Thursday afternoon, I heard that candidates would be gathering at Manuel's Tavern that evening. So, I gathered my pad and camera, and ventured down the road to catch a glimpse of actual campaigning. Sadly, it was a 'meet-and-greet', instead of the spit-turning debate such a venue's denizens are capable of. Still, it was a good opportunity to see a good number of candidates in person, and made for an jump-in-and-swim introduction to this election cycle.
This brings me to my first (and largest) revelation, having spent most of the past year in a virtual cave: There is surprisingly (or not) low interest in the mayor's race. From at least one official, I heard that in at least several gatherings and debates, candidate entourages have outnumbered general public. This gathering seemed to match that description; a few times, one could tell who was speaking from the direction (or lack) of flashbulbs.
My second revelation should be old news to anyone who isn't me: most of Atlanta's recreation facilities are closed. This has to be the lowest-hanging election fruit I've heard of in a long, long time. Kasim Reed is waving this flag all over the place, and should build some support from doing so.
I also note that of all the candidates in attendance, Mr. Reed demonstrated the kind of charisma which draws people in. While I also think charisma's advantage is diminished in this present age, the capability will make him an effective candidate at any level.
My third revelation of the evening: In this day and age, the mere presence of an SLR camera makes one look like some form of media rep. I had an idea of showing up early, finding a quiet spot, and watcing/noting the proceedings...FAIL. If I had a dollar for every sideways glance from suspicious politicians and campaigners , I'd have easily made 1-3 months' rent. It was mostly hilarious.
Away from the tavern...props to ATLMalcontent for correctly calling out the panhandler issue's depiction as a tourism problem, and the implications of such an attitude on life in the city, and for Andisheh's shrewd Twitter updates (some of which are also gathered here by ATLMalcontent). I watched those updates live, and they were drippingly sharp satire.
