‘I’m truly scared for this country.’ Georgia woman fears worst if Donald Trump wins
Editor’s note: This story is part of series of profiles of Georgia voters’ views on the upcoming presidential election.
There may not be a livelier, more colorful poll worker in America.
Carolyn Freeman, affectionately known as “the Birdlady,” takes her nickname from the flamboyant, falcon-esque outfits she sports as a devotee of Atlanta’s NFL franchise.
For more than two decades, she has perched at games in winged-and-feathered dresses, outfits often flashing more resplendent than the team itself.
Freeman, who is 61 and lives in western Bibb County, has worked as a sheriff’s deputy and in insurance claims. She now oversees a small nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged children, including those who are victims of bullying and domestic abuse.
On a recent afternoon, dressed in Falcons’ red and black with a Falcons-logoed face covering, she greeted early voters at Theron Ussery Park Community Center in north Macon.
She toned down her attire for work, but has in recent days kidded with followers of other teams, including a New England Patriots fan whom she jokingly marched to the back of the voting line.
The other day, Freeman laughed and told people waiting to go in, “I promise I’m gonna have y’all out of here in less than seven hours.”
The wait was maybe 15 minutes.
Later, during a break, she stepped away to talk to a reporter about her thoughts on the presidential race.
Freeman said she voted for Democratic nominee Joe Biden. She is not a fan of Donald Trump. If some Republican other than him were running, she said she might not be as concerned about the future.
“I’m truly scared for this country right now,” Freeman said.
Her worry if Trump wins four more years is that “if you don’t have a lot of money, you’re just out of luck. ... If you’re against him, it’s like ‘squash all the ants’ for him.”
Said Freeman: “I try to be nonbiased and impartial, but I’ve listened to (Trump) and just every other word is a lie. And that bothers me coming from the leader of this country. I don’t think he’s the man for the job.”
She said that in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest that voting can be an empowering act.
For her, health care insurance seems to be hanging in the balance.
“I’m scared of Covid,” Freeman said.
As for Trump, she went on, “I used to like him. He’s an excellent businessman. But he had no business getting on the presidential ballot. ... I think he is a narcissist. ... He doesn’t take time to listen. It’s just like ‘whoever has the most toys wins.’ And all he thinks about is ‘I’m winning, I’m the boss.’ ... And that’s scary when you’re trying to be the leader and be the voice of reason for millions of people.
“It’s scary because the people that support him ... it’s just like they’re brainwashed or something. I’m really scared if we don’t get something a little bit better in the White House.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.