Political Debates - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

In this famous debate, Nixon sweats and loses.

The uncertainty and anticipation of what can happen make debates entertaining, and that was why the Lumpkin County Republican Candidate Debate this week was worth attending.
While we've been to political debates before, the Lumpkin debate was the first time we had ever seen anyone debating over the office of Coroner. One candidate even told us that he had covered two murders. Guess if you are a coroner, you need to know how to deal with dead people.

The big hot button for Lumpkin was discussed - Whether voters should have the right to vote on the referendum for Sunday Beer and Wine sales. Guy LaBoa, Carlton Smith, Chris Dockery, Bill Scott, and Doug Sheridan all agreed that the issue needed to be voted on by the people. The only negative - and this comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with this issue - came from Tim Bowden, the current Commissioner from District 3. (By the way, Carlton Smith is running against Bowden. Not going to think too long about which one will get our votes.)

The only cheap shot of the night came from County Commission Chairman candidate Dockery. After LaBoa passionately explained why he went to Iraq to help our soldiers, Dockery made an off the cuff remark that sounded to many in the audience as a direct insult to LaBoa.

Retired Lt. General LaBoa was too much of a gentleman and soldier to respond. Let's hope that at the next scheduled debate on June 14, that everyone is on their best behavior. As Laurence Sterne once said, “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.”