Have the GOP Lights Gone Out in Georgia?

American Thinker ^ | December 5, 2019 | Daniel John Sobieski

[Kaslin]

As Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, valiantly defends President Trump against the deep state coup trying to unseat this duly elected President of the United States, the mind ponders the now lost possibility of a Sen. Collins from Georgia defending President Trump and being an impeachment juror in any Senate trial. Instead we are getting a big business donor whom we are assured has all the boxes checked and an “R” next to their name. You know, someone like a Mitt Romney or a Jeff Flake.

With Collins we would have been assured of a passionate conservative loyal to the Trump vision of draining the swamp. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whom President Trump campaigned for and helped to victory over Stacey Abrams in a contested election, has paid back Trump with the appointment of Kelly Loeffler, not Collins as Trump preferred, to fill the seat of Sen. Johnny Issakson, who is leaving the Senate for medical reasons:

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp nominated business executive Kelly Loeffler for the Senate on Wednesday despite President Donald Trump and the conservative base’s concerns regarding her ties to Planned Parenthood, Stacey Abrams, and previous Democrat donors.

Gov. Kemp tapped Loeffler to replace the outgoing Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who will retire at the end of December. Loeffler will reportedly describe herself as “pro-Trump” despite conservative criticism of her as well as her lack of support for the president during the 2016 presidential election….

The Family Research Council (FRC) was the latest pro-life organization to express concern over Loeffler’s lack of pro-life credentials.

[Ann Archy]

What does Kelly have on Kemp?? Dumb mistake, Brian, you DISLOYAL Creep!

[Kaslin]

You are asking what does Kelly have on Kemp? However I don't see anything about Kelly, and what Kelly are you referring to?

Never mind, I just saw it.

[MNJohnnie]

Can we stop the histrionics about this? Hannity has not lived here for a very long time. It a different state now.

Here is what is going on in GA

The RNC wanted her based on 2 things. She can self fund her campaigns cause hubby is rich. She is a reaction to a large number of usual GOP GA women voters stupidly voting based on the candidate’s personal plumbing, not their wacko political agenda, in 2016 and 2018.

I was pleased with her acceptance speech

Like Loffler, I had serious reservations about Trump at 1st because of his past and have been very very pleased with his performance as President.

So I am going to withhold judgement for now and she what she does with her chance. We cannot do anything about her now until Nov 2020

Pro Life is the 3rd rail of GA GOP politics and Trump is incredibility popular here. She touches either and she dead politically in GA Nov 2020 no matter how bad the RNC Senate Committee wants her.

[Regulator]

Clueless Country Club RINO clowns drop the ball again!

[Alberta's Child]

This garbage came out about a week too late. Everything the author mentions here has already been covered in great detail here.

To recap what's going on here:

1. Kelly Loeffler is filling the seat on an interim basis until November 2020 -- when a special election will be held to elect a Senator to serve the remainder of Isakson's term in office.

2. Isakson's term ends in 2022, so this person will have to run a second statewide campaign just two years later.

3. Loeffler is independently wealthy and can support her own campaigns. This is a huge deal with the RNC, since they have a number of other competitive races where they are going to have to dedicate a lot of their financial resources.

4. I love Doug Collins, but I really question whether: (A) he has the temperament to serve in a legislative body comprised of the dullest, most feckless people on the planet; and (B) has enough broad appeal to win a statewide race.

5. For that matter, was Isakson a serious fire-breathing conservative who excited the Trump base?

6. Kemp is hardly on solid ground no matter who he named to this position. He damn near lost his race to Stacey Abrams -- a fat, unappealing slob whose personal finances are in disarray and who comes across as someone who walked off the set of the Jerry Springer Show and into public office.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Ah yes, The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia, a hit song years ago sung by Vicki Lawrence. I get the headline.

I wonder how long it took someone to come up with that clever headline?

[jmaroneps37]

No; and you will that in November.

[Cecily]

“Don’t trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer ….”

[CommerceComet]

I really don’t know much about Kelly Loeffler but I wouldn’t insult anyone by calling them a Mitt Romney or a Jeff Flake until I knew for sure. In the political realm that about as insulting as it gets.

