Johnny Isakson Represents Georgia With Character and Class

The news that Georgia U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson will soon retire was not shocking.

Isakson has been dealing with various health issues and will step away from his elected position at the end of the year. There had been rumblings of this even before Isakson was re-elected in 2016.

While some will contend in coming weeks and months that Isakson shouldn’t have run for re-election in 2016 there can be no denying he has always represented his constituents in a positive and classy manner.

Isakson has always been a Republican but is one of the few politicians in this state or any other to receive strong crossover support. You really never hear anything negative said about him. In fact through the years he has probably received as much criticism from those who identify themselves as Republicans as from Democrats.

While certainly a loyal Republican Isakson has never put party above his principles or above the people of Georgia. He is soft-spoken and honestly believes there can be good from serving as a representative of the people.

In fact Isakson made the 1990 governor’s race far closer than anyone would have predicted. He faced Zell Miller who had been Lt. Governor for years.

Before Georgia turned Republican red the fact that Isakson earned 44.5 percent of the vote in a statewide general election says a great deal about him.

An Atlanta native, Isakson served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 and graduated from the University of Georgia. He worked in real estate for more than two decades.

After a failed bid for the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974, he tried again and was elected in 1976. He served seven terms, including four as minority leader. After the governor’s race Isakson ran for the Georgia Senate and served one term.

After 6th District Congressman and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich resigned, Isakson ran in the February 1999 special election to succeed him, winning by a 40-point margin. He ran for the U.S. Senate in November 2004 after Miller opted not to run for re-election. He won both the primary and general elections by large margins.

In a day of extremism on both sides of the political aisle Georgia has been fortunate to have Isakson as a spokesman. His honesty and belief in being in office simply to represent his fellow citizens has always been a breath of fresh air.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp will appoint a replacement for Isakson but there will likely be a host of candidates running for the position in 2022. Whoever replaces Isakson will have a lot of work to do in order to equal all he has accomplished in politics.

FIELD DECREASES AGAIN

New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand ended her president campaign in recent days.

Gillibrand was a victim of the numbers game. With so many candidates running for the Democratic nomination she was really lost in the shuffle and never gained a ton of traction.

There has been talk of more candidates dropping out of the Democratic field, especially those who did not make the cut for the next round of debates.

Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has gained some crossover appeal due to her being active in the military, said she will not run as a third party candidate or independent. Gabbard was one of the Democrats who did not make the next round of debates. Ironically in the first two she won several online polls for her performance.

The Democratic National Committee is drawing criticism from candidates and voters for the way the criteria seemingly changes in order to make the debate stage. Gabbard was unable to be on the campaign trail, who also includes raising funds, because she was on active duty in the Hawaii National Guard.

Gabbard also served in a field medical unit of the Hawaii Army National Guard in a combat zone in Iraq from 2004-2005 and was deployed to Kuwait from 2008-2009.

CONSIDERING A RUN

Former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee recently said he is open to seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for president. Chafee ran for the president in the 2016 Democratic Primary.

Also, Michigan U.S. House member Justin Amash has indicated he is considering run for president as either a Libertarian or an independent. Amash recently left the Republican Party and was planning to seek re-election as in independent.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Mr. President, we don’t work for you. I don’t work for you,” said Fox News host Neil Cavuto. “My job is to cover you, not fawn over you or rip you, just report on you.”

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He has earned awards for his columns from the National Newspaper Association, the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback from readers about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.