Georgia Republicans Got It Right, But Macon Telegraph Won’t Hear of It

The Macon Telegraph ran a column on Sunday encouraging the Georgia Republican Party to take action to change the ballot in light of misleading information spread in the press. After agreeing to give the GAGOP space to refute their claims, the Telegraph rejected the response.

While it is the paper’s prerogative to refuse op-eds, the Georgia Republican Party believes the column printed by the Macon Telegraph was misleading and warrants response. Below is the op-ed submitted by the GAGOP.

Georgia Republicans Got It Right

Kenny Burgamy made many claims in his recent opinion piece (There’s Time to Get It Right, Macon Telegraph, 9/19/2010) that were untrue and infeasible. Perhaps the most errant assumption was that Georgia Republicans got it wrong when they nominated Nathan Deal as the Republican candidate for Governor. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nathan won the nomination in a close primary and runoff. In a state considered to be a Democratic stronghold for generations, Georgia Republicans showed up in record numbers in two successive elections showing their preference for the party of personal freedom and smaller government. While Nathan won the runoff by less than 1 percent, the top two finishers in the primary both bested Roy Barnes with 10 percent more votes.

Mr. Deal’s personal finances have been well documented over the last week, but let’s not ignore the facts. Nathan is a successful small businessman who has created jobs and turned a profit – even in these difficult financial times. Businesses have their ups and downs. The only thing unique here is that Deal’s ups and downs are front-page news.

I can see how that point would get lost in the Democrats’ spin cycle. Most people understand that they simply cannot spend more than they take in. Democrats, however, have overlooked that rule as they have escalated our country into further debt with their binge spending legislation, plunging our nation into $13 trillion in debt.

In Georgia, Roy Barnes has shown he’s not all that different than Washington Democrats. As governor, he turned a $700 million budget surplus into a $620 million shortfall. Now, he’s proposed $2.4 billion in new spending with no way to pay for it, just like a Washington Democrat.

Roy has spent most of his career suing small businesses rather than creating them and destroying jobs for his personal gain. He doesn’t embrace the creative spirit of Georgians who take calculated risks — he demonizes them.

The Georgia Republican Party is the party of small businesses and strong families across Georgia. We believe that Americans can better themselves through hard work, personal responsibility and seizing opportunities. While the road to success is lined with periodic setbacks, we see them as learning opportunities that can move us forward.

Georgia’s successful economic recovery will depend on people willing to take a calculated risk to start a business and employ Georgians. It will also depend on policy-makers’ willingness to create an environment that fosters our American and exceptional entrepreneurism. That’s why we need Nathan Deal.

Nathan’s Real Prosperity plan increases Georgia’s competitiveness by lowering income taxes on Georgia’s families and reducing corporate income taxes by a third. The Tax Foundation estimates that his plan will improve Georgia’s business climate from the bottom half of states to the top one-third.

Nathan’s plan for education, “Real Results,” provides maximum flexibility for local school districts, protects the HOPE scholarship and will bolster math and science education.

He has led the fight against Obamacare. He stands up to Washington liberals whose brand of “change” comes with hefty price tags that Georgians can’t afford.

Georgians are concerned with issues, not petty and personal attacks. Nathan Deal has the philosophy, plan and experience to put Georgia back on track. I ask you to vote for Nathan Deal and not rewind Georgia to the bad old days of Roy Barnes.

Sue Everhart is the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and lives in Marietta.