Georgia will be a hotly-contested state in 2022, following its blue shift (and 2021 election runoffs) that saw Democrats take control of the Senate. Senator Raphael Warnock, who has been in office for just two years is running for reelection. Gov. Brian Kemp faces difficult road ahead to be reelected against Stacey Abrams’ political machine.
Another battle is raging over COVID-19 in school settings, amid all the political worries. Many Georgia counties announced that remote learning will be resumed after the Christmas break. Many districts still have mask mandates.
Parents, wake up! pic.twitter.com/9UQ1q96QPD
— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) January 1, 2022
That news made me think: Brian Kemp must lead this issue if he wants to stay as Georgia Governor. But instead of leadership, weak excuses are being made, and to be frank, they aren’t going to do anything to help Kemp’s chances when Election Day rolls around.
These are just a few ways to get things started.
A colleague in the legislature informs us that the issue is with the legislature and not the governor/AG. The legislature passed in 2004 a law regarding remote learning that schools are using. Only the legislature can control it.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 1, 2022
Use his position and the state school board to declare remote days aren’t going to count towards school days. A law should be drafted concurrently for the state legislative, which meets within a week. The Governor should support that law.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 1, 2022
Erick Erickson’s response to Kemp’s criticism is flawed because they assume that Kemp is just an observer. He’s not, and he can’t afford to operate as one, even if that means stretching the limits of his power.
Imagine if Ron DeSantis had just thrown his hands up and said “welp, nothing I can do” and left things up to the legislature and state superintendent? How many commentators on the right insisted that DeSantis’ executive orders on masks and keeping schools open wouldn’t survive the courts? Yet here we are with DeSantis’ executive orders on masks and keeping schools open having been granted multiple legal victories during the past two year. His schools have also been opened for business. In other words, forfeiting is a sure way to lose a battle.
But even if we accept the premise that there’s nothing Kemp can do via the power of his office, shouldn’t he still be the one leading these fights? It is up to the parents to make a bill happen. They have no influence or connections. Kemp should go to the GOP-controlled legislature, and call for action. You could also organize a group of concerned parents in Fulton County to pressure the school board.
That’s what DeSantis did. That’s also what Glenn Youngkin did, even in deep blue Loudoun County, and it led him to a massive victory in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. At the very least, Kemp should be releasing daily statements slamming the decision to return to remote learning and threatening legal action if mask mandates aren’t removed.
Instead, we are being told there’s just nothing he can do, as if he has no role to play in any of this. That’s not gonna fly if Kemp’s goal is to get re-elected. The smart set can call it unfair and blame the rubes for wanting a governor who fights for them, but that’s the reality of the situation. It’s put up or shut up time for Kemp. He has to get out there and be the face of the movement or he will lose in 2022, and that’s if he makes it out of the primary.
Trump will never change the dynamic, regardless of how much you whine or blame him. There are two options. Fight or be defeated — make a choice.
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