Former Georgia governor, U.S. Sen. Zell Miller has died at age 86
Source: WSB-TV
ATLANTA - Former Georgia governor and U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, has died after battling Parkinsons disease. He was 86.
WSB-TV has confirmed the information from Miller's family.
Miller served as Mayor of Young Harris from 1959-1960. He served as a Georgia State Senator from 1961-1964. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Georgia for 16 years from 1975-1991. He is currently the longest serving Lieutenant Governor in Georgia history.
Miller served as the 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991-1999. As Governor, he created the HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship and Georgias Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program. He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 2000-2005.
Read more: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/former-georgia-governor-us-sen-zell-miller-has-died-at-age-86/720575085
hlthe2b
(102,197 posts)I'll leave it at that.
Sanity Claws
(21,846 posts)I remember his shameful behavior in the 2004 Presidential election.
Funtatlaguy
(10,870 posts)Was certainly his choice to do so.
But he broke a lot of hearts.
Initech
(100,059 posts)Zell Miller was at some conservative Christian conference and he was saying something like "Isn't it strange that the government allows warning signs on gas stations but doesn't allow us to preach god in the public square?"
And Jon Stewart goes "Yes, I think that makes sense. The government should keep us from being engulfed in flames on earth and that's pretty much it."
DemoTex
(25,392 posts)RIP (Rant In Peace), Zell.
kimbutgar
(21,111 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,121 posts)we Democrats are not too enthralled with his lukewarm support
but I do remember hearing him on news radio during the year 2000 campaign with Al Gore at a Georgia rally, mocking Republican economic policy by asking the crowd, "Trickle down ... trickle down ... is anybody wet?"
Memorable line.
cstanleytech
(26,277 posts)StevieM
(10,500 posts)I think Gore getting shut out in the south had a major effect on him.
Not that Gore really lost Florida, mind you.
Paladin
(28,246 posts)BeyondGeography
(39,367 posts)hatrack
(59,583 posts)Blahblahblahblahblah
MaryMagdaline
(6,853 posts)Scholarships in Georgia. Anyone with B average goes for free. My nephew got through college on Hope. I will forget 2004 for now
Glorfindel
(9,726 posts)I hope never again to be as sickened and disappointed by anyone as I was by Zell. My late sister, who never said anything bad about anyone, said of Zell "His mama would be ashamed of him." She was right. I will shed no tears for him.
Stallion
(6,474 posts)Calista241
(5,586 posts)He did a lot i didnt agree with after his govonorship, but i will always be thankful for his efforts to get me and my fellow Georgians a quality education.
groundloop
(11,517 posts)They've put so many restrictions on the HOPE that my son graduated (with honors) from Georgia Tech with a very significant amount of debt, and that's with my helping him out as much as I could.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)World just became a better place.
Aristus
(66,309 posts)Zell Miller is dead.
Good.
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)Sorry, couldn't resist,
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)while Bush was attacking the constitution, illegally invading Iraq, botching the war on terror, and engaging in torture.
Yeah. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Maybe I should excuse every murderer that ever lived because they did a single good thing at one time in their life?
hueymahl
(2,474 posts)But he did some good too. Already mentioned is the Hope scholarship and Pre-K program. In many other ways, he was a moderating factor when my state was shifting hard to the right.
He, in the end, was just a politician and made plenty of mistakes and self-serving choices. I understand the hate and people cheering his death, but it is in poor taste. Some deserve it. I don't think Zell does (he doesn't deserve canonization either, which we will see plenty of over the next week here in Georgia).
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)He was a good person born into the wrong century.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Yup, that's fitting.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Extended the franchise to non land owning white men, this was a step forward.
Took on the big banks too.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Just ask any German living in that time.
hatrack
(59,583 posts)So there's that, I guess . . .
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)They knew murder was wrong then.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Im happy to continue this debate by email....karendms@aol.com
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Here or nowhere.
gopiscrap
(23,733 posts)IronLionZion
(45,410 posts)But that guy really lost his mind when he was appointed senator and then supported Bush while viciously attacking Kerry and other dems. He even had folksy sayings about killing rattlesnakes with a hoe before they bite his grandkids. What an asshole.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)They were terrible principles, but at least he should by them. I wish more Democrats of the 21st century should by theirs.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)when those principals suck? In this case, it would have been better if he hadn't stood by them.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)It affects your judgement
Micheal Corleone
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Michael hated his enemies more than anyone. It was always about hatred with him.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)such as the massacre of thousands by saying that they either did a few good things as well so we shouldn't be too harsh or excusing them as victims of their time so they just didn't know any better. I'd rather hate my enemies and actually hold them accountable for their crimes than pretend to love them and make excuses for them.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)George Bush and Dick Cheney are personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraquis, this doesnt change the fact that they are a present enemy that must be understould to be effectively confronted.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)He was an opportunist who made a deal with the devil to advance his own career. As I said before, good riddance.
StevieM
(10,500 posts)It was a real barn burner.
Bill Bradley and Barbara Jordan were supposed to be the big stars of the night, but Zell Miller wound up stealing the show.
JDC
(10,122 posts)That speech in 04 at the RNC was disgusting.
john657
(1,058 posts)I will not speak ill of the dead, unlike others.
demosincebirth
(12,536 posts)Bradical79
(4,490 posts)That was disgusting and indefensible behaviour.
obamanut2012
(26,064 posts)LexVegas
(6,048 posts)Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)I liked him at first, but he went off the rails after 9-11.
DinahMoeHum
(21,783 posts).
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)So this physical death is meaningless
dalton99a
(81,428 posts)He's dead
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)Tried to get the Confederate flag removed ahead of the Olympics (soundly rejected, but he tried). Started scholarships for deserving students.
As he got older, he became seriously wingnutty. I often wondered if he suffered from Alzheimer's because of his increasingly angry speeches.
dflprincess
(28,075 posts)but I've read many obituaries with pleasure." situations.