Handicapping Georgia’s 6th District Runoff

If you read my work prior to May’s Republican Primary, many of you know that both runoff finalists, Jake Evans and Rich McCormick, received a stern critique.  I offered my reasons, which at this point still factor into my final decision on whom to vote for in next Tuesday’s runoff.  If you have not read my analyses, and would like to, you can find them both here, and here.

But in advancing now to the runoff, the great task before each of us is to decide between these two worthy American patriots, both of whom I like personally very much, even if there are things which they may have said or done in the past with which I disagree.

To decide that question, I believe that task boils down simply to determining which among these remaining two candidates might represent your or my interests in the US Congress for the next two years the best. That's pretty basic, is it not?  I value my vote and will not give it to just anyone, and I hope you are the same way.  For this reason, I have held out a relatively long time in deciding which of them to support.

Last night, as I watched both presentations online at the Republican Women of Forsyth Meeting, I made my decision and am satisfied that it furthers both my interests, as well as the interests of 700,000 of my closest friends in the 6th District.  I will devote the rest of this piece explaining my rationale, and who will receive my vote.

Prior to the primary I offered a clear, honest appraisal of both candidates. Both Jake and Rich would be wise to understand that what I wrote then was an objective critique of their candidacies.  After the dust cleared, and after my chosen candidate came in third among the three, as I expected, I remained undecided, opting to wait to see what might develop.

I didn’t have to wait long.  The morning after the primary I received a text from Jake Evans asking to meet for coffee and to discuss the runoff.  I made no commitments other than I was glad to meet and speak.  The next morning, early, we met in town for coffee and spent a couple of hours together.  During that time, I got to know Jake a little better, which I was glad to do, but also told him that I was not offering my support at that time, only advice for the upcoming campaign.  My advice was simple.  If he were to win, Jake would have to starkly differentiate himself from Rich.  If you look down the set of campaign positions, they are mostly very similar.  Neither candidate can effectively, “out-pro-life” the other, or “out-secure-the-border” the other, though each might try.  I suggested that Rich McCormick’s costly support of Ukraine in its war against Russia was likely the biggest difference between the two, and that I did not believe the 6th District would embrace its hard-earned tax dollars being wasted sustaining another unwinnable, unconscionable, destructive war, fought outside of America’s vital interests, regardless which side various individuals favored to win.  I did say I would support either candidate standing on the issue of pushing Ukraine to the bargaining table to work out a peace deal and to halt the death and destruction of Ukraine and its people.

Almost unavoidably, during our meeting Jake and I were seen having coffee, which I figured might happen.  I did not select the location or would have suggested a less public spot.
 
Be that as it may, it followed that on Friday the 28th, after hearing of my public meeting with Jake, I heard from Rich McCormick, Rich obviously expecting that I was now in Jake’s camp, and that I somehow either misunderstood him or was being misled by dishonest politicians.  My response was that it is very hard for a politician to mislead me because I don’t believe anything any of them have to say anyway. 

But rather than talk on the phone, we agreed to meet the following Tuesday afternoon to have a private heart-to-heart.  I was glad to meet with Rich.  Truth be told I admire Rich McCormick very much.  It is hard not to admire an individual who has accomplished so much in life, as anyone who knows anything about the man might agree.  That said, what either of these candidates might have done or accomplished earlier in life is not the central issue here.  The issue is, again, which candidate would best represent the interests of Georgia’s 6th District for the next two years in Congress.  That is the only issue.

Sunday night I heard back from Rich McCormick that he would have to cancel Tuesday’s meeting, the conflict being that he had fundraising scheduled for that day.  So, just imagine how that may have gone over with me.  Yes, in this day and age fundraising is important, but I will admit, the prospect of having to stand perpetually in line behind heavy contributors to voice my concerns to my US Representative for the next two years was not endearing.  I think Rich understood that from me that evening.

And so, at that point we had one candidate who reached out to speak with me, unprompted, and who kept his appointment, the other who contacted me practically in self-defense of the first, thinking I was supporting the first, and cancelled, opting to speak with heavy contributors once knowing that my mind was not yet made up.

Several days later, June 1, Rich texted to see if I was available to meet on the 9th, a full eight days later.  I was happy to hear back and said I would be glad to meet on the 9th.  We set an appointment for 9:30 or so in the morning.  The day before the scheduled appointment, Rich called wanting to know whether we could move the meeting up to 7 AM as he had another 9 o’clock to attend to.  I wasn’t real keen on the idea of driving to Gainesville for a very short 7 o’clock meeting and said so.  We agreed to meet on Saturday.
 
