Blake Aued of the Athens Banner-Herald posts an insightful item on his blog that quotes Rep. Alan Powell (D-Hartwell), one of the few remaining rural Democrats in state politics, on Democratic prospects if Roy Barnes loses the governor’s race:
“If Roy Barnes doesn’t win it in November, you can probably stick a fork in the Democratic movement, because we will not be able to come back for a generation or more,” Powell said in a phone conversation today.
If Barnes loses, Powell said he would “seriously consider” switching parties because Democrats would not only have no influence, but no hope regaining power. He also said he thinks he could halt the Republicans’ drift to the right and bring it back toward the middle.
Powell, who calls himself an “independent Democrat,” said he doesn’t think he could win as a true independent. But would the Republicans have him? Remember, this is the guy who once told a roomful of people that Gov. Sonny Perdue can’t satisfy his wife.
