The American mantra of 2008 - YES WE CAN! - is not a mystical formula of invocation. Millions of Americans were scanting it on November 4th and 5th (and before, of course). And it was a great pleasure to witness and drown in tears of joy and cries of euphoria of the Atlantans who support Barack Obama. But those were not the majority in Georgia - a traditionally red Southern state. The purpose of this article is to reveal how the Atlantans went crazy, and share some of my unforgettable Atlanta-experiences.
Mostly Red Peaches
The results of the presidential race 2008 will be certified by both county election superintendents and the Georgian Secretary of State by November 10 (UPDATE: not certified yet!). The vote totals by county are already available on the official website of the Secretary of State Karen C. Handel with the notice that they are "under continuous review for formatting accuracy and are subject to correction at any time." In total, 3,734,063 Georgians cast their votes; 52.4% of the population of Georgia (1,954,911) voted for McCain versus 46.9% supporting Obama (1,751,621). It is was not surprising that McCain won the state. Historically, the state of Georgia wasthe last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established in 1733; the Peach State has a long history as being increasingly supportive of the conservative Republicans. However, there were times when the peaches were served blue, for example, after Reconstruction. But those were bruised by the race and tasted conservative as well.
The Recent Fruitful Years
By right, the Georgia Republican Party is proud of its historical and political record. I had this impression from visiting the party's website, overviewing some of the blogs available, and from the political speeches of the local Republican leaders who are, of course, supporting McCain and Palin.
The beginning of the 21st century has been especially victorious for the Georgia Republicans. In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in Georgia by 55%-43%. In 2002, Perdue defeated Roy Barnes by 52% - 48% to become Georgia’s first Republican Governor since Reconstruction. The same year, Republicans were successful in convincing four Democrat senators (Jack Hill, Don Cheeks, Dan Lee and Rooney Bowen) to switch parties within a week after the election, and took control of Senate; not to mention Senator Price's success story who was elected as the first Republican majority leader by the new majority caucus! In 2003, Perdue became the first Republican governor since 1868! In 2004, Georgian Republicans expanded their control of the peach orchards: George W. Bush defeated Senator John Kerry and won a second term in Georgia by 58% to 41%; Republicans achieved a 99-81 balance in the Senate and the House of Representatives, etc. In, 2005 Richardson became the first Republican speaker of the House since reconstruction, and Keen was elected by the House Republican Caucus to be the first majority leader. And this was just a sketch of the most recent fruitful years of the Georgia Republican Party.
Important: Population Distribution
According to the 2007 survey of the U.S. Census Bureau, whites comprise more than 60% of the Georgian population. The population of those who identified themselves as African American alone has been decreasing gradually, comprising less than 30% of Georgians respectively. Contrary to the decrease of the black population in the state, the percentage of the citizens of the Latino descent has been growing; however, the total number does not exceed the 8% margin. The Asian population is not large in number either (less than 3%). All in all, white Republicans make up the majority of the Georgian population. Again, this played a significant role in the outcome of the 2008 presidential election in Georgia.
Impressions and Observations
The presidential race was not that exciting as in Virginia or North Carolina, for example. In Georgia, McCain and Palin were always leading in the polls. If you drive through the Georgia suburbia, probably, you will share my impression: still the majority of the banners in the front yards of the Southern houses and along the highways are pro-McCain.
But Atlanta is special. This is the thirty third largest city in the United States with the rapidly growing population. The majority of the population is black. So far, it is estimated that 13% of the Atlantans are gay, lesbian or bisexual. As any large city, Atlanta is full of contrasts. I did not know that Downtown here is quite different from the large European cities. My first impression was that Atlanta's Downtown is absolutely black; and most of the people I saw were not hurrying anywhere, and hanging around. I chose a black male couple to have a conversation with.
Mrs. Denberry and Miss DeeDee, as they identified themselves, were open for a talk. I asked them whether they voted today, and whether they do it regularly. Eighteen random persons I talked to on November 4th voted that day, and they also claimed to be voting regularly; among them, one middle-aged Jewish couple, a retired white American, and a young woman, most probably of the mixed descent. I did not ask about the candidate they were voting for, but all the black respondents (obviously, the majority) were open about their choice: Obama. It was not my purpose to make the polls, I just wanted to talk to people, and they were always friendly and positive. I was always introducing myself as an international student from Kyrgyzstan ("Huh, what's that?") who studies in Germany, and came to see the American presidential election. The young people seemed to be very relaxed about my questions. We were chatting about politics and how they felt after casting the vote.
I: What was going through your mind after you cast your vote?
Mrs. Dernberry: Obama! Obama! O-B-A-M-A!
I: There is an opinion that this presidential election divided the American nation, and it will take time to cure it. What do you think about it?
Labron: I don't agree that election divided it. It was divided before the election.
I: (the same question as above)Would you agree with that opinion?
Miss DeeDee: Oh, yes.
I: Okay, and how much time will it take to cure the American nation?
Mrs. Dernberry: Four years.
I: So, one term.
Miss DeeDee: No, I think eight years.
I: Sir, is this presidential election more important to you than any other?
The old taxi driver: Yes. This is the most important election in my life. (…) Because Obama is the first black American who was that successful. Young people today do not feel the way we feel. The country was always divided.
All of the black respondents agreed to that they heard talks about possible voter suppression or intimidation in some parts of the country on November 4th. None denied this is impossible in Georgia. However, not a single person reported s/he felt uncomfortable or not confident about his/her choice at the polling place that day. None of them reported they knew somebody who felt suppressed or intimidated either. The news reported no significant violations at the polling stations of Georgia.
Celebration
It was a long day that started at 5 a.m. because I wanted to see the early lines at the polling places not far from the place where I stayed. The lines were not as long as predicted due to a diligent work of the workers, and the early voting the week before the Tuesday Election. Among a dozen of other entertainment places in Atlanta, the Huge Election Watch Party at Amsterdam-Atlanta invited Obama supporters to celebrate until 3 a.m. It is quite understandable why Atlantans were rejoicing at the news: Barack Obama is the first black American President of the United States!
I AM SURE: for the 106-years-old Ann Nixon Cooper, the old black woman living in Atlanta who Obama addressed in his historical speech, November 4th was the happiest day in her life.
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