Project Logic Ga

Blacks in or near the political center are at an awkward crossroads.  The situation is as dramatic as the Southfork Ranch on the T.V. show Dallas. If you aren’t old enough to remember this classic, you likely don’t realize the danger of flirting with socialism on the far left or tyranny on the far right.  Baseball great Yogi Berra famously quipped “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

I am writing this anthology of my blog posts as a guide map as Black voters decide which political south fork to take. Yes, Black Republicans are as much a part of our community as Black Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialists are. We all want a better, more fair America but how to get there isn’t clear. You know you can arrive at the same place from different directions.

Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken started “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both” and ended “…and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Black conservatives basically took the road less travelled. While most Blacks would say its less travelled because it is wrong, I think these brothers and sisters serve an important purpose. They diversify our political/public policy portfolio. Daddy taught me not to put all of our eggs in one basket; backup plans are needed. If President Trump wins a second term, Blacks who don’t vote would have been complicit. We can’t continue to break our necks to work for people who aren’t working for themselves. I think the following blog posts could be useful:

The Best Interests Initiative

https://projectlogicga.com/best-interests-initiative/

I wrote a monthly blog series for most of a year called the Best Interests Initiative. The mission of the project was to outline how the Black community could or possibly should function with secondary governmental involvement. Do we really trust a local, state and federal government that sanctioned our oppression until recently and wonders why we are still upset. To me, old school Black conservatism (Country Club/pre-T.E.A. Party) was based on moving forward with a fair opportunity for all for the first time and not based on the government ensured that everyone has a nice life. That would be socialism.  Socialism would create a lazy and entitled segment of the population. My error-filled, unedited blog posts are a raw reflection of what the Black majority says in plant breakrooms, church parking lots and barbershops.

In the 25 some odd years since I returned to Georgia from Capitol Hill, it has been Black Republicans who sought a dialog with this Blue Dog/Centrist Democrat. During that time, the urban elites from the two coasts pulled the Democrat Party more and more to the left. While I appreciate their liberal well-intended actions, I knew that some of them views Blacks as children who need constant assistance. What’s more, Washington and Atlanta policy wonks decide what is important to the Black community then go about the business of “teaching” us what that is. Wrong move.

If any Black candidate for Congress from any political parties wanted to “flip the script,” he or she should use the Best Interests Initiative as a starting point for a discussion about what we can do for ourselves. It could be a game-changer because we must play chess rather than checkers–always thinking three moves ahead. If the GOP can’t be corrected by voting them out of power, we need to appreciate the reasonable brothers and sisters in their ranks. Personally, the Blacks on the far right aren’t my cup of T.E.A. but those near the center are straight enough.

Southern Black Muscle: P.E.C.S.

https://projectlogicga.com/2018/07/23/southern-black-muscle-p-e-c-s/

I love the PECS blog post because it outlines a comprehensive strategy for improving our community.  Voting and public policy are just part of the problems and solutions. P.E.C.S. spell out the issues: Political, Economic, Cultural and Social. It’s about addressing actions and concerns before they become problems. Old school personal responsibility is the foundation of the moderation.

OPEN 2020

https://open2020blog.wordpress.com/

OPEN 2020 is my unfunded baby.  OPEN stands for Our Policy Education Network.  Every two years campaign people run around trying to get the right 20 people in a room to meet their candidate and hear their points.  I thinking a network of the right 20 people should be in place and cultivate. But, I am not taking about the usual crowd. OPEN 2020 seeks to find and dine the real local trendsetters from the community and social media. We selected 20 towns in the Georgia south of Macon in which candidate Obama received over 4,000 votes. If OPEN was in place, Stacey Abrams would be governor. Also, OPEN 2020 believes that all political sides should have opportunities to make their points in our communities. Listening to the other side might be the best motivation to stay woke and vote.

Farm Bill: Everyone’s Glance

https://projectlogicga.com/2019/05/07/farm-bill-everyones-glance/

The Farm Bill is the most important bill/law to rural America.  From different angles, the Black community in Georgia should stay abreast of food and fiber issues relative to a safe and affordable food supply. The Black community surprisingly has more jobs connected to the Farm Bill than you might think.

Georgia Democrats: Normandy Style

https://projectlogicga.com/2018/12/20/georgia-democrats-normandy-style/

In December 2018, my vision of a military campaign style approach to the campaigns of 2020 was outlined in a blog post. Of course, the Democrats aren’t working like the well-oil machine I sought. Will Rogers said “I am not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.’ While that is cute, there is nothing funny about losing to people who would turn the clock back to the Jim Crow era.

Political Money Maps vs. Kids

https://projectlogicga.com/2018/06/26/political-money-maps-vs-kids/

Why why why can’t people realize that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Elected officials read the voting results by areas and if your area blows off voting, they often blow you off.  So, you attend every home high school football game to support the team, the cheerleaders and the band but you don’t register and vote to support those same young people by picking better councilmen, mayors, sheriffs, state legislators, judges, congressmen and presidents. Those same kids in high school uniforms last Fall might soon be drafted into an unwinnable war—wearing a camouflage uniforms on the other side of the world because a president has an itchy trigger finger. My road gets paved first because we vote.

5 Hot Issues: Weed, Schools, Military, Health-care, Jobs

https://projectlogicga.com/2018/04/24/5-hot-issues-weed-schools-military-healthcare-jobs/

A 2018 blog post showed my selection of five issues that could get our community voting. The issues driven by Democrat Party activists don’t reflect the interests of heartland Blacks. We should give Trump credit for asking his people what they wanted (albeit crazy stuff) then trying to deliver said twisted promises. We must make it plain and clear to reach and move the people. Okay, I am tired of begging grown folks to vote for or against candidates making decisions impacting our world.

In summary, the Black community is at a political fork in the southern road. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Southfork on Dallas wasn’t real; Trump’s America is very real. If the Democrats can’t get organized to defeat this president, we deserve whatever he brings next. I still believe that privately some old school Republicans are saying “this nation is on the wrong path…this can’t be good.”