Howdy, folks! Hope all is lovely out there.
Well, the other night on the Facebook I did something I've been threatening to do for many years, and that is to possibly, officially declare my intent for public office for the first time in almost two decades.
Why?
Good question.
To offer up a few words: Fleeta Baggett Smith.
It's almost fascinating as to how so many of the C-town crew; a fair amount of the TPC readership & even a couple of the Tonto Network folks, have just fallen in line with Fleeta on this thing, even though many have spoken ill of her in the past. What is the "why" here? Why have so many just embraced this supposed coronation?
One working theory:
Because she was supposedly childhood friends with Brian Kemp?
That Tim Fleming, Kemp's Chief of Staff & the rest of the usual suspects have endorsed her?
Questions abound.
I think mostly it does have to do with Kemp.
Because, maybe, he supports Fleeta.
I mean, that's apparently what Fleeta's been telling folks for months now. And no doubt, Fleeta is friendly with the GOV, that much seems to be true, but this isn't Georgia politics. No, this is much more involved. This is C-town politics.
And heck, with seemingly half of Covington working for the great state of Georgia now (and the Governor's office, specifically), it seems as if this might be the case. Well, maybe - just maybe - the fact that so many Covingtonians are working in Kemp's office might be because they were qualified; or, that they really helped out on the campaign. Or, in the case of Tim Fleming, that he's been Kemp's right hand man for many years now. Not necessarily - as Fleeta might have you believe - because they were just part of the crew. That demeans their contributions & really folks - think about it - we're talking Fleeta here. You do the math...
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So, what's really the real why here?
I believe it to be the old standby:
Power.
And the thirst for it, and the awe that so many seem to have for it.
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With no malice in my heart, and just speaking my true opinion, I'll say this:
The last thing our beloved home city needs right now is an anti-business, all-or-nothing sycophant looking for a bully pulpit to project her personal views and/or to settle scores from two years ago, or four years ago, or even four months ago.
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Really, though, I think maybe the biggest thing for a lot folks is what we supposedly saw two years ago, and four years before that:
The fear of a certain someone, maybe a family member, raising hell & beating on your door or calling you at home if you dare publicly support someone else or have somebody else's sign in your yard. And, you know what, I can kind of get that...
And right quick, let's get into the REAL Politick here. We saw what happened two years ago. We saw what happened four years ago. Folks ain't buying what they're selling. It ain't rocket science. But, as a fellow local political watcher mentioned to me just the other day - "just let 'em get their asses kicked again..."
Building a viable, effective & principled consensus. That is the name of the game.
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Will I actually qualify come the last week of August? Am I going to officially declare, file a DOI, set up a campaign committee, etc.? Good questions all. I do know of two different folks who are both possibly thinking of throwing their hats into the ring of the COV East Ward, Post 2 race, and I believe both would be good candidates & would make good council members, but! what if neither steps up? Well, somebody's gonna have to do it, that's for damn sure. It'd probably be best for all involved if it wasn't me. But then again, it would be quite entertaining, I have no doubt. At a minimum, I'll be checking who qualifies come late August. If need be, I'll be camped out at the Board of Elections on that Friday.
We'll see what the future holds.
Marshall B. "MB" McCart
