Stay the in the Race Nikki Haley

I am voting for Donald Trump, but I want to see Nikki Haley stay in the primary race for a little while longer. Her candidacy provides valuable data for Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular.

In 2020 thousands of suburban voters left Donald Trump blank but voted Republican down the line. One may complain about the race being stolen, but had these voters cast a vote for Donald Trump, any effort to sabotage Trump would not have overcome a vast turnout with these Republican non-Trump voters in Trump’s column.

So now it is 2024. Nikki Haley reaches those who skipped over Donald Trump in 2020. With her in the race, Republicans and the Trump campaign can identify them now, in the primary, months before the general campaign. More importantly something can be done to reach some of those this time around.

Nikki Haley voters in the Presidential Primary form an interesting profile. Some are solid Republicans who will vote for the eventual nominee.

Some are Democrats who are crossing over to cast a vote against Trump. They will vote for the Democrat nominee in November and will never vote for Trump or any other Republican (not even Nikki) in November.

Some see themselves as Republican leaning voters but consider themselves independent. These are the ones who voted Republican down ballot but left the Presidential race blank. At this point, they will be inclined to do the same or vote for a 3rd party candidate.

It is the last group that Republicans and Donald Trump need in November. Now the Republican party is faced with an opportunity to identify these voters this spring.

While the vast majority of campaign investments will be toward the general voter, The Republican party and the Trump campaign will do well to form a Special Operations Strategy aimed specifically at the Nikki Haley voter.

President Trump himself should be involved in this strategy. While Trump will be Trump, he could identify those counties, precincts, and voters who support Nikki Haley and listen to determine what message will peel off those independent voters.

Campaign materials targeting those voters can be used to persuade them that Trump is the candidate whose policies match their politics. After four years of Biden that will be an easier sell than it was in 2020.

So, Nikki, stay in the race a little longer. Then, after New Hampshire and South Carolina, suspend your campaign and ask your supporters to get behind Donald Trump.

Be a part of a Republican Special Operations Team to identify those voters who voted for you but will need to be reached to vote for Trump. Don’t do it just for Donald Trump, do it for America.

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The Empty Chair – 2023

It has been a while since I have written to my friends. We have had a lot going on in our family for the past several months. As enjoyable and fulfilling as it is to write to my friends, something had to come off my plate. My weekly commentary was one of those things.

With the ebb and flow of life events, Thanksgiving brings a renewed energy and, with a little rearranging, I made room on my plate for my annual message on the empty chair.

This year, the empty chair is more real to me than it has been in the past. This year, I experience the empty chair directly and not merely through empathy.

Fewer than 48 hours before he would celebrate his 97th birthday, my father, Robert Cole, stepped into eternity. Until the last few weeks of his life, he was active with a sharp mind.

This photo is one of him sitting in his chair holding one of his Model T toys that he built from scratch. It is not a model out of a box.

Man holding toy Ford Model T

He saw a picture and sketched out the dimensions on paper, went to his band saw with a block of wood, and cut out the body of the car. Then, using toothpicks for spokes, a piece of pvc pipe for the wheels and dowell for the axle, he brought a picture in a magazine to a toy you could hold in your hand.

We knew that he would not live forever, in his current physical body. None of us will. As much as we knew it would eventually come to a close in this lifetime, we still expected to see him sitting in that chair sketching out something else to build, reading a book, or talking back to the tv when Fox news was on.

Thanksgiving traditionally begins the Christmas season. Each year I share this article because I know that even those who have read it before may see it in a new light this year.

You may discover that this year, the message is more real than ever because for the first time, you experience that empty chair. 

Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy and happiness. This year is different for many.  You probably know some for whom it is different. You may not realize it, or maybe it just slips past you in all the hustle and bustle of the year. It is quite possible that you are one of those for whom Christmas is different. 

There is a special chair in someone’s home that is empty this year.  It may be the straight back chair at the dinner table, the office chair at the desk in the study, the lazy boy in the den, or some other special spot. It was a favorite for him or her. 

Blue lazy-boy recliner

You may have seen it on a daily basis.  It may be in a place on the other side of the country.  It may be a memory from years ago. 

Last Christmas or some past Christmas, there was someone sitting in that special chair. This year it sits empty.

It is that empty chair that consumes your mind.  Everyone else is buying presents and talking about celebrating the season with family and friends. 

All of that joy and celebration only intensifies the absence of the one who should be in that empty chair. You may feel guilty and hypocritical because you do not feel very merry at all. 

