy day fund. Under Perdue, there is only $40 million left. And Perdue has used up almost all of the State’s bonding capacity. So whoever takes over Perdue’s mess needs to know what the hell it takes to get the ship of state righted.
ash
November 11th, 2009
10:07 pm
Roy was so bad the first time in office we put a Republican in to replace him. You want him back??
Marie
November 11th, 2009
11:01 pm
I believe this state has had enough of Roy Barnes! I would vote for Mickey Mouse before voting for him! He created the mess and DOES need to stay home, Perdue inherited Barnes mess….and many of us knew it would take at least 20 years to try to undue some of Barnes’ mess! Doing nothing the past 8 years, in the opinion of some, is better than continuing the path we were going. To the teacher (cp): I have to wonder if you really are a teacher. We have no tenure in our schools. We have Fair Dismissal, and teachers CAN be dismissed….just not on the whim on an administrator with an agenda. There has to be a real legal cause for dismissal. In addition, No Child Left Behind is a FEDERAL program. A governor has basically NO legal authority to dictate that program! I hope you don’t teach Government! You say good teachers have nothing to worry about! What a lie! Are you really a teacher? To Mikey: So you think Barnes is what we need? Are you aware that he bullied the representatives and senators to vote his way? Many told me that personally. They were too afraid of him to stand up to him. Doesn’t say much for them, but really speaks volumes about his high-handed, dictatorial, mafia-style methods. Vote my way or you don’t get my endorsement for re-election, and you won’t get your pork-barrel projects for your area so you CAN be reelected. Are you aware that he removed half of the TRS board and ordered his new appointees to remove the other half…..so he “owned” the whole board? Are you also aware that he had his 10 board members fire the successful investment firm of TRS (one of the most successful retirement systems in the state) and hire a different firm. Seems that a close friend has the firm that was hired…..and he may even have a piece of that pie! Talk about a snake in the grass! Barnes! I hope those of you who support him WAKE UP and smell the coffee! You are in a sad delusion……but if you are a Democrat, Obama already has you in a socialist trance, so what do we expect? I hope and pray Barnes loses. By the way, some of you complain about Oxendine. What’s wrong with him? In my dealings with him, he genuinely cares about the welfare of the people. He goes out of his way to assist citizens of this state as Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner. What is your complaint….that he gets things done? I’d really like to hear your responses!!
Chris Mathews is covered in his own spittle because he is drinking, again.
November 11th, 2009
11:51 pm
King Roy should do the environment a favor, and STFU while staying home. Don’t waste the gas driving and do us all a favor and keep that co22 producing trap shut. We have heard and seen enough of Roy.
TommyMcBride
November 12th, 2009
8:38 am
I am just waitng for a qualified candidate to appear! Am I asking too much?
CPJ for Gov!
November 12th, 2009
12:36 pm
Boy, davedawg is kind of an idiot huh?
God and DuBose Porter's name ID | Political Insider
November 12th, 2009
1:35 pm
[...] Wednesday, we mentioned that former Gov. Roy Barnes addressed the group. But we neglected to say that his Democratic rival, House Democratic Leader DuBose [...]
Jeremy
November 12th, 2009
2:03 pm
@Marie isn’t that the same thing that Sonny did with the State Ethics Board? Both Sonny and Roy are good men…but let’s be honest, neither has been a great leader. Then again, Sonny did pray and get us all this rain!
curioius
November 12th, 2009
3:00 pm
I am just wondering why David Poythress is not getting any mention. If Democrats want an alternative to Roy, a conservative Democrat that can win the state is right in front of you. David Poythress should be looked at very closely. Folks, we must do something different if we want to improve this State. Roy, Dubose and Thurbert can’t fix what they either helped destroy or did nothing about. I just know Democrats are missing the best thing they have to win this state back.
Chris Mathews is covered in his own spittle because he is drinking, again.
November 12th, 2009
6:25 pm
Curious,
Just like Deeds, the Conservative Deomcrat, was gonna win VA? Try again, please.
Ed Griffith
November 15th, 2009
4:56 pm
Sonny and the republicans may be worse, but that is not enough reason to support Barnes who is anti-education, anti-environment, and said he was ashamed to belong to the Democratic Party and would prefer the Whigs. Under his leadership the democrats lost after a century of power in Georgia. Poythress is a real alternative, Barnes insures defeat for the democrats. If Barnes wins the Democratic primary then whoever wins the republican primary for governor will be the only republican I vote for.