Deal and Smyre discuss democracy for Voices and Votes
Members of Georgia Humanities posed with panelists Cathy Cox, Gov. Nathan Deal, and Legislator Calvin Smyre shortly before their discussion on democracy and the current condition of state and federal politics took place. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Former state legislator Calvin Smyre, who earned the title, “Dean of the House,” after initially being elected in 1974 as a 26-year-old, gestures to the audience while making a point about the importance of preserving democracy in government. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Gov. Nathan Deal shared many memories and stories of non-partisan cooperation and democratic principles from his time beneath the Gold Dome in Atlanta. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Lou Benjamin of the Georgia Writers Museum served as emcee for the evening. IAN TOCHER/Staff
The month-long Smithsonian exhibit on American democracy, “Voices and Votes,” that opened Saturday morning at the Putnam County Annex building, served as the backdrop that evening for a wide-ranging and candid discussion on the state of the nation’s political system.
Hosted locally in conjunction with Georgia Humanities, the program brought together former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and longtime …