King Solomon said that for everything there is a time; “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 ESV)  

If you have an empty chair this Christmas, it is okay to take some time in the midst of the celebration to also weep and mourn. If you do not have an empty chair this Christmas, pause for a moment and think of someone who does. Your most meaningful gift this year could be to let someone know that you also notice the empty chair. 

I’m Don Cole. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. 

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He is With Me

It was early on Sunday morning and a group of women went to the tomb to add to the preparation of the body of Jesus. They were concerned that the hasty wrapping by Nicodemus and Joseph was insufficient for the man they so dearly loved.

Instead of finding the body of Jesus, they found the stone rolled away, no body, and two men dressed in dazzling bright clothes. The two men reminded them that Jesus had told them what was going to happen and how He would rise from the dead on the 3rd day.

In Luke 24:8, the Bible tells us something about the attentiveness of the women when it says, “they remembered His words.” Not only were they attentive, but they also obviously believed because they returned to the men to tell them what had happened.

While the men initially refused to believe the women, two of them, Peter and John went to the tomb to see for themselves. They observed what the women told them and left the tomb marvelling at what happened.

Jesus would later appear to the disciples and many others. The Apostle Paul recorded these eye-witnesses in his letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 15.

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. The resurrection proved that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Son of God. The resurrection validated the promise of Jesus made to a man just two days earlier.

Look back with me to Luke, chapter 23, verse 32. There were two criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Verse 39 records a powerful conversation between Jesus and one of those men.

Jesus made a promise to that unnamed man that was validated to the world in the power of His resurrection. He made a claim and a promise that “today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Imagine the scene in heaven when that thief on the cross, with broken legs, unable to lift himself to take one more painful breath, slumped without another breath. In a few more moments his heart beat its last beat.

In that instant, his surroundings immediately changed as he stepped into eternity. No more the horror and stench of death, but a glory that he had never before experienced as he entered the gates of heaven.

What is it that got him into heaven? If he were asked why he should be allowed in such glory, how would he answer?

Imagine that scene as the man steps into eternity. The hosts of heaven see this man enter. He is amazed that he is there at all. He had no right to be there.

After all, his life was one rampant with sin. He was an unrepentant thief. He knew that one day his life would end like it did. He knew that he deserved the cross.

Yet, here he stood in such glory, beauty, and peace that he had never before imagined. Surely this could not last. Surely his eternity would be in the pain and agony of his final moments.

The hosts of heaven saw this man, and they too, were amazed. They knew what was supposed to happen.

The man wondered, “how did I get here?” He was not the only one.  The heavenly servants knew the plan, but surely the first would be someone who knew the prophecies.

Surely the first would be someone of higher moral character. Surely the first would have been one of the Master’s followers.

As everyone was wondering and asking themselves these questions, a voice came from behind the man. It was a voice that was calm enough to draw children to Him, yet powerful enough to raise a dead man from the grave, calm a wild storm on the sea, make the lame to walk and the blind to see.

It was a voice that everyone immediately recognized. It was a voice that commanded attention.

The moment was tense with anticipation. How would the multitude of questions be answered, They all boiled down to one simple question – “how did he make it to heaven?”

The answer came in four simple words that echoed through the halls of heaven. “He is with Me.”

The thief on the cross was no longer seen for his multitude of sin. He was now standing in heaven on a foundation that would never be shaken. He was standing in heaven on the basis of being identified with Jesus Christ.

The thief on the cross would not be able to explain the deep theological issues that took place. He would not be able to explain how Jesus took the sin of the thief on to Himself and gave the thief His own perfect righteousness.

The thief did not have to explain it. He simply received it. “He is with me.”

It is appropriate that God chose a criminal to make the first one stepping into heaven under the new covenant. He was a criminal who had no basis for being right with God – except that Jesus said, “today, you will be with me.”

Let me ask you. If you were to stand in heaven and think about the “why” you should be allowed in, how do you think you would answer?

If the first person pronoun, “I” is a part of that answer, then you may be standing on a false hope. It is not that “I” did anything to stand there.

Everything, points back to what He did on the cross. He paid the price for sin. He took the wrath of God in your place.

He and he alone is the one who will escort you into heaven and announce, “He is with me.”

If there is something tugging at your heart right now at that simple truth, do not quench it. Do not silence it. It is the voice of God calling and drawing you into a personal relationship with Himself.

Will you yield to that tugging and accept Christ as your savior? Experience the hope and assurance of eternal life.

One day, you will take your last breath and your heart will beat it’s last beat. Accept Christ and be assured that you will hear those four simple words, “He is with me.”

(Note: The illustration used was inspired by a message by Alistair Begg entitled, “The Man on the Middle Cross Said I Could Come.” The clip is less than four minutes and I encourage you to watch it.)

