Northwest Georgia Rebel

We may be in a minority here is the 14th District of Georgia, but we cancelled out just enough Trumpist votes to elect a great president in 2020 and to send two Georgia patriots to the Senate in January of 2021. Then this fall we re-elected Raphael Warnock. I thank God for sensible patriotic Northwest Georgia folk like Cody Johnson.

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In rural Georgia, an unlikely rebel against Trumpism

Why didn’t the Republican red wave materialize in the midterms? 

The life of Cody Johnson offers one answer.

By Stephanie McCrummen

December 22, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST

Click the picture to read the article

Principle and Pragmatism... and just plain competence.

This new-to-me iPhone photos feature is kinda interesting. Of course it did mangle the back Senator Warnock's had a bit.

Yours Truly with the Senator this morning.

Senator Raphael Warnock visited Rome this morning and I got to hear him. His stump speech is dynamic. He is clear-eyed and principled. He is also pragmatic. He realizes that America was built on tough compromises, so he is willing to work across the aisle always toward progressive ideals but respecting those who disagree and working with them to forge compromises that bend the arc of history toward justice.

Now, he has an opponent. As painful as it is to speak the truths that must be spoken about this opponent we all cheered for on the football field, we must compare the two. They are our binary choice in this campaign to represent Georgia for the next 6 years. 

Can you imagine that the opponent who has lied about almost every aspect of his life during and before the campaign with be an honest face of Georgia in the Senate?

Can you imagine that the opponent who spends his time on the campaign trail talking about werewolves and vampires can understand and negotiate the intricacies of the legislation he will asked to debate in the world's most deliberative body?

Listen to the stump speech of Senator Warnock. Can you imagine that his opponent could put his thoughts together so cogently?

Raphael Warnock has made himself a leader in the US Senate in only two years. He proposed, negotiated, and helped write legislation that has brought millions of federal dollars to Floyd County, Georgia for critical infrastructure and services and that has helped to reduce prescription drug prices, especially the prices for diabetes treatments. He worked to bring computer chip manufacturing back to the United States -- that's a big economic victory but is also important to our national security. 

Please join me at the polls. 

Two Quotations I Read Today

1.

I found this graphic and quotation on a friend's Facebook page. I love this metaphor. Votes to me are a sacred right and a sacred responsibility of citizenship. Please vote. Do not let McConnell, McCarthy and company plunge our nation into absolute gridlock again. We have big challenges and we need a Congress that will seek solutions. If the MAGA crowd take over either the House or the Senate our nation will endure at least two years of baseless impeachment hearings and trials, stonewalling of efforts to stem inflation, attacks on Social Security and Medicare, and other nonsense. Vote Democratic for hope. Vote Democratic for real debate and negotiations about solving the challenges our nation faces. Vote Democratic for election integrity. Vote Democratic in every race all the way down the ballot. Vote Democratic for the republican values that America is founded upon.

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2.

I found the following quote on my pastor's Facebook page. She took it from Taylor Branch's book, At Caanan's Edge.

Nonviolence is an orphan among democratic ideas.

It has nearly vanished from public discourse even though the most basic aspect of free government -- the vote -- has no other meaning.

Every ballot is a piece of nonviolence, signifying hard-won consent to raise politics above firepower and bloody conquest.

Gleaning Facebook: Button Surprise!

 

Once again some anonymous Secret Santa has left me a present on the front porch. Y'all know I've been collecting political items since 1964. Today Sheila found this beautiful button in an unmarked envelope on the porch. I love it! "Copyright Peter Loose" is printed on the curl. Thank you!

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Karen Suzanne Wilkes
Bongo Peter Loose is terrific! He's in my hometown of Athens (or just outside of it) and also did great Obama pins in 2008 and 2012. If I can get my hands on some, I'll make sure you get them.

Terrell Shaw
Karen Suzanne Wilkes, did you leave this button? I see it is your profile pic!

Karen Suzanne Wilkes
I wish I had! And, yes, it is my profile pic. But, no, I'm not the Secret Santa.

Terrell Shaw
Well, now I still don't know who this was... Buddy Childers? You? 

Gleaning Facebook: Looking to 2022

 And once again Trump knocks us out of the headlines. Y'all just remember the headlines that would have been the big news but for Trump's instigating cannon fire on Fort Sumter ---

• Mitch McConnell is ousted from the Majority Leader's seat and can no longer so easily scuttle legislation and appointments.
• We have an inspirational servant leader, instead of an out-of-touch gazillionaire, as US Senator from Georgia and he just happens to also be a great role model for every little black kid in Georgia.
• Georgia which elected Richard Russell governor when he was 33 and senator when he was 35, has elected a 33 year-old US senator, the youngest US Senator since Joe Biden was elected in 1972; the torch has been passed to a new generation
• Kamala Harris is officially our Vice President-elect and besides being a first-class lawyer and intellect, will also be the first African American, Asian-American, or female-American to serve in the office. What an inspiration she will be for all of us, but especially for little girls of color.
• Joe Biden is officially the President-elect of the United States and will take office as the oldest and most experienced beginning president in history.

We must, despite how Trumpian it seems, begin the 2022 campaign now:

• to reelect Raphael Warnock to a full-term,
• to expand our tiny majorities in the House and Senate despite the history of off-year losses for majority parties
• to rid our Congressional district of its QAnon representative in Congress (Wendy Davis would be a great replacement IMO)
• to elect Stacy Abrams governor of Georgia and increase our caucuses in the Georgia House and Senate.

No kidding, this is gonna be a tough campaign in 2022, we have to prepare now.

Comments

Jim Curry Well, at least Trump made America Great Again. He ushered in Democratic control of the House, Senate and the White House for at least the next two years.

Bruce A. Day In Biden's words, "this is a f***ing big deal..."

Jean Filson Linos Absolutely!!!

Margo Ash Yes, we do.

Buff Hartnett Believe me, it was good news! The alternative would have made yesterday even more horrific.

Paul Culotta I so agree about Wendy Davis!

Gleaning Facebook: Warnock-Ossoff Button

 Look what came to me out of the blue (pun intended) from Gordon County today. Thanks to my friend Ruth Demeter and a new friend in Calhoun, Jeff Adair. They’ll be pinned to my shirt or jacket often between now and January 5... then join my Georgia political items collection.

Ruth Demeter

Jeff Adair I knew Terrell would love these . Thanks for your help!

Gleaning Facebook: Voting Again

Sheila and I voted absentee on December 15. It's easy. Sheila used an absentee paper ballot and deposited it in the drop box at the "yellow courthouse" across First Street from First Baptist Church. I voted absentee "in-person" at the "yellow courthouse". There was no line when I went; I walked straight in, showed my ID, voted for Ossoff, Warnock, and Blackman, checked my ballot carefully (Yep, Ossoff, Warnock, and Blackman!), stuck it in the scanner, watched the counter advance by one, collected my sticker and left. five minutes in and out.

Help America have a Senate that works! Empower the moderates again in American politics. A 50-50 Senate means the Jon Testers, Mitt Romneys, Chris Coons, Lisa Mulkowskis, etc will have more say. Compromises will happen. The Senate will deliberate once again. There will be no McConnell kingpin to gum up the works. 

https://fb.watch/hyha6xL1FU/

Click to watch a creative Warnock ad...