Project Logic Ga

I voted for the whole Democrat Team today because our diversity of thoughts “looks like Georgia today” and the Trump- led Republicans feel like Georgia of 1971.  Someone should be handing out “Looks like Georgia today” Democrat t-shirts and let me break down why.

Every candidate with a “D” next to his or her name voted for Obama and Hillary in the last few presidential contests.  They share a vision of public policy that brings everyone together; a policy that gives each child a chance to be their best if they work hard and focus.  The Republicans have been taken over by the TEA Party Movement and “Make America Great Again” is code for I want my 1951 America back; the America that had a defined ruling class and a servant class.  Every candidate with an “R” next to their names is a Baby Trump—local, state, federal.

I am a Black man who doesn’t vote automatically.  When it was clear Hillary would win the Democratic nomination, I took the Republican primary ballot to vote for Moderate John Kasich because stopping Trump from becoming president was as important as anything.  If the Democrats do well next month, the Republicans will hopefully dump Trump.  As Trump says in his rallies, he is on the ballot in November.

It’s so cool that the Dem Team in Georgia has Stacey Abrams at the top.  She is a policy expert who would get healthcare for everyone.  Lt. Governor Candidate Sarah Riggs Amico ; a Harvard MBA grad, is a transportation executive.  In Georgia, we grow food and fiber then ship it all over the world with our highway system, the Port of Savannah and the Atlanta Airport.  Sarah will be an industry attracting beast and selling Georgia as a place to bring jobs will be her priority number one.  So, Yale Law grad Abrams and Harvard B-School Amico can watch the Yale-Harvard football game next year from the governor’s mansion.

Former congressman John Barrow is a candidate for Secretary of State and brings my moderate views to the discussion table.  Barrow and Rep. Sanford Bishop are long- time Blue Dog Democrats and they provide a smooth counter-balance to the emerging Progressives.  The Progressives want to help everyone and that’s nice but the Blue Dogs ask if those positions can and should be funded.

State School Superintendent Otha Thornton is a former high level military officer who is on a mission to improve the schools for every kid while the Republicans are using the code “local control and school choice” to resegregate the schools in my opinion.  Yes, teachers should do better….heck, parents and children should do better.  But, funding private and charter schools with public money is simply an effort to get certain kids away from certain other kids.

Agriculture is Georgia’s biggest industry and today I voted for Fred Swann for Ag. Commissioner because he has farm families in mind more than big corporate farms.  Swann and State House candidate Marcus Batten have introduced me to some Progressive points of view.  I am old school but the Progressive ideas about legal marijuana are solid.  We need to explore the medical benefits and grow that crop in Georgia.  Batten is a real farmer and his understanding of the negative impact of Trump tariffs on our crops is deep. In Albany, voters should watch the raise of CaMia Hopson in State House 153.  She will be a U.S. Senator one day.

Today, I voted for a group of candidates who reflect the vast range of Georgians—young and old; rural and urban; Black and White; male and female; rich and modest; Moderate and Progressive.  Every Republican candidate on the ballot was cookie cutter Trump and that will not cut it in modern Georgia.