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The Empty Chair 2022

This year the chair is empty

Thanksgiving traditionally begins the Christmas season. Each year I share this article because I know that even those who have read it before may see it in a new light this year.

You may discover that this year, the message is more real than ever because for the first time, you experience that empty chair.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy and happiness. This year is different for many.  You probably know some for whom it is different. You may not realize it, or maybe it just slips past you in all the hustle and bustle of the year. It is quite possible that you are one of those for whom Christmas is different. 

There is a special chair in someone’s home that is empty this year.  It may be the straight back chair at the dinner table, the office chair at the desk in the study, the lazy boy in the den, or some other special spot. It was a favorite for him or her. 

You may have seen it on a daily basis.  It may be in a place on the other side of the country.  It may be a memory from years ago. 

Last Thanksgiving or some past Christmas, there was someone sitting in that special chair. This year it sits empty.

It is that empty chair that consumes your mind.  Everyone else is buying presents and talking about celebrating the season with family and friends. 

All of that joy and celebration only intensifies the absence of the one who should be in that empty chair. You may feel guilty and hypocritical because you do not feel very merry at all. 

King Solomon said that for everything there is a time; “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 ESV)  

If you have an empty chair this Christmas, it is okay to take some time in the midst of the celebration to also weep and mourn. If you do not have an empty chair this Christmas, pause for a moment and think of someone who does. Your most meaningful gift this year could be to let someone know that you also notice the empty chair. 

Sign up to receive Common Sense from DC (Not Washington). I won’t waste your time or flood your inbox with junk or pleas for money. You’ll get my thoughts and commentary on various issues and stories about people, politics, and proclamation. You can unsubscribe easily at any time. I appreciate you as a reader and will strive to make it worth your while.

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Vote Early, Vote Herschel

Imagine the national champion Georgia Bulldogs taking the field and kicking off to start the SEC Championship against LSU. After the kickoff LSU lines up to start their first offensive drive.

Inexplicably, the starting lineup for Georgia and the coaching staff leave the field and go back to the locker room. Meanwhile LSU has play after play after play running over the 3rd and 4th string lineup and running up the score.

Reporters scramble back to the locker room to see what is going on. Coach Smart explains that he believes the most exciting part of the game is the 4th quarter. He has a 4th quarter playbook that is absolutely unbeatable with a proven record.

He insists that no one ever outscores Georgia in the 4th quarter. He says that he believes that fans ought to learn to stay for the whole game and watch what happens in the 4th quarter.

A football game is played in four quarters, not just the fourth quarter. No matter how flawlessly a 4th quarter strategy is executed, if it has three quarters of the opposing team having free reign and rolling up the score, it is a tough hill to climb.

The scenario above is ludicrous. Yet, the Republican party plays a 4th quarter strategy while leaving the Democrats on the field practically unopposed for 3 quarters.

Early voting will begin either on Saturday, November 26th or Monday, November 28 for the runoff election on December 6. The kickoff for this game is not on December 6 – that’s the 4th quarter.

The kickoff is either Saturday, November 26 or Monday, November 28. The date is in litigation as I write this commentary.

Whether it is the 26th or the 28th, is not my point. The fact is that it is clearly not December 6.

I know that many Republicans do not like early voting. I do not like it either.

There ought to be a national holiday on election day with absentee voting allowed by excuse only. That would eliminate nearly all opportunity for fraud.

There is a vast difference between what I think ought to be and what is. The rules of the game say there are four quarters, not just the fourth quarter.

I can choose to play by the rules that I think ought to be and have a tremendously heavy lift created by my own actions. On the other hand, I can choose to play by the rules that are, and aggressively compete in all four quarters.

I encourage, exhort, beg, plead, you to make the opportunity to vote early for this runoff and vote for Herschel Walker as our next Senator. Republicans will win if we play the whole game and not wait till the 4th quarter.

There are good and practical reasons to vote early. The first reason is that we are not promised tomorrow.

You do not know what may happen. It could be a flat tire on the way to vote. I know that you do not plan to have a flat tire or some other emergency – no one does.

In this race, the choice is clear and you know what you will do at the ballot box. So, go ahead and take care of what you know you will do. Vote early.

A second reason to vote early is that it helps our side. The more people who vote early, the fewer people we have to call and remind to go vote on election day.

It is kind of like the safety instructions on the airlines about the mask. Put yours on first, then help someone else. When you vote early, your vote is in the bank and you can help someone else.

So, when the polls open next Monday, show up to vote early and vote Herschel.

