Georgia
Republicans, Beware
Published in Marietta (GA) Daily Journal, 8/12/18
Ten springs ago writer
Selena Montgomery came to my English class at Chattahoochee Technical College
to talk about writing. Her visit was a
rousing success for herself and the class as well.
Montgomery
and I had met in Atlanta just months before at the state Capitol. We learned that we had similar backgrounds
and interests. She was a writer, a
lawyer, and a state representative. I
was a former state representative and a teacher, though at the time, I was
working for the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
It
would be inaccurate to say we had become close friends. Our conversations were actually rare, though
generally lengthy. Of different races, we
grew to respect each other even though we realized right away that we were on
different sides of the political fence, in name and in philosophy. Montgomery was a Democrat; I was a Republican. I had been educated in Mississippi. She, too, grew up in Mississippi and went on
to obtain her law degree from Yale Law School.
Standing
before my English Composition class, this lady was spellbinding. She said something; she paused. She looked around; she then landed her eyes
on the students right beneath her speaker’s stand. She was an intense listener. She was winsome. I sensed that her outstanding communication
skills were natural gifts. The ease and
authority with which she spoke were not practiced.
As
is the case in many technical colleges, the age difference among the students
in the college freshman class was vast.
The majority of the class were 18 and 19, but a good third of the
students were in their late twenties and thirties. The two oldest class members were in their
50s. Ms. Montgomery acknowledged this
age difference as she spoke about the art of writing, adeptly asking questions
and using illustrations that applied to younger adults and then to the older
ones.
“We
talk more than we write,” she asserted, “but learning to write well will
definitely heighten your thinking and your spoken English. Think about that the next time you’re having
an interview, trying to get a date, or trying to get your kids to move closer
to you so that you can see the grandkids more often.”
Having
already taught English for 42 years, I watched and listened with amazement as
this young woman skillfully stated what she had to say. I was learning from
her. I was also very pleased with myself
for having invited her to the class.
At
the Capitol on the House Floor, Montgomery was known as Stacey Abrams. Already an author, using the pen name Selena
Montgomery, Abrams rose fast in the Georgia House. Eventually, she became House
Minority Leader. Her speeches in the
House were as lucid as her stellar teaching in my classroom. She is now the Democratic nominee for
Governor.
Lately,
media pundits have been claiming that Americans are divided because they are
“defined by their ideology.” But how can
we not be so defined? Why should we not
be? If ideology is one’s set of beliefs,
what else best “defines” us?
Perhaps
the pundits need Ms. Abrams to help them with better word choices. As most people are (pundits as well), Abrams
is guided by a set of beliefs. Maybe the
pundits are trying to say we are not respectful of those whose ideology is
different from our own.
Ms.
Abrams’ ideology is clear. It is, I believe, the reason she will not be elected
Governor. She has vowed to protect
abortion rights and has received recognition from Planned Parenthood. She supports “marriage equality” and
expansion of gun regulation. She
believes in ending the death penalty.
She has opposed both religious liberty legislation and the strengthening
of voter ID laws. Already she is the
darling of progressives across the country.
As
talented and sincere as Abrams is, she still is not likely to find that most
Georgia voters share her ideology. Republicans
best be careful, however. The
likeability factor always looms big in politics, and Ms. Abrams is
likeable. Unlike many progressives, she
is eloquent without being rabid.
I
haven’t read any of Selena Montgomery’s books.
Reviewers call them romantic suspense novels. Their covers indicate that they are pure
erotica. I hope not. Stacey Abrams has too much to offer to be
titillating readers with lurid novels.
If
she loses the Governor’s race, I hope she teaches English. She would rise there as well. Meanwhile, Republicans have a formidable
foe. There is much they could learn from
her.
Roger Hines
8/8/18
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