Late last week, former President Obama offered a slew of new endorsements to Democratic candidates in congressional races across the country, but in the case of one Senate race in Georgia, he also sent a subtle nod to one Democrat to consider clearing the way for the candidate who can actually win.
On Friday, Obama endorsed Reverend Raphael Warnock, who is currently among multiple challengers from members of both parties seeking to oust Senator Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler was appointed to her seat last December by Killer Mike’s new best friend, Governor Jim Crow himself, Brian Kemp. Less than a year into the position she was curiously selected for, Loeffler has netted headlines for accusations of insider trading, which the Bill Barr–run Department of Justice and the GOP-led Senate unsurprisingly seemed to have little interest in investigating, and beefing with the players with the WNBA team she co-owns over Black Lives Matter, which she insists is racist.
More recently, she introduced an anti-trans youth bill because for certain desperate, pathetic people, preying on the most vulnerable among us is smart politics.
Loeffler also unveiled a new ad that jokes about murdering writers.
In summary, Loeffler is a Republican, and while the politics of the Deep South might often be favorable for this brand of evil, there is reason to be hopeful of a more appropriate fate.
Based on recent polling from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Loeffler is pegged at 24 percent, echoing other polls that suggest she’s built a slight lead. But U.S. Representative Doug Collins, her fiercest Republican rival, and Democrat Raphael Warnock are within striking distance at roughly 20 percent each.”
Collins is who Donald Trump wanted to be selected for the seat, so while I typically cannot stand that jibber-jabbering buffoon whenever I have to stomach the sight of him during a congressional hearing, he is a useful fool here. Unfortunately, there are other Democrats being less useful with their entitlement issues. The first is Matt Lieberman, an educator and the son of former Senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, who boasted 11% of support, and former prosecutor Ed Tarver, who polled at 5%.
With undecideds in the race being as high as 17% in that same poll, Democrats have called on Lieberman and Tarver to get out of the race for the sake of consolidating Democratic support behind Warnock.
In a tweet, Lieberman wrote: “Hey there. I hear you and obviously understand the importance of the seat. Here’s my perspective. With 21 candidates in the race, no one is going to get 50% in November. There would have to be around 9 candidates who drop out. There might even be a runoff in the other Senate race.”
Given both the chaos surrounding Loeffler’s race and the American plague continuing to ravage the nation – no matter what your cable news coverage tells you – there is a unique opportunity in Georgia right now to oust her. This is contingent on making the most of unique and ultimately dire circumstances (see trying to vote in Georgia during any given election, specifically if you are Black). That would entail Democrats all rallying behind the candidate with the most support.
As it’s been for months now, that has proven to be Reverend Warnock, and although I have seen the argument that Lieberman’s presence might not impact that much, if you can potentially contribute in any way to a Republican ghoul winning, why run such a risk? In the advent of a runoff, it is less likely for Democrats to potentially capture the seat. I would rather Lieberman just call his selfishness by its name.
Instead, he responded to Obama’s endorsement of Warnock with theater. The most entitled and entangled with traditional power structures loving playing dress up in populism. Lieberman is just like his father: a spoiler. Joe Liebermaa is the person who couldn’t accept losing a Senate primary. It’s a shame that he didn’t because Joe Lieberman would go on to become the reason why the Affordable Health Care Act has no public option — further complicating the lives of millions seeking affordable health care options from insurance companies.
Now his son is carrying on the tradition of becoming a political nuisance.
The Democratic Party has plenty of troubles, but as it stands now, a pro-LGTBQ pastor with an Obama endorsement and the highest poll numbers seems like the best option to get rid of a woman who will hurt more people if given the chance. Again, you either contribute to the cause of ousting the seemingly crooked bigot or you are complicit in keeping her in power.
Matt Lieberman has apparently made his choice to be a bother, but if you wanted another reason to loathe American political dynasties (real, imagined, and those seeking), here you go.