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You Are the Red Wave

You are the red wave. We have been hearing a great deal of talk about a red wave or red tsunami.

If traditional voting day Republicans show up Tuesday then the predictions will come true. If too many presume victory and let Tuesday slip by without voting, then we will experience the depths of despair.

Early voting turnout has been unprecedented. Many voted early for the first time. This election was so important that they broke a lifetime habit of election day voting to cast their vote during the three week early voting period.

There are still large numbers of Republicans who hold to the tradition of election day voting. It is vital that we have an overwhelming Republican turnout on election day.

The job for every conservative between now and 7:00 pm Tuesday is to ask those we know if they already voted. If not, then ask again on election day.

At this point, the goal is not to convince people to vote Republican. The goal is to make sure that those who will vote Republican go vote.

The talk of a red wave cannot be taken for granted. If you have not voted, then let nothing stop you on Tuesday.

The red wave has not developed yet. Make sure we have one. Vote Tuesday. You are the red wave.

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Don’t Eat the Rat Poison

Don’t eat the rat poison. As we draw closer to election day, we hear more talk of a huge red wave. Before you pop the champagne cork, let me warn you, early voting numbers are not showing the red wave everywhere.

I want to talk primarily with my friends in the 2nd Congressional District. Sanford Bishop and Democrats in Congress are scared. They are pouring in money to the 2nd District and they are getting their voters to the polls.

Republican Chris West can and will win this fight if conservatives show up. Herschel Walker will win statewide if conservatives show up. Brian Kemp has a lead for governor, but conservatives must show up or that lead will evaporate.

We love to hear predictions and the analysis of what could be a red wave on November 8. But this kind of thinking can lead to a tragic let-down. Nick Saban calls it rat poison.

It looks so good. It seems so easy. It will be a slam dunk. Let that thinking go to your head and the next thing you know, you are writhing on the floor in agony.

Have you voted? The bottom line is that YOU are the red wave. It is your vote that counts. The moment you assume that all the other conservatives are going to show up and run over the Democrats is the moment that we get out-flanked and out-voted.

They are doing it to us now in the 2nd District. We have to come out in the 2nd half all the way through the end of the game to get the win. It is in our hands, we just have to focus on running the plays and not get distracted by the deadly rat poison.

When you hear the pundits talk about the red wave, let that be a reminder to go vote. If you have already voted, then call a friend and ask them to go vote. Offer to give them a ride.

The races are going to be close and every vote counts. You are the one to make the difference. Don’t eat the rat poison. Be the red wave. Go vote today!

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There’s a Baby in that Room

Republicans were nervous going into the debate last Friday between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock. Would Walker stumble and fumble the ball? At best the general consensus was a hope that Walker would not hurt himself.

Walker did not fumble. He scored time and time again. He spoke plainly and honestly. He addressed the people of Georgia.

He took questions like taking the football and ran hard with them. I could almost hear the ghost of Larry Munson shouting, “There goes Herschel! There goes Herschel!

When it was over, it was the Democrats who were nervous. It was supposed to be a walk in the park for Warnock but instead it was Herschel running over Warnock.

The debate clearly showed the distinction between a smooth talking politician, trying to soft touch every constituency and a plain spoken Georgian taking a bold courageous stand asking his fellow Georgians to follow.

Perhaps the most played clip of the debate dealt with abortion. Warnock used the abortion talking point that the doctor’s exam room is not large enough for a woman, her doctor, and the federal government.

Walker brought the house down when he said, “Did he not mention that there’s a baby in that room as well? But also did he not mention that he’s asking the taxpayer to pay for it? So he’s bringing the government back into the room.”

The moderator asked Warnock about a story saying that some apartments owned by his mega church were evicting disadvantaged residents. Some residents with eviction notices reportedly owed less than $35.00.

Warnock’s non answer response was more winding than a road through the North Georgia mountains to Brass Town Bald. He began with feigned indignation that this story was an effort by his opponent to “sully the name of Martin Luther King Jr’s church and John Lewis’ church” made by a “desperate candidate.”

Walker smiled and said that he didn’t write the story and noted how the Senator did not answer the question. Walker also offered to pay the back rent to help the folks avoid eviction.

One of Walker’s most impressive moves in the debate was when he talked about the challenges of mental illness. He intentionally looked directly into the camera and spoke directly to the viewer about the hope and availability of help.

From the viewer’s perspective, Walker was sitting across the breakfast table showing empathy and connecting at a deeply personal level. The focus shifted from the negative stories about Walker to the viewer, especially one of the millions who deal with some kind of emotional issue, feeling that Walker understood and could identify with their needs.

