Republicans in Georgia's congressional delegation remained mum this Father's Day weekend on President Donald Trump's policy of separating parents and children who cross the southern U.S. border to claim asylum, or without the proper paperwork.
Given what happened to U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., last week, the reluctance to engage can be understood, even if not accepted. But certain people no longer have to be re-elected, and are thus free to speak. Among them are Bill Curry, the former Georgia Tech (and yes, Georgia State University) football coach.
This morning, via Twitter, Curry, now 75, took exception to Attorney General Jeff Sessions use of a pair biblical verses, Romans 13:1,2, to justify the practice. To wit:
Leaders: Study the history of leaders. Discover what occurs when a regime uses scripture in an attempt to justify cruel, inhumane treatment of others. It is stunning, a great lesson for our era, and for the future of our progeny. You and I have an obligation to know these things
It is tempting to write that, if you’ve lost Bill Curry, you’ve lost the argument. But that’s not where we are now.
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Just before the weekend began, the Republican gubernatorial campaign of Casey Cagle produced the endorsement of Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon.
Sayeth the press release: “Mayor Bacon joins Cagle's growing network of elected officials and grassroots leaders in Cobb County.”
Only a day before, the Cagle campaign had rolled out the support of Steve “Thunder” Tumlin, the mayor of Marietta. The press release included this quote from Tumlin: “I understand Casey has earned many endorsements from local leaders including Sheriff Neil Warren, retired Sheriff Bill Hutson, and Senator Kay Kirkpatrick.”
Campaign endorsements are often pocketed, then revealed to fit a particular moment. The above two come in the aftermath of that secret recording of Cagle made by former GOP gubernatorial candidate Clay Tippins. As we have explained, Clay Tippins' uncle, state Sen. Lindsey Tippins, had a major role in the backstory of that incident.
Let us simply say that Lindsey Tippins and the lieutenant governor are no longer close friends. Even so, Senator Tippins has great influence throughout Cobb – and that could explain why we’re seeing those endorsements from Bacon and Tumlin now.
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Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle made Delta Air Lines pay for dissing the National Rifle Association. Brian Kemp, his GOP rival in the gubernatorial run-off, says he, too, intends to correct corporations that don't properly support Second Amendment enthusiasts. From a post earlier this morning:
[Kemp] GOP candidate called for a measure to prevent "discrimination" of firearms sellers by credit card processors Sunday after he said Gainesville gun manufacturer Honor Defense was dropped by financial services firms.
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The head of a Georgia GOP group is facing criticism after she posted several anti-gay comments on social media on the second anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Project Q reports that Joan Rhoden wrote on Facebook that "homosexuals" spread propaganda and characterized it as a disease. There was more, too, which you can find in the publication's report.
Rhoden leads the Conservative Republican Women of Northeast Georgia and her husband chairs the Athens chapter of the GOP.
The fallout was swift. Houston Gaines, a GOP candidate in the race for an Athens-based House district, told Flagpole that Rhoden had stepped down from his campaign's leadership committee. He said it would "prevent any distractions from accomplishing our singular goal of winning back this seat."
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A bit of history in the Georgia governor's race: Stacey Abrams attended Georgia Equality's annual fundraiser, the first Democratic nominee for the state's top job to ever do so.
The LGBTQ vote is increasingly important, particularly in metro Atlanta contests.
There were at least 16 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates on the ballots in last November's election, a collection of city races and special elections. The state's only transgender elected official was among the victors.
And Abrams has actively courted gay voters and attended events like last year’s Atlanta Pride Parade. It’s believed to be the first time a credible candidate for governor participated in the parade.
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The Diplomat, a foreign affairs site specializing in Asia, has an interesting historical note that got lost in last week's hoopla over the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore. A taste:
With U.S. President Donald Trump once more touting his desire to withdraw the 28,500 U.S. troops currently stationed in South Korea, it is perhaps worthwhile briefly examining the last time an American president attempted to remove U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s was ultimately stopped by congressional obstruction, the Pentagon, and the intelligence community, among others, from implementing a troop withdrawal policy he had repeatedly promised during his presidential campaign in 1976. Put otherwise, and to use 21st century Trumpian parlance: the so-called "deep state" stopped Carter from executing his plans.
