An old southern adage states “be careful what you say out loud.” Everything you think isn’t supposed to be said when and where you think it—maybe it shouldn’t be spoken at all but it’s clearly understood. I wanted to touch on a few of those “out loud” matters.
A leader in the Democratic Party of Georgia recently got in hot water for saying that the party must “clear the field” in next year’s primaries. Everyone knows that the Dems here are poorly organized. I want to say out loud that Dems create policies that support people who don’t vote—oh, they can go to every local high school football game but they can vote on the regular. Non-voting working folks have no right to complaint governmental actions and laws. Hush.
The only hope Dems have in southern red states is to go into those legendary, smoke-filled backrooms and decide who their candidates should be without primary contests. I forgot that people can’t smoke inside anymore but you get the point.
For U.S. Senate, Rep. John Barrow and Michelle Nunn are the best options but they have zero hope if they battle in the summer. Actually, their only hope is that the GOP primary voters will select controversial Rep. Paul Broun. I am not supposed to say this out loud but the Dems should switch over and vote for Broun in the primary because he would be the easier target in the general election. The Obama machine would be in full force in November against Broun. Money would pour into Georgia from sea to shining sea.
I am not supposed to say that I voted for GOP Senator Saxby Chambliss in the past because south Georgia regional interests (ag, military, transportation) are more important than party politics to me. I can’t believe that GOP voters won’t admit that Rep. Sanford Bishop has their backs on these issues—dam it, say it out loud. Oh, Bishop is the enemy and Broun is a conservative super hero. Yeah, “Senator” Broun would likely ended most farm programs.
I am not supposed to say out loud that non-GOPers better consider voting for the best available candidate in the GOP primary because that is where the senator might be chosen. Personally, I like candidates like Jack Kingston who- while being full-blooded conservative- have a history of explaining their views to those who vote against them. That is called the democratic process.
Finally, I shouldn’t say out loud that we should cultivate the next crop of leaders now because waiting until they decide to retire is too late. Who is next when Rep. John Lewis gracefully concludes that he has fought the good fight. In southwest Georgia, the replacement for Rep. Bishop should be the next generation Black leader—someone who teaches about the limited role of government. We have some folks in mind but we aren’t saying…out loud.