[qaz123]

She is a reaction to a large number of usual GOP GA women voters stupidly voting based on the candidate’s personal plumbing, not their wacko political agenda, in 2016 and 2018.

---

Can you qualify that statement with some facts.

I was pleased with her acceptance speech ......... did anyone, with a sane mind, think she would come out and tout her RINO/Chamber of Commerce allegiance?

So I am going to withhold judgement for now and she what she does with her chance. We cannot do anything about her now until Nov 2020 ....

after going back and forth with someone the other day, you’re right about this. There’s a chance that she had a sit down with the Governor and they had a “talk”. That “talk” consisting of, she isn’t on the farm in Illinois anymore and she isn’t just representing Buckhead, the onion farmers in South Georgia, all the regulars at Bones and Chops, the members of Ansley Golf Club or the Piedmont Driving Club, John Weiland, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes or Beazer Construction.

She is now representing the entire state, that showed up to put Kemp in the Governors office against a rapidly growing Democratic base.

Sure would be nice if the state adopted an “Electoral College” type of voting for the state offices. The Atlanta metro area is too Blue for comfort.

[USS Alaska]

I don't know anything about the broad but Kemp should have thought this thing through.

She may turn out to be OK, but for his sake, she better not be a romney bitch in "one of his notebooks".

If she is, kemp is gonna be the dawg on top of the car.

[Truthoverpower]

I say who gives a crap about internal Georgia politics

At some point there will be an election and the people can choose whoever they want

[Macoozie]

Huge numbers of voters in the southern states are simply going from one plantation to another.

No thinking involved.

It’s a demographic thing, don’cha know?

[Cecily]

Here is one article about Georgia GOP problems in 2016 and 2018:

https://www.mdjonline.com/elections/cobb-turns-blue-again/article_e088c400-e2e1-11e8-855e-434dbc95c36a.html

[dfwgator]

A lot of us had misgivings about DeSantis when he was elected Florida governor. But he’s been fantastic so far.

So let’s see what happens first.

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

The RNC wanted her based on 2 things. She can self fund her campaigns cause hubby is rich. She is a reaction to a large number of usual GOP GA women voters stupidly voting based on the candidate’s personal plumbing, not their wacko political agenda, in 2016 and 2018.

I think the RNC is particularly nervous about Cobb and Gwinett Counties. Those two suburban counties used to be rock-ribbed Republican counties and helped nuke Atlanta's Democratic margins. But Trump lost them in 2016 and Kemp lost them by even more. And while I do like Doug Collins and I'd think he'd make a great senator, I don't know that he could pick up the margins in suburban Atlanta. You also have to factor in that 2022 is the "sixth year itch" election when voters sometimes get in the mood to start throwing out members of the president's party, and Collins would have to contend with that kind of atmosphere if he ran for a full term.

[MNJohnnie]

The GOP GA State wide candidates in 2016 got about 60,000 more votes then Trump

In 2018 Abrams came within 55,000 votes of winning.

Break down of the results showed suburban women, normally a safe GOP vote simply did not vote for Trump or Kemp.

the Republican National Committee obviously looked at this trend and freaked. I think they are over reacting.

I think the Dems were successful in 2016 and 2018 at hyping the whole “1st women to be...” propaganda tactic. The Dems spent millions here pushing the “1st woman..” line specifically targeted to women voters via mailing and selective advertising.

She put some serious political markers down in her speech. That is not the sort of speech she can give and then go to DC and vote differently.

GA is not like some blue state 3rd world 1 party dictatorship like NY-MA-DE-CA etc. You don’t get to be “Senator for Life” in GA just because you have the party label. She going to have to earn the job.

So let see what she does with her chance. If not, there more the enough people itching to take her out in Nov 2020 “Jungle Primary”

[MNJohnnie]

That a reaction to her campaign donation in 2012 to Romney but none to Trump in 2016

A whole lot of GOPers had reservations about Trump in 2016.

I think she made the wrong choice but I really cannot hold her to it without also jettisoning about 1/3 of Trumps current GOP base for the same reason.

So I will wait and see what she does with her chance. Trump turned out to be a fantastic President despite the concerns many, including a lot round this website, had about some of his earlier positions.

In any case, it is to late to do anything until Nov 2020 now.

[MNJohnnie]

Well said