Democrats in Washington have sunk to a new low. They should be focusing on an immediate response to an immediate need. Instead they use this crisis to kick Americans when they are down.
President Trump, in a two hour press conference yesterday, expressed frustration at Senate Democrats. The President said that they had an agreement but Democrats wanted to tack on provisions totally unrelated to the immediate need.
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Early voting is going on in Georgia for the Presidential Primary which is on Tuesday, March 24. Since Donald Trump is the only one on the Republican ballot, you may wonder if it really matters. It does.
It is important. It sends a message. It shows your support for President Trump and for a conservative agenda.
When you go to the polls and cast a vote in the Republican Presidential Primary, it sends a clear message that you stand with President Trump. It is a positive influence on others when you set the example.
Lines are short in early voting. If the polling place is nearby, go ahead and cast your vote for President Trump. Definitely go on March 24 for the Presidential Primary. I appreciate your support for President Trump.
On the Trail to Send DC to DC
I have several speaking engagements lined up over the next week. With the precautions to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, these could be subject to change.by
It was a day mixed with grief and hope at Central Baptist Church in Americus, Georgia on Friday. Two days after the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, State Senator Greg Kirk was laid to rest. 
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Governor Kemp announced that he chose conservative businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to replace Johnny Isakson as Georgia’s Senator until the 2020 special election. I have absolute trust in Governor Kemp and I stand with him in making this selection.by
As a pastor, being around funeral homes is a part of the ministry. I have heard funeral directors sometimes comment, “they come in threes.”
Beth Slocum called me early yesterday morning and told me that her brother, and my friend, Jay Powell, died. Like everyone else who heard the news, it was a shock.
Jay was not ill. He was actively engaged in his law practice and as a leader in the Georgia Legislature. This came out of nowhere.
Beth and Jay’s father, A. J. Powell, passed away last September. He lived to be 100. That is one where family and friends grieve over a loved one but also understand that 100 years is more than most have on this earth.
In October, Beth’s husband, Jody Slocum, died after a very short illness. That one hit hard.
Beth and the whole family were leaning on Jay to work through all the legal matters of their father’s estate.
Now her little brother who also is one of the most respected leaders in the Georgia House of Representatives died of a sudden heart attack. The question that everyone asks at a time like this, “Why?”
The only thing that I could think was the old gospel song, “We’ll Understand it Better By and By.” As I write this, I am listening to a Bill Gaither Homecoming Vocal Band with the full audience singing that old song.
You may facing something that you don’t understand and find some comfort in this old song as well. Here’s the link.
I get a chance to travel around South Georgia and visit with farmers. Any time I was in Mitchell County, I made it a point to stop by Jay’s law office. If he was in, and not with another client, he always asked me to come back to his office to visit for a while.
The simple wooden table in his office usually had law books and papers stacked around with one set, in front of him, marked up with his notes. It may have been a deed, will, or a bill in the legislature that would impact millions of citizens of Georgia.
He never seemed too swamped or overwhelmed to sit and talk for a while. He shared observations on politics and always wanted my take on various matters. Rural Georgia will miss his leadership and advocacy. All of Georgia will miss his straight shooting.
Once he voted no on a bill than I advocated. I could not understand his vote and sent him an e-mail asking. He wrote back that he wanted to meet and talk about it. We did have a chance to talk a little while later.
There was no pounding the table, defensiveness, avoidance, or power play. He simply walked through several provisions in the bill that he felt were not thought through before passing.
We started the visit as close friends and ended it just as close, if not closer. I told him that I understood the particular concerns that he raised, but still felt that the bill was good and glad that it passed and was signed by Governor Kemp.
I recall one particular time that is still vivid in my memory. We had visited about several matters. I was serving on a state board at the time. The agency leaders were constantly rolling out new rules and I was pushing back.
In this particular visit with Jay in his law office, we talked about a lot of different issues but the agency matters were peripheral at most. As I got up to leave his office, he stopped me and simply said, “I want you to know that I appreciate you taking on the bureaucracy.”
I miss Jay and going through Camilla will never be the same. For family members, there are no words. The best I can offer is that we’ll understand it better by and by.
by This one hurts. I know the truth. I know the hope. I know the assurance. I tell it to others all the time. But this one hurts. I am angry about this one.
