Donald Trump has forever changed the nature of politics in America. Thanks to him, we are now firmly ensconced in the era of “whoever says the most outrageous thing wins.” His frenetic tweeting, outright racism and sexism, cruelty, lack of knowledge and facts are an embarrassment to anyone with a lick of sense. But that hasn’t caused folks to shy away from him or his style. Sadly, it has instead only provided a blueprint for Republican candidates running for office.
In Georgia, this has meant that the current GOP candidates for governor are trying to outdo one another in a disgusting game of “Who can be the most vile, the most hardcore and the most racist?” And, unsurprisingly, they are using two of Trump’s biggest issues to try to play on fears and get votes—immigration and guns. As Talking Points Memo notes:
“Everybody is trying to do what they can to break from the pack,” state Sen. Josh McKoon, who is currently running for Secretary of State, told TPM.
With [Lt. Gov. Casey] Cagle the clear favorite and all the candidates pushing an immigration-focused message, the ads are “an attempt to stand out and get some attention,” McKoon said.
So how strange and outlandish are these ads that Georgia Republicans are running? So strange and outlandish that they actually defy comprehension. Currently in second place for the governor’s race, Secretary of State Brian Kemp ran an ad in which he actually pointed a gun at a teenage boy. In the ad, Kemp is supposed to be talking to a young man who wants to date his daughter. Kemp, of course, requires that Jake, as the young man is called, must know all of his policy positions and have “a healthy appreciation for the Second Amendment” in order to take his daughter out. Seriously, what year is it? This is like something out of the 1850s.
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But it gets even worse. Kemp later did another ad in which he shows off his Ford F350 truck and says, “I’ve got a big truck, just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself.”
Another GOP candidate refuses to be outdone by these bizarre and inappropriate videos. He’s also decided to focus on immigrants. State Sen. Michael Williams launched a “Deportation Bus Tour” this week. This approach is not only incredibly weird and also very inappropriate, it is deeply racist and xenophobic. As Talking Points Memo explains:
Another candidate, State Sen. Michael Williams, is trailing in the polls but doing his best to catch up. This week, he rolled out an ad touting his “deportation bus,” which is currently crisscrossing the state, making stops in Georgia’s bluer cities. The vehicle’s rear door is painted with the words: “Danger! Murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molestors [sic], and other criminals on board. Follow me to Mexico.”
Williams has labeled himself the “most outspoken anti-illegal candidate” in the state’s history and wants to pass legislation that would deputize police officers in all Georgia counties as ICE agents.
Too bad for Williams his pathetic little hate bus broke down on Thursday after water got into the engine. This is likely the universe’s plan to stop him from ever winning the governor’s mansion. Instead, Williams thinks Antifa is at fault. Yeah, okay. Williams is also the same politician who gave away bump stocks after the Las Vegas shooting. Put all these things together and all signs point to someone who is not only cruel and hateful but who is also incredibly unfit to hold the office of governor.
Georgia’s Republican candidates for governor are too hard core, too Trumpian and too fringe to represent the people of the state. They don’t want to win based on sound ideas that help people move forward, they want to win through hate and fearmongering. Instead of focusing on the right to bear arms and harassing undocumented immigrants, Daily Kos endorsed Stacey Abrams is fighting to make life better for children, families and workers in Georgia. That’s what Georgians, and Americans, need now more than ever. Let’s help Stacey win the Democratic Primary on May 22 so she can take on Republicans in November.