But last Saturday, two days prior to early voting, unfortunately I was ill and could not meet.  I called Rich to let him know that this time I was the problem.  We agreed to try to have a meaningful phone conversation, perhaps later in the day or Sunday instead.  Rich is much busier than I am, so I was glad to work my schedule to his.  Having heard nothing back, on Monday I left a text asking for a call to have that conversation.  Still I heard nothing.  On the other hand, Monday late afternoon I received a text from Jake Evans having heard I wasn’t feeling well and hoping I was feeling better and he that he would be blessed by my vote and support.  That communication was well-received.

And so, today is Wednesday, June 15, and I am still to receive a call from Rich McCormick.  Maybe you see where this is going.

Last night, I watched the Forsyth County Women Republican monthly meeting on Facebook Live.  If you have never been to a meeting or watched live, I encourage you to do so.  It will add inspiration, meaning and even entertainment to your day.  It was during that meeting that I made the decision on who would receive my vote and support.  Toward the end of the meeting, Jake went first and did his normal, good presentation.  He said all the right things and answered a couple of questions in the same manner.

Rich, almost predictably at this point, was not there.  Instead, he sent wife Debra McCormick and State Senator Greg Dolezal as surrogates.  My decision was made as soon as I heard Debra tell the story of her husband deciding to go to Afghanistan to serve as a Marine MD in the war against the Taliban.  Now you may see things differently than I do, which is what makes the world go ‘round I suppose, and that’s OK.  But the way Debra McCormick told that story confirmed many observations I had made over the last three years following Rich McCormick’s campaigns for Congress.  After getting to know Rich as I believe I have, and after working almost feverishly at times to help him better understand the politics of our country and the world, I can say without reservation that I have made little impression on Rich McCormick’s thinking.  And now, hearing the story offered by Debra, it has been confirmed to me what I have long suspected.  And that is that Rich McCormick is going to do and decide what he is going to do and decide, and there is hardly anyone other than a superior in his military chain-of-command who might change his mind.  I say that because, according to Debra, Rich did not discuss with her his intention to re-up with the Marines, leave their home and seven children behind to go to Afghanistan to serve in that war, or even ask for her input.  Instead, he simply informed his wife of his decision to go.  Unimaginably from my perspective, Debra then told the audience, as if it were a good thing, that when she asked him why he decided to leave her and their seven children at home to go to Afghanistan, his answer was, that, “He has to go where he is most needed.”
   
Now, aside from a natural insult I expect most women would feel given such a response, I have always understood, “God, family, and then country,” to be the hierarchy of patriotic American concerns.  And in this case, as we all should recognize by now, there was never any vital American interest in Afghanistan to begin with.  The American involvement in Afghanistan turned out to be the largest posse ever assembled to go after one individual, Osama bin Laden, for what he ostensibly did on 9/11.  But in the real military world, going after Bin Laden would have been a Special Forces job from the outset, a reality finally confirmed, or at least alleged in the official story of his demise at the hands of Navy Seals while living not in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan years later.

So I’m sorry, but given Debra’s account of that instance of married life does not entice me to expect that Rich McCormick would be receptive to my opinions, or your opinions, on any issue under his purview as a US Representative for the 6th District of Georgia.  If he is not going to consider the opinion of his wife before he decides to leave both her and his family to voluntarily join a war half-way around the world, far be it for any of us to influence his opinions on important congressional legislation.  And it confirms what I already suspected, which is that, while Rich McCormick is practically a larger-than-life figure, a “Marine’s Marine,” that is not what I or anyone in my opinion really need in Washington DC today.  I do not need a hero in Washington DC.  I do not need a savior in Washington DC.  I believe many of you will agree with me when I say that all we need is a representative who will listen to our concerns and make decisions considering what we tell him.  As much as I admire and like him personally, nothing I have heard from Rich McCormick, or now from wife Debra, indicates that he is that person.  That said, if you are comfortable handing the welfare of your interests over to a certainly well-meaning individual who will make his best decisions for you according to his own criteria, but not really entertain your thoughts and opinions, then perhaps vote for Rich McCormick.  But that person is not me.

Now, from my vantage point can I say in all faith that Jake Evans will represent the 6th District better than Rich McCormick?  No, I cannot.  I say that because I cannot predict Jake’s behavior once he might be sworn in.  But in my case, if my experiences in these past few weeks are any indication, my expectation is that if you or I have input or information for Jake Evans to consider, he will make time to dutifully hear what you or I have to say, and weigh those points of view into his decisions as 6th District Representative.

Therefore, for these reasons, and more, know that I will steadfastly cast my vote in Georgia's 6th District runoff for Jake Evans.