Herschel Walker delivered. He was genuine, straight forward, and transparent. He brought complex issues down to a simple level that the average person could understand.

Anyone who had honest questions about Walker before the debate have replaced those questions with confidence. Herschel Walker is a great candidate to take on an incumbent Senator.

Give Herschel the ball with your vote and listen for that familiar voice from the past. “There goes Herschel! There goes Herschel!

Early Voting starts today – go vote! We are not promised tomorrow, get your vote in.

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Say It Ain’t So, Billy!

Say it ain’t so, Billy. With a shocked and dismayed heart, I have to say that Billy must say it is so.

I first heard about it yesterday morning. I could not believe it.

Not Billy! He would never do anything like this. Yes, he did.

Crisp County Republican Sheriff, Billy Hancock, made an advertisement for Sanford Bishop. Billy gave Sanford his strong endorsement with an ending line, “I trust Congressman Bishop with my life.”

Why, Billy? Tell me. Was some grant or promise really worth it? Did you sell your soul in the past and now the devil came to collect his due?

This is a kick in the gut for conservatives who worked for you. We worked for you because we support the rock solid policies, values, and candidates who will stand up against the erosion of what Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, yes, and Sanford Bishop are doing to our country.

I understand the need to work with politicians across the aisle, especially when there are millions of dollars in various grants that could come our way. Elected officials have to go to the dance to get the funding.

I know how the dance goes. Go to the dance with Sanford if you need to, but you don’t have to give him the key to your hotel room.

Billy Hancock probably has more political capital amassed than any elected official in Georgia. He has enough to weather the reaction from people like me.

Honestly though, is it worth it? You sell out for a few dollars in grant money while Bishop (with whom you trust your life) is using that capital you just gave him to support the horrific policies of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, AOC, George Soros, and a host of others who are are diametrically opposed to the values in that capital you just squandered.

I got a call from Tim Pinson, a friend of mine from Mitchell County, last night asking about this ad. He said that his one redeeming thought was that at least Crisp County is in the 8th District now and Billy Hancock can’t vote for Sanford.

That is true, but Billy, did you think ahead to how this could affect Crisp county when your congressman Austin Scott, goes to 2nd District Congressman Chris West to get help for Crisp County? You are not making our jobs any easier playing these political games.

I am so disappointed and disheartened over this ad. Before anyone asks me for a link, I’m not giving it because I will not play into the hands of making it easy to distribute it to an even larger audience.

Tim Pinson raised a question. Billy, you don’t have to answer it because I don’t know if I want the answer or not. He wondered out loud if you even voted for me in 2020.

You don’t know how badly I wanted you to say it ain’t so. But it is so. Please do not do anything like this again.

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An Overlooked Line in Declaration Brought to Light

On this 4th of July, allow me to take a moment of personal privilege to congratulate my parents, Robert and Earline Cole on their 74th wedding anniversary. Both in their 10th decade of life still love each other till death do us part. Congratulations.

On its last day in session, the US Supreme Court handed down a ruling in the case of West Virginia v EPA that, without making specific mention, brought to light an overlooked line in the Declaration of Independence. One of the specific grievances against King George was a single sentence of just 23 words.

The grievance reads: “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

It almost appears as if the founding fathers peered into the crystal ball to see the state of our nation two centuries down the road. We brought upon ourselves the thing we hated – the administrative state.

The administrative state is not mentioned in the Constitution. Although it resides in the Executive branch, it is not one of the branches of government. While the Constitution makes no mention of it, the administrative state has grown to enact more rules having the force of law and issues even more guidance documents. A guidance document may not have the force of law but for all practical purposes it carries the weight of law through implication and sometimes intimidation.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a concurring opinion which pointed to the rapid growth of the federal government. In one of his footnotes, Gorsuch noted that between 1970 and 1990 the Code of Federal Regulations grew from 44,000 pages to 106,000. While Congress passes 200 to 400 laws each year, the administrative agencies issue 3,000 to 5,000 final rules. (Footnote 2 in Gorsuch concurring opinion page 7)

Quoting from the Federalist papers, Gorsuch wrote, “the framers believed that a republic— a thing of the people—would be more likely to enact just laws than a regime administered by a ruling class of largely unaccountable “ministers.”

So, as you celebrate another year of America’s Declaration of Independence, keep in mind that it takes more than a mighty military to maintain our freedom. Like erosion slowly moves the earth underneath one grain at a time, our freedom is in danger of being taken over one regulation at a time by “a multitude of New Offices” and “swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

Have a great Independence Day and resolve to stay free.

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