10th: What Whitehead Said

Today, a very Democratic friend got an email, addressed to "Fellow Republican" from Jim Whitehead announcing his candidacy for the 10th Congressional District. Let's see. This person does not live in the district and has never voted in a Republican primary. Perhaps Whitehead needs to have a conversation with his email vendor. The text of the announcement is below, and raises some interesting issues.

First of all, Whitehead begins with a football analogy and talks about protecting the quarterback. Presumably, that would be President Bush. Yet, Whitehead talks about Reagan and never mentions President Bush. Is Bush polling that poorly in Georgia? Whitehead says that he is running to "protect and continue Charlie's legacy of conservative leadership." That's not quite the same thing as representing the people of Georgia, is it? And, I think that it is important to remember that while everyone thinks Norwood was a nice person, part of that "legacy" is his opposition to the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. Here's the text of Whitehead's email:

When I played football at the University of Georgia, my coach told me I had one job – protect the quarterback. It was an awesome responsibility. The team needed a big, strong leader to put aside the glory and the spotlight and protect what mattered most. That experience stuck with me the rest of my life.

When I got married 42 years ago, I made a very solemn vow to protect my wife and my family. When I ran for County Commission in 1994, I ran to protect the great quality of life in my hometown for my friends and neighbors. When I ran for the State Senate a few years ago, I promised to protect every family in this state and the values that we hold so dear.

Now, unfortunately, I am running to be our next US Congressman. I say “unfortunately” because we had to lose a great leader, and I had to lose a great friend, to be here asking for your vote.

I cannot be Charlie Norwood. But I can be Jim Whitehead. And I am running to protect and continue Charlie’s legacy of conservative leadership.

I believe in President Ronald Reagan’s wisdom that government’s most important responsibility is to protect its citizens. As our next Congressman, I will work everyday to protect our people from the threat of terrorism, to protect our children’s future, and to protect our hard earned tax dollars. And sometimes, our citizens may even need a little protection from their government – and I’ll be there for you every single time.

Today we launch our new campaign website, www.whiteheadforcongress.com. Please check it out to learn more about who I am, what I believe, and how you can get involved.

And I hope that I can count on your vote and support in the special election on June 17th. With your support, I will go to our nation’s capital and protect the things that matter most to the people of the 10th Congressional District.

Sincerely,


Jim Whitehead

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