Yesterday morning, Jody Slocum stepped into eternity. Just a few weeks ago he was teaching his Sunday School class at Pinecrest Baptist Church in Cordele, Georgia.
I met Jody on a Saturday evening in 2006 in Sylvester, Georgia at a campaign event for Sonny Perdue. My wife and I sat at the same table and had a nice conversation. Jody could talk to anyone about anything. It was his gift.
The next morning, I decided to visit Pinecrest Baptist Church. I remember getting out of the car and not knowing where to go for Sunday School.
A little boy was passing by and I asked him where adult classes met. He pointed over to a door and said that he thought there was an adult class in that room.
I eased the door open to see a class filled and the teacher announced that we met the night before. You know how it is when you see someone in a different place and do not connect the person and place immediately.
Jody immediately recognized me. It took a moment for the search engine in my brain to connect the Sunday School teacher with a political event the night before.
That began a deep friendship. We shared a common faith, a common political philosophy, and a common enjoyment of the lives of those who were involved in politics.
Jody was an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal and kept up with the latest reporting and editorials. He talked about the writers and subjects with such a grasp of understanding that it seemed as if he talked with them over breakfast every morning.
If I wanted solid analysis of a particular issue, I called Jody to see what he knew. He always knew the latest and did not hesitate to share his opinion.
When it came to church involvement, he was all about mission and commitment. He did not have time to complain or nitpick over non-important issues.
He had a compelling obligation to support the men and women called of God to serve, especially missionaries, pastors, and staff members. He believed that these individuals had been called by God and invested their lives.
He often spoke of them “leaving their nets” in a reference to the first disciples who walked away from a profession as fishermen to follow Christ.
We were having dinner with a friend shortly after a hurricane or flood that was in the news. Jody began to talk about the Southern Baptist disaster relief operation that had developed such a reputation, that they were the first to be called. He proudly described the logistics in detail.
Jody’s wife, Beth, served as a trustee of the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries. He was there with her at every trustee meeting to learn the needs.
Jody was more than just active in church. He knew why he was active. He had a firm grasp on why he was there and why a relationship with Christ was the most important relationship that anyone could have. He had a firm grasp on matters of eternal significance.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, shared his daily struggle about life here in this fallen world and stepping into eternity. “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (Philippians 1:23-24)
Jody was also torn between stepping into eternity with Christ and staying here to keep carrying out the mission. He was “hard pressed” in both directions. One truth he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt – he was fully prepared to be “absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8 NASB)
This one hurts. Not Jody! His death reminds me of the brevity of this life and the hope for eternity.
The Apostle Paul had a lot to say about this kind of thing. In the 15th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote of the return of Christ and the assurance of our resurrection as believers. Right now, Jody is in the presence of Christ and seeing everything with perfect clarity.
Paul closed that 15th chapter with an exhortation and hope. With those same words to the many friends and family who are feeling the same thing right now, I close this commentary:
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58 NASB)
Obituary Maxwell-Purvis Funeral Home
by I am voting for David Shafer for Georgia GOP Chairman. I made the decision after the candidate forum in Albany.
David called me a few weeks ago and asked for my vote and support. I made no promises at the time because I know David well and also Scott Johnson. I have worked with both in some capacity and think highly of both of them.
A couple of weeks later, Scott called me and we had a great conversation. I made no promises to Scott either.
At the forum we saw three great candidates. Each candidate has unique strengths that would be of value to the party. We can only choose one.
One factor that led me to select David over the others was the phone call from him. I asked him why he was running. He shared similar answers that we hear from all the other candidates.
He added one thing. He said that he wanted to invest his time in the GOP and that he believed that he could make the biggest impact serving as Party Chair.
It was not so much the exact words that he said that impressed me. Every candidate for Party Chair wants to invest time for the GOP.
It was his sincere and humble sense of calling to run for Party Chair. He talked about investing his time in the context of how he has served in the State Senate and his desire to pour the same passion into the GOP.
Another reason that I decided on David is that he has a broad background in state politics. He pointed out the vital need to connect with both the big financial donors and big donors of time who do the work. From grassroots organizing to leadership under the gold dome, he knows how the process works and how to get things done.
At the forum, I felt that David presented himself best in his plan and his passion for the job. I believe that he is the one who is the best fit for a very challenging volunteer job that will require practically a full time investment.
