In his 1989 inaugural address, President George H. W. Bush invoked an illustration of a thousand points of light to emphasize the spirit of America. He was carrying forward the theme of the Reagan revolution that focused on optimism and individual responsibility.

Michelle Nunn, when entering the race for US Senate as a Democrat, prominently displayed images of herself with former President Bush. Today Michelle Nunn’s campaign theme is a far cry from thousand points of light. It is now, what we all knew that it would be, a typical Washington DC politician page right out of the Democrat playbook.

Michelle Nunn’s latest campaign ad uses various individuals from Kannapolis, North Carolina who lost their jobs when Pillowtex closed. The purpose of the advertisement is not to explain why Pillowtex closed. The purpose is to place blame on David Perdue and to vilify him as greedy, evil, and uncaring. Nothing could be farther from the truth about David Perdue.

This is typical politics and typical politics is not about presenting the truth. Typical politics is about using whatever means necessary to get votes. I support David Perdue because he is not a typical politician. Michelle Nunn proves that she fits right into the mold of Washington politicians.

Let me address the Pillowtex story in a few short paragraphs. If someone asks you about it, please feel free to send this to them.

David Perdue had a good, successful, secure job at Reebok. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Pillowtex had filed bankruptcy and was making one last gasp effort to turn things around. They needed a new CEO. The building was burning down around them and they had to have someone willing to take a huge risk to take this job.

Pillowtex chose David Perdue and, in order to entice him to take this huge risk, offered him a large bonus. The signing bonus was necessary to get anyone to leave a secure job and take the helm of Pillowtex.

David did what anyone else would do in a decision like this. He weighed the options, examined the pros and cons to his family and career, and made a decision based on the information he had at the time. Anyone reading this, even Michelle Nunn, would do the same thing.

He started putting together a turn-around plan. Then he got to the company’s commitment to its retirees. He made a discovery that hit him like a load of bricks. The funds to provide promised retirement income to the employees who spent a lifetime working for Pillowtex was millions short of what it needed.

The reality is that there was no hope for the company. There had been no hope for it long before Pillowtex enticed David Perdue to take the job.

Bonnie Perdue told me that she still has a vivid memory of the day David came home crushed with the news of what he had discovered. Had this unfunded liability been included in the equation during the bankruptcy, Pillowtex would have closed long before anyone had heard of David Perdue.

David Perdue took on a job that was a long shot in the best scenario. He ran into a burning building to try to put the fire out.

The individuals on the commercial relate their feelings. I will not question how they felt. I do question the Nunn campaign preying on their feelings and presenting them as truth about David Perdue.

Do you think that those in the commercial knew David Perdue? Do you think that they had any idea of the sleepless nights he spent trying to find a solution so that they could keep Pillowtex open and make it profitable?

Pillowtex, like many other industries in America, struggled for many years. A significant factor in their struggle is the regulatory and tax policies that burden businesses to the tragic point of failure.

This is something that David understands better than just about anyone else. This is a key motivator in his running for US Senate. He knows the human pain and misery that come when regulation ties a millstone around the neck of Americans trying to build business and create jobs.

Michelle Nunn started her campaign with rhetoric from President George H.W. Bush and a thousand points of light. That was camouflage. Her campaign has taken the expected course of divisiveness, envy, blame, and pessimism, characterized by Harry Reid and Barack Obama. That is a far cry from a thousand points of light.

by