Politically, our country’s eyes are now on the Peach State, this Moderate’s home.

Times have changed. President-elect Biden carried the state – President Trump’s unsubstantiated fraud accusations notwithstanding.

While not blue (or even purple) yet, Georgia has taken a huge step toward political parity – after being nowhere near it for 20+ years.

This Moderate often joked you could run a cow for office, and it would win – as long as it was Republican, pro-gun and pro-life.

Besides Republicans’ pandering to allow guns everywhere and abortions nowhere, Democrats’ incompetence contributed. Don’t get us started on that one.

Then in 2018, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams came within 50,000 votes of upsetting Republican nominee Brian Kemp. Accusations of widespread voter suppression tainted Kemp’s victory, and Democrats emerged hopeful. The party’s perennial non-strategy – watching changing demographics turn the tide – began working.

That non-strategy (aided by Trump’s incompetence) finally succeeded, producing Biden’s victory. Now, run-offs for BOTH senate seats are too close to call.

Incumbent GOP Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively, are locked in bitter run-off brawls.

Loeffler is the wealthiest U.S. Senator, by far (with net worth of $500 million) and Perdue the seventh-wealthiest ($15.8 million).

Nothing wrong with wealth, but can they relate to everyday challenges working- and middle-class Americans face? Both supported Republicans’ endless efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with no clear GOP replacement plan (just resolutions, not specifics) – apparently unable to relate to average Americans with pre-existing conditions needing protection.

Will our worrisome trend of wealthy Americans, with no political experience, deciding they’re smart (and entitled) enough to skip traditional steps and proceed to the highest levels of government – even the White House – continue? One reason Georgia’s GOP Governor Kemp appointed Loeffler was because she could spend boatloads of her own money campaigning ($20+ million, reportedly).

 

Ossoff, an entrepreneur, and Warnock, a minister, also lack elected experience. But Ossoff served as intern for late civil rights icon, Representative John Lewis, and as aide to Representative Hank Johnson (both Black Georgia Democrats). Warnock is Reverend of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (former home of Martin Luther King, Jr.), a political pillar in Georgia’s African-American community.

TMM reported how Loeffler accumulated much of her wealth in a controversial manner:

• (She) helped Intercontinental Exchange establish and market offshore a credit default swap clearinghouse in the Cayman Islands, as an offshore tax haven, in 2009 – allowing the biggest banks to avoid paying taxes on repatriation of income.

So while we all paid our taxes, Loeffler helped big banks AVOID paying theirs – getting rich in the process.

Perdue made his fortune outsourcing U.S. jobs to Asia. In a deposition, asked about his “experience with outsourcing”, he replied “yeah, I spent most of my career doing that”.

Apparently, when touting his job-creator record as top executive with Fortune 500 companies, he means creating ASIAN jobs.

Until November’s election, Loeffler and Perdue reminded Georgia voters about their steadfast loyalty to Trump. Loeffler voted with him 100% of the time (the ONLY Senator to do so) and Perdue 94%.

After Trump lost to Biden, their non-stop ads didn’t mention Trump anymore. Most, in fact, only sling mud at opponents – without mentioning their own records or plans for America’s future.

Both appeared with Trump at a “Stop the Steal” rally – but it backfired. Ostensibly there supporting them, Trump instead harangued the crowd with unending grievances. When they finally spoke, receiving “tepid applause”, according to Vox, “their brief remarks (were) truncated by ‘fight for Trump’ chants that drowned them out”.

So Trumpers turned on them, even after Loeffler and Perdue had tried desperately, repeatedly,  to kiss his… ring. Both charged, with no evidence, “failures” in Georgia’s election and demanded fellow Republican SOS Brad Raffensperger’s resignation. Both supported Trump allies’ lawsuit attempting to OVERTURN election results.

Loeffler announced she had NEVER disagreed with Trump. Asked if that included his infamous recorded claim about groping women, she replied she was “not familiar with that”. Asked about recent recordings where Trump admitted he intentionally downplayed COVID dangers, she responded that was “fake news”. Regarding the pandemic, she boasted “Americans are in good hands” with Trump.

With over 3,000 Americans dying (the equivalent of 9/11 attacks) EVERY DAY, and Trump silent about it while golfing nonstop, voters might question her judgment.

Speaking of judgment, both Loeffler and Perdue were accused of insider trading, making stock trades while privy to confidential information – some related to industries regulated by their committees, some related to companies affected by COVID.

Loeffler sold millions of dollars in stocks in early 2020, when Congress first confronted Coronavirus’ severity. Perdue, with 2,596 trades while in office, is the senate’s most active trader.

While both boast they’ve been exonerated by the Senate Ethics Committee, the AJC reports that body almost never finds fault with fellow Senators – the proverbial “fox guarding the henhouse”.

Loeffler’s and Perdue’s stock trading, while privy to insider information, doesn’t pass the “smell test”. Allowed, but smells bad.

Georgians must decide: vote for slick, insider politicians like Loeffler and Perdue, continuing Trump-style chaos? Or resist it by voting for newcomers Warnock and Ossoff?

Moderates, VOTE on January 5^th. You, like Georgia, are on America’s mind – and you might decide this election.

 

 

Images: Google Images

Ray Charles: open.spotify.com

GEORGIA: Contractor Licensing – State Licensing for Contractors

Harris & Biden: The Indian Express

Abrams & Kemp: The New York Times

Perdue, Ossoff, Loeffler & Warnock: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kemp & Loeffler: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ossoff & Lewis: American Independent

Obama & Warnock: WGXA

Perdue, Trump & Loeffler at rally: Yahoo Finance

Raffensperger: Detroit News

Loeffler: Vanity Fair

Perdue: The Intercept – Getty Images

Loeffler, Trump & Perdue: The New Yorker