Posts Tagged ‘georgia trip’

In a year when a series of excellent black conservatives are running in state after state Cory Ruth is a man with a future.

Cory Ruth at Arizona's

Ruth is one of four Republican candidates in the very democratic 4th district in Georgia. Last Friday my friend Vinnie and I sat down with Cory, we sat and ate and talked. His favorite topic; individual liberty.

We are only as free as we allow ourselves to be.” he declared as he talked about how the government takeovers tended to make people less free. He had managed at the age of 32 to make him self successful as a consultant through initiative. He thinks that this is the message that the black community needs. Particularly this black community which is the second wealthiest in the nation. He believes that if the African American community can be weaned from the government there are no limits to how far it can excel.

For some it might not be an easy sell but he feels younger African Americans of a new generation like himself have moved beyond the old conflicts. Not that they don’t owe a debt to those who have gone before, they should be remembered but his activities within the community as a minister illustrates not so much that old debt but the debt that he feels any man should pay to the community he lives in.

In his youth he saw an African American Supreme court justice nominated by a republican. The two black secretaries of state he saw serve were appointed by George Bush who he declared had “the most diverse group of appointments in history.” Although he applauds this diversity he thinks republicans missed a chance by not running a Powell/Rice ticket saying while scanning the overwhelmingly black clientele at the restaurant that “Not a person in the room would not have voted for Powell.”

Although an African American ticket was not in the cards for republicans in 2008 blacks candidates for congress certainly are. From Col Allen West in Florida, to Les Phillip in Alabama to Vernon Parker in Arizona a slew of credible black candidates have risen up in the republican party.

Cory and a voter

As for if the community might resent a black Republican in a district where the president is so popular: “The problems will be there long after he (President Obama) is gone.” He worked in the community before the 2008 election and will still be involved when this administration is over. He knows the communities needs and problems, as he put it; he is the candidate who listens to 1380 AM and knows the voters he needs to attract.

That certainly seemed evident after we finished our meal different customers talked to him and seemed encouraged by his candidacy and at least once person at the Tysinger breakfast the next day thought he was the best chance for the district to go Republican.

One thing is certain at the age of 32 no matter what the results of the primary or the general election he will be around for a lot of years to be a force in the party. If he continues to preach the gospel of individual liberty to his community they and the country will be the better for it.

The spread looked great.

There was a sandwich the size of 5 larges at Mighty Subs, cakes, chicken and when that started to run out Pizza. A steady stream of people came in to greet Doraville’s newly returned police chief.

John King had been had spent his time in Afghanistan training Afghan police, trying to change the a group from a society that is tribal in nature.

The Civic center was filled to hear his presentation and a great chunk of that group walked down the hill past the library to the City hall to join in the celebration.

It was the single most diverse group I had seen in my entire time in Georgia, White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Mixed, all paying tribute to the chief who had returned alive from the war zone. I was told that the stereotypes of the south often portrayed in the North isn’t the reality. That day I saw a group of young white children gathered around an elderly black veteran of World War 2 talking about his time on the beaches of Normandy. The only thing I saw in their eyes was awe.

It was a good moment for a town that had come on some hard times. With the closing of the GM plant a source of jobs and tax funds had been cut off. The current mayor Ray Jenkins had high praise for his predecessor who had during those good times stockpiles millions for the city in CD’s in case of a rainy day. It had kept them going but with the county government also in tight straights the city was finding itself taking care of more and more duties that the county normally would.

It meant some hard times and people disagreed on how it was best to be handled, but those disagreements would be for another day. Today was for celebration and welcomes. the official one for Col King, but the people there were so friendly, so accommodating, and just so nice to a stranger with a strange accent who had come 1000 miles away to report on a political race that I it was almost as if the party was for me.

The Party went on for two hours after I left, I’m sorry I couldn’t stay but I look forward to seeing Doraville again someday.

Juan of the Tea Party joins the Axis of Fedora

My latest Examiner Article Looking for a cup of Peach Tea is about my unsuccessful attempts to get a handle on the tea party movement in Georgia while I was there.

On the Plus side however Juan Did join the Axis of Fedora!

If you are not familiar with my examiner articles (and if you are one of my new Georgia readers you likely aren’t) the old articles are available here.

Remember the only money I make off of any of this other than direct reader support (thanks) is the nearly penny a hit I get on the Examiner articles, so if you are in a position to check them out please do so. To give you some perspective the 27,000+ hits already generated this year (thank you to all who have read btw) is not enough to cover the plane ticket to Georgia and back

Sorting out the stuff

Actually crashed on the couch while sorting though everything. I seem to have mislaid an e-mail address from the Prince Pizza I have to double check my brother’s car later.

There are quite a few posts from Georgia that are still to be written and videos to be uploaded about:

The Doraville reception, Tysinger reception, several interviews, Stone Mountain, Prince pizza coming home, A write up about Liz Carter, a write up on Cory Ruth, The monastery and the World of Coca Cola, a general interviews with people post, the round up, maybe a day by day post rundown. I’ll be getting all of this stuff done during the course of the week.

As far as what I’ve already done to review:


Calling all Atlanta Area Conservative Bloggers
: A suggestion that we have a night out together, I’m free tonight (Tuesday) and/or Friday
Fedora now in Dixie (the I’ve arrived post)
Voices of Georgia: Rochelle (my first interview and I comment on sedition back home)
Breakfast in America Mamie’s Kitchen ga-4 (I talk to patrons of a local coffee shop)
A talk with the Crossroads News (The Rather extraordinary Jennifer Parker talks to me about the district)
Voices of Ga-4 my pal Vinnie: (He looks nothing like Joe Pesci!)
A Few Photos from tonight: Photos from the United PeachTree Corners Civic Organization candidate’s forum. on May 24th.
Individual interviews on camera with Angela Moore, Liz Carter, Brooke Nebel, Jeffery Meek, and Dr. Mary Kay Murphy from the UPCCA forum.
My quick take on the UPCCA Forum.
Various uninformative opining on stuff
The Curse of the Fedora or how the Red Sox went on a winning streak when I left
Video from the Varsity (onion rings awesome, burger so/so)
A very good sitdown with the Champion Free Press
My old friends and me
A Doraville thankyou post.
A church Tale where I talk about some of the churches I visited
Two posts about the one unpleasant moment of the trip
Chief/Col John King’s Afganistan deployment post. (MUST WATCH!)
A Thanks to Hank Johnson’s staff
Liz Carter in Doraville
My funny CNN post (well I thought it was funny)
The Republican Ga-7 candidate forum (had a very bad time uploading them for some reason)
Matthews’ cafeteria roundup
A busy day
Indictments in the 4th district
My Cory Ruth video
A photo illustrating the one thing wrong with Tysinger’s forum.

Other than that I didn’t get much down down there.