David offered himself as a candidate for Lt. Governor. He narrowly missed a clear win in the primary. In the runoff he was hit with an endless barrage of negative ads and he lost by a razor thin margin. It was so close that there could have been a recount.
David conceded the race because he knew that Democrats were coming after every candidate in the general election. He felt that a recount would be a distraction from the higher goal of keeping a conservative Republican in the Lt. Governor’s office.
Every candidate for this kind of race in a party or primary usually makes a commitment to support the winner. In that painful and disappointing loss he practiced what he preached about his commitment to the Republican party.
He could have just as easily retired from the scene. He could have become bitter. He did neither. He invested his time, experience, and skills in helping Republican candidates.
Now he offers to invest his time in the place where he felt he can be most effective. I believe that is as Georgia GOP Party Chair.
If you are a delegate to the Georgia GOP convention, I recommend and endorse David Shafer. If you know someone who is a delegate, please pass on my recommendation to vote for David Shafer for Georgia GOP Chair.
by I just finished reading the book, Trump’s America by Newt Gingrich. His book is not as much about Donald Trump, as it is about the people of America who elected him.
His last chapter is entitled, “Challenges.” There he sums up the challenge we face as an America that revolted in 2016 and won. Here is what he said that Trump’s America was doing:
It is trying to replace a deeply entrenched establishment. It is trying to defeat the cultural, academic, and news media elites. It is trying to drain the swamp and root out the deep state. None of these opposing forces are going to go quietly. ….President Trump needs the people of Trump’s America if America’s great comeback is to continue. The fight will go on. … This is the real test of Trump’s America, and 2018 is the decisive battle.” (Newt Gingrich, Trump’s America, page 286)
The decisive battle is right now in 2018. The outcome of this battle will be clear by late evening November 6 or early morning November 7, 2018.
The outcome of this battle is being determined right now as early voters go to the polls and drop absentee ballots in the mail. At approximately 7:00 pm EST in Georgia, the final votes will be cast. Have you already done your part?
I strongly encourage early voting. There are too many things that can go wrong on election day to interfere. There is no reason not to exercise that responsibility now.
Democrats have poured money into campaigns across the nation. Here in Georgia they want the Governor’s office and every Constitutional officer they can get. They want to keep Democrat members of Congress in office and are desperately trying to unseat some Republican members.
It does no good to argue that money is coming from California and New York. It is pouring in from left wingers outside Georgia. That is just the way it is. Get over it.
A vote is a vote is a vote. Votes are the only thing that counts and your vote must be cast to be counted.
There is no need to get into arguments on social media. It is almost as certain as death and taxes that you will not change anyone’s mind.
Just go vote. Then find someone who will vote for the Republican candidates on the ballot and get them to vote.
Here is the cardinal rule. Memorize this.
Your job is not to convince people to vote for Brian Kemp and Republicans. Your job is to find the people who will vote for Brian Kemp and Republicans and convince them to go vote.
The battle is raging right now. You must be on the field and in the fight. Your vote counts. Don’t leave it in your pocket, get it in the ballot box so it will count.
Don’t argue. Don’t fret. Don’t procrastinate. Get in the battle and go vote. The battle is at the ballot box.
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The Georgia Republican Party held its regular convention last weekend in Augusta. The big agenda item was the election of the next State Party Chairman. John Padgett had served two terms and party rules have a two term limit to allow fresh leaders to emerge.
Four excellent candidates offered to lead the party: Alex Johnson, Michael McNeely, John Watson, and Mike Welsh. Each offered their vision and their strengths. After three rounds of voting, the delegates elected John Watson as the next state party chair.
The Georgia GOP Conventions at times have been tumultuous events. This one was not tumultuous or rancorous. There were teams promoting their respective candidates for many offices zealously without being confrontational.by
Early voting opened today in the 6th Congressional District runoff. I live in the 2nd District and will not be able to cast a vote in this election. For those who do live in the 6th, I encourage you to vote early.
There are many, myself included, who believe that voting should be on election day except for absentees. Election day only voting would reduce the opportunity for fraudulent voting.
As much as I believe that, the fact is that early voting is a reality. Disagreeing with early voting and waiting until election day will not change early voting.
Republicans have always done well on election day voting. Democrats historically have a slight advantage in early voting. Republicans need dominate both. Here is why I encourage you to vote early.by
