Warnock vows to help create better America for 'our children'

Jul. 1—Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock views legislation and public policy as "letters to our children, and we'd get it right more often" if more eledcted officials held a similar outlook, he said here Wednesday.

"Infrastructure is the covenant we have with one another — an inescapable connection — and I want to write a letter to every child in America," the Democrat explained during a visit to the Mack Gaston Community Center sponsored by the Whitfield County Democratic Committee. "In America, you can achieve — you can be — whatever you decide to be."

"I'm going to stay focused on the people and their problems, not politicians and their problems," said Warnock. "There's so much talk about politicians and how they're doing, (but) my job is to center (on) the concerns of ordinary people, (such as) a livable wage and access to healthcare."

Warnock, who has served as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005, defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff in a special election on Jan. 5, 2021, which followed the resignation for health reasons by Republican Johnny Isakson. Warnock, the first Black to represent Georgia in the Senate, faces Republican Herschel Walker in the Nov. 8 general election.

"Georgia stood up," also electing Democrat Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate over Republican incumbent David Perdue on the same day, and "I'm a proud Georgian," Warnock said. Georgia, a member of the former Confederacy, "sent a kid who grew up in public housing to the Senate, (a kid with a mother) who grew up in the Jim Crow South and picked cotton and tobacco for other people."

As a senator, Warnock "has been a tireless advocate for Georgians," said Tom Pinson, director of the community center. "We need to keep him" in the Senate.

Abortion and women's health in America Warnock called last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade — which had made abortion a constitutional right for women for the past 49 years — an instance of a "core constitutional protection undone by extremist right-wing judges who ignored precedent."

"As a pastor and a man of faith, I have profound reverence for life, and an abiding respect for choice," Warnock said. A patient's room is "too cramped for a woman, her doctor and the U.S. government."

Reproductive "issues are complicated, and I trust women and their wisdom," he said. "I wonder why some other people don't?"

Warnock first came to Dalton as a college student in the late 1980s while working for the state's public health department, so "I've been focused on women's reproductive health and reproductive rights" for more than three decades, and "there are constructive and productive things the government can do if serious about life," he said. For example, "we could focus on the criminally high maternal mortality rate" in the country and, specifically, Georgia, especially among Black women.

America's maternal mortality rate for 2020 was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, and Georgia's maternal mortality rate is more than twice the U.S. average, ranking second worst among states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System. The U.S. ranks behind more than 50 countries in maternal mortality, according to the World Health Organization.

The maternal mortality rate for American Black women is three to four times as high as it is for white women, Warnock said, asking, "Why do we tolerate that?"

Faith and religion Warnock rebuked those who use their faith to "divide" and as a "cudgel," rather than to "love your neighbor."

"Our faith is a bridge," he said. "It's not just about what you say in your house of worship on Saturday or Sunday, but about how you love your neighbor Monday to Friday."

DiversityWarnock touted accomplishments in the Senate, including the American Rescue Plan, which provided millions of dollars to municipalities like Dalton so "you didn't have to lay off firefighters, police and teachers," as well as bipartisan efforts, such as co-sponsoring an amendment with Texas Republican Ted Cruz for a road that would benefit Texas and Georgia.

"Places like Dalton represent (a) diverse America, and I take your spirit, fire and hope from Dalton with me to Washington, D.C.," but attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election were a strike by some that "certain voices shouldn't be heard," he said. "We have to deal with the violent assault of our Capitol, and we can't ignore it."

"Those weren't 'tourists,'" he added. "I've seen tourists, and they were not tourists."

Marcus Flowers When he joined the military, Marcus Flowers swore to protect and defend the United States, which is why he jumped in as a Democrat to challenge Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose district includes Whitfield and Murray counties, following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, he said.

The country is heading toward a "dark and dangerous place" because of misinformation from politicians and elected officials like Greene, which is why he's running to "unseat her" in November's general election for the 14th Congressional District.

"We have a lot to do in this district, (but) I can't do this alone," said Flowers, a native of Troy, Alabama, who now resides in Bremen. "The only way to do this is together."

"I'm putting everything I have into ensuring we have better healthcare and schools; take care of our children, veterans and seniors; and — above all — save our democracy," said Flowers, who joined the military when he was 18. "The people in this district care about the country and democracy."

He's eager to debate Greene.

"I want to debate her," he said. "We'll see if she decides to debate me."

'Your vote is important' Fred Gould voted for Warnock, and "for sure" will do so again in November, he said at the rally. "I have a hard time stomaching a lot of what is coming from the (Republican) side."

Though he disagrees with the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding Roe v. Wade, he acknowledges that issues like abortion do include personal feelings and opinions, but claims by some Republicans that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" simply aren't factual, he said. "That's the stuff that is really scary to me, that people believe that."

Also present Wednesday was Rachel Moffett, a Dalton State College student who hopes to encourage others to vote for Democrats this year.

"I'm nonbinary, lesbian and Puerto Rican, so I'm like a triple minority, and these issues really affect me," Moffett said. "I'd like to have rights, and the Democratic Party is the only one that wants me to have rights."

"They've done good work, but there's more work to do, and I want to be part of that work," Moffett added. "I want to be part of the future of the party, and this is my community."

Debby Peppers, who chairs the Whitfield County Democratic Committee, was "really thrilled" at the size of Wednesday's crowd, and she urged audience members to contact at least five other people to urge them to vote this year, and coax those five to do likewise with five more.

Though Whitfield County and the 14th Congressional District are Republican strongholds, "a vote here counts the same as it does in DeKalb County" for statewide races, so local Democrats shouldn't be discouraged, she said. "Your vote is important, and we need it to win these races."

"Don't make excuses," she added. "You have to vote, and you have to help."