Fresh Loaf

The next few days will be filled with media remembrances of former House Speaker Tom Murphy, who died last night at 83, four years after being silenced by a stroke. Regrettably, the short time I’ve spent covering the Legislature did not overlap with Murphy’s 30-year reign, so I missed seeing in action the man known to a generation of Georgia lawmakers simply as Mr. Speaker.

But what has struck me most in talking to Republican veterans of the House is how fondly they look back at the yellow-dog Democrat who once ruled the chamber with an iron gavel. One North Fulton pol described how, when he’d hear Republicans calling out to be recognized for a motion, Murphy often would make a show of waving his hand in front of his face as if swatting away horseflies. And yet, the GOP vet explained, while Murphy wasn’t always fair, he ran the House with efficiency, authority and a certain down-home dignity – qualities particularly lacking in last year’s train wreck of a session. Freshman representatives of both parties were advised to hold their tongues, watch and learn from their more seasoned peers – damn good advice, say old-timers.

Another favorite second-hand anecdote holds that when Murphy addressed newly elected House members in private, he’d caution them in bracingly salty terms: “Don’t come down here with a Bible in one hand and your dick in the other.” By which he meant he didn’t cotton to sanctimonious politicians who preached family values from the well, but then chased interns and lobbyists around the antechambers. Given the scandals of the current crop of House leaders, that lesson obviously has fallen by the wayside as well.

You can view the Democrats’ official tribute to Murphy here.

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Check out former Gov. Roy Barnes’ eloquent column in this week’s Creative Loafing “Secession” cover package, lamenting the not-too-distant past when:

The Atlanta region and the state were long and deep in leadership, and it paid off with huge dividends. Cigar-chomping Tom Murphy could laugh about Atlanta folks, but he was shrewd enough to understand that multimillion-dollar investments had to be made by the state in such facilities as the World Congress Center. In the ebb and flow of politics and reality, everyone cussed Atlanta but understood that for Georgia to prosper, and produce extra money to spend out in the state, Atlanta had to prosper.

Barnes’ criticism of the current “petty politics of petty politicians” can be taken as sour grapes. Fair enough. It’s gotta be difficult to watch Sonny Perdue petulantly misgovern Georgia after having lost an election to him.

But I’m impressed by Barnes’ honesty and optimism. The former reminds me that he’s vowed never to run for public office again; the latter makes me think he’s one of the few people who could pull the state out of it’s current rut.

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