James Sept-Oct 2021 web - Flipbook - Page 15
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JAMES
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brought such honor, glory, and pure joy to their state and
their beloved Dawgs.
Herschel Walker is his name, and he is running in the
May GOP primary.
His name parts skies and moves mountains in the
state. Yet for the professional political apparatchik craving another dollar-laden honeypot, and robustly wanting
to avoid a Trump disciple, a potential Walker candidacy
presented a major problem.
So let’s go back to what happened before Walker’s
August 24th announcement: These consultants went to
their old playbook.
The first play? Trot out the tired and not-so-true BS
poll. It came as no shock that pollsters who survey for
Republican Senatorial Chair Sen. Rick Scott produced a
poll showing Walker losing to former Rep. Doug Collins in
a hypothetical match up— and by a whopping 8 points.
Of course, all that did was indirectly embarrass Scott as
the entire political world in Georgia laughed out loud.
Ironically a poll conducted jointly by our own InsiderAdvantage and the Trafalgar Group subsequently showed
Walker exactly where everyone knew he would be: In
solid first place for the nomination and nipping at Warnock’s heels. (And that’s when former Rep. Doug Collins
removed his name from consideration.)
The insiders had lost yardage with their first play. So
what was the second move from the “political playbook
for political hacks and reporters who love them until the
general election?” That play? Start raising the most obvious “dirt.”
Walker wrote a book years ago about his diagnosis
with dissociative identity disorder. It was a book about his
victory over the condition and his efforts to dispel myths
concerning mental health. But smartly-nursed articles
came from different directions and with a common theme:
Walker’s past showed allegedly “troubling” behavior.
The reports included the fact that Walker had reportedly threatened his ex-wife for dating another man.
Walker denied it and the ex-wife had no comment. But
I don’t recall any of the stories reminding readers that
Warnock allegedly drove over the foot of his ex-wife with
a car during a heated argument. (To be fair, no one could
prove the injury.)
Just like the accusations against Warnock, virtually no
one in Georgia cared about the hit piece on Walker. The
second play by those opposed to a Walker candidacy, be
they Republican or Democrat operative fed or encouraged,
gained no ground.
Time for the third attempt.
That came in the form of a media story suggesting
Walker’s wife voted in Georgia despite having a home in
Texas, thus challenging both the legality of her vote and
the ability for her husband to challenge election fraud.
Now as they say, I’m just a country lawyer— but I’ve
dealt with a little election law over the years. The story
duly noted that she owned a house in Georgia and has
a valid Georgia driver’s license. Residing is a matter of
intent, and her intent clearly was to reside and vote in
Georgia. The story had no punch.
Third down was a flop.
So in August came the fourth and ten for a political
and media elite that wanted to scare Walker off.
Well, that wasn’t meant to be. Here is a message to
them all.
The UGA football legend isn’t scared of anyone. His
only fear appears to be a healthy fear of the Lord. He
proved that on August 24th. He has caught the political
football, and I predict he will run with it in an unrelenting
and incredibly disciplined way. Every dirty attack sent his
way will be plowed through like virtually every linebacker
who ever tried to stop him.
His fate will rise or fall on his ability to apply his
world-famous skills in sports to defining public policy concerns and providing answers in the political battlefield.
It won’t be easy because, even if he captures the Republican senatorial nomination, he will face a gifted politician in Warnock. But he has chosen to play the political
game, and I wouldn’t bet against Herschel Walker.
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